Jamini

I can say from experience that it's actually funnier/more interesting when you run into that odd human that speaks a language they normally "wouldn't", and actually lends itself to more interesting interactions. On bay I've had a few instances where I was caught off-guard by a whitelisted human with Siik'Mas, and it has often led itself to a interesting result. Over there you need to apply for alien languages as an entirely separate thing from simply being whitelisted for the species (but in the same forums as whitelist access), and the restrictions are tighter than getting on the whitelist. Normally this means the few humans that know Siik'Mas often have a very, very good reason for knowing the language.

Discounting languages within the same language tree, this is probably one of the better sources for identifying historical facts. The closest comparison between people who historically learned a language completely unlike (outside of the family of) their own would be the invasion/colonization/exploration of the Americas by western Europeans. Human children explicitly brought back or sent to learn languages in central America took about three to five years or so to be able to communicate in both languages passably, despite having no common roots between the two language trees. This was done multiple times within one man's lifetime during the exploration of the central americas by Hernan Cortes and other spanish explorers. While learning an alien language would likely be exceedingly difficult, fourty years (yes, it's fourty years since first contact with the Tajaran. Not twenty.) is nearly two generations for both species. As it has been stated for it to be possible for both species to speak and hear the vast majority each-others languages fairly explicitly by the loredev in charge of Tajara, I see no reason why it would take over eight times longer for humanity as a whole to be able to have any individuals capable of speaking and understanding basic Siik'maas simply because the language originates from a non-human source. That is not supported by history or evidence of our own neural plasticity. Doubly so when we have devices capable of translation exist(which means it would be easier to learn the language, not harder.) As for Siik'Maas being a thing that makes Tajara unique? It's ... really not. It's never been so, coming from the side that has had it for a few years, and I honestly personally do not care if a human can into mrowl or not. What makes Tajara unique is their way of speaking and the mannerisms they hold. What makes Tajara unique is the group-think mentality that is normally exhibited by their players. What makes Tajara unique is the sprite and equipment restrictions. What makes Tajara unique is the OOC hatred some players have for the species. What makes the Tajaran unique is the drama and fights and (historically, not currently) bad lore that they had to struggle with to make sense at all. :j has such a tiny factor into making Tajara unique it may as well not exist. It's a bit of flavor, not a defining aspect that makes the Tajaran special. The only reason it's been coming so strongly to light recently is the capability to use it over communications, something that historically was impossible and made it far rarer for many players to hear or use. Also, if you think a universal recorder or a pAI for translation is in any way equivalent to understanding the language you clearly have not seriously tried it. I've done both, and each are very, very different from being able to communicate fluently with someone who cannot speak basic. (Most notable was when I was using a translator to speak to a Diona nymph as a skrell. It was a massive headache.)

It is limited by your chemical reserve, like all ling abilities, and that takes a fair amount of time to recharge. Currently lings can only spam it because they can use it /everywhere/.

Hey hey, no dissing ideas in this thread. This is about awesome things that will never happen. We don't need to explain why they never happen. Fixed that for you. Also, security is by no means as vital as engineering and medical. They are a distant third in "Most useful", and personally I rate Cargo as #3 over security. (Seriously, cargo is ridiculously important. It's probably the most underrated department. Running a few build maps has made me realize how ridiculously necessary supply is when you don't have /everything/ at your fingertips or in storage.) BACK ON TOPIC I suggest that we be able to put mice and lizards into the cloner for biomass. As they aren't butchered yet, they should be worth twice as much as a slab of meat when disposed of in this manner!

Lorewise and historically, humans can learn and speak (poorly) Siik'mas. There really isn't any arguing about it so long as the lore is as it is.

PR up for review by developers - https://github.com/Aurorastation/Aurora/pull/403

...holy crap that backpack sprite is HUGE. http://imgur.com/zgQOeCZ I'll be cutting that down a tiny bit Here we go: http://imgur.com/MeAvlAc - Uniform, backpack, and satchels in and spawning.

