[CLOSED PR] Aetherion Station

[github_bot]

PULL REQUEST DETAILS

[MAPPING] [INPUT WANTED] [FEATURE] [EXPERIMENTAL] [ADD TO WIKI] [COMPLEX]

About the PR
Adds the Aetherion Station.! Sorry about that last PR, back in May. It's actually ready for playtesting this time!

The station is intended to be approximately the size of clarion/donut2, servicing low population servers, and lower midpop if needed.

The lore of the station is mostly vague and left for people to put together themselves, but there is one major theme: Disparity. The south-west crew quarters are very nice and luxurious, while in other parts there is dirt, filth, and unfinished looking construction. The robot depot, for instance, is a shuttle that has been hastily repurposed and wired up. Meanwhile, the pool is huge, as is most of the guest wing (known as "Neptunis Space Hotel"), as a sort of contrast. Just compare the staff crew quarters near research and the guest rooms near the pod bay. It's a world of difference.

Major (and some minor) features include:
- a chemlab with direct access to medbay, so that you can let aspiring pharmacists in to play with the equipment.
- A crematorium connected to the morgue by a direct door connection. Crime opportunities.
- Courtroom and the customs desk occupying the northwest corridor.
- random rooms in off station shuttles (consider them rooms being delivered to the station for construction), along with unfinished and extensive lattice networks for space chases, and unfinished rooms under construction.
- the robot depot being wired up in a ship in what seems like it was meant.
- fully functioning exterior belt delivery system. The ability to slap an export sticker directly on a crate and have it sell without going through cargo.
- A centralised bridge, since it seems the sensible place to install it. Also centralised maints, for if you want to break into the bridge or tech storage or hydroponics bay.
- extensive maintenance shafts, for crime.
- AI law room connected to the computer core by airbridge.
- Engine room able to be disconnected from main engineering corridor by airbridge. Fully functional and symmetrical looking TEG. The disconnect allows for possible cogmap1 style random engines in the future. Also features a lattice framework for a potential placement of a singularity engine (which looks like a good idea at first but would disrupt the belt hell heavily, hence why it was never finished)
- false walls for escaping assailants (mainly in the crew quarters, akin to how irl hotels have false panels for maintenance)
- clown hole as a ship that smashed into the side of the station.
- noodle the bird having its own tiny ship near escape.
- the filthy tank near the pool filled with muck and other nasty stuff.
- custom ghost drone satellite and listening post.
- Medical Director has a direct view of the operating theatre.
- People who fall into disposal pipes in the south of the station (neptunis) get ejected out the security ejection chute instead of going to disposals. Safety first! (if you're a guest who's paying a lot of money to NT, that is, the crew can deal with it)
- many more things which i've forgotten to mention. Have a look and find stuff for yourself!

Why's this needed?
There are not many options for very lowpop map votes, other than picking atlas. Most "lowpop" stations are tailored toward low to middle populations, and while atlas is viable for player counts of under 10, it lacks many features that other maps have in order to be that small. This station is designed to accommodate nearly empty crews due to its compact layout, without sacrificing any rooms or departments.

It was initially intended to run alongside or replace atlas, but since as mentioned, atlas is so small, nothing can really match it in its size. It's now more similar to the donut2/clarion size bracket, which is still lowpop, just not as small as atlas. I didn't particularly want to make the station inconvenient to navigate, so that resulted in the station sort of swelling during development, but it should still be fairly quick to get from one end to another, without departments feeling cramped. Of course, that's my own opinion, and should be taken with a grain of salt. Ideally play-testing or testmerging would be performed to gauge playability first.

Changelog

Code:

changelog
(u)Tyrant
(*)Added Aetherion Station

Notes
The idea that started this project was an offhand mention that we could do with more lowpop maps. I took that idea a bit too far.

I'm well aware that developer consensus is that maps need a unique gameplay experience in order to be added. I made this map anyway, primarily as a way to learn more about mapping in a hands on way and also to learn what makes good and bad map design. It would be absolutely wonderful if this got into rotation regardless.

