Ghost drones ideas and discussion

[Hulk Hogan]

Ghost Drones are a neat new feature for giving dead players something to do. This thread is for people to discuss and suggest ideas for ghost drones. How can they improve, if they need to improve at all? Are there any bugs related? What new features would you like added?



Here is my list. This first one doesn't involve drones themselves, but I think players should be able to open playing card boxes with one hand, for example, clicking and dragging playing cards from a table into your hand using the magtractor. This would allow drones to play cards with other drones. Another idea I would like to see is something Mendin and Robert mentioned in irc.

<Mendin> Give vr drones a beep boop chirp r2d2 speech filter like monkey speak

<Robert> if you do do that, make sure it is completely randomized so some nerds don't try and translate beep boops

This would be neat as people could hear drones, but they would never understand what they're saying. All they would hear is a random audible beeps, r2d2 style.

[Nnystyxx]

Either give drones cleaning implements, or a way of pinging certain jobs to an area like the janitor, so they can help clean the station of all that blood and ick. Scrubbin' 'n' bubbin' the maintenance shafts seems like it would be a fun timewaster.

EDIT: Also why is Drones' access limited, they can't exactly ask somebody for access to another area like the exploded engine room

EDIT2: i'm also curious as to where they can get metal/tiles/glass (easily) since QM, engineering, etc. is locked to them and they need that to fix the dreaded hull breach

[babayetu83]

give drones all access

why make it more needlessly difficult for drones to get around to repair things if they can't get into where they need to repair 

also add a job that lets you spawn at the drone factory and maintain and repair the machinery so the machinery works a bit faster to churn out more drones

[Vitatroll]

I think the limited access is so drones don't go around looting stuff or leaving doors open for people. I'm on the fence about it, since I'm just gonna hack my way to any place I need into anyways.

EDIT2: i'm also curious as to where they can get metal/tiles/glass (easily) since QM, engineering, etc. is locked to them and they need that to fix the dreaded hull breach

Well, they have borg RCDs. That's about as easy as it gets. Beyond that there's a few places around the station that have materials. Like in arrivals, or near the crusher, etc. There's also a lot in the factory, which is just outside of arrivals I think.

also add a job that lets you spawn at the drone factory and maintain and repair the machinery so the machinery works a bit faster to churn out more drones

A dronekeeper (or whatever) job sounds wonderful. Maybe give them the possibility of having chaplain ears or something.

[Zafhset]

Question : can the drone factory/objects be damaged or destroyed? I can imagine drones being a downright nuisance for those with destroy X area objectives.

[Nnystyxx]

"OOC: John Johnson: Departments should have little doggy doors that drones could go through"
"OOC: Dions: no the doggy doors is a good idea so they dont open all the doors for everyone"

[TheOnlyRyan]

- A job for maintaining / building / modifying drones. If not a job, then give us the means to do it simply by turning up there.

- A traitor Objective to destroy all drones and or an objective to destroy the drone manufacturering plant.

- A way for traitors to turn drones into their own army, let them modify drones with phasers and make the mini station a base from which their drone fighters take off from.

- Give drones full access ( maybe an addon/upgrade for drone workers to give the drones )

- Let the drones suicide, I couldn't suicide the 2 times I played as a drone tonight.

- A way to destruct all drones, like self destructing borgs from the computer, but obviously make it a little challenging to make happen.

- Just build on what already implemented, let us improve production and put it into overdrive, let us build different classifications of drones

- Sentient Drones? (with no memory of last life)

- Give them beep boop noises! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-BKjnAgNgY

[Zafhset]

a lot of those ideas push away from the idea of making drones as low impact as possible. You're supposed to barely notice drones, if anything.

[Megapaco]

Borgs and drones should be allowed to interact with each other. In fact I think cyborgs for once could be in charge and give very basic orders to drones.

[Hulk Hogan]

- A job for maintaining / building / modifying drones. If not a job, then give us the means to do it simply by turning up there.

- A traitor Objective to destroy all drones and or an objective to destroy the drone manufacturing plant.

- A way for traitors to turn drones into their own army, let them modify drones with phasers and make the mini station a base from which their drone fighters take off from.

- Let the drones suicide, I couldn't suicide the 2 times I played as a drone tonight.

- A way to destruct all drones, like self destructing borgs from the computer, but obviously make it a little challenging to make happen.

- Give them beep boop noises! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-BKjnAgNgY

Drones weren't not intended to interact with other players or borgs/AI's. They should keep to themselves. A job shouldn't be added in to maintain them. I do believe the ghost drone factory takes forever to produce a single shell and the time should be shorten, but only that.
If you want to suicide as a drone, you could just hit your self a couple of times. Easy.
If people destroy the drone factory then it removes the existing fun for drones. Drones were created to give ghosts something to do during a long round. Also, a 'destroy all drone' objective wouldn't work as ghosts can re-spawn in the factory, and become a drone more than once. Destroying all drones would again remove the last remaining fun for ghosts.

I do agree with the bee boop noises, but we should make something original so people don't complain about copyrights.

"OOC: John Johnson: Departments should have little doggy doors that drones could go through"
"OOC: Dions: no the doggy doors is a good idea so they dont open all the doors for everyone"

This would be great as it prevents people from entering where they aren't allowed, by exploiting ghost drones. Maybe mini vents, instead of doggy doors.

[Sundance]

Drones should also be able to fit in mail chutes.

I like the idea of a a little mop that allows them to clean the ground. Sure the magtractor could fulfill this role, but that argument could be used for literally all his tools.

Maybe cell cables that allows them to charge APC's?

[Nnystyxx]

I like the idea of a mini-mop and also the factory going faster. Also, please raise the pitch of drone emotes (and make their fart text robotic because it got switched to organic somehow).

EDIT: Also, possibly give drones a few (not many) storage slots? Shuffling around all the shit you pick up when doing so takes several seconds and you may need several materials for repairs (steel, glass, wires, etc.) is a bit troublesome. Although you can pull them around. Still, I don't like strewing materials all across the floor

[Boon Yoon]

I believe a ghost drone repaired a floor tile in toxins today, which was purposely removed to vacuum the area. One poor scientist escaped the explosion, and lived to tell me the tale.

[Grek]

Scientists working on Toxins need to learn to put up a sticky note saying, "Floor tile intentionally removed, do not fix."

[Frank_Stein]

I like the idea of drones just hovering over spots and cleaning them like those little scrubbing bubbles guys.

Maybe also give them some kinda way to filter air for toxins leaks?

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Maybe instead of access, drones should just slip past doors without triggering them to open?