evandorf

Yes, that was the point of the suggestion. This is a temporary removal so we can rework it without continuing to bother us Sorry. I misread the post initially. I’ve edited my response.

The only issue I have with this is that there are good and interesting ways to play changeling as it currently is. It requires cooperation from the crew and ling but it can be done. Edit: I misread your initial post. Reworded my concern.

But surely there has to be oversight somewhere. Earlier you said that, if there were issues, complaints should be made and ahelps created. This puts the majority of the responsibility of oversight on the admins and moderators. Additional mechanics that are reasonable, balanced, and realistic in the world allow the game itself to account for more of the countless scenarios that could occur and automatically resolve some issues that might otherwise be ahelped or entered as a complaint on the forum. It also removes the subjective element of admin/moderator decisions. An element I think causes quite a bit of unrest when it comes to people not being satisfied with admin/moderator decisions. This applies not just to my suggestion but any added mechanic. But I've gone quite off topic again and I'd like to return to the details of my suggestion regarding technical viability and balancing. I respect your position and I understand where you're coming from and your concerns should be taken into consideration if this is implemented.

From my perspective, I think of it more like a DM in DnD. There's nothing wrong with player driven story and RP but sometimes the DM has to step in and give them external consequences to deal with. In this case the DM is a set of automated rules which we can alter the math behind to best fit the playerbase.

I feel like I've given you the wrong idea or explained it poorly. The mechanic would be similar to dropping your weapon because your prosthesis is damaged or you have a bone fracture, except in this case the cause would be mental not physical. It sucks when your prosthesis is damaged but do you really think people will spend their time and brainpower keeping track of that? They'd rather concentrate on the actual RP and not the minutia the server can handle in the background.

I feel like this has gotten slightly off topic. These mechanics were not suggested with the sole intent to eliminate validhunting nor do I think that we are unable to trust our playerbase. I suggested these mechanics to fill in RP details that I felt were missing regarding the consequences of combat due to various factors including but not limited to player intention, time constraints, and the pace of heavy combat, I feel that even the best of us can gloss over just how tiring combat can be and the effects it has upon the body and mind. [mention]Bauser[/mention], as I stated earlier the frequency at which you would encounter adverse effects while at a baseline CHV would be very low. I'd like to get futher feedback from you on the response post I made. If you feel like these mechanics are invasive to your RP in some way I feel like tweaking the numbers could find a good balance.

Apologies for any errors in my latest reply. I'm off to work now and will try to clarify and fix any errors when I get home.

