jackfractal

Oh man. It should have an enormous delay when cleaning anything: "Urist McNewbie has started scrubbing the dirt with the toothbrush." "Urist McNewbie is still scrubbing the dirt with the toothbrush." "Urist McNewbie scrubs at the dirt with the toothbrush, they look like they're starting to regret their life choices." "Urist McNewbie has finally managed to clean up the dirt with the toothbrush."

AI's being wildly inappropriate or unprofessional is a job for the DO desk. Regardless of their source, age, or design, AI's that work as crew-members still have to be able to work as crew-members. If you see IPC's acting completely bonkers, that's no different then seeing anyone else acting completely bonkers. Contact the relevant authorities.

AI's being wildly inappropriate or unprofessional is a job for the DO desk. Regardless of their source, age, or design, AI's that work as crew-members still have to be able to work as crew-members. If you see IPC's acting completely bonkers, that's no different then seeing anyone else acting completely bonkers. Contact the relevant authorities.

Yeah, I wasn't suggesting we remove cloning. Just genetics. Cloning is almost entirely separate from genetics code-wise.

Yeah, I wasn't suggesting we remove cloning. Just genetics. Cloning is almost entirely separate from genetics code-wise.

We could just remove genetics entirely. We're looking at a pretty big code rework in the near future, it could be arranged.

We could just remove genetics entirely. We're looking at a pretty big code rework in the near future, it could be arranged.

What a white-list does is it prevents people who aren't capable of playing a role properly from playing that role. In the case of Shells, that's fairly easy, as their lore is purposefully vague. The problem you've identified JX isn't that people are playing them wrong, it's that too many people are playing them for your tastes. What you need for that problem isn't a white-list, it's a quota. "You cannot join as Urist McRobot this round because there are already too many shells on the station. You must choose another character." "You cannot join as Pretty McKitty this round because there are already too many tajaran on the station. You must choose another character." That's not something I see going over very well.

What a white-list does is it prevents people who aren't capable of playing a role properly from playing that role. In the case of Shells, that's fairly easy, as their lore is purposefully vague. The problem you've identified JX isn't that people are playing them wrong, it's that too many people are playing them for your tastes. What you need for that problem isn't a white-list, it's a quota. "You cannot join as Urist McRobot this round because there are already too many shells on the station. You must choose another character." "You cannot join as Pretty McKitty this round because there are already too many tajaran on the station. You must choose another character." That's not something I see going over very well.

I'd say, make 'em vulnerable to disablers and make 'em vulnerable to flashes. They could keep their poison and gas immunities (which includes pepper spray) but they shouldn't be exempt from standard weaponry. I'd also dial down their EMP response, make it so that a single blast doesn't instantly murder then, just hurts them and knocks them out, and that it degrades in effectiveness more quickly then it does in cases of splash damage.

I'd say, make 'em vulnerable to disablers and make 'em vulnerable to flashes. They could keep their poison and gas immunities (which includes pepper spray) but they shouldn't be exempt from standard weaponry. I'd also dial down their EMP response, make it so that a single blast doesn't instantly murder then, just hurts them and knocks them out, and that it degrades in effectiveness more quickly then it does in cases of splash damage.

EMP's already affect cyborgs and AI's. EMP grenades remain one of the easiest and least destructive way's to take out a MALF.

EMP's already affect cyborgs and AI's. EMP grenades remain one of the easiest and least destructive way's to take out a MALF.

It's also worth pointing out that most EMP weapons are not particularly discriminating. If YOU'RE an IPC, or an organic with synthetic organs, and you need to take out an IPC? Your choices basically start and end at 'beat them to death'.

It's also worth pointing out that most EMP weapons are not particularly discriminating. If YOU'RE an IPC, or an organic with synthetic organs, and you need to take out an IPC? Your choices basically start and end at 'beat them to death'.

I'm the one who did the shell update and I think they're OP. They have one downside which is the EMP thing, aside from that it's just tons of awesome upsides. Paradise handles their OP-ness by making them extremely vulnerable to brute damage. Rather than taking half, they take twice as much as an organic character. Also, their limbs fall off where they would break on an organic, meaning you can shoot their arms and legs off in one shot. And they're still pretty OP.

I'm the one who did the shell update and I think they're OP. They have one downside which is the EMP thing, aside from that it's just tons of awesome upsides. Paradise handles their OP-ness by making them extremely vulnerable to brute damage. Rather than taking half, they take twice as much as an organic character. Also, their limbs fall off where they would break on an organic, meaning you can shoot their arms and legs off in one shot. And they're still pretty OP.

