MagnificentMelkior

I will agree that with added biology I would not mind the removal of block injectors. As long as it still remains possible to modify your own DNA without help by the addition of some other mechanic, I'd be okay with the removal of all injectors. I think superpowers do add a valuable dynamic to the game, however, and would rather see them remain a thing. It should be noted that the time investment to generate superpowers in a usable or powerful form will go significantly up without block injectors in the game, alleviating many people's issue with it.

Realistically it'd be something along the lines of two minutes as none of those things happen in spess because human bodies are robust as fuck. J-just sayin m-man. People black out at around 15 seconds, and if they make the mistake of holding their breathe their lungs do indeed pop. Eyeballs don't explode though. Death occurs at 90 seconds or 2 minutes, I forget.

I'd prefer to read about or play in a hard science universe, provided my choice was between two fully fleshed out and "finished" universes, one scifi one science fantasy, but you are right when you say that the difficulty of producing it to an enjoyable degree is prohibitive for a volunteer lore team to explain a whole universe that has retcons and updates. I did not consider this point until reading your post, but if it is true (and it makes sense that it would be) that you can cover more content with less effort by going science fantasy, then that is what you should do. You are also correct in your condemnation of selective application of realism. You're doing a great job as lore master imo. I'd like to add that I think the definition of a hard sci-fi universe (and what Aurora could never be, under your science fantasy design philosophy) is a universe that can be described in a manner such as "Assume axioms a,b,c,d, and e. Assume current understanding of real world rules unless it contradicts the axioms. The universe, or at least its plausibility, proceeds logically from here."

Kinda hyped for this game.

but ooga booga speak is real. https://translate.google.com/?oe=utf-8&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&client=tw-ob#auto/en/oog%20dooga%20boogi

Fixing the dna being the same would be as simple as adding a couple of UE blocks that determine race, allowing UE manipulation to change the race of the subject. But humans share 98% of our DNA with chimps, 90% with cats. so the DNA similarity between sapient humanoid races (which is everyone except diona, who are mechanically special in genetics) would likely be quite similar. Consider that when one subjects DNA is injected into another, it is not a total replacement. It is merely a replacement of the blocks that are modifiable by the DNA modifier, and only those of the type of injector it is (UE/UI or SE). So the hulk, tk, xray, etc genes could be in the 90+% of DNA that is similar between humans and taj, unathi, skrell. Vaurca might warrant special consideration, but you'll have these issues when you introduce a new race to a game. So, how is it that they lack depth? There are interactions between different genes (dwarfism and hulk, blindness and xray, maybe others). Also consider that genetics as a job has pretty incredible breadth. UE, UI, and SE all do different things, cloning is its own minisystem which is intergrated into genetics a bit, safety concerns are a another thing you need to know... Theres really a lot going on in genetics imo.

I'm not sure about blink, I think it might lose a lot of its utility if this were applied, and when would you want to blink someone around with you? But teleport I like this for. Also, doesn't ninja teleport work like this?

Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner! This question is exactly why Baystation removed genetics from their code. A little knowledge of SS13 history will have you find that genetics is a TG station creation. TG's mentality is a lot different from Bay's and from our own. The original purpose of genetics was to give people cool superpowers to fuck around with and to, to use our terms, chucklefuck with. But that sort of play wasn't an issue there. It is here, though. Let's face it: genetics is only there for the cool powers. It has no utility beyond generating super soldiers, and even then very few geneticists think about others after getting TK/X-ray. This is kind of why I wanted to replace it with biology: hopefully something with greater utility and depth coded into it. Genetics has a number of cool applications that I think the server would be worse without. Just off the top of my head: The ability to create protohumans. The interaction this has with general science and medbay is valuable. It allows for ethical and accurate data gathering for chemists, weapon developers, surgeons, and the occasional oddball. UI/UE manipulation, which allows for cool antag options, and the curing of people who get their genome messed up somehow. The existence of a hybrid medical/science role, which is a cool little bit a nuance in the game. The ability to really interact with the DNA of different beings. I love the depth there. Diona nymphs can be transmuted into diona, humans/skrell/unathi/tajarran to be turned into their primative forms, and now, Vaurca to be turned into It would be cool to have Vaurca be able to flip between different Vaurca types under the ministrations of a geneticist too. Potential for some dank changeling RP. Geneticist wants to study ling, ling has the potential to kill and impersonate the geneticist and cover his crimes up by making it look like a traitor geneticist. And thats without even mentioning the powers, which can end up being really nice too. I am interested in xenobotany (what you are talking about I think) but I don't think it should be a replacement for genetics, and I think losing genetics would be very sad.

