Persistent Security Ranks

[NanookoftheNorth]

The topic of persistent items, titles, and so on had been discussed in another thread. I wanted to make a thread for something more specific.

A problem I mentioned in a different topic was that there weren't many reasons to go for security. Maybe, using a progression system, there might be a way to encourage people who typically don't play security, or don't play security often, to play.

Ranking in Call of Duty and all those hip games generate some feeling of progression. The feeling of getting a rank in the first place has a since of pride attached to it. Being a security officer, there is an excuse to add rank.

Ranks would be divided out into the US ranks or similar. I am not including officer ranks for the sake of simplicity; there are 10 ranks. Ranking would be based upon joining a game, in progress or at round start, as a security officer or security ranking figure (HoS, Detective, Warden).

Private: 0 rounds as security
Private First Class: 10 rounds as security
Specialist: 20 rounds as security
Corporal: 30 rounds as security
Sergeant: 40 rounds as security
Staff Sergeant: 50 rounds as security
Sergeant First Class: 60 rounds as security
Master Sergeant: 70 rounds as security
First Sergeant: 80 rounds as security
Sergeant Major: 90 rounds as security
Command Sergeant Major: 100 rounds as security
(Numbers are up for debate)


Joining a round and switching to security shouldn't count, as one could take advantage of this and potentially just switch their role multiple times making it seem like they joined security multiple times in just one round.

All security, excluding the warden and HoS, would have an additional badge on their armor or jumpsuit, when inspecting "A "Private's Insignia is attached," would be the flavor text. The insignia can be detached just like the department badges. I'm not sure if this is a simple task. In an ideal world, one wearing secHUD glasses would be able to see security's ranks below their job sprite with an additional rank sprite. If this is feasible, then I will make the rank sprites. They'd be simple.

Now there are a few things to mention. Let's go over the problems this system may have:
Joining and going catatonic could be taken advantage of. To remain in game for a minimum time of 10 minutes would be required to get the count for rank.
People being assholes about rank. "I outrank you" might be a problem. The ranks officially mean nothing, but some people might get the wrong idea. I think that it's both a good and bad thing. It's a motivation to keep playing security to get a higher rank than the assholes.

Overall, I consider it a simple additional motivation to joining security. Any suggestions or thoughts?

[SpaceInaba]

I had a heart attack at the title but it's an interesting suggestion imo but people will likely be harassed for being new

[Saegrimr]

but people will likely be harassed for being new

That sounds like a good thing. DAMN GREENHORN ARE YOU HOLDING THE BATON BY THE WRONG END?
As for job switching there's also the people turning in their gear and going greyshirt, also I hope these ranks aren't appended to names and instead just flavor text on the jumpsuit or something.

[SpaceInaba]

but people will likely be harassed for being new

That sounds like a good thing. DAMN GREENHORN ARE YOU HOLDING THE BATON BY THE WRONG END?
As for job switching there's also the people turning in their gear and going greyshirt, also I hope these ranks aren't appended to names and instead just flavor text on the jumpsuit or something.

It should be on their roundstart jumpsuit imo

[John_Oxford]

Could be a attachment to the jumpsuit that when you wear it, it gives a prefix to your name

A officer wearing a private insignia for example: PVT. John Clubber "-generic security phrase-"

It doesn't work over radios. (Or it could, but a cham insignia would be needed so you could impersonate ranks)

For normal security officers and detectives, you'd get the same enlisted ranks.

For wardens and heads of security;

>10 rounds as SEC/DET, >10 rounds as WARD/HOS = Warrant Officer
10 rounds as SEC/DET, 10 rounds as WARD/HOS = Chief Warrant Officer
20 rounds as SEC/DET, 20 rounds as WARD/HOS = Second Lieutenant
40 rounds as SEC/DET, 40 rounds as WARD/HOS = First Lieutenant
100 rounds as SEC/DET, 80 rounds as WARD/HOS = Captain
150 rounds as SEC/DET, 100 rounds as WARD/HOS = Major
250 rounds as SEC/DET, 200 rounds as WARD/HOS = Lieutenant Colonel
300 rounds as SEC/DET, 250 rounds as WARD/HOS = Colonel
325 rounds as SEC/DET, 300 rounds as WARD/HOS = Brigadier General
350 rounds as SEC/DET, 325 rounds as WARD/HOS = Major General
500 rounds as SEC/DET, 400 rounds as WARD/HOS = Lieutenant General
1000 rounds as SEC/DET, 1000 rounds as WARD/HOS = General

You could have a machine in the HoP line that checks for someones rank and prints out a valid emblem only once for them. Emagging it would print out only General insignia's

Most of us have like <2000 connections, in a year or two, maybe take all the rank requirements and multiply them by two to encourage more progression.

Also, in order to make it even more difficult and encourage more people to play security, maybe make it require you to escape alive, or remain alive on the station for the round to count.

Also, nuke ops, ERT's, and Deathsquads should get navy ranks respective to their positions (Leaders as Captains, everyone else as Lieutenants or something)

Make sure admins can't touch the variables related to progression though.

[Lumbermancer]

How do I see how many rounds I've played as sec?

[NanookoftheNorth]

Most of us have like <2000 connections, in a year or two, maybe take all the rank requirements and multiply them by two to encourage more progression.

Also, in order to make it even more difficult and encourage more people to play security, maybe make it require you to escape alive, or remain alive on the station for the round to count.

