Blob rounds

[Sheakhan]

 

I hate 'em, and I'm not the only one...

Can we have a vote like the crew transfer vote available for initiating during blob rounds? Maybe an "Auto-Nuke everything, screw blobs I want to play the game, not watch it" option? You initiate it, everyone votes, if they agree for the majority, the station explodes and we move on with our lives?

 

Just a thought!

 

[Regen]

that one person voting no would be the blob whom the round would be ruined for doe

[Sheakhan]

Would you rather have one disappointed player, and 59 happy ones? Or 59 unhappy and one pleased?

[DeletedUser]

 

So what do you want? extended? meteor?

Blob is a gamemode like any other, we got 3 blob rounds in a row, so what? it happens.

See a blob? Get a damn welder, an axe, a lasergun, whatever and FIGHT FOR YOUR HONOR!

NO DAMN COSMIC MUCUS EATING MY STATION!

 

[Psyentific]

 

So what do you want? extended? meteor?

Blob is a gamemode like any other, we got 3 blob rounds in a row, so what? it happens.

See a blob? Get a damn welder, an axe, a lasergun, whatever and FIGHT FOR YOUR HONOR!

NO DAMN COSMIC MUCUS EATING MY STATION!

^This

 

The reason blob rounds are "Unfun" is because a good 75% of the station just curls up in a ball and cries, another 15% goes to the blob and mills around, and the remaining 10% can't do it alone. To quote every Dark Souls player ever,

 

Git Gud

 

[Sheakhan]

God, Dark Souls is a terrible game.

[Psyentific]

 

My point stands. Blob rounds are "unfun" because the only people doing blobfighting are getting dunked because nobody else is backing them up.

 

I've seen blobs pop in Tool Storage, of all the common, undefensible, in-the-way, impossible-to-miss places, screamed on the radio about it for five minutes straight, gave clear and concise instructions on what to do, and had a handful of people show up on a round with Forty People.

 

Considering that the entire point of a blob round is "Fight that blob", and that the station AI is directed to detonate the nuclear device if the blob cannot be contained, considering that the entire crews lives are in immediate and severe danger, that is abysmal. I'd make the arguement that not fighting the blob is both bad RP and bad gameplay, and thus "Very Bad" from the point of view of any SS13 playstyle that isn't "lol i grif u". And now you post on the forums about "improving" blob rounds, like you want to enable that sort of play?

 

Fuck you.

 

Fuck you very much.

 

Edited January 17, 2014 by Guest

[Sheakhan]

That's the major issue. Players not playing the game, just playing for themselves. When I was Captain during a blob round, I took note of everyone who failed to move to help destroy the blob so I could have them executed later... there was no later...

[Psyentific]

 

That's the major issue. Players not playing the game, just playing for themselves. When I was Captain during a blob round, I took note of everyone who failed to move to help destroy the blob so I could have them executed later... there was no later...

 

Then it's a player issue, not a code issue. Player issues should never be addressed by code - Down that road lies all-manual-valved no-plasma-output N2O-starts-unwrenched atmos. Down that road lies removing the Captains Spare ID and Captains Laser because powergaming assistants always steal them.

 

Edited January 17, 2014 by Guest

[Sheakhan]

 

That's the major issue. Players not playing the game, just playing for themselves. When I was Captain during a blob round, I took note of everyone who failed to move to help destroy the blob so I could have them executed later... there was no later...

 

Then it's a player issue, not a code issue. Player issues should never be addressed by code - Down that road lies all-manual-valved no-plasma-output atmos.

 

Yes, but try changing players, then try changing code. Tell me which effort gives the most obvious and immediate results. I'm not suggesting a change in the function of blob rounds, just an option to vote on "opting out" when we end up with a bunch of numbskull players who aren't capable of pulling their head out of their ass long enough to realize they maybe should lend a hand.

 

Maybe we should rename the blob rounds to: "KILL THE BLOB OR YOU ALL DIE IN NUCLEAR FIRE" rounds. That might hammer it home.