I often do call for assistants but it requires paperwork so no can do without an RD, and they tend to be inefficient and flakey. That goes double for after they get the powers and I tell them "you have to be attached to me at the hip or I'll get fired." Seon was the best test subject I ever had. And please let this be the last time I explain this, proto humans are insufficient. They cannot tell me how they feel, so I cannot identify their morph, tough skin (though killerhurtz ICly claimed this was detectable somehow), regeneration, deafness, lightheadedness, etc etc modifications.

Why would it not work on the nuke disk and captain's ID if it works on everything else?

Self testing isn't really bad scientific practise. Its bad if you can avoid it, yea, but lets use chemistry as an example. For a long time, chemists would taste test their chemicals. This was valuable because it gave them another method of analyzing and describing the chemical. Even after many people died of mercury poisoning and the like, chemists didn't stop self testing. Not until a mechanical replacement for taste was created to analyze the chemicals in place of our tongues (spectronomers). In the world of Aurora, the genetic equivalent of a spectronomer has not been invented yet, so the grand tradition of self testing will continue.

Radiation doesn't inflict pain, its side effects do (toxins). And minor pain that can be prevented with a timely injection or pill of Hyrodylo. Having your genome changed doesn't inflict pain unless you do the monkey-man transformation. Hulk would probably be irritating and unpleasant, but not to a torturous degree. Whenever I give inject myself with someone and find out its hulk, I print out a new hulk syringe and then remove the hulk from myself. A brief interval. So you see, it is entirely possible to self test in a reasonable and sane way.

You're going to sit here and tell me it's not Bruce Banner levels of radiation when there's literally a Hulk mutation. Yes! Names can be deceiving. I don't remember hulking out and being literally unkillable by bullets, twice my size, and able to fight gods 1v1 and be okay. Bruce Banner was accidentally exposed to a random and huge blast of gamma radiation that should have killed him. Same for Dr. Manhattan. It's an order of magnitude or two above the radio genetherapy in ss13.

Its not Bruce Banner or Doctor Manhattan levels of radiation. Its a perfectly managable amount of rads in a universe with dylovene and hyronalin abundantly available, if you take smart precautions. And you missed the point for why I started this arguement: I don't encourage flinging lockers at people or closing them in lockers. Doing so should be a crime, but it is NOT neglect of duty. Neglect of duty is for lab accidents and the like that cause issues (losing the singularity, loosing a virus/plasma/slimes, and the like. Trapping people in lockers because "lelfunny" would be kidnapping, or in the case where they aren't actually trapped, just annoyed, battery or minor assault. Just like if you pushed them in and closed it on them the ordinary way. Skull (I think) said that Neglect of Duty was used as a catchall charge, and that is probably why you want to apply it here, but that's wrong. There should not be a catchall charge. If you can't brig someone lawfully for one of the million infractions that are on the books, then they should be set free. The existence of a catchall charge completely invalidates the ability of someone to argue with sec that they should be set free and actually be right.

A form existing is not the same as a form being required. Engineers set up the engines and repair and do whatever else they do, without a CE. But even if they were screwed without a captain or CE, that's not a good model to aim for. But I think we're digressing from issue at hand.

Real talk here, would this count as neglect of duty? Can testing on assistants be the new SOP for science? From what I understand, the big problem with genetics testing is that protohumans can't tell you how they feel, but if you could test on assistants then they can tell you. Also I want to test the effects of laser cannons on undergraduate researchers. This, and while there are test forms, if self testing is illegal and undocumented lab rats are illegal, geneticists are screwed on rounds without an RD or captain.

The determination that synthetics are alive is not enough to determine that they deserve rights. Monkeys are alive too. What is relevent is whether the people who decide these things take the pragmatic "If its not human, we give them only what rights we must. Human supremacy above all other considerations" approach, or the star trek "We can thrive as a specie AND be morally benevolent." approach.

