afitz

2) A whitelist can alleviate this. When I play as an AI and notice someone breaking into somewhere where they probably shouldn't be, I typically ignore them. An antag has access to bomb every critical area of the station if they feel like it, but they don't (typically). Instead the antag looks to further role play- the AI should be held to the same standards. 3) Searching for someone on the station; Creating announcements on behalf of command not at their offices; More easily handle configuring air alarms; Be a relay between borgs and command/ other departments; Provide on-time alerts of station alarms; Being a target for antags to powergame with; Another set of eyes on suit sensors; Someone to tell to do a mundane task (like turning on or off a shit ton of lights or something like that i dunno; Someone to re enable fire alarms when the assistant decides to turn them off; A literal slave to command. The AI is something you can say "Hey do X task" and it should do it. It's not always easy to access many switches or physically check on all the SMES when something is amiss. 4) I don't think nerfing is worth anything for the AI. if you are going to do something it would have to be a complete rework on how it access systems. 5) Whitelisting could work, and IMO its better to try that before removing it completely. Worse case scenario, nothing change and we just remove it. Best case scenario, things improve. This should be followed through with guidelines on how to role play for the betterment of the round, not murder boning someone in the wrong area. Also, your argument seems like a fallacy- the equivalent of saying "If the janitor had access to a nuke disk/code, you wouldn't whitelist the job, you would remove (REWORK) the janitor's access to a nuke disk." 6)Rules, no- I don't like that idea. However, a guide on how to play AI that command whitelist would be heavily suggested to follow- yes. 7)True, whitelist the role to cut down on bad players (and some good ones). Issue AI bans for power gaming due to the heavy round effect they carry? Im not even sure if thats a good idea tbh. I love playing the AI, the AI is also the character which greatly helps the crew when there is no command available (a situation that wouldn't likely happen in a non-fictional world) If we as a community believe that removing is best, I suggest we focus on trying whitelist first, if that doesn't work then removal til rework would also be good.

Littlelilyflower spent her shift as RD training assistants on how to do their job in research. An excellent way to keep people busy during extended. They seem to play a command character who doesn't act like they are better than everyone else. +1, enjoy our small interaction. (edit: I like people who ask for criticism in their round announcements)

