RimWorld's Experimental Research System Reborn Turns Scientific Progress Into a Risky Business

Research in RimWorld usually comes down to assigning a capable colonist to a bench and giving them enough time to work through the next project. It's dependable, even if the process doesn't always feel particularly scientific.

Experimental Research System Reborn, a new mod from Kovlak, has a different idea. Instead of simply accumulating research points, colonists conduct experiments that consume actual materials, with success influenced by their scientific expertise. Failed experiments aren't necessarily wasted efforts, either. Researchers can gather useful notes that improve their chances the next time around, and some materials may be recovered.

The system stretches well beyond the laboratory. Research knowledge can come from books, prisoners, recruits, abandoned locations, and other discoveries, while the world's factions develop their own technological capabilities. That can affect the equipment they use and what traders have available, giving scientific progress a presence outside your colony's research screen.

The mod is a complete reworking of Kovlak's earlier Experimental Research System, released as a separate project. An optional harder mode also changes successful experiments so they can contribute partial progress rather than immediately completing an entire research project.

It sounds like a good fit for players who enjoy RimWorld's more involved colony-management systems. Scientific advancement becomes something you actively plan around, complete with material costs, failed attempts, and opportunities to learn from the wider world.

The creator recommends starting a new game, and the original Experimental Research System shouldn't be enabled alongside this version.