Unified Records / Custom Character Backstories

[Cogwerks]

I'm thinking it might be fun to expand / improve the personal records stuff and generate some personal history stuff.
Fix the record UIs up so it's more like the admin control panel, but use DWAINE mainframes to store the data records.

Example:

• Geoff Griff| Captain |Job Record: Active | Security Record: Normal | Health Status: Normal[/color]
  
• Ched Chubworth| Research Director |Job Record: Active | Security Record: Normal | Health Status: Normal
  
• Susan Blampus| Engineer |Job Record: FIRED | Security Record: ARREST | Health Status: INJURED
  
• Ted Stubwright| Engineer |Job Record: VACANT | Security Record: Normal | Health Status: DECEASED

Job Record:
Rank: Captain
Wage: 1000
Rating: 5 (from HoP?)
Prior Occupation: Clown -save active job name to savefile at end of preceding round
Prior Occupation: Diner Attendant -RNG? custom? Derived from personality questionnaire?
Education: Correspondence School-RNG? custom? Derived from personality questionnaire?

All fields could be viewed by anyone as public information but only edited by qualified users. Public users could add notes to records and have them flagged for review, maybe a PDA alert to departments? Could use that as a security tip line.

Background stuff could be tied into traitor goals like Triple Assassination - could have all your victims linked to the same previous employer or educational institute. Might make for some interesting patterns for the detective to spot while looking at records. Oh hey, all the engineers have been reported dead, welp. Clear pattern. Bunch of dudes got murdered who all went to Nanotrasen Technical Institute, and one's left? Huh. Two former Hemera employees are confirmed traitors? Might wanna ask the third some questions.

[Amuys]

So the Detective now actually has something to do instead of shooting random assistants and getting ludicrously drunk?

[APARTHEID]

Snooping is a venerable hobby that should be enjoyed by all able (and dead) bodies.

[APARTHEID]

Also, not to be forgetting the sneaky shit trying to load a bad spool of tape into the mainframe to erase any mention of that internship at Hemera.

[Jerkops]

Background stuff could be tied into traitor goals like Triple Assassination - could have all your victims linked to the same previous employer or educational institute.

This part sounds great, but it seems like it will take a lot of tweaking to make it worthwhile for the detective to investigate backgrounds without making it an abusable metagame mechanic.

[Sundance]

Gotta be the devil's advocate here cogs..
As cool as this system is, ask yourself why security records, medical records (and the email system) are largely ignored?

That's because goonstation plays at a very fast pace. Sure the detective could see that 2 engineers are missing, but so is probably half the crew from every other threat that lies on the station from various unrelated incidents.

A counter-point may be: "so what if it's not effective, what if it's fun", and I would then say great, but is it used? This could be one of those things that are coded and becomes largely ignored due to the fact that it's not effective AND it's time consuming. And that would make me sad, because i'm one of those players who actually like detective work.

Don't get me wrong here, I love this idea, but I feel like this would be adding another clunky computer based system ontop of another computer based system. Start stream-lining security records so that fingerprint + dna analysis is actually viable, give an ACTUAL use for medical records (and the email system), then this system would tie in with them and hey presto: you've got yourself computers people actually use for good reason that aren't QM and Genetics.

[Sundance]

Fix the record UIs up so it's more like the admin control panel, but use DWAINE mainframes to store the data records.

Apologies, I glossed over this, so it seems like you are tackling some of the points I raised.

But look at it from this perspective:

Susan Blampus| Engineer |Job Record: FIRED | Security Record: ARREST | Health Status: INJURED

What dictates the job record? The HoP's ID computer?
What dictates the security record? The security records in sec?
What dictates the Health status? The medical records? How will one know about health status?

You seem where i'm coming from. All this information would have to be manually pumped in, OR it could be stream-lined through other means. I personally think that is where you would have to look at to make this work on goon.

[UrsulaMejor]

health record: shows the result of the last upgraded health analyzer on them and when that result was taken

security record: shows the results of the last securitron 5000 series device on the subject (add a Secritron 5000 model B device that is a stand up securitron 5000. it can take in a string, match it to a crew member's full name, and set them to arrest)

job record: shows the name of the last job printed on that person's officially issued id and its % access level

[UrsulaMejor]

I was just informed that health scanners automatically update a crew member's health record with a summary of the results. amazing.

[Anticheese]

Absolutely.

Someone suggested a madlibs style background creator that could be optional for players. I know I'd love the hell out of a system like that.

That would be me.

I'd love something a little bit like the crew objectives, where you'd get stuff like a personal quirk ("You can't last a day without your favourite drink: a Gin and Sonic."), a bit of background ("You interned under Dr. Whomever, who stole credit for your work and left you only able to find work as a janitor."), and an opinion/bit of history on another player ("Dr. Cogwerks' grandfather stole your grandfather's antique watering can and your families have been feuding ever since!") which gets mirrored to the other player. There's so many different things that can be done with this concept, and if the dev team is keen on the idea, I'd love to brainstorm some more with you guys. I'm usually logged into goonstation IRC as Anti.

A personality questionnaire would be pretty awesome to have, too!

[Cogwerks]

I'd love to work with you on both a questionnaire and a madlibs thing.

[BruiseCruise]

S-so what happens if you are listed as FIRED?

Does Nanotrasen call your parents to pick you up?

Seriously though, this sounds like a lot of fun. Allows the player to be a little more creative, encourages Detective Snooping, and it doesn't dip too far into MUH RP Land. Might even be a funny little miscreant objective, too.

Objective 1: You are a 1337 Hack3r. Deface the Employment and Education records of all of the Heads. SMASH THE STATE

[Frank_Stein]

health record: shows the result of the last upgraded health analyzer on them and when that result was taken

security record: shows the results of the last securitron 5000 series device on the subject (add a Secritron 5000 model B device that is a stand up securitron 5000. it can take in a string, match it to a crew member's full name, and set them to arrest)

job record: shows the name of the last job printed on that person's officially issued id and its % access level

Suggestion for security records.

1. Alphabetize the list of names
2. List the job on their ID next to their name
3. Highlight names with diffrent colors based on their arrest status
4. Notify PDAs when a record has been updated
5. Automatically add tickets and fines to the notes attached to the records as they are issued.
6. Automatically update someone's status to parole when they leave the brig through the chute.

As an extra work thing
7. Add a criminal processing center near the brig. Have a machine that takes a mugshot of the criminal, quickly brings up their file to add notes and attach their picture to the file.

[BaneOfGiygas]

6. Automatically update someone's status to parole when they leave the brig through the chute.

For that matter, set them to Incarcerated when they ENTER the brig through the chute.

[Frank_Stein]

I'd love to work with you on both a questionnaire and a madlibs thing.

Please have a questionnaire ala Morrowind that generates a "psychological profile" which is really just a summary of your preferred playstyle.