What jobs need an update?

[Frank_Stein]

AI is the biggest one that needs work IMO. It's the most feature lacking, and probably the most unfun/frustrating to play as for inexperienced players because of it's horrendous interface. I've laid out a few ideas in the past that I think would improve it, but basically I think we should draw from how playing as a Blob is like. Details in the spoiler. If anything, points 2 and 3 would be the most beneficial without anything else changing

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 bookmark 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 naming 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, fugitives from the law, 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.

Couple of ideas for the more powerful AI abilities. These would start toggled off at round start and would need a human to activate. Tried to keep them useful for a non-traitorous AI, but something that can be very useful for that.

1. Bot possession: AI takes direct control of a targeted bot. Some jobs you just gotta do yourself
   
2. The electromagnetic decryptor: Toggles a door or bot from an emagged state to a normal one and vice versa. Has a cooldown
   
3. Hologram: AI can create a holographic duplicate of an item or person that they take control of. Can't interact physically with the world (AI can still control doors and computers to give the illusion the hologram is) and anything that makes physical contact with the hologram causes it to visually "shimmer" giving away the illusion. 
   
4. Instant records access: Click a person, be able to change their access levels, modify their medical and security records, etc
   

Everything else, I think could use little tweaks here and there but is playable.

I feel like the borg patch in the works is improving that.

Regarding botany/chef/barman, I don't know about you guys but I've been playing a lot of Zelda lately and damn does that game have an excellent cooking system and I wouldn't be above ripping it off. Outside of healing, people could probably use little timed buffs on movement speed, drag strength, stamina loss and regen, cold and heat resistance. Buff runs out, go eat another food. Need a different buff, eat something else to change what you have. Not only would Chef and Barman be in constant demand, you can give a clear distinction between their food and what you can buy out of a vending machine based on how effective and/or long lasting the buff is. Also, I think it would be kinda interesting that certain departments would probably need certain buffs more, giving different departments signature dishes and drinks

QM could use more wheeling and dealing. One of my favorite things to do is compare what a merchant is buying something for, checking out the prices on the station or market, and seeing how much profit I can make buying and reselling. It's a bit panic inducing to try and open as many cigarette packets I can after buying out a vending machines stock to maximize my profits selling them to Pizano or whatever that lizard's called before he changes his market prices.