The case for loyalty implants

[Garnascus]

The following is a topic i have flipped my opinion on a number of times in my tenure as staff here. Every now and then a new discussion starts concerning their outright removal or at best a rework of them. A screenshot of a forum post made by me lambasting them is usually used as evidence. If the title of this thread is any indication not only do i no longer subscribe to the fact that loyalty implants are awful abominations i in fact am making the case that they are a benefit to our server. I hold such an opinion based on the following two points. 

1. Loyalty implants embolden the dystopian and amoral mega-corporation setting we have cultivated. 

One only has to read a few sentences into our wiki page article for Nanotrasen to understand this. The company most of our characters work for has been involved in illegal human experiments, essentially buying entire governments, funding and being involved in various species wars to suit its own needs and of course installs a chip into the head of its captains that essentially amounts to mind control. I like this setting and i believe the conflict it generates provides the resources necessary to create a wide range of different types. Perhaps your character was specifically affected by one of these events and they have an opinion on it. It is far easier i think to have to consider these things when one of the examples are in almost every round. That captain or head of security barking orders at you might just be a corporate slave. 

2. It provides a certain level of consistency in the chain of command

If we examine rounds holistically it is empirically obvious that the captain and the head of security are the most powerful single individuals on the station. The captain himself can literally subvert and even override corporate regulations in extreme situations, which is essentially every round if we are being honest. The HoS is in charge of the department that becomes the focus for most rounds on account of the inherent nature of antagonists and the conflict they create. In my opinion the most intuitive way to think of the implant is that is locks you to a "Lawful" Alignment. Every captain can be reasonably expected to observe the proper procedures for this or that because they have a chip in their head reminding them. Every HoS likewise has a certain level of conduct that can be reasonably expected of them due to the spooky mind control chip in their head. I believe that given the enormous power and authority these positions have it is a benefit to have the playing field be leveled a certain way. 

I will now do my best to respond to a few common counter arguments that i see. My intention is not to strawman or act in bad faith here. If you believe i am not accurately representing or responding to a certain point please bring it up here. It is entirely possible i am ignorant of one or the other as this is not a comprehensive list. 

1. The loyalty implant erodes my ability to create the character i want to create.

I agree with this one because it is true. The loyalty implant essentially makes certain character types impossible or incredibly implausible. I would argue however that while the implant does provide a narrower spectrum from which to create your character you still have a large degree of choice within that spectrum. I will keep using DnD examples because it is the most intuitive i feel. If we work from the example that an implant restricts you to a "lawful" alignment it is still completely possible to be a "lawful neutral" character or another flavor. So it is possible to support nanotrasen and their practices because they are the ultimate form of justice or perhaps they are the ultimate way to acquire wealth and power or perhaps they are simply the best company to work for. Our wiki also states the following

Quote

There are also rumors that strong enough emotions or stress can override the loyalty implant, though this is usually detected by the automatic deactivation network and the implant is quickly replaced.

This provides your character an out to do some niche and outlandish things in extreme situations. So theoretically you could beat a crew member to death because he murdered your wife or something. 

2. The level of expectations for the conduct of captains and HoS's exist only on paper. In reality they vary wildly in quality.

This argument is almost certainly true on at least some level. I acknowledge fully that any value we set in the rules or the wiki is always going to be how we ought operate. It is a constant battle as the admin and mod team to ensure our server remains as close as possible. I like to think that we do a reasonably good job and that while outliers exist they are just that, outliers. 

3. Your first argument is predicated on a lore setting we ought abandon

This argument is rarer but i have seen a few people try to make it. Perhaps you believe that we should change our setting such that nanotrasen are "the good guys" and everybody ELSE is horrible and amoral. Maybe that explains the presence of antagonists on our station. Its a completely fair opinion to have and its not impossible i may end up agreeing with it. I acknowledge that if we changed our setting so radically that LI would become obsolete. 

So thats that. That is why i think the way i do about loyalty implants. If you've managed to read this far about my opinion its only fair you take the time to post here so that i can read a little bit about yours. 

[BurgerBB]

Loyalty implants are honestly a terrible idea on Aurora and with the wiki addition I just recently learned that gives your character freedom to act like an emotional snowflake just makes it worse. Loyalty implants that force you to act seriously irrational is honestly just bad roleplay design as it forces the Captain to go along with whatever loyalist gimmick chosen even if it's unreasonable or seriously unrealistic for a NanoTrasen thing to do.

Most sane servers just make them "Mindshield Implants" which makes the owner immune to traitor conversions mechanically and philosophy, teachings, and policies that don't fit with nanotrasen from a roleplay perspective. Mindshield implants are genius because it allows Captains and Heads of Security to say no to things that NanoTrasen would not reasonably do such as to randomly prison all xenos as a social experiment or force doctors to mine the asteroid with pickaxes because they need more phoron.

 

[Crozarius]

Invariably I have seen loyalty implants abused to make Revolution rounds as painful as possible. The loyalists always convert the implanted Heads, and the implanted Heads always begin to make batshit insane decisions that wouldn't even benefit NanoTrasen in the long run while espousing: I'm implanted, guis! Everything I do is for the company!!!!! 

>continues to execute and borgify unarmed noncombatants.