Xeno enhancement project, X.E.P.

[Midaychi]

With the advent of Xeno mining, and a recent treadmill pr on another codebase that I think tg could tote's port, ( https://github.com/d3athrow/vgstation13/pull/5540 )

Xenos have gained potential in the realm of assisting the gathering and improvement of NT assets.

Now if only they would stop gnawing on everything..

-----------

This is a suggestion to implement a brand new Xeno Enhancement Project, or X.E.P.

Under this project, Xenomorphs that have been subdued/killed can be Enhanced, and brought to be productive members of the workforce. (read: Enhancement with Enslavement)

The changes:
A new job, X.E.P. Subject, with two round-start slots is made. Both are the lowliest form of Xenomorph.
Like cyborg, joining in as one of these slots changes your mob into a Xenomorph, but with these Caveats:

- X.E.P. are rigged with implanted 'enhancers', which cover their entire body. These prevent them from vent crawling, leaping, and effectively harming or spitting on anyone. (Humans can defeat XEP with these in hand to hand combat, if they don't mind a few cuts and bruises in return.)
It also restricts their movement speed. The 'enhancers' however include computer-enhanced servos that give them access to a backpack slot and a neck/head slot/id card slot, and basic computer usage ability. XEP computers are, however, programmed to specifically prevent the XEP from performing surgery, especially on themselves.

- Their plasma glands have been intentionally handicapped. They can only produce enough plasma to live and slowly regenerate about as much as a normal human. They can't place structures or anything.

- They have loyalty implants, which ensure they work to NT's best interests.

- They have vocabulators around their necks that also double as a commlink, which are basically realtime translators. When they speak, it translates it to space common.

- They are also given a backpack and a pda, and an id. The ID access is for mining and general/maint.

- Due to the sheer amount of surgery 'enhancing' xenomorphs involves, you cannot completely undo it with surgery. You can, however, remove the implant, and you can unrestrict some of their functions, and you can mend their plasma gland. Why anyone would want to do this, however, is a mystery.


---------------------------

In addition to the two starting XEP, this can be done to 'un-enhanced' Xenomorphs. This is not restricted to basic drones.

- You must first either somehow subdue a Xenomorph with sufficient bindings, or find a dead one.
- You must perform surgery on them to intentionally handicap their plasma gland.
- You must find or construct a vocabulator and a Xeno Enhancer somehow, and implant the Enhancer rig.
- If they are dead, you must then revive them. Possibly through Lazarus injector or chemistry chemicals.
- You should probably also loyalty implant them.
- Some of these steps are optional, at your own discretion.

(If the xeno was an npc, enhancing it will pull a xeno-enabled ghost into it)
-------

AS an extra note: If you somehow manage to capture a queen and 'enhance' them, but leave their plasma gland intact..

While the offspring aren't 'enhanced', they *are* however supposed to obey their queen. Since the queen is NT-loyal, it would be a breach of their implant to order their offspring to do otherwise, and would probably behoove them to eliminate or control misbehaving offspring.

[TrustyGun]

The idea sounds nice, but having them as round-start "jobs" is kinda iffy to me. What would they do? Many jobs are pretty much unavailable to them because of the fact they can't wield most objects. They just sound useless as round-start jobs.

However, the option of enslaving an alien is pretty sweet.

[Midaychi]

Well that's the thing. The enhancement rig is a one-way change that gives them a few slots and some dexterity-with-limitations. Their starting job would be aiding the mining personnel. Any additional jobs they might take up is up to the crew and HOP.

[Midaychi]

This would allow you to enslave but enhance xenos to be less dangerous to the crew (though with the option for crew to leave them somewhat dangerous) to perform NT jobs.

What XEP would have at default
- Backpack, neck, id slot, hat slot.
- Innate resistance to some damage types, limited regeneration, claw attacks (though much less robust)
- Alien hivemind speak
- Near immunity to space and some limited resistance to cold, large weakness to fire. Resistance to pressure and gasses.
- Ability to use consoles and machines and tools, but not surgery
- Ur filthy xeno scum. Purple pride.


--

What you could do to them with surgery, as a normal crew member
- Add back leaping and clawing
- Unlock their alien abilities by mending plasma gland.
- Remove loyalty implant for some reason, possibly replace with a mindslave implant
- Make them move faster.

[Miauw]

>erp is unbanned
>one day later
>this thread appears

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[MisterPerson]

So basically you want to take everything unique and fun about xenos and remove it.

