Rushodan

Title says it all, but will elaborate my reasonings here. During the round 606-draT I ended up being an antag in research. Decided to mess around with some chems and made smoke-poly grenades using the below recipe: 40 potassium, 40 phosphorus, 40 hydrochloric acid in one beaker 40 potassium, 40 sugar, 40 sulfuric acid in the other beaker large chemical grenade The resulting concoction took out @ReadThisNamePlz and @Yonnimer characters fairly quickly, killing them even though medical got right on them. Nothing could be done to save them (I am sure the pair tagged can provide their point of view). I am sure there are more chem grenades like this in research that could use some adjustments but I am highlighting this one specifically due to how easy it is to make and its power. I am uncertain on how devs could balance this, but I would suggest toning the damage done to internal organs and making the main feature its melty properties. PS: This did happen during the chem testmerge - no idea how much it effected things!

Hi @Caelphon, those are some really great questions and definitely provoke some more thought into my character. Allow me to answer them one by one in a quoted format below: If I made any mistakes or you have any other questions let me know!!

Nothing but praise for Val. Cement this WL today!

BYOND Key: Rushodan Character Names: Species you are applying to play: Skrell What color do you plan on making your first alien character: A yellowy-blue Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes I have Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph format. One paragraph minimum per question. Why do you wish to play this specific race: Recently I wanted to expand both my OOC understanding and my options when it came to the other races as currently I have only humans and IPCs at my disposal. I do have ideas for a Unathi character and a Tajara, but what interests me most is the potential within the Skrell race itself. I love their place in the universe, being race that has been allied to humanity the longest and also being the most technologically advanced. This is somewhat due to their desire to learn and fully explore topics instead of being content at degree level and also due to their cyclical brain expansion; reaching mental 'growth spurts' where their potential suddenly grows. They are able to think about projects on a much longer-term scale than humans would ever be capable of due to an increase in memory from the expansion, as well as processing capacity. I also very much enjoy the information provided on the wake and the dream; the implied thought field on which all skrell connect is just super exciting. Ultimately it all fuels my excitement to create a Skrell scientist-type that works in general research on the Aurora. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: Firsty, lets cover social interaction. When interacting with other races the Skrell can come across as cold, emotionless and heartless - which isn't the case. The reason for this is many of the tones a Skrell can use are outside what is perceivable by any race that isn't Skrell. They would never respond to petty insults directly in public as doing so is seen as improper and showing that you are of low intelligence. A human in-contrast could start a screaming match over a colleague disliking their hair. Skrell humour is also vastly different, taking on the most basic form with reacting to unexpected situations with a fuzzy feeling in the mind. Similarly fear hits them in a similar way that humour does, provoking the similar reaction of a chirrup. The most important difference is lifespan however, with Skrell being able to live up to 500 years of age with current medical technology. This allows them to show little care or worry for consequences that last less time than a decade, such as a small insult or a personal rejection. While humans may get stressed and worried over these small things Skrell are typically resiliant to the stresses of everyday life, however this comes with the caveat of stress being harder to release for Skrell as well. They are also more vulnerable to events that happen over longer periods. Character Name: Ziyy Qyu-Nioh Please provide a short backstory for this character: Ziyy was born on Aliose in 2383 with one twin sibling and no complications. They had a fairly normal and standard upbringing where they were able to stay close and learn from their caretakers, resulting in a perfectly normal and happy child with well developed communication skills. They went through Kindergarden and began to show an affinity for scientific research, not doing so well in other subjects like galactic history. Upon going through their first college studying combined Chemistry and Physics Ziyy was able to go on a field trip to Biesel space, allowing them to witness the difference races in the galaxy for the first time ever. This meeting fostered a desire to learn and know more about the other races in the galaxy, leading the young Skrell to know that they would want to work outside of the Federation when they had finished with formal education. The next few years involved Ziyy getting schooling credits in Chemistry and Physics, Advanced Physics with Chemistry and finally specialising into Interstellar Travel, which included extensive research into Bluespace Travel and Phoron. They worked in some Federation institutions to gain experience, but finally the call of the different races left Ziyy with wanderlust. They were snapped up by NanoTrasen's Research department and assigned to the NSS Aurora as a Researcher in 2464. What do you like about this character? Ziyy Qyu-Nioh I think will be interesting due to how they will at first interact with the different races and species of the Aurora, as well as them being plenty young in comparison to Skrell ages. They will be comparatively happy and outgoing compared to your everyday Skrell and I believe will hopefully be interesting for the other crew to interact with. They will have difficulty communicating their enthusiasm to other races though, due to what was explained in the differences section earlier. How would you rate your role-playing ability? Give me a 6/10 due to how easily I get distracted! Notes: no buli

