Announcement: New Map Memorandum

[LordFowl]

A flexible engine room is out of the question, as noted in the changelogs. The supermatter has a massive amount of piping and machinery to go along with it, while the Tesla and Singularity engine have the exact opposite - they'd consume all that equipment. What may be happening is a return of the engineering outpost, allowing both the Tesla engine and the Supermatter to be run at Engineer's discretion, as both would be able to connect to the main power grid. It is also feasible that both could be run in unison, although the effects of this are not yet tested.a

[Carver]

I would hope the Tesla and Supermatter have a fun effect should they collide, as I know the SM and Singularity do something /very/ fun when they meet.

[Guest]

I like the SM on the basis of it's not a round-ender despite everyone apparently thinking it is, even though the damage it causes is absolutely minimal in comparison to a loose singularity. Blows engineering, mildly irradiates everyone with hallucinations, but otherwise if solars are properly set then it's an easy fix. SM is a very safe, viable choice for a hard-to-grief-the-server-with engine, even if it is somewhat annoying to learn.

 

But it is a round-ender, it blows Engineering, and the engine, we usually have 1-2 actually trained station engineers onboard, and if we're lucky an Atmospheric Technician, and as it's been stated the SM uses a lot of pipes, that most Engineers may not know how to lay out ICly. At this point, the only thing supplying the station with power is the temperamental solar arrays (if they were setup) , and I find that power dies exceptionally fast.

No power + No possibility of engine repair + Station-wide radiation + Medical now being unpowered = Probable evacuation

Unless you have a full engineering team, an SM delamination is a round ender.

[Carver]

Solar arrays can last the station forever if you know how to properly rewire them as an Engineer. Fixing the Engine was... Less of an issue when it just used the radiation collectors but I imagine you can still use the radiation collectors for the SM. Alternatively, set up a singularity. Alternatively just use the solars it's as easy as moving a few wires. Fixing Engineering is a 15-20 minute job for 2 engineers, 30 minutes for 1.

Should I go write a guide on how to run the station entirely off solars since it seems to be a difficult concept for people to figure out?

[Nanako]

I'm worried that the new medbay looks too small. I guess we'll see in practise

[Nanako]

Oh a request, make the cryo storage room bigger. six beds is not enough during peak times of SSD baldies everywhere. We need ten imo

[Conservatron]

thats what incinerator is for

[LordFowl]

Content suggestions for the new map must be posted here on the "Map Talk" thread (http://aurorastation.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2496&start=40), or they will not be considered in an official capacity.

 

The new map will endeavour to solve the SSD crisis in numerous ways, including additional cryogenic storage opportunities.

[Nanako]

A request i've seen echoed from a few people.

Please put department breakrooms adjacent to that department's reception area, so that people can move from breakroom to reception without going into an intervening space, and also see people incoming from the breakrooom.

In places where someone needs to be at the reception, like medbay, breakrooms just don't get used because they're too far away. Someone has to be there to watch the crew monitor, and observe the lobby for patients coming in. The breakroom needs to be in a place where you can still do that

[Dreamix]

(...)Please put department breakrooms adjacent to that department's reception area, so that people can move from breakroom to reception without going into an intervening space, and also see people incoming from the breakrooom. (...)

I'm suggesting exactly the opposite of this request. Don't put in absolutely any breakrooms inside the departmental areas, but have the shared, common space bigger. This would encourage people to come out of their departments and roleplay with other people. Make them socialise in the bar, chapel, gardens, etc., rather than to just sit besides the same three crew monitoring/ cameras/ whatever/ alarm consoles for two hours.

Not everything that's convenient and comfortable is good.

[Arrow768]

@ Dreamix, I fully support your idea.

A break room is intentionally not at your workplace, because you are supposed to have a break.

Talk with your colleagues, tell them that you are going to take a break and will be unavailable for X minutes.

Have the intern man the desk in the meanwhile

And if something comes up in the meanwhile, then intern needs to handle it and if its urgent call for backup on the radio

(At least thats how we do it at work; If someone comes in between while we have a break our intern is trained to ask people if they have an appointment and to tell them to come back later if they dont (Most of them dont, and if they do we dont make a break when we expect them to arrive))

[LordFowl]

Break rooms, and further departmental dormitories, are designed to be quite literally rooms for players to park their SSD in. They are 'break' rooms in perhaps a meta sense of the word. In fact, in all cases except Research thus far, break rooms as we understand them have been for the most part removed. Research's break room remains because research is by its very nature an insular department. If you want to roleplay an actual break, civilian areas have been expanded to accommodate this, and it is here that you can roleplay leisure. We do not expect it to be possible for your player to simultaneously be on call and on break - breaking is a dedicated action.

