alexpkeaton

Necroposting on this, but this was a great read! Oftentimes it's the shifts where there are internal affairs/CC issues that result in actual decisive action that become the most memorable.

NT Rep and IAA are two of my go-to roles when I don't roll Cap. It has never made sense to me that IAA is not under the Rep's purview. Think of it this way: the Rep is the IAA for Command. He is an arbiter of SoP and can contact CC if things get out of hand. IAA should report to the Rep and the Rep reports to CC. All are independent. Heck, give IAA's a CC decal for their ID's. It doesn't cost anything and would make IAA less associated with security. It is a natural progression that IAA report to the Rep as crew level SoP would fall to them and, should something serious arise, the Rep could be brought in, and if the Rep needs help, they can approach the Captain or CC. It's a very clean and logical progression, and there's no chance of a breakdown in priorities as can happen with an overworked magistrate who won't give a damn over Medical SoP or an issue in Cargo when processing is packed and security is slow. An IAA has no one who will stand up to them, and it has led to active defiance of IA by department heads who know full well that IA does not have any muscle to back up their requests and will fold like a bad poker hand if challenged. The NT Rep can give their full attention to managing IA and actually gives the Rep some extra muscle to enforce SoP when department heads go full comdom. The magistrate is way too busy dealing with greytide to manage IA. Give the Rep the Magistrate's office. The Magistrate can take the Clown's corner office next to the courtroom, and the Clown can get the Rep's former office.

It's either 13 or 4. I'm so confused right now.

I eight chicken for dinner tonight.

I sincerely doubt we'll make it past three o'clock. I don't understand the reason four all this.

I agree, with the exception of access to a camera network. That DOES affect balance. A camera network is a great idea on paper for a journo, but it will cause people to become journos just to be valid hunters, which will block those who want to RP and write entertaining stories from getting the role. I was thinking that they could be given access to some but not all cameras; basically any camera visible from public places and certain departments (like medbay) could be accessible to the journalists, and maintenance cameras and cameras within certain restricted areas could not. The way this would affect balance is interesting though. Right now the AI and security can peruse the cameras at will, making the scope of the balance impact an increase in the likelihood of detection when committing crime on camera networks rather than adding something entirely novel. Also, if and when an antagonist is spotted over the camera network, the journalist has the option of screaming out over coms, but they could also take the Nightcrawler(2014) approach for the sake of ratings and wait until the actual story drops in order to force everyone, including security, to read their content. I would agree with you that scanning camera feeds looking for news (which includes crime) is on some level valid-hunting, but the impact that it has is somewhat different than someone who takes direct action themselves against antagonists. A journalist using cameras has to have their butt planted at their newscaster and camera monitor, and so the extent of their personal impact (ought to be) simply informing the station (so that security, the real valid hunters, can get to work). Valid hunting which results when people get informed about particular crime or criminal or antag-type could possibly be an issue, but the problem of valid-hunting is ever present and even camera monitor enhanced news doesn't add much power to antag detection over and above the existing camera monitors, the AI, and the old fashioned coms network. Even if there is a noticeable hit to balance it might not be a bad thing. Being more likely to be detected doing crime while on camera could lead to people valuing the deconstruction of cameras or camera bugs more, donning better disguises, and generally being more clever criminals. If someone makes a cult rune in plain view of camera in xenobiology, at least the cult having their cover blown via news article w/ photos is much cooler than someone hollering it out over coms which would have been bound to happen regardless. Also, if we give "Journalist" the right karma cost, hopefully we could exclude people who only want access to cameras in order to find antagonists to go fight. Security can already do that as it is I believe. What if the journo had a camera monitor at round start, but zero linked cameras (or maybe just one on the exterior of his office). However, they are provided some camera assemblies and a toolbox to be able to install their own cameras and link them to an established "Journalist" network. They could choose where to set up their cameras. Of course, this might encourage the very validhunting I am cautioning against, but at least they would have to work to install cameras.

