Ghost Critters can do things that maybe they shouldn't be able to

[RelentlessGarbage]

After doing some experimentation recently, I have come to realize that ghost critters can do a lot of things. In fact, they are surprisingly competent when it comes to cooking. A lot of these behaviors seem to be some shade of unintentional, and include thing such as:
- Ghost critters being able to open any locker or crate as long as it isn't access-restricted/locked
- Ghost critters being able to use the standalone Seed Fabricator and access the seed splicer/infuser
- Ghost critters being able to plant seeds in empty hydroponics trays (but not harvest or clear the trays in any way, as far as I can tell)
- Ghost critters having full competence with Ovens, mixers, and food processors
- Ghost critters being able to hold and use produce satchels with total competence

Many of these behaviors are somewhat unintuitive to pull off, and I will not describe how to do them in case the admins consider them exploits. (This is despite the fact that you can do all of this and much more as a late-joining antag or a staff assistant.)

I bring all of this up because, while part of me thinks that they aren't in the spirit (ha) of what ghost critters are supposed to be, I actually love that ghost critters are capable of pulling them off. It's not like ghost critters are going to be able to powergame, given that they die if someone sneezes too hard on them, but these limited interactions mean they can still do some fun things with the crew, and can engage with them in a way that ghost drones cannot (and, moreover, are deliberately expected not to).

So yeah. Should we try to patch these things or keep them in? I'd say keep 'em, even though they definitely feel like oversights. If we did keep them in, I'd ask that ghost critters be given a way to indirectly use knives for cooking, since they can drag knives around but not use them in any way; currently, the only way to slice a piece of bread is to drag the knife around next to the piece of bread frantically until someone realizes what you want and they help cut it for you.

[Kotlol]

Ghost Drones are made to fix the station cheaply, but I do agree ghost critters should be able to make small messes or minimal interacting.

I am fine with keeping them in, but I think ghost drones should be able to do this too in some capacity as the difference between ghost drone and ghost critter is simple.

AS A GHOST CRITTER YOU DO NOT SET YOURSELF AS DNR! So you can still be cloned / borged while being a ghost critter. (The critter will simply vanish from the game)
When you ghost drone, you give up being a player to be a ghost drone for the rest of the round. SO YOU ARE SET TO DNR.

There is a reason not many people like playing as ghost drones anymore and prefer becoming ghost critters. As you are able to interact more as a critter then a drone without the downsides of locking yourself out of cloning.
Also it's considered "fine" to be slightly disruptive as a critter where as a ghost drone being disruptive even a lil is worthy of an ahelp.

The reason while critters can prank is their PAHETIC health pool and loose rule set.
Remember they can just prank, not disrupt, steal or harm others.

So I figured I'd add this stuff.
Also fun fact... ghost critters and ghostdrones can drive the cargo tugs.

[RelentlessGarbage]

I am fine with keeping them in, but I think ghost drones should be able to do this too in some capacity as the difference between ghost drone and ghost critter is simple.

As it stands, ghost drones are incapable of using Ovens and other kitchen equipment, while ghost critters can. Conversely, ghost drones are fully-capable of harvesting plants and using most of botany's equipment, while ghost critters cannot harvest and struggle to do things like watering plants.

The inability of ghost drones to use kitchen equipment seems pretty deliberate, and while I'd agree they probably should be able to, cooking doesn't exactly fall under the umbrella of "maintaining/improving" the station, I guess, so I can understand why they're prevented from using said equipment.

[Oremir]

I might be wrong but i believe them being able to fully utilize the kitchen was more a nod to Ratatouille which i like and would like to keep. There's been moments where i've helped a chef out in the Kitchen as a critter and formed a good bond with them, it makes for nice micro-stories within the shift that don't just amount to ''this pest is eating all my stuff and being an annoyance''.

Besides, with the inability for Critters to harvest trays they can't just ''hijack'' a part of the catering departement anymore so they are really just relegated to helping an existing chef out, which should be fine.

I believe that getting rid of too much of what they can do would just make the experience miserable and at worst veer people into annoying/griefy behavior.

[RelentlessGarbage]

I might be wrong but i believe them being able to fully utilize the kitchen was more a nod to Ratatouille which i like and would like to keep. There's been moments where i've helped a chef out in the Kitchen as a critter and formed a good bond with them, it makes for nice micro-stories within the shift that don't just amount to ''this pest is eating all my stuff and being an annoyance''.

I believe that getting rid of too much of what they can do would just make the experience miserable and at worst veer people into annoying/griefy behavior.

Totally agree with this. Giving ghost critters more ways to interact with the crew can be tricky, but cooking is generally pretty inoffensive and has led to some very fun interactions in the past. We don't need to "nerf" ghost critters. I might argue that they should get a select few other limited cooking-related interactions, namely in being able to use rolling pins and knives on ingredients, but they're in an OK state as is, I suppose.

(Also, funny anecdote: the other day, I was the sole operator of the Donut 3 kitchen...as a ghost critter. A scientist came up to the front and was like "hey, are you the only chef," and I pantomimed a "yes," whereupon they asked me to get them a monkey from the ValueChimp, which I obviously couldn't do. I did manage to find a vocal translator lying on the ground outside of the ValueChimp, though, and giving that to them was reason enough to get them to leave.)