evandorf

The great PDA die off.

I think it would be better to say, when considering what is available to each race, that we try to keep things grounded. Straight up tails would be a bit too wacky for me, but things like extra appendages would be fine. But the issue you run into there is balance concerns. I wouldn't call it a monopoly over a feature, but it's important to keep the various species distinct with their own, clear cultural and physiological profiles. IPCs have potential to justify a lot of additional attributes due to their technological nature but they have to remain balanced against the other existing species both mechanically and from a features perspective.

Heirs of the Hegemon Presented at Grand Scept Readers, we have auspicious news today. Close to a year and one half since the clutch was announced and nearly one full year since their emergence, the public of the Hegemony was given their first glimpses of the hatchlings Izweski. Sinta Articles was honored to have a representative be invited to be present at the Grand Scept earlier today as Hegemon Not’zar Izweski and Lady Hizoni Izweski arrived to present three blessed scions for their naming and agnition. A throng of accompanying Izweski clan, extended family, dignitaries, attendant vassals, and nobles were also present to witness and celebrate. The Hegemon and his guests were met by High Priest Azandar, their Claws, and a large number of the priests and peers of the Scept who, after invoking the blessing of the Great Spirit and its aspects, observed the children at length and spoke with those who attended them or could attest to their nature. When all were in agreement and consensus was reached, High Priest Azandar faced those gathered and announced, “In honor, wisdom, and duty, we acknowledge these young ones and the aspects of the Great Spirit that resides in them. Attend! Witness as their mien and names are recorded. Henceforth shall they be known.” One by one, High Priest Azandar called the name of each hatchling and, as they were brought forward, spoke on the nature of their aspect before bestowing a final blessing and returning them to their mother and attendants. The first name rang out, “Szurikan!” and a struggling mass of garnet red scales, which seemed to have no further patience for sitting in one place, was brought forth. “A fiery temperament to match his scales,” said Azandar, “-roisterous by all accounts and already contentious with his clutchmates. May the Warrior’s righteousness and integrity hone your passion into the means to protect your people and destroy your foes.” The young warrior was then handed off, seemingly pleased to be done with his part, and the next name was called. “Zilasa!”, Azandar shouted, and a much more subdued participant was presented to the priest though it could be seen that she begrudged parting from her siblings. She was noticeably smaller than her brother and her scales were the color of rich auburn. “Here is one that already shows the Healer’s grace and tact for one so young. Having already been witnessed to being the mediator between her peers in their juvenile contests.” And as if to present further proof, the High Priest set her down on the ground where she proceeded to return and impose herself between the other two who had begun to jostle and quarrel as their patience with the day wore thin. Satisfied with the outcome a final blessing was given, “May you demonstrate Simi’s insight and wisdom to bless your clan and your people.” Hizoni and her attendants took some time to quiet the three before the ceremony continued, and after a minute Azandar called the final name, “Azultek!” The third child was produced, not as energetic as the first or collected as the second, and with a coloration of fired bronze. “The subtleties of the fisher are less pronounced in the very young and their exuberance can be mistaken for Mukari’s presence, yet many have given testimony to the ingenuity and dedication of the young noble. May the fisher grant you shrewdness beyond your years. To have each aspect of the Great Spirit present in equal measure is sure to be- AAH!” High Priest Azandar cried out and pulled one of his hands free of the child, which had been bitten with fresh teeth in a show of displeasure. Azandar quickly returned the hatchling to its mother saying, “Shrewd indeed... may the fisher focus your ingenuity on something other than my hand.” The ceremony took the better part of the day, and while the Scept was reserved for nobility and those participating, a large crowd was already amassed outside by the time the hatchlings arrived. A small number of exceedingly reverent locals had arrived early in the morning to pray and secure a place from which to view the day’s events but they were quickly dwarfed by an unending flow of the curious, interested, and devout. The most entrepreneurial of some local businesses came and set up stands for those attending. Buskers and minstrels became so common that some formed impromptu bands. Once the ceremony was complete, word of the High Priest’s announcement and rumors of divine heirs, aspects of the three, quickly spread among the onlookers and the mood outside shifted from that of a makeshift festival to fanatic revelry. Even after the Hegemon and family had departed, the jubilation continued late into the evening, spurred on by the peers and lesser priests who took the opportunity to sermonize, address those present, and exclaim the blessings of the Great Spirit. We at Sinta articles wish the Hegemon all blessings possible and will continue to report new information on these heirs of our future.