Server Moderator Application Basic Information Byond Account: afitz200 Character Name(s): Evelyn Brooks, Jack Stewart, Nathaniel Moore, Marissa Picard, Nolan Digson, Audrina Wood AI Name(s): S.A.V., S.A.V.I.O.U.R. (borg) Discord username + tag: BinEvo#1738 Age: 20 Timezone: EST (-4) When are you on Aurora?: Working around classes, It ranges sometime between 12p - 8p, and sometimes later 10p-4a Experience How long have you played SS13?: Since Sep 19th, 2014 How long have you played on Aurora: Likely started somewhere around early 2015 How much do you know about SS13 (Baystation build) game mechanics?: A good deal, but I am in no way a master. I still learn different quirks every day. Do you have any experience moderating for an SS13 server?: I do not. Have you read through the criteria thread; https://forums.aurorastation.org/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=4198 - and believe that you mark off all the criteria?: Yes, I have and do. Have you ever been banned, and if so, how long and why?: Nope, never banned before. Personality Why do you play SS13?: It's the ultimate platform for creativity! It is amazing how much detail can be fit into each element of the game. I find it rare to find a game where you can interact with literally every element of the world, and then manipulate it. I have played games like Eve Online which are labeled as "sandboxes", but you very much are stuck within the limits of the game. SS13 is an example of how to do sandboxes right. Why do you play on Aurora?: I love heavy RP, I used to play on a RP server for Arma2:OA. The Arma server wasn't heavy RP, but sparked the love of creating a new identity to put on for a while to make a show with. My character having morals, views, and interests that in no way align with my own allows me to release my creative side and pretend to view the world from a different set of eyes. Aurora, in my opinion, handles heavy RP the best out of any other community available, and I love the environment that has been made available for me to enjoy. I have yet to find a competitor inside or outside of the Byond platform that does what Aurora offers. What do moderators do?: A moderator is like a mother who is letting their kids play outside. The kids can pretend and play around in the back yard, but the mother must make sure they stay safe and do not hurt each other, ruining the experience for all the kids involved. The mother should guide the kids on how to play fairly with each other, and help resolve disputes while teaching the kids the constructive way to play without causing disputes in the future. A mother hates to have to ban a kid send a kid home for being too destructive to the rest of the kids, but must do so when it is clear the kid is unwilling to play fair. What does it mean to be a moderator for our server?: To be capable to help players whether new or veteran. Being a moderator means being part of the team that guided the server towards the thing you love to play today. Being a moderator means preserving the community so someone else may love it the way you do. Why do you want to be a moderator?: When I played on the RP server for Arma2:OA that I mentioned earlier, I played for hours on end. It was a game I easily spent 2000+ hours in. I learned how to be friends with people who had wildly different view than me. I got to meet people from all across the world, and formed connections with as many people as I could. I eventually joined the staff team for that server, and found it only grew my connections and love for the game. The Aurora community reminds me much of that Arma server, and I would love to form as many connection and help it grow in any way I can. I want to be a moderator so I can take part in something that other people can find and love just like I do. It is my time to give back. What qualities do you possess that would make you a good moderator?: I'm level headed, calm, and observant. I seek situations that make me uncomfortable so I can grow and become a better person. I can be unbiased and listen to all sides of the conversation before deciding any faults. I understand that no one is perfect, and that everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves. I am open to review and constructive criticism from anyone - staff or players - I believe criticism only makes me better and allows me to know how my actions can affect people. How well do you handle stress, anger, or insults?: I have a unique personality trait where I can clear my mind, and remember that "its just a game, and there are many things in life which deserve my energy rather than whatever I am getting stressed out about." There are no guarantees I wont get stressed out, but I believe I can rely on members of the team who are more experienced than me, and who will have my back. Anger and insults don't afflict me. I work guest relations at a casino, which means I get a lot of super angry intoxicated people who are upset they didnt earn a free buffet after spending $100 on the gaming floor. As soon as they have vented and wandered off, I just go to the next person in line. Anything Else You Want to Add: I am excited for a chance to assist the community and grow some more! I used to be a moderator in that Arma2:OA community for two years, and learned many skills which I still use to this day. I've made mistakes in the past and messed up on numerous occasions, but I learned from all of them. In the interest of transparency: I have received 4 warnings in the past, the most recent being 3 years ago. I believe I deserved every warning, but I never committed the offense twice. I learned from my mistakes and moved on to do some good for the game. If I am accepted, and you believe there was a better way to handle a situation, please do not hesitate to inform me, I will take anyone's opinions and not hold it against them. Thanks for consideration! (P.S. I couldn't seem to find a way to attach the "mod app" prefix)

Being able to choose if you want to antag or not will not change the variety of rounds we will receive. Also, many people prefer to receive deal with the situations instead of create them. It takes a lot of creativity and skills at the game to make a fun round for everyone. I think it should be an opt-in role if any change were to occur: to help people figure out about the game and the antagonist role before deciding they are ready for it. Forcing antags would not solve the problem you say exists, you didn't outline how it would help either. Solid no in my opinion.

Awesome, glad a system is finally in place. TL;DR: A new way to end the round of any round type once the non-antags are about to be killed off, allows for one last chance for NT to gain the upper hand, if successful, the round ends, if not, the round continues until its natural end. Nuke won't be used unless the round needs to end anyway. Question: What are the rules on a captain disclosing the code to a non-captain in a situation that is fit? Example: Captain is bleeding out and saving is not an option, he discloses the nuke code to a competent person and tells them to activate it for the good of humanity.

I think this idea should be changed into some Prisoner ID system. In real prisons and jails, all inmates are issued an ID number, typically sewn into their suits. It'd be nice if their prison suits came with "sewn in" ID's that deploy in a similar fashion to the way that mag boots or O2 tanks deploy on void suits. Allowing a customizable ID would be a great way to speed up the process for someone who doesn't have an ID, or ensures no access for those who do. Would be cool if they also were set up for forced suit sensors with tracking. Great for hunts. It makes sense for a real brig to have these kinds of securities in place.

So I believe that this is totally going into Aurora now. Mostly considering the amount of crying Lohikar has made me do when helping him work out his freaking grade 10 math level lighting algorithms. The amount of blood, sweat, and tears put into this is quite astounding for such a short period of time. Then there is whatever Lohikar contributed

I was able to play around with this system, the lighting system really shines (get it) when it comes to edges and corners. Looks beautiful and was a great idea to port over. Lohi has been working hard on this for the past few days and has optimized a lot of the code from the original format, to the point where it seems to be faster than the current lighting system. It's like making a game look better, and run better in one update. Why wouldn't you want it? The game looks amazing when all the lights are out, and the hallways are only lit up by the glow of fire alarms and APCs 9.5735/10, would port again.