I agree, with the exception of access to a camera network. That DOES affect balance. A camera network is a great idea on paper for a journo, but it will cause people to become journos just to be valid hunters, which will block those who want to RP and write entertaining stories from getting the role.

One last post.

LOL. For the PS4, it was a 40 GB update. That's AFTER the pre-load, I believe. I've heard of a guy who dropped it in the beta and enjoys what it is now.

I just started Elder Scrolls online, and heard about guilds. Are there any Elder Scrolls Online players here? If we get 10, we could have a Guild Bank... I'm on the PS4 in North America, my handle is AlexPatrickKeaton.

Event: NAS Trurl takeover/Rescue of CC VIPs Equipment Necessary: Appropriately armed SST on the Trurl, possibly Syndicate Operatives wearing ERT gear/using ERT weapons. Plot: Remember the time I "ran an event" on the crew and unsuspecting admins as a traitor looking to distract command and security? viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9352 The premise is actually pretty solid, and despite there being no actual takeover of the Cyberiad, in the chaos, admins sent an ERT and deathsquad, both of which were dispatched by the crew, which caused admins to ragequit restart the server because of perceived self-antagging by the crew. Anyway, the feedback after the round was roundly positive, among players, at least. More than one called it "the best round" they had played on SS13. The whole nature of not really knowing what was going on, when it was going to happen, and the confrontation with the ERTs, was intense. I think an "alternative" way of messaging the crew would be cool. Like sending hundreds of letters in space that will settle against the outside of the station for people to find and read, with some sort of logistical IC justification. Or printing out the letter at the Supply consoles, using the QM justification similar to what I suggested in my letter. The assault could come to the Cyberiad by way of an ERT that is actually a SST in NT gear. Crew should be aware that something is up before this happens, and have time to prepare. Assuming defeat of the ERT, crew could then use the shuttle and IDs to raid the Trurl and rescue the VIPs. It's also possible the crew could purposefully call the escape shuttle with the intention of raiding the NAS Trurl and freeing the CC VIPs from the Syndicate. I also think ordering that the Cyberiad show up with an armed nuke is a good idea too, as it will add suspense to the endeavor. Custom sprites: None, use what we have in stock. Prize for completion: Satisfaction of a job well-done.

Took me a moment to realize that I was looking at the Emergency Shuttle. I have not seen Cult 2.0. I was a mechanic during one cult round but had long noped off to some off-station place, got killed by Buzzky, I think, then quit and went to bed. Cult 2.0 looks awesome!

