Kintsugi

Ckey/BYOND Username: DanseMacabre Position Being Applied For: Human Lore Deputy Have you read the Lore Team Rules and Regulations wiki page?: I have, yes. I would like to point out that the event section is completely inaccessible to normal players, though. Past Experiences/Knowledge: Examples of Past Work (Please provide in a Google Doc or other easily accessible external link for sake of space): -HUMAN LORE DEPUTY QUESTIONS- 1). Why do you want this position? Why do you believe that you could be a better deputy than others? 2). What are three things you enjoy about human lore? Why do you enjoy these things most? These should be ranked from one to three in descending order of favoritism. 3). What is an area of currently extant lore that you'd like to improve or see improvements made upon? Why do you believe this area should see improvement? 4). Assuming you are given the position, which area or project would you like to work on first? Why? 5). How effectively do you work in a team environment? Remember that you will be both working in the human lore team and the greater lore team. Your responsibilities are not just writing lore, but being a small part in something larger. 6.) What is your disciplinary history on the Aurora, if any? (Bans, Warnings, Whitelist Strips) Why did you receive these? A final note:

Revenant was certainly an interesting experiment, and I was willing to give it a shot at first - but in practice, it has proven to be a failure, in my opinion. There is no gimmick variety, the gameplay loop is focused on a TDM that is wholly incompatible with our aims as an HRP server, and the presence of the revenants either wholly derails the possibility for casual RP (If it is lowpop, and the revenants are an actual threat as a result), or produces no meaningful change in the round at all (if it is highpop, and the station can easily wipe out the revenants/the revenants are non-hostile to begin with). Revenant either needs a lot more work put into it, or it needs to be removed from the secret rotation - there is a reason why you typically see a mass exodus of people heading to cryo when the noise sounds thirty minutes in.

While I feel some of the issues you identify with Auroralore as it is here are valid, and some solutions/ideas that you would like to move forward with are good ones, I feel as if this isn't precisely a "game plan". If you were to become deputy loremaster, I want to know specifically some of the things you'd like to accomplish with the position - and what direction would you like to move the lore in? So to speak - what is on your agenda, as loremaster?

I’m going to echo Matt’s comments and concerns, here. Respectfully, I am worried about the potential for bias to emerge here regarding your species and also job-based species restrictions.

Strongly echoing the sentiments expressed by Matt, Schwann and Doxx. I respectfully do not think you are the right fit for Deputy Loremaster at all, and thus cannot support this application.

Sure, I’ll post them sometime tonight.

BYOND Key: DanseMacabre Game ID: cbY-dkaN Player Byond Key/Character name: ZI Unity, ZI Markos Staff involved: The situation I felt was inappropriate to ahelp at the time, and better suited for a player complaint. As such, no staff were involved. Reason for complaint: This round was an utter nightmare. It devolved into a firefight at 00:20 minutes into the round that saw the HoS killed immediately and an antagonist warden fighting off all of security, as they controlled the armory. ZI Unity and ZI Markos, cooperating together, roamed the station indiscriminately attacking people with zero justification- they shot up the brig, they shot up medical, they shot up cargo, so on and so forth. Very little lip service was given to the concept of a gimmick - they briefly spoke with security after the HoS was killed, and essentially refused to surrender, claiming what they did was "protocol". This round, I feel, was an extremely egregious example of poor antag play - I feel quite strongly that these two players (who have, in my opinion, a substantial history of poor antag play) used this round as an opportunity to force a team deathmatch onto the station. They successfully halted all roleplay until an ERT arrived and killed them. tl;dr: two antags engaged in zero roleplay, and focused on killing and hurting as many people as possible until they themselves were killed. Once again, no effort to roleplay was made. I feel that they engaged in everything from ganking, to powergaming (they completely denied us access to the armory and cargo weapons while equipping themselves heavily, and stole and hid the ion rifle very early into the round, knowing this is the only weapon security has which is capable of really doing much damage to an IPC. One even feigned allegiance to the security team to try and steal what little weapons we had, only to immediately turn on us when Unity arrived), and so on and so forth. Did you attempt to adminhelp the issue at the time? The situation I felt was inappropriate to ahelp at the time, and better suited for a player complaint. As such, I did not ahelp. Approximate Date/Time: 5/10/2021, 5PM EST~ Evidence is here, in this video: (At the time of posting, the video is still processing. Give it some time.) Other notes: I feel that Aurora is experiencing a major problem with poor antag play. This is a heavy roleplay server - I feel quite strongly that rounds such as this exemplify the exact opposite of what we should be doing on a daily basis.

