The Addition of A Communications Officer - New Command Role Proposal

[Giocorn]

There is a lesson to be taken from the setup of security's command structure. As the Head of Security (HoS), you generally have a lot that you need to do: you need to

• watch over the security of the brig and armory
• command all your officers
• keep a watch for specialized problems (such as those brought up in command chat)
• and you need to be doing officer work yourself (more often than not) because some of your officers can't get a damn thing done.

Y'know what role takes the most weight off of the HoS? The Warden. A Warden--whose role is to watch over the brig, the armory, and take care of the prisoners as well as set brig detainment times--that knows what they're doing can take so much weight off of the the HoS' shoulders, that it makes the job infinitely easier and (in my opinion) far more fun. It's a shame that command doesn't have an equivalent, don't you agree?

There are two roles that are solely considered command: the head of personnel (HoP) and the captain. The captain is very similar to the HoS in that they have a lot to do; specifically, the captain is supposed to

• make sure each and every department is doing their job
• if the AI doesn't know who to inform of emergencies the captain points them in the right direction
• the captain is supposed to make sure the AI is safe and help the RD reprogram them if they go rogue
• the captain is supposed to keep a watch on telecomms
• the captain is supposed to keep the station informed of ongoing events
• the captain is supposed to change alert levels when necessary
• the captain is supposed to call and recall the shuttle at their discretion (with input from the rest of the crew)
• the captain is supposed to get the ball rolling on the station goal
• and the captain is supposed to give authorization for certain actions that departments or individuals might make (especially Cargonia and Sectopia).

My proposed addition of a Comms Officer role would essentially be a Bridge Warden. Their job would be to watch and respond to telecomms, keep the crew informed of station happenings, keep the Captain informed of situations he might not know about in the moment, change alert levels when given the order to, and keep a watch over the bridge. This is essentially a right hand man for the captain, allowing the commander to take a more hands on approach and worry a bit less about managing the station from the bridge, and (just like the HoS) it makes the job infinitely easier. I've tested a less formal version of this addition using mind-shielded assistants with Bridge Access, my additional bowman's headset, and my spare ID for use at the Bridge Announcement panel, and each time it has gone down perfectly; it made me a more effective captain, and in turn created a better station environment.

But, many of you may be wondering, what about that second Command role that already exists, the HoP? Well, the HoP has a very specific job as second in command: managing the jobs of the station and the access of individuals, as well as making sure the more mundane aspects of the station are running smoothly. This lifts virtually nothing from the captain's shoulders, as the service department is almost always doing their job properly, civilians don't really need to do their jobs all things told, and cargo is so incredibly self sufficient that they often don't need anybody to check on them at all. The HoP altering jobs and access is their primary function to the captain, and it can be life saving to have them on hand in a shift with lots of demotions, promotions, and job changes; while a good HoP can fill some of the roles that a bridge officer would, this can be said of almost any role, and as it's not their primary function and eats a lot of time from their actual jobs, it's not a true substitute for the would-be Comms Officer (or Bridge Officer, if you prefer).

For me, and many other captain players that I've spoken to, this role would be a welcome addition to Command, obviously as the lowest on the totem pole of the three but a worthwhile Nanotrasen employee nonetheless. It would make the captain's job infinitely easier, and in most cases far more fun, and it would be a fun contrast to the Syndicate's own Comms Agent, as well as allow for a unique roleplaying experience that most other jobs just can't give you (I mean, come on, it would be so fun to play a radio-host-esque character).

If you think this would be a good addition the the station manifest, or at least worthwhile for the admins to consider, please vote in the poll below! If you have any feedback so that I can amend or make my proposal better in the future, please let me know. Thank you for your time.

[wesoda25]

Being captain is supposed to be impossible if you try and do everything yourself, the entire point is finding an effective way to pass off your responsibilities to existing crew members so that the station runs efficiently and smoothly. Half of the stuff on your list are trivial affairs which are a bare minimum that any captain can fulfill, and a good bit of the others are tasks that can easily be assigned to/diverted amongst the heads of staff. It’s a fun idea but seems wholly unnecessary.

