What jobs need an update?

[misto]

kitchen and botany should be nearer to medical/research to help promote synergy with chem and medbay. plz keep this in mind, ye future mapperz

[babayetu83]

kitchen and botany should be nearer to medical/research to help promote synergy with chem and medbay. plz keep this in mind, ye future mapperz

imagine a map shaped like a square, where one end was med, research, botany, and kitchen, the other end was command comprised of captain, hop, and security. the 3rd nodule could have engineering and under its purview would be engineering, electronics, mining, and qm. the last one would be comprised of civilian jobs and it'd be run down and pretty much be the home depo where people go to get assistants for help with things. the janitor, clown, staff assistants obviously, chaplain, and maybe gimmick jobs end up here. the only way to get from one cube to the other would be to take a tram across

[Maegor]

Research needs more of an use to the station, right now chemistry and maybe telesci are mildly useful, Artlab is too random and toxins is already on fire.

Ideas:
Toxins: Add a gas depot that would dispense a different types of plasma (Or different types of plasmastone for a cooperation with mining), their names and effects are random so they can be extremely useful to useless. Effect ideas: Conversion Gas (I think there is already a gas that does this); Reverse (cools instead of heating); Uses another gas as a oxidizer (One that burns on N2 would be great for lighting rooms on fire)

Telesci: Add some unique improvements to the station in the adventure zones, with harder zones having better upgrades. Ideas: Cloner uses no power; Increased PTL efficiency; Port-a-med puts people in stasis (Their health is locked and they are asleep but the stasis does not work unless they have less than 50% health, are sick or have deadly chems in their system).

Artlab: Perhaps a "disenchanting" mechanic where you can apply certain effects to other items at the cost of a lot of power

[Frank_Stein]

AI is the biggest one that needs work IMO. It's the most feature lacking, and probably the most unfun/frustrating to play as for inexperienced players because of it's horrendous interface. I've laid out a few ideas in the past that I think would improve it, but basically I think we should draw from how playing as a Blob is like. Details in the spoiler. If anything, points 2 and 3 would be the most beneficial without anything else changing

Spoiler!

I really think AI needs to borrow some blob code, not just in the viewing mode, but also some other things like abilities, hud, and hotkeys. Do the overmind view, move some of the AI tab stuff to HUD abilities for easier access, and add some new abilities to make the job easier and more involved without overpowering the AI

Couple ideas for new AI abilities in an overmind mode:

1. Summon bot: Click a tile, get a list of bot types that exist and how many, click one and have it travel to the tile you clicked. Respond to fires, send medical attention, aid security, all indirectly with your bot buds
   
2. Bookmarking: Place a bookmark on a tile or mob and assign it to a number key. Simply press that number to have your view travel to that spot
   
3. Waypoints: Someone need help finding something or someone? Set a waypoint for it by clicking it and naming it, and let people use trackers or PDA apps to guide them to the location. No need to give them constant verbal updates. Tag messes, breaches, dead bodies, fugitives from the law, and notify the appropriate human
   
4. Fast APC: Wanna mess with a rooms lights, equipment, or life support? Activate this to have the window for the nearest APC pop open so you don't have to hunt it down anymore
   
5. Change vision mode: Cycle through different visions to help filter out information. Different vision types could include:
   

• Heat signatures - filters everything as a dark blue, while popping out humans and monkeys as a bright orange. Useful for finding people in dark areas
  
• Atmospheric - filters everything as dark green. Tiles that contain gasses are brightly colored various pinks, oranges, reds based on what type of gas is prominent. Useful for spotting breaches
  
• Electrical - filters everything dark red. Electrical currents are highlighted a bright white, with intensity in proportion to the amount of power flowing through. Useful for detecting power outages and sinks
  

That's a few right there that just makes the work the AI already does easier and faster. It's a job that for as important a role as it's considered really needs more love in terms of content and quality of life. It's the only job I have in unwanted, not because I disliked it, but got really sick of having to fight against the controls and mechanics of it while everything else is being made more accessible.

