Announcement: New Map Memorandum

In Concern of the Upcoming Map:

Alternate Title: New Map 2, Electric Boogaloo

It has been two years since the first official announcement of a new map being in development. In the course of these two years, there have been multiple impediments on the road to progress – staff convulsions, map reworks, team members that suddenly vanish. Despite these consistent roadbumps however, there has been gradual progress. In these past few months, largely thanks to the coordination of Witt and SoundScopes and then Skull132, this progress has come to a sudden head, and it is my necessary pleasure to present to the public the full presentation of the current map. While it is my understanding that some whispers and ideas of what the map is or could be have been relayed to the community, I am here to dispel all doubt – what will be presented here is what the map is: The map as it is currently presented is a NanoTrasen research base embedded within the bowels of a ‘mega’ asteroid. This change of scenery provides some changes to how gameplay is conducted, changes both minor and major. While there are still some hypothetical possibilities floating around in both coder and map-chats, this thread aims to only tell you what is currently concrete.

 

• The space station has been segregated into three distinct sections: Surface Level, Main Level, and Sublevel. Each level is accessible either through lifts, or in the case of power outages or other nefarious situations through the engineering access ladder.
  
• Due to its position in an asteroid, EVA mobility has changed significantly. Mobility in EVA scenarios is no longer restricted by possession of a jetpack.
  
  • Each distinct level however has its own mobility scenario. Mobility along the surface level is largely unrestricted except for large rock outcroppings that are easily circumvented. Mobility along the main level is restricted moderately – although the main level is embedded in rocks, it is integrated into a sprawling cavern. Mobility along the sublevel is heavily restricted – cavernous areas are small and sparse, and for the most part it is solid rock.

[*]All outposts have been removed and instead installed along either the main or sublevel.

[*]Departments have been re-organized position-wise depending on their importance to daily station operation. The library and the chapel have been mixed into this nexus to serve as general congregational areas.

[*]Station breaches are no longer quite as universally dangerous, and are a fair bit easier to repair.

[*]The matter of disposals processing has complicated itself – junk can no longer simply be jettisoned into space, instead all trash disposal relies on the new hydraulic crusher.

[*]Genetics and the geneticist role have returned, albeit in a slightly different capacity.

 

There are many more minor general changes to the station as a whole, however at this point it becomes more practical to list changes to each specific department. This list is not all inclusive, though it attempts to attend to any major changes. It may grow as time passes to account for changes that were overlooked when this list was formed, or changes made after its formation.

 

Civilian

• Cargo has been split between the main level and the surface level. Orders can be requested from both the surface level and the main level, however the shuttle will dock with the surface level.
  
• The bulk of main level’s cargo is occupied by mining and mining periphery.
  
• The chapel has been moved to the center of the main level’s central hallway.
  
• A plethora of additional holodeck scenarios have been added.

 

 

Medical

• Psychiatry office is now directly accessible from the starboard primary hallway.
  
• EMT closet has been transformed into a proper room.
  
• The cloning bay has been separated from genetics entirely, and is now strictly medical general access.
  
• Framework for an expanded Biologist role exists.
  
• Virology has been moved to the sublevel

 

Science

• Miscellaneous research has been expanded and granted additional versatility.
  
• Science Chemistry has been moved to be directly adjacent to Research and Development.
  
• Conveyor belts have returned to robotics, along with an expanded morgue.
  
• Toxins, Xenobiology, and Xenoarchaeology have been moved to the sublevel.
  
• Two cremation beds have been added to Xenobiology for slime disposal.
  
• A toxins recycling bay has been implemented to handle gas waste.

 

Security

• The detective’s office has been moved out of the secure brig, and is now opposite the Internal Affairs Office.
  
• Forensics has been separated from the detective’s office, and is located in the secure brig.
  
• The detective and forensic technician are now single slot respectively. No more double detectives or double technicians.
  
• The warden’s office is directly adjacent to the communal brig. The warden additionally has more remote control over the brig.
  
• Processing has been granted a waiting room with additional prisoner seating.

 

Engineering

• Engineering has direct access to every level through the maintenance ladder, regardless of whether the power is out or not.

 

Command

• The bridge has returned to the Aurora-style from the Baystation style, and with it many features have returned, including a dedicated Head of Staff cryobay and a breakroom.
  
• The vault has been placed adjacent to the bridge access.
  
• Command has been granted its own emergency escape wing, accessible on the surface level. It is here that ERT and administrative shuttles will dock.
  
• The captain’s office has been made significantly smaller, and is now in the very centre of the command bridge for additional security.
  
