Machofish

I'm surprised people are actually supporting this. As some of the toughest and most memorable antags I've encountered are scientists and RDs, it provides a good change of pace to the more mundane antags who don't have much power outside from their basic antag abilities. As SS13 takes place on a research station, I believe it is only right that the RD can potentially rock a round off its tracks if he/she has the right knowledge. The one place where I'd argue that RD antags are 'too powerful' would be during cult/shadowling, but I'd argue that's more due to how difficult it is for sec to cut through the red tape needed to investigate outside the station's z-level (the research outpost, mining outpost, engie outpost, gateway cults, abandoned white ship cults, etc.) rather than a problem specifically connected to the RD. In regards to shadowlings in science, that's more due to the fact that science has so many fractured sub-departments that rarely 'need' to interact with each other. SS13 is a game built around establishing a slight atmosphere of paranoia and mistrust - I think antag RDs (and head-of-staff antags in general) are something that could be countered with greater scrutiny from security ICly. I haven't been around the server for a few days - were there a few rounds in particular where antag RDs have been casually steamrolling the station, or is this suggestion coming from more of a general consensus?

I firmly disagree with the idea of removing cloning. While I understand the sentiment that players ought to show a greater sense of self-preservation, removing cloning to do so would create lots of discrepancies. For instance, IPCs would have a massive advantage in that they can continue to exist so long as you have their active posibrain, and their chassis. Additionally, removing the cloning lab would still leave the presence of robotics and cyborgification as a viable revival method. I doubt the removal of cloning would make things like death threats or hostage-taking more viable. As it is, usually most players who are taken hostage by antags realize they're dead anyway if they don't fight back - particularly as it's far too risky for antags to leave anyone alive who may rat them out. Again, while I agree that it would be interesting if the server players showed greater self-preservation when confronted with dangerous situations, I do not believe that removing the cloning lab would achieve this. As suggested in the above posts, if cloning was made into a more complex and elaborate process than "Dead bodies go in, living people come out," then that might cause a shift towards higher self-preservation from players.

Omnizine: It's one hell of a drug. Credits to BehrInMind for recording this magnificence.

One thing that makes the swarmers unique is that there's no decisive way to tell if you've actually cleared all of them out, and every time you take attention off them, there'll always be 1 or 2 that find a way out to rebuild and recover their numbers. My overall opinion on whether or not they need a 'rebalance' is neutral - they're not as bad as xenos or even revenants in some instances, but it takes a lot of attention to get them under control. One thing I like about swarmers is that no matter how many swarmers there are, they never reach a true 'critical mass' where they become feasibly impossible to stop - unlike blobs or xenomorphs, for instance.

I agree with this idea. It would certainly give a sense that the station is being 'converted' piece by piece. I'm not sure how difficult it would be to code, but the station's conversion % could be made into a victory objective for the yin, such as "Convert 80% of the station" similar to the blob's objectives. As for the discussion about an AI, I think it would be interesting if the Yin's Control Core had to be deployed to the station's power network before being able to help the Yin with anything, once hooked into the station's grid, the Yin Control Core could function like a mixture between a powersink and a malfAI: Once deployed, the Yin Control Core would slowly obtain control of the station's machinery by hacking APCs. However, the Control Core would need to maintain a direct wired connection to any APCs it's hacked, or else it'll lose control over hacked areas - this balances its powers against the NanoTrasen Station AI, which can control the station's electronics remotely. Not only would this allow the crew to 'protect' their areas from the Yin Control Core by severing wires between hacked/unhacked areas, but it would prevent the Yin from simply shutting down the Station AI remotely, since the AI minisat does not share a direct powerline with the station itself. On the topic of the Yin's combat methods, I can get behind the idea of making the Yin force captured crew to join them - but the process must be reversible in some fashion. For this reason, I am deeply against the idea of Yin Neurotoxin; it sounds like just as much !!FUN!! as when a wizard wanders around casually using the staff of change on everyone - it essentially removes the victim from their chosen role in the round, with no hope of turning back.

They can be picked up? And they can carry items in their own hands while being held?

One thing that comes to mind is that beepsky would need to be overhauled as well, if helmet sprites got modified. Alternatively, if the alternative hats were palette-matched to the security vests, I think that would look pretty snazzy. I know the Half-Life 1 security armour was kinda cruddy, but I'll be sad to see it go.

