Borg and Malf rework

[Keppler]

I start with my thoughts on the matter, if you just want the pure suggestions, they are at the bottom, alongside my views on the code difficulty alongside the balance issues. The thoughts are where my suggestions come from, so if curious about them do take the read if you want.

This is more a set of thoughts I have gathered over a while, and would want some feedback or alternate ideas on how to actually work around the issue. Secborgs are gone, not the biggest fan of that but there it is. Now then it remains what should be done about the borgs that remain. There are multiple issues as I see it, borg on human, or borg on borg combat usually comes down to who flashes the borg first, essentially making it a one hit kill. While flashes at least require proximity, laser pointers can do the same at a distance. This is not very fun for the borgs, especially not in the most extreme of cases where a Assault nukie borg is taken down by a toy and killed.

Borg counters

Secondly, there is the issue of borgs having few true counters, which I have heard a lot. You can disable a traitor, but it will not impact the borg. The few truly effective tools to stop one are flashes, laser pointers or ions. One I did not mention was the borg console, I will get back to it. The issue here is many players, especially with Secborgs, complained about few direct counters. In my mind this has fallen out, essentially there are four types of borgs you will ever face. ERT (Possibly sec) borgs, Nukie borgs, Malf borgs, and emagged borgs/subverted. Borgs that fight you other than this are usually on the wrong side of some rule. ERT and nukie borgs should in my mind not have easy one click counters, either use a ion or shoot them till they die. As in, removal of flashes working at all, or make them just blind the borgs. Laser pointer at least shouldnt do more than blind at most. Malf borgs should get some upgrades they can get that make them less prone to be dead so fast, but I will get back to that. Emagged borgs need to be destroyed to be fixed anyhow, so a ion for them or shooting them isnt so bad, and the borg control console exists. The same is true for badly lawed borgs.

On Malfunctioning AI

The "Malf" Ai is in a weird spot. It has some very powerful components, such as the bomb or the factory, and can also be destroyed by someone watching cameras. I believe that there are some reworks, which would come as buffs, that would make malf a lot more enjoyable for both crew and the synths. First of all the borg console, a AI hacked borg should not be able to be blown up from it. Making it still visibly hacked, but not being able to blow it up, removes a major "cryptonite" from the AI. If the consoles are no longer game over for the AI if they still exist, the eternal plasmabombing or blowing of Science isnt critical to the AIs, which in turn will allow more flexible gameplay on that front. Secondly the AI should get a borg improvement it can buy, that makes borg flash immune, where they just go blind but not unable to interact with things, or a similar upgrade. This could also concern ion rifles, where the borgs are still badly damaged by ions, but dont go down so long for instance. I do think ions remaing a cryptonite for borgs and AI is fitting, to some extent. EMPs should also be weakened in effect over syntetics, one proper EMP on the AI sat and its over. 

One QoL while at it. AI should get a internal borg control console within it, that works regardless of outside influences. This makes sense, as AIs can use such a console, and have a connection with their borgs anyhow, and as such should not need a external console to control its borgs.

Suggestions in short

-Nukie and ERT borgs either dont care about flashes, or become blind/unable to interact for a duration. Laser pointers  dont impact them or make them blind

-Emagged or subverted (read normal) borgs no longer get impacted by laser pointers outside of being blinded, flashes make them blind and unable to interact with things for a duration

-Malfunctioning AIs get a borg upgrade that makes the borg less weak to ions/flashes, for instance by lowering time disabled, make them only blind and unable to interact (but can move) or something similar.

-Malfunctioning AIs hacked borgs get immunity from the borg control console, this would not apply to non upgraded borgs, and they would still show in the list, just not being able to be blown up/locked down

-AI get a internal borg control console

Coding Difficulty

-Some of these I can take a crack at myself, being a novice and all, I do believe the flashes and that stuff to be the harder issue to solve, but most of the code is already there for all of these suggestions, its mostly a matter of applying them to accomplish my suggestions.

Scope

-These suggestions target borgs, but would inevitably impact combat a lot, borg to borg or borg to crew combat mostly.

Balance

-This is in all honesty, if all suggestions are put in at the max strength, a big borg power boost. I will make it clear that these are suggestions, and for instance the timers for effect can be used to make it more balanced, or borgs less strong. Still, I am aware there is a certain unpopularity of borgs around here, so will be very open for arguments on the balance and rebalance this would possibly bring. 

Thanks for any response I do get, feedback is also always welcome.

 

[LongLiveChaos]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the unable-to-blow instantly be recognized by any competent RD during roundstart to see if the AI is malfunctioning or not?