• A PDA message monitor has been added to the captain’s desk on the command deck bridge.
  
• The Head of Personnel office no longer circumvents bridge lockdowns.
  
• An additional request console has been added to the Head of Personnel office to satisfy their lucrative paperwork consumption.
  
• A dog pen has been added to the Head of Personnel office, for purpose of containing Ian.
  
• The AI core has been moved to the sublevel, where it enjoys additional security in subterranea.
  
  • The AI core is accessible only through a bridge access elevator and the Engineering maintenance ladder.
    
  • The AI core’s layout has been significantly changed in hopes to inspire new gameplay opportunities, and promote better roleplay with the AI core.

 

To-Do:

 

Photography Album:

• Contains many snapshots of the majority of presentable departments, as well as a colour-coded map of the mainlevel. Full map size photos will become available as soon as possible.

 

Afterword:

While it is currently not possible to make an exact ETA for map release, due to many variables being totally out of my control, I can estimate based off of current progress rates that the main station will be fully mapped before the summer months, and map release should follow shortly thereafter by course of nature. I do not intend to let this project falter under any circumstance, as my predecessors have permitted.

Any commentary pertaining to the content presented may be posted on this thread, however content suggestions for the new map must be posted here on the "Map Talk" thread (http://forums.aurorastation.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=5880), or they will not be considered in an official capacity. The development team invites both commentary and suggestions, but ask that you think before you post. Major infrastructural suggestions, such as re-positioning of department locations will most likely not be enacted upon. Any suggestions that present a significant change to balance will only be considered if they are accompanied by a thoughtful and well-presented argument on why such balance changes are necessary. Any suggestions that provide only aesthetic changes or indicate perceived bugs or inconsistencies may be posted freely, and are well-invited: The map team is not infallible, and it is likely that at this stage there are a few errors in map design.

This thread will be constantly updated as changes to the map are made, and I personally invite anyone interested in the current status of the map at any given time from now until release to send me a PM over the forums. I will respond to your comments, questions, and concerns in that capacity, and will provide an updated progress report to you. I do not guarantee in-depth responses to every post on this thread, but I absolutely guarantee in-depth responses to any private messages posed to me.

Finally, any questions concerning the lore of the new map should be posed to the lore developers, who will certainly answer any question you have in a timely and courteous manner.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Guest

IM GOING TO PEE

I can't tell on my phone. Where does the AI sit? And how easy is it to switch z-levels as the AI?

Due to the nature of Z-levels and camera networks, the most likely manner through which the AI switches its view from each distinct level would be via the "Switch Network" command. Its a good point to bring up, and I would not be surprised if some sort of UI key would be implemented to expedite the process.

Due to the nature of Z-levels and camera networks, the most likely manner through which the AI switches its view from each distinct level would be via the "Switch Network" command. Its a good point to bring up, and I would not be surprised if some sort of UI key would be implemented to expedite the process.

 

Or on lifeweb for example, page up and down can be used to pan between z-levels.

I've seen sneak peeks of this for a long while, and I honestly love the effort put forth by the mappers here. The AI core in particular is my favourite area so far, excellent work you did there!

I was taking a look over the medical hallway, and it kinda bugs me.

The hallway needs to be one block wider, and needs to be consistently 3 blocks wide.

Medical can be incredibly crammed, and giving a little more room, would elevate the issue.

And is there a reason toxins research does not having a cooler?

I was taking a look over the medical hallway, and it kinda bugs me.

The hallway needs to be one block wider, and needs to be consistently 3 blocks wide.

Medical can be incredibly crammed, and giving a little more room, would elevate the issue.

On second look at medical, I agree with Dreviore, 2-tile passageways tend to be really tight and uncomfortable, and maneuvering a roller bed, me, and the 1-2 people potentially accompanying me past anyone else coming down that passage on a regular basis would probably drive me insane.

Is it against the forum rules to say I may have an erection?

For those that have used/worked with them. What do you think of the substations baystation setup for the different departments?

For those that have used/worked with them. What do you think of the substations baystation setup for the different departments?

 

I think they're pretty qt, and also make grid management easier and more refined if you actually decide to use them. Would probably also make using solar panels more of a valid source of power because you could just shut down an entire department, allowing more power to flow somewhere else.

For those that have used/worked with them. What do you think of the substations baystation setup for the different departments?

