Alert Level Rebranding

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Currently blue is used for "suspected threats" and red alert is used for "confirmed threats". While this makes sense and has been working ok it still leads to some frustrating situations. The biggest hurdle is that crew transfer votes CANNOT be called during red alert, and at the same time a single wizard casting a spell is grounds for red alert until they're captured.

As I've personally seen this leads to situations where the round is extended for painfully long periods of time due to a combination of stubborn command and antagonists being too slippery to catch.

Rebranding the meaning of the alert levels could help combat these situations and make them raise more organically.

Attention! Security level risen to blue

There is a suspected or confirmed threat to crew safety. Security staff may have weapons visible, random searches are permitted.

Attention! Security level risen to red

There is an immediate and existential threat to overall station integrity. Security may have weapons unholstered at all times. Tactical Response units are authorized for deployment and engineering is authorized to bypass airlock permissions.

Attention! Security level lowered to blue

The immediate existential threat has passed but dangers to crew remain confirmed or suspected. Security may no longer have weapons drawn at all times. Random searches are permitted. Engineering may no longer bypass airlock permissions.

Attention! Security level lowered to green

All threats to the station have passed. Security may not have weapons visible, privacy laws are once again fully enforced.

Blue alert will continue to be for suspected threats but will also be when we believe there to be a threat to crew but the overall station is expected to survive. This would be for general murders, changelings, and threats to life.

Code red will be for structural damage. This would be for bombs, breached areas, blobs, meteors; the station itself is falling apart around us. This is reinforced by the alert description itself allowing engineering to hack airlocks into locations - they need to get somewhere to fix something N O W. So, in this situation, if the wizard is running around stabbing people but otherwise nothing is breached or damaged, then the alert level would remain at blue alert. If the wizard suddenly starts casting fireball and blowing holes into areas then we would raise to red. When the damage is repaired, but the wizard has stopped blowing holes into areas, we then lower to blue. When we arrest and space the wizard we can then lower to green.

Given that I rarely if ever see antagonists get a large body count without some sort of damage to the station I feel this remains consistent and is a more organic way to tackle and define threats while remaining simple and within the same green blue red alert system we're familiar with.

EDIT:

And of course,

Attention! Security level risen to beige!

There is a confirmed fashion disaster on the station.

Edited August 15, 2016 by Marlon Phoenix

[Mofo1995]

I like it. A lot of times, the suspected threats can often be confirmed right off the bat, and a lot of antagonists, myself included, like to hit and run rather than stick around and get gobbled up by sec. I think this re-branding will help, especially in cases where an antag dies off-station or otherwise leaves completely. Plus, it might encourage heads of staff to remain in their offices instead of running off to be field commanders, since future strikes by antagonists after lowering to blue would need more swipings to go back up to red.

[Bedshaped]

The transfer shuttle is sometimes called at times when it really doesn't make IC sense or derails an ongoing and active RP situation.

This is supposed to be a HRP server, you wouldn't allow a crew transfer to go on while there's any kind of active security situation. I would go the opposite direction and not allow transfer shuttles to be called in red or blue.

I would also like to have a system that automatically drops the alert level unless it's been justified and reported to Central.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Bedshaped that argument is incredibly dangerous. If you want to be realistic then CT would not be permitted at all because a shift does not end when the majority of a staff votes on it ending, and no corporation in the universe would allow an entire shift for its entire workforce to last only 2 hours at a time.

This is a HRP server but this is also a game not a real job. If the majority of the players want the round to end then the round should end. You forcing the round to be extended via code red stasis beyond the wishes of the majority is unfair, unsportsmanlike, rude, and actively harmful to a HRP environment rather than beneficial.

This new system would let us have a very simple checklist for station threats.

Blue alert: [x] Are crew dying? [ ] Is the station itself damaged?

Red alert: [ ] Are crew dying? [x] Is the station itself damaged?

Red alert: [x] Are crew dying? [x] Is the station itself damaged?