I will try to answer some of the questions and issues raised, starting with what I feel will be the largest concern for many on an HRP server. First, I want to acknowledge that the debate between RP being shown through mechanics or being left under the direction of the players themselves is less of an issue of mechanical balance and more a philosophical difference in styles of play. Whether or not this suggestion, or others like it, is accepted will be mostly determined by the desires of the community as a whole. Aurora, being an HRP server, will likely have many more members of the community who are of the same mindset as Bauser, and tweaking the proposed changes will definitely be required to make sure that the added mechanics stay on the right side of acceptability for those players. However, combat is a situation which can very easily begin to move at a pace too rapid for all players to be able to remain fully engaged with all aspects of RP. The intention of this mechanic is not to replace fear RP, or even to force players to adhere to fear RP. It simply adds additional mental effects for sustained combat, sustained dangerous repairs where you are taking damage, or sustained viewing of death and trauma. The frequency of these effects should be low and it should only be a factor taken into consideration by players when determining future actions. It should not be so harsh or prevalent that players are left with no choice. That being said, let's take a look at the possible effects of the mechanic. I want to emphasize that the negative effects mentioned for having a normal CHV will not be constant or continuous for characters at normal crew-level CHV. Baseline CHV values will have negligible effects on combat or other surprise situations. For an example: We have John Doe, Janitor. John is as normal and vanilla as can be. He was not in the military, is not jaded, and can be considered as close to a "control" subject as we can in our experiment. John's CHV at the start of the round would be considered zero. With a CHV of zero John can start a bar-room brawl, resist detainment, and even engage hostile antagonists if security is non-existent. It would not be until John sustains damage or has his CHV reduced below baseline that he would begin to see marked effects of combat fatigue. Other characters with higher starting CHV will simply last longer in a fight before experiencing negative side effects. These proposed mechanics would make it more difficult to engage in sustained combat rather than dictate whether or not you enter combat in the first place. Long sustained combat is arguably difficult for anyone, regardless of background or race, and it is my opinion that showing that in the mechanics would not be stepping on people's toes when it comes to RP. The issue with doctors was one I was grappling with too and there are a few ways I can think of off the top of my head to fix it. The gore and death CHV options could be elimitated from doctors entirely. (I will say doctors specifically because residents, chemists, others who are not acclimated to such might still be susceptible.) This could also be utilized for antags who MUST kill. I think it could easily be argued that lings won't take a CHV hit for absorbing someone. Allow people to set their CHV in character creation, but instead of your occupation giving you a defined vaule it would simply put a cap on your max CHV or act as a modifier for your CHV. In this way, you could still make a high or low value CHV character but have those values tempered by your current occupation. Doctors could be added to the list of occupations with higher CHV. See the answer to Conspiir. Having your occupation be a cap or modifier to your creation CHV instead of a hard value might allow for niche characters. These concerns tie in somewhat with my response to Bauser. Baseline CHV will not exclude characters from engaging in combat, these changes simply add consequences for sustained combat and the percentages for adverse effects should be kept low around the baseline level. However, everyone regardless of race or background, will fatigue eventually. I think that this will open people up to fighting tactically. Moreso than they already do. Taking cover, using guerilla tactics, possibly prioritizing attacks that inflict pain more than damage. It opens a lot of options for those who want to engage in combat while also trying to ensure that the mechanical combat doesn't become the focus. Regarding the psychiatrist, I was trying to provide a varied list of options. I want people to be able to recover in the way that would be appropriate to their character. I would not lock recovery only behind the psychiatrist. It would simply be an option, preferable perhaps to those players that want their characters involved in medical recovery.

