Allow Scientists to pilot the Quark

[meep109]

Every other role in the department is allowed to pilot it. I do not see the reason for scientists not being able to, especially since the whole premise of scientist right now is a freeform-esque role.

[GeneralCamo]

The intention is that scientists are a ship-bound role, intended to handle research aboard the ship. Expeditions are the job of Xenoarchaelogists, Xenobotanists, and Xenobiologists. If standard procedure should change, the proper process is to go through the XO or RD to change access first, not unilaterally have scientists decide to change it themselves.

Edited Friday at 14:33 by GeneralCamo

[meep109]

A lot of things that scientists do are enhanced by off ship gameplay, like modular weapons and telescience and as it stands right now I think the scientist role could really benefit from the loosening of restrictions they have on accessing the overmap to do strange and wacky experiments you could not normally do on ship.

[Nagito Komaeda]

11 hours ago, meep109 said:

A lot of things that scientists do are enhanced by off ship gameplay

I don't disagree with this, but Scientists have a lot to do on the ship to begin with (I know, Science is a gameplay department with sparse gameplay). Modular guns and telescience can still be tested on the station pretty easily, and they can absolutely be field tested in collaboration with others! But a Xenoarchaeologist/Anomalist has barely any gameplay on the ship and needs the Quark to get artifacts. Looking at it from the gameplay perspective (I don't play Xenoarch so I can't universally speak for those players) I think it would suck if the Xenoarch has to wait with doing their own thing because a Scientist wants to prepare things for an expedition/field test later in the round.

There's already plenty of options to go on an expedition and do field testing. Xenoarchs/botanist/biologists are all allowed to fly the Quark, as can the Research Director. Shaft Miners can also be a pilot for anyone wanting to do an expedition, as can Bridge Crew, the OM, XO etc. I think it's lightly redundant for Scientists to get shuttle access if them working together with other pilots stimulates connectivity and roleplay.

We shouldn't bar the Scientist role from doing field research, but we already have plenty of possible solutions (e.g. pilots), and interdepartmental reliablity isn't a strange thing (see the Machinist).