 

Even if it only does it when you're just about to blow them, I feel like people would accidently discover the AI is malfunctioning pretty early on, if they're required to blow a borg.

 

Other than that, I like the concept of buffing up malf AI, since I don't think I've ever seen a successful AI. Not even with nuke.

 

EDIT: Correction, an admin did an event where it was Sol-Fed VS. USSP, I was the AI, and I converted people into Communists and killed a Sol-Fed official. I was given greentext, that's the only time I've ever seen a successful AI.

Edited April 4, 2022 by LongLiveChaos

[Generaldonothing]

2 hours ago, LongLiveChaos said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the unable-to-blow instantly be recognized by any competent RD during roundstart to see if the AI is malfunctioning or not?

 

Even if it only does it when you're just about to blow them, I feel like people would accidently discover the AI is malfunctioning pretty early on, if they're required to blow a borg.

 

Other than that, I like the concept of buffing up malf AI, since I don't think I've ever seen a successful AI. Not even with nuke.

 

EDIT: Correction, an admin did an event where it was Sol-Fed VS. USSP, I was the AI, and I converted people into Communists and killed a Sol-Fed official. I was given greentext, that's the only time I've ever seen a successful AI.

No, blowing a borg roundstart would be not only self antaging, but also powergaming

Plenty of AIs have been successful as well, it's a matter of understanding the systems that you have to use and abuse. Malf AI greentexts are also not really rare, and considering it's ALWAYS some form of hijack or kill everyone that is actually pretty impressive (And might actually suggest that malf AI needs a nerf). 

[Keppler]

2 hours ago, LongLiveChaos said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the unable-to-blow instantly be recognized by any competent RD during roundstart to see if the AI is malfunctioning or not?

 

Even if it only does it when you're just about to blow them, I feel like people would accidently discover the AI is malfunctioning pretty early on, if they're required to blow a borg.

 

Other than that, I like the concept of buffing up malf AI, since I don't think I've ever seen a successful AI. Not even with nuke.

 

EDIT: Correction, an admin did an event where it was Sol-Fed VS. USSP, I was the AI, and I converted people into Communists and killed a Sol-Fed official. I was given greentext, that's the only time I've ever seen a successful AI.

I will not that the "unable to blow borgs" was for hacked Malf borgs, which the AI has to choose to do. Once done borgs get hacked tools, and show up as unlinked. At that point they are not hiding. The borgs this has not been done to would still be able to be blown up.

[Pckables]

Never really thought about it before, but it does seem pretty unfun how much Malf AI revolves around the borg control console.
It completely makes or breaks the round. Not only does the AI need to ensure its destroyed and the board removed before being known, but also needs to ensure that no replacement boards are created anywhere else on the station. Failure to do so means that everything you have and can do goes goodbye with a single button.

Limiting its usefulness against Malf AIs, or at least giving Malf AIs a better counter that isn't circumvented by making a computer in maintenance sounds like a good direction.

Edited April 5, 2022 by Pckables

[Skysorrow]

It came to me an idea on something that might help in this suggestion of SOMETHING....

Make locking down borgs (all borgs) take a short period of time. Sending an encrypted signal through a specialized network or some such...needing someone to sit there for...lets say a variable 5-10 seconds to do (Different people type fast/slow). Let Malf-hacked borgs take twice this, fighting against the corrupted code and the like, as well as alerting the borg that they are being counter-hacked from (Insert location) so they can alert the AI/other borgs and potentially stop it, and guide the AI/borgs to where the crew has built an emergency console or the like. The variable speed if possible being a slim cover of if they are hacked or not....slim but it's some protection at least.

Detonating Borgs should always be a last resort as they say, so this too should take maybe a timer to perform, be it longer or shorter than the lock-down time....as well as providing a short alert that it is happening to the borg and those around it. This would give the borg either time to move away from crew/walls/dangerous to explode around things if it is truly being framed, or for it to chase down and try to ensure it's death will further the AI's goals. (Lets be honest, half the time when borgs are being blown, they are blowing next to people fighting, or right inside Robotics)

The last idea for all of this is more on the restoring Borgs from an Malf AI if locked down and captured safely. After removing the AI link, a new board would be installed on them. "Station Protection Control", a sort of mind-shield for them which could be removed by hand as well so antags aside from the AI could still subvert, but it may take a bit...picture it like the plate on doors to prevent easy hacking...but it'd also change the borg's laws to a crew-friendly set, and disallow changes or AI links until it's removed. This may help in those rounds where there are...less than intelligent cyborgs who keep getting subverted, for like the 12th time....they'll at least take longer to do so, and more obviously as some random person spam flashes a cyborg and drags them into maints.

Edited April 27, 2022 by Skysorrow