In a nutshell, characters would have a value indicating not necessarily combat proficiency, but how hardened to combat they are. This would affect characters in a number of ways: Characters with a lowered combat hardened value (from here I'll just abbreviate to CHV) will have a chance to have adverse effects occur when certain conditions are met. Examples would include but are not limited to dropping your weapon or held item when damage is taken (in this example the drop would occur because of surprise not because of damage to the hand or arm), accidentally firing when surprised (perhaps by a drastic and rapid change in surrounding light values), vomiting or other negative reactions to seeing someone die or become severely wounded. Characters with baseline or higher CHV would have a much lower chance of having adverse effects. Chances of adverse affects are low at baseline and decrease further the higher above baseline you are. Lingering pain or sustaining constant and repeated damage could temporarily lower the character's CHV. This effect could be ameliorated by an extended time remaining at full health, pain killers, alcohol, psychoactive drugs, or aid from the station psychiatrist. Crew members would have an initial CHV based on race and occupation. The Head of Security would have the highest rating among regular crew followed by the Captain, then Warden, then regular officers. Cadets would have CHV only slightly higher than the rest of the crew. ERT members would have an exceedingly high CHV. Vaurca Warriors would have the highest racial CHV followed by Unathi, Tajara, Human/IPC, with Skrell having the least. This list would obviously be open to changes but consider that we are discussing normal crew members who work on a research station, not extremes like Tup Commandos. Most antagonist roles would either be given a high CHV to start with (for example most mercs should be fairly hardened) or a combat manual could be made available on the uplink that would allow players to tailor their stationbound traitors as they saw fit. Considerations would have to be given as to where the changeling, vampire, and other esoteric antagonists would fall. Examples of RP Generated by this Mechanic: A cult attempts to capture a security officer to perform a quick conversion. The officer cries out and help eventually arrives from the other officers. Unfortunately the captured officer was subjected to intense pain for minutes before the approaching officers forced the cultists to flee. This officer's CHV has been lowered temporarily (possibly substantially due to the mystical nature and horrific events that happen during a conversion). Unless propped up by painkillers or alcohol, this officer will be at risk of having lowered performance in combat and the player will need to adjust their actions accordingly. Heisters infiltrate the station and corner miners and cargo technicians in cargo. Taking several hostage, they demand that cargo order weapons and other goods for their use. A baseline CHV cargo technician considers using a knife he found in the warehouse or perhaps other impromptu weapon. The heisters, sensing a reluctance to cooperate and a possible resistance take one of the crew and cut his hand off with an e-sword. Normally this would be done for intimidation effect but with this mechanic it would decrease the combat effectiveness of the crew who may be thinking of fighting the heisters. Some may even vomit or faint (the more extreme reactions would have a lower chance of actually occurring). Revolutionaries have killed a majority of security. Two officers remain. While they have carbines and other gear, things are looking grim. One has internal bleeding and medical has been out of operation for a while now. The other is in fairly good health but has taken some damage too and running, fighting for his life for hours, has left him exhausted. The revolutionaries outnumber them now, and huddled in maintenance the first officer loses consciousness from blood loss. It's not long now. The remaining officer comforts him, in the dark, while he dies. This is the final straw. He can barely lift his weapon and his comrades are dead. He considers calling over the radio. To ask for terms of surrender but he can't swallow his pride for that. His pistol, loaded with lethal .45 rounds and so heavy he can barely lift it to his chin, glistens invitingly in the beam from his maglight. Pros: Will reduce validhunting by non-sec crew. Perhaps you shouldn't try to beat that Vaurca Warrior class Mercenary, decked in armor, who just killed a security officer in front of you, to death with a crowbar. Will encourage peaceful resolutions to sustained combat. Without preparation you will not be able to fight sustained battle from one end of the station to the other. Everyone has their limits. Other non-combat roles will also be affected. Things that may surprise or illicit a response such as the lights coming on all at once, being shocked while repairing a door, seeing the man you're operating on die before you; these could all provoke a response from your character, enabling you to roll with what happened and create additional stories for you and your co-workers. (Plus I always wanted to see a detective choke on his own cigarrette butt when suprised.) Cons: If players were allowed to alter their CHV in character creation, it would run the risk of everyone setting the value high and negating the system. If players are not allowed to alter their CHV in character creation it would hamper the ability to create tropes like hard as nails miners, or PTSD aflicted veterans. Certain types of players simply dislike mechanics dictating their actions. This is always a valid consideration to take into account when adding new mechanics.