[Bedshaped]

Bedshaped that argument is incredibly dangerous. If you want to be realistic then CT would not be permitted at all because a shift does not end when the majority of a staff votes on it ending, and no corporation in the universe would allow an entire shift for its entire workforce to last only 4 hours at a time.

This is a HRP server but this is also a game not a real job. If the majority of the players want the round to end then the round should end. You forcing the round to be extended beyond the wishes of the majority is unfair, unsportsmanlike, rude, and actively harmful to a HRP environment rather than beneficial.

This new system would let us have a very simple checklist for station threats.

Blue alert: [x] Are crew dying? [ ] Is the station itself damaged?

Red alert: [ ] Are crew dying? [x] Is the station itself damaged?

Red alert: [x] Are crew dying? [x] Is the station itself damaged?

 

Those votes are OOC.

Also enter here an argument for time compression B)

If the station is fucked up to the point that people can't do their jobs then an emergency shuttle should be called. Otherwise everyone should be doing whatever they want. If people can't do whatever they want then call the emergency shuttle. Also if there's been a bomb on the station call the emergency shuttle immediately, stop this "let's fix it" crap. There's a whole team of NT professional builder guys who fix the station between shifts and who are probably 100x more capable than Oliver Roadman and his team of merry men.

It doesn't make sense that the transfer shuttle is less regulated than the emergency shuttle either.

[Nanako]

The thing is, no crew transfer on red is intended so that you can't just call a transfer and end the round, while an antagonist is in the middle of doing their thing. It's their job to set the pace of the round and tell a story.

I've seen too many antags stymied by a sudden crew transfer vote while they're in the middle of preparing for something big, which usually forces them to abandon their plans because attacking departures generally isn't allowed.

This kind of thing is also why we have the 2/3 majority before 3 hours

I dont want to see things that'll make it easier to prematurely end rounds and OOCly cancel antag plans

This problem, if there is one, seems like a matter that can be resolved through communication.

Personally, i'd say that if things are all quiet, command staff should ahelp to ask what's going on, and whether the antag is planning anything. And we should have an exception to IC in OOC rules that allows moderators to actually answer that question.

Maybe something like 'Yes the antagonists are planning something big, hold tight for another 20 minutes' or 'Nope they all died in space accidents, go transfer if you want"

[Nanako]

If the majority of the players want the round to end then the round should end.

 

I agree with this principle, BUT you're missing a major factor.

Due to IC in OOC rules, (and a lack of communication from command and security) the decision to end the round is generally based on subjective and incomplete information.

If people knew a major event was about to occur, a lot less of them would vote for CT

[Nanako]

Also if there's been a bomb on the station call the emergency shuttle immediately, stop this "let's fix it" crap. There's a whole team of NT professional builder guys who fix the station between shifts and who are probably 100x more capable than Oliver Roadman and his team of merry men.

 

Also i really disagree with this, hell no. We have a trained team of highly paid engineers for a reason, to fix things.

The game also has the necessary tools and mechanics coded into it to rebuild almost anything. We can lay pipes and wires, we can construct new machines, we can order new supermatter and TEGs from cargo

There are very few things we can't rebuild, and i'd consider everything on that list an oversight to be fixed. Calling an emergency shuttle because the station has a few holes is REALLY shitty, thats not even democratic. Its just some bureaucrat who doesn't trust his own staff and thinking he knows whats best for them

If your engineers tell you they can fix it, and you still call an evac due to station damage, you are a horrible person and you're just suining several other people's RP for your own sake

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

So do you like the idea nanako?

[Nanako]

No, sorry, i guess i wasnt clear enough.

I don't want things that make crew transfers more common or easier to do. Thats exactly the opposite of what i'd like to see

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

this isn't entirely about crew transfers. it's part of the whole. a piece. the main point is a better alert system.

[Nanako]

ok, transfer stuff aside, then

Someone running around killing people, even if only on a small scale, is still a cause for major concern. it's supposed to be a normal workplace where people don't get murdered every day. Any violent, unexplained death, should be taken with severe alarm.

The other change you're proposing - to use blue alert for low intensity murdering, doesn't seem logical to me