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What I am Proposing The Alien Embryo is used in xeno development. As part of a small space ruin I have been working on, and after watching a lot of xeno rounds, I'd like to propose some minor extensions to alien embryo behavior. I have drafted changes to alien_embryo.dm that: introduce a incubation_scale value to be applied to the existing stage advancement process. The larger the incubation_scale, the longer it will take to advance dead hosts have a flat incubation_scale of 2, this would mean xeno's are penalized for letting hosts die before they give birth frozen unconscious hosts (below 0oC) will not advance (those in cryo_tubes) cold hosts (0oC - 32oC) will advance slower, based on how far below ideal temp their body temp is the bodyscanner now reports the size of the embryo (tiny, very small, small, large, very large) antibiotics ("spaceacillin") is mildly effective at slowing down progression in early stages neurotoxin is extremely effective at slowing down growth at all stages other than final high dose of neurotoxin will kill an alien embryo if given in the early to mid stages of gestation. the dosage increases for each gestation stage (10u to 50u). Treatment Protocol Summary Why it is good for the game Xeno rounds are fun, but there is little "agency" for those within the round. As an example, existing changes to spiders to introduce a toxin effect over time, gives medical staff actions to do - making the round more interesting. It is rare to see someone try to cut out an embryo, as there is no way to slow down the infection. The proposed changes give a tangible chance for the medical staff, and others, to delay progression while they can conduct surgery. Conducting surgery in a xeno round, to remove an embryo, is really incredible. Additionally, once crew are aware of it being a xeno round this gives the opportunity for the medical staff to begin preparing. Neurotoxin is a narcotic, not normally allowed. In the same way engineers in an emergency are authorized to tear the station to pieces for necessary goals, this could involve the CMO authorizing the production of neurotoxin (and spaceacillin). The neurotoxin is also somewhat like chemo is in real life - it will require treating in its own right as it will kill the host as well. The use of spaceacillin fits with its description and existing use case (slowing the progression of disease), as well as existing use to slow parasites. My proposed approach So far I have all of the above working. My plan is to check for broad agreement first, and then submit these changes for review if there is broad interest in it. The following caveats exist: The current lethal doses of neurotoxin for the embryo just outright delete the embryo. I plan to change this so that they will damage the embryo over time, until the embryo "organ" is dead. Then leave the dead embryo inside. This requires some testing, but would bring the organ in line with other organs. I have not wanted to touch many files. Currently the way the bodyscanner works, is that the "desc" for the embryo only shows in the printed version, not the screen version. I don't plan on changing this as I want the PR to be as simple as possible. Little steps! These changes are wrapped up with the addition of an AI only variant of larva and facehugger, as I want to use these for a proposed space ruin. However, I will likely comment these out for the PR to keep things simple. If the PR is submitted and then approved I will update the Wiki and prepare a in-universe book detailing proposed treatment protocol from an in-universe document perspective

Name of Event: VARLE Drive Test One Sentence Description: Testing of a new type of Faster-Than-Light jump drive goes horribly wrong when the station and her crew are transported hundreds of years into our dead system's future. Inspired by the 'IXION' videogame's storyline (will contain minor spoilers!) Map Changes: No Code Changes: No Suggested Number of Players: Atleast 30 crew, and 5 or 6 ghosts. Full Description of Event: Start of Shift: Once everyone is setup, kitted with all their standard stuff, a CC announcement (CC#1) (see bottom of thread for all CC announcements) stating that the station's goal has been changed to construct and test 'VARLE Drive' - a brand new type of Faster-than-Light warp drive capable of moving even the largest of stations and ships anywhere in the galaxy within minutes. The AI should also be set to Station Efficency lawset. VARLE Drive: The engineering department will construct the VARLE Drive (which will be a SMES but resprited to look like the gravity generator and renamed to 'VARLE Drive'. If you can edit descriptions, it should read 'A Prototype VARLE Drive designed by Nanotrasen to move large stations across the galaxy'). The engineering department should fully charge the resprited SMES, and have the output set to 0, once this is done, another CC announcement (CC#2) stating that final checks are being run, wait around 5 minutes, then another CC announcement (CC#3) will be sent, stating they are remotely starting the VARLE Drive, and all crew should brace VARLE Jump: As soon as the previous CC announcement is sent, all crew should be either slept, or knocked down and flashed immediatley, the VARLE Drive exploded, and then all station lights will go out. An 'automated' station announcement (CC#4) will be sent, stating that there are discrenpencies between expected time and current time, and that they are receiving no communications signals from anyone. The cargo shuttle should be deleted, however mining and labour shuttles will be useable - The station is now on its own. Post-Jump: From here on, chaos starts to slowly seep in, with the crew realising that all of their family and loved ones are now dead a few hundred years into the past. Cargo Technicians, becomming useless due to being unable to receive shipments from the NAS Trurl, are the first to break, receiving objectives to incite protest against the Captain's leadership, and perform minor acts of sabotage (breaking windows, hacking open doors, making the place a mess, etc). From here on, there are 3 paths/endings to this event, which