Server Moderator Application Basic Information Byond Account: Evandorf Character Name(s): Most Played: Suvek Tokash (Head of Security), Nia (Engine Technician), Leonard Krasinski (Detective), Adam (Scientist) Least Played: Arthur Straub (Janitor/Miner), Emanual Clarke (Xenobotanist/ Virologist), Albert Martin (Psychologist), MRLO-5512 (Detective), Nolan Dennis (Xenoarcheologist), Sinclair (Merchant), Roland Laurent (Counsilor), Sylvia (Bartender), Martin Holloway (Engineer) Defunct Characters: Cassandra Faust (Eridani HoS during Eridani event), Karl Strauss (Cargo Technician/Miner) AI Name(s): Patriarch, Servitor (Borg) Discord username + tag: Evandorf#1890 Age: 35 Timezone: US Central When are you on Aurora?: Usually after work from 4 PM Central to 11 PM or 12 AM Central. I play earlier during the day on weekends. Experience How long have you played SS13?: I have played on this server, on and off, since September 2015, but I had played on Cyberaid and Hypatia before that. Roughly four years. How long have you played on Aurora: Roughly three years. How much do you know about SS13 (Baystation build) game mechanics?: I am well versed in most of the mechanics. I can perform engine setup, atmos setup, power optimizations, breach and airflow mechanics. I understand how chemistry works even though I would have to have the wiki open for the recipes. I'm familiar with robotics, research and development, xenobiology, toxins, cooking, hydroponics, mining. I lack knowledge in telecomms setup but have some scripts saved from those who know more. Most of the time if I can't figure out how something works I find it in github. I may not know all the ins and outs of coding, but most people leave enough notes or there is enough context for me to figure it out. Do you have any experience moderating for an SS13 server?: No. 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. Have you ever been banned, and if so, how long and why?: No. Personality Why do you play SS13?: First and foremost, I love the setting. I love scifi, I'm a huge robophile, and the complexity hidden behind the simple graphics of the game really immerse me. I love being able to sit down and either tweak an existing system (like the power system) or create new systems for personal or assigned projects (setting up containment for xenos for example). Why do you play on Aurora?: The people and mood. I have a friend who I've tried to get into this game. For whatever reason it doesn't appeal to him. He has fun downloading and running the server alone on his own computer, getting in and walking empty halls, messing with equipment; but he can't or won't play with other people online. The complexity of the game is great, but it's playing with a community of people who want to craft the same universe and want to see the setting come alive why I enjoy HRP and this server in particular. What do moderators do?: They respond to player concerns and complaints. They make sure that the rules are observed and mediate if necessary. They also help new players acclimate to the server. What does it mean to be a moderator for our server?: For Aurora, being HRP, moderators will have to deal with issues relating to what was stated in the previous question in addition to concerns that consider the interactions between players. While I don't believe that every decision will be considered "Fair" by all parties involved, it is worth attempting to come to an agreement that considers all points of view, both IC and OOC, and still remains within the rules of the server. Why do you want to be a moderator?: As stated earlier, I've been on and off this server for around three years. It's given me a lot of good memories and people I could consider a friend. I want to help uphold the community and give something back. What qualities do you possess that would make you a good moderator?: My best qualities are patience and persistence. I have a high tolerance for repetition and am willing to spend time digging to make sure I have all the information I need to make a decision. How well do you handle stress, anger, or insults?: I handle all three fairly well. In my actual job, I am a repair technician for a wide array of systems. I work on laptops, desktops, and servers for both home and office. I repair networking equipment, satellite communication, get on roofs, run cable (again in both people's homes and offices). I even repair robotic pill cabinets for high volume pharmacies at times. The company I work for is contracted to do work for all these various companies and it is a daily struggle to schedule timeslots, repair equipment, and also make sure the customers are happy. All while driving sometimes two hours away. It can be stressful. People will insult me to my face and it would be very easy to get upset and angry. I have a very thick skin and though I may get salty sometimes and refute my warnings on the forums I never let any possible anger I have show. It would only undermine my credibility. Anything Else You Want to Add: As I said before, I am very glad to be a part of this community. I hope that in my time here I have shown good judgement and treated other people how they would like to be treated. I want to help maintain the server, help people who are having issues, and make sure this great thing we're a part of continues. I'm always impressed with the coders, sprite creators, devs, moderators, and all the rest who work to keep this ship not only afloat but improving all the time. I'm really looking forward to future changes and I hope I can help be a part of that.