Personally, I'd be more interested in seeing the sec armour move more towards a corporate perspective. One thing I personally don't like about TG's sec armour is that it's too concealing, and looks too bulky: I personally think sec uniforms should appear lighter and more streamlined than they do: they should make the wearer look responsible, approachable, and not like the background cast of a generic "The-United-States-saves-literally-everyone-by-shooting-badguys" videogame. I'd say the default frontplate is due for a change, simply because the nondescript metal glint isn't doing much. I'd personally recommend moving towards more of a stab vest look - streamlined, keep the badge on the upper-left, but slim the plate itself down, and have visible buckles on the ribs; either a high collar and larger arm-holes, or close arm-holes and a spacious neckline - enough that one could see the shirt-tie on the corporate-sec jumpsuit. On the topic of jumpsuits, I think one of the sec options should be short-sleeved, like the Blueshield has, and the pant legs should have a slightly baggy look if we're keeping the jackboots. I might upload a sketch of what I'm thinking about later. I guess it depends on what sort of impression we want people to have around sec - do we intentionally want people to be intimidated and nervous when sec is around, or do we want people to feel comforted and safe?

One thing the Drask remind me of are of recorded lifeforms in the Marianas Trench - a deep-sea formation where visible sunlight is almost null, and temperatures average around 1 to 4 degrees celsius. In regards to their abilities, I suppose would make sense that they'd have darksight due to eyes adapted for life beneath the surface. One idea to balance this would be to give it a rational extreme: As a result of having more sensitive photoreceptors, blinding effects such as flashes and flashbangs could take much longer to wear off, or perhaps inflict stamina damage which would eventually stun them with repeated blinding. As for how they'd adapt to life in a lukewarm, surface-level environment, my (very superficial) understanding of deep-sea life is that their bodily chemical functions would accelerate dramatically, leaving them drained and exhausted. This is, pretty much, an idea ripped from the Resistance games, but if we're trying to avoid another Vox or Plasmamen approach of needing specialized internals, the Drask could be given some sort of regulator unit - like a pacemaker or a DBS system to regulate their bodily functions for the station's environment.

They actually turned out to be a pretty good HoS, to be honest.

I would personally suggest that lab-grown changelings have extensive limitations to their abilities, rather than be removed entirely. For starters, they should be confined to lesser forms only (monkeys, farwas, stoks, and wolpins), while this would limit a vast majority of their 'trademark' abilities, further limitations should include making them unable to use any changeling shrieks, stings, or any genome-manipulating abilities. Any available powers left over would be counterbalanced by the fact that monkeys are relatively fragile to start out with - not to mention the language and utility barriers caused from being confined to their lesser form. Seeking out and creatively exploiting loopholes in the name of SCIENCE is part of the fun of playing in Research Division. While I agree that lab-grown changelings need to be adjusted for balance, I'd be sad to see them removed entirely.

This looks like it has some real potential. As far as the base inspiration, I like how the approach comes from more of a "How would an intelligent species adapt and survive to environment?" direction, as opposed to a loosely-assembled "They're like humans, just combined with ". One thing I'm concerned about is the idea of giving the race night vision. Night vision is an ability that gives its beneficiary a flat advantage, especially in maint: Antags such as vampires and changelings have unlockable abilities specifically dedicated to granting free night vision, and if nightvision is obtained or developed by RnD or genetics, they usually guard it jealously from everyone else. Balancing issues aside, there seems to be a solid foundation. For now, I'm curious to see where the idea goes from here.

golly

"What's that, Lassie? Jimmy got stuck in an airlock?" I am thoroughly against the idea of Vulps having a garbled DNA scanner on them. It would not only be a big step towards making the actual detective obsolete, but it would give the Vulpkanin a tremendous advantage when dealing with anything concerning antag roles. Unless you're referring to the boxed emergency injectors everyone gets at round start, the bundled downside of 'all stimulants are harmful' is far too mild and situational, compared to the bonus which is all-encompassing. Again, even if it did include emergency injectors, I'd prefer not to have a species whose special ability lets them stay two steps ahead when it comes to fighting or playing as any antag that relies on infiltration. Even the default 'vulnerable to fire' debuff that the Taj and Vulps both share is a relatively situational debuff as it is. I wasn't even aware the Tajarans still had the ability to get themselves functioning nightvision, which seems more than a little absurd, all things considered. While I agree the Vulpkanin shouldn't just be an alternate version of the Tajara, I disagree with these proposed changes at present.

Of course, the underlying question of all this is: While selectable traits or quirks could be interesting, are they really needed? Part of SS13 is that it is designed as an environment in which the social constructs carry primary importance: the game mechanics should be there to support the social environment, rather than the social environment being a backdrop for the game mechanics. This not only extends through discussions on these RPG-style 'traits' or 'perks', but also contributes to the generally dubious opinion this server's community holds towards proposals for new species. Considering the sheer volume of coding that would be required to add a trait system in, and to work out the subsequent bugs, etc., I would personally prefer to see greater depth in the jobs and roles available on the station, before we start exploring the idea of adding inherent character traits. That being said, I'd be impartial to the idea if someone stepped up to code it. I'd say if traits were implemented, the bonuses would have to be fairly minor, and very carefully considered, as others have said. Alternatively, I think traits could be presented in the forms of tradeoffs or a 'double-edged sword', in that a relatively minor bonus comes bundled with a severe drawback. A handful of example traits:

So, good news and bad news: Bad news is that a windstorm caused a mass-blackout in my area. Good news is that I used that time to do more sketches rather than do something useful. This looks maddeningly familiar - can't remember where from. I was a little weary of Tristen when he first joined, but I think it's high time he got some fanart. As you may notice, I tried signaturing my own work - that starts and ends here. I figure if anyone genuinely wants this stuff, they can have it. A variation on a familiar theme. I personally enjoy the challenge of drawing faces: relying directly on facial characteristics to differentiate the two characters, in spite of having a near-identical expression, clothing, sketch setup etc. was an interesting exercise. I initially wasn't planning to add this one in - I usually don't trust my own sense of humor. Eh, might as well.