I mentioned this ages ago and am pleasantly surprised someone chucked it on the forums. Yes there are downsides to this, but in my opinion they are pretty niche and small compared to the problem this fixes. Doing the funny B O R E R (or something similar) in chat, having a bunch of people vote for a good wee chuckle and then having 3 out of like 20 people play the round with the rest going afk for two hours massacres player pop. Turning a server from decent pop to deadpop for your meme votes isn't fair on the people that actually want to play and enjoy the game. The main issue I can see with this is wanting to check who's in which department before actually playing after voting. I like to play engineering if there aren't many engineers for example, but I imagine this could be fixed by giving voters 5 minutes to join before the admemes get the 'this user isn't being a good boi' message. Ultimately I think this is a good half measure - if it was my decision alone i'd just force secret every time and then let the players decide if they want to play while not knowing the round. I understand why this isn't a good solution for everyone however.

Very good! I'll get you unbanned then. See you on the server and remember that failing to cryo might keep other players from claiming limited roles.

Hi Alexanderself1, I banned you due to repeatedly ghosting and leaving without attempting to use cryo and not informing staff, typically on single slot roles too (like detective). It appears in this instance there was a bit of miscommunication as you asked if you could leave due to what I expected was your traitor role. I said it was fine for you to go and believed you would enter cryo. A little later you asked if you could ghost, to which I responded that instead you should use cryo. I do not believe you saw my last message as it was sent a few milliseconds before you ghosted and left the server. In this case I am totally willing to unban you due to the issues above but it comes with a caveat; you agree that next time if you need to leave urgently you will tell staff that you need to go and that you do not have time to make it to cryo. Failing to do so in the future will result in a re-applying of this ban. Please reply that you agree with the above statement, or disagree if you have anything you want to raise.

I don't usually comment on these, but honestly I can think of only positives each time I have interacted with your HoP. Super sold character that I enjoy talking to and this lad certainly deserves their WL!! +1

First and foremost I want my taser back. I would love to have a traditional taser that only works on un-armoured targets and the prongs stick in to zap you, but i'll take the magic light balls any day. Secondly - I really dislike the mini-rubbers. I will have to double check, but I believe trials were done in the past with NATO 5.56 rubbers and they deemed them too small to be effective. You either crank the velocity up and become in danger of killing someone, or they are a mild annoyance at best. Shotguns fill this role presently anyway. Finally - it's tricky. Everyone has their thoughts on whether security should start off with lethals or not and there are pros and cons for both sides. Personally I would rather just have a .45 lethal with two magazines on my officer as I think it works for the setting best. Alternatively, a blaster pistol that doesn't go through windows. I dislike the wombo-combo smart gun that would be a legal nightmare and would never be adopted in the first place.

Unless I’m wrong, Fax is a level of access that can be toggled on like any other kind of access via the HoP/Captain. Command, Consular and Corporate Rep get it. If this gets pushed through, it may be worth looking into anyone being able to submit a fax but the machine stamping your ID details on the footer of the message sent to punish misuse of the fax machine and to keep a paper trail. Possibly have a check to see if the ID used is valid by ensuring the fingerprint and dna hash are not null. Just spitballing ideas!

Please yes for this. Running around after getting blasted should be discouraged. Stopping movement? Lame. Punishing the heathens for sprinting when full of bullets? I see this as an absolute win

Tbh Goret is sound from what I know of them ic and ooc. Give this person a trial mod!

I'm not for removing it, the ninja bomb kinda adds to their spoopy aesthetic and as far as I was aware was designed to prevent the 'enemy' from getting access to any of the ninja's technology or body (kinda like the predator bomb but less nuclear). I actually like the damage it does too, gives some more drama to the round (and stuff for engineering to do). I am however up for something along the lines of what doc said, a big warning and a few seconds to get away when the deadman switch is popping off. Give us a scary red message and maybe something visual that clearly indicates 'this boi about to explode'. That way the only case where someone dies is if they are either stuck right on the ninja for some reason or if they are just straight up not paying attention and watching netflix in the other tab. Cheap death bad. Fancy explosion that is escapable good.

Raiding resupplying on the station as the SCC, SCS, CSS, CCS (whichever one it was because you kept changing your DAMN minds) was pretty enjoyable for me. We had some great interactions with crew I feel and it was pretty funny to see our dreg abusing medical somewhat (he knows what he did). Top stuff, gentlemen.

