Reactive Armor

[Moku]

So, while i am aware that this might end up looking like a bit of a rant, i am not sure what the purpose or idea behind this thing is meant to be.

 

Standard Tator round, everything is going as usual, objectives are being accomplished, shady deals are being made, many remarks about specific liquors are made over the radio, standard stuff!

But then everything takes a turn for the worse, for i see this particular item, and i am meant to steal it, but the little voice in my head tells me that that it does indeed teleport people around when they get hit by stuff... No problem, i thought to myself, i'll test the waters, shoot them with a projectile to see if it applies to energy weaponry, Mhm, they teleported away again, didn't see from where i shot though, so everything is dandy. A few minutes pass, i have gotten my hands onto a baton, surely this will be the recipe to my success? Melee over Ranged combat?
Turns out i was once more wrong, as they teleported again, though, surely, if i were to just use my hands, it would work, right? Disarmed? Nope, teleported!

Huh, this is strange... How DO i fight them then, or get them to a point where i can just take this magnificient piece of technology...? Maybe with soap, but that is kind of hard to pull off, a flashbang might work, but that is hard to get in it's own way... Does it run off a battery? Maybe i could EMP it, though, again, EMP's are very niche and somewhat annoying to get your hands onto, if you're not working with chem dispensers atleast ... So let's try whacking them really really hard alot of times, maybe it'll run dry?

Turns out, this doesn't work, turns out combat in general just doesn't work, and while i would ordinarily say that this is great and cool, having been on the receiving end of this quite frankly just frustrating situation, i've changed my mind on it a bit ... See, i play League, i play fighting games, usually when something is very annoying to deal with, or only ABLE to be dealt with by very niche tactics that are much much more effort for one party than the other, then that would be something that we would call too strong, or perhaps "cheap"

 

So how is it that when i ended up asking on just how you were supposed to deal with this abomination of an item, people would call me an unga bunga "Oh no i can't combat" while praising the balance of an item that makes you immune to combat, not temporarily, but for as long as you wear this, unless someone EMPs you? Really strange, truly.

 

So, let's talk about it.
What do you think about the Reactive Armor? Think it's fun? Think it's terrible?

[Kyet]

I play RD a lot, but I almost never use the armor.

This isn't that unusual, either. Many RDs refuse to wear it.

Why?

1. According to https://github.com/ParadiseSS13/Paradise/blob/master/code/modules/clothing/suits/armor.dm#L271 it seems to only activate on hit 50% of the time (unless I'm reading the code wrong). The place it teleports you is semi-random as well. Which means you can't rely on it to always work. Which means that, while its good for evasion, its not very good for direct combat. And even if your only goal is evasion, you can't rely on it 100%.
2. It can be triggered by mundane interactions, like other people hugging you. Which can potentially teleport you at undesirable times. Potentially you can even misclick yourself and activate it by accident. Or a traitor can touch you to activate it, in order to teleport you away from a crowd - so they can take you out alone.
3. While it has some safety systems (won't teleport you on top of a space tile) it doesn't check atmos, nearby mobs, or other threats, meaning it can teleport you straight into a plasma fire, or room with no oxygen, or right next to a hostile, or into another place that's dangerous for another reason. This is especially bad since other people can activate it unintentionally on you by touching you. This can get you killed.
4. It is often an antag theft objective, meaning that wearing it paints a huge target on your back. Traitors can buy an advanced pinpointer that will lead them straight to the armor at all times (I believe), so you'll never be able to evade them forever. Many players would rather lose the armor, than risk being killed for their armor.
5. The fact it is job-restricted to RD, combined with being an antag objective, means that anyone else who is seen wearing the armor is instantly assumed to be an EOC. Which, given how the normal paradise playerbase treat EOCs, is often a death sentence. You can even make security suspicious of you by wearing it as RD.
6. SOP discourages unnecessary use of it.
7. The RD has far better options available.

The RD armor is a lifesaver for RDs who cannot or will not defend themselves otherwise. Either because they are not robust, or just don't want to fight while RPing a science nerd.
There are also some pretty powergamey things you can do with it (which I won't explain) to maximize its usefulness.

That said, many RDs refuse to use it at all, and personally I'll only use it as a last resort.

It is good... but it isn't perfect, and in fact has some pretty substantial downsides.

It is rather like the other head items. Useful. Can even save you in some situations. But, in many other situations, it can get you killed.

[MarsMond]

EMPs will disable the armor, so that would allow to more easily capture them.
The 50% chance is hard to work with, though, won't allow block penetration  to affect it, and even should fully block the attack. Due to that, you'll probably want to use something with some more lasting effects, something that sets them aflame or syringe gun hits.
It'll also not activate for things that aren't attacks, even though the action can be harmful. An N2O thrower should knock them out, should be able to be slipped, smoke does transfer reagents, and i think sleepypen won't be blocked.

[Malphystoh]

in my experience, you gotta hit / stun them and rush wherever they teleport to cuff and take it off. 

[Vallidian]

Quote

It is good... but it isn't perfect, and in fact has some pretty substantial downsides.

I feel like it's the only "prototypes" that needs to be sent back to the design board.

Every department has it's prototype, engineering's advanced magboots don't accidentally turn off or malfunction. HoS' prototype laser doesn't backfire or combust when switching settings, and the compact defib doesn't disintegrate anyone from sending tesla current volts into a corpse.

But that reactive armor though, don't headpat the RD or he'll poof accidentally.

[Qwertytoforty]

The armor is interesting. It has huge risks, but its more or less, unless you are emp'd, a permanent riot shield that teleports you when it triggers. A traitor chasing you with a pistol in a hallway is going to have trouble, when you take on average 50% less damage, keep moving, and maybe even teleporting into a nearby room. The armor has saved me from many abductor attacks before, or at least made it harder. Just dont use it near turbine or the engine. If you really want to make things interesting, randomize the reactive armor that is in the RD'S office, there is 4 of them in the code.