Damarik

See, thing is: Drones can hear Robot Talk. You need something done; we can hear you...but we can't respond because our Synthesizers are rigged to only 'hear' it...not reply.

I wouldn't just limit it to Engineers. Perchance putting one inside the Requests Console in every department? That way, it's not only Engineers that can call em. Regular staff can make the discretionary call of whether to call a Drone (minor problem: floor tiles, lightbulbs) or major problems requiring Borgs or full on Engineers.

I'm not trying to make them be better than or replace the current borgs or crew. I'm just trying to give them more playability. To give people a reason to 'want' to play them, rather than just have them be accessories to the station. I really do enjoy playing the little guys, but it's kind of a downer when you've got all these other players on and they're just supposed to 'ignore you' and you 'ignore them'. I've had some genuinely interesting moments interacting with the crew, despite the basic "Drones do not exist" mentality. From being a hat to damaging myself by saluting with my wrench (and being a bit overzealous about it -WHAM!-), assisting Engineering without their notice and getting praised for it later... I think the best compliment I got as a drone so far was my work on cleaning up all the lattice work around the Solars, and I had to respond LOOC because 'Drones Don't Exist'. In one shift (2-4 hours), I can wire the solars and clean them up, put up additional lighting in every maintenance access, and still respond to one or two minor emergencies. Why do I do these things? Aside from it being the drone's role to maintain and upgrade the station to the best of their ability; In the entire time I've been playing a drone constantly, I've only ever received 2 requests from the drone console in Engineering...and by the time I got there, the players were already fixing the reason for my presence being requested. At this rate, the Drones might as well just be removed, because they literally serve no purpose. "Oh, but they're there for players who want to play without RP interaction!" Yeah. That might be great if you could be recognized for your efforts...or if people remembered that the Drone Request console even existed. I have to ask, straight to the Admins: What would you be okay with changing, if anything at all? That would make this thread a lot easier to manage.

I actually put something similar to that as a replacement for Law #3. I still think we should have access to the AutoLathes for producing reinforced glass. We only start out with 1 sheet, and I only know of one spot where you can actively pick up another sheet. Kinda leaves options limited.

That could work, actually. The wording would be a bit tricky though, so there's no way to mistake the intent of the law.

I can see you and I are going to be at odds about this. Just know that I have read your opinion, and have taken it into account. Allow my response: 1.Admitted, they are a simple, singular intelligence. Admitted: they have no where near AI level of sentience or cognizance. 2. Argument: If something is damaging the station, then it is (using your instance of "Limited Intelligence") seen as a defective part, as it is seeing a 'thing' that is causing a malfunction/interruption in the standard operation of the station. Along the lines of this limited intelligence, if they cannot discern a Changeling or a Nuke-Op (which you'll note have been removed from the equation by the new law suggestions), then how are they to know that it is not part of the station? How are they then to know not to attempt to 'fix' it or contain the issue until it can be fixed by station personnel? If they are to completely ignore anyone but other drones, then who is to say that the drone in question knows that this 'defective part' as mentioned above, is in-fact not part of station personnel? It wouldn't matter to the drone whether they're crew or not. It is something that is causing the said malfunction/interruption in the smooth operation of the station. To fix the damage being done, they must first eliminate the source, else damage will continue to accrue.

You are still failing to preserve the integrity of the station. If it is within your power to stop the station from coming to harm and you do not, you are failing to follow Law #1. Example: Drones can prevent this by bolting doors, which is well within their purview as a safety function for working in air-less environments. If a Drone does not bolt a door when noting an antagonistic presence, it has not performed to the 'best of its abilities', as bolting doors is relatively simple. This is only one example.

It has come to my attention through your suggestion that the current Drone Laws cause a Logical Paradox. I have listed the reasons in the original post, and have updated the New Law list to reflect not only the solution to this Paradox, but your suggestion as well. Thank you!

I removed the RCD. Turns out they don't need one. Found out during a round the other night that you can build floor spaces by applying rods to empty space to make framework, then applying a floor tile to the resulting framework. As for Rambo Drones, no one seemed to have an issue with the drone attacking the Blob during last night's hostage situation. -shrug- But then, I could be picking nits here.

Of all the things I've put up there, that's the one that bugs you? O_o Simply put: Androids aren't near as functional, nor as appealing in design aesthetics.

