New game mode: "Second Shift"

[neogeo0823]

Over on SA, some ideas were being discussed, so I figured I'd cross post them here and get an idea of what people think.

It started off with someone wanting hobo weapons/items that you can cobble together from scrap, trash, and other items. An example was a throwing spear that you can whip up by combining a glass shard, rod, and cable. This branched out into what I eventually posted, which was the following:

"I would totally get behind that as a disaster round kinda thing. Call it "Second Shift" or something, and at round start, it's the new crew coming in after the old crew fresh off a finished round. The station at large, while not outright destroyed, is in shambles. There's holes everywhere, lots of places exposed to space, barely any recognizable equipment, and odd dangers and remnants of things lurking around. Leftover blob nuclei, chances to see changeling headspiders clinging to life, leftover bats from a vampire attack, leftover anomalies, or other nasty surprises.

The crew objective would be to get the station in enough of a working order to get another emergency shuttle called to pick them up. Something like get engineering working, route power to botany to get plants to grow that'll start generating oxygen, patch up enough of the station to get enough air going to save on internals, route power to the bridge and AI core, get the remnant AI core up and going to activate the mainframe, then get to the bridge to activate the distress beacon. No real problem, except that they've gotta fight the creeps leftover in the station, and they have to do it without proper gear. But luckily, there's lots of shit around that can be McGuyvered in interesting ways into somewhat useful improv tools. Cobble together basic hand tools, and keep the precious few that the crew arrived with from going missing, and since there's no space suits left, try not to run out the airlock before the shuttle arrives."

[misto]

route power to botany to get plants to grow that'll start generating oxygen,

i wish

[Cirrial]

I just wanted to come here to say I love this idea. A disaster round with the main problems being environmental from the get go and not hostile mob based seems rad.

[Superlagg]

I like this idea, could even be made to work as kind of some end-of-the-round vote for the next shift to arrive at the same station, since the stations we leave behind tend to be disasters in their own right. Kinda like a succession fortress, but in space and basically just a mass respawn.

There've been loads of times where the shuttle is called to a more or less intact station, mainly because too many people fucked off into the crusher or the PTL for the round to stay fun.

It would definitely make player constructions a lot more appealing. Not only will your immaculate café in the middle of medbay not disappear eleven minutes after you've finished it, but it might end up being legitimately helpful for the next shift's efforts to sew the station's legs back on. The CE's integer overflow of funds, which he made by burning down the station with the PTL, might actually become useful for buying repair supplies if it isn't immediately stolen by the next HoP.

Badguys left on the station might have a rough time, since all the people they killed would be alive again and ready to kill them back. Or the Badguy might just hide and wait for a whole new shift of people to brutalize. Or maybe just vaporize the next shift with a canbomb. Late Joiners sure wouldn't be nearly as pressured to suicide rush Escape with a shotgun, though.

I'm just describing Construction mode, aren't I? Even still, this is all impossible for so many reasons. Good luck repressurizing a room some time before the Solarium is solved, rewiring the powernet if that's even possible (I seem to recall that it isnt), rebuilding Toxins without making it worse, or really doing much of anything because by this point the game and everyone in it is begging for death.

I guess I just like the idea of our beautiful brand-new space station slowly turning, over the course of a few shifts, into some kind of hobo-zombie monstrosity fit for the people who work there. We do make the best disasters after all.

[UmbraDrake]

I'm just describing Construction mode, aren't I?

Yes, yes you are.

I like this idea, although I have doubts about how fun this would be.

Then again, Goon...fun...yeah.

[Grek]

It would be kinda cool to have a "Shift Change Shuttle" option in Commaster which would restart the round but retain the current map with all of its damage, expansions and bank accounts.

[misto]

people have a somewhat hard time remembering to start the engine in the morning, i dunno if this'll work out for regular rotation, but as an occasional event such as purple void space disaster mode type thing might be ok

[Grumpchkin]

This sounds like a pretty fun thing for admin events.

[The Grim Sleeper]

I am all for anything that extends the lifetime of player constructions.

... restart the round but retain the current map with all of its damage, expansions and bank accounts.

I'm not sure, but I don't think the Byond nature of the game allows for a game reset 'with part of the game not reset'. Besides, one of the primary reasons for round ends is because something is lagging the server to the point of unplayablity, which would only be resolved by a full reset.

This sounds like a pretty fun thing for admin events.

This would be the most feasible implementation: have an admin option to 1) respawn all the players (possibly kill the living ones first) 2) announce that it is a 'second shift'-reset and 3) the shuttle call is disabled for 40 minutes (or whenever the admin feels like it).

[aft2001]

I'd imagine that this would be best implemented on LLJK1, as that's the server with a higher ratio of remotely sensible, intelligent, competent, and skilled players. Mostly. Kinda.

But since LLJK1 is always on Extended, maybe it'd always be after an admin triggered antag round. Also the Destiny is smaller so there's less effort required from a smaller crew. Just an idea.

[YoukCat]

I'd imagine that this would be best implemented on LLJK1, as that's the server with a higher ratio of remotely sensible, intelligent, competent, and skilled players. Mostly. Kinda.

But since LLJK1 is always on Extended, maybe it'd always be after an admin triggered antag round. Also the Destiny is smaller so there's less effort required from a smaller crew. Just an idea.

 Hey! We have atleast SOME skilled players over at LLJK2!
Dunno about Competent, station still gets blown up.

Anyway, this feels like it might work as a VERY RARE gamemode, as in, take the Wraith Gamemode, and make it three times as rare type rare. And automatically call the shuttle once half the second shift people are dead, that way we aren't stuck there if, say, someone detonated 6 canbombs and completely erased the station.
Also I think Wraith or Blob would work best for this gamemode. Blob because it just sounds cool and they also can't call the shuttle as fast, due to lack of AI and probably lack of functioning computers, and Wraith because the station will feel haunted by the time they get there due to all the dead people.

[APARTHEID]

I'd imagine that this would be best implemented on LLJK1, as that's the server with a higher ratio of remotely sensible, intelligent, competent, and skilled players. Mostly. Kinda.

But since LLJK1 is always on Extended, maybe it'd always be after an admin triggered antag round. Also the Destiny is smaller so there's less effort required from a smaller crew. Just an idea.

BOO THIS MAN

[Vitatroll]

I'd imagine that this would be best implemented on LLJK1, as that's the server with a higher ratio of remotely sensible, intelligent, competent, and skilled players. Mostly. Kinda.

 Hey! We have atleast SOME skilled players over at LLJK2!

1 out of 4 ain't bad I guess. 

Doesn't really matter though. A large part of the fun in a round like this is watching people fail magnificently. That's actually the sole reason I help trigger disaster rounds anymore -- that is, so I can suicide and watch people flail about in the darkness.

I guess you could build a preround-noise algorithm button thingy. Distribute random explosions, dead bodies, fires, the occasional snarky critter, etc. - but it'd be pretty obvious what it is from the lobby I think.

I really do like the idea, but I have no idea if station states can be ported. Somebody also mentioned the obvious: Lag after an hour generally begs a reset.