Remove Station Goals

[Jovaniph]

I discuss this in my recent post https://nanotrasen.se/forum/topic/11146-reduce-the-amount-of-civilian-slots/

Station goals aren't technically station goals if you look at it. Most of the goals are handed to engineering to do all the dirty work and as long as science and the crew cooperates with them. There is no advantage to completing them including the meteor satellites (especially when you have meteors come in and a unrelated station goal appears that round).

Stations goals doesn't allow engineers any free time to do anything. Most of the time, the Captain, NT Rep, or CE would force the engineers to get working on it and not allowing any engineer any free time to do anything and engage in actual roleplay. Many times their is a CE that would fire you if you don't help with building these goals as well as making it very hard to roleplay when you want to play as an engineer and take a few breaks once in a while. It's not only wrong, but it promotes low-rp more than anything. Free the engineers from this hell and remove station goals.

TLDR: Station Goals doesn't allow Engineers any autonomously to do anything and reinforces low roleplay by putting mechanics of the game first than actual engagement to roleplay in general. Might as well call them Engineer Goals.

[SkeletalElite]

DNA vault is the only one of any use and it takes so long to do that you can usually only reap the benefits for about 10 minutes if at all. Station goals need to take considerably less time or be removed all together as stated above

Edit: or be more interesting to do

Edited September 1, 2017 by SkeletalElite

[FeiH]

If the cargo point cost of delivery gets cut down, the parts can be ordered much sooner and thus be constructed a lot faster.

In the case of the meteor shield, Centcom (read: an admin) may release a forecast of meteor waves and expected bombardment location to provide an incentive for the construction of meteor shields. Something like "Our meteorological heh scans indicate an incoming wave of meteors at roughly 13:00 station time and ending at 13:30. They are expected to be near: Arrivals, AI satellite, and Permabrig. Please install station shields at the following locations and be ready in case of a hull breach."

[SomeGuy9283]

This has always felt like a "we have it because /tg/ has it" sort of feature to me.

It's either a McGuffin with a potential to backfire(BSA), or something that theoretically has a use, but will seldom see it(DNA Vault and Shield).

[ConfectionCore]

Personally, I really enjoy building the BSA when the chance rolls around. The shield is tiresome, but doable, and the DNA vault usually feels all but impossible unless an engineer is relegated to botany, which isn't something an engineer  should be doing, so... if anything, maybe a DNA vault rework would make it more enjoyable for engineers? 

[Streaky Haddock]

DNA Vault requires A) Engineers to be competant B) Command to give a shit C) R&D to be up to snuff D) Xenobiology manned by someone competant and compliant and E) Botanists to be growing a wide variety of plants. F) The Station to be intact and alive enough to get all the samples instead of patching holes/shooting nuke ops/swamping cloning and surgery.

 

So yeah. DNA Vault rarely gets done. 

 

Some custom station goals were done by admins recently which were: 'ship 1000 units of food to centcomm'. That one didn't really get done because the shift ended early, and nobody actually transported the chef's food to cargo (and xenobio had shit luck with slimes). The 'Create 3 supersoldiers' one was pretty involved in that it used Hydro, Genetics, R&D, Xenobio, Robotics, Viro and Cargo however the onus was entirely on the Research Director to co-ordinate and acquire everything; and extra super-soldiers need to be made incase one or more of them die or go to cryostorage.

 

Which leaves for one really, really salty RD when one of his super soldiers dies in the escape shuttle and the station goal is failed.

 

A REALLY. SALTY. RD.

Edited September 1, 2017 by Streaky Haddock

[Jovaniph]

Yeah. Let me tell you right now...The DNA vault powers can be obtain by genetics as an alternative...Yes all of the abilities.

Edit: The DNA vault is just not worth it.

Edited September 1, 2017 by Jovaniph

[Enginseer-42]

19 hours ago, Jovaniph said:

Yeah. Let me tell you right now...The DNA vault powers can be obtain by genetics as an alternative...Yes all of the abilities.

Edit: The DNA vault is just not worth it.

As mentioned above. The DNA vault stabilizes your genes, meaning, that if you normally load someone up on all the cool powers, their face melts off unless they take healing chems every few minutes.

The DNA vault stops that from happening. Basically turning you into the genetic power version of Adam Jenson.

