Add buttons & descriptions to player-controlled simplemobs

[AnonymousNow]

Players getting the opportunity to control simplemobs - be it through robotic upgrading, xenobiological dabbling, magical mischief, or admin intervention - is one of the most fun things about this game.

The dynamics of play change entirely when you're something that isn't human. You lack the hands that you need to use most anything onboard, but instead get a variety of interesting abilities which are seldom afforded to other creatures.

The only problem is that most of these creatures don't have a HUD, or tab, or anything. This can make figuring out what you can actually do in your animalistic body a pain. As an example, we had a round earlier where several people were put into the bodies of ED-209 security robots - they can stun with a click (except when they're emagged, in which case they only have a laser), and they can buckle people up by clicking on them directly. But that last part had to be found out through trial and error, or told to the people involved afterwards.

So I'm proposing simple buttons, like the kind that appear in the top-left to toggle common features, partnered up with a short blurb about your different abilities which appears when you spawn into that body... for every creature. Since nearly everything has playable capability, there must be some precedent for this sort of thing, right? The improvement to playability would be massive for simple creatures, and I doubt that we'd need new sprites for such abilities (just toggles between weaponry, click actions, unique emotes and abilities etc.).

Sounds reasonable, right?

[Atlanta-Ned]

Could also put information like that on the wiki...

[oranges]

the fact that players can be put into a bunch of crap is a side effect mostly, and huds/interactions are only really added to the most commone ones.

[Gun Hog]

I have been thinking about improving bots for players (you can slot your pAI into them except Security ones), possibly the mining drone as well.

[AnonymousNow]

Could also put information like that on the wiki...

Getting it written up in some way, shape or form is the first major step.

the fact that players can be put into a bunch of crap is a side effect mostly, and huds/interactions are only really added to the most commone ones.

It's one of the best side effects ever, and supporting it further would be radical.

I have been thinking about improving bots for players (you can slot your pAI into them except Security ones), possibly the mining drone as well.

Great place to start.

[Ricotez]

The entire point if simplemobs is to minimize their overhead. If you add buttons, those are going to be generated and rendered even when no player is in control. Everything you add to simplemobs will detract from their design goal.

A proc that switches a simplemob out with a more complex mob designed for player control and that can be activated by an admin with an admin button would be a much better idea for those very few times when they want to put a player in control of a simplemob.

[Remie Richards]

The entire point if simplemobs is to minimize their overhead. If you add buttons, those are going to be generated and rendered even when no player is in control.

Yeah, maybe if you implement it like an idiot.