Biologist Position

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

We had a debate in the lore chat about what path to take in how we justify genetics, and what possibilities we use via the lore for geneticist players. There was a very vocal desire to just write it off as a dead-end field, one that everyone acknowledges even IC'ly as just a place of chucklefuckery and temporary powers that fade with time, thus being useless.

However, I have since the beginning of my tenure as loremaster been vehemently opposed to 'writing off' anything if it's possible we can create possibilities rather than roadblocks. Therefore, while we are working on the lore and background for genetics as-is, I've pitched an idea to Skull for preliminary "it doesn't suck like your usual ideas I guess" approval and now want to toss it to the community for feedback.

Major Change

The Geneticist will get a job change to "Biologist", or other title for medical research. I'm sure someone with a doctorate will tell me the proper title.

What is Mechanically Added

A surgery table in genetics, or somewhere the biologist can have access. A 3D organ printer. A freezer. Possibly other tools.

IC Procedure Changes

Biologists would basically expand beyond their work in genetic modifications, to general medical research. This is where biologists would do biopsies, harvest organs, transfer organs between protohumans, grow entire organs, swap brains, and basically just having a complete blast with the mechanics of protohumans. Or, if traitor or wielding a consent form, living mobs.

The Lore That Would Be Added

Nanotrasen has taken a very keen interest in being the first to have a breakthrough in making genetic alterations profitable. As well as this, they want to see what other profitable or scientific ventures can be obtained by alteration of a creature's genes, or very anatomy.

The End Result

Biologists would be one of the more morally questionable jobs we could have, and give a far greater role and responsibility than the current 'get superpowers, get yelled at by sec' cycle of irritation for all involved.

Edited May 23, 2015 by Marlon Phoenix

[Jakers457]

This would be pretty amazing

[Frances]

I never realized before, but the one thing geneticists are severely lacking in is direction. It is obvious it is a rather advanced field, and it currently doesn't make more sense for them to be on a plasma research station.

This seems exactly like the kind of change we need for people to obtain a very promising avenue in which to develop serious geneticist characters.

[Loow]

All in all, I like this idea. In fact, I like this idea a lot.

I would love to see appropriate RP and perhaps a bit of excitement among genetics characters. The NSS Aurora is on the "cutting edge" of research and science. I'd love to see a bit more of that feeling of "new innovation" and progress around medical and science.

This change promises to add quite a bit to the RP of the Aurora as well as some fun new game-play for people who don't believe in chair RP.

I'm looking forward to this being canonized and hold my breath to hear more.

[Rusty Shackleford]

I'm against the name change. Geneticists perform a variety of tasks in their research, and some dissect animals after they're done with testing them.

I say they stay Geneticists (EDIT: Or at the very least, allow the title "Geneticist" to be chosen from the job menu like it's allowed for Cooks/Chefs, Chaplains/Counselors, Botanists/Hydroponicists, etc etc) and simply have their jobs expanded, as currently the only things they do are clone people and make superpowers, and that's only if the CMO doesn't do it first. It's my favorite job and I would very much like to see more for geneticists to do with their time.

Also I'm doing the lore for genetic stuffs and I'm building it bit by bit in my mind before putting it down on my main google doc.

EDIT: It would also be really nice if one could clone monkeys/protohumans so you wouldn't have to beg cargo for more monkey cubes if you ran out of test subjects.

[witchbells]

This is literally what I have wanted forever and I want all of it. But I have suggestions

A biochemist alt title. Focuses on studying a subject's biochemistry and has no chemist duties.

A biotechnologist or biotech specialist to change up the uniformity of names. A biotech's area of study would be mostly be augmentation and integration of it. This would make the most since if biologists could produce mechanical eyes and organs like they should

Put vials in the lab. Vials are cool and sciency and I wish we had more of them on the station.

[Guest]

This idea doesn't actually totally suck. I like it.

I was about ready to post about the whole biotechnician or biochemist alt-title thing. Nursie beat me to it, oh well.

[Rusty Shackleford]

Be sure to keep that Geneticist title available/as the main one. And maybe if the department were to be expanded, then you could also increase the capacity from 2 to maybe 4.

[witchbells]

Keeping geneticist as a default title would be counterproductive. Genetics research would no longer be the main focus of medical research.

That's not saying it shouldn't be an alt title, however, biologist would make a more fitting default title.

[Skull132]

As a note, this is probably the most constructive idea I've heard about geneticists, and one that doesn't require too much modification to implement. As such, I will start work on this next week, and I should be finished no later than the end of next week.

So yay.

[Skull132]

Two and a half weeks later, here's the update.

We have ran a soft-implementation of the position. It is currently an alternate title for Genetics, with only a small selection of tools at their disposal. The completed pulls can be reviewed here. There is detailed information on both of them about what they do, include, or update.

Now, this has mainly been me laying the groundwork. Now we get to move forward. If you expand the milestone, you'll see my initial draft of how I want this to move.

Basically, with the surgery and simple implementation in place, we can start expanding. What are we expanding on? Organs! We want them to have shit to mess with! In this case, we want them to have curious things to pull out of chest cavities, brains, etcetera. And ways to fuck around with them. The first on my list to do is the Skrell organ of telepathic ERP. This is my next large project (I'll probably be kidnapping Cres and Tool for this, so that I have lore oversight as required), with secondaries popping up as I get bored/burnt out. Once it is in, we'll see further.

And just, "What is further?" you might ask?

Well, gentlemen.

Frankenmonsters.

More organ generation/modification.

Surgery on vital organs without killing the patient.

I'll report back and gather ideas once the Skrell organ of telepathic ERP and doom is done!

Night!

[Vanagandr]

Wouldn't it be simpler to just give them straight access to Surgery?

[Skull132]

Possibly. We'll see later on how it goes.

[Guest]

I like them having their own operation table, it ensures they can do their research without having to worry about critical patients being rushed in.

[K0NFL1QT]

This is really cool. I should get in game and play with what's in so far.

EDIT:-

The latter half of this post has been cut off to form a new thread discussing Med-Sci inter-connectivity.