RPing a Loyalty Implant

[Guest]

This is a topic that causes some confusion. When an IA, HoS or Captain screws up, breaches regulation or does a crime, everyone just ignores the massive elephant in the room and starts yelling that their implant is malfunctioning. The elephant being that everyone is expected to know the long as and tedious SoP document by heart and soul, as if the implant is turns you into a perfect employee.

Most people understand that the implant does exactly what its name says; Makes you loyal. But there are those who think that the implant somehow drills SoP into the employees brain like a set of AI laws which should be impossible for them to break. It takes away your freedom and turns you into a mindless drone. Well, it shouldn't and it's stupid to think that players would be able to match that ideal of obedience as most people don't have the time and will to study imaginary space law college. Given, heads are expected to know SoP and follow it, but that is less because of the implant and more because of them actually being qualified to do it.

So, I've already been discussed somewhat and I've posted my opinion on how I think that the LI should work, here: Open Issues: Security and Loyalty Implants

However, I don't think that enough people have participated in the discussion and that there are still those who awkwardly yell "Their implant is malf!" whenever something happens. So, I've decided to post it here to further the discussion and actually have people engage in it.

As I've said, the implant should work by making you loyal. You put NT's interests before your own and you're unable to intentionally hurt the company. You can drink on duty, screw around and break law, but only if your character is clueless as in how and why this damages the company, thus, their implant is not broken, they's simply incompetant at the role. If you're a Captain that is fucking a librarian in your office while the station is burning is something you shouldn't be able to do, since your neglect can clearly cause the station to be destroyed. In this case, your implant is malf and you're a traitor because no one is that clueless. If this happens, the server staff have a full right to ban your ass from command roles, imho.

This line of thinking is what would allow some freedom when playing command roles, even to break SoP, because as long as you think what you're doing is something that will benifit the company in the long run you're free to RP it any way you want. The SoP isn't perfect, it fails to account a lot of situations where following protocol is beyond idiotic. The moment you recive an order from CentComm, as long as you feel they were properly informed and the order does come from them (this accounts to Mutiny rounds and why HoS and IA can disobey), you must obey it.

Of course, this does not say what you should do and how, only what you're able to do as a loyalty implanted employee.

[Guest]

As a note, Internal Affairs Agents should never become intoxicated on duty, or enage in any other activity that could harm their ability to perform to acceptable standards. Ive ahelped before and IAA can get in trouble for drinking. Now, the implants ARE supposed to stop you from committing crimes, thus the point of implanting and releasing a prisoner. When you join NanoTrasen, part of your contract is to follow the regulations set forth by the company wholeheartedly, loyalty implanted crew members wouldnt be able to break this contractual agreement.

[Guest]

True, IAA is a highly damanding job. IAA's actually have higher qualification and conduct standards then Captain or HoS, as a result, the role should be whitelisted (imo). But nonetheless, unless the IAA has been drilled in the head that under absolutely no condition at all, with valid reasoning is he to drink a sip of alcohol, he should be able to do it under special situations. Because, like I said, the LI does not turn you into a mindless drone, it makes you loyal to the company. If taking a sip, by your opinion is not disloyalty to the company, you're not breaking the implant rule. Ignoring facts and lying to the company is disloyalty by every standard, this is why the LI's are here.

Still, its not rational to expect players, even server staff and command roles, to know every little rule in the book and act like a mindless drone, under fear of their characters being labeled as 'malf' every time they make a minor hickup or want to actually have fun.

[Chaznoodles]

There's a section about Loyalty Implants in the old loredoc which I've got a copy of. This might be relevant in describing implants, though I don't know if it's still used in lore or not.

 

Originally developed by geneticorp as a safety measure in psionic tests, the loyalty implantation device has seen widespread usage at all levels of corporate operation. The original models of this device were crude, wetworks attached to a brutal, but simple AI for communicating with its affected brain. These were often rejected by hosts, and didn't work with several different personality types.

Today, the current galactic standard for loyalty implants includes finer, pico scale wetwork transmitters, a minaturized PaI device, and heavily tested pheremone detectors. Nearly all companies employ the GenetiCorp Standard.

The device first begins operation upon the implantation site, where simple nanomachines cary information to its pheremone centers, quickly identifying the Alpha-Beta-Delta personality types of its user. This information is then processed by the AI, while it attempts to form connections to the host Nervous system. Many different factory presets are available, which the AI then picks and chooses from based on the information it receives from the host's personality data. After all connections are formed, it takes only seconds for this machine to embed the rest of itself inside the brainstem of its host, for greatest optimization of all communications.

With a simple wireless computer connection, the AI links up with servers from a previously defined database, and downloads all of the information it needs to know about the company operations it is assigned to. From there, no more transmissions occur, and the device enters into a partial radio silence, so as to prevent espionage.(These measures were taken as per Galactic Standards, and trade agreements between numerous companies, some groups still attempt to illegaly modify, or steal implants in order to perform espionage regardless)

As an important security measure, the loyalty implant emits an "Identification Code", within a short radius. With specialized equipment; such as security HUD's, crewmembers are able to detect the signal, and identify individuals with implants.

