Idea for mutations and stability

[Frank_Stein]

I was thinking, there might be a better way to handle mutations and how stability is measured

1. Mutations are now held in specially designated mutation slots.
   
2. Slots spaces are limited. Each mutation occupies slot spaces. Based how powerful a mutation is, it can occupy 1, 2, or 3 spaces
   
3. Chromosome enhancements are slotted with mutations, making them take up 1 additional slot. This also allows multiple chromosomes to be attached to the same mutation
   
4. Stability is now related to slot spaces. Additional slot spaces can be added at the cost of stability
   
5. For each slot spaced gained by lowering stability, a randomized disability is attached to that muation slot
   
6. Heal disabilities by removing extra mutation slots
   
7. Mutadone reduces mutation slots down to 0 while in the system. However, once gone the mutation slots return to their default amount.
   
8. Any mutations that were on cleared slots are lost, unless they had a chromosome protecting them
   
9. Radiation fills your mutation slots with random mutations, though they will only choose disabilities after the default muation slots are filled
   

Additionally, an optional system on how genetic research could work

1. Research machines now beam directed radiation at the subject
   
2. Subject gradually gains mutations
   
3. Machine learns each mutation it discovers and memorizes it.
   
4. Machine then prioritizes searching for unknown mutations when found
   
5. Once muations are discovered and memorized, machine can reproduce them as injectors
   

A few random related ideas that could fit in there but aren't necessary:

1. Blood type being related to how muations are carried and injectors made. Injectors could require being tied to only work on a certain blootype
   
2. Cloning being related to genetic research. Having your DNA sequence be completed by genetics to find muation information also saves your record in a databank. You can be cloned repeatedly from this file.
   
3. Files could be saved to disk. Create a physical disk backup of yourself to give to someone trusted. Load from a disk to edit a file. Add muations and disabilities. Swap and rename a file. Crew might try to bring back the Captain and clone your soul into a lookalike Doppelganger
   

[MrMagolor]

no

it makes genetics even less-viable to play in addition to all the hate

then NOBODY would bother with going to genetics if they can't get all the cool mutations regardless of whether they're available or not

and having limited space would just lead to a set of mutations being the only ones people use

[Frank_Stein]

then NOBODY would bother with going to genetics if they can't get all the cool mutations regardless of whether they're available or not
and having limited space would just lead to a set of mutations being the only ones people use

It's limited by stability. Making yourself less stable adds more slots, but also gives you a random disability associated with that slot.

It's pretty similar to how it already works, only that the disability isn't chosen. You could game the system by recovering stability to clear the slot and then re-add it and hope for a more manageable disability, but it would be a tad time consuming.

I'd imagine 4 to 5 being the default slot limit, with the most powerful mutations taking up three slots, plus whatever chromosomes you add.

[Superlagg]

I like the idea that instability, instead of murdering you, just gave you lots of disabilities.

[kyle2143]

I see no reason to make this change as a whole. It seems like you thought of changing genetics just for the sake of changing it. It really doesn't offer anything better than the current system and makes it only slightly safer and makes it a lot more idiotproof.

I think that's bad, why does it have to be safer and easier? The point of genetics is that you trade time/effort for the gains in power. Allowing it to run on autopilot so you can return every so often and collet the rewards flies in the face of non-antag ss13.

It's not that this system you've thought up is bad, but it isn't particulalry better than the current system so implementing it sounds like a lot work for little gain. But I do like the idea of making cloning and genetics more related, but I'm not sure how.

[Frank_Stein]

It really doesn't offer anything better than the current system and makes it only slightly safer and makes it a lot more idiotproof.

Basically, yeah. Main motivation was to streamline the process and to free up geneticists from being tied to their computers

I figured slots are a lot easier a concept to grasp than stability and power misfire percentages

[BlackPhoenix]

I think stability and misfire percentages are a pretty straightforward system, and while I do appreciate the idea of encouragement of geneticists actually cloning, I don’t think this is the right way.

[Eibel]

Personally, I like parts of this, specifically the finding unknowns priority, the cloning disk additions (adding default mutations to a clone disk), and being able to make a copy of the crew member in question by completing their dna sequence stuff, that would open the ability to create clones of people who were otherwise uncloneable (gibbed for example) while still making it a tedious enough task that folks won't do it be default.

[Wisecrack34]

I like it all, would give Geneticists more free time and make genes more fun to good around with