Nerf the Sponge (it's evil)

[Meggal Bozale]

As some people have mentioned, there's an issue with taking a system that works and doesn't cause any problems, and then making it more complicated or difficult for the sake of it. What happens is that you create an environment where people just don't want to play that job anymore.

Janitors are a fairly easy role to play, they are meant to be a relaxed introduction to the game with no "real" responsibilities and no "real" rewards. As such, janitors have a variety of tools that they can use, and all of which do the same thing, clean. It's up to the janitor to pick the tool they like to use, either because they prefer that playstyle, the aesthetic, or because it's just more fun that way.

Mops currently have a very important gameplay role, and that is the quick cleaning of fluids. Rather than viewing the mop as an alternative to the sponge, you should view it as its own separate tool for a different kind of job. One thing we could take from this thread is that further diversifying the usage of the tools could make the job itself more engaging to play.

For instance, when an explosion goes off, it often leaves "destroyed" tiles behind. The sprite actually suggests that they are simply dirty, and I even remember as a beginning player my attempt in cleaning them resulting in failure, but what if spray bottles and cleaning agents could be used to scrub them clean again, as an alternative to having to replace them? It would expand the scope of Janitorial duties, while also providing more uses to the other tools they have.

I did this too when starting out, but I'm 99% they're "destroyed" because the tiles are, indeed destroyed. Like, broken, smashed to bits, porcelain everywhere oh my god i just slashed my ankle on a lopsided floortile. It could probably use a resprite and/or more variations to look more obvious/better IMO.