Unfucking mass spectrometers

[MO_oNyMan]

So what is the problem with mass spectrometers? I'll tell what is the problem. They detect only reagents that were injected directly into the bloodstream.

- Most malicious poison injections will most likely wear off before the subject's death rendering mass spectrometer useless

- Most common helpful drugs can be detected by a handheld health analyzer for some obscure reason rendering mass spectrometer useless

- Some chemicals are applied in pills not injections rendering mass spectrometer useless

- Drugs and alcohol intoxication are ingested in 99% of the time making it virtually impossible to detect drug or alcohol abuse (and also rendering mass spectrometer useless)

Although this item is issued to medbay and forensics it collects dust since there's no situation it could be applied (in almost a year of playing i don't think i ever saw it being used ever).

I was told that this was intended to encourage use of poison by antags which is kind of weird and i don't see antags poisoning crew too much either.

So what i'm suggesting is to allow mass spectrometer to detect chemicals not only in the bloodstream but also in respiratory systems and stomach allowing it to serve as sobriety/drug test. How would it be done? I would suggest a system in which chemcals in respiratory system and stomach would transfer to bloodstream with a certain efficiency ratio

For example:

Dylovene has a metabolsim rate of 0.2u/tick

So a dylovene injection will make use of 1 unit of dylovene in 5 seconds, healing 4 points of toxin and giving other benefits

But a dylovene pill will use this metabolsim rate to transfer into a blood stream with a ratio of (for example) 0.8. So in one second 0.18 units of dylovene will be transfered from the stomach to the bloodstream and will start to metabolise there in order to benefit the subject, 0,04 units of dylovene will be wasted. Same with chemicals applied via cigarettes.

A good idea would also be applying a chemical residue so that chems that wear off would still be detectable although not affecting the subject but that might be a topic for a separate suggestion.

This would bring mass spectrometers to life. It's a shame their potential is currently wasted.

alternatively just let them detect chems in stomach and respiratory system via a blood teast. It would make slightly less sense but would work just as well

[Korinra]

I think a short way to word this would be simply:

Make the mass spectrometer detect things for a while AFTER they've been metabolized.

While in reality this doesn't make logical sense, it DOES make sense mechanically. Technically, as it is now, you're right, the mass spectrometer is useless if you don't get a blood sample within seconds of the chemical being administered. However, if it lasted say... 30 minutes per unit administered, injecting 10 units of a substance into your blood could keep it there for half an hour, usually long enough for the information to be use. Then, if you're injecting something maliciously, you have to consider, "How long do I want this chemical to be detectable, and how much is needed for it to be effective?"

For these reasons, +1 from me

[MO_oNyMan]

I think a short way to word this would be simply:

Make the mass spectrometer detect things for a while AFTER they've been metabolized.

While in reality this doesn't make logical sense, it DOES make sense mechanically. Technically, as it is now, you're right, the mass spectrometer is useless if you don't get a blood sample within seconds of the chemical being administered. However, if it lasted say... 30 minutes per unit administered, injecting 10 units of a substance into your blood could keep it there for half an hour, usually long enough for the information to be use. Then, if you're injecting something maliciously, you have to consider, "How long do I want this chemical to be detectable, and how much is needed for it to be effective?"

For these reasons, +1 from me

 

the problem is not as much in the fact that the frame in which spectrometer can be used is too short but rather in the fact that it just doesn't detect anything but direct injections