I will detail now: Ending 1 (A New Chapter): This ending is most inspired by the IXION videogame's ending. A while after the cargo techs go rogue, 'automated' station announcement sends another announcement (E1#1), stating that there is a ship, unmanned but with fully active and automated defences, it is protecting lavaland, and will attempt to destroy the station if any attempt is made to move all crew there. It will also state that there is a solution - Ramming the station into the ship, whilst simultaneusly evacuating the crew to lavaland. Remember that the AI should be on the station efficiency lawset, and upon hearing this automated announcement, will be malf'd, and given objectives to prevent the station's destruction through any means necessary, even if that means murder. The AI will be given strict rules NOT to use the doomsday device, however the borging machine is permitted. It will also not be permitted to plasmaflood, as that destroys the station. When the AI is killed, the station will send another automated announcement (E1#2), stating that the nuke has been armed, and that the station is headed for a collision course with the automated ship, all crew are to evacute to lavaland immediatley. Once the nuke detonates, the round will end. Ending 2 (Trans-Solar Federation): Provided the cargo techs are arrested or do little damage, another 'automated' station announcement will be sent (E2#1), which is written as a distress signal sent across the stars. After about 10 minutes, a response will be received by a Trans-Solar Federation Vessel (E2#2), explaining that the Cyberiad/Kerberos/Cereberon disapeered ages ago, but they are sending a crew to investigate onboard a shuttle. The shuttle they send will be the emergency shuttle, with a group of TSF Marines onboard, the shuttle will arrive at the station, and its departure will be delayed by admins, the TSF Marines will evacuate the crew onto the shuttle, once a good proportion of crew are on the shuttle, it will leave, upon arrival at its destination, the round will end. Ending 3 (Change of Command): If the rogue cargo techs have done enough damage, or convinced the crew, and are not all arrested, they will be converted into Revolutionary Heads, given one flash each, and tasked to kill all of command, security, and the AI, not just command as a normal revolution would have. Once all command, security, and the AI are dead, the round will end. All CC & automated announcements: CC#1: Central Command Announcement VARLE Drive Attention NSS Cyberiad/Kerberos/Cerebron As you may have seen in the news recently, the NSS Tartarus has discoverred and invented a new type of FTL travel - the VARLE Drive. This is a device capable of moving ships and stations of incredibly size across the far reaches of the galaxy in an instant, and your station will be the first to test it. The specifics have been sent to the Chief Engineer, who will be in charge of constructing this device - it is rather simple, and needs a room roughly the size of the gravity generator. Once it is built, it must be fully charged, and its output set to 0kw. We do not expect this to take long. Good luck, Cyberiad/Kerberos/Cerebron. CC#2: Central Command Announcement VARLE Drive Final Checks We are now running our final diagnostic scans to make sure everything is in order. This should take about 5 minutes. All staff are to remain on station, including miners and explorers, until the jump sequence has completed. CC#3: Central Command Announcement VARLE Drive Activation We are remotely activating the VARLE Drive now. All crew MUST Brace for jump. Know that the future of bluespace travel rests in your hands, and we could not ask for a more skilled station to do this for us. Godspeed. CC#3: Automated Station Announcement ER#ORS DET£C7ED Caution! Severe time dilation discrepancy detected. Calculated error: 253 years from planned arrival date. Caution! No communications traffic detected. Caution! No transponder signals detected. Caution! VARLE Drive missing. Immediate issues need addressing: Severe hull failure, Severe lighting failure, Severe chronological failure. Estimated chance of life in system: 7.67% E1#1: Automated Station Announcement ELECTRONIC SIGNAL DETECTED Caution! Hera-class Battlecruiser; "Hermes" detected. 0 Life signs detected. Defence status: Fully operational. Unable to evacuate station crew to planet: Ligures. Reason: Hera-class Battlecruiser; "Hermes". Recommended course of action: Set course for Hera-class Battlecruiser; "Hermes", arm the onboard nuclear device, evacuate crew via mining transport shuttles. E1#2: Automated Station Announcement COLLISION COURSE DETECTED Caution! Collision course with identified vessel detected! Estimated survival rate upon impact: #ERR_DLTA%. E2#1 Automated Station Announcement DISTRESS BEACON ACTIVATED Attention all vessels! NSS Cyberiad/Kerberos/Cerebron declaring MAYDAY. As per protocal ZULU-37 of the intergalactic maritime code, all vessels are to immediatley respond. E2#2 SGV Centaurus Distress Signal Received Attention NSS Cyberiad/Kereberos/Cerebron: Your distress signal has been received by the SGV Centaurus. Please note: Your station disapeered over 250 years ago, after its VARLE Drive's cybersecurity was breached by the Syndicate, causing it to rip through a moon sized asteroid, shattering it, sending debris everywhere, making the system entirely uninhabitable, even for stations. For you to suddenly appear out of thin air is either a miracle, or bait - if there are any of you left. We will be sending a squad of marines, along with a shuttle, to evacuate any of you who managed to survive such an ordeal. Godspeed. That's all. If you have any questions, ask. I'm more active on discord, though (xLouise#0386)

If we go down this route, perhaps we would tie the remains to the Revenant's natural essence regeneration instead. Right now it will regen up to its cap, perhaps this regeneration would only function with the remains placed, so crew could find and destroy it to cripple the revenant's regeneration. It could still re-gain essence after this by absorbing bodies, and perhaps eventually re-place its remains, but it would significantly impede progress.