I think the main attraction of this is the idea of swirlies having functionality. -Loving the idea of de-converting a cultist by repeatedly swirlie'ing them. -Loving the idea of extinguishing someone who's on fire using a swirlie. -Loving the idea of lighting vampires on fire by giving them a swirlie in a holy water toilet. Big concern about this is the possibility for exploitation, as I'm not aware whether or not toilets have an upper limit on the amount of reagents they can contain. Using a toilet as a source of infinite holy water could be a problem in that respect.

More simply, I think putting someone into a choke-grab (kill) should stop them from screaming, as well as speaking. While I think it would be more logical for duct tape to be used as a gag, the idea of being able to make ghetto-gags would be a little too overpowered, seeing as they would be much faster to use and harder to escape than a choke-grab.

One thing I've noticed about Araneus is that it'll defend itself against some hostile mobs, such as space carp, who attack first. I think if Araneus's mob code was adjusted so he could be equipped with a leash, and would automatically attack hostile non-crew such as: Xenomorphs, Cortical Borers, Cult Constructs, other spiders, mice, lizards, etc., it would be a good way to give him a use without jumping through too many hoops in regards to server code. As much as I like the idea of him being a Beepsky variation, I feel as if Araneus would need his own niche in that respect.

I personally don't agree with the idea of permitting internet slang to be used IC. I see it used in deadchat and OOC quite often - which is fine seeing as that generally isn't meant to be involved in the round itself. You're better off just not typing it IC'ly, I'd say.

Name: Laskorreshkor Ssesiskaklas Commendation: Medal of Loyalty Reason: For showing exceedingly refined powers of perception, and steadfast commitment to the appropriate restoration of NT Command structures during a crisis situation. Actions leading to Commendation: During a stint aboard the NSS Cyberiad, a member of the space wizards federation was apprehended single-handedly by Luigi Belducci, the blueshield, when the wizard was caught off-guard while changing their wizard robes for a NASA Voidsuit. Due to a mistake and careless handling by the serving Head of Security [spoiler2]that was me. Oops[/spoiler2], the Head of Security was compromised by a mindswap spell in the brig security office - outside of immediate audiovisual range of any other crewmembers. Upon arriving to the scene, Officer Laskorreshkor displayed an immensely well-honed judge of character during the ensuing debate between the HoS and the wizard, accurately determining that the Head of Security had indeed been compromised. After making this correct assessment, Laskorreshkor stood by his conclusions - successfully alerting co-worker security officer Matt Smyth, Blueshield Luigi Belducci, and acting Captain Colin Black of the mindswap between the HoS and the Wizard. Through this, the NSS Cyberiad's security department was able to proceed with counter operations. What I believe sets this situation apart is that Laskorreshkor's correct judgement, and decisive actions in this particular situation not only prevented the loss of his commanding officer, but averted a potentially catastrophic breach of security within the NSS Cyberiad's security force and command structure. While qualities such as martial prowess, discipline in following orders, and in-depth understanding of enforcement procedure are all esteemed and admirable qualities for a security member, it is my personal philosophy that what truly separates a good officer from a great officer is the ability to "read" a situation: the patience and state of mind to analyze even the most absurd situations with careful attention to detail, in order to make the right conclusions. While I believe this action should warrant a greater gesture of gratitude than just a bit of coloured ribbon and brass, it is my personal stance that Laskorreshkor's actions, at the minimum, have earned the honour of being commemorated by nothing less than the Medal of Loyalty. Recommending Person: I, Cecilia Fleming, do solemnly swear the above account is true, made in good faith, and understand that lying upon this commendation is grounds for immediate dismissal from NT and further penalties may apply. OOC: Writing this at 1:30am is harder than I thought. I'll probably edit this some more later. Now I may have gotten the name wrong. If there's more than one regular sec Unathi who goes by the firstname of Laskorresh, that's not my fault. Huge apology to whoever plays Laskorr if I ended up remembering the wrong name.

On the related topic of flashlight mounting, the HoS's sidearm still can't mount flashlights, when compared with e-guns or tasers. While this doesn't exactly stop the HoS from being one of the most heavily-armed and equipped individuals on the station at any given time, it's still a lost utility when compared to similar sidearms.