New Game Mode- Synthetic

[TheGaystapo]

So here's my half-baked idea for a game mode, feel free to tell me if its shit.

At the start of the round several random non-head, non-sec (much like rev) crew members will be selected as synthetics. The goal of the synthetics is to hijack the escape shuttle by making sure no living crew are on board when it arrives at Centcom. Synthetics should be fairly stronger and tougher than the average human, perhaps they should also not require internals. All synthetics, in addition to getting a small icon denoting who in view is and is not a synthetic (much like in nuke ops or rev), can silently speak through a radio channel much like the robotic talk available to the AI and borgs.

The only way to determine if someone is a synthetic or not is by placing them on an operating table and digging in, much like you would to remove an implant.

Their tools would be as follows:

- A Voice Change, much like the changeling's ability and traitor item
- Shapeshift, again much like the changeling's ability

and thats all, both would not cost anything but be on a cooldown.

I'm erring on the side of making them weak because cool abilities can always be added later, and it demonstrates what I'm going for. A connected group that individually would get easily taken out by the crew, but can communicate and pool their resources to achieve their goal.

[misto]

we had a big thread full of ideas for a terminator or synth styled antag a while back, i will go look for it

https://forum.ss13.co/showthread.php?tid=3501

lots of ideas floated there. you can feel free to bump that thread with your own ideas, or perhaps read it over and update this thread with anything you saw in there that you liked

i will say for starters that they definitely need more diverse objectives than merely stealing the shuttle. that is often accomplished by a single traitor

[TheGaystapo]

I'll definitely take a look at that thread in the morning.

I wouldn't want them to have a covert objective like kill the AI or kill the heads, because that is easily done when you have secrecy and surprise on your side.

One thing I forgot to add to my original post was, perhaps the synths would have the power to call the shuttle, thus alerting the station that something is up.

Some ideas for alternate objectives:
kill x% of the station
Kill off X department of the station

I imagine an objective would be something that would be challenging to do with anonymity/

[babayetu83]

im not a big fan of this as id rather see cyborg replicants make a comeback

[atamusvaleo]

im not a big fan of this as id rather see cyborg replicants make a comeback

Ditto. Also, the "Kill All Crew" happens enough as is without another game mode dedicated to killing off our poor crew.

[atomic1fire]

I'd rather see synthetics get revealed via battle damage. At least a few blows from a fire extinguisher.

Like rather then getting bloody, their sprites slowly get more mechanical, with each synth starting out with a internal reserve of synth flesh to cover up their damage quickly but being dependent on making their own should they need more.

Maybe rather then a stamina meter, they have a synth flesh meter that reveals more cyborg parts as it drops and also makes them more susceptible to brute damage, in addition a higher level of synth flesh allows them to shapeshift into other crewmen like polymorph, with a cooldown.

Rather than having tatortot style weapons, maybe they could hijack systems like doors and pdas, allowing them to fake pda messages or squash people as soon as they step near a door. Or quickly syphon all the air out of a room by converting the vent into a reverse pump. Or tell a nearby beepsky to arrest someone automatically. Basically combining being a robot with gameplay from watch dogs. Also change it's voice to match members of the crew, for instance telling security to walk right into a trap. I kinda like the idea of replicant being a buffed rogue ai, able to click items from far away and make connections between various interlocking parts, but much easier then a mechanic can. One terminator that has much better control over the station then a normal AI does.

Synthetic should be pretty distinct from a rogue ai, but capable of raising paranoia like the changeling. It can fake being a rogue ai, but it can also mess with you in some unique ways that cause you to instantly start beating people with fire extinguishers for answers.

[TheGaystapo]

Perhaps their goal could be to build something, like maybe a beacon that they'd have to protect?

[atamusvaleo]

King of the Hill! Neat original idea.

[New525]

What if the synthetics started out incomplete, like a rouge roboticsts unfinsihed magnum opus being but a fragile aluminium frame under a bag of flesh, However they can begin to assimilate other technology to slowly improve sort of like those bugs from Wreck it Ralph. IE: absorb a stun baton and gain access to a stun ability and every stun baton you absorb after that lowers the cool-down permanently

[TheGaystapo]

What if the synthetics started out incomplete, like a rouge roboticsts unfinsihed magnum opus being but a fragile aluminium frame under a bag of flesh, However they can begin to assimilate other technology to slowly improve sort of like those bugs from Wreck it Ralph. IE: absorb a stun baton and gain access to a stun ability and every stun baton you absorb after that lowers the cool-down permanently

This sounds pretty cool. So perhaps we'd have something like 2-3 synthetics gradually growing stronger?

And perhaps make the more powerful abilities tied to rarer components, thus giving an incentive to do some stealing and trespassing. Especially if these are tied to the heads of staffs' possessions. There's some fun stuff you could do with the tranq rifle, captain's old lasergun, hand teles.

Edit: Maybe an objective could be stealing power from the station? Its an objective that would affect the station visibly as it progresses.

