NFC-0502 - Robotics Construction

[K0NFL1QT]

I don't know how long this particular piece of paperwork has been in place, but Research Directors have noticed it and are starting to enforce it. This piece of bureaucratic hell needs to go, or be otherwise altered.

"This form entails the construction of the denoted mechatronic constructs, such as mechs, exoskeletons, robots, by the science department of the aforementioned facility for the denoted purpose on the request of the denoted personnel."

Mechs, exoskeletons and robots. That's pretty much everything Robotics does, over just printing individual limbs. Even medibots fall under the purview of this form, if the Research Director wants to be super strict about it. The enforcement of this form completely contravenes the Station Directive regarding products of Science being free to create if kept within the Science department, handicapping Roboticists to specifically require Research Director authorization and signature for everything, and then go get someone elses signature too. I know it sounds reasonable, but in practice you have to get a signature from the RD and the recipient of the mech/exoskeleton/robot every time you want to build anything complete and functional. Printing components for RnD isn't restricted by this, which renders Robotics down to being simply the source of RnDs syringe guns, while Genetics can print organic prosthetics.

[Guest Menown]

Well, no. The form says it's by the request of somebody, meaning it's on that person what they do with it, and everybody else involved, since it's been cleared for use by the RD. It's basically like an equipment requisition, but for robotics.

If a director tells you that you can't do something, they'll tell you that you can't, form or not. You're best just filling out the paperwork, since it's really not that complicated.

[swat43]

As an RD, i only make my Robotics to do this Form only once the required robotic construct is required from a specific department. For example Ripley, you want it? Boom ,paper work then you can deliver/give. Medical wants to have an odysseus? Boom paper work, then you can deliver/give it.

As long people do not ask for medibots, floorbots, janibots, i still ask for Robotics to make them, and ignore the paper part, because.. No one asked from outside Science department.

Since we still dont have Exoskeletons... i am still hoping that we will recieve.

[Lady_of_Ravens]

Okay, so, I play one of the RDs who enforces this bit of paperwork (btw, whatever you do, don't look at the expedition form required to telescience off the station), and I'll agree it's excessive for anything other than mech construction. But I do like that it requires RD authorization for mech construction as there is a very limited supply of starting materials in the mech bay which can be easily exhausted by careless construction.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Paperwork is best described as 'non-asshole' and 'non-obstructionist trash' when it's porpoise is to cover someone's ass and doesn't obstruct standard operation in a department. The equivalent of this form is making doctors fill out a patient chart for every single patient they treat that walks into medbay, and being chastised or demoted for not doing it. Yes, it may make sense IRL, but it's obstructionist in-game.

Roboticists' shouldn't need to make paperwork for basic department constructions. Denying their ability to make a Ripley serves no porpoise except to antagonize the roboticists and cargo.

The only thing I can see allowing this thing to continue existing is turning it into a simple exo-suit registration form. Something that isn't a complicated maze of signatures and other things.

 

NFC-0502 - Robotics Exo-Suit Registration

This form provides a simple Nanotrasen Standard exo-suit registration for Nanotrasen roboticists.

Date:

Index:

Station:

Type of exosuit:

Name of exosuit:

Constructed by:

 

Then boom, the RD stamps it and files it.

[Mofo1995]

I think cyborgs and androids should stay in. They're a very substantial construction for the station, and take a lot of resources to make. but I think robots are insubstantial enough to be removed from requiring a form. Maybe I'm just weird, but paperwork is so simple and easy to fill out I don't see why it's that much of a problem. If your reasoning is that RD's are starting to enforce a previously ignored rule, then that means there's someone present who can sign the forms for you often, meaning you're not prohibited from doing your job. And in their absence, who's going to stop you from just making things?