/tg/Station 13

I've been looking at how to improve Techwebs for months and this little issue has stymied a lot of good ideas.

Circuit imprinters were apparently envisioned as one of the ways to keep RND relevant. People arguing about how engineer's should be the machinists got them "rewarded" with an imprinter of their own as well (we've seen how well that's gone).

It simply isn't working.

I was just looking at a new Cargo feature, drop pods, and saw what an albatross the circuit system continues to be on the future of Techwebs. Cargo would get a new computer to call in Drop Pods... but we can't have the protolathe spit out a full blown console (I would argue it should have spat out a tablet but that's not the point of this), and the only way we can give people access to a new computer is to simply give them a circuit board. But hey, we can't just have protolathes spitting out circuitry that would be MADNESS because we have CIRCUIT IMPRINTERS for that exact purpose. So we give cargo a circuit design that can only be printed in RND, of course Cargo has almost no chance of figuring out this relationship, and even if they do its still an incredibly awkward one. It basically boils down to the same old "RND gets access to your cool department tech and if you beg them nicely they might bless you with it but realistically it's going to be a pain in the ass for even the 5% of players who know about how the system works so even they will probably ignore it in favor of higher-payoff activities like busting open restricted crates".

EASY SOLUTION:
- Merge circuit designs into the protolathe
- Remove sulphuric acid requirements, cross-department interaction should be INTERESTING or MEANINGFUL, begging for a basic chemical across a desk is not.

HARD, BUT BETTER, SOLUTION:
- Design the next generation of computer and machine boards
- Computer "creation" would evolve into specialized tablet disks. The disk would load programs onto a tablet, which could then function like the computer would. The tablet system would probably need to be expanded and become more accessible. Circuit imprinters could actually stick around (ideally merged into the protolathe) for the few designs that wouldn't be appropriate for tablet use (Comms Console, AI Upload).
- Machine "creation" would evolve into machine "cores" which would essentially contain the board and the initial set of necessary parts. The cores would still have to be finished with metal, glass, and tools.

Either way its time for circuit imprinters to evolve or die.

I think merging circuit printer and protoalthe is a totally fine idea to be honest.

The next generation of computers exist as modular computers, shadow just never finished replacing all the existing ones, although I don't think they should all be tablets, standalone desktops makes sense on a space station

machine cores containing all their parts seems like it just trivialises machine building for no reason, what benefit does this add?

oranges wrote:I think merging circuit printer and protoalthe is a totally fine idea to be honest.

The next generation of computers exist as modular computers, shadow just never finished replacing all the existing ones, although I don't think they should all be tablets, standalone desktops makes sense on a space station

machine cores containing all their parts seems like it just trivialises machine building for no reason, what benefit does this add?

I dont want popup machines but at the same time I'd say <5% of our players are willing to engage in machine building because its just too much of a headache. Machines tend to be the sort of thing that are rarely powerful because of their nature, stationary, requiring power, easy to destroy, super obvious, and tend to be useless for combat. Yet for some reason we continue to insist on making them, by far, the most tedious thing to construct in the game. We've added the ability to practically poop out walls and pre-programmed airlocks, you can print weapons, medicine, etc. in single clicks - yet if we want the modest benefits of a machine we gotta deal with power, anchoring, framing, wiring, printing the board, getting all the stock parts in the correct amounts, ideally with advanced stock parts, and so on.

Again I dont want "RCDs for machines" but I don't see why we cant trim down some of the mindless machinery busywork so people can be encouraged to try and "grow" their department instead of accepting that the 5 minute headache to build a machine if you work somewhere like Medbay is rarely worth the effort when you'll be evacuating within the hour regardless.

it sounds worth trying

and merge autolathe.
Machine cores is very good idea. You can print core, stick all needed parts inside and put it in frame.
Also I think, that all the consoles should be merged into modular console.Just with different programs.

Selea wrote:and merge autolathe.

n-n-n-no

no leave autolathes alone

Then add all shit of autolathe to tier 0 techology.

I don't really see any issue with the existing nature of circuit imprinters. Taking the time and effort to build them, should be required to reap their rewards. Changing them would be trying to fix what's not broken.
The fact nobody wants to is maybe a player issue.
Though, we do have a job who's supposed to do this (engineer) but never do, so maybe giving engineering a full-fledged circuit producer would be for the best.

Also autolathe has no part in this and shouldn't be merged into it.

Maybe it's time for full fledged mechanic profession?

Selea wrote:Maybe it's time for full fledged mechanic profession?

^