Pai Ability

[pazneria12]

 

This is just a few underdeveloped Ideas I thought of and decided to post after playing pai for a round.

-Let pai's with host bioscan be used as health scanners that only the pai can see

- when hacking a door let the pai play a game to hack the door faster, and make the ai have to play against it to lock the door, as any time you hack a door the ai can just shut you down instantly.

- let you buy an ability that lets you interact with computers, if the one who last held you had access to them.

- let you speak into the comms of your master.

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EDIT:

-By speak into comms I mean like security or engineering or something, depending on the id of the one who activated you.

-the game would be to hard to code, therefor I propose we decrease hacking time and make it able to hack open a bolted door, which would double the time needed.

-Another proposal is I propose hacking should take more time depending on the access requirments of the door, since its kinda overriding them it makes sense.

-Let pai's connect to computers using the door jack, but none that need to be logged in unless it already is maybe?

- Lastly, I just thought of this one, let a pai hack an ai camera and it will gain access to said camera, but it will take as long as it takes to hack a door and you can only use it on one camera, a useless feature, but one that could be a neat gimmick for medical or something.

 

Edited August 17, 2016 by Guest

[pazneria12]

also can we put pai's in securitrons? I get not putting them in Ed's but a securitron only has a stun baton, not lazers from hell.

[Russell-454]

I agree with everything stated 100%, imagine when being a sec officer with a pAI, you stick them in a sec bot to get a sidekick

[Farya]

 

I agree with everything stated 100%, imagine when being a sec officer with a pAI, you stick them in a sec bot to get a sidekick

We had that before. Its ended up BADLY. And the pais are meant to be pocket helpers, who are always near their masters. So no more pai-piloted bots unless there could be the way to shackle them to their masters like hologuardians. Maybe make special remote-controled chassis robotics could produce. Something like these:

It would be tied to owner of pai and its will shutdown when owner is killed or incapicated.

 

[pazneria12]

 

I agree with everything stated 100%, imagine when being a sec officer with a pAI, you stick them in a sec bot to get a sidekick

We had that before. Its ended up BADLY. And the pais are meant to be pocket helpers, who are always near their masters. So no more pai-piloted bots unless there could be the way to shackle them to their masters like hologuardians. Maybe make special remote-controled chassis robotics could produce. Something like these:

It would be tied to owner of pai and its will shutdown when owner is killed or incapicated.

Farya, we STILL have this, its just disabled for securitrons, during the round in which this post was created, we tried, failed, and then ended up putting me in a mulebot, where I was basically allowed to go anywhere, and even started a pet squad, albeit we stayed together. The onyl thing pai's CANT go in is security bots. and I get the ED since thats a little op, but the securitrons only have a stun baton, not a tazer from hell.

 

[Farya]

But still pAI are meant to be like talking smartphone not validhunting machine. So security validhunt-bots controled by pAI is a no no. However I see nothing against new support platform which could be researched by RnD and produced by robotics. Like medical drone for paramedic, which could administer drugs loaded(no internal generator), scan the patient and maybe zap them with defibs. Security drone could manage records, collect forensic data, apply security tape and scream intimidating lines(or making infamous WEEOOO-WEEOOO) while its owner is chasing the criminals. *Maybe* cuffing caught criminals as well, but nothing more for sure. Its a support thingy and its not supposed to work without master. Science drone could probably carry vials, data disks and other tiny research things. Engineering drone could probably access power equipment and and possess powerful flashlight, mesons and multitool to check current in power cables so it would be easier for its owner to find and replace damaged cable/broken wall.

[pazneria12]

by the way every post I make seems to get taken over by a sidenote, does anyone have any problems besides the securitron?

[Farya]

 

I will make a clear list now:

 

Medical support drone - fast medical platform outfitted with medical tools, owner need medical access to use that platform. Equiped with: medical HUD, medical scanner, syringe, mass specrometre, reagent scanner, pathogen analyzer and bodybag dispenser which would deploy bodybags owner must load inside manualy. With upgrade it gains ability to refill medipens and charge defibrilators.

 

Security support drone - average speed platform(a bit slower then human) with some armour against blunt objects. Comes with shiny police lights.