BYOND Key: Evandorf Character name: Suvek Tokash Item name: Tokash Ancestral Spear Why is your character carrying said item to work? Tokash comes from a proud and traditional Unathi clan. Canonically we was given this spear by his Grandfather before he left Moghes to remind him of his clan and lineage. Item function(s): The item will serve a purely decorative function with similar mechanics to a flag. Item description: "This spear is clearly very old but well cared for." Item appearance: It would look very similar to a normal spear with the addition of simple magnetic hooks to allow easy installation to a wall of the user's choice. How will you use this to better interact with crew and/or stimulate RP? It is a cherished object that clearly ties Tokash to his clan. Hung in his office it would be a conversation piece at the very least. I intend also to add it to my exploitable information so it can act as a weakness or at least leverage for antagonists. Additional comments: I want to be clear that this is not, mechanically speaking, a weapon. If the simple fact of it being a spear is going against rule three then I guess I'm out of luck. The reason I am asking for this item is because I want Tokash to have something to make him feel more Unathi. Since moving from Officer to HoS he has been on the front lines less, there is really no excuse for him to carry a spear because he has an energy pistol and telebaton. But he still is Unathi at heart. If this is allowed, I would like to ask that perhaps the sprite when mounted on the wall appear as a mounted spear, but when carried the sprite would look as a spear normally would. I do not plan to carry it around the station, perhaps I would only take it off the wall if there were an emergency shuttle called and he feared to lose it. Or perhaps if there were an Unathi dignitary it would be prudent to present it. Regardless, the effect of hitting someone would have the effect of hitting someone with a flag. If having the carry sprite look like a spear is too much, then I would opt for having it be boxed up when carried.

I wanted to post a quick rundown of events from my point of view since I was letting DasFox take point through most of the ERT response. [*] After joining the ERT, I moved to grab a redsuit. DasFox was making intial contact with station command. From the beginning we had reports that most if not all of security was compromised and that the Captain was besieged in his office. [*] DasFox states to suit up and bring plenty of firepower. These are not the exact words they used and it might be good to check the logs since intent is important. [*] I grab my redsuit, change out my laser module for the laser cannon module. I get a harness filled with C4. I get a belt with a baton, shield, two handcuffs, three frag grenades, and two clips for the bullpup. My suit comes with a built in grenade launcher with other non-lethal grenades, so I only loadup on frags in my belt. I also slot a frag in the bullpup. Additionally, while carrying the bullpup in hand but put an energy rifle on my back. [*]We board the shuttle. DasFox makes an announcement to the station before we leave stating that security is compromised, station crew should immediately drop their weapons, and that any crew seen carrying weapons would be treated as hostile and fired upon along with all security personnel. I think this may have been a little over the top, but based on information we were getting from the Captain it seemed like there was a full scale mutiny going on. [*] We arrive, move to the bridge. Trekker, our engie ERT falls back, due to having some trouble getting his jetpack working. We had moved into the command elevator shaft rather than calling the elevator and Trekker had fallen, although he did not break any thing. [*] We meet the Captain in his office or at least it seems to be the Captain. He has Corvo's ID and is wearing the Captain's EVA suit. To be honest I don't remember what was said between DasFox and the Captain here. I was mostly concerned making sure Trekker was getting his jets working and didn't break anything. Possibly the captain told DasFox only that the ones attacking the bridge had gone to medical. Regardless we did not stay in the Captain's office long. [*] Trekker is still lagging behind. I follow DasFox out of the bridge toward medical. [*] We arrive in medical and spot Carmichael near the cryotubes. Since I was behind DasFox and Carmichael moved south, passing the elevator and moving past the CMO's office, I can only say I saw DasFox firing. Amory said