Finally, if people continue to fail to follow the rules set in place concerning posting on this thread I will request forum moderators to begin moderating it, something I do not desire. I have made it clear that suggestions belong here: http://aurorastation.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2496&start=40

[LordFowl]

Legacy constructs. They are also aesthetically pleasing, non-space consuming, and a good reason to make a package deal with showers, sinks, and bathroom mirrors. In short, there is no compelling reason not to include toilets.

[Lucychan42]

Will there be a post of current screenshots? I'm curious about how medical looks now with the revisions that have been put in place. I don't want to call out more revisions if it has already come into question.

[LordFowl]

Screenshots will be updated only after major developments, such as the completion of a department as a whole.

[UnknownMurder]

Quick Map Questions:

Are we still using the Supermatter as engine or opening up to a new form of engine? Frankly, I'm tired of it.

What specified civilian areas will you be adding?

On the map, where will Cargo be located?

[Arrow768]

Last thing I heard we still have the supermatter,

but the Tesla is also available on the sublevel. (Altough some setup is required)

[LordFowl]

Photography album updated to reflect recent map revisions.

[Fire and Glory]

So I was looking at this...

 

 

And I noticed that at the top of the image is a gateway, it was my understanding that the gateway was going to be phased out as a bay quirk? Were plans changed or did I simply not get it right the first time?

Is the snow in the bar just a scenic view or...? Also why does the bartender have a banana peel?

Is it possible for miners (and other EVA personnel) to change levels while trudging around the cavern?

Will it be possible for elevators to malfunction in dangerous ways, or only just shut down?

Can non-maint staff access the ladders should the elevator be busted?

Going elsewhere, I notice the HoS has what looks like a drone in his chair, is that a plushie, pet, or some sort of mapping representative for something else?

Some of this has probably been answered but I am an ass.

[LordFowl]

And I noticed that at the top of the image is a gateway, it was my understanding that the gateway was going to be phased out as a bay quirk? Were plans changed or did I simply not get it right the first time?

Any plans to remove the gateway based on it being a 'bay quirk' were never brought to my attention, and thus are not official. There was some discussion of removing the gateway because it served no purpose and we didn't have space for it, but after some admin research the gateway can again be used for events, and additional function may be added for it later. Space was found for it, and there it rests.

 

Is the snow in the bar just a scenic view or...? Also why does the bartender have a banana peel?

The snow in the bar is indeed a scenic view. It was originally going to be just a clearing in the caverns, but that conflicted with the maintenance tunnel.

The previous bartender probably liked bananas?

Is it possible for miners (and other EVA personnel) to change levels while trudging around the cavern?

Not through their own artifice. Natural or otherwise means may present themselves. Treacherous drops to other z-levels are planned, but they are not really safe to traverse. (Unless you're a dionaea of course, those OP buggers.)

 

Will it be possible for elevators to malfunction in dangerous ways, or only just shut down?

 

Elevators will have the capacity to at the very least shut down. Traitors or otherwise malicious forces may find elevators to be a useful asset if they can concoct a way to remotely interface with the control console.

 

Can non-maint staff access the ladders should the elevator be busted?

No. Should control of an elevator be lost it would be vital for control to be regained. We do not intend for there to be a way to permanently and irrevocably lose control of an elevator, however that does not necessarily mean that regaining control will be easy. Ultimately, heads of staff might find it easier to simply revoke maintenance access (which is a functionality they already have but rarely use), should they find it imperative to allow crew to traverse z-levels unhindered.

 

Going elsewhere, I notice the HoS has what looks like a drone in his chair, is that a plushie, pet, or some sort of mapping representative for something else?

Pumpking has a strange sense of humour, and I sometimes see fit to entertain it. I suppose our first Head of Security will have to be a brave sort of fellow to answer this question for you.

[Nanako]

So i'm loioking at the picture F&G linked.

What's with the garden, why is it across the hall from the kitchen and not adjacent?

It's imperative that kitchen and garden are together, because one exists to serve the other, and they share a fridge. the bodtanist places their grown vegetables into a fridge which is in the back wall of the kitchen, allowing the chef to easily grab them and cook with them. it's a symbiotic relationship.

i don't see one anymore, where is the botanist supposed to deposit their produce? I don't see a way into the kitchen

[LordFowl]

It is our belief that an additional three tiles distance will not infringe upon the "imperative symbiosis" of the two departments.

[Conservatron]

might I suggest a fruit chute?

botanist can just dump the food in and then it spits out into the kitchen onto a table

[Conservatron]

alternatively you can swap the gateway and garden and eat into the incredibly large library or extend it out a bit but im no mapper so i dunno how that'll affect things outside the picture

[Fire and Glory]

Will janitors retain basic access to all departments?