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Make cameras glow when in use from security monitor or AI


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I've been a part of too many antag rounds that get ruined by a snooping AI watching on the camera and reporting every move back to command. There are already enough vectors of detection, and with this change, one would at least be aware that he had been caught or would be caught if he took the action he was about to take.

 

In reality, it seems that if you have cameras that sweep back and forth as the animation does, you might know when they are actively being controlled. I think this would add a lot of fun to each round, because secret spying ruining an antagonist's round is not as fun as the guy getting a good chance.

 

It's just a little too variant. One day I can murder a guy and cut his head off in the hallway and not get caught at all... another day I can be hidden on the research outpost and make a beaker of Polytrinic Acid and immediately security knows.

 

I feel like the cameras should be useful for looking in on things that are already reported and for when you've caught someone red-handed they should have an opportunity to know what's been done.

 

ALTERNATIVELY, there should be a reliable way to cut the cameras without triggering the alarm light. It's way too random as it is.

 

tl;dr: the cameras are highly abused against antags by valid-hunters who are good at hiding their valid-hunting ways, and there should be some kind of counter.

 

Thanks.

Edited by Gem
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ALTERNATIVELY, there should be a reliable way to cut the cameras without triggering the alarm light. It's way too random as it is.

 

Here's a little secret. If you pulse wires with a multitool, it will not trigger the alarm. It will however make a 'beep' emote on your screen when you pulse the alarm wire. Use that to find the alarm wire, then use wirecutters to cut every wire except the alarm wire.

 

You can use the multitool to find the alarm wire and then cut all wires but this wire. If memory serves, the wires are the same across all station cameras.

 

Nope. Every camera has a randomized wiring list so you have to go through that process for every camera. I learned that one the hard way.

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I Really like this idea. I envision it working ingame like this. Each time the AI Eye moves to another APC-area, all relevant cameras glow. It would give a lot of counterplay to AI, the only issue being with this change, everyone will notice the AI, and so if everyone just drops what they're doing until it goes away, the AI can never actually learn anything. The idea of the AI was supposed to be a benevolent Observer that helps from the shadows. This wouldn't change its' purpose, and it does make sense that the cameras would stop the Rhythmic motion for a moment to fixate on where the AI Eye currently is, and thus it would be noticeable. Maybe less of a glow, and more of a lack of movement? cameras can already be disabled in a specific position, so maybe make them follow the AI Eye when in range? IDK. That would make more sense, be less noticeable but fair, and be more visually appealing.

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I know that for /tg/ (I think) they have a tool you can purchase from the Traitor uplink, that looks like any other multi-tool. The only thing is, is that when the AI (or other camera operator) has the multi-tool in sight, the blue center, changes to red. So if they don't have it here, they could create something like it, like a PDA function that beeps softly when it enters the AI line of sight.

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I know that for /tg/ (I think) they have a tool you can purchase from the Traitor uplink, that looks like any other multi-tool. The only thing is, is that when the AI (or other camera operator) has the multi-tool in sight, the blue center, changes to red. So if they don't have it here, they could create something like it, like a PDA function that beeps softly when it enters the AI line of sight.

 

This sounds like a fun idea.


Also, I wonder if unrandomizing camera wires, and making them work like airlock wires (where one scheme per round applies to all) would also be a good idea.

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This sounds like a fun idea.


Also, I wonder if unrandomizing camera wires, and making them work like airlock wires (where one scheme per round applies to all) would also be a good idea.

 

Definitely unrandomizing the wires would help. OR you could have some kind of device that could scramble cams in the area, while obvious to the AI and camera operators (as you would become a walking deadzone) it might take a while for anyone to find out.

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Isn´t there a traitor item (looking like a multitool) that changes the color when the AI is observing ?

Making the cameras glow when someone is watching, is just too obvious.


This is the thing with cameras, you dont know if someone is watching

Have you ever seen a camera that "glows" when someone is monitoring it (I have not)

The purpose of a camera is to:

  • Act as a deterrent against crimes, because people know someone might be watching
  • Solve crimes: Look at the recording (But we dont have that)

 


This leaves you with a few options:

  • Work around cameras: Do your stuff in areas that have no cameras (maint, ...)
  • Disable them individually: Cut the camera without causing the alert to go off
  • Use the traitor item to check if someone is monitoring
  • Disable them network-wide: I am currently working on a project that has the "side effect" of being able to disable entire cam networks or all cams on the station.

 

I could see a new traitor item being added that allows to jam cameras in a certain area

But making cameras glow when monitored is not really a option imho.

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Isn´t there a traitor item (looking like a multitool) that changes the color when the AI is observing ?

 

Apparently that's TG code. We could port that.


Also, why not make camera jammers another item? They're far more obvious than the multitool notice thingy. "Hey, why's there a mountain of static moving around in my camera view...?"

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Isn´t there a traitor item (looking like a multitool) that changes the color when the AI is observing ?

 

Apparently that's TG code. We could port that.


Also, why not make camera jammers another item? They're far more obvious than the multitool notice thingy. "Hey, why's there a mountain of static moving around in my camera view...?"

 

What's great about that idea is that a lot of AI players lately wouldn't even announce something like that unless directly asked.

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I prefer the OP's idea as was originally intended to be discussed, personally. A feature can be added to permit malfunctioning AIeyes to not cause nearby cameras to light up so that discretion is still protected for the AI antagonist and you won't hear nonsense such as "THE AI IS LOOKING AT ME IT IS PROBABLY ROGUE".

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I like a lot of these alternative ideas... the problem with using the multitool and turning off a camera is that even times that I've disabled cameras without triggering the alarm, within like 10 minutes a detective and engineer show up to "investigate the camera", and from then, we all know that the guy who clipped the camera is a traitor, and the scrutiny just paralyzes the round. A very active AI player will notice deactivated cameras pretty quickly. I view disabling the camera as a technique primarily for directly fighting the AI and preventing it from shocking or bolting doors, using terminals, etc.


A "traitor item" is a good solution only for Mercenary or Traitor rounds, vamps, lings, and cultists don't get those... so, I welcome them, but, they aren't really enough.


The camera just stopping would be fine, as if it's focusing, that would be fine in place of a glow, I just know there's already a glow effect that gets applied when someone uses magic to disable cameras and thought that would be easy.


There just need to be a few more counters to AI. As more players become more and more robust at AI play, the all-seeing all-accessing all-snooping valid-hunting AI is something that we see more often. Many servers encourage the AI to NOT be actively forthcoming with round-spoiling information. Here, it seems as though the AI is just a super-powerful member of security sometimes, even going as far as to switch on intercomms to record secret conversations - just because it knows they were secret conversations, on green alert, with no real reason to suspect people (this listening-in business has spoiled my round twice in the last month, btw).


So, I guess what I'm saying is a decently enforced RP IC solution would be cool, too, if there's no one willing to code up cameras stopping when being viewed or other workarounds for avoiding validhunting AI behavior.

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