[Jovaniph]

If you have a smart geneticist that doesn't just give syringes like handouts and understand how to make copies of multiple SE AND knows how to fix instabilities....Still makes the DNA not worth it.

the instabilities can be fix so easy, its almost like you never had it in the first place.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Jovaniph

[McRamon]

On 01.09.2017 at 5:21 AM, Streaky Haddock said:

The 'Create 3 supersoldiers' one was pretty involved in that it used Hydro, Genetics, R&D, Xenobio, Robotics, Viro and Cargo however the onus was entirely on the Research Director to co-ordinate and acquire everything

Is it really so some admin took my suggestion from one recent thread and tried it in game? So it was not that interesting from players perspective, huh? 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, i dont think we should remove it, i would like to see even more different goals, which dont necessary need to involve all department, just some random features for people who dont know what to do this exact shift. But it should be anything from engineers building something to assistants painting walls and floors in red color (because today's station goal is to win in the contest for the most red station). Should not be too complex like current goals. And even if it stays as it is, its better than nothing. 

[Enginseer-42]

13 hours ago, Jovaniph said:

If you have a smart geneticist that doesn't just give syringes like handouts and understand how to make copies of multiple SE AND knows how to fix instabilities....Still makes the DNA not worth it.

the instabilities can be fix so easy, its almost like you never had it in the first place.

....

What. You can't fix Instability. The DNA vault is the only way to fix genetic instability. If you give someone Hulk, TK, and X-ray. They will melt until you remove some things. Unless they've been through the DNA vault.

[Landerlow]

This isn't true. There are ways to counteract it. With disabilities. Of course, that might not be *preferable* but still.

[Capsandi]

Why is it that engineering has anything to do with the DNA vault, science can just build the machine ANYWHERE and complete it using the materials from THEIR DEPARTMENT and fill it with samples that they should be getting! They cant do that because of R&D which always takes more than 10 seconds to do!

Edited September 2, 2017 by Capsandi

[Enginseer-42]

1 hour ago, Landerlow said:

This isn't true. There are ways to counteract it. With disabilities. Of course, that might not be *preferable* but still.

Balance out =/= Fix Genetic instability.

[Bxil]

I would rather have them easier to build. My major problem with them is that they are rarely used, mostly because there is no time to use them. Make them cheaper.

[lizardzsi]

The way I experienced it whenever I play engineering: Station Goals aren't really a 'burden' that ties up engineering, which would force them to abandon their duties/stretch them thin. Whenever I play engineering, it's either:
-Rarely, half the station gets destroyed by plasma fires/bombs/etc and some of the engineers respond to fix things

-Most of the time, the biggest issues are emagged doors, and a few broken windows; so I just make small little projects / pimping up things, leaving me plenty of time to make station goals, becase at least then I have a 'purpose'... though I never seen the whole engineering team work in unison; rather only a few join in for the project.

The /problem/ is, that most of the time, after building for example, the BSA room, pimped it up and all, either cargo doesn't bother getting the parts, or in most cases, science doesn't do the R&D to finish it, which can be quite frustrating. Admittedly, the DNA vault feels like a chore, because building it is easy, but working with botany and xenobio for the DNA data is frustrating, since there is 0 cooperation most of the time. Station shield is a bit bland I guess, nothing too special; would be better if you'd have to do more than just to drop them in spess and push a button to activate.

For station goals, I would suggest something more 'fun', like: refurbishing, or more like expanding the station, since there is the old bar, or airlocks that would lead to space; (also there is the derelict station, the russky station, the abandoned teleporter) it could be good if there would be a goal to make specific additions to the station, and then have the NT Rep inspect it and give a thumbs up if it is NT approved or not. At least that would give the NT rep role a bit more 'power' so to say, that they get to be the judge whether the station would meet the goals or not. Since it would be hard to implement it to make the game check if the station goals are met, it would be easier if the NT Rep would, for example, have a item like a remote, or an option in his console that unlocks after X time, where he verifies that the station goal is met, thus: greentext. And since the role is karmalocked, then there's less of a chance that it would be abused; plus so far I've seen, only those pick that role, who at least 'try' to properly RP. (Also, it would be a fun tator objective to sabotage the station goal)

Examples:

-NT wants to prepare to host the annual Ragecage event, so a stadium needs to be constructed, large enough to accept X amount of observers with a VIP booth, security checkpoint, a mini medical for the casaulties.

-NT will be having VIPs, build a VIP quarters to accomodate them; with a mix of luxury and class, with extra security and safety.

-NT wants to have a proper military garrison; it needs a proper barracks with mess hall, armory, officer's quarters, etcetc to accomodate an on-station ERT that would arrive in the future.

-NT wants to have a large pasture/petting zoo, for totally recreational purposes and not for the secret future project of animal testing and weaponizing xenos; you have to make secure animal pens with a highly secure lab that would be able to contain xenos.

(And if there are enough admins, and the additions are built; every now and again, if they feel like it, they could run an event. If there is a small chance of such a reward happening, it would encourage people to work together more, imho).