research is a long term task

[Beep]

how do i research? this keeps popping up. I've played at least 30 hours of Rimworld and this is the first time this has happened.Please help if you know how to fix this.

[sbmarauderman03]

Build a research table. Select topic from research menu. Really not that difficult to figure out...

[Stormsong]

Also, if you're playing on checkmark priorities (please learn numbered/manual ASAP) you might be waiting a while for anyone to go to the bench since it'll be the last thing on their mind.

[Vintorez]

You need to let research be done via the work tab, setting priorities in a way that pawns will default to research before other work.

When you tell a pawn to prioritize work like crafting a gun or performing a surgery, they will not do anything else except that task until it is complete.

So if you were allowed to prioritize a research task, which can take multiple days, your pawn will just stand there researching until they collapse from lack of sleep or food, or until they have a mental break from not having most of their needs met.

[Beep]

thanks all of these helped a lot

[AlP]

You need to disable all other jobs if you want them to do any research.

[Stormsong]

Originally posted by AlP:

You need to disable all other jobs if you want them to do any research.

Or just use numbered priorities and set research as a higher priority (numerically lower) than most other categories.

[MayoCulpa]

With this one for example, my main researcher is Carlos - research is the only thing set to priority 1 for him.

If he is on a quest or gets hurt, I'll turn Tailor, Craft and Haul down to 2 or 3 for my backup researcher Rozwellia. Then she'll take over at the research bench.

Occasional tasks like Firefight, Doctor and Hunt can still be 1. I had Handle set to 1 for everyone here since the colony has a lot of good handlers, so a researcher might train once or twice before settling down to the research bench for the day.

This isn't a perfect setup by any means but it gives the general idea. Work priorities are probably the thing I adjust more than anything else over the course of a game day.

https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/File:Work_priority_example.jpg

[Feldspar]

you cant have a colonist forced to research they do it on there own no manual researching

[Morkonan]

Originally posted by coolanderson33:

how do i research? this keeps popping up. I've played at least 30 hours of Rimworld and this is the first time this has happened.Please help if you know how to fix this.

Just some notes:

You can use multiple Research Benches, each with a Researcher, to speed up Research. They can only work on the same Research, though. (It's not a popular strat, but it's possible to do.)

Use your BEST Researcher for Research. If you have two that are very close in skill, you can trade off here and there so you can be sure to have a "Backup Researcher" just in case one dies. Getting caught in the late-research game without a leveled Research is.. painful. (Leveling up a secondary Researcher is your "call" based on how likely it is one might die. Otherwise, stick with just the one.)

Your Researcher is going to be researching all day, every day. That's all that they're going to do unless some higher Jobs priority takes effect. And, it shouldn't - Researchers research. If the Researcher has some other very desirable skill you'd like to use... gee, that's tough - RESEARCH. :) But, since they're there all day, making them the most comfy chair possible will actually be very helpful. Best room possible, cleanest room possible, all the best everything.

It's very common to just not do any Research for a period of time. If you need to focus on other things, that's fine. Just don't expect or use a Researcher to be dual-use in terms of Jobs while they're actively Researching

[AlP]

Originally posted by Morkonan:

Researchers research.

They also make drugs.

[Bacculus]

Research pro-tips:

1. Of all the backgrounds and skill combos possible in Rimworld, a high Research skill is statistically the most likely for a random pawn to have. Therefore, turning down sub-optimal researchers is very safe to do, it's often better to wait to do research until you find one with Hard-Worker or Industrious, because "Global Work Speed" modifies "Research Speed".
2. A Night Owl researcher in addition to your normal one allows you to use one research bench effectively 24/7, very useful if you can't afford multiple high-tech research benches on some maps.
3. Multiple researchers is an extremely powerful strat, three simple research benches and a few mediocre to strong researchers can quickly unlock microelectronics and beeline geothermal, or gun crafting, turrets, or any other tech they want. There is a tradeoff of course (feeding otherwise idle colonists), but the impact of having multiple researchers is quite powerful.
4. Colonists seem to prefer workstations that are closest to them (pathing-wise) when they make a decision to work. If you're in a situation where you have a high-tech bench for your main researcher and simple benches for others, put the high tech bench closest to the door so that it's always used first.
5. Cleanliness counts, so does lighting. Make sure there is a light within ~5 tiles of your research benches or they'll take a penalty.
6. If you want to be cheesy, rough stone doesn't accumulate filth like smooth stone does, so a room you never floor will never take the workspeed penalty for being dirty.

[Bacculus]

(Medical is the second-most common skill btw, shooting and construction are roughjly tied for third most-common. In other words: Value growing and mining skill higher when you see them on a good pawn.)