Consolidation Station

[69andahalf]

One of the biggest complains that people seem to have about cogmap 2 is how large and empty it feels. Although these feelings aren't held by all, it seems like there's enough that it warrants looking into I think. Basically, this will be a mapping project to examine how make cogmap 2 a littler smaller, and less disconnected while keeping the many features that make it interesting and different from other servers.

I don't have anything to show you yet, and this is because I wanted to start out by gathering some information, mainly around:

• Is this even necessary, have I completely misjudged the discussion around the size of cog2?
  
• What areas do you think should be looked at first?
  
• What areas do you think should be left the same, or are good at their current size?
  
• What areas could be moved completely?
  
• What areas should be left where they are currently?
  
• What should be added to the station (for example the drone outpost perhaps?)
  

This list isn't exhaustive, so feel free to suggest anything I haven't covered.

I don't know when I'll start, but I will probably let some opinions and information be gathered for around a week, then start looking into how best to approach this. Thanks!

[Vitatroll]

I'm one of the people who don't mind cog2's size. The main reason we don't see each other probably has more to do with how modular cog2 is and how there's more ways around the station. That is, everyone went down the same hallway on cog1. Not the case in cog2.

I don't really think it's a problem, but I also think I'm part of a minority.

[Nnystyxx]

I think part of what contributes to the feel of emptiness is that:
- QM is big but not staffed much, leading to a feel of isolation there
- The mid 'ring' areas have engineering, and the bridge/sec, neither of which tend to have many people, and just feel a bit like obstacles to trying to run in a straight line at times
- The chapel is harder to set up as 'do whatever' territory than it used to be (allegedly?)

People run past the chapel so they can get to the bar and the left ring area is a little bit of a clusterfuck with the PTL in it.
The station goes, from 12 o clock clockwise: Chapel, Arrivals, Bridge/Sec, Escape, QM, Medsci, Hangar/Left Engineering, Catering, with Engineering proper in the rough center.

EDIT: I would argue people almost don't feel like QM exists, maybe due to the camera angle/size giving you less of a view of the much larger department. I don't really see people use it, while on Cog1 there was usually at least one person parked near there, possibly due to it being the 'end' of the C-shaped Cog1. There is the public market, yes, and above it the Arc Smelter, which has been given a massive amount of space and attention for a system (materials) that isn't anywhere near complete. I only figured out where the Warehouse was just today.

[Noah Buttes]

The biggest issue with cogmap 2 is the space allocation for the various departments.

QM gets a massive goddamn section despite the fact that it's rarely used, the arc smelter area is COLOSSAL for how little use it gets, the chapel is way too tiny for gimmicky area it's meant to be, the interior of mining is huge, mechanics is too small to build large things inside it, research is really cramped, especially chemistry and artlab, the public market stalls are too small to run a proper store and don't provide adequate sight lines when the blast doors are closed, robotics storage is way too tiny, captain's quarters are too small for a proper captain (and are too easy to break into), and the barman's workspace is quite literally non-existent.

[Mageziya]

My problem is that CogMap2 has extensive areas of maintenance that are empty because you'd have to go out of your way to go through them. That is, they're a less efficient way to move. As such, these areas are always vacant, giving antagonists, like changelings and vampires, utter free reign with little risk of consequence. There's also just the problem of it being vacant: no one is doing anything in these places when they could be.

The north side of the station has these problems to the least degree. The only really abandoned places of maintenance are the north arrivals maintenance. The large corridor here is easy to travel through and not very interrupted. There are reasons to mess around in the north maint, though the crew-quarters there is always empty.

The south maint has a tunnel that gets broken up enough to discourage casual travel. There's tech-storage, the arcsmelter, and then the janitor's domain/ disposals (With oil-spill) that all just discourages casual travel, all the way through. Most people break off and use the main halls by the time they reach the arc-smelter.

The real tragedy of the station is the central bit. Save for the occasional loaf artist, routing is always empty due to how out of the way it is (Though it is to be noted that Cog1 also had this problem.) However, the maint in this area is empty, because the maint doesn't lead to other public access areas very easily. Most of the maint just leads to job specific areas, at which point if you have that job, you'll just use the intended pathways through your job area. In all, it technically connects to the other side of the station, but it's enough of a hassel that people just choose to take the main hallways instead, which leads to people running circles around the station when one tiny section gets cut off for some reason.

