engineering needs more shit to do

[Luke Cox]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Now how do we get coderbus on this?

[Zilenan91]

You don't. Nobody is going to do such an ambitious project like this at hte drop of the hat.

[iamgoofball]

excuse me

i've coded new engines, chemistry reworks, and animal AI overhauls and animal ERP systems at the drop of a hat out of boredom before

let me at it

reagent singulo

[Screemonster]

I eagerly await people blaming goofball when they're incinerated on the spot for trying to hack when there are forty gajillion watts in the grid to power the deathcollider.

[PKPenguin321]

Now how do we get coderbus on this?

"coderbus" isn't a singular entity that magically spits out features, it's a bunch of volunteers doing volunteer work on their own time that code when they feel like it (and are capable of coding it).

that being said i'd love to code this but i can't imagine what the actual code would look like, it's way beyond me

[Luke Cox]

excuse me

i've coded new engines, chemistry reworks, and animal AI overhauls and animal ERP systems at the drop of a hat out of boredom before

let me at it

reagent singulo

Make something like this: A multi-part machine (like the PA) that goes in the experimentor lab. Consumes a massive amount of power when activated, and produces a highly valuable material (maybe from plasma) when activated. Does something bad when sabotaged.

[lumipharon]

Semi related again, but hey.

Increase the energy drain of everything, so shit can't last on apc power for so long (seriously, it can last bloody ages). This could also potentially remove the infinite power via recharging batteries thing, depending on high high power drain gets buffed.
This has the knock on effect of requirin more power from the engine (still most likely less then it can produce, but hopefully more than what solars alone can make).

Then on top of that, give the CE a console to control the flow of power round the station - (IC wise to make sure power goes where it needs to in emergencies, in practice more likely to depower the brig honkhonkhonk).
This would have controls fine enough to control exactly how much power goes where (for example, send only enough power to science to keep environmental power running, not equipment), and if mismanaged/hacked, would allow for accidental/intentional power surges as you send five million watts of power into chemistry or something, and potentially fry anyone near the apc/machines, requiring repairs to sort out.

That could also be added as a random event - random power surge.

You could even add the cool mini map that the crew monitor has.

[Zilenan91]

Did that shock gib thing hg made ever get merged? If so that would be hilarious with the power console you mentioned.

[Sestren]

Semi related again, but hey.

Increase the energy drain of everything, so shit can't last on apc power for so long (seriously, it can last bloody ages). This could also potentially remove the infinite power via recharging batteries thing, depending on high high power drain gets buffed.
This has the knock on effect of requirin more power from the engine (still most likely less then it can produce, but hopefully more than what solars alone can make).

Then on top of that, give the CE a console to control the flow of power round the station - (IC wise to make sure power goes where it needs to in emergencies, in practice more likely to depower the brig honkhonkhonk).
This would have controls fine enough to control exactly how much power goes where (for example, send only enough power to science to keep environmental power running, not equipment), and if mismanaged/hacked, would allow for accidental/intentional power surges as you send five million watts of power into chemistry or something, and potentially fry anyone near the apc/machines, requiring repairs to sort out.

That could also be added as a random event - random power surge.

You could even add the cool mini map that the crew monitor has.

Minimaps still need to be fixed so they don't cause crashes and I was under the impression that large alterations to the powernet tended to cause spikes in lag. If the technical issues get sorted, that would be a good change. APCs do last way too long on their default batteries and nobody ever bothers upgrading them except MAYBE some of the ones in security.

[Screemonster]

Then on top of that, give the CE a console to control the flow of power round the station - (IC wise to make sure power goes where it needs to in emergencies, in practice more likely to depower the brig honkhonkhonk).

bay has this
in practice it's entirely optional whether you want to bother setting it up or not but being able to go "INCOMING METEORS, DIVERT ALL POWER TO SHIELDS" is neat

[Luke Cox]

Lumi's suggestion sounds cool flavor-wise, but I don't know how realistic it would be to implement code-wise. It might make for a cool power rework in the future, but for now the collider in science shouldn't be too hard for somebody to code. Plasma and power to in, new material comes out.


Goofball, any plans to make this?

[Screemonster]

Lumi's suggestion sounds cool flavor-wise, but I don't know how realistic it would be to implement code-wise.

basically, bay do it with remote-control options for SMESs, and a "breaker" machine that connects/disconnects a wire it's parked on. Flip the breaker, and it disconnects a department from the main power grid.
Each department also has its own SMES which is fed from the grid and outputs into the department.

So... code-wise, easy. Mapping it is another matter.