This is what Drones were designed for, people who wanted to play but not have any responsibility or RP. They have a 10 minute delay to spawn again after death for that reason. Okay. That is reasonable. There's absolutely no reason to change that basic idea. They can still be just that. However, that doesn't mean that they can't be regular PC's too. Named Drones vs. Maintenance Drone #134...seeing a named Drone would signify that it is a player who wishes to have additional part in the story, vs. one who doesn't. If you'll take notice, I have not suggested any of these things except what interaction would be required to upgrade them. As is, the Crew already interacts with the Drones (picking them up, wearing them as a hat, talking to them, what have you) so Interaction is already a thing, whether it was intended or not. No matter how good you are at being a Drone, there is physically no way to go the entire round without being spotted at least once if you're doing your job and not just hiding out somewhere. I don't see any problem with this either. They would have to get hit in some department or another to balance them out. It's true that they do already have pretty much all-access (though we can't view the Singulo Cameras, I've noted). Perhaps in exchange for some abilities, others can be removed. There are literally dozens of consoles around the station that Drones can interact with that they never need to, nor should, for example. Scopes, I respect you. I respect your position and your rulings, as I do with the rest of the Higher Up team. If you guys are absolute on not changing them, just say no, and I'll redact the main post, and we can bury this. That's all ya need to do, really.

You have valid points, and I will let others comment on them as I've already stated my reasonings. However; this last one is not entirely true. I join some games specifically to play as the Drones, and I'm sure others do too. Why? Because the little buggers are insanely fun to play.

This topic has lost interest, and apparently never had a chance. Feel free to lock and archive it.

After seeing all of this go down, I believe I will redact my application. There's too many people who would feel affronted by me obtaining this item, and as I told Sierra, I'm not going to step on any toes here. The thing that really gets me though is that I've been playing on Aurora for a while now, and with one minor End of Round infraction aside: I have never done anything to break any rules...nor have I abused the positions I've played. To think that the first thing anyone can think of when they imagine me with this item is: He's going to abuse it (because that's what this all boils down to when you examine it) is quite frankly insulting. Between Quinton Liere's access to pretty much any kind of weapon or device he wants through hacking a Cargo Console and Auto Lathe, to Maximus Altaire's All-Access Pass to any department on the station, Darius Leomine's ability to concoct any number of dangerous substances in the kitchen and hydroponics bay or Damarik's ability as both Virologist and Chemist to REALLY screw up someone's day: I would have hoped at this point that my dedication to my characters in an RP setting would have put me past this kind of biased scrutiny. I'm not a New Player, nor am I any kind of Power-Gamer, and that some of you would think so after me being around for so long frustrates me to no end. Tish, if you and Scopes ever need any spritework done, let me know. I'd be more than happy to assist. However, I don't think I'll be adding any further input to the forums for a while. This thread has shown that there are those around who still require surety that I'm not some kind of Meta-gaming bastard.

The case (whichever is used) can look however, especially if it becomes a Chemistry Specific item and not just mine. That way, there's no real love lost on making a specific carrying case. I've sprited up some new grenades for use on this particular purpose. I can transfer the .dmi in any way you choose. Also did a basic briefcase mod, though I'm not too happy with how it came out...but...eh.

Miraj is also working on her own designs for this, but she doesn't come on station with them on her person. They're still experimental, not authorized technically, so she spends the time to fill out the proper paperwork, get signed off by command staff, then creates the prototypes for use if she's a chemist, or for testing if she's in science. Sorry if you feel I'm stepping on your toes here, Sierra. That really isn't my intent. I'm just trying to have fun with this like anyone else. I wouldn't have any problems with Miraj also doing this either. Perhaps the two can work as a team on the project?

I'm perfectly fine with this idea. As seen above, I'm developing a list of grenades that have been proven to work, and I'd like to continue testing with them to see about further application of the devices. The biggest drawback is having to create the casings from scratch at the beginning of every round, and I usually end up wasting about half an hour every round start just gathering the materials and making the casings to produce enough test equipment. I will agree that this is a Chemist Only option, as it would also make working with Virology a thing when you want to produce the Antigen grenades. I also agree with the "Empty Casings" requiring filled beakers. It makes enough sense that Central wouldn't allow live grenades onto the station in the hands of a chemist. He'd have to install the chemicals while he's there.

As the developer of the devices with continued testing in mind, these would be on his person most days when he enters the lab, so he can further improve on them. Not only this: but they would be a boon to Medical when short-staffed and hit with a massive amount of casualties.

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Another thing: Disposals needs a Stacking Machine console. It was missing one on the last map too. Gets kind of annoying, having to consistently ask the AI to sort the garbage.

Thanks for the awesome votes, guys. Got approval all around. Can I get a review?

Gets kind of annoying when your HoS isn't around to open specialized crates for you. Perhaps we can set it so job specific crates can be opened in the absence of their HoS members?

Kitchen Access to pasture does not permit the Cook/Chef entry. White Freezer in Kitchen Cold Room is inaccessible without dragging the lockers out of the way. For being an empty crate, it's kinda useless. --Unsure on how to fix

Glad to see Cargo Tugs in Cargo instead of those traitorous MULE's. Now, if I were to only ask for one or two more things, they'd be in Viro. 1. A Medical HUD, since the ones out in MedBay seem to vanish like people in the plague. --Given one and added one extra in medical 2. Chests/Lockers to store Viral Samples and such in after you're done with them. Just having them lying around is a risk, as you can break them very easily. All it takes is accidentally clicking on them with something in your hand (even paper...O_o) --Added a locker