IT Department Thoughts

[Nanako]

I'd like an ID department to focus on solving existing problems, and improving existing situations, rather than digging holes in order for them to fill.

To that end, i have a few ideas for IT-specific things that they could produce and use. Some of these could also be available in traitor uplinks

Devices:

IR Scrambler

A small device worn anywhere on the body, which emits light that is invisible to the naked eye, but very visible to technologiocal perception.

As such, whenever anyone looks at the wearer through a camera, they would only see a bright light moving around, and would not be able to see that person's name or anything they're carrying. For reference, AI and cyborgs are ALWAYS looking through cameras.

This would make you very visible to the AI, but it would be unable to discern your identity, and if you can leave the scene before human personnel arrives, your identity will probably remain unknown. Useful to wear when breaking into areas

Digital Camouflage:

A much more advanced version of the scrambler, wearing this would make you almost invisible to diogital means of detection. Your outline would be very faint and anyone looking through cameras would generally be unable to see you while you stand still. Security camera motion alarms would not be triggered by your presence, and turrets would not fire at you

Remote Hacker:

This would work like a long-range multitool, allowing you to pulse wires inside an object that you can see, without having to physically get close, and notably without having to open any panels. Could be used on someone wearing a hardsuit to play with the wires inside their suit module, too

Sensor Interface:

Could be used on a person to silently and remotely alter their suit sensors, or to emit a jamming signal that blocks suit sensors all around it. Available to traitors and a useful assassination tool

Remote Interface

A simple little device which when used on something, would call attack_ai on it. Essentially this would give you access to all the functionality that an AI/cyborg gets when clicking on things. Shouldn't be too easy to get

Air Alarm Controller:

A godsend for atmospherics, this little device would have an interface identical to an air alarm, allowing you to program in those settings. And then when used on an air alarm, to instantly copy those settings over. Would also enable lots of low-level atmos fun by quickly setting thresholds so that air alarms wont trigger when something is wrong

AI Upload Control Board:

Perhaps the pinnacle of IT research, this would allow you to build a new AI upload console in your office, and remotely alter the AI's laws as you wish

Software Upgrades:

These would be mostly for enhancing the AI and computers, adding new things to make everyone like you, or hate you.

Upgrading the AI would require it to allow you access to its upload, which comes with a lot of risk for both parties, and a tense atmosphere

Mass Door Control:

Three seperate upgrades for open/close, bolt, and electrify. These would allow the AI to perform that function on all doors in a room simultaneously, by shift/ctrl/alt-clicking a floor tile in that room

Camera Xray vision upgrade:

Gives a specific camera Xray vision, easy to apply but there's lots of cameras.

EM Insulation:

A somewhat expensive upgrade applicable to any device at all, which would grant it immunity to EMP attacks

[Pyrociraptor]

AI Upload Control Board:

Perhaps the pinnacle of IT research, this would allow you to build a new AI upload console in your office, and remotely alter the AI's laws as you wish

 

I think to get that one, you should leave it to the classic way of either breaking into tech storage, or if science isn't full of shit, print one and steal one?

Or make it cost a shitload of crystal.

Thought for the rest, I agree, we lack /technology/.

Also, for all the remote control thingy, it should take time before being able to access whatever you're trying to hack (you know, time to upload the software and shit), and there should also be a visual indication (Random sparks or something like that.) to give a hint that something's wrong.

 

Camera Xray vision upgrade:

Gives a specific camera Xray vision, easy to apply but there's lots of cameras.

Isn't there someone like that already? Like Camera hack that allow you to either reactive a camera, but also apply upgrades like X-Ray or EMP resistance?

[Depandio]

If genetics was shared with Medical and Research, would IT be shared with Research and Engineering?

I really like the Traitor items - especially the IR Scrambler, and having a job that focuses around the use (and potential abuse) of Cameras is pretty awesome. That said, I think we'd need to really expand on what the IT Department's duties are before it can become its own job. I've got a couple ideas to that end.

-Camera maintenance is a given. Following the theme if their unique items, IT should be well-equipped to place, upgrade and repair cameras. Maybe a cameras are randomly non-functioning at the start of every round?

-Computers. Circuit boards and junk are kind of an R&D thing, but I think it'd be pretty great if the IT Department had a circuit imprinter so they could build computers where those computers needed to be built. And maybe arcade games, too!

-Telcom maintenance. As I recall it, the Telcom satellite is kind of a shared responsibility between the CE and RD? If it becomes IT's primary responsibility, that'd be a resolution - especially since most players don't ever get a chance to use that equipment. Sure there's grief potential, but this IS SS13.

-Laptops and PDAs. Laptops are pretty rad, and as someone who plays a lot of Medical, I really appreciate having them. But a vending machine that creates them is a little ridiculous. I think it'd be pretty awesome if IT had to build/distribute them, or at least had access to better Laptops than the vending machines offer. Along with spare PDAs and their modules. And dutiful assistants would love to have modules on-hand to help out in the field, right?

-Somebody mentioned recently that the Roboticist could be something of an expert on Synth psychology and development. This duty could easily be shared with IT.

