The Litmus Test

[TheSmallBlue]

You've done it. You've finally found the absolute chucklefuck that slipped you, stole your insuls, slammed you ontop of many tables, thrown you against an electrified grille, killed your pet lizard, and untied your shoes.
You've got him cornered, you've got a weapon, you know he's near crit, just one hit, ONE hit and they're down, gone forever.
You ready your finger on the trigger, but then-

A speech bubble forms on top of their cubular head. They are typing something.
Is it a ruse? Are they trying to escape their untimely demise? Or are they about to say something of value? Should you wait until they're finished? When would that even be? Maybe they're trying to gain some time...

Do you open fire? Do you wait a bit longer? Do you do the secret and mysterious third thing?
The choice is yours.

[Sealed101]

*BLAM*

[Deathrobotpunch1]

while they are typing I put C4 on them

[bastardblaster]

They can finish their sentence while bleeding out in crit....

[kinnebian]

You've done it. You've finally found the absolute chucklefuck that slipped you, stole your insuls, slammed you ontop of many tables, thrown you against an electrified grille, killed your pet lizard, and untied your shoes.
You've got him cornered, you've got a weapon, you know he's near crit, just one hit, ONE hit and they're down, gone forever.
You ready your finger on the trigger, but then-

A speech bubble forms on top of their cubular head. They are typing something.
Is it a ruse? Are they trying to escape their untimely demise? Or are they about to say something of value? Should you wait until they're finished? When would that even be? Maybe they're trying to gain some time...

Do you open fire? Do you wait a bit longer? Do you do the secret and mysterious third thing?
The choice is yours.

i die before i can react because im on manny and someone on in my general neighbourhood is trying to download gta 4

[soreyew]

The humble and ever ready Cable Restraints

[datorangebottle]

You've done it. You've finally found the absolute chucklefuck that slipped you, stole your insuls, slammed you ontop of many tables, thrown you against an electrified grille, killed your pet lizard, and untied your shoes.

Rip and tear, until he is done.

[Sonnzer]

If I just hold him up with my gun, we're at a stalemate. If he was trying to trick me with typing, now he can't run away while my guard is down since if he does, he dies. If he WAS being genuine, great, I get to hear him out! Easy solution guys.

[ju45he]

If I just hold him up with my gun, we're at a stalemate. If he was trying to trick me with typing, now he can't run away while my guard is down since if he does, he dies. If he WAS being genuine, great, I get to hear him out! Easy solution guys.

Ok but what if he is using an implanted voice analyzer signaller to set off a bomb?

[Sonnzer]

If I just hold him up with my gun, we're at a stalemate. If he was trying to trick me with typing, now he can't run away while my guard is down since if he does, he dies. If he WAS being genuine, great, I get to hear him out! Easy solution guys.

Ok but what if he is using an implanted voice analyzer signaller to set off a bomb?

Then we both die, I guess. He sets off a bomb, it's probably on his tile.

[bingusdingus]

I try to finish them but I probably misclick a door or an air alarm, they shove me repeatedly, take my weapon, and kill me with it. Then I mald in dchat. They tell me its my fault for being unrobust. Nobody finds my body because I forgot to change my suit sensors.

[archinist]

I haven't engaged in serious combat in this game outside of a mech since like 2020 lol. I'd rather fight with a ripley or a clarke rather then a e-gun and body armor. I can't imagine what they could do, one hit away from death to fuck me over. This depends on whether they're the only one or not though. If I'm fighting people in a mech that normally means either: I'm a non-antag, going against cult, blob, xeno or spiders, or fighting 1-3 traitors on lowpop. I probably wall the place off around them and ask what they were doing or let them go if they didn't try to kill me earlier.

If I'm an antag, I probably have thermals on if I'm a tot or ling so I can see if they're alone or not. If I'm being hunted by a bunch of people then depending on what's what I might robust them or let them go. If it's a bomb, well mechs can generally survive bombs that aren't right on their tile and I haven't seen a decent bomb in a while, usually if you're a few tiles away at least it just throws you back and does damage. I probably stay a few tiles away and see what they are going to do. If I think he's been going after me or he's a loud antag I probably kill them. If not then I see what's happening. Unless I know for sure they're a rust or lockpick heretic.

[Capsandi]

There is a catharsis which, despite paling in comparison to that associated with literally any other combat system in any other video game, is lost in the yielding to an etiquette not enforced by the same scorekeeper as the click until horizontal sport. I posit that to utilize the combat system is only done to petition for that catharsis, as all others are more easily accessed with communicative wit or any other game mechanic. This is not to say that clicky spaceman combat cannot be exalted with proper narrative context. To fight a chaplain IN SPACE due to a theological squabble concerning god's intended department size or because the inciting incident to your opponent's messy divorce was your getting employee of the month feel much greater in scale than any justification gained through the game system(this is because the writing present in this project took a nosedive exactly when I started playing). What I do intend to convey is that to interlace 'serious' combat with roleplay etiquette will at best lead to the combat system feeling vestigial to a good 'scene' and at worst lead to a lame experience for all parties.

I kill them.