robotics overhaul

[allura]

this isnt a cry for a coder, i can do this myself. i just want feedback.

right now Robotics is a fine job, but at the most it seems to be supplemental to RnD. Roboticists wait for RnD to tell them to upgrade, they do, then they give RnD shit and when it's all said and done they fuck off in their phazons. I'd like roboticists to be a lot more focused on actual maintenance of the robots around the station. a robot coming in once every 10 minutes who needs to be wired up once isn't maintenance.

i think that removing the reliance on RnD would be the first step to a good overhaul. there could possibly be a fabricator specifically in rnd for making mech parts, but if i didn't know any better i would just totally remove mechs.
rnd could be focused more on, after borging someone, having a large variety of upgrades that a robot could recieve (with a max of 3-5) and with these upgrades you can have an immense combination of upgrades to make borgs of all different kinds. there could literally be one kind of borg, but different upgrades make them fit into one job, or a mixture can make hybrid borg (jetpack upgrade, drill upgrade, ore backpack for a mining borg?). this would be a lot more fun of a system and a lot simpler in my opinion, as opposed to the current system we have now.

totally removing modules isn't a requirement but the big idea is adding all kinds of upgrades that robots can have to make hybrid-borgs and stuff like that.

[Balut]

I think I heard in one of the other idea threads that someone wanted to eliminate the Roboticist job together and just make it another subsection of Scientist - like how there's regular Science, telescience, toxins/bombscience, and xenoscience.

[Snakebutt]

Customizable borgs would be GREAT. Rather than just a few presets, make it so the roboticist can make a borg for whatever's needed, like an engiborg with a jetpack for EVA construction, secborg with actual handcuffs instead of zipties, 'weaponized' mechs that can be given an egun/saw/flamethrower when combined with a pin for combating xenos without wishing someone had an emag. Serviceborg with a mop, shaker and metal for making tables and chairs.

So many possibilities.

As for R&D, the only actual mech part they need is phazon head and torso to make all the phazon boards, otherwise they just need modules/accessories/whatever they're called. And honestly, the mech syringegun/tazer research combo takes research waaaaay too high for walking to the next room and pestering a coworker/RD, reducing the research value for those would make maxing out science take actual work. I'm fine with them being very different jobs with very different focuses.

Mechs could probably use some work too, they're on the border of really easy to use and wikichecking in terms of difficulty. Generally it's just make all the parts>attach parts>attach boards>use every tool>use metal and plasteel>mech. Phazon's a bit better because it needs special parts, and more of that would be cool.

[soulgamer]

Still waiting on those complex augments we were promised.

[miggles]

id rather augmentations be expanded upon and maintanence for normal robots (ie beepsky, floorbots etc) be a thing
like after being damaged or running out of supplies or something, they can come to robotics to be fixed up/upgraded

[Snakebutt]

make a 'toolbelt' module that preloads the whole toolset into the borg, so if for some reason you want an army of 10 engiborgs, there's actually enough tools on station after making them for players to hack the vault, costs 2-3 points.

You're working with a device that constructs god damn robots, making a wrench should be pretty simple for it. I mean it's basically a CNC mill with a specialized set of preprogrammed products in it, with the possibility of R&D writing more for it, right?

[Remie Richards]

Still waiting on those complex augments we were promised.

Promised? You were promised only what I added in the PRs, everything else was up in the air and never confirmed.

On Topic:
I like robotics as it is, but it does feel quite tied to RnD, one round the other day my only interactions with the RD were him simply stating "Sync" over and over at different points in the shift, which just felt stupid.

[Cipher3]

Still waiting on those complex augments we were promised.

Cybernetics are the way to go, Allura. Surgically implanted advanced eye-HuDs and the strength of ten men, the speed of a soaring eagle, etc