NanoTrasen, Inc: A summary of existing station builds...

[Val]

What are "Default" Build servers like? Is it bland and boring, or is there a hidden pot of gold in their builds?

I imagine "default build" is the original SS13 source when the game was first released for play on BYOND. As such, it's probably shit and you wouldn't play it for any reason other than to scream at it and never look at it again. I doubt it's available anymore for anyone to get a hold of anyway.

The only open-source station build that I'm aware of is /tg/station, which has become the de-facto "default" build as a result of being available to anyone who wants it. Goonstation code is closed-source, so there's no way of getting your hands on it short of being a coder yourself.

Whether or not other servers are worth your time is a personal venture that you'll have to take. The answer will likely be no, but it never hurts to try something new (most of the time) or look around and get a feel for things. Typically, it depends on the players more than on the build than anything else.

I like the idea of a server where roleplay is expected, but treating any slight deviation from the script as an instantly killable/bannable offence is a bit silly when it could be an opportunity to teach new players.

One thing I've been curious about with TGStation is the mechs. How do they work and fit in with the game?

Some minor mistakes are fine and you'll usually be let off if you can explain yourself, but doing anything outside of what your character may do in a given situation will likely get you some heat. Not outright disappeared or banished most of the time, but you will have to explain yourself and give an IC reason.

/tg/station has mechs. These are actually pretty neat once you get to try them out. They're called exosuits and they're made by the roboticist, while more can also be created with the help of the Science department's R&D Division (more on that later) and mining's contributions.

Back to mechs, there's different types and different functions for each one. They work by assembling it with mech parts and operate in-game with a unique interface. Basically, it's an HTML pop-up screen that allows you to toggle which tool to use, whether or not to use internals, and a few other things. It's quite clunky.

Gameplay-wise, mechs can walk around just like a human mob can, albeit very slowly unless you upgrade them for movement speed. They're so slow they can turn in place before they even start to move in that direction. They also run on batteries, so you must dock and recharge them regularly.

They're huge, and can effectively block view/an area if they're in between a mob and where they're walking, but only take up a 1x1 space on the grid. They also make a loud stomping noise when they move around, so it's pretty noisy as far as getting around is involved.

Depending on the type of mech you built, you can have different attachements. Mining mechs can get drills, security mechs can get machine guns, and medical mechs get mounted sleepers. There's also other attachments and configurations, including the ridiculously-hard-to-make clown exosuit that squeaks when walking and has a super HONK blast that knocks people over and makes them twitch violently for hours.

Research on /tg/ includes R&D, which allows scientists to make a lot of cool gadgets of all sorts, including mech boards that the roboticists needs to make their exosuits. The R&D process is simple: steal things and destroy them in an analyzer to advance your science level, then gather minerals to create them.

Also, roboticists are no longer part of the medical team and are part of engineering, as /tg/ allows for doctors to perform surgery. Roboticists can still lobotomise people for cyborgification, though. Sometimes doctors do this and give the brains to the roboticist to put into an MMI (brain jar) and then a cyborg body.