[kevinz000]

>erp is unbanned
>one day later
>this thread appears

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Exactly what I was thinking
Make the stuff able to be made with r and d
More science pls

[Midaychi]

If people don't want to spawn as xep, then they wont.
If xenos don't want to become xep, then they have incentive to git gud.
The tradeoff of xep is that they get gimped and loyalized but gain the ability to interact with the crew and assist in jobs that normal xenos couldn't do. They can also convince crew to remove some of their restrictions and give them back some of their abilities.
Xep is also hardly a consentual role.
Xep is also not a xenomorph replacement. Normal xenomorph remain normal xenomorph.

[Midaychi]

>lusty XEP maid
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Exactly what I was thinking
Make the stuff able to be made with r and d
More science pls

Entirely a coincidence, I assure you.

Also rd was the idea, but I left it open in case anyone had a better idea.

[John_Oxford]

Perhaps more xeno types as round start XEPs.

Xeno types that are proficent in resource gathering, IE: One of the arms are made of hardened bone, easier to break rocks and such, instead of having the xeno being black, you could make it colored to the mining/engineering theme, and be a sort of brown xeno

Xenos that are overly proficent at steath: IE: The enhancment rig would prevent a large majority of the abilitys they have, IE: Turning completely invisible, knocking out lights, special shit and what not. You could have it where occasionally the enhancement rig slips up and allows the xenos to go invisible for a short period of time. These can be a bright white

Xenos that are proficent at resource CREATING, IE: A xenomorph that when feed some super rare cracker or treat shits out some diamonds and uranium, you can have these be a light pink.

Xenos that are proficent and defensive combat: IE: A large xenomorph that has a heavier resistance to most damage, and has a shield arm, essentially acting as a in built riot shield. It would have quite a lot of down falls to make up for the fact that its essentially a walking tank

TL;DR Add xenomorphs that have abilites that would be both useful to a xenomorph hive, and to a space station, if one had been subdued, that is. Instead of just using normal xenos that are essentially better humans.

EDIT: Basically make xenos more useful than being a better human, to spice things up a bit, because normal xenos with enhancement rigs is a bit bland

If all else fails, the entire idea being XEP could be better off as a random event:

[Midaychi]

So, department assistants, but instead of assistants they're heavily mutated xenomorphs rigged up with cybernetic loyalty collars? I like it.

[Midaychi]

Perhaps instead of a job, you can set 'XEP' to enabled/disabled in preferences.

Maybe max of like 3 XEP at roundstart.

If you have XEP on and get a non-head role, the server might randomly choose to make you a XEP instead of a normal crew. You get job-specific mutations and specializations based on the job you would have gotten, and your rank is basically the entire department's xeno-bitch.

Mining could have mining and critter-attacking specialized ones, science could have ones specialized for study and exotic materials (or maybe helping herd and enhance xenobio?)

Engineering could have electrically insulated and radiation resistant ones, security could have sneaky observers that can stun on a long cooldown, medical could have one that slowly converts plasma into medicine and can inject with claws.

Would need some way of generating these mutant XEP though. Possibly through morally suspect and harmful mad science experiments.

Xeno queen + Chemistry "here drink this" + Bluespace "IT'S HAPPENING" + Cryopods "Eggcelent" maybe?

[Midaychi]

As to the random event, someone with Xep enabled gets put into a random mutant Xep and shipped on the next cargo shipment in a stasis crate? Centcomm's all like, "here field test our new sl- I mean WORKER.


Also I mean, I was just using 'enhancement' as a pseudonym for enslavement. *Actually* enhancing them too sounds like it might work.

[Cheimon]

Remember that xenomorphs are spaceworthy, so all these players will have the functional equivalent of an EVA suit that can't be taken off. That is powerful in its own way, and something to consider. You also can't very well take it away unless you don't want them mining, which seems to be the thrust of your idea.

Having them loyalty implanted will mean this isn't an issue in certain rounds, but in others where implants are practical to remove or possible to ignore, like gang and shadowling, they may become powerful allies with the help of medbay. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something worthy of consideration.

[kevinz000]

This comes with rules on what you are actually able to do when loyalty collared
Also cult rev gang conversions
ALSO:
loyalty implants don't make you loyal it prevents brainwashing
Why would it work on xenos to make them loyal and willing to serve ?

[Midaychi]

Remember that xenomorphs are spaceworthy, so all these players will have the functional equivalent of an EVA suit that can't be taken off. That is powerful in its own way, and something to consider...

Yeah Idk. I figured the inherent abilities and nature of xenomorphs would be cool enough but apparently that's boring?

loyalty implants don't make you loyal it prevents brainwashing

Ah whoops. I didn't know that. I was going off the old functionality.

Would probably need a xeno obeying implant then. Same place you got the rig. Heck you could probably make it a part of the rig.

