Modular Laptops

[Steelpoint]

Cool in concept, flawed in execution. Many aspects of these laptops has NO documentation anywhere to be seen, not even Baystation has a guide on them as their guide is a WIP, and the PR to add them has no information what so ever on them.

Why is half the downloadable software incompatible to use? Can I upgrade them to work? Why does only engineering get them as far as I know.

Do I need to manually upgrade to windows 2600? Do I need to run compatibility software to run the AI Integrity software?

Seems to be a common theme of new features lacking any manuals on how to use them.

[Qbopper]

There seems to be a habit of not documenting any changes a PR makes, and the only way guides get written seems to be someone getting fed up and trawling through the PR's code to write something up

It's been getting irritating for me too, I was considering starting to try and make an effort to document how new PRs work

[Remie Richards]

The incompatibility is because programs can be tied to specific machines (or a combo of multiple machines) using the bitflags:
PROGRAM_ALL
PROGRAM_CONSOLE
PROGRAM_LAPTOP
PROGRAM_TABLET

This should be stated somewhere on downloads, if it's not already.

[Steelpoint]

If that's the case then it seems the Modular Tablet is a clunky mess that's somehow worse than the 5000 year old PDAs we carry as standard issue.

The only thing it can do better than the PDA is that it can load Alarm Monitor program that somehow is compatible. That is genuinely a useful thing.

Otherwise, at least as a engineer, the modular tablets seem like a waste of useful space.

[Remie Richards]

If that's the case then it seems the Modular Tablet is a clunky mess that's somehow worse than the 5000 year old PDAs we carry as standard issue.

The only thing it can do better than the PDA is that it can load Alarm Monitor program that somehow is compatible. That is genuinely a useful thing.

Otherwise, at least as a engineer, the modular tablets seem like a waste of useful space.

From the looks of the code, all but 2 programs (AI restore and Powermonitor) work on every device (Comp, Laptop, Tablet). Is this not the case in-game?

[Steelpoint]

Which is a shame because some of the programs for the modular computers seem genuinely useful. But most of them appear locked out to stationary computers or are impossible to figure out.

If more of the programs were made compatible with the base laptops and tablets, additional features that are available on PDAs are made available on tablets AND more heads of staff are given them then they can be a genuinely useful tool for heads to do their jobs quicker and easier.

There's already a program that lets you change someone's ID access akin to the HoP's computer, but its locked to the stationary computer. Though I find it disappointing that the bridges Identification Console was removed to force you to download this program onto the modular computer, which I pray hope you know is a thing.

@Remie (As I was typing this out)

On the Tablets you only have access to three programs, or five if you count the two incompatible ones. All the other programs seem to be restricted to only the stationary computer console as no download option is available for them.

[Remie Richards]

That's weird, do you not have the NTNet downloader on the tablets or something? since again, only 2 programs actually use a flag other than PROGRAM_ALL.

[Steelpoint]

That's weird, do you not have the NTNet downloader on the tablets or something? since again, only 2 programs actually use a flag other than PROGRAM_ALL.

I load a local server. Spawn as the Chief Engineer, take out my Tablet and open the NTnet Downloader. In that I see only five programs to download. Three which are compatible (Alarm Monitor, file sharer and the IRC chat thing) and two which are incompatible (Power monitor, AI Integrity Checker). The rest of the programs do not appear on the Tablet and I think the Laptop variants.

[Steelpoint]

Image

Spoiler:

[Remie Richards]

That's weird, do you not have the NTNet downloader on the tablets or something? since again, only 2 programs actually use a flag other than PROGRAM_ALL.

I load a local server. Spawn as the Chief Engineer, take out my Tablet and open the NTnet Downloader. In that I see only five programs to download. Three which are compatible (Alarm Monitor, file sharer and the IRC chat thing) and two which are incompatible (Power monitor, AI Integrity Checker). The rest of the programs do not appear on the Tablet and I think the Laptop variants.

Aha!

Code: Select all

			// Only those programs our user can run will show in the list
			if(!P.can_run(user,transfer = 1))
				continue

You simply don't have the access required to download the other programs.
It's most likely due to you being the CE, any sec programs etc. wouldn't be available to you.
(and obviously neither would the antag ones without you rolling antag)

It seems we just need more programs, is all.

[Steelpoint]

I thought the incompatibility/access issues were due to that so I inserted my ID card but it changed nothing.

Also there's security programs?

This is why we need proper documentation and tutorials/manuals on new features. You should not have to trawl through PRs and the code to find out how something works.

Tripple so when you port something from another server and not even they know how the thing works and their guide is still a WIP.

[Remie Richards]

I thought the incompatibility/access issues were due to that so I inserted my ID card but it changed nothing.

Also there's security programs?

This is why we need proper documentation and tutorials/manuals on new features. You should not have to trawl through PRs and the code to find out how something works.

Tripple so when you port something from another server and not even they know how the thing works and their guide is still a WIP.

Your ID is read from 3 places actually, to increase the odds of actually finding it.

the "D" slot, which is any card hardware on the device itself.
the "I" slot which is any ID on the user themselves (I believe this just counts held/IDs in the id slot/IDs in an item in the id slot (wallets))
the "C" slot which is your active held item, and checks inside that item for the ID also

so it means it can even read your ID through your PDA provided you're wearing/holding it.

sec programs was an example, but I think a few of them exist preinstalled on the sec computers.

Holding the captain's spare I get access to 7 programs (counting incompatible ones)

[Steelpoint]

Are these modular computers still a work in progress?

They have good potential but they lack the robust array of programs to make them more robust than PDAs.

[Remie Richards]

Are these modular computers still a work in progress?

They have good potential but they lack the robust array of programs to make them more robust than PDAs.

They were ported a while back, but the movement of programs and computers from old to modular has been a bit slow.

[John_Oxford]

does holding agent cards unlock traitor programs?

also why don't we have a laptop vendor

[Remie Richards]

does holding agent cards unlock traitor programs?

also why don't we have a laptop vendor

emag modular computers to get them, there's only two, a DoS program that just lags out and then breaks the quantum relays (think your wifi hub) so nobody can use network programs, and also a virus program called Revelation that can pretend to be another program, and when executed just bricks the computer it's run on.

[cedarbridge]

a virus program called Revelation

That's a neat reference.

[Remie Richards]

a virus program called Revelation

That's a neat reference.

this is SS13, we're full of neat references.
and a bunch of ass ones too but hey.

[cedarbridge]

a virus program called Revelation

That's a neat reference.

this is SS13, we're full of neat references.
and a bunch of ass ones too but hey.

That's what makes the neat references all the better when they sneak through between the awful ones.

[kevinz000]

This belongs in coding feedback and also I'd do something about it but I have absolutely no tgui experience and I can't dedicate myself to learning it at the moment because i'm a lazy bum sorry.