This is a fantastic idea to solve the problem that laser weaponry has in lore, in my eyes at least and I am mad that I didn't think of it. I can take or leave the hand burning when overheating. If you wanted to be extra perhaps normally your laser weapon can fire 15 shots (the rifle) with failsafes applied, but if you smack it with a wrench you get 20 shots and the power to burn the hell out of your hand. But yeah, this is an amazing solution to 'running away and finding a damn charger'. I can take or leave the emergency venting feature, personally. The core idea of managing weapon heat with lasers is super neat.

Server Moderator Application Basic Information Byond Account: shodan43893 Character Name(s): Sophie Hawkins - Head of Security Jessica Fitzmaurice - Chief Medical Officer/Captain Liana Pienaar - Security Officer Eliza Wilson - Atmospheric Technician Unity - Warden Alicia Lovejoy - Researcher (I have a few more, but they are largely retired now / not worth noting) AI Name(s): (I don't play AI >.>) Discord username + tag: Rushodan#5993 Age: 23 (I think, might need to double check that one >.>) I might be 22 Timezone: BST/GMT When are you on Aurora?: Typically on during my evenings, after I am done with work for the day. Experience How long have you played SS13?: A long time, five years plus. Started off on CM/Paradise before I decided I wanted a more HRP experience, not really into the lmao turbo clown memes that some other places provide. Also getting shot in the back as a marine gets old. How long have you played on Aurora: I believe somewhere in the 3-4 year range, had a few off and ons due to my health but I am back for good! How much do you know about SS13 (Baystation build) game mechanics?: I know the mechanics pretty well in depth, with all departments. Most familiar with security / combat mechanics because I am a vile and evil security main but I do play medical, engineering, research and cargo on occasion. Can set up the engine, grow some weird plants, save a life (yes even with newmed). Do you have any experience moderating for an SS13 server?: Not really? I was CCIA for a while but that is the extent of my SS13 staff activities. Have you read through the criteria thread; https://forums.aurorastation.org/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=4198 - and believe that you mark off all the criteria?: I believe I mark off all of the marked criteria. Will go into more detail in the final section. Have you ever been banned, and if so, how long and why?: I do not believe I have ever received a ban. Personality Why do you play SS13?: For me, there is one thing that separates SS13 from all other games and that is the focus on communication and character interaction. Being able to create a character and drop them into the playful environment that SS13 allows for is infinitely enjoyable to me. No round is the same, you will always have someone new to chat to, some situation to deal with and the potential to be as creative as you like to have some fun roleplaying. Why do you play on Aurora?: Building upon the above points, the lore and environment that the Aurora has allows for such a diverse range of characters and setting that it trumps all other servers, in my opinion. What the lore team have done along with the coders to create the unique setting that the Aurora has is simply incredible. HRP is also my lean in general, so the Aurora not being a total meme every round really helps my immersion (we won't talk about the burger riot >.>). What do moderators do?: Well, moderators are normally the first point of contact when it comes to maintaining the rules of the server. They are expected to respond to ahelps in a timely manner and deal with them fairly, looking into both sides of an incident to see if punishment needs to be handed out and how severe said punishment should be. Moderators should also be able to help newer players to the server by directing them to the right resources to help their issues, or briefly explaining a mechanic if required. They work in a team with other staff members to keep the Aurora a fun and safe place to RP on, in a nutshell. What does it mean to be a moderator for our server?: Being a moderator for the Aurora means you will be applying what was listed in the above question. Knowledge of the rules is a must and mechanics definitely helps. As the Aurora is a HRP server it means you will be looking into roleplay during ahelps or proactively and seeing if that would be a justifiable thing a character would do alongside with compliance to the rules. It also means being active in the community and having decent knowledge of the lore, as these things will certainly aid your decision making. Why do you want to be a moderator?: I would like to be a moderator as I have been around this server for a while now and want to give back, in a way. I have gotten countless hours of enjoyment out of the Aurora and would like to more closely involve myself by keeping the Aurora a fun and interesting place to roleplay on. I have done administrative work before for other game servers outside of SS13 and while I understand it can be tough, as you meet some colourful characters, it is also quite rewarding knowing you are doing your part to help out. What qualities do you possess that would make you a good moderator?: I believe the two qualities I possess that work well together and support my application are patience and listening. I am able to take the time to take in all sides of a discussion, ask further questions when needed to come to a fair and just solution. I am also able to avoid bias when dealing with individuals, focusing on just the facts and applying those facts to come to a proper result. My current work demands these factors so applying them to moderation-on-server is a natural move. I try to be fair with my interactions as well, I understand that everyone makes mistakes or acts out of anger and may break the rules - so long as it isn't intentional or repetitive I do not see a reason to come down hard one someone as people hopefully learn from their mistakes. How well do you handle stress, anger, or insults?: Much better than I used to! I will admit in the past I have allowed my anger or stress to take over my actions and I end up acting like a silly bugger. I've had a lot of time to think about my actions and how I interact with others, so while I am not immune to getting frustrated I know when to break off or ask for help. I understand when I make mistakes and not only apologise for them, but commit to improving myself to avoid future problems. Anything Else You Want to Add: Hi, I am Rushodan or Ollie! I've been around the server for a long time now; been off and on due to certain health complications, but thankfully those are all under control and I am back for good. Been back for just over two months now and sent in the application after it was suggested I give it a shot. I intend to be here for the long run, I love this community and this server (even when you annoy the hell out of me) and honestly it is good to be around once more. See you on the station, nerds ❤️