[HydroFloric]

I'd rather see synthetics get revealed via battle damage. At least a few blows from a fire extinguisher.

Like rather then getting bloody, their sprites slowly get more mechanical, with each synth starting out with a internal reserve of synth flesh to cover up their damage quickly but being dependent on making their own should they need more.

Maybe rather then a stamina meter, they have a synth flesh meter that reveals more cyborg parts as it drops and also makes them more susceptible to brute damage, in addition a higher level of synth flesh allows them to shapeshift into other crewmen like polymorph, with a cooldown.

Rather than having tatortot style weapons, maybe they could hijack systems like doors and pdas, allowing them to fake pda messages or squash people as soon as they step near a door. Or quickly syphon all the air out of a room by converting the vent into a reverse pump. Or tell a nearby beepsky to arrest someone automatically. Basically combining being a robot with gameplay from watch dogs. Also change it's voice to match members of the crew, for instance telling security to walk right into a trap. I kinda like the idea of replicant being a buffed rogue ai, able to click items from far away and make connections between various interlocking parts, but much easier then a mechanic can. One terminator that has much better control over the station then a normal AI does.

Synthetic should be pretty distinct from a rogue ai, but capable of raising paranoia like the changeling. It can fake being a rogue ai, but it can also mess with you in some unique ways that cause you to instantly start beating people with fire extinguishers for answers.

Adding onto this how about some gunpoint aspects I don't know if its even possible to code in but if it is it would be neat for them to be able to maybe cross connect things at least thats what I call it. Basicly allow them to have a ability to change certain things about a item so lets say that door to the captains room is unlocked but you don't got enough access well simply connect the door to a light switch and open it with that. 

Again I have no idea if thats possible due to how weird byond is and stuff but it sounds good and paper

Gunpoint for people who don't know 

[misto]

heres an idea

doors crushing people has been coded in but nobody wants to hand the power to reliably do it to dorky ais and borgs, so why not have doorcrushing be tied into a few abilities of this dedicated machine antagonist, such as the ability to muss with a door to turn it into a temporary crush trap door that clamps on whoever enters it next, or even permanently make a door want to smush people every time as a high end expensive power

its not worse than any of the other rapid stun/ko easy kill powers other antags get

[Frank_Stein]

We've got a lot of direct confrontation antags, but I'd love to see more of a trapper kind of thing.

What if their abilities were things like sending recon drones, motion sensors, trip wires, and other such stuff where they can kind of stage an area and lure people into a killing field?

[TheGaystapo]

And a trapper skillset would go well with a king of the hill type objective

[misto]

maybe it could be a sort of return of the wizard's corruption objective, but a nano-plague that spreads from epicenters infecting the metal and wiring of the station. naturally the more the crew has been cut down with traps beforehand and the more traps have been prepared will make it easier to defend the plague centers.

the nano-plague should probably generate a modicum of its own energy because if you can stump this enemy by just not setting the engine and solars it would be silly

we should think of more traps than merely doors mashing and basic electrocution, though, and think of ways the crew could disarm or bypass at least some of them through cleverness and the right tools

trap ideas:

evil airlock - lvl 1. tries to smush the next person who walks thru it then returns to being normal. lvl 2. has a significantly heightened chance to smush whoever walks thru it for the rest of the round, but not guaranteed. lvl 3. goes hog wild and tries to smush ppl every time it gets the chance for the rest of the round. defeat it by cutting the power to it or by removing with rcd

evil floortiles - floortiles infected with living metal nano plague that let you sink in then grab hold of you when you step in them. if youre wearing shoes you should get 1 free pass to just slip out of your shoes and retreat. if it gets you bare footed you must endure a somewhat longer resist progress bar while rooted in place. advanced versions may even try to nibble your poor feet while youre stuck. these things could have good synergy with objects as simple as glass shards, the evil floortile to steal the shoes and the shards to punish the shoeless

eviller floortile - opens itself to space at the trap master's command

evil floortiles should be killed and turned back into normal floor tiles by acid. they can be pried up with a crowbar and killed but they should grip down to resist it, resulting in a progress bar type of situation

evil disposals - a disposal chute sabotaged to suck in the next person to pass by it and try to flush itself, would have synergy with the usual type of chute sabotage. whack it with something a few times to get it back to working properly

evil chair - straps you in as if you were handcuffed if you pass into its tile,must struggle out or be rescued by someone else

eviller chair - trips you

defeat evil chairs by folding them

evil power cable - turn a section of power cable evil. tries to trip and zap people who walk over it. can be snipped or covered with floor tile to defeat

evil wall - looks like a normal wall... but when you try to disassemble it with a welder it could do things to you. lvl 1 - it blows out your welding torch only once. lvl 2 it tries to stab u?

evil weldingtool - spills open and lights u on fire with weld fuel when you try to light it and use it

evil chem dispenser - ah fuck