Unified Robotics

[Midaychi]

 

Tl;Dr: A stupid idea that'll never get implemented, but I'm posting about anyways.

 

Robotics is a bit of an interesting mess; There are little dumb bots that have their own ancient construction methods, and cyborgs that have their own set of snowflake stuff, and even more the exosuits that try to replicate cyborg construction on some level but really don't. Then there's IPC, which are kind of silly and only partially implemented humanoids with resistance to limb-halloss.

 

Note: if any of the following resembles goon's cyborg implementation in some way, you're probably right.

 

 

The plan: Everything is essentially cyborgs. Construction moves to a frame and limb based system, and comes in tiers.

 

Limbs can be all sorts of things, but let's just start with your normal cyborg limbs. We can add chainsaw arms later.

 

All those silly exosuit interface or robotic interface or whatever is now moved to the hud in the form of handy dandy buttons and made standardized.

 

Cyborg charging bays are removed. Functionality is now moved to the mech charging bays. Stand on them to be recharged.

 

As a mob, all cyborgs are moved to use the same limb system as humans in a way. They can take damage, be severed, need repairs, and can be replaced. Internal damage would be represented by needing wire replacement or nanoglue like always. All constructs consist of some sort of locomotion mounted on the bottom of the chest, some form of arm or arm-like appendages, a chest, and a head of some sort.

 

Cyborgs are no longer immune to pressure/heat/whatever and require special radiator upgrades to function in such environments without overheating (Mining and Construction come with this standard). To balance, cyborgs have the ability to heal to some minor extent from taking overheating damage, as long as they return to a safe environment before permanent damage is done.

 

The smaller the frame, the more susceptible to halloss/stun/lethal damage they are. Tiny bots can be stopped dead with a taser bolt, while a heavy power armor would shrug it off.

 

Exosuits become Power armor, and are essentially large clunky cyborgs that either have a pilot or an MMI/positron. Their functionality is based on what limbs and locomotion they have, and exosuit modules that aren't weapons/tools get standardized into Large/Heavy tier upgrades instead.

The exception is misc stuff like exosuit tracking beacons, which can be installed on any of the tiers and constitute a free slot.

 

The tiers:

 

A) Tiny frames are mostly made of plastic and glass, and generally are for spiderbot-sized constructs as well as unmanned constructs like medbots or floorbots.

 

You start with the frame, add a tiny tier chest, a tiny tier locomotion of some sort, tiny tier appendages of some sort, and a tiny tier head of some sort. (you get the picture).

 

This construct can then be initialized, either by:

1) inserting the proper module (ie, medbot circuit) and then giving it the appropriate tools, unmanned bots are automated. (yes this means medbots would have limb(s) but also you could do silly things like give it treds or a hover unit or something)

 

2) Inserting a mmi or positron, which turns it into a spiderbot-sized cyborg and gives it a cyborg interface. It can go module-less which basically gives it the same functionality as a current spiderbot, or it can take a module which slaves it to the AI and gives it access to cyborg things.

 

Tiny frame has 0 slots for upgrades or additional parts, has a slot for the positron/mmi OR circuitboard, has a slot for a battery, and has standardized unified wire-hacking datum.

 

 

B) Light and Medium tiers. Light is made of composites of glass/metal/plastic while Medium is more your standard metal casing.

 

Construction is the same as the previous tier, except using the appropriate sized parts.

Exception: Can only build automated bots in the tiny tier.

 

The construct can then be initialized by:

1) Inserting a positron or mmi and leaving the construct to choose a module, which gives it a cyborg interface. If a module is chosen, they are slaved to the AI(s)/laws and given all the cyborg fun stuff like .

 

2) Inserting a positron or MMI and then also installing an IPC circuit board. If the construct chooses IPC as a module, its cyborg interface is removed and replaced with the standard humanoid hud and they are given access to hands and wearing things, and their sprite changes to the IPC chassis. This locks them out of receiving upgrades or choosing other modules, however, but their limbs can still be replaced like a cyborg's and functionally are the same.

 

Light and medium frames have 1 and 2 slots for upgrades or additional parts respectively, has a slot for the positron/mmi, has a slot for a battery, and has standardized unified wire-hacking datum.

 

 

C) Large and Heavy teirs - Made of metal/plasteel composites or composites of just straight up rare materials.

 

Construction is the same as the previous tier, except using the appropriate sized parts.

Exception: Can only build IPC/standard cyborgs in the light/medium tier. Large and Heavy are effectively power armor.

 

The construct can then be initialized by:

1) Finishing the construct; creating an empty shell with a pilot's seat. Riding the construct replaces your hud with the unified cyborg hud tailored to power armor, and ejecting gives you your standard hud back.

 

2) Inserting a positron/MMI, etc etc.

 

Large and Heavy frames have 3-5 (or whatever's balanced) slots for upgrades or additional parts respectively, has a slot for the positron/mmi, has a slot for a battery, has a slot for an ID card, and has standardized unified wire-hacking datum.

