The proposed time lock system was announced on Discord, and there were a few inconsistencies I wanted to discuss. Do remember that the update has not yet dropped, so much of the information being discussed is still liable to change (which is all the more reason we should have this discussion now).
First, the big one: Queen. This role is probably the biggest reason why time locks were implemented, and according to the announcement will have a 9 hour xeno playtime requirement. In my opinion this is insufficient and logically inconsistent with the other time locks. However, I do agree that there should be no restriction for evolving into Queen when the round start Queen has died.
Let’s use the XO, the rough marine equivalent to the Queen, for some perspective. To play XO you need 3 hours as SO, which requires “3 hours of Squad Leading and Cargo Teching.” The language is a bit obtuse but I will assume that it means you must have 3 hours as SL and CT respectively to play SO. To SL you need 9 hours as a squad member (Does that number sound familiar?). In total you need 18 hours of playing marines to actually lead the marines, while only HALF of that time is needed to lead xenos. That is entirely insufficient, especially since a Queen is MUCH more important than an XO. Therefore I would argue that Queen should at MINIMUM have an 18 hour time lock to create parity between the roles.
Second: Researcher. I’ve always had the impression that Researcher was the introductory Medbays role. It allows you to learn chemicals and familiarize yourself with the Medbay without the pressure of having to treat marines. It was the role where I got to learn and experiment with medicine for the first time (fitting for the role), so making 3 hours of doctor be a prerequisite to the role seems utterly backwards to me.
Finally: Corporate Liason. CL is the King of ship-side shenanigans, so having the role only require 3 hours as marine feels a bit odd. Personally, I feel that CL needs more ship-side role requirements just to make sure players have a general understanding of what is expected of them as well as to reduce the amount of griefer CLs.