Being Unrobust: Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the cataplexy

[DukePending]

Welcome. Feel free to admit here that you are not robust and have all the robust players make fun of you.

I'll start. Hi, I'm Duke Pending, and I am not robust.

[Imitates-The-Lizards]

I may not be robust, but I don't need to be robust to sabotage the station and kill you indirectly.

[ekaterina]

Robustness is not binary. You may be more robust than some people and less robust than others, where do you draw the line between "robust" and "not robust"?

[kieth4]

You can be a robust doctor for example whilst bein an unrobust seccie. I might be a robust assistant but often times I am not a robust heretic. There's no real straight line.

[Jonathan Gupta]

Im a robust chef, a robust seccie, a robust doctor, a robust engi, a robust captain, a robust qm, a robust cmo, the list goes on

The only thing Im not robust as is sillycons

[DrAmazing343]

My definition of robust is that it's never Just about combat; it's the sum of knowledge. The little intricate tricks of a job, like deleting trace gases as atmos, or memorizing exact formulas for chem, or a single batong into two disablers meaning full stamcrit! It's not about being able to use anything and win any fight, though that is HIGHLY robust, it's the jack-of-all-trades, or perhaps just master of some mentality that makes the robust spessman. A truly robust player has touched all fields, if only lightly, and a halfway robust player has mastery over several niche tactics or bits and pieces of knowledge to fumble their way between when worlds collide (Chem mixing and Botany to make fertilizers, for example.) and be able to handle the situations that come from such things.

I am not nearly the most robust combat player, but I'm greedily soaking up knowledge every day I play. And that? That's my essay of COPE on why I'm robust even if someone still hands my ass to me on a silver platter.

[DukePending]

Okay. A lot of fair points here, all well taken. Robust is more than the 1v1 with a toolbox.

So, let's make it more specific: You are in 1v1 with toolboxes.

Personally, I'm most likely going down. I might get in a few good hits, but the last hit is probably going to the other guy.

[Jacquerel]

Maybe it's the Serial Dungeon Master in me but I just got to enjoy observing and resultingly also grew to enjoy being a side character who dies in kind of a funny way to enhance what is generally going on in the round and then taps out to see what else is going on

[TheLoLSwat]

a robust seccie,

I will not let you lie to these good god fearing people.

[conrad]

I think the greatest sign of robustness is having fun in this game. If you're using your free time in spehss and it's being a good time, you're a robust gamer.

[Jonathan Gupta]

a robust seccie,

I will not let you lie to these good god fearing people.

good god is a term used for me, righteous is more accurate.

THEY FEAR ME! WHERE I ROAM BODIES FALL!

[warbluke]

I can't win in single combat with a baton against someone in a wheelchair but I can force a shuttle call in fifteen minutes if I so choose every time I roll antag.
Not sure if that makes me robust or not.

[dendydoom]

in one on one im really not that great but i win plenty of fights out there on the cold hard streets. my biggest annoyance is when people say they're not good at combat so they never try. if someone gets them they just let it happen. where's your heart? YOUR WARRIORS SPIRIT?? FIGHT BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jonathan Gupta]

I stand still usually or move one tile without hitting them if someone shoves me now, IVE GOTTEN SICK OVER PETY DISPUTES IM ONLY RAISING MY HAND FOR BIG HITTING SHIT

[DukePending]

in one on one im really not that great but i win plenty of fights out there on the cold hard streets. my biggest annoyance is when people say they're not good at combat so they never try. if someone gets them they just let it happen. where's your heart? YOUR WARRIORS SPIRIT?? FIGHT BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In my defense, it's often because I've stopped responding physically for a moment.

No, seriously.

[Constellado]

Sometimes I am a combat god and other times I am the most un-combat robust player you will see. Depends if I remember that I have tools.

[DrAmazing343]

Sometimes I am a combat god and other times I am the most un-combat robust player you will see. Depends if I remember that I have tools.

This is the realest shit- after I die, a lot of the time, I can pinpoint several backups I had I forgot to use because I freaked out. Oh Well!

[Justice12354]

I'm always unrobust

[RedBaronFlyer]

I am also never robust. Playing medic in TF2 for way too many hours has given me a good “game sense” to get a feeling when something is off or when something bad is about to happen. It also taught me an important lesson that sticking together is a pretty solid idea. I can’t fight all that well to save my life but I’m pretty good at figuring out how to get out of a shitty situation. One time I was the only survivor on a 40 person late night tram shift.

[TheLoLSwat]

Most people either spec in mechanical robustness or gamesense robustness and both are valid, but getting both down and calling on whichever one the situation needs is when you become noticeably “good” at ss13 for lack of a better term

[DrAmazing343]

I love that sixth sense shit. Oftentimes, I feel what’s about to happen before it happens- I’ve just had too little IC reasoning to make a preemptive move and get owned. But that feeling- that sixth sense? It makes even dying and eating shit feel cathartic.