earlier in this thread that he shot a few slugs as well. [*] We chase Carmichael through medical, eventually following him to the OR where we see him and Vira (The HoS) taking cover behind a wall and the door. [*] The door to the small room joining the ORs seems busted. DasFox tells me to blow it open. I do not remember the exact wording of the command, but it was such that it implied explosives and not a crowbar. I didn't have a crowbar on me at the time anyway. [*] I use C4 and attach it to the door. Carmichael and the Head of Security fall back into the fore OR and we follow with DasFox taking point. [*] I have no way of making a clean shot at Carmichael with DasFox in front of me but in the small OR space I see DasFox get his bullpup disarmed by Carmichael. Vira had moved to the Bottom left most corner of the fore OR. This is where I made my first mistake. [*] I cycle my bullpup to grenade and move into the OR. I quickly fire the frag I had loaded over to the other side of the room near Carmichael and Vira. DasFox, having picked up his bullpup quickly falls back with me but gets cut by some shrapnel. They say they are fine and quickly heal themselves. I will readily admit that I did not remember the grenade timings had been changed. I also was not aware that the frag grenades would do so much damage. The walls were damaged and only open girders were between the room and the small 2x2 open area north of the OR. The windows to the main hall were also blown out. [*] Carmichael was down at this point. Either in crit or dead. The shutters went down and when we got back into the room Vira was gone. She either walked out through the broken windows or used the red shade power. [*] We followed Vira south. I did not see her, but apparently DasFox had because we entered the toilets and the middle one was bolted. [*] About this time I was bwoiked about ignoring a dominate command. As I told Queen at the time, I did not see a command nor did anything pop up regarding it. In LooC people were saying it was a known bug. [*] DasFox tells me to blow the door on the bathroom stall. I C4 it open and Vira is inside. DasFox aims the gun at her and nothing happens for a moment. Several seconds later DasFox states in LooC that "it" was cheap and that they were ahelping "it". I assume Vira used dominate on them when the door was blown open. [*] There was a bit of snark exchanged back and forth in LooC at this point. Eventually DasFox says that the ahelp hadn't been answered. Vira is using the influence ability on me and I am getting messages like "You feel they are a good person." ect. [*] I make mention to the other trooper that we should taker her in. I didn't want to kill another vamp using dominate and I was already being influenced so I ask her to disarm, she complies, I put cuffs on her and we start moving to the shuttle which had been called. [*] We get to the surface sec checkpoint and DasFox tells me "keep working on this, I'll get the other." [*] I keep the HoS moving towards the shuttle. It should be noted that at this point she had not been searched and only her carbine and energy pistol had been confiscated from when she willingly disarmed. [*]We get to the shuttle and I move toward the holding cell. The HoS goes into red shade mode and floats back toward the station. I did not report in at this time but made a quick exclamation to those nearby and move off. [*] I find Vira on the floor near the checkpoint, still cuffed. I shake her up and radio in "She tried to escape." As shown earlier in the thread, the response was "Kill her." [*] I suppose at this point I had a choice and could have ignored the order and simply put her on the shuttle but the command didn't seem outrageous. She clearly had some kind of ability, was hostile, was reported to have attacked the Captain, and made multiple attempts to escape. I suppose in the end I complied with the order because the round was ending soon and I didn't have the means to contain her properly if she attempted another escape. [*] I apologized to her and fired a three burst round, point blank to the head, right as she glared me down. She ran round the checkpoint and at some point she broke her cuffs. I'm not sure if taking damage had triggered a rage. I'm not super familiar with the vamp mechanics. [*] I chased her around, firing through the glass when I could and threw a few more frags round corners. Eventually she went down. [*] Radio'ed in about what to do with the body and took it back with me to the shuttle where I met up again with the other two EMT troopers.