Couple of ideas for the more powerful AI abilities. These would start toggled off at round start and would need a human to activate. Tried to keep them useful for a non-traitorous AI, but something that can be very useful for that.

1. Bot possession: AI takes direct control of a targeted bot. Some jobs you just gotta do yourself
   
2. The electromagnetic decryptor: Toggles a door or bot from an emagged state to a normal one and vice versa. Has a cooldown
   
3. Hologram: AI can create a holographic duplicate of an item or person that they take control of. Can't interact physically with the world (AI can still control doors and computers to give the illusion the hologram is) and anything that makes physical contact with the hologram causes it to visually "shimmer" giving away the illusion. 
   
4. Instant records access: Click a person, be able to change their access levels, modify their medical and security records, etc
   

Everything else, I think could use little tweaks here and there but is playable.

I feel like the borg patch in the works is improving that.

Regarding botany/chef/barman, I don't know about you guys but I've been playing a lot of Zelda lately and damn does that game have an excellent cooking system and I wouldn't be above ripping it off. Outside of healing, people could probably use little timed buffs on movement speed, drag strength, stamina loss and regen, cold and heat resistance. Buff runs out, go eat another food. Need a different buff, eat something else to change what you have. Not only would Chef and Barman be in constant demand, you can give a clear distinction between their food and what you can buy out of a vending machine based on how effective and/or long lasting the buff is. Also, I think it would be kinda interesting that certain departments would probably need certain buffs more, giving different departments signature dishes and drinks

QM could use more wheeling and dealing. One of my favorite things to do is compare what a merchant is buying something for, checking out the prices on the station or market, and seeing how much profit I can make buying and reselling. It's a bit panic inducing to try and open as many cigarette packets I can after buying out a vending machines stock to maximize my profits selling them to Pizano or whatever that lizard's called before he changes his market prices.

[Vitatroll]

No. 1: Radical opinion, yo: QM is the most boring job on the station. You could get rid of QM and open imports/exports to every individual, and the station would probably run better.

Barring that, giving QM some kind of dumb console-based money-making minigame would might be nice. Especially if it had stuff like goals and upgrades. Yes, making QM into genetics 2.0 is probably a good thing, as it's actually positive for them to be glued to their console.

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No. 2: Next to that, something that makes sec fun. It's more a culture thing, tho, so lol good luck with that.

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No. 3: AI is the only job on the station where you can't just suicide if you're bored. It should be given high-priority on interesting things. The same applies, albeit less so, to cyborgs - as thet, too, are restricted.

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Completely personal desire: Chems are basically either hurt, heal, or heh. We need more heh. Pretty chems. Spooky chems. Funny chems. Prank chems. They probably shouldn't be locked behind sekkrits either. Maybe stick some in botany, or a drink machine, or shitty bill.

[ferriswheel1]

No. 1: Radical opinion, yo: QM is the most boring job on the station. You could get rid of QM and open imports/exports to every individual, and the station would probably run better.

Barring that, giving QM some kind of dumb console-based money-making minigame would might be nice. Especially if it had stuff like goals and upgrades. Yes, making QM into genetics 2.0 is probably a good thing, as it's actually positive for them to be glued to their console.

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No. 2: Next to that, something that makes sec fun. It's more a culture thing, tho, so lol good luck with that.

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No. 3: AI is the only job on the station where you can't just suicide if you're bored. It should be given high-priority on interesting things. The same applies, albeit less so, to cyborgs - as thet, too, are restricted.

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Completely personal desire: Chems are basically either hurt, heal, or heh. We need more heh. Pretty chems. Spooky chems. Funny chems. Prank chems. They probably shouldn't be locked behind sekkrits either. Maybe stick some in botany, or a drink machine, or shitty bill.

Importing and exporting stuff for others is one of QM's main functions, and I'd hate to see it become anything as non-interactive as genetics. QM mainly needs more interesting and fun stuff to order, and an expanded trader system to allow it to make money without resorting to exploits. QM should be able to order exciting and powerful items like the singularity generator, the ABCU blueprint machines and other stuff that can't be otherwise made.

