What makes a good station/ship?

[ZeWaka]

Moved because this is where it belongs

[Berrik]

Maps should have plenty of ways for industrial accidents to happen.

[elan_oots]

Maps should have plenty of ways for industrial accidents to happen.

I assume that's why there's a large tank of welding fuel in toxins storage, because I can't think of any other reason why that would be there.

[awfulworldkid]

For the chemists to have? It's the only welding tank in Research half the time.

[Wraithcraft]

a good map should have plenty of places for an antag to do their filthy acts at a reasonable price

[Berrik]

Also, items and resources should be placed to encourage inter-departmental conflict.

[Grek]

A technical question for maps: How hard is it to modify shuttles? I was thinking of trying to make a map with a bunch of micro-stations connected by shuttles (like the current mining shuttle or the old research shuttle) and pods instead of hallways. After all, cramming people together into a 3x3 room whenever they want to go to the same place is bound to be interesting. But having it work well hinges on the viability of having lots of independent shuttles on the same map. Multi-destination shuttles would also be really helpful there, ie. one that cycles from Department A to Department B to Department C and back to Department A again whenever the shuttle is moved.

[ZeWaka]

A technical question for maps: How hard is it to modify shuttles? Multi-destination shuttles would also be really helpful there, ie. one that cycles from Department A to Department B to Department C and back to Department A again whenever the shuttle is moved.

u could definitely do that
would require minor code work but feasible

[LovelyMimic]

I've gotten to wondering what some of the features that make some maps better than others are. It's actually a pretty complicated question, since Space Station is a complicated game, and obviously, personal preference is a big factor. However, there's clearly some shaky consensus that all maps are not equal maps, or we would see a lot less rounds on Cogmap 1 and a lot more on Donut 2.

This isn't meant to be a battle about which map is the best map. I'm just curious about what features of a station feed into how enjoyable it is to play.

What are some of the features you like about your preferred map(s)? What are some of the features you dislike about maps you're not as fond of?

[TheOnlyRyan]

A map with a decent amount of privacy but not so huge you feel like you're constantly alone.

I like ... clarion is it ? with all the blinds in almost every room. You cam have a nice amount of privacy but you maintain the bond with the crew and if there any FUNN going on you'll be sure to see it. Or at least medbay on there has blinds.

Honestly I feel most stations should have blinds in every department. Too many times I've been making something evil and a detective has wondered by the window and screamed at the window until it shatters me with glass like bullets.


A station needs to feel personal, but at the same time give you room to stretch your legs while also having every piece of equipment you are used to, for instance you can do everything possible on Cog2 while if its mushroom/donut 2 you are kinda limited with what you can do.

[Vitatroll]

A good map needs hotzones. Places where people congregate or intersect. I like cog1 a lot for this, with it's single main hallway and well defined traffic flow.

People travel from one node to another. Placing the appropriate amenities at, around, or on route to those nodes is a good idea. Common sense, yeah, but thinking about station traffic in terms of nodes and probabilities really helps the design process. Even if it's just doodling traffic lines on a map in mspaint.

[Drago156]

Maybe disconnected rooms or some kind of separator between hallways and stuff is good because it keeps the entire station from breaching from one explosion, also what the others have said, especially the whole congregation area thing.

Some maps that I like are Clarion and cog 1, because they're decently sized in most departments and they have multiple hallways to take but one main hallway where you could run into almost anyone of any job.

[Cyfarfod]

Maybe disconnected rooms or some kind of separator between hallways and stuff is good because it keeps the entire station from breaching from one explosion, also what the others have said, especially the whole congregation area thing.

On that note, having the atmo hookups like cog1 has is SUPER useful both for fixing atmo after you repair the breach and also for doing stuff as a bad bad.

[LovelyMimic]

The Cog1 main hallway is one of its strongest features, yeah. Cog 1 and Cog 2 also just have really solid, central placement for the Bar, which I think is a good thing to have, since it's such a chaotic place by both its nature and as a result.

[babayetu83]

not too much bloat (see: cogmap2)