Instate the Complete Destruction of Virology, 2020: Collector's Edition

[GreenBoi]

As the title says, and here's why:

 

No one cares about virology to do anything meaningful with it, not antags nor crew. Actually outbreaks themselves are rare and often wise cured quickly, and it's also...very boring and underused. When was the last time you saw anyone use virology in a meaningful way? What rp does it add besides "ack ack im sick from beervirus"

 

Last time we had this discussion, it led to the merging and virologist and chemistry into the Biochemist alt-title. That changed absolutely nothing, and it really won't do anything unless virology is somehow made to be better. Propping down the flag and idea for its removal.

[MattAtlas]

Not opposed, personally, because virology is so ancient that it should really be killed.

[Doxxmedearly]

One hundred percent agreed. Just kill it. 

[NewOriginalSchwann]

Just get rid of it.

[Lord_Faarquad]

Personally, I really like the idea of the virology department, but regrettably, I have to agree it seems to be obsolete ?

[BoryaTheSlayer]

DOWN WITH THE OLD. While we're at it, also delete outbreaks since they're dumb too, unless we're gonna redo virology and make it actually fun instead of really boring and dull.

[Outboarduniform]

Virology has never been fun or interesting or really a part of much at all. Might as well pull it. 

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

I am the one that pushed biochemist as a job which merged virologist with a chemist because it used to quite LITERALLY our least played job alongside internal affairs.

It did provide more garunted responses to viruses but we can still be caught unstaffed.

Disease itself has ancient mechanics but im not sure if an improved nature of disease will ever pan out, as big ideas in the past about it fizzled out.

So if its still a massive pain then maybe it should be removed. How popular is the biochemist job? Theyll all lose their slot.

[Doxxmedearly]

Why would they lose their slot? Pretty much any biochemist that's been played since the job merge has been played as a full chemist. If we want to keep the distinction between pharmacist and biochemist, though, I have a rough idea.

We could turn the upstairs area into a biochem lab similar to RnD's chemical lab, where biochems could then RP as a sort of half research role for medical sciences (Which is pretty much what virology was, but with a narrow focus and shitty mechanics). They could conduct medical chemistry specific research, as I know some like to do, (myself included), while still fulfilling medical's needs for medicine. It would be mostly RP for the time being but something better could be built from that foundation, instead of trying to duct-tape the broken-ass and ancient viro system.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

You are right about biochemists being chemists first. Ive been yelled at by medical for focusing on virology instead of pumping out chems.

Maybe that'd be a good idea. I am just concerned about the removal of half their intended job mechanic. Studying chemical concoctions on people could be interesting.  We already see chemists experimenting.

When i say their slot is removed i mean to say biochemist is virologist++ and therefore removing virology will inevitably see calls to remove the biochemist as a title.

Edited March 20, 2020 by Marlon Phoenix

[Doxxmedearly]

I know that was the intention but the practice is that nobody really touches the viro lab (From my observations) and medical is extremely touchy about not being well-supplied (no surprise you got yelled at, even if you were in the right, but that's a discussion for another topic) so in practice they're really just chemists. I would oppose the removal of the biochem title and would rather see them as chemists who are expected to do, well, biochemistry research. I think the call to remove the title is not inevitable or even likely, but I understand the concern and I may be wrong. 

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

That's fair. Virology was the last element of medical I touched in my med restructuring; biochemist was a push to try and fix before removing. If it hasn't achieved that goal then it'd be best removed, ideally with that alternative for biochem players.

[wowzewow]

I say we remove the events.

Keep the code n' stuff in game, let the department be remapped into an abandoned-ish section

Like, sure, you can still do virology, but on a shoestring budget. But it won't be an actual thing that people are gonna do.

[Peppermint]

Why remove it without anything to replace it? Cloning is also gone. Psych is pretty much dead. If you don't want to play it, then don't.