 

[Psyentific]

 

What, bludgeon their skulls in with "FIGHT DAT BLOB"? Quickest way to do that is Centcomm announcements to the tune of "KILL THE BLOB OR YOU ALL DIE IN NUCLEAR FIRE" and mass admin pms - "Why aren't you fighting the blob?" once Code Gamma is triggered. Back it up with three-hour bans for gross out-of-character actions and bad gameplay detrimental to the fun of the majority of server population, why not.

 

Prod, Hard Prod, Browbeat. Once people start associating strong negative consequences with an action, they won't do that anymore.

 

Edited January 17, 2014 by Guest

[Sheakhan]

Or they'll get naked, arm themselves, and overthrow the hierarchy.

[Psyentific]

 

Here's a crackpot idea!

 

Every time the round ends due to nuclear device detonation, the server shuts down for forty five minutes.

 

[NTXUb]

people aren't avoiding fighting the blob because they're dumb, it's because fighting the blob is boring and tedious. don't deny it- people adamantly rush miles out of their way to pursue pretty much any other antag, because fighting most other antags is actually fun and exciting. if something isn't working, the trick is to either fix it or get rid of it, not bash everybody over the head with it until they've taken so much brain damage they start to enjoy it.

[Psyentific]

I dunno - I enjoy it. Yeah, light a welder, click blob, but the blob being a player actually adds a lot of difficulty and challenge to it.

[Sheakhan]

NTXUb does have a point... If it's rotten, cut it off.

[Psyentific]

 

So what about blobs isn't fun to you?

 

Personally, I've found that blob creep is incredibly OP in melee - To the point where both myself and the Chief Engineer have gone from full to crit before we could react while in our hardsuits. I'm not sure what caused that - Whether it was the blob overmind attack-spamming on us, or being almost-enveloped by five blob tiles.

 

[NTXUb]

 

So what about blobs isn't fun to you?

 

Personally, I've found that blob creep is incredibly OP in melee - To the point where both myself and the Chief Engineer have gone from full to crit before we could react while in our hardsuits. I'm not sure what caused that - Whether it was the blob overmind attack-spamming on us, or being almost-enveloped by five blob tiles.

 

idk futiley spam clicking an almost static enemy for a few minutes until you inevitably get insta-critted by some unseeable mysterious undodgeable force just isn't that appealing to me

 

[Sheakhan]

 

Agreed. My main gripes are as follows:

1. The blob is impossible to combat without risking immediate and irrevocable death as a welder-swinging random crew member.

2. The blob is ridiculously durable, and rebuilds far too fast to combat without 5-10 organized combatants. Holofires don't do a damned thing except for remind you that Strong Blob is Best Blob.

3. Organizing an attack is impossible unless you've entered RED alert, which means that a single incompetent head can damn the entire station by failing to set the alert, and thereby denying the crew the necessary resources to destroy the blob until it is far, far, far too late.

4. There aren't enough shots in the standard energy gun to even come close to putting a dent in the blob.

5. Blowing a fuel tank at the blob serves only to make the room unsurvivable for any crew members who wish to fight it, meaning that even the crew that is doing what is expected of them is shit out of luck unless someone bolts open EVA.

6. EVERY aspect of effectively fighting off a blob requires the security force to complete fuck Space Law in the ass.

7. fuck blobs

 

[DeletedUser]

 

All i see is a lot QQ instead of fighting, i already killed several blobs, two of them i killed them totally ALONE.

But do you have the guts to go out there and fight for your lives!?

Get your armor! a welder! a stunprod! an emitter! AND FUKKEN BEAT THE LIVING DAYLIGHT OUT OF THAT CRAP!

 

Edit: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

(how the hell can a blob be boring to you? i mean, really? is nearly the most destructive force in the game, and it always ends either in a heroic crew risking their lives for the station, the blob killing everyone, or a thermonuclear explosion. And that BORES you? )

 

[Regen]

It is still in development process, so if you find it so pure and utter boring then instead of scrapping it you could help us in ways of making it better

[Psyentific]

 

Agreed. My main gripes are as follows:

1. The blob is impossible to combat without risking immediate and irrevocable death as a welder-swinging random crew member.

 

I can't do it alone.