My most proud moment recently was cutting off some bullshit “I’m sorry” monologue to steal their axe and get them to like, 80-90 brute before the Revolver came out and game ended me. Another time recently where I had the sense but failed was The Medbay Gorilla cube incident, in which I positioned myself to tableshove onto glass a Chaplain Spy who got me caught up inspecting the cubes too curiously before they hit them with the fire extinguisher.

Never been delimbed so fast, I’m concerned about what they’re feeding those damn gorillas.

[DukePending]

I mean, I don't mind losing. I don't mind things going crazy (if you go onto Terry, Sybil, or Basil Bagil hoping to pull off some big project... well, good for you and good luck to you; but, don't be shocked when it all goes boom). I don't mind when I get outdone by someone else. It's a game. If they played it better then they win, and I'm cool with that.

I do get frustrated when it feels like I am actually unable to do anything about it. I don't mean simply being outplayed here, I mean legitimately f***ed from the get go. I have no shot.

Just have to live with it, of course; it's still only a game. I admit, though, I don't leave those situations thinking "Damn, I blew it, but that was fun." That's just pure, "Oh, what the f***...?"

[winterseasalt]

i am incredibly unrobust to the point its embarassing sometimes, but i think i want to owe a lot of that to just having poor reaction time
im as a slow as a snail

[GPeckman]

I ascended once as a pacifist heretic. Does that make me robust?

[scamoppi]

even after playing for a while i'm still kinda bad at clicking on people
not sure how much of that is because of my DCD and how much of it is due to me just being bad at it
but i've found a few ways to use my jani gear to get an advantage
although dying like a chump isn't all that bad because it fits the character more
i do try to get as many banjo hits in before i go down because i like the noise that it makes

[dendydoom]

i'll fight harder if i care about the fight. the best way to do this is to give it context. if i'm fighting to defend someone that's getting owned or whatever then i'm gonna lock in a lot more. there should be a reason i want to win beyond protecting my ego around my ability to give myself carpal tunnel. this is when combat is at its peak for me, and most commonly narratives will release the pressure of a build-up with some sort of fight. it's the hero's journey made manifest.

planned 1v1s i honestly find quite boring. ppl are also super sensitive and can't take the L. they demand like 30 matches if they lose.

[dendydoom]

planned 1v1s i honestly find quite boring.

unless it's...

NSFW:

[DukePending]

No, no, that's illegal!

[oranges]

Being robust != being good at combat.

The idea that ss13 had a "robust" combat system was a joke about how shit it was and actually was a meta commentary about how to play the game.

Being robust means you are willing to die to make a better story.

Those who seek combat profiency are not robust, they are in fact unrobust.

[vect0r]

Being robust != being good at combat.

The idea that ss13 had a "robust" combat system was a joke about how shit it was and actually was a meta commentary about how to play the game.

Being robust means you are willing to die to make a better story.

Those who seek combat profiency are not robust, they are in fact unrobust.

[oranges]

Being robust != being good at combat.

The idea that ss13 had a "robust" combat system was a joke about how shit it was and actually was a meta commentary about how to play the game.

Being robust means you are willing to die to make a better story.

Those who seek combat profiency are not robust, they are in fact unrobust.

did you know uno has a points system and you play multiple games to determine a winner?

[Jacquerel]

after playing Uno online in a way that used the points i actually kind of like playing for points
their ripoff uno is fucked up though, there are "swap hands" cards and if you have the exact same card as someone just played you can just play it if you are fast enough and skip the turns of everyone between you and that player (best most evil rule)

[dendydoom]

the word robust literally started as a joke around how clunky the combat is, as in, the game has "a robust combat system."

people who enjoy deathmatch more than ss13 genuinely worry me.

[conrad]

the word robust literally started as a joke around how clunky the combat is, as in, the game has "a robust combat system."

people who enjoy deathmatch more than ss13 genuinely worry me.

I don't mind them. Someone running on fumes from how burnt out they are is gonna squeeze the last enjoyment outta the game from deathmatching leaving it much nicer for people who prefer the RP aspect when they play the basegame and realize they don't like it anymore. (this was a very long sentence to write without commas and my brain had to catch its breath)

[Constellado]

I should play Deathmatch not for fun but so I can get robust enough for my poor characters. My characters deserve better combat skills, especially after living in the metal deathtrap that is ss13.