This was either my first thread or my second. Modify for a team of psychologist/psychiatrists with unwitting doubles aboard the station (take existing crew and copy their names and sprites for the adminspawned team). Wouldn't be hard to get volunteers: miners and engineers will likely die very quickly under the terms of "leave the station and die." Bodies should be adminspawned out to a special z-level waiting-room to prevent any sort of notification to the crew that deaths are occurring. Copying medical doctors would be the safest bet as it aligns with the backstory and as M.D.'s are probably the least likely to go EVA or off-station and thus kill themselves, nixing the possibility of an encounter with their double. There should be something fun set up for the many who will die during the round due to EVA/outposts/gateway deaths. Several admins might need to police for deaths and run the secondary event. Backstory: The Cyberiad has encountered a strange anomaly that has created a massive powersink in the station, localized in the holodeck. The lazer tag simulator that was running has had the entire station's power run into it. In the resulting power surge, the holodeck landscape expanded over the entire footprint of the station, creating a holocopy of everything and everyone. The safeties have been burned into the off position. The real station is crippled. Unpowered and dying, the station needs the power that is pouring into the holodeck. An engineering ERT is currently beng assembled at CentComm, but communication is spotty and no one has a clue where to start to fix this problem. But that isn't your or the most pressing concern. Massive energy spikes are pouring from the holodeck and wreaking havoc on the physical station. And the AI, who until now has been the only one able to enter the holodeck, has linked the spikes to the fact that whenever a holocrewmember or holographic object leaves the station, disappears entirely. The working theory is that the power is released in an uncontrolled manner whenever a hologram leaves the hologrid. While the program can be reset, the power is finite and is causing real destruction. Worse, while the holograms are remarkably well copied and act much like their real counterparts, every time the program is reset, some damage akin to clone damage occurs in the holograms. In fact, when the AI has attempted to comunicate with the holograms to stay calm and not to leave the station, incredulous cries of MALF AI! TRAITORS! LINGS! WIZARD! occur. And that's just the beginning. Crazed sec officers are seen brutally harrassing the crew. Imprisoning them for odd and wrong motivations, wild conspiracies, or worse still, sadistic pleasure. This is so foreign to what you know at Nanotrasen. And the holographic deaths caused by the rampant hysteria also causes wild energy spikes from the holodeck on the real Cyberiad. Something must be done. The AI, running on limited power, has calculated that only one more reset of the program be attempted, and has found a way to insert a single real crewmember into the program, however, radiation damage will occur over time. No one not expendable should be sent, of course. You can receive medical attention in the holographic medbay, but will they dissect you as some foreign abomination, especially when they discover that a copy of you exists? You are the station's psychologist. Rarely needed in a new age of medical advancement and competence in all areas and job functions, you have reduced your life to a sad existence of drinking at your uselessness. And yet, your lost art is the one needed most now. You have been ordered to enter the holoprogram on its last reset. The station's AI will be ported into your PDA, and will be able to open doors but not much else. The Chief Engineer has suggested that while the energy spikes are both unpredictable and uncontrollable, a controlled energy spike would be able to be fed back into the station's batteries, allowing the singularity to be reset and the energy output then controlled. The alternative is that the singularity will grow to the point where it will destroy the station. Your mission: You must prevent, at any cost, any of the moving parts of the station (namely, the holographic copies of the Cyberiad crew) from leaving the station proper (including other z-levels), to prevent any call of the emergency shuttle, and ultimately, to assemble on the holodeck at 14:00 hours precisely, at least 30 holocharacters when a controlled shutdown will occur. The AI won't be able to help much. He will be ported into a pAI on you capable of opening doors and providing moral support. Do not, at any costs, allow the pAI to be captured, destroyed, or subverted. Perhaps you could get the AI transfered into a more useful, mobile version. Only a robotics department counterpart could help with that. You can also receive medical attention in the holographic medbay, but will they dissect you as some foreign abomination, especially when they discover that a copy of you exists? Oh, did I forget to remind you of that? And this crazed station has a fitting, malfunctioning AI to match it. It's time to save your crewmates. It's time to put your lessons to work. You are the unlikely hero. YOU ARE THE LONE VOICE OF REASON. --- Objective ideas for others... A copy of the psychologist has the objective to kill the real one. AI has malf objectives. Certain crewmembers have "There can only be one" or "Escape alone-hijack" Incredibly destructive events. Anything that would normally force a shuttle call. The greentext goal is to get the station to 14:00 and crew to a specifc section, holodeck or cargo bay, maybe two alternate locations. What do you think? Is it feasible? Of course the real Cyberiad wouldn't be seen. It would be a normal shift with a psychologist or psychology team with the greentext objectives as stated above. As an alternative to asembling in a location perhaps get to 14:15 without boarding the shuttle. Anyone, including psychologist, travelling to a different z-level or EVA means instant death (or perhaps infection with incurable virus thatwill result in death in 10 minutes or so to prevent meta realization of the connection).

...What am I even looking at? Haha! Was that during a round, some adminspawn thing?

Perhaps we could do the opposite, a PSA campaign on the forum. GIFs of gameplay videos or security-themed memes that say "Don't be this guy. Don't be shitcurity." People could link to these in OOC chat from time to time to start conversations about what shitcurity is. (Not related to current round stuff, though)

