Give the AI more camera views

[Frank_Stein]

Spoiler!

I really think AI needs to borrow some blob code, not just in the viewing mode, but also some other things like abilities, hud, and hotkeys. Do the overmind view, move some of the AI tab stuff to HUD abilities for easier access, and add some new abilities to make the job easier and more involved without overpowering the AI

Couple ideas for new AI abilities in an overmind mode:

1. Summon bot: Click a tile, get a list of bot types that exist and how many, click one and have it travel to the tile you clicked. Respond to fires, send medical attention, aid security, all indirectly with your bot buds
   
2. Bookmarking: Place a waypoint on a tile or mob and assign it to a number key. Simply press that number to have your view travel to that spot
   
3. Waypoints: Someone need help finding something or someone? Set a waypoint for it by clicking it and making it, and let people use trackers or PDA apps to guide them to the location. No need to give them constant verbal updates. Tag messes, breaches, dead bodies and notify the appropriate human
   
4. Fast APC: Wanna mess with a rooms lights, equipment, or life support? Activate this to have the window for the nearest APC pop open so you don't have to hunt it down anymore
   
5. Change vision mode: Cycle through different visions to help filter out information. Different vision types could include:
   

•  Heat signatures - filters everything as a dark blue, while popping out humans and monkeys as a bright orange. Useful for finding people in dark areas
  
• Atmospheric - filters everything as dark green. Tiles that contain gasses are brightly colored various pinks, oranges, reds based on what type of gas is prominent. Useful for spotting breaches
  
• Electrical - filters everything dark red. Electrical currents are highlighted a bright white, with intensity in proportion to the amount of power flowing through. Useful for detecting power outages and sinks
  

That's a few right there that just makes the work the AI already does easier and faster. It's a job that for as important a role as it's considered really needs more love in terms of content and quality of life. It's the only job I have in unwanted, not because I disliked it, but got really sick of having to fight against the controls and mechanics of it while everything else is being made more accessible.

Also, I think it's worth saying that a lot of these mechanics exist in some form or another in game.

AI has a PDA app that can call securitrons, though it seems pretty buggy and ineffectual at the moment. Things like the tour bots use beacons to navigate, so directing other bots would be essentially creating an invisible beacon, sending the bot to it, then destroying it when they arrive there. There are various tracking items in the game, so creating waypoints would be the same, creating invisible objects for them to track where you placed them 

The alternative view exists as blobs and ghosts, bookmarking would just be teleportation that portals can do also with beacons.
The various views, tints exist with sunglasses and goggles, drones see sprites as black blobs so creating heat signatures could be done similarly 

I'm darn passionate about the AI being improved and I don't want these ideas to die here. Even if you don't want to mess with the cameras and what not, consider the abilities because it could really add a lot to the experience

Superlagg

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Personally, I think the AI should be able to run much the station by itself, albeit in a reduced, much more pain-in-the-ass capacity. Such as if some of the crew didn't feel like showing up, the AI could fill in some of the vital parts of the role so that the ones who *did* aren't as punished by the absence.

This a really good way to approach AI. It works best as strong supplementary role, where everyone can reap the benefits of a good player.