Speed Injector/Camouflager Chromosome Change

[Cyfarfod]

This idea was from someone on Discord who doesn't have a forum account and said they didn't care if I posted it for em.

Camouflager chromosomes are useless without a speed injector.  The idea is, remove em entirely.  Means you have a better chance of getting the more fun chromosomes as a non-antag, which seems fun to me.

Instead, make that part of functionality of the speed injector.  Instead of a ten second delay, just never display the bluetext mutation effect message.  Increase the cost of speed injector to 5, comparable to sleepypen.

Why?  Well, it basically IS a sleepypen.  You don't know you've been penned until the chems actually effect you.  Speed injector would be same at this point.  They have essentially the same limitations- you need to invest the time to make the thing you wanna put into people, and also carry a supply of the stuff you wanna use.  Why not establish some parity, and smooth things out for friendly geneticists at the same time?

[Wisecrack34]

+1 Hate Camo with a passion

[MrMagolor]

It was me, I did it.

I finally bothered making an account.

[Maegor]

Or changge camo so it hides the visible effects on some mutations

[Haprenti]

I'd say to still keep a delay as it's not like sleepypens where everybody can have one.
It's something that geneticists have, so you're blowing your cover and lowering the chances to get further access to genetics the moment you start using it, whereas with a sleepypen you can still have several different places and way to replenish it whether people know who's doing it or not.

[Cyfarfod]

I'd say to still keep a delay as it's not like sleepypens where everybody can have one.
It's something that geneticists have, so you're blowing your cover and lowering the chances to get further access to genetics the moment you start using it, whereas with a sleepypen you can still have several different places and way to replenish it whether people know who's doing it or not.

so... are you saying you think that because the spinjector (NEW SLANG ALERT) clearly signals to station there is a traitor geneticist, that it SHOULD be more obvious in it's usage?

[warcrimes]

Pretty sure it's exactly the opposite. If you suddenly immolate as the geneticist runs past you, it's pretty clear what happenned.
If you suddenly immolate on your way to the engine room and you've walked past 20 people, it's a little less clear.

the delay is a boon.
the bluetext is the nerf, for mutations that are less obvious than human torch.
delay good.

[Haprenti]

I'm saying that if you're using this item and people know this item is being used, they can easily shut your place down and cut your access to genetic and thus injectors. So having a non zero delay is the least you could have to be able to stay undercover when you've accumulated a few injectors.
Otherwise what happens if I use this item just once, somebody is mildly annoyed with what I injected him with, and if it's something with effects that you can instantly identify (like mutation field) then the guy just has to look at who is right next to him (instead of having to remember who was next to him a few seconds ago) and yell your name or description on the radio.
You can't even attempt stealth, and people don't have to be that much wary and pay attention to people who were next to them once the news is out that a speed injector is being used on the station. Sure, they have to be cautious about not getting injected.

Also, the effects you can inject people are annoying, can be deadly, but you can be deadlier more easily with just a sleepy pen.

There already is a tradeof to the delay and instant injection, the fact you're known as a geneticist, the fact you rely on your lab for more supply, the fact that depending on what you're injecting you're just mildly annoying and for more annying stuff you need to spend a non-trivial part of the round researching mutations and hoping for certain chromosomes, it's more reliant on RNG than chemistry, the fact that unless you're spending enough time on your console waiting for that chromosome that's resistant to mutadone you have to actively target your victim unless you want them to get away, get rid of your mutation at medbay.

So if on top of that the guy you just injected with mutation field, radiation, blindness or whatever can just yell your name over the radio (doesn't work with speech suspension, but that's something you can definitely get away from and report to somebody with a paper or your PDA) by instantly knowing who did it (or at least saw the guy and can describe him), then you can't play stealthily unless you keep changing clothes all the time or something.

EDIT : Well, John Warcrimes managed to be much more concise.

[Cyfarfod]

OK, I get my confusion.

Maybe I did a shitty write-up in first post.

My intent wasn't to remove the delay, I see how where I wrote that was shitty.

My suggestion is, instead of JUST delaying the mutation taking effect, also have it NEVER display the bluetext. That way, for example, of you just give someone a Butt accent, they'll never know it until they talk. If you make someone deaf, it'll take a very long time for them to realize it.

That was my bad.

[awfulworldkid]

I support the idea of making these a bit better and a bit harder to spot, but as they’re not quite as good as a sleepypen even considering the proposed buffs they should be raised to 3 or 4 telecrystals at most.

[Cyfarfod]

They are currently at 3 according to the wiki.

You might be right about 5 being too much, the mutadone recipe is pretty dang easy and nullifies injected mutations totally whereas sleepypen injections can just be SOFTENED by things like calomel, charcoal and the like. I mean, unless you go harvest kuru or something like that.

[Wisecrack34]

3 telecrystals seems fair... for a pack. Maybe if you can load up to 3 in a single injector then maybe i'd be worth 4 for 1 (Especially if you can convince someone to get a bunch of really good abilities, then inject them with more, killing them)

[Cyfarfod]

Am I mistaken about how it works? You load an injector into your spinjector, and then run up to someone and click them, then go somewhere to reload it. Is that right?

[awfulworldkid]

Injectors (the normal ones) don’t fit in pockets or in belts, so it’s a bit hard to carry a large number of them around with you.

[Mordent]

Injectors (the normal ones) don’t fit in pockets or in belts, so it’s a bit hard to carry a large number of them around with you.

Perhaps that could be changed?