splark

If "same-job-fancier-name" is an issue, why keep both "Chef" and "Cook", or "Botanist" and "Gardener"? I definitely like the "Sanitation Technician" title, as it seems like a Nanotrasen Approved(TM) sort of job listing, though it seems to me that it should focus more on knowing the proper way to clean areas (space cleaner grenades are not the be-all, end-all) than the use of technology. As for Appliances Technician, while it makes sense ICly (Engineers would be too busy keeping Aurora from vanishing in a delamination event), rampant intelligence events don't really occur frequently enough in a given round to justify a job solely focused on that. If an AppTech could "customize" or "upgrade" vending machines, or if vending machines were to run out (or maybe even jam up?) more frequently, that might make them more feasible.

I think the attractiveness of this suggestion will vary, depending on whether you mainly play as a Detective, or as a Forensic Technician. In my experience, when they're on their own detectives tend to become either Security Officers with less restrictions. Investigations tend to rely more on obvious pieces of evidence (such as bloody footprints/oily shoes), and conclusions drawn from interrogation. On the other hand, a standalone FT tends to still act like an FT, and has to concern themselves with the collection of evidence--not because they don't have the ability/qualification to interview suspects, but because they don't have time. As an FT, you're expected to gather all relevant evidence, analyze it, and draw conclusions, which you then share with the department. It's above a random Officer's pay grade to parse data randomly blurted over the radio by the FT while said Officer is actively trying to handle the fallout generated by the crime, and come to the same conclusion as everyone else in the department. Having played both positions, I'd say that detectives play well for faster-paced rounds, able to round up suspects, grill them quickly, and release the innocents, whereas FTs play well for slower-paced rounds, where they have time to gather/process/analyze evidence, and turn it out in a CentComm-approved fashion. While giving detectives access to CSI gear would expand their gameplay capabilities, expecting FTs to act as a detective would likely just end with someone threatening crew to "stay away from the crime scene, stop contaminating it, Goddammit!" while waving a gun around. If I recall correctly, the two positions were originally split because it made it more realistic; just as real-life biologists don't go around playing with astrophysics like sci-fi says should happen when science-wizzes "Science it up!", real-world detectives don't try to analyze evidence for clues, because they are trained to read people, and to base their conclusions on that, whereas forensic investigators are trained on determining how something happened, interpreting the results to form a complete picture. To summarize: Combining the Detective and Forensic Technician positions would likely add some new expectations and capabilities to an occasionally-bored Detective's round, but wouldn't likely improve the round for the Forensic Technician in a measurable manner. While short (Secret) rounds may be more enjoyably played by a Detective, a Forensic Technician is going to have the same amount of tasks to complete regardless of the round type, but will be able to perform better in a longer (Extended) round. This merge seems like it would benefit Detective characters more than FT characters, so the question becomes: Can people who play Detectives be trusted to be responsibly with new/merged capabilities? If the answer is "yes", then it seems to me that the merge should go forward; of course, some gumshoes may not want to relinquish their CSI kit if an forensic tech arrives mid-round, but that's something to be solved ICly, by reasonable, responsible players. On the other hand, if the answer is "no", then, quite simply, the positions should not be merged. I'm sorry if this doesn't make much sense or if it meanders too much, it's late and it makes sense to me at the moment.