I've been away for a few months so I may be in the dark on recent changes, but I remember reading that stationbounds have EMP shielding now, right? If this is from a focus on removing game ending mechanics hasn't this been addressed by the shielding? In my experiences the AI itself isn't generally countered with the ion, so this would apply primarily to the borgs.

What is this from?

I think having a simple cube where the Sprite flashes as a typing indicator would be neat.

From the way this reads, most of these effects increase the amount of time it will take before hunger sets in. Burger can correct me if I'm wrong but it seems that the hunger created by walking was halved, so you get less hungry from walking but the half that was removed was simply moved from hunger accumulation to thirst accumulation. So overall hunger will accrue at a slower rate, thirst will accrue at a similar rate, but since you eat and drink approximately around the same time the affect over all will be fewer trips to the vending machines. The same is true of hunger accrual from stamina regen. The amount of hunger required to have neutral affects was doubled, but this would make sense if hunger accrues slower. The amount of thirst required to have neutral affects is 50% lower than hunger which also makes sense because as I understand it thirst will accrue slightly faster and may be affected by other considerations like salty food. The numbers here can be tweaked if they appear to be unbalanced as well, but I trust that it will be worked out to everyone's satisfaction.

It seems like the schism here lies between people who want to/can RP without direct in-game consequences (who will drink if they deem their character needs to drink) and those who want/need RP where the consequences are reflected in the game via the mechanics (even if the outcome is very small and seen only to themselves). I, personally, would get enjoyment and immersion from this addition but I understand the concerns presented as well. To me, the proposed changes do not seem radical, but any issues should be addressed/tweaked as we get more information or as the changes are playtested. I also feel that some people in this thread have misgivings not related to the proposed changes directly, but because of the author and incidents in the past. On the other hand, it makes it hard for me to argue in favor of changes I agree with when you threaten to verbally abuse people, Burger. Snark or not.

I may be in the dark on lore here, but has it been explained why the shifts are so short? I had assumed the two hour length was simply for the sake of round turnover and to make sure that things didnt get stale. I don't think the normal two hour time frame should be a large factor when calculating how realistic something is. And from what I've seen of the proposed changes, especially now that IPC thirst has been removed, the mechanics are not being made worse. The time it takes to dehydrate or become hungry appear to have remained the same.

I'll put my two cents in here and say that this doesn't seem redundant or like a double need. Both hunger and thirst fall under an existing need of nutrition. Adding thirst mechanics diversifies nutrition and gives it more complexity, adding to immersion. Aside from a few exceptions, infrastructure already exists to serve the new options and because people already make regular use of the vending machines, bar, and kitchen, the added complexity would not infringe on fluid gameplay.

Maybe instead of a lube dispenser similar to a water tank, you instead used a mechanic similar to how IPCs can charge from APCs. A small panel on the wall they can interface with to renew the coolant/lube. It would also be easier or at least take up less room in other areas of the station; the bar for example. If you've got people who want that authentic "synths are people too" struggle.

I'm not certain about the specifics, but does hunger and thirst progression proceed linearly? If so, I think changing it to take longer for the first levels to affect you while having the later levels come into effect faster as each one passes, would be a little more realistic and lessen the possible irritation some people have with being forced to drink or eat. They could possibly push through mild hunger or thirst and keep working, but ignoring it too long would escalate quickly.

That's because being afk/ssd is not an in-character consideration, and it should not become one. People don't just decide to stand around and stare blankly into space in a workplace when they are supposed to be on the job. We just sort of suspend when that happens or our disbelief due to the nature of the game. "Hey I need you to patrol the starboard side but I see you're set to 'sleeping' right now so I'll just let that slide, it's okay to take a little nappy on your two hour shift. while there is a dangerous criminal around. " This doesn't need to be in the game, criminal or not. You shouldn't be voluntarily going fake-afk. To be fair, they have lore for SSD. But at this point I agree with Scheveningen. Just implement the ability for the sensors console to show true SSD characters. No toggle or antagonist mess.

I feel like the antagonist use of this suggestion has overshadowed my original intent. I mentioned the possible uses by an antagonist as ancillary. But I agree with you about its affect on roleplay. Perhaps then we only make it to where if you are registered by the game as inactive, it also shows on the sensors console. Not a thing you can toggle, aside from normal suit sensor activation. People have referenced the ability to see inactive players on the manifest, but I don't think that's available to people in game. Inactive status doesn't show on your pda manifest as far as I am aware.

Yeah, but what he's wanting is the ability to toggle this manually, so you can fool people into thinking you are afk or SSD I don't know that it's necessarily meta. The way I was thinking it would be used is like the Pose verb. Sometimes if I am watching cameras intently or writing paperwork I'll pose myself in some way to let people know that I might not notice them or that I might take a long time to respond. My thoughts were that this could be used in a similar fashion but in a more accessible fashion via the sensor console.

This is really just out of consideration for other players, but if you have to go afk for an extended amount of time you can set this so that if someone is looking for you and you are not responding they may have more information. Additionally it gives antags additional misdirection options. I'm not sure if it would be possible for suit sensors to show actual SSD status to medical but that would be nice as well.