I think this is a decent starting point for something, though I think these are a little too involved to fix. I don't think they should be something that any powergamer could be able to fix with a few tools, but it should be fewer steps to resolve. I really like the idea that a room needs to be at a certain condition (temperature and/or gases) to be able to resolve the infestation. I can see a situation where a work area needs to be evacuated so that a panic syphon can be run, or the temperature can be cranked up to high levels, or a significant amount of CO2 be pumped in. I could even see a certain infestation whose only cure is a small amount of plasma gas pumped in for 2 minutes or so. Then the room would need to be scrubbed for workers to re-enter. An actual purpose for having plasma gas hooked into atmos! (Never really understood why that was). The infestation should have serious consequences if left untreated. Not round-ending like a vending machine revolt can be, but the potential for an especially virulent strain of weed growth, or plasma gas release (as suggested above), or a significant corruption of the atmos in the contaminated area and downstream locations with toxins. A slime enemy as suggested sounds kind of cool. Perhaps some corrupted diona nympths too, perhaps.

Oh God, Kero, you've done it now... I don't play atmos tech much. Funny enough, though, it was one of the first jobs besides civilian I did try. I'll stay away from any technical stuff here because quite frankly I don't know it. But I do have a couple of suggestions. 1) Give atmos tech access to the engineering outpost (pretty sure they don't have access right now). If I'm not mistaken there is one, possibly two more pipe dispensers there. Engineering proper could care less about these, unless they want to build themselves some infinite disposal loops. 2) Provide enough atmos hardsuits for the job slots. In the once-in-a-blue-moon situation where atmos techs are actually needed for their job anytime during the round, they will require one, so this isn't the same deal as why engineering doesn't need to have enough engi hardsuits for their staff. (I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice, but at least I can appreciate the reasoning) 3. Space to let the imagination run wild. Atmos tech doesn't currently have a lot to do. Maybe this thread can change that. But, either way, something I think atmos (and really, engineering in general) needs, is a lot of blank canvas space. As in empty. An APC and some wiring, but nothing else. Not the derelict or the incomplete station, but real space attached to the Cyberiad proper where atmos players can tinker and build and possibly develop something useful (or doom everyone with an attempt at a SM engine). Engineering needs space to do engineering stuff. Otherwise, you have a job with 5 minutes of work for one crewmember (engineer), or a job with zero minutes of work (atmos tech). You know what they say, "Idle hands are the Syndicate's workshop!" Let's Make Engineering Great Again, Build Some More Walls , and get those hands working for Nanotrasen again! Kero, after the Syndicate and any other requests, perhaps the IAA deserves a little love.

I agree, the Captain should have objectives. They can very well be department-specific too. It's the Captain's job to make sure CC is happy. There should be rewards, too, for meeting the objectives. From supply points to medical beam-guns to prototype weaponry at higher alert levels (from the admin-spawn possibilities), there should be a noticeable effect to the crew to positive leadership so that crew will come to notice when they haven't received their "goodies" in a given shift. A thought about Code Red: it's so easy to advance to Red early and never look back. There should be reminders of how long the station is at red and/or severe drawbacks for being at Code Red. For example: Supply points accrue more slowly at higher alert levels, and/or cargo shuttles take longer in transit and/or crates cost more supply points to purchase. Central Command doesn't want to invest too much in a station that can't handle its own problems quickly and efficiently. The escape shuttle is automatically called after Code Red is in effect for 45 minutes (30 seems too short and 60 too long, but feel free to discuss). It cannot be recalled and/or requires three heads to swipe to override and recall. Or: a special "Code White" ERT is automatically called after Code Red is in effect for 45 minutes. This amber-equipped ERT is not just there to handle the threat, but has the authority to field-demote the Captain, and other heads if necessary, if there is no good reason for the lengthy stint at Red. If the stint at Red is necessary, the Code White team also has the authority to advance to Gamma alert. Recommended only with admin supervision and/or leadership/whitelisting. Perhaps can substitute for an auto-shuttle when an admin is up to putting a Code White team together. Every 10 minutes at Code Red, the comms announce how long the station has been at Red. Guaranteed to result in at least 3 crew members calling for a downgrade each time regardless of the circumstances. Ignore the crew at your own peril, Captain, if there's no need for Red. There is a greater chance of "bad" random events occurring while at Red. The IC explanation: the additional processing power being utilized causes more corruption of data blocks and greater chance of malfunction of the power grid, atmos system, brig locks, pest controls, etc., and notifies nefarious elements (abductors) that they might have an opportunity amid the chaos (I know, it's a tenuous explanation and will lead to metagaming, but it could be a significant drawback).