 

 

 

Additional possible suggestions:

 

- for large/heavy tier that's probably stupid: Modules. Slaves them to AI(s)/Lawset and gives access and stuff but also basically turns you into a giant cyborg. Using the vertical mining drills? Pah I *AM* a vertical mining drill *Deploys anchors, whirrrrrr*

 

- Medium/light cyborgs being able to don clothing/hats via the mech recharging bay, probably limited to items that don't obscure that they're cyborgs and don't interfere with their limbs (No wearing pants if you're a hover-borg)

 

- Paint jobs. Hot Pink hellokitty power armor. Need I say more?

 

[Midaychi]

 

Additional suggestion for Tiny/Light/Medium frames: More modularity, less modules.

 

Basically, make the function of the construct entirely dependant on what limbs and locomotion you give it. The circuits for tiny frames would only be to determine the ai type and access levels of the finished bot.

 

Ie: Build a tred-having tiny bot with a fireman circuit, a medical limb and a firefighting limb. Have a bot that has the fireman circuit access level and AI, treds that have it move slower than normal but give it superior resistance to pressure differentials and gusts, and be able to medicate living beings while prioritizing fire-fighting.

 

Or, for a light cyborg, give them a hover system and both variants of security arms. It has full access to the wide range of security tools and can hover around at a decent clip, and can even handle no-gravity events, but has severe trouble dealing with getting knocked over by strong pressure differentials or malicious crew.

 

That kind of stuff. Would have to remove the choice to not get synced with the AI/lawset though

 

[Eldrin-Kanthos]

This just looks like making robotics extremely complicated and a horror for the coders. Not only that, you make IPC into another cyborg model not a karma race. I guess next vox should just be as xenobio grown race?

[Midaychi]

 

This just looks like making robotics extremely complicated and a horror for the coders. Not only that, you make IPC into another cyborg model not a karma race. I guess next vox should just be as xenobio grown race?

 

 

Wow you read that wrong.

 

No I'm basically saying to make a generic master class /mob/robotics that handles the roof code like frameworks and tools and parts, huds, and also extend /mob/carbon limb mechanics a bit while making modifications.

 

Then make all these all children that run off the same unified code, with their part specifics and additional hud buttons defined in their child code.

 

Ipc basically no longer is a snowflake carbon mob with silly mechanics, and instead is a child of unified robotics code with a lighter chassis to choose from and a few forms of locomotion.

 

[Streaky Haddock]

question: do i get to be an IPC with treads instead of legs.

[Fj45]

 

While a nice idea, is this really needed, at all? Robotics is already a pretty well expanded, simple system that makes sense.

Does it really need to this change? Wouldn't time be better spent on, say, cargo, or other jobs that do not have as much content?

 

[Eldrin-Kanthos]

Maybe just a quick code session to unbork IPC?

[Bone White]

 

Maybe just a quick code session to unbork IPC?

That's an oxymoron.

 

[Streaky Haddock]

We just want to know IPC is being worked on, the time it takes to do so isn't as much of an issue.

[Eldrin-Kanthos]

 

Maybe just a quick code session to unbork IPC?

That's an oxymoron.

How so? You guys popped the code in for them dying in suits one morning real quick.... then just stopped on them.

 

[VampyrBytes]

 

Maybe just a quick code session to unbork IPC?

That's an oxymoron.

How so? You guys popped the code in for them dying in suits one morning real quick.... then just stopped on them.

 

Popping the code in is a very different thing to writing the code to pop in. The way it works is that the coder will spend hours/days or longer writing the code. They'll then test it as best they can on their private server. Once they've done all that they upload it to Ponies' github. He then pulls it into the existing code, compiles it, and restarts the server using the newly compiled code.

 

From your point of view the new features 'pop in' to the game, from the coder's point of view it's definitely not that quick.

 

And the oxymoron is the 'quick code session', because even when you think they will be quick they never end up that way

 

[Eldrin-Kanthos]

 

No, what I mean is that they put in unfinished mechanics. Why not pull them out? They are partway done with it. Suit chillers exist and are unfinished. If that would take too long, why not put them back to where they can wear space suits normally while the suit=overheat thing is on the back burner?

 

I play IPC mainly and this affects me a lot. I mention it so much on here because it is a major issue. I know that coding takes time, but it has been over a month and the code team has just moved on from this issue. Instead of finishing it they started work on more jobs and embassies. Hell IPC are the only ones without an embassy too. I just want to wear hardsuits again.

 

[Midaychi]

 

Not to interrupt this fanciful line of questioning but the maker/'maintainer' of IPC is Zuhayr over at bay and our implementation is just ponies porting their code over. The reason that development has stopped for the most part seems to be the implementation.

I think they actually intend to fix up IPC someday, part of a robotics and general station overhaul that's something vaguely similar to this OP. Biggest gate seems to be lots of things to do and only one Zuhayr.

 

[VampyrBytes]

 

As for just doing a revert, it's been too long now. There will probably have been other changes made that rely on the code being as it was after the original change to IPC's, and then other changes that rely on those changes etc

 

Don't get me wrong, I do understand your frustration with the issues from a player point of view. I'm just trying to explain why it's not as simple from a coder's point of view

 

[Eldrin-Kanthos]

I understand, but it has been a bug since day one. I reported it to every admin when I was on. They all seemed suprised at it. I have asked coders about it since the beginning, but all I get is coders ignoring me and the players telling me to get over it and play another race. I dumped half my karma into IPC. I LIKE playing them RP wise. I just wish I could play fully.