Decouple Gamma alert from the armoury shuttle

[S34N]

Hey guys,

I had this discussion with a few on discord, but since not everyone is on during the specific timing of said conversation I thought I'd put it forward here for more discussion.

What I'm suggesting:

Removes automatic delivery of the gamma shuttle when gamma alert is called. Allow station command to call gamma alert in emergencies without needing to rely on CC approval. Possibly rework the shuttle to allow it to be docked at other locations by admins.

 

Why I'm suggesting this:

Currently, on station threats usually get to the point of uncontainability before gamma alert is called. And it is being called mainly for the weapons and such in the armoury. Command are far more likely to request an ERT due to the ease of doing so on the keyswipe terminal.

However, the Gamma SoP is also a powerful tool that can be used in earlier stages of biohazards or dire situations. Unfortunately, command don't call it out of fear of over-escalation, because of the armoury.

If Gamma SoP could be applied more regularly to major situations, it would give command and security more options to deal with issues due to Martial Law being enacted. It also would alert the crew to the severity of the situation before it is too late, something red alert does not really properly communicate.

Example of a beneficial scenario: Crew are fighting a blob, but a contractor is attempting to kidnap a security officer. Currently, they have to attempt non-lethal detention as per red alert SoP. With gamma, the threat of lethal fire may discourage such attempts, allowing crew to focus on the pressing issue at hand.

One thing suggested by @Qwertytoforty was bringing the gamma armoury more in-line with other emergency dispatch shuttles, allowing it to be docked elsewhere when the brig is overrun.

Issues that need solutions:

How should this be called, card swipe like for red? Fax/quantum communication like currently?

I think adding gamma to the card swipe terminal, and keeping the gamma armoury as a fax/quantum only would be most appropriate.

How admins will enforce against users abusing such a feature for gamma on 5 traitors.

 

Any thoughts or feedback are welcome! I think this would add a powerful tool to command that isn't just "moar guns"

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by S34N

[Sirryan2002]

I think this would be a cool point of discussion. I personally think that if we did change how requesting the Gamma Armory is done. It should be like requesting the on station Nuclear Codes. I would like to point out that while Gamma SOP is great, what's the point of the alert if people are going to follow the SOP in the first place? Red Alert requires that people stay within their departments and that all civilian level visitors stay in the dorms/bar area. Perhaps if we amended Red Alert SOP to be less restrictive on movement it would give Gamma alerts a bit more oomph. 

While I think my suggestion for how to request Gamma Alert is rather restrictive and goes against what your vision of Gamma SOP should be, there's a lot of reasoning. Imagine a few members of command having the ability to suspend all SOP. That's not really something ICly command should have the authority to do, and abuse could not be prevented without the involvement of CC(if you could just swipe for the alert) which would put pressure on admins to either reduce the restrictiveness/seriousness of the alert or have to double-down on regulating/enforcing how it is used/called.

Edited March 2, 2021 by Sirryan2002
more thoughtful phrasing

[Veterankyl]

I've always found it a bit odd that the "Dire Emergency" alert level is tied to an off-station decision. Granted, gameplay wise it stops people from throwing SoP out the window when the emergency is manageable, but the lack of accessibility means it's only called when things are often lost as is. Sometimes GAMMA is skipped entirely and nuke codes are called just because it's easier to do that than write out a full fax to CC. In an emergency, rapid response is key.

I support the idea of separating GAMMA and the armory shuttle from each other, and using the armory as a supplement for security if their current gear isn't cutting it. I do think GAMMA should called in a similar method to nuke codes, where you use the console to send a request to CC with the reason for the request. If CC decides the threat is legitimate, they can call GAMMA, along with either a ERT or the armory as they see fit. GAMMA also gets a stronger response from the crew than red alert does. Every shift seems to see red alert, to the point where it's often ignored. GAMMA carries a stronger weight with it that can encourage the crew to actually comply with command.

Realistically, GAMMA would be used for situations where the entire crew is in danger, such as near ascended shadowlings/cult, uncontrolled biohazards, nuke ops, and any other situation where the crew/station is the target of total destruction. Keeping it tied to contacting CC is still important, but allowing it to be called without the armory shuttle being included would help encourage the use of it when it really needed.

[Landerlow]

If we were to make Gamma able to be called by station command, what would stop command from instantly calling gamma instead of red?

Perhaps we could make it so that gamma can be called only (insert time here) after red is called first. I dunno.

[farie82]

I think this would be a good idea. In a lot of situations gamma would make sense yet is not called/given due to the armory and the borg module the station gets. Removing those direct ties would be good.

But as said in the post itself. There should be downsides to having the Gamma alert. Maybe cargo will be unable to buy supplies other than guns, medical items etc. Perhaps calling it should also be more difficult than red alert. (Requires 3 swipes? (Still) Requires admin intervention?)

[S34N]

I think that adding it to the card swipe terminal is definitely the optimal way to introduce it IMO, meaning the captain doesn't just get to call it when they feel like it. A 3 swipe requirement (with no CC input) also sounds reasonable to ensure it's a majority command decision. (If there are no 3 command members left alive, the station is likely already too screwed for this to make a difference anyway.)

I doubt it would be abused, in the same way that ERT is not abused currently even though it can get auto-approved at certain times of the day when admins are offline. (That is how it works, right?) Things like the superfluous calling of Gamma alert could be met with similar consequences to abusing other command privileges, a command/job ban.

Edited March 4, 2021 by S34N

[Landerlow]

True. And if I'm online, I could just bsa the bridge.


Just kidding.

sorta

mostly

[necaladun]

I'd like to be able to do gamma without the armoury for sure. That and the borgs is a huge reason why I have avoided sending it on multiple occasions, so I'd hugely support this.

 

If it was able to be called by players.....I'm hesitant to let that be a player decision. Gamma should really be only for event-level chaos, or a true clusterfuck of RNG. Authorisation to throw SoP out the window really should come from on high.

[Landerlow]

Yeah The 'throw SoP out of the window' thing is .. not something to be taken lightly. And the borgs, oh dear, they are so powerful :D

[S34N]

https://github.com/ParadiseSS13/Paradise/pull/15678

 

PR for decoupling gamma armoury from alert is up. As suggested, this does not let the station call/request gamma.

[Kyet]

8 hours ago, S34N said:

https://github.com/ParadiseSS13/Paradise/pull/15678

 

PR for decoupling gamma armoury from alert is up. As suggested, this does not let the station call/request gamma.

Voted in favor.