Cloning is not the cleverest of all our systems. If the Vaucra spawn with their mechanical parts, the cloner would spawn them with those parts. That being said, I think it would be more fun if they had to get them made at robotics and then undergo surgery post-cloning to get back on their feet. Not a complete cloning ban, like Vox, but something that makes them a bit more challenging. It would require some snowflake code, but the idea that they can't speak common or metabolize earth atmosphere with their organic mouthparts is lovely.

Cloning is not the cleverest of all our systems. If the Vaucra spawn with their mechanical parts, the cloner would spawn them with those parts. That being said, I think it would be more fun if they had to get them made at robotics and then undergo surgery post-cloning to get back on their feet. Not a complete cloning ban, like Vox, but something that makes them a bit more challenging. It would require some snowflake code, but the idea that they can't speak common or metabolize earth atmosphere with their organic mouthparts is lovely.

Genetics are a mess, both from a code perspective and from a lore perspective. Nobody in the whole SS13 community (not just Aurora, everyone) seems to want to deal with them. From a code perspective, they spiderweb everywhere (for example, there's a check every time you click on anything to make sure you're not trying to shoot it with laser eyes), they don't make sense with a multi-species crew as the last real work anyone's done on them predates the existence of non-humans, and they're not easy to either maintain or expand. To top it off, the mechanics of getting them aren't even interesting. You sit at a desk rolling dice until a monkey turns green. Zuhayr's five year plan involves removing the whole thing. That's probably the best idea.

Genetics are a mess, both from a code perspective and from a lore perspective. Nobody in the whole SS13 community (not just Aurora, everyone) seems to want to deal with them. From a code perspective, they spiderweb everywhere (for example, there's a check every time you click on anything to make sure you're not trying to shoot it with laser eyes), they don't make sense with a multi-species crew as the last real work anyone's done on them predates the existence of non-humans, and they're not easy to either maintain or expand. To top it off, the mechanics of getting them aren't even interesting. You sit at a desk rolling dice until a monkey turns green. Zuhayr's five year plan involves removing the whole thing. That's probably the best idea.

The basic goal of the AI stuff that I wrote was to give people the opportunity to play the kinds of robots that they wanted. That's why AI's don't have a universal origin, and why they're encouraged to come from other companies then Nanotransen. As that's the case, I would say that some AI's are more then capable of experiencing emotion, but other are not, both are valid. Others might be capable of simulating an emotional response, while not directly 'experiencing' it as part of their core processes, such an AI might act a lot like an organic sociopath, perfectly warm and loving one minute and then cold and calculating the next. Specifically regarding 'shells', there are a middling number of them who are actually cyborgs, and in that case they are as capable of experiencing emotions as anyone of their species. That being said, cyborgs are missing most of their endocrine, and peripheral nervous systems, so unless the software or brain-doping simulations of those systems were unusually advanced, they would probably experience a muting of the more extreme emotional reactions. Most cyborgs would be able to feel dread, because that relies on an intellectual anticipation, but they would be unlikely to experience terror, so too with satisfaction and elation. I do notice a lot of IPC's acting human or very nearly, and I think that's more sad than annoying. It's a missed opportunity to do something more interesting.

The basic goal of the AI stuff that I wrote was to give people the opportunity to play the kinds of robots that they wanted. That's why AI's don't have a universal origin, and why they're encouraged to come from other companies then Nanotransen. As that's the case, I would say that some AI's are more then capable of experiencing emotion, but other are not, both are valid. Others might be capable of simulating an emotional response, while not directly 'experiencing' it as part of their core processes, such an AI might act a lot like an organic sociopath, perfectly warm and loving one minute and then cold and calculating the next. Specifically regarding 'shells', there are a middling number of them who are actually cyborgs, and in that case they are as capable of experiencing emotions as anyone of their species. That being said, cyborgs are missing most of their endocrine, and peripheral nervous systems, so unless the software or brain-doping simulations of those systems were unusually advanced, they would probably experience a muting of the more extreme emotional reactions. Most cyborgs would be able to feel dread, because that relies on an intellectual anticipation, but they would be unlikely to experience terror, so too with satisfaction and elation. I do notice a lot of IPC's acting human or very nearly, and I think that's more sad than annoying. It's a missed opportunity to do something more interesting.

Ah, yes Skull. I meant that any count we created should include the whole department, not just officers and cadets. Six total is definitely too low as a permanent cap.

Ah, yes Skull. I meant that any count we created should include the whole department, not just officers and cadets. Six total is definitely too low as a permanent cap.