This suggestion is frankly not the direction the server should be going in. People often have a limited timeframe for when they’re able to play a full round, and at best they’re going to be forced to join the game as a throwaway character in order to participate in the vote that’ll allow them to get that round in the first place. Furthermore, the desires of the people in round do not matter more than the desires of everybody else- sorry, but a vote shouldn’t be worthless or only worth half if you happen to die in round.

Sure, but at the same time, I don’t see any harm coming from this. Suggestions are just suggestions - if they're useless, then there's no problem. But there's always the off-chance that someone sees something they like.

Let me preface this thread by saying that while I make plenty of jokes, I am very excited for the NBT and grateful for all the work that is being put in for it. This thread is not a series of demands: it is not a series of expectations or a list of things that I feel the NBT will need in order to be any good, or anything like that. Consider this thread an ideabox or a collection of respectful suggestions for the NBT development team to look at if they want to, or completely ignore if they don't. These are just some thoughts I had regarding the NBT that I feel might be useful. With that out of the way, I would also welcome people to make their own suggestions, if they feel the need. Also another disclaimer - just because another server might've done some of the things on this list, doesn't mean they have a monopoly on it. We can do it too! Here's some things I had in mind: Pilots/Bridge Officers: This one's pretty straightforward. With overmap something we plan to implement with the NBT, I think a limited non-command whitelisted bridge staff/pilot staff would be an interesting thing to have. Bridge staff do a lot to make the command section of the station feel populated, and also ensure the ship won't be dead in the water if nobody spawns in command. They also have a good RP-focused niche, and could serve as a quasi-command learner role. Crew/Emergency Armory: Now, I don't think a hardcore militia armory should be present. What I do think is that a limited quantity of weak ranged weapons and light armor alongside a large quantity of emergency supplies would add an opportunity for everyone to participate in emergencies, in a way that the server doesn't currently facilitate. Even if there are no outright guns, something like plasma cutters could fill the same niche while not being so outwardly threatening. In any case, a room with all sorts of emergency gear that opens up automatically on red alert or when command chooses to open it up is a good idea, in my mind. Assorted Role Renames/Removals: This is another straightforward one. I think it'd be nice if all of the head of staff roles followed a single theme. Chief Engineer, Chief Medical Officer, Chief of Security, Chief Researcher, Personnel Chief, etc. Assistants getting a refluff would be interesting too. Crewman/passenger or something along those lines. I also feel certain roles could probably stand to be removed or condensed into other roles/assistant alt-titles. Stuff like librarian and chaplain could probably be combined into one role. Escape Pod(s): Now I'm fairly certain there'll be no escape shuttle, which is a good thing in my mind. At the same time, I think we shouldn't have a dozen or so escape pods. Instead, I think we should have a small number (2-4) escape pods/escape craft that would be located in one or two central locations. If the ship is going to be abandoned (which would be the option of last resort), these escape craft would be relatively self-sufficient and it'd be implied that their sole purpose is to get blasted out into space until someone can pick them up. I do feel that we shouldn't spread mediums for escape too thin, and should keep people's options relatively limited. No Departmental Break Rooms: A potentially controversial suggestion, but I feel like it needs to be said. I feel that departmental break rooms are poor design: they insulate the crew from interacting with other departments in their free time. In a way, they contribute to segregating the station or ship or whatever - by having special clubhouses that only your department can access, you have a reason to simply hang out with your departmental clique instead of heading to a public location to hang out with other departments. Regarding Exploration: I do not think we should have an exploration department, and I am fairly certain that we won't. I do think that there should be an unwhitelisted role that can lead expeditions without the presence of command staff. I have seen people suggest that the research director, and I don't really think this is appropriate. I think that, actually, the best option would be pilots/bridge officers. Instead of having an "expedition leader" role, have it so pilots/bridge officers can be expected to lead and organize expeditions autonomously. Lone Ship: Straight-forward, but I think that the ship should be the only one. I don't think there should be a fleet of ships trailing the main ship. If we need an explanation for residential activity, make it so there's an off-screen residential area. New Skyboxes: This is one I believe Kyres has already been working on, but I think it'd be great if we got some new skyboxes. Perhaps changing with the sector? Our current skybox is less than stellar, and having a really beautiful skybox adds a lot to the atmosphere and the sense of immersion. Randomly Generated Exoplanets: This one I think is part and parcel with overmap, so I won't touch on it too much, but there is a system on other codebases that allows for the generation of away sites dynamically. Aside from handmade away sites, like we currently have, we could have the game generate generic asteroid/exoplanets that the ship could visit. Third Party Vessels: My last and perhaps most ambitious suggestion, I think we should have third party ships spawn depending on the ship's current sector. These would draw from a number of small generic shuttles and be crewed by a number of ghostspawner roles. They'd be anything from military patrol ships, to pirate vessels, to cargo ships, to smugglers, to scavengers, so on and so forth. They'd be overmap-capable, and anywhere from 0-2 could spawn at round start. This is another system that comes with overmap, and other servers have already demonstrated the concept very well. These third party ships would be free to interact with the ship however they liked, within reason. This'd be a great way to get lore factions get represented in-game, especially ones that normally never can be. I think Kyres has already been working on this to a degree, by designing shuttle sprites for each faction. That's all I have in mind for now, but I'll be sure to send whatever else I have in mind. In any case, I welcome other suggestions, as long as people keep it cordial and respectful. Again, this isn't for making demands, it's a polite way to bring up an idea you might have had that might be useful to the team.

