Add a "Highest" priority for jobs

[ProperPants]

Exactly as the title says. It would function as the current "High" priority does, meaning only one job could be set to "Highest," and multiple jobs would be able to be set to "High," "Medium," and "Low." I've often found that the current priority system is restrictive and doesn't let me set my jobs how I would actually want. Three tiers and a single "must have" job would be a more liberating way to do it.

[Vargh]

Also, had a "NEVER" thing, i sometimes end up as Engineer and it's my most hated job

[McRamon]

Indeed, i do agree. I want my character to start either brig phys, warden or detective. With equal chances, so i set them to medium. But since three other people have high on those jobs, i end up spawning as s librarian or a cook. (I think this is how the system works, but i might be wrong) 

Basically, why dont just allow multiple (like 3-5 at max) jobs to be set to high, if it is possible code-wise ofc

[Birdtalon]

Firstly I must ask what you believe adding a forth "Highest" flag would actually achieve? You have stated yourself that it would function exactly the same as our current "High" flag which is the single "must have" job. So what would be the difference other than adding another layer of calculations at round start?

3 hours ago, Vargh said:

Also, had a "NEVER" thing, i sometimes end up as Engineer and it's my most hated job

At the bottom of the job selection screen you can set your preference to "Return to lobby if jobs unavailable" if you do not want to be placed into a random job.

2 hours ago, McRamon said:

Indeed, i do agree. I want my character to start either brig phys, warden or detective. With equal chances, so i set them to medium. But since three other people have high on those jobs, i end up spawning as s librarian or a cook. (I think this is how the system works, but i might be wrong) 

Basically, why dont just allow multiple (like 3-5 at max) jobs to be set to high, if it is possible code-wise ofc

Unfortunately this is always going to be an issue with popular jobs such as Brig Physician as well as jobs with only a single slot such as Warden or Detective.

Edited June 23, 2017 by Birdtalon

[ZN23X]

@McRamon I play one of 5-6 jobs. Same as you. Jobs where there is only 1. Brig doc, warden, HOS, pod pilot, Blueshield...sometimes Mime. Depending on my mood I'll set 1 to high the rest to medium. I rarely don't get at least 1, but I definitely don't always get the high job. And yea, set preferences to "return to lobby if my preference is unavailable". Can also set a bunch of jobs you don't love but can live with to low. Like. I pretty much have every Medbay class and mechanic set to low. If you like brig doc, Medbay ain't that far off, and has a similar comradery to Security.

You are correct. When doing selections the game first rolls for antags, then it rolls for all high jobs, then medium then low. So if 3 separate people have the 3 jobs you want set to high yo will NEVER get them. Which won't change if they had another tier because highest woukd be the new high and high the new medium. Same problem you have now. Especially if the server pop is pushing 90+ you HAVE to at least throw your hat in the ring with 1 set to high. Also if you like playing warden, HOS ain't that far off. Can be intimidating at first but, hell, as warden you are 1 heartbeat away from being HOS anyways. May as well throw that in the mix. Hope this helps.

Edited June 23, 2017 by ZN23X

[FlattestGuitar]

I don't really see the purpose of this change. The Low/Medium jobs we have right now will just turn into Low/Medium/High jobs. More of a split, but will it really drastically change anyone's experience? You're meant to be able to just compete for one High job, because otherwise you're taking it from people who genuinely want to play it.

I don't believe what ProperPants proposed will actually change anything in terms of job picking.

[ProperPants]

What I believe it could change is not getting the job you want the most, but jobs you have set as backups.

For example: I have sec officer on high. I have roboticist, scientist, engineer, multiple medical jobs all on medium. I have shaft miner and janitor on low.

This doesn't really reflect how I actually prefer my jobs though. If we had 3 tiers and a highest job, I could make my preferences more like this:
Sec on highest; medical, engineering, and botany on high; science on medium; janitor and miner on low.

You still compete for one job you really, really want, but you have more of a cushion to get a job you enjoy anyway. I agree that such a change may not have any effect, but I think it's equally likely that it would, and it certainly wouldn't harm anyone.

 

An alternative idea would be a full number rank system, like setting jobs to 1, 2, 3, 4... etc. Certainly, this would be more difficult, but what do you guys think about the impact this could have, if any?

[Purpose2]

This discussion is SpinalTap and 11.

[ProperPants]

I just realized where some of the confusion may come from. The effect of adding a fourth priority is not to add something higher than the current high; it's to add something even lower than the current low while still making it possible to get (i.e. not "never"). Call it "highest" or "lowest" or whatever, but my point is to be able to set three tiers with multiple jobs and a single job you love, rather than two and a single job. I just think it would be more flexible and allow for more fine tuning of jobs, as the current system feels a too rigid (for me, anyway).

[Tayswift]

2 hours ago, ProperPants said:

An alternative idea would be a full number rank system, like setting jobs to 1, 2, 3, 4... etc. Certainly, this would be more difficult, but what do you guys think about the impact this could have, if any?

This is the crux of the issue. Yes, the more levels you have, the more precisely your in-game preferences can correspond to your in-brain preferences. But at some point, there's diminishing returns to increasing the resolution of job preference selection. I think most people agree that 3 levels is fine. High is the job you really really want, medium is jobs you like, and low is jobs you don't mind getting.

[Landerlow]

What I have noticed lately that whenever I end up with a job I don't want at all, could be engineer or something else, it's because I roll traitor.

[Vivalas]

@McRamon That's the whole point of only being able to have one "high" job, so people don't set all the jobs they want the most to "high" and have to settle for one they REALLY want.

Edited June 24, 2017 by Vivalas