[Frank_Stein]

Ya know, ABCU blueprints themselves would be an interesting thing to order. Sorta prefabricated extra rooms that don't already exist on the station, like a library, nightclub or petting zoo.

Just buy the blue print, designate the area, load the ABCU machine with materials and have a whole new wing easy peasy

[Nnystyxx]

AI. Borgs (but that's being worked on). Chef.

Seriously AI is just depressing.

[misto]

2 those complaining that qm is 2boring: i just suggested that it and mining could be collapsed into 1 dept please think on this. its not hard to go mine, come back in and buy some shit for ppl and send it off to them, and then step back out and carry on. then any updates to make mining cooler also apply to making qm cooler.

u can name the new department

qmining

[amaranthineApocalypse]

2 those complaining that qm is 2boring: i just suggested that it and mining could be collapsed into 1 dept please think on this. its not hard to go mine, come back in and buy some shit for ppl and send it off to them, and then step back out and carry on. then any updates to make mining cooler also apply to making qm cooler.

u can name the new department

qmining

How about "Resources"

[NateTheSquid]

2 those complaining that qm is 2boring: i just suggested that it and mining could be collapsed into 1 dept please think on this. its not hard to go mine, come back in and buy some shit for ppl and send it off to them, and then step back out and carry on. then any updates to make mining cooler also apply to making qm cooler.

u can name the new department

qmining

i appreciate the pun but just 'cargo' would work.

[Dr Zoidcrab]

Ya know, ABCU blueprints themselves would be an interesting thing to order. Sorta prefabricated extra rooms that don't already exist on the station, like a library, nightclub or petting zoo.

Just buy the blue print, designate the area, load the ABCU machine with materials and have a whole new wing easy peasy

The material cost for these probably needs to be lowered to reflect the changes to material availability

2 those complaining that qm is 2boring: i just suggested that it and mining could be collapsed into 1 dept please think on this. its not hard to go mine, come back in and buy some shit for ppl and send it off to them, and then step back out and carry on. then any updates to make mining cooler also apply to making qm cooler.

u can name the new department

qmining

How about "Resources"

Resources sounds a bit bland but it works, I guess... What's a good name that encompasses mining, salvage and requisitions?

[ferriswheel1]

2 those complaining that qm is 2boring: i just suggested that it and mining could be collapsed into 1 dept please think on this. its not hard to go mine, come back in and buy some shit for ppl and send it off to them, and then step back out and carry on. then any updates to make mining cooler also apply to making qm cooler.

u can name the new department

qmining

I don't really like that idea, especially given how miners already have a load of stuff to do outside of hitting rocks. Who's taking your order while all the QM/Miners are out in space?

I do think that miners and QM's should be able to share office space and access though, as at the moment they feel to much like two separate departments. Giving QM more stuff to make with ore and materials whilst the miners are off mining would be nice. Miners should also receive the Cargo mailbot updates that tell them how much their ore is selling for.

EDIT: Also, the HOP is supposed to be the big bossman of cargo. Do they get the cargo mailbot updates like QM does? If not, they totally should.

[amaranthineApocalypse]

Ya know, ABCU blueprints themselves would be an interesting thing to order. Sorta prefabricated extra rooms that don't already exist on the station, like a library, nightclub or petting zoo.

Just buy the blue print, designate the area, load the ABCU machine with materials and have a whole new wing easy peasy

The material cost for these probably needs to be lowered to reflect the changes to material availability

2 those complaining that qm is 2boring: i just suggested that it and mining could be collapsed into 1 dept please think on this. its not hard to go mine, come back in and buy some shit for ppl and send it off to them, and then step back out and carry on. then any updates to make mining cooler also apply to making qm cooler.

u can name the new department

qmining

How about "Resources"

Resources sounds a bit bland but it works, I guess... What's a good name that encompasses mining, salvage and requisitions?

Resource Acquisitions, maybe?

[misto]

just resourcing, can be shortened to res department, ez