Sytic

As I've spoken about in great detail beforehand, I believe the balance between "close-to-human" and "close-to-pure-robot" is immensely important towards the overall balance of power on the server, and shapes a lot of the synthetic conflict in the past. Datamatt is also an exceptional roleplayer and I trust their ability to play their role exceptionally well. I would advise not to get involved in the discussion/debate of the merits of simulation here, as it's almost intrinsically vague for the purpose of interest and roleplay. I think both opinions are valid and I respect Matt's idea of how to roleplay an IPC, and think it'll bring more to the server than without it. Let us have more balance towards close-to-human and close-to-pure-robot. We've shifted in one direction for far too long. +1

oh that is vewwy nice Looks fantastic and a lot more shaded and realistic, while still being high vis. Great work!

Have you tried not being where the projectiles are? Or solid positioning? Ambush strategy? Pincer formation? A melee weapon can do a bunch of these fairly well, and a good melee weapon can do wonders. Using the "run" feature wisely also allows you to chase people down now, where the new run-while-shooting nerfs will make them unable to hit you nine times out of ten as they book it. Melee has always been viable due to it's feature to get one good hit meaning probable death. Guns have rarely been able to do that. Duck around a corner and you can easily stall someone for a long period of time. Ranged weapons have always had an advantage if you can perform proper positioning, teamwork, and have a good understanding of how not to overextend, but dismissing someone who uses a melee weapon as "bad and just ganks for kills" or dismissing someone who dies from a melee weapon as "bad at video games" sounds like filthy casual talk to me. TL;DR:

Demanding respect is a matter of personal IC issue. If a potential boss isn't your boss for that shift, treat him as a coworker rather than a boss in terms of what you actually have to give them in terms of respect. So just give them some general same respect. Jobhopping is rarely an issue until it starts to breach realism, and when we have bleedover between roles, it starts to get difficult to discern. If someone's demanding respect as noncommand, they should have a stern talking to about authority figures.

Agreed. They can be loaded with EMPs and completely gank IPCs. aaaaaaaaaaaaaa. I NEVER FORGET, SONIC

The realism argument is foolhardy, considering we also live in an environment where the Megacorporations would essentially be trying to hire you on for as much as possible, optimizing as much of your possible work-times against your travel needs and the current contracts and obligations of other staff. How hard is it to assume that some people would take more work, for less pay, but pay nonetheless? Some people really do need the work, e.g. IPCs, who make barely enough in roles like the Detective. But part of me does appreciate the job-hopping argument. It would force a lot of new characters to be made, which I honestly need a kick in the butt about. I'd just prefer personally not to be forced to do so, as I rather enjoy my characters (Inanis, ODIN) and would rather not have to play Visitor when my narrow amount of slots are filled.

Summer and Azza, where do I fuckin' begin. They're almost childish, very green-sounding in appearances, overly joyful and absolutely do not seem like the type of people to be appropriate at first glance. So +1. Why? Because appearances can be deceiving. Snoopy's routinely showed a lot of care into how events affect their characters, extensively, and their characters are not 'lol randum' nor are they almost frighteningly uninteresting and problematic. Sometimes, I want someone who is not an absolute fucking melodramatic dickhead in their appearance. We hire too many of those. Azza and Summer, they feel believable, if happy. And if being happy is unbelievable, just remove me already I'm ready to die A lot of care into how their characters act and play, goes into making someone that is one of the best characters seen on-station. I've seen Azza go through a lot. Time to reflect on that development.

A very much appreciated character. A complicated one. I enjoy picking his brain, and it feels like the conversations we have actually change the character and how he views situations, making him a lot more receptive than he originally seems imo. Very nice.

.Deadly serious, mate. Khaled is a dork.