 

Removing the outbreaks would be another option, though my personal preference would just be to let doctors also be capable of treating outbreaks (It's stupid easy, the theory is like..basic high school logic, and nothing about it is mechanically difficult).  Yet just doing away with the department at all is pointless.

[niennab]

I am fine with the idea of keeping virology but removing the events so to allow the space and concept stay but be adapted into something else. The space is super cool after all.

Perhaps allowing for the development or supplements or enhancement drugs in the Virology lab? Such as allowing someone to, for a period of time, handle pressure in space better in an emergency or something that strengthens bones in the event of a miner falling.

Edited March 21, 2020 by niennab

[MattAtlas]

I am not fine with the idea of keeping dead code. If the events are being removed then virology as a whole should be removed - because it has quite literally no use at all other than the events. Anyone who wants to rework virology will have to bring the entire thing down and rework it from the ground up in any case, since the code is pretty bad.

[GreenBoi]

We cannot keep around virology code, because it literally won't be used. It's not like event gear or normal legacycode- people already rarely use it, so just keeping it around despite it not even being onstation is a useless endeavor. It's either all-in or all-out for this, really- and I don't expect anyone to suddenly make and rework virology into something GOOD.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

I guess thats also fair. We already tried patching the issue with biochemists. The lack of a substantial change since then does show its probably better off gone then

[PTiberiusM]

Viral outbreaks are most of the time a false sensor reading and when do happen, they are trivial to deal with. The character I have that should be dealing with Viro the most (Robert Barcus, Pharmacist) still almost never has to deal with it. I am all for its removal.

But if removed, remove that entire section of the medical upper level. There is nothing that it needs to be replaced with.

And I heard someone mentioning that psych is pretty much dead too? Hmmm... can we get a double kill and completely do away with the upper level of Medical?

[Carver]

Virology/viruses have been so consistently shit over the years that it was the only medical mechanic I learned to powergame and treat within under a minute without needing to touch it's associated mechanics. Into the trash with it, I've never seen good RP from sitting in the virologist's equivalent of the permabrig for half an hour.

If anyone tries to claim it should be kept as a form of research, I implore you that a station needn't specialize in every form of science known to man.

[N8-Toe]

I say keep it, as Is right now. 

 

Another option. I worked briefly on adding a new alt title to bring back "virologist" maybe make it so the virus event only spawns if there is a virologist aboard. 

[GreenBoi]

2 hours ago, N8-Toe said:

I say keep it, as Is right now. 

 

Another option. I worked briefly on adding a new alt title to bring back "virologist" maybe make it so the virus event only spawns if there is a virologist aboard. 

Already the case, and the thing doesn't really....add anything right now. No one likes being sick, because it's always a meme. No one uses viruses as antags because they're caught quickly- no one does it normally because it's not fun and because it's very boring.

[Butterrobber202]

Virology is a neat idea, but with its current system its frankly boring. I'm all for removing it, maybe some dev 20 years down the line will rework it.

[Kintsugi]

Virology doesn't currently bring much to the table, and either needs a complete rework or to be nuked completely. It feels like it exists to send three people to medbay for them to AFK in quarantine every once in a while.

[Muuyri]

The deal is here how is the whole virology tectonics handled. You get outbreaks out of thin air and its just weirdly random and unspecific. I would get it if you caught sickness from eating rotten meat, bad food or an expedition exposure, yes. But virology practicality is non present at the moment and doesn't serve a real purpose. In my opinion it should not be destroyed, and the mechanics should remain, but virology should have a vastly smaller part in the station, and it should also be more integrated into medical wing as all medical personnel should be able to handle issue with viruses, pandemics or infectious diseases, in worst case scenario, a specialized team [I guess ERT] Should come handle handle emergency situation if it gets way too out of hand. That's all I gotta say here.

EDIT ; Quaranties with small amount of creativity can be created manually and don't need a specialized space just like there is one now. Afterall, outbreaks are rare, but as our current situation over the world IRL looks, that's exactly a primal example of why having at least basic preparations inplace.

Edited April 9, 2020 by Muuyri