Great idea! It would make the suggested Syndicate contact offered upon being dealt antag status actually useful, and those code words would get used: people will want to find out who the other contacts are (everyone would just get one name - but the subantags would not get any names, just codewords, so primary antags would need to find out the other names) so they can get fully outfitted. I think they should be Syndicate agents though with two objectives, support properly identified Syndicate agents who reveal themselves and escape alive and free. They could get a specialized uplink with items not available to regular traitors, and they can load actual TC crystals provided by other traitors to provide them with these items (an actual use for TC crystals and more strategies for spending those 30 TC!). They couldn't have this access taken away easily as they will have the ability to switch their PDA off the uplink, and there is no way to extract the code from them. All this would promote more of the RP aspects of the game. Perhaps some of these subantagonists can have access to some standard traitor items in their uplink, but at discounts to the standard traitor price (like a crypto sequencer can be purchased by the forger for only 5 TC instead of 7 or 9 or whatever it is now). So, that would encourage traitors trying to track down these subantags to stretch their TC's further, and not be the lone wolf powergaming antag we often see anymore.

Preventative maintenance is especially brilliant, including the part in section 3 about the PA and emitters needing diamond/uranium part replacement. Imagine a station where there isn't power to spare, an emitter dies due to breakdown and there are no replacements in secure storage, you are moments away from engine containment failure and mining has been shit this shift. An engi is dragging an emitter around containment to try and keep charge up until mining gets its act together, when it dies too... Yeah, let's do all of this. P.S. Keroman, this may not be a popular suggestion, but I'd like to Make Captain Great Again in a future thread. Right now they are a babysitter for the disk and that's pretty much their usefulness. From game-changing decisions like davidchan's orbital mechanics suggestion to other things the Captain can/needs to do, surely the job can be made more than it is right now.

What if the EMP didn't kill you but rather decaps you, with a 20 second stun? Subsequent EMPs would be a stun but no other physical damage. The stun would be enough time for an antag to actually get his hands dirty in a dark maintenance tunnel, but if in public, would provide a possibility that the player will come out of the stun and seek repairs. This also mitigates murderboning revenants a tad.

Four tator tots

First of all, I think scientist is low on the list of jobs that need more fun features. They have access to slimes, R&D, secret antag clubhouse and a ton of goodies. More features are fine, but in my opinion, scientist needs to be sliced up and more developed as useful job(s) to the station. I think the best way to do this is to split up the position into several roles. This has been suggested by Ping and others. Their ideas are far more finished than mine. Second, I agree that supply and science should have more of a relationship, something more than "WHY U NO MATERIALS CARGO?" The notion of doing research on items shipped from CC is a great idea. Next, location of toxins. Not. On. Cyberiad. What is the only practical use for bombs on the station? Miners. Put toxins on the mining asteroid. Not on the science outpost. Honestly, scrap that place. Make one, larger outpost for toxins research and mining to share. A common room in the middle, plenty of reinforced walls and plasma glass, and mining on one side, science on the other. Perhaps even a conveyor belt from the toxins lab so science can send their bombs to miners without dangerous handoffs inside. Obviously there is plenty of possibilities for bomb testing in an asteroid belt. I'd envision a wing of the science portion of the outpost looking like the current test range: a diamond of reinforced steel, with a long, narrow hallway of plasma glass leading from one point of the diamond to the rest of the outpost. This new toxins test lab would have three mass drivers on the other cardinal points of the test lab, each facing a sizeable asteroid in space. That way, you can get more than one (destructive) test. More later, I think. But my lunch is ending...

Or, you know... This is a fantastic idea, Tzo.

Interesting that only the playing area was borked and the LOOC/OOC chat windows were unaffected. That effect should be what some drug trips in-game look like. Forget crazy colors - that is the fucked-uppedness we need!