I know because I was there.

You have two stated issues to address: The engineering department's workload is too light per engineer and the current department culture is not conducive to each engineer getting their share of work. IMO, this PR doesn't address these issues properly. Workload is Too Light Per Engineer - As others have stated, this isn't always true. The workload is highly variable and while this assumption might be true with low to medium intensity, reducing the number of engineers will cause issues during higher intensity rounds. Large scale repairs require a lot of hands. The work can also be extremely dangerous and dead engineers can't have their slot refilled. Some ideas have been floated for additional work, e.g., preventative maintenance. I would rather see PRs that add content than restrict slots. Department Culture and Allotment of Work - This isn't something we should try to fix with mechanics. If you find that you are constantly fighting with others for work or that others are hoarding supplies then a conversation needs to happen. If the issue is OOC and you've tried to resolve it without success then it needs to be handled by the moderation team. Neither engineering, nor medical, security, or any department is shielded from power-gaming rules by the needs or urgency of their work. If the issue is IC (the conflict is between characters) and you're unable to resolve it, then it needs to be handled by command or, at worst, CCIA. Changing mechanics in an attempt to influence departmental culture is inexact and clumsy and likely to have unintended consequences.

I would love to be able to basically save my place working with complex circuits and reload them the next round I join. I can see this being more practical for research than others who might be messing with circuits though. Maybe have a machine in the lab that can scan, save, and recreate circuits. Maybe even have it sign your circuits for you so if someone steals your design you can engage the corporate machine for dealing with infringement.

Hey, sorry for the delay and thanks for applying! The app looks solid but I just wanted to ask a few clarifying questions. - Having grown up in and after the contact war, as well as living in the Heartlands, how does she view the conflict and how it affected her life beyond survival? Would she have become a healer without the added need for healers that the refugee crisis brought about? Does she harbor any resentment towards the Hegemony or the traditionalists because of it? - She clearly sees the Hephaestus in a good light and Nanotrasen a bit more neutrally, but what are her opinions on the aliens behind these corporations? Given the timeline, I assume she has probably left Moghes within the last five or six years; has she acclimated at all to alien culture in that time?

I wanted to clarify that what was said in my post was that we do not allow transphobic characters out of OOC consideration. Misgendering on accident is allowed. Misgendering with intent is not and the determination is made by the moderation team. In my post on the previous complaint, I mentioned that I had dropped the ball not in the determination of intent but in failing to educate the player more clearly on avoiding the questionable behavior.

I've been on a nostalgia kick recently. Played through Mechwarrior 2 and 4. Played some Dark Forces and other dos games. Had an urge to go back to X-wing or Tie Fighter, but I know there are other flight sims that have come out since then that I've not really interacted with. Are there any that you're recommend or should I just stick with the nostalgia train?

I took the initial ahelp from Vien earlier in the round. Nothing about a stereotype was brought up at the time but Ishwari was also a vampire and it seemed like he was putting on an affect as part of the role. I don’t think just using phrases like ‘good sir’ and ‘my friend’ are stereotypically derogatory but it’s very possible I’m just ignorant of it. The main angle of the first ahelp was Vien being misgendered. I spoke with Vien and I spoke with Ishwari. He had been told ICly to stop with the sir’s and after observing him for a time I attributed it again to the affect he was doing and ruled it as an IC issue. Since then I’ve spoken with others on the moderation team and, in hindsight, I think I dropped the ball and this should have been addressed OOCly at the time as we generally don’t allow transphobic characters out of OOC consideration. When speaking with Ishwari’s player, he did not indicate a desire to play a transphobic character but he had been told ICly that his language was unwelcome.

Hey, thanks for applying. Your application is very knowledgeable and well thought out. I just wanted to pull a few threads. Eazhorla seems like a pragmatic sinta, though this could also just be jaded cynicism, and you've said that they have begrudgingly accepted the role Hephaestus has come to play in Unathi culture. How do they feel about other unathi groups that sit outside of tradition; dominathi, refugees in alien space, ect.? It seems like they've lost the fire that might cause them to seek violent change but do they still believe change is possible? Are they working towards betterment and hoping or is it more day by day survival? They still seem to value honor but have seen the honorless succeed time and again. Does the failure of these values to preserve the world as it should be or correct wrongs cause them to doubt their traditions?