I like to read the backstory and get a general feel of their attitude towards being whitelisted. It is important to know that they will take it seriously and not just screw over an entire department (or worse, station) whenever they play.

As someone who often plays the Posi-brain, it's nice to see some lore behind it. I always used to follow the old script of "a blue space suspended neural network mapped similar to a brain, but modified to be more efficient" as being the actual AI's brain and personality, while it was given "computational abilities to be able to perform mathematical operations in high-speed real time situations." I like this explanation as it removed any chance of someone going "that goes against the laws of physics" because of the blue space implementation.

Lohikar is my man. I convinced him to get into a real roleplay experince by joining Aurora and have been pushing him to apply for head of staff for a long time. Through the time Riley has been developing as a character I have had many experiences with him between my characters. Riley is an example of an engineering employee I could actually imagine Nanotrasen hiring. Through his time on the server I have seen him constantly prove his competency and ability to learn and improve. Riley would be an excellent character to see as a full time CE, and I am sure any future characters would be an excellent addition to the environment. Riley does so many things right that half the whitelists can't be arsed to do or play properly. +1 from me all the way.

Generally I try to avoid responding to whitelist applications because of my lack of playtime during prime hours. However considering I owe you a reply I decided to sit down and read all the posts in this thread. I have generally noticed some common themes and after having a long shower over thinking my reply I decided the following.. You, have some great traits both OOCly and ICly. At times you are heavily out going and can be extremely helpful. I also find you to be great at role playing in very select situations. Let's get started on wearing down some of my opinions.. First off I highly suggest dropping the "Layers of Nanako" character group. Pick the one you like best and get rid of the other ones. Yes a lot effort is required to properly create a new character, but generally I find the whole "Nanako 1,2,3, & 4" idea kinda lazy, not only to mention I didn't even know your different characters had different last names until I read your application. Next, I find your RP to still be slightly meta/power gamey. No where near the extent of what it was like in the past, however at one instance I have found the "sweet ole' nurse who can't hurt a fly" to be wielding a fire axe, running around hallways yelling at the Chief Engineer on how to do his job during a raid. What happened to the character? You suddenly became this bad-ass woman who was able to do what she want and everyone should listen to her because you were going to be the one who lead the station to victory. This is one example yet I still often find you pushing the bounds, telling others how to do their job and getting way too involved in situations that you shouldn't even care about. There are many situations in which your actions (Such as forcing entry and getting in the way of other's work) would of resulted in a suspension or demotion from just going to far and not knowing when to stop, and I doubt with the streak and reputation you seem to carry regarding these kinds of things you would hold your status with Nano Trasen. On the other hand, when you focus on your character, and focus on being helpful and contributing within realistic bounds- taking orders without the need to give them, I think you really do shine. You have played as one of my subordinates before, and you really set an example on what I would expect a whitelist player to be like. You really need to stop pushing yourself into situations and be more conservative. If you just practiced taking orders, and not getting in everyone's face. You would be a fine person to slowly tip your toes into the cold metaphorical swimming pool of head whitelist. It took me around 8 months before I felt okay enough with applying for head whitelist. That was due to good self judgment and learning from my mistakes. When you are called out you really need to just stop fighting and defending yourself. It looks pety and you have done it with nearly every single negative reply. Take some advice for a change and stop throwing in your two cents. Say sorry, ask how you could have handled the situations better, and learn! When I was first starting out any time I made a mistake I would slow down, step back- and find out what I did wrong in the situation. It sucked hearing negative feedback but I welcomed it because it really can make you a better player. If you are just take this advice, after a lot of trial and error you will come out head of staff material. You have the OOC knowledge required, and I am sure you have the right mindset. You just trip over yourself and you are unable to give up when you are in the moment. I would like to see you as an interim once or twice. I do think you have a month or two left before you are anywhere near ready to receive whitelisting. Take my advice, listen and consider everything that everyone has said so far. Then come back to whitelist. I know you are the kind of person to do the right thing, you just don't know how to start. Neither -1 nor +1, I really would like to give Nanako a shot, yet I don't believe she can handle it at this moment. Good luck, LEARN from your mistakes, Regards

Refusing treatment is fine in my opinion, except medical professional must be given the ability to force safe treatment if it is life threatening, or the patient is deemed mentally unstable.

