Ion Events Affect IPCs

[goolie]

Thought this would bring a lot more RP to the ion event situation, especially when there isn't an AI to receive the laws the event gives them. Not only that, but it's kind of rare to see an ion law in play, so this would make it more common. It could definitely add flair to an antagonist if they were an IPC. You could even base an entire gimmick of some of the laws that are thought up.

I wanted to make this, after discussing this topic in the IPC Discord and, to see what all of you thought. You could maybe draft out some ideas for some laws that could pop up during the event. From goofy, to serious to maybe even harmful? The only downside I can see to it, is if it were to happen in extended and that would probably bring up a lot of canonization problems. Would you really want your character succumbing to a law that forces them to speak in tongues? Probably not. Then again, it would be funny! That's kind of the whole idea. Like when the AI get's one of these laws, it should be funny and lighthearted.

Comment your opinions!

(Just wanted to clarify. I'm not suggesting that an entire new law system is put in place, when the ion happens. IPCs cannot be lawed, but they can be messed with! Their personality could go haywire, they could become obsessed with something or someone completely random or have their desires and whims changed. There isn't any laws involved. I just couldn't think of a better title since I imagine, the ion laws code would be used to make this happen. A better way to explain it, would be comparing it to the bio-hazard alert. Instead of a disease, the IPCs get sick with errors in their programming.)

Edited April 13, 2020 by goolie

[A.I.M.M.O.]

On the one hand I like the idea ... on the other it brings up alot of issues : How are traitors affected. What are the lore implications (of normal ion storms aswell really, is that a ramovich thing ? Or are station AIs vulnerable due to their large ammount of connected hardware?) 

How would it be fixed ? If it requires A roboticist that could just fuck up a round for IPC players quickly, depending on the the exact type of law.

The one RP aspect I can see to be won by this is the ... tragic of IPCs  (synthetics in generall) as they are bound by their programming and assigned values .

[goolie]

I was under the impression it would of been easier to implement without any hitches but you're right about the lore stuff. That's what discussions are for though! I'm sure we could figure something out once more people post their opinions and general ideas. 

[GreenBoi]

I don't think this would make sense. The ions affect an AI's laws- which IPCs don't have, and this would make IPC commandheads a liability. When AIs get an Ion Law- that does not override any of their other laws, which means you will still be safe. At worst, the AI will try to convince you into doing something completely ridiculous; at best, it will do nothing because the two laws conflict. If an IPC got an Ion Law, literally what WOULD stop it? No laws would be inplace to inhibit their nonsense, and if you have no roboticist- they're kind of stuck that way.

[canon35]

I feel it would be best to have ion storms do a minor temporary effect on IPCs if they were not in maintenance tunnels. Make their voice static, cause them to jostle around like they're drunk for a bit. 

[goolie]

I just think the ion random event is wasted potential when it could be fleshed out so that it rivals in quality to the other random events. At the moment? It hardly happens. The RP that entails when it does happen, is often memorable and interesting. 
 

Also? It's 2AM. I'll be headed to bed after I've posted this and I'll be responding to comments tomorrow. Probably have a few more cohesive arguments to sway you over with when I've actually gone to sleep!

[A.I.M.M.O.]

Ion "Laws" for IPCs should be more quirks than "ensure x happens" , it would still be in conflict with self preservation, and given that self preservation routines ARE a thing and ARE enforced in the IPCs systems to the strognest extend, similair less strong routines could  exist and be altered.

[niennab]

If Ion storms were to effect IPCs, I believe that it should be unrelated to laws. Both to coincide with the fact that IPCs are without laws and that they're not wireless (and perhaps affords them a bit of protection in that regard). It seems a bit strange to me that an electrical storm would somehow give IPCs a law system, where as with the stationbound and AI, it makes sense in that the system of laws, already in place, is being effected/glitched.

If we were to have ion storms effect IPCs it may be better as a status effect. However, I am wary of the severity being that low-pop often doesn't see the Roboticist role filled.

[Boggle08]

It should be something like what Aimmo has suggested, where it feeds IPC's afflicted by it strange cravings or inclinations. These "Ion behaviors" should expire after a TBD amount of time that can be checked by using self diagnostics. Removing the behaviors prematurely should be done by a roboticist or other trained equivalent by opening up the chest cover and then using a debugger.

 

Edited April 13, 2020 by Boggle08

[goolie]

AIMMO explained it much better than me! A better word to use would be a quirk, instead of a law. It gives them a random quirk, changing their personality until either the set time runs out, or they're fixed by a Roboticist. I wasn't suggesting they're given laws by the random event, but more so what AIMMO said. 

[Carver]

If IPCs were mentally affected by Ion Storms they'd be banned from working on the station. Some temporary physical hiccups would be fine.