Conspirator Frustrations and Ideas

[glowbold]

I like conspirator mode a lot! Working with a team focused on subterfuge of an entire station is pretty rad!

However, I have noticed a lot of people dislike conspirator mode enough to remove it from preferences completely. Not that everyone has to run every role, but even as I say I like the mode there are definitely some issues with coordination. I think resolving some basic frustrations could make conspirator rounds fizzle less often, and help it be more consistently fun.

Frustration 1:
Conspirator chat mixes in with radio and local red-text (i.e. attack) actions.

In my opinion, the high amount of coordination (hopefully!) would be better served by making it easier to see conspirator chat at a glance. I get why it's red thematically, but I've struggled with keeping up with messages before.

By way of example, here's the same screenshot of a conspirator getting hit, then talking in both conspirator chat and on the radio. I've added some duplicates simulating 'weak' color-blindness that I hope supports my point here.

   
   
   
   


Frustration 2:
There's no way to "replace" conspiracy members. Not everyone is Into It, and people have to cyro, etc. This can quickly whittle a conspiracy down to just one or two people.

I think sleeper agent & late-joins could have a chance to be inducted into the conspiracy under the existing "wow half the antags died, huh" rules.

Frustration 3:
Conspiracy rounds should require a player pool sized for at least three conspirators. Duos *can* be fun, but with no reinforcements coming conspiracies with two people are one death/borging/cyro/confiscation away from being solo.

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Outside of these specific frustrations I have some other ideas that are more sweeping balance/code changes. Before I start poking at Whole Features, I wanted to get more feedback/opinions on whether these changes would be good/useful/even considered.

Idea A

Conspirators spawn at the listening post with pre-filled, (stripped-down; no copying access?) version of an agent ID. This forces the team to meet up, coordinate, and have some "free" setup gear. The post feels like it is meant for one-two people, so presumably they're going to coordinate/share resources.

There's a new machine in the listening post to conspirator-ize headsets. Conspirators could now job change, steal headsets, and recover from headset confiscation without completely losing conspirator radio.

There's a new "destination" for the teleporter at the listening outpost during conspiracy mode that adds players into the awakening-from-cyro queue. This is to offset not spawning into your assigned job/quarters at the start of the shift, and you not having a way to the station from the outpost at start.

Idea B

Conspirator headsets can have their Conspirator radio channel turned on/off by swiping a conspirator ID on the conspirator headset. This is to reduce the "binary" caught state; if you are doing something where you know you may be caught, you can opt to trade "I can communicate with my team" with "at a glance, no one knows I'm a conspirator". Ideally, this does NOT block incoming conspirator radio, so players would want to potentially coordinate some radio silence. Rewarding foresight is pretty fun, and there's still a chance to have your cover blown if the team isn't careful/coordinating.

[DioChasek]

Conspiracy has a lot of problems, its sometimes hard to get people to buy into an antag role that has no additional powers or gear, you get a communications channel only you guys can hear but guess what so does sec, and to top it off your goals are often either hyperfocused or so nebulous that no one has a clue on what to do and it devolves into bomb the station. I have had way more rounds where I felt like just logging off than deal with the chore that they can be as an antag, which you shouldn't feel when you are playing the antag.

[Eagletanker]

Turning consperitors into more "discount nukies/spies/revs" with a focus on stealthing around the station slaving people or doing a objective to fuck with the station  I think would be a markable improvement over the current mode

[Kotlol]

I once again will recommend this set insted:
"A vote system" of what the conspirators want to do so they have to focus on it, but with more stuff.

I said they should vote for "Aggresive Goals" "Neutral Goals" "Passive Goals"

Aggresive being the typical: "Hijack the station, blow up a section, start a conspiracy against NT aggresively" and such.
Neutral being: "Convince people something bad is going on and being hidden, Start a drug ring, Make your own department / bar to compete" (aka things that aren't full on crime)
Passive being: "Throw a surprise party, make a club, Become your own security force, etc"

And when the vote is done, thats what the objective is to everyone but let's expand it and also make the "MEETING GROUND" more usefull. Everytime I play conspirator one or the other has an own office where not many can access with blinders so no one can listen in wich they rather use then "The bar" "The arcade" "The pool"

So what I suggest is the following:

1: "Vote for conspirator objective/style" (This can only happen in the meeting spot)
2: "Once voted everyone will get a box of gadgets or device to order up gadgets at the meeting spot, wich will match their objective." (These are small gadgets, nothing like guns but ways to get the stuff they need like an omnitool , gloves and maybe a flash depending on their goals, will elborate)
3: "Then work together to set up their style of objective and go for it."

For my "Aggresive, Neutral and Passive" I suggest the following like tools. But all of them will include the Omni Tool.

Aggresive: "Zip Tie, Flash, Deringer, Duct tape, gloves"
Neutral: "Insul Gloves, Box of drugs , Secret Drink recipe, Counterfeit Stamp (new item that allows you to counterfeit a person as the stampee by just clicking on them)."
Passive: "Party Crate Airdrop Button, Costume of choice and such."

I didn't think out perfectly.. but I do think this will make the conspirators have to work together and chose things.

[DioChasek]

I like that idea Kotlol the only critiques I can think of is getting over the initial “conspiracy ugh” mentality that pops up and it being a bit of a convoluted design in comparison to nukies rev gangs etc (which is here are your objectives choose your approach) vs the vote on objective ok now get you your stuff after we all have come to consensus.

[LeahTheTech]

I feel like making the conspirators vote on their "theme" is often going to lead to anyone who lost the vote and wanted to do something else getting pissed off. (not to mention how overcomplicated and meta such a system would be)
Having a set objective and arguing over how to interpret it seems better (also I have a PR up here: https://github.com/goonstation/goonstation/pull/7489 to improve conspirator objectives, feel free to add ideas)
I do like the idea of conspirators spawning into the listening post, as all spawning around a table like nukies would help you feel like a cohesive team immediately and prompt people to start brainstorming. Though this would make them much less immediately integrated into the crew.

[Kotlol]

I feel like making the conspirators vote on their "theme" is often going to lead to anyone who lost the vote and wanted to do something else getting pissed off. (not to mention how overcomplicated and meta such a system would be)
Having a set objective and arguing over how to interpret it seems better (also I have a PR up here: https://github.com/goonstation/goonstation/pull/7489 to improve conspirator objectives, feel free to add ideas)
I do like the idea of conspirators spawning into the listening post, as all spawning around a table like nukies would help you feel like a cohesive team immediately and prompt people to start brainstorming. Though this would make them much less immediately integrated into the crew.

The problem is... if they are IN THE LISTENING POST. People will know they are conspirators by metaing.
The point of them spawning on station and having a "meeting grounds" is so they blend in.

Also thanks Dio for liking my idea, but yea it needs work.

[DioChasek]

The most frustrating part about conspiracy is when you get a good conspiracy round with a crew who are into it it is one of the most entertaining things that can happen on the rp servers, but those rounds are overwhelmed by the bad ones where at best it basically becomes an extended round and at worst multiple hard mode traitors who may be on the same page.