To be clear, it being an aesthetic choice is completely fine. It's a rare genetic thing and not tied to any one place but we don't track or police rarity.

Hi, thanks for applying. Your backstory is very thorough and I like how you've included little touches such as the Hatchling's Annointment but I have a question regarding Tryazali's coloration. You mention in the beginning that it causes him to be seen as an outcast essentially his whole life, but beyond that I didn't see it mentioned again. I assume it has bearing on things like the matriarch's decision in which hatchling to keep, the orphanage's decision to ship them off to Hephaestus, ect., but that's just an assumption. Is the coloration a personal aesthetic choice or do you have plans to explore it further?

Thanks for applying for one of the best races (ignore the nukes), and I just had a few clarifying questions. Based on the character's background, somewhat recent guwan status, and faith, it seems like he has conflicting trajectories in life. You mentioned that he spent time on ships and stations and give examples of freighters and Orion transports but does this mean they will be taking work in Ops/Orion fields? His clan was known for producing excellent warriors and I assume he is also decently trained, if a little rusty, but Guwan cannot be employed in security; is he going to abandon this part of himself out of necessity? His Sk'akh faith appears to be unshaken by his loss of status but, as the Sk'akh church is a fixture of the Hegemony, does his removal from the latter affect his belief? How does he now feel about the Hegemony in general? Does he feel he deserves the punishment he's been given? Is he motivated to regain person-hood and how much of his clan even remains after the bombing he avoided? He may not have answers to these questions and part of the fun of roleplaying the character will likely come from figuring it out ICly but I'd like to hear any of it you've fleshed out so far.

Thrust Master > Propulsion Engineer

I think it's entirely reasonable to expect security to release a body once the autopsy is done, or decided it's not needed. We fast track sentencing so why not fast track post-mortem so long as the investigators get all they can from it? I think it would also be neat to have a semi-permanent place for remains; something like a columbarium in the chapel. A place to keep remains (not bodies) until they can be sent home, if they are sent home. Though this may be more inline with the post scarcity of NBT2.

I don't really see a problem with having two support characters. If people want to fill those roles then they add RP and don't really affect the rest of the ship. That being said, I could take or leave it. You could also make bodyguard an alternate job title.

This makes it seem like less of an issue with bodyguards and more that armed consulars are unwanted.

I agree. Having a dedicated bodyguard role also removes any confusion as to how consulars should react in security situations, which has gotten people in trouble in the past. The discussion gives me similar vibes to when the detective's weapon was removed.

I personally like having a body guard. @FearTheBlackout has joined me for a few rounds now as a Unathi from a faction that otherwise would be very unusual to see aboard and it think it adds a lot to the round. What’s the problem people have with the PR? IIRC you can open either the aide or bodyguard slot depending on your preference and I think more options are always good.

I'd be hesitant about giving out too much information that's not available ICly. There are a number of contextual clues as to how brain damaged you are and the more medical knowledge you have the more accurately you can use them to gauge your damage. Roughly it goes: Lesser messages about pain begins somewhere under 95% Your vision blurs. Your walking slows. You start falling over and dropping items. (this is likely because of blood oxy loss and not just brain damage but generally the two go hand in hand) The messages about pain become more severe at higher damage levels. Inability to use doors and buttons. Right before death you get the pop up saying you won't remember the preceding events followed by the big three: Where am I? What's going on? What happened? There are probably others that I'm forgetting but my question is what would knowing more precise numbers about your BA give you beyond the context clues that already exist? The only things I can think of border on meta/powergaming since if your character would know where the above symptoms fall into the spectrum of brain damage then they would likely be in medical with access to a scanner. Otherwise ICly your character is only guessing.

This is a pie-in-the-sky scenario but it would be wild to have the ops elevator shaft be sealed against void and you could load it up and drop the bottom out to send emergency shipments down on what would essentially be a 4-tile drop pod. The airlocks would need a bolting system to keep people from venting the ship but it would be neat.