So I've been tinkering with the away missions for a little while, trying to get my head around DM and fix a few things about the maps that just bug me. So far, my current list of tweaks basically amounts to:
Listening post:
I've added some ores to the map, giving people another chance at getting some tasty minerals if they don't mind hunting and hauling them back, as well as a mini-asteroid used as an unfortunate clown smuggler's secret stash. Seeing as clown planet isn't in the rotation currently, this at least gives the clown a glimmer of hope at a HONK. There's also that mysteriously absent sketchkin silencer added back in, because I'm a sucker for continuity, and a balloon the demoralized agent was using as a punching bag. (Hey, there were boxing gloves there already, so why not?)
Challenge:
Definitely a work in progress, but I'm redesigning the bottom area to remove the space tiles and open it up a little more. There's also a few unfortunate souls scattered throughout more dangerous areas of the arena, carrying some slightly more useful weaponry for any expedition carrying more than a few members. And, because I'm still a continuity freak, I've replaced the deathsquad armor with a syndie strike team suit. Having an NT hardsuit there makes no damn sense.
Beach:
Let's face it, who actually likes Beach? I couldn't see too much to do offhand, but now there's somewhat of a challenge to get to the bar. All the crabs hate you.
Definitely needs more work. If I could figure out a little more about the coding aspect of things, I'd add a horrible pun wizard who holds some half-decent loot, but that's a long shot at the moment.
Station Collision:
Not actually in the rotation yet, but a really interesting looking map. There's already a nice amount of backstory lying around the area, but very little in the way of challenge if you avoid the xenobio room. So I've removed the infinite energy SMES and powered every APC down. To get back, you'd need to assemble a generator (with parts conveniently scattered everywhere) or repair the solars and get power to the gateway. There's also a little tweak to the backstory, adding in a conspicuously missing syndie corpse with a chameleon jumpsuit. Shouldn't be too hard to get if you dispatch experiment 35b.
Space Battle:
Another one not currently in rotation, purely because some joker put a BSA console on it. Very little changed about this, except a few planned randomizations for the end of level loot. Currently, there's three crates of exosuit-specific loot that I'm thinking of changing up a little, giving it a high chance of spawning things like pacifiers, drills, clamps and the like, and lower chances of spawning anything up to a missile rack or a teleporter.
As for the BSA console, it's a definite chucklefuck magnet. Which is why, instead of removing it, I was considering modifying it to have a roughly 5-10% chance of hitting the station, a 50% chance of missing, and a 40% chance of blowing up in the user's face. Makes it a semi-plausible way for desperate antags to complete their objective, but a daunting enough prospect to hopefully drive away anyone that thinks blowing a chunk out of the station is a good idea.
