Problems with Telescience

[Kaed]

Telescience falls under a similar issue as the now defunct Genetics lab - if you know what you are doing, it is simply too powerful and capable of preposterous powergame. Certain players (PAL-OS, cough) are either REALLY GOOD at it, or using a guide/wiki. EIther way, they are capable of transporting nearly any person or object basically anywhere on station to anywhere else, bypassing all progression or walls that are intended to need some level of technical skill or tools to bypass. I understand there was recently come cool stuff where PAL-OS was awarded a medal for telesciencing wounded people to safety, or something? That's kind of cool, I admit.

Less cool was him facilitating an EMP assault on a malfunctioning AI by an overly aggressive captain. Less cool than that is if he (or someone else equally skilled) ever decides to be antagonist and launches an unstoppable assault of bombs or something he can toss through bluespace to anywhere he feels like, steal any object he wishes from anywhere without having access to it, or, I don't know, fill the telescience chamber with a mix of N20 and phoron so anyone he grabs and teleports in is instantly knocked out and poisoned, to death with no way to escape, because there is a shield in the way.

It isn't PAL-OS's fault this is possible. It's okay to be good with a given game mechanic. But the benefits given by being skilled with telescience are too massive. I hesitate to suggest it should be removed. It's got legitimate uses and I haven't yet seen it be used for ridiculous powergame yet, but I know the potential exists.

I think something should be done to curtail it, I just don't know what. Does anyone have suggestions?

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Why don't we just not do any of that and deal with powergaming when it happens? Potential smotential, everything has the potential to be overpowered.

[Kaed]

Why don't we just not do any of that and deal with powergaming when it happens? Potential smotential, everything has the potential to be overpowered.

 

Eh, I guess. I often feel like the admins take too much of a hands-off, mechanics are king policy, though.

[LordFowl]

Telescience used to have penalties and risks for operation. However, these risks were removed to facilitate a powergaming elite class - those who understood telescience should not have to suffer the malice of RNG. The simple fact of the matter is that telescience is an extremely experimental means of pinpoint bluespace manipulation. That we tolerate a risk less telescience yet argue we have a cohesive universe is laughable. Esoteric mechanics are not enough, and every time a 'good' telescience player comes about they always cause problems, because much like how it was with genetics the mechanics of the occupation were simply not enjoyable unless you were causing problems. Telescience is boring as unless you're stirring up shit, because it is mechanically stale and there are no repercussions for its operation except hypothetical and vague administrative action - IC or OoC.

[DatBerry]

Step 1: turn off suit sensors

Step 2: head to medbay

Step 3: shoot wall

Step 4: shoot the nerd

Step 5: ???????

Step 6: profit

Telescientists just use a calc app that was on reddit, we should follow suit with TG and remove the lab, but keep the machinery buildable.

[Nanako]

I don't know, fill the telescience chamber with a mix of N20 and phoron so anyone he grabs and teleports in is instantly knocked out and poisoned, to death with no way to escape, because there is a shield in the way.

 

This sort of already happened, there was an incident a couple of days ago where PAL was a cultist, and he was using telescience telescience to kidnap people, straight into a chamber filled with N20, so instant inescapable knockout, while his cult buddies in gas masks did unspeakable things with the sleeping captives

[Guest]

I don't know, fill the telescience chamber with a mix of N20 and phoron so anyone he grabs and teleports in is instantly knocked out and poisoned, to death with no way to escape, because there is a shield in the way.

 

This sort of already happened, there was an incident a couple of days ago where PAL was a cultist, and he was using telescience telescience to kidnap people, straight into a chamber filled with N20, so instant inescapable knockout, while his cult buddies in gas masks did unspeakable things with the sleeping captives

 

Fucking genius.

[Skull132]

Seen that specific thing happen on a ling round as well. Usually, the way admins deal with strategies like that is through OOC moderation, instead of gimping mechanics. If N2O deathtraps in telescience become common, then we'll start ruling them as gank. (Which one could argue that they kinda already are, but passes are given for initial brilliance and the need to know where the target is at the exact moment of teleportation. Ergo: reconnaissance and through that, RP.)

[Kaed]

Seen that specific thing happen on a ling round as well. Usually, the way admins deal with strategies like that is through OOC moderation, instead of gimping mechanics. If N2O deathtraps in telescience become common, then we'll start ruling them as gank. (Which one could argue that they kinda already are, but passes are given for initial brilliance and the need to know where the target is at the exact moment of teleportation. Ergo: reconnaissance and through that, RP.)

 

It's not quite as hard to know where someone is if they're an AI and you just toss a bomb/EMP grenade into their chamber. Which happened to me.