[CLOSED PR] The Security Alert alert button from security PDAs is no longer silent.

[github_bot]

PULL REQUEST DETAILS



[Balance]
About the PR
This PR adds a visible message to when anyone presses the "alert" button with the security alert module in their PDA.

Why's this needed?
Being able to tell when an officer calls for backup (which usually sends the ENTIRE security team scrambling over) is a good thing for the sake of antagonists, since you will no longer be silently ganged up on by 6 security officers when the 1 you cornered hit the button without you knowing.


Changelog

Code:

changelog
(u)Zonespace
(*)The security alert button (typically found in security PDAs) is no longer completely silent to observers.

PULL REQUEST DETAILS

[Cal]

do not like, if Secoffs are not following the "make the game fun for everyone" rule, they should be ahelped for being oppressive and not have tools removed

[Waffleloffle]

sort of feel like this is putting the cart before the horse, and like it wouldn't do much with a full sec department but make things absolutely unbearable for hours when sec's emptier. I'd say it'd probably be healthier to have it give an audio cue when fired off first, rather than axing it entirely right now

[cyberTripping]

I think waffle's idea for a sound cue is interesting. RP is all about mutual escalation, and that would let people know that someone just hit the "this place is about to be fucking swarming" button and respond accordingly. It's hard to say where the balance would land as a result, but I think it's certainly a safer move than just flat out removing alerts.

[DioChasek]

I don't play sec that often but this feels like a bad pull honestly. In critical moments when you need backup you need to have a way to communicate that you are in a situation quickly spiraling out of control.

[Yellow]

Perhaps having it not give an area, but having just the alert and the persons name could work.

The current alert is awful as an antag, no matter how much RP you can set up a scenario with, one click of the button and 6 people rush to your location often not knowing the situation and on edge ready to take down someone attacking an officer.

It completely invalidates plans such as gagging an officer, putting a gun up to them and telling them to be silent, etc; and I really hate how it is in its current state

[Frank_Stein]

I think waffle's idea for a sound cue is interesting. RP is all about mutual escalation, and that would let people know that someone just hit the "this place is about to be fucking swarming" button and respond accordingly. It's hard to say where the balance would land as a result, but I think it's certainly a safer move than just flat out removing alerts.

I like this approach more. Could even have the panic button set off some kind of local siren that comes from the pda so that it's obvious there's a problem nearby and you couldn't easily ditch the body with the alarm going off

[Leeanei]

This is yet another wing of the problem of RP antags focusing on sec and ignoring the rest of the crew. There's more ways to silently communicate than you think and RP-offs will adapt to them.

I also don't like the split between RP and Classic Sec functionality.

[Cal]

Also yes antagonists overwhelmingly focus on security - if you can't stop one in time, go pick on a helpless botanist or something! They'll be glad you did

[Ikea]

Its important to note security can act reasonably and well within the rules, and still fuck over antags. If someone is doing crime, especially crime that threatens crews lives (which is more then reasonable for antags to do), it is reasonable for security to go against them and try to arrest them. Not to mention in this specific case, its an emergency alert, going in guns blazing is pretty fair considering a security officer is presumably in mortal danger. Many times security overwhelming antags is not a rules/cultural issue and instead is a mechanical one. That being said, if roleplay security is overwhelming, I dont think a weird server mechanical divide is the way to go about it. This mechanical difference seems weird. Not to mention, if its an issue on roleplay, once classic security gets robust again it will likely be an issue there too. I feel as if nerfs like the suggested sound cue, delays in between pressing button and it being sent, giving less info from an alert, some combination of the three, or stuff like putting a minimum pop requirement on ntso would be much better way to dealing with rp sec being overwhelming.

[jan.antilles]

I feel as if nerfs like the suggested sound cue, or stuff like putting a minimum pop requirement on ntso would be much better way to dealing with rp sec being overwhelming.

The sound cue sounds reasonable to me too, but I would like to see a limitation on Sec Assistant slots as well. NTSO requires a whitelist and still isn't there most of the time, but having 3 assistants patrolling and reporting in isn't uncommon and can contribute to Sec/non-Sec population imbalances a LOT more than the presence of a single NTSO.

[Ikea]

NTSO I still feel is an issue because while security assistants are generally pretty new (less so on roleplay but still there to an extent), ntso is hos whitelisted and thus likely fairly robust and paying more attention, not to mention far better equipped then a secass. It could be interesting having security assistant scale to the amount of security officers in the shift (something like one sec ass slot being open for every two security officers, exception of 5 secoffs which will lead to 3 secass slots as normal), however I feel as if this would lead to new players taking security officer due to there not being enough security assistant slots available.

A far more radical solution would be to put a reverse round lock (ideally tied to the amount of secoff rounds played instead of total rounds played) on security assistants and therefore only have newer players to security be able to play security assistant. It is completely understandable for experienced security players to want to play secass for a low stress security round/unique roleplay opportunities, and something that I personally enjoy doing, however I can see it easily leading to issues. This change would likely make security officers feel far less overwhelming as now the slots available to competent security officers (exception of hos whitelisted people who can join far more often due to also being able to play hos/ntso) are nearly cut in half. If this change would be worth the cost of removing a fun job from a lot of people however, I do not know.

[Cal]

NTSO are whitelisted and generally know enough to give antags room to rp, since they're trusted by the community to do so, I don't think that's the solution.

[Ikea]

NTSO are whitelisted and generally know enough to give antags room to rp, since they're trusted by the community to do so, I don't think that's the solution.

If someone is a vampire and thralls someone, it is reasonable for security to want to stop that and arrest them, its there job and all that jazz (not to mention the vampire will likely thrall more people which isnt ideal to say the least). Do you think that antag will have a better time evading the law with one hos chasing them, or one hos chasing them and another hos except they're in a blue spacesuit and have a different gun (keep in mind antags roleplaying how they want to is curtailed by them having stuff confiscated or being brigged, or if the antag is extreme enough in there antagging being killed/borged, while these actions done by secoffs are most of the time done reasonably it does interfere with how an antag is roleplaying, and the more competent security is the chances are higher for these interferences to happen.)

[Cal]

You don't play on RP much, this isn't a down-talk at you, but NTSO and HoS are generally very good at giving antags space to go and verbal warnings, and NTSO have a gun that doesnt stun very much.

As opposed to a regular secoff's taser which will put you DOWN.