Equiped with hailer, security HUD and police line. Can get forensic scanner and ability to repair plastic cuffs with upgrade.

Owner must have security locker access OR detective access to use it.

 

Engineering support drone - slow speed but have slight resistance to EMP and airflows can't suck it out. Equiped with mesons, engineering tape, multitool to check power cables. After upgrade it can eat glass shards to refine them into sheets and carry supply of welding fuel(must refill it from tanks).

Engineering OR mining access is needed for owner to use it.

 

[pazneria12]

ok so we are going even MORE off track, can you add that to your own topic Farya? And to be honest, pai's can already fit in medibots, what more do you need? and they can fit in floorbots, and USED to fit in securitrons, I dont see a problem with that.

[Farya]

 

ok so we are going even MORE off track, can you add that to your own topic Farya? And to be honest, pai's can already fit in medibots, what more do you need? and they can fit in floorbots, and USED to fit in securitrons, I dont see a problem with that.

The problem is that current drones are supposed to work on their own. Floorbot is just the only bot which require human intervention(new floor tiles). While pAIs are supposed to be strictly tided to their owners and always be nearby. But current pAIs are mostly boring to play(even mining bot and Ian are more fun to play) because they have very little functions, people usually never need. Doorjack is the only really slightly useful tool.

That platforms would allow pAI to be more fun to play while not being validsalad machines(and keeping scripted bots vital on their own) by allowing them to assist their owners more proactively. Making AI a bit more mobile and giving it some simple data providing tools(mostly) is the way for me.

 

However some of your ideas are good as well but in other way - pAI is still immobile but have it hacking features improved making some kind of hacking tablet/electronic lockpick out of it.

But I think the best thing we can do is to allow pAI to use PDA of the owner when pAI is inserted inside(you can do it already to save space). So pAI could use cartridge functions of PDA to do something more. And as I remember we had hardsuits in the past - at that times pAI card could be inserted inside to serve as board AI and control its modules.

 

P.S You can communiate with pAI using radio semi-privately already. Get yourself second headset, set it to custom frequency and instruct pAI answer to you using it. Only AI and borgs could intercept you.

 

[Dinarzad]

 

But still pAI are meant to be like talking smartphone not validhunting machine.

Except a smartphone can actually be used as some sort of light, or take pictures, or connect to the internets/computers.

If SS13 had smartphones, pAI would be pretty obsolete, save for having something to scream innanely when danger occurs.

 

Back on topic:

 

-Let pai's with host bioscan be used as health scanners that only the pai can see

Would be nice, but unfortunately, Host Bioscan as it is right now, is not as hood as even an un-upgraded Health Analyzer. They can only see flat damage numbers and body temperature. I'd be all for making it function like a normal HA though.

 

- when hacking a door let the pai play a game to hack the door faster, and make the ai have to play against it to lock the door, as any time you hack a door the ai can just shut you down instantly.

While a neat idea, this will probably not happen. The coding for it, is... sort of infeasible with shitty BYOND code. Plus it'd be a substantial balance change, which makes everyone heave a gut because pAI are not allowed to have fun and do things you're "A side role", even thoguh Ghosts can join as a fuck ton of other way more involving things. But. I digress. Even just dealing with chess tables an shit is a major headache in BYOND, so this is prolly out of the scope of things.

 

- let you buy an ability that lets you interact with computers, if the one who last held you had access to them.

Would be nice, might need limitations though. No interacting with anything requiring a log-in for example, would keep pAI's from jacking into Command stuff or Record stuff. (While I think pAI's SHOULD be able to alter records, it's a point of contention for how easy it could be used to dick people over, AKA: Set everyone to arrest in sec records.)

Might be easier to just add that functionality into the data jack they already have. IT can hack into and access Airlocks and cameras, so making it like this USB port thing to activate Computers/MAchines would make that module a lot more desirable, without making the hack more powerful.

 

- let you speak into the comms of your master.

