"Mouser" style robots!- Eliminating those pests!

[Travelling Merchant]

 

So I've been looking up all these different styles of robot concepts lately and come across some interestingly cute things called Mousers, from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Ratchet and clank also have robots that look very close to them. Here's a few examples of what they look like:

 

 

Their entire purpose is to deal with out of control pests. Now, it being space, pests can be very, very troublesome indeed. Be it a mouse, a lizard, or xenomorph larva. These little robotic critters can snatch up and devour those tiny little pests. Wherever pests are, they can be sent to brutally deal with them bite by bite. Metallic chomps echoing down the halls. Perhaps these "Mouser" style robots (which need an awesome sounding name like "chompers") could also be able to enter vents. For balancing reasons, they should take a little bit longer amount of time to enter vents then most things.

 

They could probably work for two types of other jobs. Portable disposal robots that shred/grind up anything they consume, or they could have a small storage space inside them for whatever they eat, which can be accessed by someone later on. (Perhaps certain not so savoury individuals could use them as a way to secretly steal items?)

 

An example of a grinder like mouth for disposing of food, junk or useless stuff that I made inside Garrys Mod.

 

Now these little robots could either be player controlled, or work like a Securitron. It would be much more fun to be player controlled for players after death. Perhaps someone with a job that disposes of a lot of junk could have a specifically named one at the start of the round as a pet. (Called something like Nom-Noms or some other cute sounding name!)

 

Damage wise, they should be able to instantly devour small creatures like mice and lizards. Slightly larger beasts like Xenomorph Larva, Diona nymphs and borers should be robustable and take a little bit of time to kill/eat. Anything the size of a human it should still be able to damage, but not eat or generally kill.

 

Another option is that they could do reasonable brute damage to human sized creatures, but be extremely weak and die very fast.

 

 

If this turns out to be a good idea, I'd happily invest time in drawing sprites for them. Cant be too hard, touch wood.

 

 

Edit: To add to this, they have no arms. They can pick up a single item in their mouth. If they have internal storage rather than a disposal grinder mouth, then they can consume the item to store inside of them

 

Edit 2: Decided to call these Chickenbots!

 

Edited March 6, 2016 by Guest

[NTSAM]

 

+1

 

Should possibly make more pests like rats and stuff roam the station at roundstart so they don't get bored while they wait for the next lizard breakout in the chapel or stuff.

 

[Tauka Usanake]

 

I think pest infestations should be more annoying than they are currently. Have them spread a little faster if possible and/or if the server can handle it.

 

I'd like these guys to not be construct-able right away, we got maintenance drones for that, but rather have R&D design the circuit board for the machine to construct them. Sure that might make them a little less common but I feel that would be the best way for them. And it's not like tech storage couldn't have an extra board kept away.

 

Yeah, this looks like a nice little thing. I'd go for it

 

[DisreputableSquid]

 

I would love one of these things. I would call it Chompy. I would make it make cute noises then throw up a human hand.

 

All in all, I really like these things and would love to see them in game. Only real problem is that pest control is rarely a problem (outside spiders and spacecarp) since things like mice dont breed in maitnance. Or anything. If we made it so that more pests appeared around the station, then I could consider those justifiable (along with any use of mousetraps or Beartraps. As it is, its pretty much useless to use any of those things.)

 

[Lolzyking]

 

they should be emaggable Like E-N and Drones

 

Petting an emagged mouser gets your hand bitten off, being emagged removes your humanoid safety parameters letting you bite crew without the wrath of admins, It would also make your bites stronger but eat energy faster ( safeties off)

 

[Travelling Merchant]

 

  Lolzyking said:

they should be emaggable Like E-N and Drones

 

Petting an emagged mouser gets your hand bitten off, being emagged removes your humanoid safety parameters letting you bite crew without the wrath of admins, It would also make your bites stronger but eat energy faster ( safeties off)

 

 

Not a bad idea. I think if you get emagged as one of these, you could become loyal to the syndicate member that did it, who can then order you to do things perhaps?

 

That way, if they have the storage space rather than the grinder, you could steal stuff with them. Or syndicate users could order them to bite people to make a distraction, etc.

 

These robots should definitely work as cute little pets that you can play with and feed and stuff when not tearing into flesh. Sort of like dogs. So being loyal would fit them well!

 

[Jamania]

+1, especially if its added for player control.

[LiquidNightfury]

These would be hilarious if we added those little raptor things as a player race. Just see a swarm of them fleeing from the mouser-bot.

[counterfeitguise]

 

implement this or so help me god i will be furious with all of you for refusing such an adorable idea

 

 

how can you say no to that face

 

[Travelling Merchant]

 

After a long discussion in discord, we came up with two ideas. An normal one that has the job of eating pests and also eating leftever food waste and such, and a security one that does slightly higher brute damage and also "grabs" whoever its biting, stopping them from moving. (A quick resist can shake them off)

 

 

Thats some quick sprites I drew up.

 

Edit: Bonus spiky one

 

 

[Travelling Merchant]

 

Complete sprite set overlaid on the human ones for size reference.

 

 

[Tauka Usanake]

The sprites are good but I think they're too big? I mean a good size nonetheless but I thought they'd be a bit smaller. Like a little less than half as small. Good size for eating things however

[Travelling Merchant]

 

  Tauka Usanake said:

The sprites are good but I think they're too big? I mean a good size nonetheless but I thought they'd be a bit smaller. Like a little less than half as small. Good size for eating things however

 

I thought so too, but its impossible to make them good when smaller. Too low detail.

 

[alexpkeaton]

 

  Travelling Merchant said:

Complete sprite set overlaid on the human ones for size reference.

 

...Looks like a robotic Chocobo...

 

I suggest they be called "Chompobos!"

 

[Lolzyking]

the only sprites needed are leg moving a bit during movement, for immershunz

[Travelling Merchant]

 

Made some walking sprites as well as a bonus syndiechicken

 

 

Bonus penguin re-colour for Qinetix.

 

 

Any other sprites I should make for this?

 

[counterfeitguise]

 

OH LORDY

do me a black and green one

 

[DisreputableSquid]

I get the feeling that there is now one more thing on the station thats going to be hungry for nymphs xP

[Travelling Merchant]

 

  counterfeitguise said:

OH LORDY

do me a black and green one

 

 

Here you go!

 

 

[NTSAM]

can i pls get a bland dark-silvery one

[Travelling Merchant]

 

  NTSAM said:

can i pls get a bland dark-silvery one

 

 

Here ya go. One of the normal chickenbots.

 

 

[NTSAM]

 

<3

 

i love that silvery color on it

 

[Travelling Merchant]

 

Update:

 

Crazylemon should hopefully be working on this!

 

[MrRogueAce]

you know what's funny, drones can "eat" mice, maybe lizards, with the dematerializer thingy (forgot what it's called)

[Travelling Merchant]

 

  MrRogueAce said:

you know what's funny, drones can "eat" mice, maybe lizards, with the dematerializer thingy (forgot what it's called)

 

Not nearly as cute. Plus you cant interact with drones, so not cute pets.