Requiring to escape alive or remain alive has a benefit and a problem attached to it. Remaining alive until round end solves the problem of someone abusing the system to join only to get the rank count then quitting. However, it discourages security to actually get in the line of fire. Imagine Gary Greytide gets his shit pushed in by a fleshy changeling, and Stan Shitcurity looks and nopes straight out of there, literally not doing his job only because he's afraid to die. Also, imagine someone has been counting, and is just about to rank up, they just barely make it to the shuttle, then a singularity comes in and sucks away the whole shuttle. Compared to the usual "AW! Lord Singulos at it again! " type attitude, they'd be thinking "Goddamn it, it's so hard to stay alive!"

I enjoy your additional ranks for HoS or Warden. I feel that doubling the rounds played for each rank is more for diehards. My whole goal here is to make it so the people who play assistant, outside of newbies, instead play security. However, I honestly don't know what numbers would be best.

[ShadowDimentio]

Easy fix: If you die honorably in the line of combat the HoS, Warden or Captain can posthumously award you with a little blurb about how you died taking 10 revs with you, rendering you as having survived for that round.

Bam done

[John_Oxford]

Easy fix: If you die honorably in the line of combat the HoS, Warden or Captain can posthumously award you with a little blurb about how you died taking 10 revs with you, rendering you as having survived for that round.

Bam done

I was going to add on something similar to this.

Commendations should be persistent too, like having a database for how many ribbons you were awarded for something, like the HoS or Warden can give security officers commendation ribbons and other related things by just using it on their chest.

You could make it where giving someone alive or dead any commendations counts towards them being alive for that round for ranks, or maybe have central command commendations that can be given by admins that count towards playing for like five or so rounds.

So when a HoS puts on his formal uniform, shift clicking him would give a hyper link that would display all the ribbons he's got. Getting a ribbon more than once allows you to add small stars to them of different variations.

1 award: 1 bronze star
2 awards: 2 bronze stars
3 awards: 3 bronze stars
4 awards: 1 silver star
5 awards: 2 silver stars
6 awards: 3 silver stars
7 awards: 1 gold star
8 awards: 2 gold stars
9 awards: 3 gold stars
10+ awards: 1 plasma bar
20+ awards: 2 plasma bars
30+ awards: 3 plasma bars

So if someone had three distinguished service ribbons, eight merit ribbons or something, shift clicking them and clicking the link would put something like this in chat

Being awarded medals displays what the medal was for beside it

*-------------------------------------------------*
This is Major Bill Rowe
He has the following devices on his rack:
1x Distinguished Service Ribbon w/ 3 bronze stars
1x Merit Ribbon w/ 2 gold stars
1x Medal of Heroism " Successfully killed all members of a nuclear strike team "
*-------------------------------------------------*

[RandomMarine]

I'm concerned that something like this would further reinforce the mentality that the game revolves around antags vs security.

[Nilons]

I feel like some people would be gaylords and think their rank actually gives them the ability to order other security members around. It would work best as a symbol of experience but not a literal ranking.

[Lumbermancer]

Well then make the rank visible only to you - so you can stroke your dick, Head of Security - so he knows the experience of the people he is giving orders to, and Captain/Heads of Staff - so they know who they're dealing with and feel safer.

[Selea]

It's okay.Military often likes ranks very much.
Also it's ok if these ranks will be actually meaningful.

[Scott]

Let's not CODify

[NanookoftheNorth]

So, looking at the feedback, there are a few valid concerns. I'd like to say thank you very much for everyone's input, and I hope this gets the attention of those coders.

To address the concerns:
Ranks will only be visible upon examination of an officer, so it will not be as obvious what one's rank is. Ranks will be earned at a near exponential rate (10, 25, 50, 100, 150, 250, 500, 1000 etc). Rank is mostly for personal growth and achievement, so it should be highlighted in an officer's notes or start-up text. Ranks will be counted by joins, and surviving the round as well as receiving commendations (this will encourage surviving, encourage doing the job, and make it simple to count). So in other words, in one round, you can receive 3 points, at a minimum you receive one points.

I think this is an in-between on what the original concept was, and the feedback people were giving (outside of the ones saying that this was an outright bad idea).

Does this seem easy to implement? Do the admins have any issues with this in concept? Where should I go from here?

[SpaceInaba]

>bonus points for surviving
this is a good way to do it actually

[cedarbridge]

Problem you'll have with something like this is twofold:

If the requirements for ranks are too compressed people will sail through them and everyone will be "max rank" and promptly forget about it. Max rank will be the new normal.

If the ranks are not compressed enough then nobody will actually level and it will just be a badge for that guy that only plays sec.

It would be interesting to see a system of reprimands added to a HoS console though. If an officer gets repeated complaints or generally acts like a shitter the HoS can demote them and doc a point from their "promotion" progress.

[BeeSting12]

I hate round to round persistent stuff tbh

[NanookoftheNorth]

Problem you'll have with something like this is twofold:

If the requirements for ranks are too compressed people will sail through them and everyone will be "max rank" and promptly forget about it. Max rank will be the new normal.

If the ranks are not compressed enough then nobody will actually level and it will just be a badge for that guy that only plays sec.

The numbers behind the ranking system can be adjusted appropriately, or even be based upon relative "points" as security. In other words, whoever has the most points will be in the top 1% get the top 1% rank, and top 5%, next 5%, and so on. I didn't want to make it where it depended on the results of other people though. Do you think that would work out better?

Again, I appreciate the support and feedback from everyone.