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Syndicate Drone: A Pacifist Antagonist.
#16
When I first saw the title, I thought of the debris field syndicate drones, and that I actually already had a pretty cool idea for a mode involving them. They certainly don't strike me as the pacifist sort anyway.

I agree with Cirral that making them look like regular ghost drones is a bad idea, as it brings automatic suspicion to a role that's supposed to be a peaceful and non-threatening way for ghosts to fix up the station. From a practical standpoint as well, ghost drones are a real bugger to land hits on, making them very difficult to beat up in any way.

The abilities seem to be a little crazy as well. Even wraith, the untouchable hand-of-god antag, doesn't get abilities that powerful. I'd like to see them as something that can be used a little more creatively, rather than a "push button, cause chaos" style. Perhaps a straight up Emag tool, requiring points to use? They could really use having a broader pool of earlier-game abilities to mess around with, for things such as movement and camouflaging.

At the very least, have the drones actually need physically interact with the things they're messing with. Otherwise I feel it'd be a little boring to play, scooting around scooping up data, then eventually just pressing a button and having a set chaotic event play out.

I also feel that a mischief-causing robot doesn't really feel a big enough of a threat enough to carry a round on it's own. We currently have problems with getting people to fight regular antags, and a nuisance making drone that's annoying to fight will probably be left alone to do whatever it feels.
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#17
(06-15-2017, 02:01 PM)ferriswheel1 Wrote: I also feel that a mischief-causing robot doesn't really feel a big enough of a threat enough to carry a round on it's own. We currently have problems with getting people to fight regular antags, and a nuisance making drone that's annoying to fight will probably be left alone to do whatever it feels.
Yeah but they would make a great support role
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#18
[Image: rT01FOs.png]
I tried to make a thing, didn't turn out very well. Heck, the original syndicate drone thing might work better.


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#19
Just take off the tendrils, maybe add an antenna
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#20
(06-15-2017, 02:01 PM)ferriswheel1 Wrote: I agree with Cirral that making them look like regular ghost drones is a bad idea, as it brings automatic suspicion to a role that's supposed to be a peaceful and non-threatening way for ghosts to fix up the station. 

cirrial was like the 4th person to say this
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#21
(06-15-2017, 09:18 PM)NateTheSquid Wrote:
(06-15-2017, 02:01 PM)ferriswheel1 Wrote: I agree with Cirral that making them look like regular ghost drones is a bad idea, as it brings automatic suspicion to a role that's supposed to be a peaceful and non-threatening way for ghosts to fix up the station. 

cirrial was like the 4th person to say this

Literally just scrolled up and agreed with the first person I saw. Whoops.
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#22
As I said, looking at feedback, having them look like normal ghostdrones is a no-go, so the current discussion is now how should they look? Preferably something that is recognizable, but difficult to see.
(06-15-2017, 05:39 PM)Arborinus Wrote: [Image: rT01FOs.png]
I tried to make a thing, didn't turn out very well. Heck, the original syndicate drone thing might work better.

Looks nice, but I was thinking that if they get a unique sprite it should still be cute and harmless-looking like normal ghostdrones are. Hence my suggestion of tiny syndicate colored light borgs.
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#23
I've been thinking a normal ghost drone but with red paint on their metal body. Then make all of it's faces give a smug look.
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#24
what if they could disguise themselves as guardbuddies
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#25
(06-16-2017, 03:35 AM)YoukCat Wrote: I've been thinking a normal ghost drone but with red paint on their metal body. Then make all of it's faces give a smug look.

Like the older older model robuddies on the diner?

(06-16-2017, 03:41 AM)locusts Wrote: what if they could disguise themselves as guardbuddies

that's not how the chameleon projector works
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#26
Add a new category of Side-Antagonists. For the annoying things that are still (mostly) harmless.
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#27
(06-16-2017, 10:45 AM)medsal15 Wrote: Add a new category of Side-Antagonists. For the annoying things that are still (mostly) harmless.

They make the floors wet and don't put up a sign

They turn off the securitrons

They steal all the candy in the vending machine 

They are the unseen terror of the station. The Wraith Drones
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#28
(06-16-2017, 11:11 AM)Sov Wrote:
(06-16-2017, 10:45 AM)medsal15 Wrote: Add a new category of Side-Antagonists. For the annoying things that are still (mostly) harmless.

They make the floors wet and don't put up a sign

They turn off the securitrons

They steal all the candy in the vending machine 

They are the unseen terror of the station. The Wraith Drones

There we go, that's the direction to take there powers in. Annoyance

Give them dispenser for wetting and space lubing the floors
A syringe to inject food with stuff that makes you sick and puke
A N20 gas canister for creating clouds of sleep gas

Basically, a science gremlin. You don't know if they messed with your stuff because they're too sneaky to be seen, but you're gonna blame them for anything that went wrong.
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#29
(06-16-2017, 12:40 PM)Frank_Stein Wrote:
(06-16-2017, 11:11 AM)Sov Wrote:
(06-16-2017, 10:45 AM)medsal15 Wrote: Add a new category of Side-Antagonists. For the annoying things that are still (mostly) harmless.

They make the floors wet and don't put up a sign

They turn off the securitrons

They steal all the candy in the vending machine 

They are the unseen terror of the station. The Wraith Drones

There we go, that's the direction to take there powers in. Annoyance

Give them dispenser for wetting and space lubing the floors
A syringe to inject food with stuff that makes you sick and puke
A N20 gas canister for creating clouds of sleep gas

Basically, a science gremlin. You don't know if they messed with your stuff because they're too sneaky to be seen, but you're gonna blame them for anything that went wrong.

I have to agree with this direction. Rather than making them sinister syndicate spies, have them be more or less defective / mischievous drones. Small chance when a player becomes a drone to spawn without the laws, and with the aforementioned annoyance tools instead of useful ones. 
Keep some sort of objectives like poisoning x number of foodstuffs, emptying all the coffee machines, lubing X many floor tiles, etc- but keep them as a miscreant rather than a full blown antag. That way people won't be smashing every drone they find, and even when you do notice one being an asshat, it's not necessarily something to kill.
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#30
I think then having a unique look is still a good idea, but also having a lot of ways to disguise themselves as critters, items, and other bots

We don't really have a hard stealth antag. The sneaky ones we do have all can defend themselves really well against small numbers
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