Image of Aetherion as of 20th October 2023, the time of pull request.
Here is a screenshot of the station, with cables and pipes filtered out for a better view.


PULL REQUEST DETAILS

[Tyrant]

Devlog of the formulation and creation of aetherion is available in further detail over in the mapping forum section at https://forum.ss13.co/showthread.php?tid...#pid193987

Now that it's proper complete and pull requested I thought it ought to have a new thread, to raise awareness.

[babywrangler85]

HUGE fan of this map, very well put together and compact and I'd love to see it added to rotation, think it'd fit right in.

[444explorer]

Very cool to see PR'd, unlikely, but I do genuinely hope it sees a merge. I've been playing this on a Private Instance to help find issues, and while in some places I think things seem a little odd, it is neat, good map that I hope gets use.

[Rmeaper]

I'm of the mind that more maps = more good, so I'd love to see this added.

[TDHooligan]

while i haven't thoroughly reviewed every square meter, and it is likely not getting merged, i'll give you my cursory take for kicks:

it does, generally, look good. some key things i like on a broad scale:
1. population is kept relatively dense (sec & medbay are in close proximity)
2. all the social-heavy departments (botany, bar, sec, medbay) are very close on your main pathway 
3. bar is basically spot on where i'd expect people to linger

things that bug me:
1. chemistry shouldn't be shared between doctors/chemists as doctors shouldn't by default have the fancy chemistry glassware, or be working with it.
2. your south main hallway is 2 tiles wide, but i reckon you're going to get the most footfall in there. make it wider.
3. engineering is HUGE. H-U-G-E. it's SO big for a comparatively low footfall department

nitpicks:
chemistry lacks tables/ table space.
robotics door is adjacent to where two people will be performing surgery and won't want to be shoved

cloning is TINY. it's too small. not only is it small, it's the only way in and out of Genetics, and someone's sitting in the door! Oshan's gets clogged on the best of days.
cargo's tables look like they'd get in the way of working and dragging crates properly.
cargo is very cramped for the most large-object heavy department.
captain's office is 1 window away from a public hallway
solitary has a connecting window to a public maintenance. and is a very easy way to break into the armory.

[Tarmunora]

While it is good to give (constructive) feedback, note that this map is unlikely to be merged as per our existing freeze on station maps.

New Maps

• We are not accepting new station maps unless it offers a dramatic departure from normal gameplay through unique mechanics, or somehow otherwise convinces us to add it. Please contact developers/get approval before starting on a large project. See: #player-projects and ✅`Developer Approved`
  

[Lord_earthfire]

I like the map and i don't want to be the sceptic here, but isn't there a feature freeze on map's currently?

Edit: oh, should have refreshed the page, that was already mentioned by jass.

[Snowy :D]

Very nice! I have been following along with the development of this map for a while and I think it turned out nicely.

Although, I have one question: where is the mining/diner shuttle?

[Frank_Stein]

Sec I feel could benefit from having a larger square of open space. Some of the best action in Sec happens when a prisoner is loose and there's a table in the middle of a big room for them to run around in and put distance between them & Sec. This Sec is mostly narrow halls, so less room to dodge, easier to catch people in.

Not sure if intentional or not, but the two larger Sec Pods are trapped on that dock by the way the smaller one is positioned. It would need to be moved to give the one of the other ones enough clearance to get the other moved. I feel like at least one of the larger ones should be able to clear the dock without moving the smaller one so that someone would have size choice on that first pick

[Tyrant]

New Aetherion update today, in response to feedback in this thread. Thanks to everyone who replied!