Dark blue with the yellow jacket, and a dark blue/yellow EMT Armband? I could dig it! I'll see about whipping up some navy uniforms tonight based on the ones provided. The yellow jacket is used anyway in-game. So it's really just respriting the backpack and uniform.

Are those actually in Aurora code? I'd like to whip up some equipment in my local repo. I didn't see 'em when I looked. I'm not sure on the green/yellow colors. For some reason it more says custodian than EMT. Right now I have them spawning in green scrubs. Could easily do a pallet swap to blue/yellow though. Edit: Doing a quick search, most results for EMT in google images give a blue or black uniform with a yellow jacket/yellow armband.

They probably use a mechanic similar to Genetic's injectors anyway? Agressive retrovirus etc?

Are those actually in Aurora code? I'd like to whip up some equipment in my local repo. I didn't see 'em when I looked.

It used to be one hit. People argued QUITE fiercely to protect the one-hit tasers and batons on bay before they were changed. You have no idea. Mind, these are also the same people that got exceedingly upset that engineering had access to their own stunning weapon (at the cost of their shock protection on their gloves) and went on to drastically change how stungloves worked and eventually removed them. Hell, I had people complain pretty heavily on Unity when I made our stungloves deal burn damage equivalent to the charge of the cell you used and be a one-shot wonder. XD

I got the exact opposite impression, actually. Security and antags here are quite ready, in many cases far too ready, to go full lethal without any roleplay involved. I did provide an answer. The response is to shoot them until they are downed, and then stop. Two hits to the head, unless someone is wearing combat armor (which mining hardsuits are not) will always deal enough damage to down someone. Three hits will certainly do so if you really want to be through. Six hits is excessive, and strongly implies that you kept shooting when your target was down to ensure they died. Correction: The detective's revolver (the .45) deals 25 damage per hit. Mining hardsuits have bullet resistance of 5. So it would take 5 hits to knock a person into critical (and about three or four to knock them into paincrit, depending on what organs and bones are broken). So it is entirely possible that the fleeing captive simply got an unlucky roll on the RNG and had his head blown off while he was standing. If that's the case, Sue was in the right. She simply could not have done anything to prevent a[n] [un]lucky combat roll. However, if she shot him after he had dropped to the ground she would be in the wrong. I reiterate: Your goal should not be to kill, even if you are shooting lethal rounds. Your primary goal should be to disable your target/opponent so they cannot run or fight. If they die afterwards (from injuries or by execution) then that is unfortunate. Edit: To clarify, that is my own personal view on the matter, as a player who rarely plays as security OR an antagonist. Your own perceptions on how things should be will vary.

I must admit I actually feel that perhaps the titles of Maintenance technician and the role of janitor should be combined as a job, because to be fair the Janitors are meant to do the maintenance (Light Replacement namely) and cleaning. But yea, making the janitor part of Engineering/Maint Staff is something I can kinda get behind as long as their access DOES NOT INCLUDE THE ENGINE BAY. Of course not. They probably wouldn't have ANY access change. Just a new headset and a boss who isn't more concerned with cargo/the bar.

Not really appropriate for the suggestions forum, since that's a place for (mostly) serious ideas. Let's hear all the zany, interesting, semi-serious-but-totally-never-going-to-happen ideas here for fun. I'll even start! Let's combine Medbay and the brig! http://imgur.com/jJBVi6A Security beating prisoners? Injured officers? A riot in the prison? NEVER AGAIN will security or medical have to deal with that LONG AS HELL run from one department to another! Troublesome patients? Doctors ODing on mindbreaker? A mutiny/cult in medical? THROW 'EM ACROSS THE HALL AND LET THE REDSHIRTS HANDLE THEM.

Move the Janitor over to engineering while we're at it. In most organizations, groundskeepers/maintenance staff report to the Chief Engineer of the facility. At least they have in any organizations I've worked in. But seriously, I do like Sanitation Engineer and Custodian as alt-titles too. Though the former may confuse some people.