[Giocorn]

Being captain is supposed to be impossible if you try and do everything yourself, the entire point is finding an effective way to pass off your responsibilities to existing crew members so that the station runs efficiently and smoothly. Half of the stuff on your list are trivial affairs which are a bare minimum that any captain can fulfill, and a good bit of the others are tasks that can easily be assigned to/diverted amongst the heads of staff. It’s a fun idea but seems wholly unnecessary.

I will say, my point was never that the Captain position was impossible to play as is. It certainly is possible, nobody who has played Captain will ever deny that, my point is that this addition could make the Captain role infinitely more fun and somewhat less stressful, as the Warden does for the HoS. I wouldn't call needing to pass off your responsibilities to other crew members a feature of the role so much as it is a flaw. As for my list of responsibilities the captain has, yes you are very correct that half are bare minimum easy things, as is the nature of a list of responsibilities in a job; I would argue, however, that trivial affairs become much more than that when compounded upon each other. Once more, this isn't an attempt to make the captain, "functional," it's an attempt to make the role somewhat more enjoyable of an experience. In addition, your point assumes competency in the other heads of staff, which is most certainly not a given; I can remember many shifts during which I as Captain (or acting Captain) have had to metaphorically whip the other heads of staff into even doing the basic requirements for their job.

[cacogen]

Giacom is back as corn also I can't read

[Helios]

I agree, but would switch direction slightly. A comm officer would exist, have it's own minigame and would be a bit of a bridge jockey. The minigame would be focused on trying to manage relations between different factions, be it The Syndicate, The Wizard Federation, or other factions.
The crux of the job would be that it would allow benefits on either end, people coming in or going out. So this could means if the Communications officer is doing his job well, and maxed relations with the Wizard Federation, they come aboard with a pre-learned spell. If instead, the comms officer does his job very poorly and gets the worst reputation possible with the Wizard federation, they declare a holy fatwah, and it triggers Raging mages.
Going out, the comms officer job could have repercussions on how quickly or how shortly it takes for shuttles to get here. Another possible repercussion could be be the amount of time it takes to get to centcomm, and possibly events on the way to centcomm. (I.E. it takes 5 minutes instead of the usual 3 because you have to fly around Sector Zeta.)

[Farquaar]

The idea of a Captain's personal assistant/secretary has been floating around in my head for a long time. It would certainly free up the Captain to focus on command-oriented tasks, and would be a fun role to play imo.

[Super Aggro Crag]

The idea of a new head whose job is to lurk in the bridge forever is problematic to me in regards to TDM gamemodes like rev and cult. At least you xan occasionally catch Captain and HoP doing shit outside of their offices, a guy hitting the blast shield button the second he hears someone say "rev" doesnt sound fun for the players involved. If they were a non-target for revs, maybe.

[Lumbermancer]

HoP is a meme job, and you want to add another meme job? Just promote HoP to First Officer and adjust chain of command accordingly.

[cocothegogo]

The idea of a Captain's personal assistant/secretary has been floating around in my head for a long time. It would certainly free up the Captain to focus on command-oriented tasks, and would be a fun role to play imo.

R O L E P L A Y ON TG

[saprasam]

I agree, but would switch direction slightly. A comm officer would exist, have it's own minigame and would be a bit of a bridge jockey. The minigame would be focused on trying to manage relations between different factions, be it The Syndicate, The Wizard Federation, or other factions.
The crux of the job would be that it would allow benefits on either end, people coming in or going out. So this could means if the Communications officer is doing his job well, and maxed relations with the Wizard Federation, they come aboard with a pre-learned spell. If instead, the comms officer does his job very poorly and gets the worst reputation possible with the Wizard federation, they declare a holy fatwah, and it triggers Raging mages.
Going out, the comms officer job could have repercussions on how quickly or how shortly it takes for shuttles to get here. Another possible repercussion could be be the amount of time it takes to get to centcomm, and possibly events on the way to centcomm. (I.E. it takes 5 minutes instead of the usual 3 because you have to fly around Sector Zeta.)

terragov will now be real

[oranges]

Giacom is back as corn also I can't read

it got me too