Rarely do I see science in practice issuing upgraded equipment to other departments and I think janitorial would be a nice fix from that trend. I support nearly all the ideas except for the bluespace cleaner. While very useful it seems way too advanced for a janitor to hold..

I do think that another janitor slot would be useful, but only when there are enough players connected. Really this will need to be regulated by the players choosing their roles. Otherwise I would be up for this. One more free vamp card sounds good to me.

I really like the idea of the economy becoming purposeful. Requiring budgeting for departments and science actually turning a profit from the massive materials they absorb would be a nice added change. As for medical, generally if you are in dire need of medical service, you will receive care before billing is even thought of. During character setup the insurance could be a section on the medical profile, allowing medical to bill an insurance account. If not the crew member is required to pay for the care received. This can actually add a lot of care to not get yourself killed or do something stupid. Yea it is just a stupid mechanical arm, but it costs ya 350 to repair it every time you try to use it for something stupid. I look forward to seeing these kind of changes implemented.

I personally find it more of an annoyance when I have people running around opening the shutters because they are in their way. If we remove the warning at least make sure the idiots die when they ignore warnings. On a side note, I would much prefer a small wait timer or something when ICly you must hold your ID up for 2 seconds or so. Just something that lets me back off during a misclick.

Lets not forget that slapping janitor access on an assistant, and ordering nearly an entire janitor closet replacement kit achieves the same thing. While also giving the Head of Personal something to do.

Thanks for your feedback. I enjoy getting feedback regarding my roleplaying and am constantly looking to improve Thanks again for taking out the time to reply! Regards