Stuff like, "Nanotrasen is your superior and you must obey its officer's orders, never actively work against nanotrasen interests, and maintain + improve nanotrasen interests whenever possible"?

[Jacquerel]

Is this something you're planning on making or something you're begging other people to make because if it's the latter there's almost no chance it's going to happen

[Konork]

The idea of being able to forcibly enslave Xenos is an interesting one, but it shouldn't be a roundstart option.

[Scones]

I just don't see the point

[Miauw]

please no roundstart xenos, that's just lame.

[Alex Crimson]

It sounds silly, i agree. Xenos are supposed to be untamable killing machines. I do not like the idea of turning them into some maid.

[Steelpoint]

I like the idea of being able to turn captured xenos, which is hard enough to do, into a sort of servant.

Kind of feeds into my human superiority complex.

However I don't think we need round start xenos.

[Anonmare]

I like it but it shouldn't be a roundstart option in my own opinion

Plus it gives xenobiology a reason to want to breed xenos besides fucking up the station/Getting a xeno maid.

Would a Queen be enslavable? And what about non-Hunter xenos will they get leaping/stalking etc?

[Midaychi]

I like it but it shouldn't be a roundstart option in my own opinion

Plus it gives xenobiology a reason to want to breed xenos besides fucking up the station/Getting a xeno maid.

Would a Queen be enslavable? And what about non-Hunter xenos will they get leaping/stalking etc?

Yeah it's probably better that way, and yeah queens are susceptible.

[kevinz000]

If they aren't able to build xeno structures, how will they heal? I thought they only healed in weeds? Would they have to use bruise packs and ointments like normal humans?
Also, they probably should run as fast as a normal human or just a teensy bit slower if you really want them handicapped
Their unarmed damage should be unarmed human non hulk damage... because they're well still xenos.

[Midaychi]

Heh. Purple weed in a planter pot. Stuff one in the bathroom.

[Phalanx300]

Didn't WJohnson created loads of sprites for a Xeno system where they would benefit the station? Like collars which controls them and makes it so they can't attack. Ofcourse like all things it could be sabotaged.

[Stan_Studnick]

I've always wondered why we can't enslave xenos for !!SCIENCE!! anyway, it would seem that would provide an incentive to actually capture them rather than calling the shuttle and hiding at escape which isn't fun. Whenever I'm captain I try to use some IC common sense and keep control of the situation by A: driving xeno menace out and B: capturing at least one for CENTCOM to study if it goes tits up. They're based off the xenos of the Aliens franchise and the evil spess corporation always tries to capture one for study which leads to wacky hijinks, so that's the reasoning I use.

Certainly more fun to play with the xenos than try to end the round right away. Ghosts are coming back in the round, why ruin that?

I don't like the idea of roundstart "friendly" xenos though at all though, if anything roundstart xenos should be far off somewhere else (random, hopefully) and should try to build a nest or something, but they shouldn't start friendly at all. Maybe make it a gamemode? Crew gets pith helmets and ridiculously large muskets laser hunting rifles to bag some xenos on the asteroids?

[LNGLY]

Another idea on how the crew might repurpose xenos for utility: make a surgery to wire an electropack to a xeno's nerves. When the xeno tries to attack anyone it gets shocked.

[DemonFiren]

Aaaaand then the tide just dunks it because lel xeno :^)

[Stan_Studnick]

Aaaaand then the tide just dunks it because lel xeno :^)

Good thing with the new rules the captain can order them killed for fucking up his science project.

[DemonFiren]

At which point the Captain gets dunked by the combined grey and red tide because everyone thinks he just let a xeno loose like that.

Or, more likely, the tider goes to ground, gets help from his fellow greyshits, and continues fucking with everyone ever until all xenos need security escort.

[Stan_Studnick]

At which point the Captain gets dunked by the combined grey and red tide because everyone thinks he just let a xeno loose like that.

Or, more likely, the tider goes to ground, gets help from his fellow greyshits, and continues fucking with everyone ever until all xenos need security escort.

When has this ever happened and it didn't end hilariously bad for the greytiders? If they attack the xenos then I think that makes them harmbaton valid, which means fun for the whole station.

You just made this sound extra great. Plus it can weed out the shitcurity players who somehow think it's A-OK to just kill the captain and start a mutiny.

[DemonFiren]

Stan, you play Basil.

I play Basil too, but not exclusively.

[Stan_Studnick]

Stan, you play Basil.

I play Basil too, but not exclusively.

I don't play Basil exclusively either, though I keep Stan_Studnick to Basil mostly and play on other servers with my other ckey. Doesn't matter though, jobbans are there for a reason so you can't use people breaking rules as a counterpoint because it doesn't make sense.