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Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 7:40 am
by paprika

Bottom post of the previous page:

People try to time it right and run through before the emitter shoots, which is hilarious because >trying to have perfect timing in byond

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 9:27 am
by ColonicAcid
>Implying you can accurately decide when the game decides to have a cycle
when we find out the amount of time it really takes to do a cycle we will become gods.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 6:17 pm
by miggles
paprika wrote:Image

This looks like the emitter will shoot you as you walk in front of it. Walking in front of emitters at ALL is a bad idea, my pathing only requires you do it once, when it's turned off.
Spoiler:
Image
Starting point is the top left emitter. I never turn on the field generators until all the emitters are online, so I can count each of the 8 generators to make sure they're all on.
nigga
did you not read what i said or look at the image at all or what
its not like the emitter will turn itself on while you're walking past it, and unless the AI is rogue, you're gonna be fine.
plus, 1 emitter shot won't kill you, and trying to proof yourself from one small, highly unlikely, metagamey event is stupid.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 7:04 pm
by TheTerbs
engineering incompetency is the best incompetency, it adds humor and fun

"HULL BREECH IN KITCHEN"
"ENGINEERING TO KITCHEN HULL BREECH"

and as all the oxygen is sucked from the gaping hole, engineering is afk or dead

also great place to get a new ID is engineering
miggles wrote:
paprika wrote:Image

This looks like the emitter will shoot you as you walk in front of it. Walking in front of emitters at ALL is a bad idea, my pathing only requires you do it once, when it's turned off.
Spoiler:
Image
Starting point is the top left emitter. I never turn on the field generators until all the emitters are online, so I can count each of the 8 generators to make sure they're all on.
nigga
did you not read what i said or look at the image at all or what
its not like the emitter will turn itself on while you're walking past it, and unless the AI is rogue, you're gonna be fine.
plus, 1 emitter shot won't kill you, and trying to proof yourself from one small, highly unlikely, metagamey event is stupid.

dude thats not metagamey, its the same way as treating a gun as loaded at all times, you really never know ive been killed by emitters so often

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 10:11 pm
by miggles
ive never even heard of an ai turning on emitters to kill people

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 10:33 am
by leibniz
Emitter lost power and turned off
This is the message I see most often when the singulo is released (without sabotage).
Usually it happens in slightly longer rounds, and it is caused by improper SMES configuration (at least I think so)

I believe some time ago (maybe more than a year? I really have no clue) emitters were changed from APC power to wire power or whatever.
Which is why you have to fuck around with placing generators and such when you have to fight the blob with emitters.
I dont really know why it is this way, the emitters should function with APC power primarily, and if there is no APC in the area, then generators.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 2:00 pm
by MrStonedOne
leibniz wrote: I believe some time ago (maybe more than a year? I really have no clue) emitters were changed from APC power to wire power or whatever.
Which is why you have to fuck around with placing generators and such when you have to fight the blob with emitters.
I dont really know why it is this way, the emitters should function with APC power primarily, and if there is no APC in the area, then generators.
There is no apc for space...

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 3:19 pm
by leibniz
MrStonedOne wrote:
leibniz wrote: I believe some time ago (maybe more than a year? I really have no clue) emitters were changed from APC power to wire power or whatever.
Which is why you have to fuck around with placing generators and such when you have to fight the blob with emitters.
I dont really know why it is this way, the emitters should function with APC power primarily, and if there is no APC in the area, then generators.
There is no apc for space...
There is an APC in Engineering and the wires lead there.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 11:12 am
by Dax Dupont
Engineering is easy, just sometimes repetitive.
I mainly hate setting up the collectors. I also admit i once released plasma because the repetitive clicks late at night with spacelag causing the close valve button not registering and me not noticing before removing the tank because I am half awake.
Though I have on several occasions set up the field, PA, smes and collectors on my own...even 30 mins into the round where engineering is just fucking around instead of fixing power. I also tend to wire solars, set up the maintenance smes, I can do wireart and repair hullbreaches. The only thing I fail at is blob, I have a hard time figuring out where to place the damn things for the best effect.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:20 pm
by Antonkr
One of the issues I see on artyom is typically lack of engineers especially on lower pop rounds. I typically then try to play as CE or engie on those, but typically an assistant/captain/HoP has to do the engine.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:47 pm
by Steelpoint
You know what might be interesting? A admin only ability that lets them spawn in a dummy Engineering Cyborg (Possibly the older "humanoid" version) to function as a backup engineer at round start. This Cyborg's laws would demand it sets up the engine.