There's even space for IT, as I see it - between secure storage and the mining portion of Cargo, if IT doesn't just encompass secure storage entirely. It doesn't have to be big, after all. Any IT department I've been in has been a little cramped and full of equipment. They'd be in the perfect spot to work with Engineering, near what I see to be their Primary duties - the AI Upload and the Telcom satellite.

Maybe they even have a tiny server to maintain the Station-bounced radios? Though I can see why you'd want to keep those foolproof. Long story short, I love the idea of an IT department and will likely be coming back with more ideas when I'm not on my phone at work.

-Maybe IT can build computers that use ThinkDOS or DWAINE? I dunno. Programming in-game computers would be kind of fun, I know I had similar good times puzzling out ComputerCraft in Minecraft.

[Arrow768]

I'd like an ID department to focus on solving existing problems, and improving existing situations, rather than digging holes in order for them to fill.

[...]

 

The I©T department is one of my projects that I wanted todo for a long time, but has been delayed for quite a while because of unmerged dependencies.

Bay has a modular computer system that replaces the existing consoles.

Until a few weeks ago there was no concrete ETA when those will be merged.

I have received a rough estimate when that merge will happen, so I pulled the old project out again and have been working with a few other people including UM on fleshing out the idea.

I dont plan to take over Nanakos thread, but I will only give a few corner points of what the new IT department will be:

Department Structure:

The IT Department will have a maxiumum of 3 employees:

• 1 IT Administrator
• 2 IT Techs

The IT Admin is the department head, a whitelisted position, not command level, but only answers to command as a whole or the captain

The IT Admin also has the power to implement station wide policies (security, BYOD, ...)

The IT Techs answer to the IT Admin

Responsibility for Tcoms and the Messaging Server will be moved to the IT Department

Reason why its not sub department of engineering or the hop:

Today by far most of the IT departments do not operate under the jurisdiction of another department. Usually there is a CIO/CTO/CDO.

This has a few reasons:

• IT is very different from the other departments
  
• Only because one has studied engineering, doesnt mean that this person has a clue about IT
  
• If IT is placed under the responsibility of another department, there is always the problem that the head of the other department uses IT to get "advantages" for his department.

As a sidenote: In every company I have worked until now the IT department was always independent, no matter how big or small. Even, the 1-Guy "IT-Department" of the Engineering-Company answered only to the CEO.

There must be a reason why all the major corps have a CIO

 

New Devices:

Right now stuff just works and there are many unanswered questions:

• Where exactly are those employment records saved ?
  
• How can my console access those records ?
  
• I cant see a Accesspoint around the station, how is it possible that my Sec Hud accesses those records ?
  
• What device controls what I can access with my console ?
  
• Is there a policy in place that sais if I can use my private laptop to access company data ?
  
• And a few more

 

Those questions will be answered with the introduction of:

• Various Servers
  
• Switches
  
• Firewalls
  
• Application Firewalls
  
• AccessPoints

Those will be rackmount devices, except for the AccessPoints, those will be wall-placed

Those are just the basics that are needed to add more depth to an already existing system.

Once those have been implemented and tested there will be stuff that allows Antags to interact with the IT-Infastructure of the station and influence it in multiple ways.

There are also ideas floating around that will make the AI part of that IT-Infrastrucuture.

The above mentioned ideas will fit nicely within the 2nd batch.

Some of those have to be adapted like the Remote Interface.

Seems way to simple. Just click on a device to remote control it, but there will be a mechanic to do just that.

[Raineko]

I'd be super into this. I can already imagine the IT department dwelling basement nerds that could come out of this.

[Dreamix]

What the fucking fuck. That sounds awesome, really. If you're adding switches, firewalls and AP's, don't forget about adding routing and packet simulation (just joking, of course). And custom HTML sites. Imagine browsing the actual extranet of forum IC posts in-game. I'm actually learning switching and routing so this will be fun the day it gets done. If ever.

Through, three IT guys seems a bit excessive. Maybe just an administrator and his special assistant?

[MrGabol100]

Hello, yes, I'm Beta Mcgee, I browse 18chan from the N.S.S. Exodus in the extranet.

I like tajaran women and men, I am xenoist and I like energy swords.

I am the N.S.S. Exodus Sysadmin.

[Raineko]

Hello, yes, I'm Beta Mcgee, I browse 18chan from the N.S.S. Exodus in the extranet.

I like tajaran women and men, I am xenoist and I like energy swords.

I am the N.S.S. Exodus Sysadmin.

 

The IT department needs to look like a weaboo pit, anime posters, mecha figures, and replica swords galore.

[UnknownMurder]

This is a suggestion you put all these stuff in. I did not bump them for no reasons.

https://forums.aurorastation.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=5141

Edited August 17, 2016 by Guest

[MrGabol100]

Hello, yes, I'm Beta Mcgee, I browse 18chan from the N.S.S. Exodus in the extranet.

I like tajaran women and men, I am xenoist and I like energy swords.

I am the N.S.S. Exodus Sysadmin.

 

The IT department needs to look like a weaboo pit, anime posters, mecha figures, and replica swords galore.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/NeckbeardNests/