Make it easier to make a new Telescience lab

[Recusor]

Hello!

As it stands now, I understand that Telescience is hard to reproduce - between needing the components including telepad, computer and space, you also have to have a wired connection to the mainframe. 

I propose that we some how make it easier to make a new telescience lab, not including the long range teleporter - but this could be discussed as well of course.

Worth noting from the beginning as well is that an effective telescientist is nearly omnipotent in some ways. It can be a hugely powerful tool in the right or wrong hands depending. With that said, there are some downsides, including power requirements, the clear and audible visual and audio effects and the danger of accidentally receiving from the wrong coordinates.

I think that a solution would be to make a telesci circuit board available in the RDs office, or elsewhere. Maybe not tech storage due to how specialized it is but maybe. I also propose that we either remove the need for the mainframe connection, or make it easier to make a new mainframe that can work with a new telesci lab, or connected to the existing lab easily. In my experience, and I might be doing something wrong, trying to reboot the existing mainframe is tedious and buggy sometimes.

I dream of having a janky as fuck telesci lab in maintenance or the debris field, trying to keep it powered with a portable generator.

Thoughts? Not needed at the moment? Potentially too powerful? Lets talk about it!

[UrsulaMejor]

I've never known anyone to have trouble making a new lab so long as it was connected to the station mainframe. It takes a bit of knowledge but the actual process is easy.

after conversation on discord, it seems you want to make it easier by removing the mainframe requirement. imo, since this would allow all sorts of hidden telescci labs in impossible to find areas, I think that the mainframe requirement is good. it should be hard to make disconnected, hidden telesci labs

[Recusor]

After our conversation on discord I am now more aware of both that as well as some other solutions that shouldnt be to easy to find, but arent to hard when you have an idea of how to do it. I'll leave the post up, but worth noting that there is not only one mainframe per map, which solves the main issue for me.

Thanks!

[DasBrain]

So, first a few bits of information: The telescience computer and the telpad can both be scanned by mechanics, as can the necenssary data terminals. So building a new telescience is already possible.

Let's start with your "requirements" that are needed now:
* Telepad: Yes, you need that.
* Telescience computer: Not strictly needed, but has a nice interface, so yeah.
* Space: Two tiles are enough, one for the pad, one for the computer. Yes, they can be next to each other.
* Connection to the mainframe: This is a good thing, see below.

The mainframe is one of the big things that sets goon apart from other SS13 code bases.
For telescience it means not only that you can use a DWAINE terminal, but that you can control the telepad using mechcomp and packets. If you throw that requirement away, you remove the ability to do exactly that. Also makes the mainframe less useful as it is now, and it only has a niche use already.

Also, one of the ways to disable telescience is to tinker with the mainframe - a good way to prevent an obvious antagonist RD to canbomb the shuttle with it.

An other thought is about building off-station telescience labs.
This is already possible on all maps, as the debris field has 2 working mainframes, and the ocean maps also have one working off station. And yes, it is possible to build one there. It's not that easy, but nevertheless possible, and a very powerful option.
Consider someone stealing stuff from the station using telescience, you go to telescience and nobody is there.
Building a telescience lab offstation should be work, and is only balanced by the fact on how hard it is to do so.

tl;dr: No, I'm against those suggested changes.

[Zamujasa]

You should be able to build additional mainframes.

[Recusor]

the hard part for mainframes would be the software - there are multiple tapes located that could allow for that though!

[DasBrain]

You should be able to build additional mainframes.

Or at least repair the broken ones. They might need a data terminal under them, so the maps have to change a bit too.

[glassofmilk]

The ability to repair the mainframe in the tech outpost and maybe an easier way to get the backup thinktapes would make this a lot easier