Fuck you

My only issue is entirely IC, but it does break what I think is the expectations of legitimate characters. Consider this: Stating, during a highly tense scenario against a force which may or may not have more firepower than you (iirc, Sophie was busy recharging the laser guns while we went at them) to charge the Vault and everybody inside, under the notion that the Head of Security wants them to lay down their life for what is effectively nice things, but in the long term, pocket change for NT, is more damaging than playing it cool and making sure the Vault is safe and so is personnel. The monetary cost of anybody revealing "Yeah, the Head of Security called us to charge a bunch of guys with automatic rifles under threat of death because they took some stuff out of the vault" is unbelievable should it break out. You're essentially roleplaying a 40k Commissar in a very liberal left environment. How do you think that'd go if it were revealed? Your zealotry got your character killed. When ODIN dragged you out when you went down, you didn't survive a few tiles. Admittedly I should have grabbed you, but I was also in the line of fire, and unlike Juan's whims that round, ODIN prefers to be not dead. So I sacrificed speed and considered that once you were behind the barricades, I'd grab you the rest of the way. That is my only point. Prioritize staff lives over shinies in general. Don't attempt to sacrifice your entire Security department for the Vault. The rest of Security was able to eliminate all but one of the heisters after this scenario, because we worked together shortly after you died and prioritized positioning and cooperation, but I cannot say whether you did or did not earlier, as I was not present. We worked together and got a result that was amicable. They stole a high value item but ICly, it would have probably ended up being useless to them. We got some prisoners and most other staff were fine. Generally, if you prioritize Security lives, you get Security lives able to take advantage of more opportune scenarios in the future, expanded coverage of ability to shut down additional threats, and ICly no lawsuits. That's all. Don't just go full 40k Commissar. That really didn't make any sense to me. I noticed no other problems with Juan nor the player themselves.

It's nice, sensible, and can make a lot of sense to setup some easily constructed stuff without having to deconstruct or construct things, preventing the station from being modified in any capacity and would prevent Sec from getting angry and all up in your business for starting a damn picnic for allegedly modifying station blueprints. I like it, but we need to understand that engineers shouldn't become useless with these sorts of easily dispensable equipment, and definitely do not forget that back in nineteen ninety-eight the Undertaker threw Mankind off hеll in a cell, and plummeted sixteen feet through an announcer’s table. THAT MAN IS BROKEN IN HALF

zundy banned for necrophilia wait is it technically necrophilia if it's a robot this opens so many horrible questions lets just close this pandora's box

The only parts of that uniform, in every single appearance on the images provided, that I can mistake for someone being not a member of Security, is the jackboots and the actual fucking suit. I want the SUIT, the thing I have to wear, to be distinctive. I want the Forensic Technician and the Detective to both be professional looking. That's merely what I want out of uniform regulations. If your standard damn uniform isn't distinctive, then you've failed the thing we've been screaming about for the last few bloody years. I fail to see how this concept cannot be grasped. Even the blue shirt and tie was professional and Security looking. The removal of the CorpSec black suit as a default and replacing it with this is a bad idea. This white suit with a tie should be a separate option instead of a default. It is not distinctive. It is one of the few pieces of apparel where you can confuse a member of Security with someone else should they not have other gear present (which is incredibly plausible). If wearing a visible vest was required, or a visible cap, then I could see the merit in just a plain suit with a visible (or even high-vis) vest over it. But even in those cases, having distinctive uniforms is still very useful. I still do not think this removal is a good idea. EDIT: And I still think it's dumb that you ignored the whole concept of that, you referenced colour theory as important for the justification of removal due to the bad behavior of people wearing a uniform. Which while it's dumb on its own, it has its very little merit- Black is specops and spooky, so people who want to be spooky will use it. Fair 'nuff. Yet you have a whole VENT for these people now. With black and red like some goddamn Gestapo. But this isn't a problem let's remove our own black uniforms because this won't just vent all the problem players into one clique lmao.

If you are threatened by corporate security on a research station, who is literally already armed, has several dangerous implements, and yet is there for your protection, good. That threatening can stop a fight before it begins. I miss the blue shirt options, that was great and distinctive as the Security standard suit! The white suit options look frankly unorthodox. You can't determine who they are by a uniform unless you shift click or know the uniform already. There's no sort of overall distinctive this is security feel to them, unlike the black CorpSec. You do look like an office drone. Even the blue shirt options had the vibe of a corporate security member, because they meshed with the colour scheme of Corporate Security. And haven't we been bitching about the fact that Security needs to be identifiable at a glance for years!? Why make that harder?! And why push all of the actual distinctive "I am Security" uniforms onto Necropolis, which is already gleaming with people who are more aggressive than almost everybody I've seen wear the black CorpSec uniforms, and I still don't judge people based on what style they damn wear. Big -1. If your mentality is "try to remove everything which bothers me, express it in different ways, and ignore the fact that we created an entire contractor role to have the colour theory I am frustrated about despite it being a non-issue", then up your game. If Black CorpSec is a problem, then the entirety of the damn spooky Necropolis Kit is far more of an issue. powergamers are learning to powergame from clothing choices, more at 11. EDIT: I believe the blue shirt options are still around iirc, I'm just annoyed they aren't the default as professional and distinctive. We aren't office clerks!