Using this data, the AI can communicate with its host, and modify their actions in any of a dozen different methods, using whatever is deemed most efficient to the host. The end result of this, is a subject entirely loyal to the company behind his implant!

[Hackie]

Personally, I've always felt like that the loyalty implant is an issue for characters who are involved in organisations that do not serve, or hinder the interests of NanoTrasen. When you're taking an implant, there's a kind of 'mode' or 'level' to the power of the implant. Lowest is you think positively of NanoTrasen, highest is an organic cyborg. It often means that if you're involved in a criminal organisation, you'll spill all the beans if anyone even asks a question if you have a relation to it, or you might do it yourself. What the issue is for a majority of characters; what stops someone from cranking your implant all the way to eleven? Your character won't object it to, he might even enjoy it. A good line is really what we need. But, considering how your idea, Bokaza, is that if they don't know how it hurts the company, the loyalty implant won't change anything; it would be accompanied by some form of education. Does it hurt, or help, the company to bash this guy's face against the wall because he made fun of your wife? Does it hurt, or help, to shout at your subordinates because you believe they're incompetent? The concept entirely is kinda screwy, because someone with a very strong opinion on things would quite frankly, be crushed because of this implant. You're not helping corporate interests by demoralizing your subordinates nor, are you helping by getting in a debate on the work radio. To be honest, it should be handled like a cyborg, you have these laws, you must follow them.

[Guest]

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I was writing a well articulated response to your points, but then my browser crashed. I'm not doing it again. So, I'll just cut the main points.

Please read the attachment I made, my post there dealt with some of the issues you brought up. Yelling on employees, arguing with them or simply being an ass is not an issue covered by SoP, it's a matter of opinion and has zero to do with loyalty. Hitting your employees damages the company in a minor way, but its so insegnificant that it wouldn't even register as disloyalty. The person would still answer for unwarranted use of force or minor assault, regardless. They, however, wouldn't be labled as 'malf'. Killing the said person would get them labled as 'malf', because every kid in the kindergarden of Aurora knows murdering people is wrong on many levels and against the rules.

Honestly, you strike me as the person who yells 'HoS is malf!' every time they make a minor mistake. If you want or expect me to play a cyborg that doesn't have 4, but at least a hundred minor and major rules to follow, while still expecting them to act like a normal person and deal with annoying whiny employees with respect they 'deserve', well, I have a some news for you. Its impossible and you're not going to get it.

If you're not whitelisted, I will ask you to take the IAA for a round and try to last the entire thing while being active, not drinking, not socializing or laughing, not being sarcastic or rude and making sure you write long ass fucking reports for everything. You won't last thirty minutes. If you can't, why should anyone follow this standard.

[Hackie]

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I've played IAA many times before. My issue I was bringing up was generally a Head of Security wall bashing someone because they insulted him. Generally, I only call 'malf implants' when there's an issue like a an IAA agent fucking drawing cult symbols in his office, and rambling like a madman. I'm going to elaborate on the cyborg idea, there should be a couple of rules your character should follow, not follow protocol by the book, to the best of your ability. Myself, playing an IAA, generally turns out to be a very boring role, if you play that way. Imagine playing a cyborg without any laws, it would make the role very difficult. Like I said, we need a bold drawn line. This would make life much easier, and head roles less intimidating. And I agree, getting called out for having a malfunctioning implant, and not being a drone, following every single word of protocol is annoying. Your definition is very solid, we just need to see what it affects in OOC or actions your character do outside of the station. When is it on, when is it off? ect.

[Guest]

Well, lets say that there is a highest and lowest setting. The lowest setting would inspire loyalty within its carrier. They would think positively of and wouldn't seek to actively damage NT, it can still be overiden with strong emotional stimuli. The highest setting would literally make them brainwashed, their loyalty towards NT would be unquestioning, uncritical and would put the company before their own self-preservation. This setting might as well be damaging to the person. The command staff and maybe the IAA's would be somewhere in the middle.

When they leave their loyalty implanted role, their implants are set either to minimum or turned off, as it would be pretty illegal to have them on, as these people still have a right to vote and no party would be allowed to effect the voting system in that way, intentionally or not. Basically, when you leave work, you're no longer responsible for your actions to NT.

I'm guessing every few months or so, just before you get to work, you have to stay on Odin for loyalty checkup. Your implant, mental health and general conduct are checked. It would be advanced psychology stuff, as positions they are having are stressful and technology like this would most likely leave side effects which have to be tracked and kept in check to prevent mental breakdown, which command staff are prone to.

After the checkup, they would set their loyalty implant to max and bring in the interrogator. Combination of an effective interrogator and the implant would dig out anti-NT behavior, with some things being off limits due to privacy laws. Generally, person on max would look at the interrogator as their bestest best friend ever and would spit everything except the deepest most darkest fears if pressed correctly. When the process is over, the implant is set back to any value it needs to be at.

[Hackie]

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Exactly, that sounds awesome as an idea. It'd be absolutely fabulous if we had this put into fine print on the wiki, and people who play characters with loyalty implants get some kind of message that says the setting their implant is on. It'd just be great overall.