---

[...]
things that bug me:
1. chemistry shouldn't be shared between doctors/chemists as doctors shouldn't by default have the fancy chemistry glassware, or be working with it.
2. your south main hallway is 2 tiles wide, but i reckon you're going to get the most footfall in there. make it wider.
3. engineering is HUGE. H-U-G-E. it's SO big for a comparatively low footfall department

nitpicks:
chemistry lacks tables/ table space.
robotics door is adjacent to where two people will be performing surgery and won't want to be shoved

cloning is TINY. it's too small. not only is it small, it's the only way in and out of Genetics, and someone's sitting in the door! Oshan's gets clogged on the best of days.
cargo's tables look like they'd get in the way of working and dragging crates properly.
cargo is very cramped for the most large-object heavy department.
captain's office is 1 window away from a public hallway
solitary has a connecting window to a public maintenance. and is a very easy way to break into the armory.

• Medical access has now been removed from chemistry, making it now just a chemlab and not a pharmacy.
  

• The south primary hallway is now three tiles wide instead of two.
  

• And an engineering floorspace rework is coming soon.
  

As for the nitpicks...

• I agree that chemistry needs more table space, and i'll try and find a way to include it, even if it means making it one tile taller.
  
• Cloning was originally open access to medbay, but upon suggestions, i decided to turn it into a glass walled room. Should I turn it back to how it was, or should I swap the positions of the cryo pods and cloning? I'm partial to the open layout myself, but there are balance considerations.
  
• Cargo's tables are foldable tables and can be removed to make more space. Generally speaking I feel like that should be okay. They're really there because it felt way too empty in that spot otherwise. I've shifted them one tile to the right just to make that empty area
  
• Captain's office... It's behind a reinforced electrified plasmaglass window, just like it is on Kondaru. I will probably move tables to be in the way as well, to hinder efforts. But good catch anyway, i forgot about blocking entry with tables.
  
• Solitary confinement having only one reinforced wall between it and the armoury is an intentional decision. That's also why the poster is there, hiding the tunnel being made, just like in movies! But I agree that the maintenance window, there, while funny before, now makes breaking into the armoury a bit too easy. The two ideas (laugh at this user, and tunnelling in) were considered separately instead of together. As a result, the window has been removed and replaced with a double layered reinforced wall.
  

---

[...] where is the mining/diner shuttle?

The mining shuttle is underneath catering, right next to the boxing ring! It's behind mining shuttle access doors, and the maintenance door leading to it has mining shuttle access too, so that miners can get there from arrivals. It's a bit far to walk, yes, but that seems to be okay judging by other maps.

---

Sec I feel could benefit from having a larger square of open space. Some of the best action in Sec happens when a prisoner is loose and there's a table in the middle of a big room for them to run around in and put distance between them & Sec. This Sec is mostly narrow halls, so less room to dodge, easier to catch people in.

Not sure if intentional or not, but the two larger Sec Pods are trapped on that dock by the way the smaller one is positioned. It would need to be moved to give the one of the other ones enough clearance to get the other moved. I feel like at least one of the larger ones should be able to clear the dock without moving the smaller one so that someone would have size choice on that first pick

• A more spacious security department is definitely important, I'll try and redo the floor plan in a way that has fewer dividing walls and more dividing tables, if that makes sense.
  

• As for the sec pod layout, them being trapped is not intentional. This has been fixed. You can now go out in either the small pod or the front of the two big pods. Still a bit cramped but the room has been rearranged a bit.
  

---

Thank you everyone once again, for both positive reviews and constructive feedback.

As for the whole thing about "not accepting new maps unless persuaded otherwise"...
I don't really have much more to say than what's already been said. Lowpop lacks maps. I feel like it'd be really shallow of me to install a gimmick just so that the map has a more unique experience when played on. Every map is already unique to me. Maybe it's just a personal preference of mine, being partial to cogmap1/2 and kondaru, but there's something I find quite nice about ordinary space based stations. Not that any of them are really ordinary anyway.
My personal view is that the station is different from other rotation maps and would offer a different playing experience, even if outwardly it has no huge changes. All the little details when put together are what makes it special to me. At the end of the day, though, it's just a space station.
P.S. existing maps are welcome to use the listening post and ghostdrone factory created for Aetherion.

[Tyrant]

pull request has been closed by devs.