I can think of a few solutions to the ling sting 1. Keep it as is, but make the sting a publicly visible action. (X 's lunges at Y, his/her hands changing into claws and stabbing them! Y transforms! X cocks his/her head back and launches a tiny dart at Y! Y transforms!) The biggest offense of this sting is that you can do it with zero repercussions whatsoever, even in the middle of a crowded hallway. Forcing people to reveal themselves (or only use it in a room where they have significant cover, such as a large number of transformed people) would make it less obnoxious, but still potent in the hands of a skillful antag. 2. Give transformation sting a time limit The target keeps their original DNA, and after a set amount of time (let's say an hour) they revert back to themselves along with gaining a fair amount of toxin damage (20-30). This would make transform sting less of a FUCK YOU and more of a targeted escape/confusion mechanism. 3. Change it so that transform sting changes appearance, but not DNA. It is possible to change the appearance of the mob without changing its DNA, as seen by mirrors or by editing VV. Having it so that transform sting only transforms your body, but not your DNA, would allow for a "cure" to be found through genetics even for post-sting victems.

I find androids plenty cuddly. Also, they can smash you into the ground with heavy harmbatons to the forehead. Same difference?

Quick OOC note: You cannot remove handcuffs while moving in any way. That includes drifting. You need to land against something first. OOC effect - You drift until you hit something, slip your cuffs, then start making your way to a safe zone. IC effect - You slip your cuffs while drifting, then throw things to make your to a safe area before you suffocate. A bigger question, why is corporate security intentionally executing anyone (without tribunal or clear, obvious, hostile action)? The fallout from such an act, as they really are not a police force, would be tremendous and very expensive to NT. I would expect the company would be very quick to suspend or fire any officers that shot a handcuffed prisoner dead, regardless of intentions. Defending oneself or another is different and entirely admissable. However, in this case there were no other people at risk at all. I would imagine any non-corporate authorities would have a variable field day with the officer in question if any of this was brought to light. Likewise, I can't see NT Human Resources keeping an officer who is known to execute crew-members. Security should really not, in my opinion, seek to remove players from the round. Shooting enough times to down a hostile is enough, especially if they are cuffed. (It is worse when I see people cuff corpses. Seriously folks? Why are you handcuffing a corpse that isn't a confirmed changeling? They aren't going to rise up and start shooting you.) A player who continues to shoot or beat someone who is downed clearly has an intent to kill, and should be spoken too about it if they have not cleared it with administration first. This is probably where the line was crossed. Six intentional shots to the head, while a target was downed. It shows clear intent to kill and remove a player from the round. Only one of those hits is required to knock a target down, perhaps two if you have a long approach, with LtL rounds. With lethal rounds, two or three of those hits would be enough to put a target into crit through a hardsuit. Six? Excessive.

A reclassification board that converts an emagged cyborg into a combat model might be interesting and easier to balance. As it not only involves an existing cyborg, but would represent a fairly significant expenditure of a traitor's budget. (If a combat reclassification board costs 7 telecrystals, that would be all of a traitors starting budget unless they are listed on the command report)

I have actively heard complaints that current tasers are too weak from some officers. If given an option between current mechanics or lasers, I do not think electrodes will be used. (Much like how things are currently, mind) Modern tasers have fairly significant health risks on the person they are used on. If you have the ability to create a takedown weapon without those risks, why wouldn't you? Is there anything really wrong with this, fluffwise? If anything, I'd think a security force would PREFER knockdown electrodes over modern tasers. (Or at least HR would insist they use such a thing.)

You'll just encourage security to use more lethal weapons. Something not needed. I prefer to think of our tasers as energy-based LtL rounds as opposed to real life tasers. 2-3 hits is perfectly fine, as it gives the target some room to manuver without making tasers worthless and forcing security to escalate to lethals faster. Oh yes, windows hard-counter tasers. If you have an energy weapon, this is a very exploitable weakness. We should all use it more.