[Luke Cox]

Lumi's suggestion sounds cool flavor-wise, but I don't know how realistic it would be to implement code-wise.

basically, bay do it with remote-control options for SMESs, and a "breaker" machine that connects/disconnects a wire it's parked on. Flip the breaker, and it disconnects a department from the main power grid.
Each department also has its own SMES which is fed from the grid and outputs into the department.

So... code-wise, easy. Mapping it is another matter.

Yeah, mapping is an issue too. Number one benefit of the collider idea is that it would take minimal mapping effort. Just needs some sprites, and I may not be coderbus but the code doesn't sound complicated. It also has the added benefit of serving as a soft nerf to R&D by making more advanced items more expensive, and dependent on engineering.

[lumipharon]

That's why it should be an engineering thing, not a science thing.

If it's some machine in the experimentor lab it's just a science toy that requires engineering to wire the engine into the grid or something.

[Luke Cox]

I'm not really sure what a machine like that would do in engineering, nor can I think of a place to actually put it. Science has a clear use for it, and an ideal location for it. The point is that the extra singularity or tesla, solars, or turbine will actually have some use now. Engineers' autism can be put to use.

[lumipharon]

Just like the large hadron collider in real life, although it's used for scientific research, the thing is just a fuckhuge engineering project.

Engineering make the power, they have the capability to setup (if they're very very clever 3 engines round start, and they also have the plasma.
If the eggheads want their anti-matter or whatever fluff the collider makes, let them leave the INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS tower and go over to engineering, or where ever they decide to build it.

Science is insular enough as is.

Also it's bloody engineering, they don't NEED a place to put it, they can BUILD a place to put it.

[DemonFiren]

Just like the large hadron collider in real life, although it's used for scientific research, the thing is just a fuckhuge engineering project.

Engineering make the power, they have the capability to setup (if they're very very clever 3 engines round start, and they also have the plasma.
If the eggheads want their anti-matter or whatever fluff the collider makes, let them leave the INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS tower and go over to engineering, or where ever they decide to build it.

Science is insular enough as is.

Also it's bloody engineering, they don't NEED a place to put it, they can BUILD a place to put it.

Build it around the entire station, pass the popcorn as security and the AI freak out every time the octants near the armoury or AI sat go down and engineers trip motion alarms left, right and center to fix it.

[Remie Richards]

Since SS13 is a research station, perhaps they should be given round-specific "goals"? You know, tasks and projects from NT to build.
(This is basically expanding on that "build the thing gamemode" idea further back in the thread, except, you know, -with things going on-)

Projects like build and maintain a hadron collider.
Ideally the projects would be heavily Engineering+Science focused.

Antags (Specifically traitors most likely) could get objectives to sabotage the active project of the round.

Thoughts?

[DemonFiren]

Since SS13 is a research station, perhaps they should be given round-specific "goals"? You know, tasks and projects from NT to build.
(This is basically expanding on that "build the thing gamemode" idea further back in the thread, except, you know, -with things going on-)

Projects like build and maintain a hadron collider.
Ideally the projects would be heavily Engineering+Science focused.

Antags (Specifically traitors most likely) could get objectives to sabotage the active project of the round.

Thoughts?

So long as "sabotage" doesn't mean "murder everyone the moment you get the objective".

[DrPillzRedux]

Make it so engineering can store excess power to a special SMES linked to cargo. QM can sell that power for points and get goodies for engineering.

[Kyrah Abattoir]

There is one aspect of atmos/engineering that has been way played down and is very important on a space station: HEAT.

Sure the cold of space is one way to die, but on a (real world, i know) space station, heat has nowhere to go and must be radiated away.

Currently all we have that really produces heat, is the occasional fire. Computers do not heat up anymore, and we have chillers that can suck the heat out of a cryotube and makes it magically disappear.

* ChemMaster can produce chemicals from essentially nothing, this should use a LOT more power than it currently does.
* Hydroponics should be able to get "sun lamps" that use a lot of power but speed up plant growth.
* Destructive analyser? experimentor? Those should also eat a lot of juice.
* What about the teleporter room? Ever watched stargate?

[Takeguru]

I eagerly await people blaming goofball when they're incinerated on the spot for trying to hack when there are forty gajillion watts in the grid to power the deathcollider.

Shock damage from hacking caps out, so it's their fault

[Screemonster]

I eagerly await people blaming goofball when they're incinerated on the spot for trying to hack when there are forty gajillion watts in the grid to power the deathcollider.

Shock damage from hacking caps out, so it's their fault

doesn't mean they won't blame him anyway.

[Wyzack]

I understand why it is capped, but I still think it is lame