That is a form of de-escalation. If the threat is dead the situation has passed, ERT normally have to shoot the threat because they are normally called if the threat has been killing people.

Right, I have seen this talked about off and on over the past few years and there are a few things that need to be considered when accounting for ERT. Firstly, what are ERT for? Ask yourself that question properly and you will find that they are to help de-escalate when all other options fail / are no longer viable. Normally this includes command and ISD intervention. Crew militia is not a valid form of de-escalation (on most rounds, of course this is case by case); most people when confronted with killers will either try to run or hide, not outright work out the best way to kill the terrorists that appeared at their place of work. This is a HRP server, on an average round crew shouldn't be jumping in to kill the bad guys. Secondly I totally agree with Sue when they explain about actions having consequences. If you as an antag plan to kill off the entire security department or cripple it to the point of no longer being functional without even attempting to negotiate reasonably, expect an ERT. Doing well in a firefight with sec doesn't unlock the station for you and it should not be encouraged to be that way. Think of escalation as a spring; the harder you push on the spring, the tougher it gets until it snaps back and hits you in the face. Finally, ERTs are supposed to be strong. I cannot make this point clear enough. If you have fucked the station hard enough for an ERT to be justified then sending people who are worse / on par with station sec doesn't make any sense from a lore or realistic perspective. NT has the resources to get some properly armed people for the task of anti-terrorism, gimping them because you want to murderbone as an antag seems silly to me. However, I do not believe ERT should be called when there are still reasonable ways to deal with the antag on station. If as command you are refusing to negotiate reasonably because you have a power complex you shouldn't immediately jump to an ERT. If one officer in security dies and you have three more plus a HoS don't call an ERT. I cannot remember if questions about appropriate ERT usage are in the command app, but if they are not they should be. Warnings and punishments should be handed out if you call ERTs without a justifiable reason. ERTs do not take roleplay away when they are used appropriately, in fact they add a lore-friendly way to cool a round off. That is their purpose, they need not to be changed.

Antagged against them twice in a row, acted professional and felt realistic. Id give them a shot. Their app seems to be well written. +1 !!!

@geeves I don't really understand the need for authority change? Why not have the head of staff communicate with the HoS if they want things done that are outside of a normal officer role.

I'd rather have the AI be whitelisted than outright removed due to how useful it can be as a teaching tool, pointing things out for new players where they might otherwise be stuck and otherwise being generally useful during a round. Another thing it helps with is locking down overly hostile antags. Currently the only thing that stops a hyperzine fuelled borderline murderboning antag that steals the spare ID at roundstart is an AI. Hacking doors isn't tricky, either. So it's not like if an AI locks a door for a moment your round is over - just plan for it (screwdriver, multitool, cutters + gloves). One thing I would suggest is remove shocking doors. That has no purpose other than to fuck with antags/people antagging and CAN actually shut down someone's round (depending on how silly engineering are being with the grid load).

GEEVES. GIVE IT TO ME. +1 It's actually a pretty good idea, I once rp'd throwing up into a sink for medical and it just went on the floor

Maint is absolutely huge, is fully of hidey holes and a smart antag can always manufacture some with hidden walls if they want to be extra safe and secure. I really do not see the need to keep security out of the one place that is poorly lit, dangerous and often provides the antag plenty of opportunities to ambush if they so choose. How would that SoP work even? Someone stabs someone and dabs into maint but officers can't pursue because its green? Or do they need to get a special warrant or what? If its a hard ban until code blue then what happens on low pop rounds where literally nobody can raise the code level? I really don't enjoy the notion that security players are going around maint and looking for contraband to purposely fuck over the antag - mostly for the reason that Nantei mentioned. I can agree with @Nantei that as someone who gets thrown into an antag role due to their luck half the time, I can't say I have ever wasted the first part of my round looking for a cool item to support a gimmick. Rev is actually the only one I can think of that would even need/want to do this. @Carver Also raises an excellent point - what about literally any department that wants to walk around and do the same thing? I know of some CTs that do it to add to the warehouse stock / so it can be sent to the right department. I've even done it once on a rather slow extended round.