I hate saying/writing things when it's really late, and I'm really tired/drunk, and regretting them when morning comes around. That feeling of "Oh boy, I was an asshole" is never, ever fun.

Isn't that what a security borg is. Essentially? How is this different from putting a posibrains in a borg?

It is a high-action mode based around teamwork and coordination, with a good amount of potential RP between hostile elements who are not station crew. Due to the number of antagonists and security staff, and the highly volatile nature of the round, it often devolves into excessive amounts of damage and bloodshed that isn't very fun at all for non-security staff. When both sides of the equation are played well, Nuclear Emergency is one of the most fun and RP-intensive modes available. It allows one to show off aspects of their character that does not normally come to light in quieter round types. So yes. Yes, reinforcing cooperation and teamwork on the station side of the equation would make things more enjoyable. I feel the things I dislike about this game mode are more pandemic to the player-base of the server, as opposed to intrinsic to the game mode itself. It only takes a single person acting out of line or ignoring a hostage to turn a tense, interesting situation into a full-on shootout I can't speak for the opinion of others. Several things could be done. 1. Preservation of station staff should be higher priority than it is currently. -In current lore/attitudes, protecting the staff of the station comes secondary to protecting the station itself. From a game-play and logical perspective this is a very, very poor attitude to take. Human element aside, training/hiring employees, paying insurance, and the lawsuits that would result from ignoring the well-being of your employees is far, far more expensive to a company like NT than all but it's most sensitive equipment. (The AI, the engine, and top-tier research). Requiring Security and Response team staff to take lives into account first, and equipment second, would help alleviate many problems intrinsic with the mode. 2. Be much, much more strict with people who rambo hostage situations, and make it readily apparent that doing so is not okay. -I cannot count the number of times I have seen security here rush into a hostage situation with little more than a taser and basic armor, even when the opponent is in a full syndicate hardsuit and armed with a kinetic weapons. I haven't been here that long, but the lack of fear in some of the members of security here are /abysmally/ bad. It is one thing, going toe to toe with the mercenaries when both of you are armed to the teeth and in groups. It is another to try and lock a merc through a glass window with a Taser or rush into a room with six operatives AND a hostage in it. 3. Remove or limit the syndicate bombs. While a powerful tool, they are used far too often and cause excessive damage with extreme ease. Replacing the plasma warheads with bundles of C4 would be ideal, in my mind. 4. Reduce the restrictions on non-security staff on EVA and assisting security. This is more of an issue with the player-base as opposed to an actual rules or mechanics issues however: Playing in a merc round as anything but security can be extremely boring for non-antag, non-sec crew. Far too often medical and civilian are stuck in their departments, waiting for the fighting to end so they can actually... play. I would strongly recommend that security be ENCOURAGED to have at attempt to have at least one engineer and/or doctor with their strike teams (not really unlike how the ERT function on a smaller scale.). The staff here have routinely expressed that they wish to encourage interdepartmental cooperation. This is a prime example of how to do such! 4.a. I would also suggest, mechanically, that each response department (medical, engineering, and security) be given 2-3 "emergency channel" headsets, to facilitate such interdepartmental cooperation. These would likely be kept within either EVA or the respective Head of Staff's office, and not to be used unless the station is on blue alert or higher. 5. Make the ERT rarer and harder to call. The ERT are, essentially, the big guns of the station. Calling them for a power outage or a handful of intruders who haven't actually DONE much damage is... distressingly common. Making the ERT more difficult to call, or having ERT call failures more common in conjunction with some nerfs to the mercs would make both sides more interesting to play. 6. Give the mercs better supplies The merc shuttle lacks several things it really needs to keep the mercs relevant. A surgical table, spaceacillin, and tramadol comes to mind. The merc need a way to fight infection and internal damage.