 

2. The blob is ridiculously durable, and rebuilds far too fast to combat without 5-10 organized combatants. Holofires don't do a damned thing except for remind you that Strong Blob is Best Blob.

 

Get your ass over here, I can't do it alone

 

 

3. Organizing an attack is impossible unless you've entered RED alert, which means that a single incompetent head can damn the entire station by failing to set the alert, and thereby denying the crew the necessary resources to destroy the blob until it is far, far, far too late.

 

Player issue - If Command doesn't have their head up their ass, they'll send Priority/Desk announcements and call Red Alert as soon as a blob is confirmed. Command's job is to organize their department, having increased access and better gear is a tool to do that.

 

4. There aren't enough shots in the standard energy gun to even come close to putting a dent in the blob.

 

Rechargers (At least, non-wall mounted ones) can be unwrenched and pulled around, then re-wrenched to make them functional. Bring them on-scene to the rear lines, treat them like fuel tanks.

 

 

5. Blowing a fuel tank at the blob serves only to make the room unsurvivable for any crew members who wish to fight it, meaning that even the crew that is doing what is expected of them is shit out of luck unless someone bolts open EVA.

 

Welderbombing, in baycode. Yeah, no. Speaking as someone who's played as the blob, fuel tanks are an -amazing- target of opportunity. Don't let the blob get near them. If you're going for AoE, flashbangs. Problem with that is that it'll down everyone without ear and eye protection for a good 20s, which is more than enough for an attentive blob to eat the,, so it's more helpful if you're lone-wolfing. Flashbangs work wonders if you're flanking, though.

 

 

6. EVERY aspect of effectively fighting off a blob requires the security force to complete fuck Space Law in the ass.

 

Not really. The Chief Engineer and all of Engineering should be bringing emitters to the scene, then pointing them at the blob core. Emitters fill the role of suppressive artillery - Even one pointed at the blob core can make me put a -lot- of resources towards blocking and fighting it, especially if it's far away, to say nothing of four in Engineering Secure Storage, to say nothing of shitting them out like bad chinese if cargo orders emitter crates or Cargonia brings their emitters to bear.

 

Using Emitters, it's entirely possible for the Chief Engineer (Or one competent engineer, if the CE left storage open) to solo a blob, especially if that blob has poor placement.

 

To address that properly, though, Space Law is something that every security officer should know not to blindly follow. Security's job is to keep the crew safe, above all, it just so happens that Space Law is usually the best way to do that. If you're confiscating my spear in a nuke ops round, then brigging me for 15m for possession of a weapon, you're shit sec. Once the shit hits the fan, space law goes out the window in favor of trying to keep everyone alive and safe.

 

7. fuck blobs

Y-yeah? Well fuck you! Nyeh!

 

[Sheakhan]

 

That's the thing, Psy. You can't do it alone, but without any way to ensure the rest of the crew actually gets their shit together and lends a hand, you're going to be doing it alone.

 

As far as the recharger thing goes, yea, that is great and all. But the last time I had two chargers set up, and myself, two security guys, and an engineer firing at the blob and recharging constantly, the blob just kept gaining ground. It was pointless.

 

There are only two possible fixes for blob rounds that I can see:

 

1. Punish players for terribly roleplay that do not follow orders and rush to save the station and their lives.

2. Nerf the blob so it can be taken down, or at least held at bay by a single crew member with a laser weapon and a recharger.

 

Alternately, if I'm Captain during a blob round, I'm just going to start each round by setting a timer to ten minutes and putting the station on red alert. If after ten minutes have passed, noone has managed to mobilize or doesn't look to be trying, I'm asking CentCom for a Death Squad.

 

[Psyentific]

 

Number 2 is definitely necessary - As it stands, trying to combat the blob alone is an exercise in futility, especially while click-spamming as the overmind can down someone before they can react.

 

That last point actually looks like a very good idea.

 

[Sheakhan]

Which is why I stated what I did in the OP, if the players are being shitbirds, instead of sitting around for an hour or two watching the inevitible consequences of their glorious shit-flight over shitstorm mountain, there should be a quick and easy opton for ending the doomed round and moving on to something the retard crew can handle. I don't care if the option is IC or OOC, its necessary.