They can be bypassed, and by default are bypassed, so it's not actively a problem unless someone gets ahead of themselves and tries to muck around with them without knowing how. But I think that they don't really add anything, either. From a purely simulationist perspective, they make tremendous sense - they create a pool of 'sub-reservoirs' that can be filled up and can provide power to local sub-grids in case of a failure in the main grid. But tampering with the power system is under some pretty heavy restrictions, and there are relatively few good ways to damage the supply of power (which is, IIRC, permitted) without damaging the source of power, ie causing delamination or meltdowns (which is forbidden because it's a TPK.) In actual fact, I think the best legal way for an antag to cripple the station would be to blow up the main SMES, but that would be almost impossible to do - it would probably be possible to identify and repair a breach in the main power cables before too many APCs ran out.

Without the threat of actual damage to the main grid, and with the actual APCs able to carry so much charge, substation SMESs are just an idle diversion. If we reduced the amount of juice in each APC, then they might become more useful, but APCs have enough juice in them as it stands that it's just another layer on a system that's already redundant enough to foil antagonists.

At some point in the near future, though, I'd like to experiment with cutting power as a traitor without damaging the SMES.

For those that have used/worked with them. What do you think of the substations baystation setup for the different departments?

They can be bypassed, and by default are bypassed, so it's not actively a problem unless someone gets ahead of themselves and tries to muck around with them without knowing how. But I think that they don't really add anything, either. From a purely simulationist perspective, they make tremendous sense - they create a pool of 'sub-reservoirs' that can be filled up and can provide power to local sub-grids in case of a failure in the main grid. But tampering with the power system is under some pretty heavy restrictions, and there are relatively few good ways to damage the supply of power (which is, IIRC, permitted) without damaging the source of power, ie causing delamination or meltdowns (which is forbidden because it's a TPK.) In actual fact, I think the best legal way for an antag to cripple the station would be to blow up the main SMES, but that would be almost impossible to do - it would probably be possible to identify and repair a breach in the main power cables before too many APCs ran out.

Without the threat of actual damage to the main grid, and with the actual APCs able to carry so much charge, substation SMESs are just an idle diversion. If we reduced the amount of juice in each APC, then they might become more useful, but APCs have enough juice in them as it stands that it's just another layer on a system that's already redundant enough to foil antagonists.

At some point in the near future, though, I'd like to experiment with cutting power as a traitor without damaging the SMES.

 

They do add something very very useful as a mechanic - An additional charged SMES buffer if the main power goes out.

In addition, if they are properly set up, an antag can use them to blow a bunch of the APCs in a subgrid by messing with the SMES wires with a multitool or a signaller.

I realize antags can do this without the substations, but they have to hit the whole station and get access to engineering to do so.

I like the substations because they give me something else to do as an engineer before waiting for all the calls to come in.

this is the most aroused I've been since IJ's nudes got released

This is the most aroused I've been since I've walked upstairs.

Just don't make any promises you can't keep.

Make frequent progress updates in some thread, so people won't think that the project is dead, again.

Get all the help you need.

Don't make the map too big and ambitious, please.

That's all, I guess.

as an engineer i love substations. Please give more

It has been decided that substations will return in the new map. Also, please note that a changelog section has been added to the original post. It will be updated frequently, and details most every mapping action.

Two things I just noticed, although I'm not sure if you're actually taking criticisms.

One:

 

Two: Why does the AI core have an airlock within the core? Is the actual core room supposed to be colder, or something?

Commentary and criticisms may be posted on this thread or posed to me in a private message, however actual suggestions must be posted on the Map Talk thread.

The critique you posed has been modified; it was an incomplete version of the Head of Personnel office having two chairs to better solve personnel disputes which are frequently posed to them.

The AI core has an airlock to better accommodate AIs that for whatever reason modify their internal core's atmospherics. It also makes entering the core a more dedicated action, as cycling in takes time. Whether the AI core at roundstart has a different atmosphere quality remains to be seen.

wut is a tesla coil engine.

It is porn.

It's basically a fancier singularity engine. A giant ball of electricity instead of a black hole. I'm curious as to how many folks actually want it, as, despite the jump in catastrophe count while people were learning it, the SM received a good share of praise for actually being engaging.

I'd prefer the SM at this point. No need to change the engine yet again

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.

The idea of a flexible engine room in my opinion would be best.

Give them a storage room with all the equipment to setup the engine of their choice, but make them have to go to cargo for the last piece.

It would allow the engineers who like the SM to keep using it on shifts.

I've always preferred the SM engine because unlike the Singularity, once you set it up, you don't just leave it. You can optimize it to get more power, or create an unstable mix that would allow you to get some extreme amounts of power, but would require you to monitor it.