Goonhub
01-06-2026, 01:56 PM
PR "Why's this needed?" Updated:
Getting a pre-scan early into the shift is a zero-risk way to largely eliminate the danger of death for the rest of the round. This change encourages getting clone-scans only before knowingly risky activity, without removing the ability to get a pre-scan entirely.
A separate issue with zero-risk cloning that this change addresses it the any complexity or depth to cloning; anyone and everyone will try to clone everyone, regardless of circumstance. This adds some decision making when determining when to clone: do you wait for the body for a fresh scan, or use the disk and take a potential risk on the backup.
Furthermore, zero-risk, immediate cloning can and has been a severe impediment for antagonists: vampires unable thrall someone because they're cloned; antagonist identities outed immediately; kidnapping moot due to the victim having a disk.
Lastly, having perfect clone behavior affects player behavior in a major way since the risk of sitting the round out is zero. You are allowed to take unlimited risk with a clone scan in a way that puts antagonists on the back foot; antags have to play to live, but crew only needs to rush them knowing coming back to life is a click away.
Overall I think choices you're asked to make in-game should require judgement and impact the way the round plays out. While pre-scanning provides the latter, it fails at the former by being a zero-question, every-shift action for a lot of people.
Getting a pre-scan early into the shift is a zero-risk way to largely eliminate the danger of death for the rest of the round. This change encourages getting clone-scans only before knowingly risky activity, without removing the ability to get a pre-scan entirely.
A separate issue with zero-risk cloning that this change addresses it the any complexity or depth to cloning; anyone and everyone will try to clone everyone, regardless of circumstance. This adds some decision making when determining when to clone: do you wait for the body for a fresh scan, or use the disk and take a potential risk on the backup.
Furthermore, zero-risk, immediate cloning can and has been a severe impediment for antagonists: vampires unable thrall someone because they're cloned; antagonist identities outed immediately; kidnapping moot due to the victim having a disk.
Lastly, having perfect clone behavior affects player behavior in a major way since the risk of sitting the round out is zero. You are allowed to take unlimited risk with a clone scan in a way that puts antagonists on the back foot; antags have to play to live, but crew only needs to rush them knowing coming back to life is a click away.
Overall I think choices you're asked to make in-game should require judgement and impact the way the round plays out. While pre-scanning provides the latter, it fails at the former by being a zero-question, every-shift action for a lot of people.