A more IC way to get the engine set up if there is a lack of engineering personnel.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 5:53 pm
by Neerti
The problem is cyborgs can't set up all of the engine by themselves due to lack of hands. They fail at filling tanks with plasma and putting them in collectors.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 5:59 pm
by Steelpoint
Then maybe we can give Engineering Cyborgs a way to interact manually with certain engineering equipment? Something as simple as a plasma tank loader that let's them interact with plasma tanks. (If that's even possible).

Aside from that, there is no real other solution to this problem. Aside from admins religiously demanding engineering staff set up the engine and threatening job bans if they fail to do so, which may have unintended side effects.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 7:00 pm
by Psyentific
To be fair, if there's two or three engineers at round start and the engine isn't set up at 20m in, yes jobbans. Jobbans all around.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 8:37 pm
by imblyings
what about having the solar SMES cells start with like ten percent power or so.

any engineering borg or even the AI could then quickly get power running by turning output on the SMES to on and they can complete solars themselves.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 10:37 pm
by Jalleo
How many people try to teach the new engineers how to setup the singularity. Most times when I do try to teach the power cuts out before we arefinished making everyone pissed.

You cant teach them unless solars are at least half done to power the emmiters.

By the time you do come back the engine almost escapes or the damn newbs died or got lynched or left. Or worse.

This is the long term effect of small changes that do a betterment of the code.

We need to really rethink about how obvious it is that nobody realises there are books teaching you how to do a basic singularity in engineering.

The help is there its just hidden and what people call the learning curve is a cliff for a station engineer.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 10:53 pm
by Ikarrus
I'd like to see the SMES start with a bit more energy so engineers would have a longer grace period to figure everything out.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 1:03 am
by Psyentific
Jalleo wrote:How many people try to teach the new engineers how to setup the singularity. Most times when I do try to teach the power cuts out before we arefinished making everyone pissed.

You cant teach them unless solars are at least half done to power the emmiters.

By the time you do come back the engine almost escapes or the damn newbs died or got lynched or left. Or worse.

This is the long term effect of small changes that do a betterment of the code.

We need to really rethink about how obvious it is that nobody realises there are books teaching you how to do a basic singularity in engineering.

The help is there its just hidden and what people call the learning curve is a cliff for a station engineer.
Actually, there are books. When I was a rookie engineer, I read the book, but by the time I was halfway through the captain barged in and demanded to know why the engine wasn't set up. Since I was a newbie, I told him I didn't know how to set up the engine. He searched me and asked why I had six plasma tanks in my pack, and I told him I didn't know why I needed six plasma tanks.


There are lots of guides, but a lot of them suffer from tl;dr. What Engineering needs is a sheet of paper by the PA telling you "It's all ready to go! Just wrench it in, hook up the wires, and screw the panel shut!" and so on for each part.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 2:56 am
by paprika
Why not make engineers start with a 'how 2 singulo' book in one of their hands

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 3:54 am
by Steelpoint
How about all Engineers start with a piece of paper in their backpack, that gives a very TL:DR description of how to set up the engine.

Hell, put the paper in their pocket. Or their hands.

This would be a very easy solution, one that even I probley could do, and it would go infinitly far in helping new players in engineering.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 4:02 am
by paprika
There's a book on engine setup already.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 4:24 am
by Steelpoint
Except books are large and intimidating and (AFAIK) reliant on the wiki being up.

A simple paper in your hand/pocket that is very condensed write up on setting up the engine would be far better than the book.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 5:40 am
by Psyentific
Steelpoint wrote:A simple paper in your hand/pocket that is very condensed write up on setting up the engine would be far better than the book.
This. The book is terrible

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 6:36 am
by paprika
But my immersion. It'd better be at least a little fancy or something. Still, it's pretty funny to imagine all engineers arriving to the station with a pamphlet on how 2 engine because so many stations were abandoned because of incomp engineering.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 9:38 pm
by ThanatosRa
I just thought of how horrific it would be if the mice in maintenance chewed through cables.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 9:59 pm
by paprika
maybe if it was really rare, sure, but it'd make the janitor job a bit more fun at least! they should sanic away from you as soon as you hit them with something or step on them, making trapping with mousetraps a thing you have to actually do.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 7:30 am
by kosmos
I don't understand how competency can be at all-time low since the wiki page is at its all-time best condition! Should it be made even shorter..? I don't believe it can be made any shorter or simpler.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 8:59 am
by Psyentific
Just because the manual's there, doesn't mean people read it. Remember, the stereotypical engineer grabs a rig helmet, insulated gloves, and fucks right off to raid the armory from space or something. You really think they're going to care enough to read the guide?