BYOND key: Afitz200 Character names: Marissa Picard, Jack Stewart, Nathaniel Moore, SAV(AI), S.A.V.I.O.U.R(Cyborg) How long have you been playing on Aurora?: I started playing about 8 months ago. Why do you wish to be on the whitelist?: I would really like to get experience and have the ability to contribute with a Head position. Why did you come to Aurora?: When I firsted opened BYOND I saw the words "Heavy RP" and thought it would be a nice match. I have yet to have a heavy RP experience in a game. It has been something I have been wanting for a few years now. Needless to say, NSS Aurora did not disappoint. Have you read the BS12 wiki on the head roles you plan on playing?: Yes, I mostly was looking at focusing on Chief Medical Officer, Chief Engineer, and Head of Security. I often play as one of their subordinates as they are my favorite roles. I have already looked at and relied on the Baystation / Aurora wikis for some time now. Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph each. Give a definition of what you think roleplay is, and should be about: Roleplay is the ability to take on another character's mindset and thought processes. It involves the skill of limiting your set of knowledge and limiting outside beliefs and personalities that are not specific to the character being played. During roleplay you must act like the character you are expected to be. For example, if you in a Captain or Head of Staff position, you are expected to be serious and have the ability to handle situations in a calm and fast manner- Your knowledge must be that of someone competent in Nanotrasen regulations. Roleplay is much more than just slapping a different name on and choosing a job. What do you think the OOC purpose of a Head of Staff is, ingame?: Head of Staff are in place with the purpose of being able to organize a department and nudge players in the right direction regarding their role play. Their main concern is to ensure all players have a fair opportunity in game relevant to their positions and to provide a decent environment to enjoy roleplay and have fun in. What do you think the OOC responsibilities of Whitelisted players are to other players, and how would you strive to uphold them?: Whitelisted Players are expected to fully understand the rules and have the ability to roleplay. Whitelisted players should be expected to maintain a fair and fun experience as much as possible with their control and, should invoke roleplay events. A whitelisted player may also be expected to answer questions or assist others in OOC. I would strive to ensure everyone in my department as a HoS would have a chance to role play and enjoy the game. I would also attempt to nudge players out into RP situations instead of their normal "Job Simulator" play styles. Please pick one of your characters for this section, and provide well articulated responses to the following questions. Character name: Marissa Picard Character age: 39 Please provide a short biography of this character (approx 2 paragraphs): One sunny morning in the city of Big Rapids on Sol III (Earth) on the date of July 2nd 2418, Mrs Picard gave birth to a baby girl, she chose to name her Marissa, after her mother which sacrificed much to get them to where they were that day. Marissa was born into a middle-class family living in Michigan. From a young age Marissa was always encouraged to make the right steps, to focus on education, and to not make the same mistakes they did. Around the age of 8 (2486) Marissa enrolled in public schooling. Her teachers generally thought of her in a positive light academically, but often found her distracted and unable to stay on task. At the time it was thought that she performed too well for the school, and she had a lot of free time compared to the other students- this was why she may have been acting out. When she was in her 10th year of school she determined the way she was developed was not suited for the public schooling system that was provided. She was unable to work well with the tasks asked of her and generally was unable to live up to her teacher's expectations. Picard and her mother decided it was worth taking the leap forward into private, and personal schooling. This decision was hard on the family as the cost was high, however her mother wanted to give her the best chance at life and was willing to go through the troubles. This greatly increased the Marissa's education as well as sparked her interest in the medical industry. Marissa graduated with her high school diploma at the age of 17 (2435) and decided to follow her mother's advice and jump into her formal education as soon as possible. Marissa joined the school of Michigan's Institute of Medical Sciences shortly after graduating. Marissa got very little sleep working to fund the cost of her education as well as focusing heavily on course work. After a lot of hard work and small jobs on the side, Marissa finally got her Medical Doctor (M.D) diploma. Which this new achievement she applied to a local clinic in ohio as a intern. She assisted the hospital to gain experience while starting her next educational adventure. A long period of time passed while focusing on her education to eventually bring us to the year of 2442. Marissa had just completed her undergraduate in Pharmacy (Pharm. D). With this new feat and the work experience in the local hospital, she decided to go for her goal. In 2442 she received a job officer to become a general practice doctor in Ohio's Cleveland Clinic. She continued to happily work while supporting her mother financially until the sad day of July 28th, 2446. This date will always be remember by Marissa as the day her mother died. She decided to truly go big to make sure that no matter what, she would make her mother proud. A few months after her mother's death Marissa signed herself a 6 year contract with NanoTrasen. She was going to be sent off to practice for another 14 years. She never forgot why she got to the point she was at that day, and she never will. What do you like about this character?: This is my first character! I have naturally favored her due to her being my first experience binding many memories to her name. She is strong and takes a lot of her background and life style/design choices from me personally. I put a lot of personal "love" into this character during her creation and as such, she will be my favorite. Answer you are likely looking for: Marissa is dedicated to her job and the people she treats. Marissa is great at managing her own expectations and is often happy and great at providing smiles to her co-workers. What do you dislike about this character?: She often lets her job get in the way of personal relationships and can be hard to connect with emotionally. What do you think makes this character fit to be a head of staff?: Marissa is a natural born leader. She is great at taking control of situations and being able to efficiently allocate resources and direct crew in tough situations. Marissa has the ability to be "approachable", which is good when discussing matters with subordinates. Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions. How would you rate your own roleplaying?: Over time while playing Aurora, I have found more and more confidence in my ability to roleplay. I still have room to improve in areas such as maintaining more in depth character traits and quirks. Overall I would rate it a solid "Good" with room for improvement. Extra notes: I would love to hear all feedback regarding my application or in-game roleplay. I know I have made mistakes in the past but I like to view these as part of the natural learning process. I look forward to people's opinion and hope I am considered positively for whitelist.

I am rather interested in the idea and will be following the development of the game. The problem that I see is that it from from a developer who is not afraid to break promises and abandon projects that he has managed poorly. In the time space of 3-4 CoD games, he has yet to even get his original project out of the "Alpha" stage..

I think this is a rather good idea. Over time I think much balancing will be required. I can imagine it now: Quartermaster hassling their miners to supply the war effort, the hallways being locked down and checkpoints being set up. Barricades ready to deploy and the AI to rule the locks. Everyone has a purpose and no one is left out. During waves or calm moments you have engineering scrambling to fix what they can, sectors being setup to supply shields with power and there is never downtime.

I has the ability to roleplay with one of Fluffy's characters today. The entire time I noticed Fluffy's ability to act like he knew everything about his role and played with complete confidence in his decisions in game.

I do see the problems with everything. Maybe it would be a better idea if there was a small "Backup Bridge" somewhere around the station. If the bridge is under siege you can go to this other location and contact those you need to contact. This would be a small and lightweight version of the bridge.