Thanks for making this thread, it was a good call. Its meant to be used for negligence. On the wiki it says "This can be due to honest, or dishonest mistakes. Examples include scientists/engineers releasing plasma, doctors mixing up medicines that cause injury to patients, or the Chief Engineer allowing the singularity to escape." A xenobiologist release slimes is similar to releasing plasma, or in genetics, dropping a genetic modification on the ground or giving them to someone else (but that's probably explicitly covered by a higher crime.). So hitting someone with telekinesis should just be battery/minor assault/ major assault etc by severity just as if you threw something with your hands at them.

That doesn't make the charge legally correct. I know that sec and RDs operate in sometimes less than legal fashion, it doesn't mean they are right. If you do the duties of your job, and then [something bad] people on the side, it doesn't constitute neglect of duty. The correct charge to levy imo would be minor assault, and kidnapping if it got to that level.

No, you're right. It's attempted kidnapping not to mention a battery with a locker as well as neglect of duty for misusing the powers you obtained from your workplace. It's nothing serious at all. At all. At all. AT. ALL. I really hate this meme of throwing the book at a criminal while ignoring all reason. Sure, its kidnapping/false imprisonment if they are actually imprisoned at some point (an unlocked locker being closed on them would not constitute this unless you were actively reclosing the locker to prevent them from leaving). But even then, neglect of duty? Not at all. Neglect of duty is for when you underperform at your job. There is nothing preventing you from clocking in an adequate job performance even if you were to trap and murder people with telekinesis. They are unrelated. Anyway in response to Tishina: I'm not sure it would hurt enough to be considered an assault from one tile away. If you move the locker from a greater distance it will actually inflict damage (I think) or at least it should. Mass (5kg) is irrelevent: Mass*velocity^2 is the relevent stat. and the speed that a locker moves when you tell it to move one tile away is pretty slow. If it were meant to be more painful, then why wouldn't it have been coded that way? throwing things at people with telekinesis is a well defined field of coding it seems: its just another form of ranged combat. And it seems to work as intended for everything that isn't itself a broken item (like telekinetically throwing a pen at someone? idk)

Thanks Frances, but you threw me for a loop when you said that the average skrell would have 140 iq. 140 iq is definitely beyond what I would consider "not that high" for a race's median.

While the idea of lauding people for great performances is noble, I don't think it warrants a whole thread most of the time, and thus not a full subforum. I say this because I can't imagine there being any real discussion going on after the opening post in a lot of cases. So if someone is really great and you want them to have a whole thread, make one in general. But otherwise, this could work as a megathread. While that doesn't present the appearance you want people to see on the forums, I think that's just a consequence of player/incident reports having a more physical reason to exist. If you think you can get the ball rolling, why not make a megathread for this?

Since this could be establishing some sort of admin precedence, I'd like to put my two cents in. Your larger point I have no issue with, but if you move an open locker one square over into someone it reports that they were "slammed" but does about the same damage as when you throw a paper into someone: enough to flash their health display to green for a second or two and then back to 100. I don't know if this should be considered a serious attack, as the intention here would not be to slam them just to slam them, but to enclose them in the locker. Does this change anything?

Please show me where is says that self testing is illegal without a personal release form. As for that directive, it is not specific to genetics, it is the same directive that tells scientists not to put protopistols into circulation or the like. That is not because it is dangerous to the wielder of the protopistol/genemods, but because its dangerous to everyone else if they decide to chimp out, and having this legal barrier lets security be reasonably sure that someone violating it is intending to do other crimes with their research materials: whether it be selling it to someone else or commiting grand theft, murder, or punching through the wall in [redacted] to get the rainbow suit. Protohumans are absolutely essential in even the most self test loving geneticist, because they take up the brunt of the radiation damage in order to roll the genome dice until you get genes irradiated to DAC+. It is only after that is done that you test them on yourself. And using a person like a protohuman in this way will possibly get them killed, and definitely result in a bad time. The rads build up pretty fast. If you want to buff the radiation damage caused you could, but protohumans live a pretty horrible life in my lab already. Thank you for acknowledging that you may be going to far in this proposal. I think that our current system really is not that bad, even if its somewhat flawed, and I think that any proposed change ought to be very convincingly good in order to change it.

[i'm here]