I commented on Omi's last command application. If you want to see that, click this spoiler. My opinion hasn't changed. Omi is a good friend of mine and genuinely one of my favorite players on Aurora - his characters are consistently fun and interesting to interact with, and I think he'll play command just fine. +1 from me, without a doubt.

I have interacted with Razorak Szsk a few times, and based off of my interactions with the character, I do not feel confident in Shadow's ability to play command - specifically HoS. Generally speaking, I think their play can be lackluster and the character itself is wholly unsuited to being a part of command. Notably, the character has a tendency to violently lash out at people for relatively innocuous things, even other security officers. HoS is a role that requires a cool head and the right demeanor, and I do not at all think Razorak Szsk has what it takes to make a good, reasonable command character. I have seen the character even make remarks that seem wholly OOC. Specifically the "I didn't kill one, you actual fucking retard." remark. I have another anecdote I can give about why I think the character is unsuited for command, but I'll leave that aside unless it's requested. I really genuinely hate to give negative feedback on applications, but I feel like in this case, it'd be a mistake to not voice my opinion. -1 from me.

We don't really need to encourage more cowboy stuff. That coalition crate is an OOC joke, in any case -- moving on. I don't think this item should be added. I really don't like anachronistic weapons - and furthermore, the sprite itself just isn't very good. I don't mean to insult your abilities - spriting is a difficult thing that takes a lot of talent, and being able to sprite at all is something to be proud of - but it heavily conflicts with our current art style and is far too simplistic. It wouldn't fit in. As far as ranged firepower is concerned - why not just add the marksman rifle to the uplink if it isn't already an option? And if it is an option and costs more TCs than the average antag could afford, why not just lower the cost? Hard -1 from me, apologies. If you want a cheap, one-handed scoped weapon, it should at the very least fit our current art style and it shouldn't be a weapon that looks like it's from six hundred years ago.