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 12:51 pm
by Dax Dupont
Psyentific wrote:Just because the manual's there, doesn't mean people read it. Remember, the stereotypical engineer grabs a rig helmet, insulated gloves, and fucks right off to raid the armory from space or something. You really think they're going to care enough to read the guide?
I can confirm that I have done this, but only because I was pissed that I had to set up the engine on my own 5 times. Then I go fuck off and build something nice and relax.
Honestly, its not so much the fact of the work, since its less effort than being good telesci or rnd but fuck, when people just fuck off all the time I'll do it once as well if everyone else has been jerks for 10 rounds. I refuse to switch profession too because people are being dicks, if I want to be engineer, i'll be it. Though euh, if i fuck off I still fix hullbreaches and such of course.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 1:20 pm
by Lo6a4evskiy
Dunno about manuals, but space law books don't work now. For some time, actually.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 2:20 pm
by AseaHeru
Thought that was fixed by having the wiki here?

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 5:51 pm
by Psyentific
I honestly think it's better if Space Law is blank. Forces sec to think on their feet.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 6:38 pm
by Cipher3
Psyentific wrote:I honestly think it's better if Space Law is blank. Forces sec to think on their feet.
No because people have zero judgement.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 6:43 pm
by Psyentific
Exactly - It weeds out the shitty sec who use spessraw instead of their brain.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 7:12 pm
by Solarn
Psyentific wrote:Exactly - It weeds out the shitty sec who use spessraw instead of their brain.
Those people would still play Sec though, except without Space Law to follow, they would be even worse.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 7:41 pm
by Cipher3
Personally I've always just wanted harsher treatment and more willingness to job ban people from sec by admins.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 12:28 am
by Psyentific
Cipher3 wrote:Personally I've always just wanted harsher treatment and more willingness to job ban people from sec by admins.
The only reason I've shifted from vigilante guncargo to Sec is because I'm not expected to be by-the-books spacelaw, and I won't face OOC consequences if I don't always run towards the gunfire.

Sometimes, I really don't give a shit. Others, it's easier just to ask the cult (Which consists of 15 of a crew of 20) to please not murder people - Doing more would get me killed. Still others, there's a guy being a really annoying fuckstick but not really breaking any laws. Sec is one giant grey area, and spesslaw is black and white - There's a reason I don't follow or enforce it.

If you start using admins and policy to force competency on Sec, you're going to lose a fair amount of decent sec, not just bad sec. If you're going to enforce competency on one department, you ought to do it on all departments.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 2:22 pm
by AseaHeru
Aslong as the cult dosent break any laws (say, by drawing in the main hallways, attacking people) sec cant officially do shit.
Unless the chaplain convinces them totally that the cult is evil and a threat to NT.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 2:24 pm
by TheTerbs
AseaHeru wrote:Aslong as the cult dosent break any laws (say, by drawing in the main hallways, attacking people) sec cant officially do shit.
Unless the chaplain convinces them totally that the cult is evil and a threat to NT.
they can if they want, but most people will see runes and instantly fucking murder them because muh valid

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 3:13 pm
by Steelpoint
AseaHeru wrote:Aslong as the cult dosent break any laws (say, by drawing in the main hallways, attacking people) sec cant officially do shit.
Unless the chaplain convinces them totally that the cult is evil and a threat to NT.
Hahahahhahahaha!

Oh wait your serious.

Hahahahahahahaha!

Maybe on a heavy role play server, but I'm not in the habit of shooting myself in the foot, shoving a baton up my behind, and giving the cult armoury access.

Re: Engineering competency at an all time low?

Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 3:55 pm
by Miauw
sec can officially space every single cultist they can find while a winged corgi lands on their shoulder and sheds tears of joy.