Alright, getting back to it, I'll finally add on the elements of Negotiation from what I've learned so far. This will cover several situations, but will not be comprehensive. Most tactics of negotiation is playing it by ear, but I'll lay out three situations you might want to be aware of, then some advice for general situations. I prefer the advice more than the situations. Situation 1: We Probably Shouldn't Be Negotiating You're here and the antags are saying something ballistic, like that they'll execute the Janitor if you don't empty NT's bank account or fork over the Captain. So, is this a call to "alright, fuck u buddy" and start gatting them there and then? Fuck no. You are not only a negotiator, you are a distractor. Try lessening the value of what they want, but do not risk falling into a worse trap. If you see them going to leave a situation that is more advantageous for them to be stuck in, either force them to be stuck there, try to distract them further, or just let them go to avoid you dying. That third option is incredibly viable. Don't assume non-compliance means you have to start shooting, living another day is an incredibly beneficial thing. Also, try not to trust an enemy which has already done some scummy tactic or has lied to you in negotiations before. Situation 2: How to Absolutely Die There's a few scenarios which just spell "instant death" to a negotiator, notably scenarios that pertain to Transfers, Time Limits and Improper Positioning. If you are requested to perform a hostage trade, or believe so lovingly that you can pull off a hostage trade as the traded target, one of five things will happen: 1. The enemy will fork over the hostage and you fork over yours. Absolutely nothing is gained or earned unless the enemy was VERY STUPID and handed over a very important asset who knows things (e.g. the only Surgeon in exchange for the second Janitor) or they didn't search them for good stuff (e.g. the nuclear authentication disk). Somehow, this is still bad, unless you're stalling for time. However, even then it poses its risks. 2. The enemy will fork over the hostage and you don't fork over yours. You have officially played the enemy, but now they're going to book it as soon as they see you become shifty. This is the only real "good" solution, but still causes immense amounts of violence, pain and death. Potentially for you. Also will make antags more likely to OOCly mistrust your given faction on later rounds. 3. You strapped your hostage with a bomb. You will fork over your hostage and they fork over their hostage, or the other way around. You forked over a hostage strapped with a bomb. They die, so does the hostage, you now have a new hostage. Note: If you're Security and you do this, you've got some serious 'splainin' to do. 4. You will fork over your hostage and they fork over their hostage, or the other way around. They forked over a hostage strapped with a bomb. You die, so does the hostage, and they now have a new hostage. 5. You will fork over your hostage. They laugh a lot and now they have two hostages. This is the most common version. The only times that hostage trades are most easily done is when you have someone they care about, e.g. a Teammate Merc or Sec Staff. In that case, they might try to strap a bomb to the hostage and do the trade, or you might do the same thing. You might both pass over bombs. But more likely, with a good Negotiator, you can come to a compromise (we'll speak more about this in a moment) and trade your respective teammates across. Time Limits are brutal. Transfers and Evacs both pose opportunity for death and peace, if you play your cards right, you can hopefully get the latter. Peace can be achieved by agreeing to a compromise (again, we'll speak more about this in a moment) and carefully handle each other to an evacuation where you can be both present. Otherwise, expect your opponent to be far more agitated, and you to now need to come to a conclusion soon. Finally, Improper Positioning. Have some damn cover. If you don't have cover, you are already a hostage. This isn't a joke. The amount of times I've seen a negotiator walk down a hallway, or get backed into a corner, and then get aimed at with absolutely NO backup plan or wall to quickly duck around (or room to quickly duck in) you have officially bungled up your negotiations. If they want you to walk into a room, it is a trap, especially if they have no obligation to do so. Remember, you have radios! Switch your radio to a new frequency, switch a station-bounced radio to the same frequency, and chuck it at them if you are far too apart. It is best that you are not screwed placement-wise when you want to be doing the screwing, e.g. by backing them into a corner or something like that. Situation 3: Compromise or Emotions Emotions are a bitch, and so are compromises. When you have an obviously emotional target, you want to press those buttons. You want to make them feel guilt, feel sadness, and allow yourself to be empathetic (at least appear empathetic!) in order to handle the situation. If you can do that, you can get a target to stand down from a position of complete power. An emotional target can be negotiated with on how they feel, and how they are affected by the people around them. But sometimes you've got a stone cold son of a bitch with a crazy ninja hardsuit and a glowy sword. You can't do emotions on its own- You have to come to a compromise. Understand each other's boundaries, understand how they feel about the situation. Do not lose your ability to empathise, but also do not lose your grip over the scenario. Compromising is coming to terms you both can agree with, and the only way you can do that is to understand what they want to agree to. The longer the conversation goes out, the longer you can mold their ideas to what they want to agree to and the longer you can understand exactly what will cause them to lash out at you. With everything in mind, this is the obviously very "play it by ear" scenario, so you need to see into their head and understand what makes them tick. With that understood, you can finally come to a situation where you are both happy. If you succeed in making both parties happy, still do not put the boots to them, and do not let them run around willy-nilly! You have to keep a cautious eye on them, making sure all of the danger they can pose is as mitigated as possible. (If you're coming to compromises while they still have a grip over a hostage, you've screwed up pretty hard.) If you've both developed mutual trust, this is exactly the kind of scenario you want to be in. Misc Advice and Content Don't allow yourself to be transported! Chance of getting captured increases the moment you allow yourself to be within their grasp. Understand what makes people tick and work on exploiting exactly where they can be pressured the most. While this is important, if they understand they're also being pressured, expect them to react. Potentially, very violently. Negotiation is difficult. Don't be worried if you struggle. An attempt and keeping yourself safe is still incredibly valuable, especially for situations which require stalling more than negotiating. You can't negotiate with everybody. Have a backup plan. People are durable, except when you crucially need it. EMT should be behind Security staff and close to the scene, but not enough to be disruptive. On that note, don't allow EMT to treat a hostage unless you can guarantee both of their safeties. People aren't dead in two seconds. If you have a slight window to stop the entire enemy team (e.g. teargas, flashbang, or CO2 gas) you might be able to risk damage to them. It's very dangerous. Preferably have EMT with you. But probably less dangerous than you think. ON THE OTHER HAND, VERY PROBABLE DEATH IF YOU FUCK THIS UP. Try to keep clear communications. If they want to speak over radio, for the love of Glorsh, have them speak over a different frequency than Common! That's all I've got. Feel free to quote at me if you think I'm an idiot, I'm always open for feedback, suggestions, and ways to improve!