[Nnystyxx]

All that too. Seriously, the arc smelter is barely used and materials is full of gimmicky unfinished shit (arrowheads/arrows, but bows only being admin-spawnable, various alloys, the material recombobulator/research system) so it makes no sense that it gets a giant chunk of pretty much square space when many other departments have weird fragmented smaller shapes like mechanics and chemistry.

[Zafhset]

QM actually NEEDS to be spacious - I play it a lot, and you won't believe the volume of clutter you can generate during regular sales activity.

I actually like how it currently is. QM has always been somewhat isolated (even during cogmap1, being in a far corner) - I feel that translates nicely into cogmap2 despite being in the middle of hallway.

[Nnystyxx]

QM is very helpful and needs its space. Just, it needs people to actually be in it, and if nobody is, it's completely useless without breaking in (but then, so is anywhere I suppose). But it's good when it has people in it.

[medsal15]

Please move the left hallways tables to the middle of the hallways. So we can run straight.

[Vitatroll]

QM actually NEEDS to be spacious - I play it a lot, and you won't believe the volume of clutter you can generate during regular sales activity.

I actually like how it currently is. QM has always been somewhat isolated (even during cogmap1, being in a far corner) - I feel that translates nicely into cogmap2 despite being in the middle of hallway.

I just wanna say I like how QM is right now. QM requires a lot of space. It's just that people rarely play QM.

Also I'm a bit confused as to why people are concerned with space overallocation. Empty space just means more maneuver room. It's not inherently bad outside of the time it takes to travel. If that's the concern we could build a risky tube system that takes you to opposing corners of the station or something.

Underallocation I understand, though. I'd really like more space for projects. The chapel is cluttered, mechanics is cluttered, the marketplace is a thin rectangle... and cluttered. The clutter gives more personality to the space, but doesn't allow for the players to exhibit their own personality. I really miss the old chapel and old arrivals/marketplace from cog1.

[Erev]

Cog2 is a good 40+ map in my opinion. I am looking forward to map rotation and hope that it will take population into account. Cog2, Destiny, fixed Cog1 and Donut2, Butterfly if I ever finish it... it'd be nice to be able to get some variation and have stations that fit the number of players.

Butterfly Latest: http://imgur.com/b73InaG

[Ed Venture]

At first I hated how big it is but it really grew on me. Plus if you figure out some shortcuts you can get to places really fast.

[misto]

have more windows into different departments around so people can see one another at work!

it would be nice if the botany dome and mining magnet zone weren't as far away from the main halls, so you could actually see people working there, and there should be a better window to see into the kitchen. it would also be nice to be able to see farther into the engine room but i understand that that beast is dangerous.

with the creation of the testing room asteroid place, the onboard testing room right next to the medbay is no longer needed. this frees up a little room to rearrange things there and hopefully add more windows to let people see into research and telesci to easily see anyone busy at work there. robotics' operating table and medbay's operating theater should also be closer to the front to let curious passerby watch the fun.

it would also be nice if there were windows to see into genetics to see those dang geneboys slacking off in there, knock on the window to startle them.

boost mechanics' dept. size and add more windows around it to let ppl see what theyre building

also, i dislike those narrow, horizontal hallway bits with space on either side of them you get along the top and bottom of the station. they arent airbridges, theyre just wastes of space.

let the merchant shuttles dock closer to the public market and qm rather than the ass end corners of the station

[Triacontakai]

The thing I absolutely HATE about cog2 is if there is a breach in like a hallway, especially if it's large, you have to around the entire damn station to get around it if you don't have maint access. This also applies to the PTL, but the engineers don't have to be lazy and can build a teleporter over it.

[The Grim Sleeper]

(...) if there is a breach in like a hallway, (...) you have to around the entire damn station to get around it (...)

You do realize that a similar situation on another station = game over.

(...) extensive areas of maintenance that are empty because you'd have to go out of your way to go through them. That is, they're a less efficient way to move. As such, these areas are always vacant, giving antagonists, like changelings and vampires, utter free reign with little risk of consequence. There's also just the problem of it being vacant: no one is doing anything in these places when they could be. (...)

I consider this to be one of the great improvements of Cog2: maintenance is not for travel.