Give us more GPS/ways to create new ones

[Captain Gecko]

GPS are essential to any extra-vehicular activities. To me it's practically sucidal to work on the outside of the Horizon, go on a mining trip, or an expedition, without a GPS. You need it to find your ship back, you need it to find your friends and rescue the wounded (and be rescued!).

I was then dumbfounded to see that the last science rework removed the 4 GPS from telescience. This, however, had me thinking. Even with telescience's GPS we could still find ourselves a tad limited from time to time. So, here are my proposals:

•  Have all departments be able to have a collection of GPS.
  • Security should have one in each of their lockers.
  • Science should have four, not two, and that's not including telescience that should have its own collection of GPS (that the rest of science won't have to steal as often the moment an expedition happens).
  • Operations is covered with mining so far, so I don't see why we should add more (but there's never too much).
  • Engineering should have one in each locker as well if it isn't already the case.
  • Medical should have a handful of them, for the First Responders mainly.
  • There should be an area that would allow anyone, notably civilians, to grab a GPS, perhaps in the tool storages.
• Have some way to get more GPS. Either by allowing the Auto or Protolathe to print more, or by letting Operations request more.

[Rookie Eyes]

Seconding - especially being able to create more. If we're missing those four then that limits us to the two GPSs in Research EVA, and sometimes that isn't going to be enough if science is organizing an expedition instead of a 1 - 2 scientists hitching along with mining. 

Edited August 27, 2022 by Rookie Eyes

[EJJ]

Yeah I can agree. Engineers have one in their lockers, but that currently mounts to 4 for engineers and 2 for atmos tech. I've had rounds where I had to rob Engineering to give GPSes to people leaving on an expedition. But full agree, GPSes are so necessary to RP and gameplay these days and tethering devices are basically unheard of that either the Intrepid needs to have a handful of GPSes or tethering devices aboard or there needs to be a way to print them.

I'd also extend this to the off-station roles as well, at least most of them. TCFL, FSF/SFA, etc need stationbounced and GPSes.

[Carver]

Even if they're not in most lockers due to basically being extra suit sensors, put the things on the IEVA suit racks. Any time someone uses a voidsuit or hardsuit they'll want a GPS; and command roles like RD, Captain, CE (if he doesn't have one already) and HoS will want one in their lockers given they all have personal voidsuits/hardsuits.

[Bear]

Would not be a fan of security getting more GPS' for the same reason sensors got bonked.

"Hey Jim I haven't seen your GPS move for five minutes are you OK?"

 

On a whole though I'm not really sure this is necessary. Yes it's harder but for away missions and so forth people should be encouraged to work and stay together versus John Rambo'ing through a random derelict.

[WickedCybs]

The notion that a GPS is on the level of suit sensors or encourages people to run off alone and die is a strange auroraism to me. They don't do anything other than give a coordinate position and are just a basic tool of the trade. There's far less room for any kind of "abuse" with it than a lot of other things.

As for who gets them, most departments and jobs should not spawn with these or have them in their lockers. They should not be in the public tool storage. They're given out as of now, to anyone who can expect to go EVA or outside (Engineers, miners, medics, telescience). Since this is also what team members in an expedition are doing usually, enough GPS units for a sizeable expedition can just be put in a common research area. 

A PR to change the Research E.V.A room into an expedition E.V.A room was supposed to be in the works, and I'll probably start it myself if it doesn't go up soon.

Edited August 28, 2022 by WickedCybs

[EJJ]

On 28/08/2022 at 00:02, WickedCybs said:

A PR to change the Research E.V.A room into an expedition E.V.A room was supposed to be in the works, and I'll probably start it myself if it doesn't go up soon.

Honestly this sounds like the best of both worlds. Giving command/BC a place to quickly command from and give a run-down on things and having all the tools for people to take onto the Intrepid.

[WickedCybs]

1 hour ago, EJJ said:

Honestly this sounds like the best of both worlds. Giving command/BC a place to quickly command from and give a run-down on things and having all the tools for people to take onto the Intrepid.

Yes. It will happen eventually. At this point I think Gem is going to include it in a future deck three PR, so I've refrained from doing anything for now.

[Carver]

13 hours ago, WickedCybs said:

Yes. It will happen eventually. At this point I think Gem is going to include it in a future deck three PR, so I've refrained from doing anything for now.

I don't mean to make assumptions here, but isn't deck three the bridge/command deck - not the hangar/i.e.v.a./operations deck, which is deck one?

[WickedCybs]

2 hours ago, Carver said:

I don't mean to make assumptions here, but isn't deck three the bridge/command deck - not the hangar/i.e.v.a./operations deck, which is deck one?

I meant deck one, yeah. I still get the third and first deck confused frequently. My bad.

Edited September 7, 2022 by WickedCybs