You would -think- a "Pocket Secretary" would be able to do that, but the problem is the pAI does not have a "Headset" it talks into, it acts instead as a Station Bounced Radio. So there's no real way to add or alter the channels it can talk on, not anymore then a SBR can anyway. And the problem with making it some sort of special SBR that can tune to departmental channels, is then it can tune into ANY channel. It'd be having a free Sec/Command radio in your pocket as a greyshirt or traitor.

So. POSSIBLE (Maybe)P, but it'd require overhauling how pAI communication in general works.

 

[pazneria12]

how can I hack cameras? also on another note, What if we made it so that a pai can hack open bolted doors, but it takes longer? and maybe speed up the base hacking because that takes FOREVER

[Dinarzad]

 

how can I hack cameras? also on another note, What if we made it so that a pai can hack open bolted doors, but it takes longer? and maybe speed up the base hacking because that takes FOREVER

 

You insert the data cable from the door jack into a camera. (Since it's called "Door Jack" most people don't know you can, 's a misleading title.)

OR at least you can in other server codebases, but like door hacking, it's really not worth it. Still takes 1 full minute, alerts the AI an all it does is turn the camera off. Better off to just clip all the wires, take the alert an them remember the on/off wire for the others.

 

pAI can hack open bolted doors now actually, you can still hack it. It just doesn't lift the bolts, so nothing happens.

Perrrrsonally, I'd lower door hack time to 30 seconds at least, and bolted door time to 1 minute. If unbolting happened at all.

Truthfully, I'd rather hacking a door didn't just open it, but gave you access to the door's controls until you were unplugged from it. Bolt/Unbolt, Shock/Unshock, open or close.

It's 1 minute (Or thirty seconds if changed) and giving a huge brute force hack alert to the station AI for control over a single door, it would hardly break things to let them do more then just open/close an airlock. That way it's not necessarily just a "BnE" tool, but you could hack an airlock to disable safeties an Timing or shock them an leave traps.

Makes for more insidious gameplay traitor side, and as an engineering companion, you can help fix it.

 

It's a LITTLE off topic but, I don't think one or two new abilities will cut it, TBH, I think more what needs to happen is we need to decide what do we WANT out of pAI's period. Are they intended to be "Smartphones" that have a spread of functionality, more general purpose. Gathering/Relaying information (Station alerts, Fire Alerts, etc.) acting as a weak light. (Less then a flashlight, more then a PDA light.) Low grade medical shit (Bioscan), Their sick Google Translate powers (Maybe making them pick a few languages, to off set their increased functionality elsewhere.), being able to connect to other devices to interface/hack them.

 

OR are they more secretarial? In which case to be worth it, they need Read and Write Record access (Otherwise what's the point?) They need access to the comms of their master, otherwise, again, what's the point of a secretary that can't even answer the phone? They need their translate function as they have it now and the sort of things someone liek the Warden, HoP, CMO or Captain might -legitimately- want from a pAI, something specifically meant for more management/paperwork-ish roles.

Because right now, pAI are trying to do both, and are failing at both, they need to pick a lane of the highway an stick to it, whichever one it is. Tiny Helper AI full of everyday general use functions or High-quality secretarial unit intended for sophisticated leader types. A couple module changes/tweaks isn't gonna be enough I feel.

(Sorry for the off-topic wall there.)

 

[duckchan]

 

the fact that pAI's can go into any sort of robots is already op as hell as it is.

 

i remember a round where a pAI was in a mulebot and proceeded to kill all of sec, and then all of the ERT by runnin them all over. no thanks.

 

we don't really need to enable mid-round ghost valids

 

[pazneria12]

Thanks for contributing to the main point of the post Din, and I tested, you cant. And I actually agree with most of your ideas there! People keep focusing on the SIDE NOTE OF MY POST and not the MAIN POINTS which I clearly labeled with bullet points.

[improvedname]

 

the fact that pAI's can go into any sort of robots is already op as hell as it is.

 

i remember a round where a pAI was in a mulebot and proceeded to kill all of sec, and then all of the ERT by runnin them all over. no thanks.

 

we don't really need to enable mid-round ghost valids

 

Only the mulebot part OP because it has HAS a horrible KNOCK DOWN stun plus if they are hacked CRUSH X3 DED why did we allow pais in mulebots first place

 

OTHER bots can be controlled by the ai anyways