07-28-2021, 01:41 AM
This other thread gave me an idea about APCs, I didn't want to hijack that thread any further though.
TL;DR: Make APC access department-specific on top of the already universal access for ease of turning them back on. Right now, turning them back on isn't hard but tedious.
Who doesn't know this situation: you're working a chill Medbay shift, until some random traitor mechanic/engineer sneaks into maintenance, unlocks the APCs, turns everything off, locks the APC and runs away. Well shit, your cloning is now off as three corpses are slowly rotting, Genetics are confused because the only thing they know doesn't work anymore, two people are bleeding out in the lobby and you can't even vend a single styptic powder patch. All caused within ten seconds with minimal effort.
Or, you're working the ol' QM grind, printing pod components at high speeds for that sweet dosh. The lights go out as power decreases, but who needs lights anyway, just order the experimental generator and.. oops you forgot, now the machines are out too and you can't order it anymore.
Or, a far simpler problem, there was a powersink five minutes ago and you're painstakingly watching the APC's power increase 1% every minute or two.
The only easy solution is to pester mechanics that are busy making the sixteenth monkey-crusher today or engineering, a department that watches a machine explode for 50 minutes, to come and slap the APC with an ID card once. Minimal effort, yet the engineer/mechanic's work is interrupted. The alternative is grabbing insulated gloves, wirecutters, a screwdriver and a multitool to hack the APC, the multitool being rather rare sometimes.
What if, instead, since this is YOUR department, you could just take your own Medbay ID and unlock the Medbay APC to turn it back on?
I propose we make APC access department-specific, on top of universal access that already exists now. This would make it so any normal problem like a temporary power outage due to engineering slacking can be a little circumvented and traitors have to try a little harder to sabotage APCs.
But it isn't all positive, it also means that, for example, the traitor Detective can unlock the Security APC, crowbar open the cover and steal the cell. A new, innovative way to be dastardly as heck!
It wouldn't take too much away from traitors, the ones who have APC access can also easily get insuls if they don't already start with them. A screwdriver and a wirecutter can short the APC and achieve the same effect as simply turning it off, yet that situation needs tools to reactivate the APC.
Any thoughts? Maybe I'm missing some massive balancing problem!
TL;DR: Make APC access department-specific on top of the already universal access for ease of turning them back on. Right now, turning them back on isn't hard but tedious.
Who doesn't know this situation: you're working a chill Medbay shift, until some random traitor mechanic/engineer sneaks into maintenance, unlocks the APCs, turns everything off, locks the APC and runs away. Well shit, your cloning is now off as three corpses are slowly rotting, Genetics are confused because the only thing they know doesn't work anymore, two people are bleeding out in the lobby and you can't even vend a single styptic powder patch. All caused within ten seconds with minimal effort.
Or, you're working the ol' QM grind, printing pod components at high speeds for that sweet dosh. The lights go out as power decreases, but who needs lights anyway, just order the experimental generator and.. oops you forgot, now the machines are out too and you can't order it anymore.
Or, a far simpler problem, there was a powersink five minutes ago and you're painstakingly watching the APC's power increase 1% every minute or two.
The only easy solution is to pester mechanics that are busy making the sixteenth monkey-crusher today or engineering, a department that watches a machine explode for 50 minutes, to come and slap the APC with an ID card once. Minimal effort, yet the engineer/mechanic's work is interrupted. The alternative is grabbing insulated gloves, wirecutters, a screwdriver and a multitool to hack the APC, the multitool being rather rare sometimes.
What if, instead, since this is YOUR department, you could just take your own Medbay ID and unlock the Medbay APC to turn it back on?
I propose we make APC access department-specific, on top of universal access that already exists now. This would make it so any normal problem like a temporary power outage due to engineering slacking can be a little circumvented and traitors have to try a little harder to sabotage APCs.
But it isn't all positive, it also means that, for example, the traitor Detective can unlock the Security APC, crowbar open the cover and steal the cell. A new, innovative way to be dastardly as heck!
It wouldn't take too much away from traitors, the ones who have APC access can also easily get insuls if they don't already start with them. A screwdriver and a wirecutter can short the APC and achieve the same effect as simply turning it off, yet that situation needs tools to reactivate the APC.
Any thoughts? Maybe I'm missing some massive balancing problem!