[Blacklist897]

i'll fight harder if i care about the fight. the best way to do this is to give it context. if i'm fighting to defend someone that's getting owned or whatever then i'm gonna lock in a lot more. there should be a reason i want to win beyond protecting my ego around my ability to give myself carpal tunnel. this is when combat is at its peak for me, and most commonly narratives will release the pressure of a build-up with some sort of fight. it's the hero's journey made manifest.

planned 1v1s i honestly find quite boring. ppl are also super sensitive and can't take the L. they demand like 30 matches if they lose.

only real way to fight is a 3v3 basketball game vs nuke ops

[DATAxPUNGED]

My definition of robust is that it's never Just about combat; it's the sum of knowledge. The little intricate tricks of a job, like deleting trace gases as atmos, or memorizing exact formulas for chem, or a single batong into two disablers meaning full stamcrit! It's not about being able to use anything and win any fight, though that is HIGHLY robust, it's the jack-of-all-trades, or perhaps just master of some mentality that makes the robust spessman. A truly robust player has touched all fields, if only lightly, and a halfway robust player has mastery over several niche tactics or bits and pieces of knowledge to fumble their way between when worlds collide (Chem mixing and Botany to make fertilizers, for example.) and be able to handle the situations that come from such things.

I am not nearly the most robust combat player, but I'm greedily soaking up knowledge every day I play. And that? That's my essay of COPE on why I'm robust even if someone still hands my ass to me on a silver platter.

How do you delete trace gases as atmos???

[DrAmazing343]

Something about deconstructing thermomachines, IIRC— ask Elysius Uruma, if you can track them down. I believe they're in normal tgstation server as well as the mannycord.

[Constellado]

How do you delete trace gases as atmos???

Atmos resin will work!

[RedBaronFlyer]

i'll fight harder if i care about the fight. the best way to do this is to give it context. if i'm fighting to defend someone that's getting owned or whatever then i'm gonna lock in a lot more. there should be a reason i want to win beyond protecting my ego around my ability to give myself carpal tunnel. this is when combat is at its peak for me, and most commonly narratives will release the pressure of a build-up with some sort of fight. it's the hero's journey made manifest.

planned 1v1s i honestly find quite boring. ppl are also super sensitive and can't take the L. they demand like 30 matches if they lose.

only real way to fight is a 3v3 basketball game vs nuke ops

still one of my favorite events and it's a damn shame there wasn't a full recording of it showing the basketball court the whole time

[dendydoom]

i'll fight harder if i care about the fight. the best way to do this is to give it context. if i'm fighting to defend someone that's getting owned or whatever then i'm gonna lock in a lot more. there should be a reason i want to win beyond protecting my ego around my ability to give myself carpal tunnel. this is when combat is at its peak for me, and most commonly narratives will release the pressure of a build-up with some sort of fight. it's the hero's journey made manifest.

planned 1v1s i honestly find quite boring. ppl are also super sensitive and can't take the L. they demand like 30 matches if they lose.

only real way to fight is a 3v3 basketball game vs nuke ops

or a basketball game to save the ol' holodeck from being demolished to make way for a walgreen's. complete with a talking dog on the team. who inevitably gets shot at some point. that was a good round.

basically the sentiment here is that basketball should replace all combat.

[stairmaster]

personally im bald but one time i saw willem dafriend beat gupta and reider meza in a 2v1

[Jonathan Gupta]

personally im bald but one time i saw willem dafriend beat gupta and reider meza in a 2v1

you dont wanna hurt fucking willem, because they are so sweet. It hurts to destroy the pure and innocent.

[vect0r]

Something about deconstructing thermomachines, IIRC— ask Elysius Uruma, if you can track them down. I believe they're in normal tgstation server as well as the mannycord.

They actually CHANGED that! Thermomachines now release gas into atmos. It might be the worst change ever made.

[oranges]

oh no my meta strat was removed? game ruined!

[conrad]

Something about deconstructing thermomachines, IIRC— ask Elysius Uruma, if you can track them down. I believe they're in normal tgstation server as well as the mannycord.

They actually CHANGED that! Thermomachines now release gas into atmos. It might be the worst change ever made.

Imagine not putting that gas in a canister and selling it.

[DukePending]

I was in a round recently where I was very sure I was about to get killed by someone in maintenance, but I was more afraid of leaving maintenance because there was a clown car outside the door.

Death before dishonor.

[junkgle]

snip

They actually CHANGED that! Thermomachines now release gas into atmos. It might be the worst change ever made.

[Constellado]

Just live with the tiny gas impurities (unless the impurity is BZ) like I do.

[Donglesplonge]

after playing Uno online in a way that used the points i actually kind of like playing for points
their ripoff uno is fucked up though, there are "swap hands" cards and if you have the exact same card as someone just played you can just play it if you are fast enough and skip the turns of everyone between you and that player (best most evil rule)

discords dumbass uno knockoff in the activities tab has a swap hands card but it doesn't require a color match or anything, its colorless, so my favorite trick is to get a reverse order card and wait for either of the people to the left or right of my slot to get really low while i'm collecting 40 cards and hand swap them, wherein i go about collecting the second hand swap card in the deck to do it all over again.

i've had a match go for 30 minutes because of it and it was just one game.