Hey, it's this asshole. jk What a great app. Lots of detail, depth, and a great roleplayer to back it, to boot. I'll endorse this. +1.

Kataphract being an addition to TCFL would be appreciated, as an effective "gimmick team" would get boring over time. An assisting group could provide a nice duality to TCFL's MURICA FUCK YEAH aesthetic and could be very neat.

Huh, neat. Looking forward to it. Excited!

A while ago, I disputed the change to stun batons on the grounds that I thought it had never done instant K.O.'s. I was wrong, and I fully admit that. A change would be welcome in that regard, although I think causing even this much "pain" or agony damage makes the change far more irrelevant against unarmored targets, as they'd be slowed down by a lot anyways by the existing pain damage, making it an easy foe for a follow up strike (give chang ling buff plox). However, I also dislike the entirety of the bolded sentence here: This makes me want to punch you in the dick, or create a dick for you, attach it with a surprising amount of force, and then punch you in the dick. It just sounded really lame of a sentence. Regardless, your points I entirely agree with and as a sec main who was proven quite wrong about the instant KO's, I endorse this change. Nerfing the stun baton's charge wattage was far less of a problem, as iirc, you can just get a bigger battery. I think this is excellent. I also like the slightly-intentional changes about armor and shock, which I think makes logical sense and is pretty fucking rad.

While I made a shitpost, this is unironically a lot of really cool artwork. Might post some art later.

As a prominent IPC player, I've long maintained a stance on the fact that their mechanics are stupid and quite obviously stronger than most species, but I've never considered this. I like it. Your points are solid and I agree with them. One thing I find difficulty with, though. "Social creep"? Can you go into further detail on what you mean by this? Otherwise, +1. We should have more RP-fueled back and forth between recently developed "free thought" toasters and actual flesh and blood.

odin

I've personally seen fantastic Sec borgs before, don't get me wrong. Any sec borg which uses its abilities to assist the Security Department is fantastic. Why? Because they're not hunting valids, they're assisting security. That's a fairly large distinction, and when they perform that role, they do it very nicely. You have no idea how nice it is to have doors just... open. To have the door that the antag is about to run away from... close. That the equipment in the room just shuts down right when it's about to murder you. To have cuffs when you need it and an occasional backup thwacking from a robot. That's all incredibly nice. But almost all of these things can be done by other Borg configurations, if not with better equipment. These borgs that assist security will still exist, maybe even better. The sec borg as it stands, provides little more than a way to beat the crap out of antags, which is less helpful overall, and less fun.

Secborgs are a cuff dispenser, a round ender, and often use their utility abilities that regular borgs have better than their own existing kit, due to the inherent flaws within being a borg. 9/10 times a medical borg will be better used by Security than a Secborg. (insert "and thats a fact" meme) +1.