Bot Network Areas

[Frank_Stein]

1. Break the station into areas called Networks
   
2. Assign a team of bots to each Network
   
3. Making an alert from your PDA summons a bot from the Network the alert was in
   

So, you call a medical alert in the bar, the medbot in the Network the bar is in comes over to check on you. A smoke alarm goes off, the firebots assigned to the bar come out and put out anything they see. Security alert summons Securitrons

Bots could be assigned and reassigned to and from different Networks by the Robotocist and AI. Networks could have a limit on assigned bots, for ease and balancing. A structure in each network could act as a home base of sort for the bots, a place for them to return to when not on a task or to recharge and repair

I think this could be a really dynamic way of making bots more useful. Getting bots to crisis zones would be as simple as building them and assigning them. Bots could be shuffled from areas depending on need, so if there's a shootout in the bar, AI could pull medical bots from adjacent networks

[The Gorog]

I really like the idea of this. I have never made use of the Alert function on the PDA and I have no clue what it actually does right now.

I'm not sure if we need the seperation into those "Networks" though and how much development would be needed to create the logic for this, for every map. 
Maybe just have one station for all the robots, placed somewhere in the center of the map. They would then move out from there.

Furthermore, we could add a new "Return to base" interaction to them. They would also needsome way of knowing, when to return to base on their own.

[Frank_Stein]

I figure, stations could be added that serve as a base, but also the stations have tile ranges that define network size. Bots associated with a station use that range as their operation zone. Updating maps would just involve placing bases and adjusting ranges to cover most areas.

Interacting with the base could be give you a list of all the bots in the Network, letting you assign them to a task, recall them, reassign them, deactivate them, etc. PDA alerts just send a request remotely for the bot

A master base could be found in Robotics that lets you do this from one location, and the AI could have that built in as a function.

[kyle2143]

It is my understanding that one of the technical challenges of making bots as efficient as you're proposing is that you can't send bots long distances for them to travel on their own.

I think that would include making bots in robotics or at the qm and then telling then to go all the way to the bar or something.

What do you think about making those stations also work as teleporters for bots? Maybe the master bot station idea you suggested, will allow bots to teleport out from that to the field stations. Or it could summon a bot from one of those networks so it would return to it's network station and teleport back to the master station.

Also, in terms of the map stuff, it would probably best to give the stations a list of areas that they service(adjacent areas). Every bot already knows which area its in at any given time, as does any pda. It could possibly lead to bot navigation range problems with really long areas, but if you place them in decent spots it probably would be ok.

[Frank_Stein]

Yeah that makes sense. Bots could go to their station, and transport to another through "hidden pipes" teleporting to another base.

I think keeping bots restricted to their areas could not only help the long distance issue while being a fun dynamic. Sec bots could stop chasing you once you get out of their area, with legacy bots like Beepsky being exceptions

[Wisecrack34]

Bots can mail themselves.

[Superlagg]

I like the idea of Robotics having some kind of bot bay that work kinda like the ghost drone factory, but with a flusher that'll mail out bots to wherever they're needed.

[aft2001]

I like this! Maybe add some more types of alerts as well, specifically Custodial and Fire. If a fire alert is sent out, then a firebot will be on its way to the location it was sent from. If a custodial alert was sent, then the janitor will be alerted and an idle cleanbots will be on its way. These would find their way either via the Buddy/MULE routing beacons or, as previously suggested, mail chutes. If the latter is chosen then the following mechanic must be implemented: Bots able to mail themselves by either climbing into mail chutes or entering special ones for bots. The former seems much easier to do than the latter and is far more Goon-esque.

On a similar note, there should be bot control programs for more than just Securitrons. It'd be fantastic if bots could just be summoned by the AI and those who had the respective jobs. The controls should also allow for assigning bots to specific areas as defined by APCs. Just to make life easier, the menu should be divided into departments rather than just a giant list in alphabetical order.

[Wisecrack34]

On a side note it'd be cool if dead players/ the AI could take control of bots to help the AI do cleaning, fire extinguishing, etc.

Obviously security robots would be blacklisted for dead players for obvious reasons, obviously.

[The Gorog]

On a side note it'd be cool if dead players/ the AI could take control of bots to help the AI do cleaning, fire extinguishing, etc.

Obviously security robots would be blacklisted for dead players for obvious reasons, obviously.

Im worried that people would then just not respond because they are pissed or whatever reason people may have.

[NateTheSquid]

On a side note it'd be cool if dead players/ the AI could take control of bots to help the AI do cleaning, fire extinguishing, etc.

Obviously security robots would be blacklisted for dead players for obvious reasons, obviously.

Im worried that people would then just not respond because they are pissed or whatever reason people may have.

then allow the AI to instantly remove someone from a bot, possibly banning them from entering that bot again that shift, and maybe even allow ghosts to vote to kick someone out of a bot if they're being bad and there's no AI/the AI is also being bad

sounds like a good idea though, the ghost control thing with some clear rules, like ghost drones

[Wisecrack34]

Then I shall thread it as to keep this clear

[Frank_Stein]

Mailing is fine, same with tying them to an APC, but I think having a unique wall panel would be better. Partly because I expect tampering, but also I think there should be some kind of publically available panel that people can use that has a bot functions accessible to people with the right clearance

Some ideas for that

• Secure: Sends all security bots out to sweep the area
  
• Rescue: Sends all medical and fire bots out to sweep the area
  
• Maintain: Sends all the floor and cleaner bots out to sweep the area
  
• Dismiss: Allows you to send specific bots back to the pool to be reassigned 
  
• Recruit: Assigns bots from the pool to the associated area
  
• Assign: Specific to the master console, allows you to send bots to any area
  
• Red Alert: Specific to the master console, runs the Secure, Rescue, and Maintain protocols for an entire area
  

This would be notably different from using the PDA alerts, which only sends one bot if available in the area you're in.

[Doctor Zaius]

I really like this conceptually. When I'm playing MD I like to leave a medibot out in the lobby so peeps don't die waiting for a doctor, but they do tend to wander off, either into the halls or medbay proper while healing someone. Having a more solid 'leashing' system would go a long way towards fixing that, I think. Plus it would give the emergency PDA program a reason to exist!