After having played a round where Aleksander was made an interim HoS, I must respectfully say I do not have any confidence in your ability to play command staff. I feel like you handled the situation very poorly and didn't quite know what to do in the given situation. I'm sorry, but -1 from me.

https://github.com/Aurorastation/Aurora.3/pull/11595 The final victory approaches

The only thing that could vaguely be interpreted as being me saying something in poor form was a joke taken out of context about the appearance of a character, which was a comment made in passing. I see no reason why I am mentioned in this frankly bizarre player complaint, (which is in my opinion unactionable to begin with.), especially as apparently one of the most egregious offenders, apparently so egregious that I am at the top of the list. I have nothing to say beyond "I didn't do anything wrong, and don't know why I was mentioned at all", and would like to leave it at that.

https://i.gyazo.com/d316f1bcc48106126d31042435af8cd8.mp4 Pretzel made this and I thought it’d be nice to share it

That’s all, thanks for understanding

BYOND Key: DanseMacabre Staff BYOND Key: Itzal Game ID: Not really applicable. Reason for complaint: I had a funny idea to play for April Fools. It involved playing a character I had made bearing a strong resemblance to a movie character - problem is, the name was locked to the original joke name of "Phoron Man". I had ahelped asking to have this changed to a name that sounded SIMILAR to "Phoron Man". Itzal took the ticket, asked me why, and I explained it was for April Fools. I was told this was not acceptable, and while this surprised me (Because of the things that normally fly on April Fools day- if you're wondering what I mean, feel free to look at some recent PRs on github...), I said it was fine and asked if I could go with a totally innocuous name instead. Itzal rather curtly told me that he had "no interest in helping me break the rules", and I said that at that point, he might as well close the ticket. I later ahelped about my notes because of how unamiable the exchange seemed to be, and I was told I got a ticket for "...asking to rename a character to phoron man." I don't feel that I displayed the intent or the bad faith necessary to receive any administrative action, especially considering I have never before broken the rules on Aurora. I acknowledged that the first name I requested was unacceptable, and I was willing to go with a more normal name. I was not argumentative or combative - and, again, this was for an April Fools gag. I just don't think a note is fair, here. Evidence/logs/etc: Additional remarks: This really isn't a big deal. I just think the note is absolutely unnecessary, and I'd like it removed.

I'd like to encourage the mappers of the NBT to make an important structural change: Avoid break rooms. You see, break rooms sound good in theory, but in practice they're a bad idea - they segregate casual roleplay from other departments. By giving every department a break room, you are encouraging insularity and making it so that if someone wants to hang out with their bros, they may do it in an area that can only be accessed by their departmental clique. I would say that one of the best changes you could make with the NBT is to have, instead of break rooms, a number of varied recreational facilities that are accessible by the entire crew. A classy lounge, a gym, etc etc. Also, I'd say merge the bar and the kitchen into one area.

Now, I know this is asking for a lot - but I cannot help but miss xenomorphs. Sure, they were abysmal on Aurora-- largely because it was the flawed Baystation version, which disastrously turned them into carbon mobs. The fact of the matter is that the niche is good. "Biological outbreak that uses the crew to sustain itself" is a fascinating concept, and has a lot of potential from a roleplay point of view. In essence, what I propose is the simplest way to do this- though I would gladly welcome more advanced ones. The Greimorian queen would get a rework: it wouldn't be a simple boss mob anymore, but a queen similar to the xenomorph queen of old - it can lay eggs, plant webs, heal, etc. When a queen is active, ghost spawners would open up for players to control a number of Greimorians. In essence, the objective would be for the Greimorian hive to grow, and capture crewmembers to use as hosts for eggs. Like I said, relatively simple concept - but I feel it'd add a lot to the game. I welcome more advanced ways to do this - but for now, I think this is an easy way to get some lost themes back onto the server.

This is great news, happy to hear it

New laser sprites, just so the thread is aware.