Content Suggestion 914 Rework

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Zen

Zen

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What does this suggestion change/add/remove:
Firstly, I would suggest reworking 914 entirely so that its input/setting/outputs are configurable in-game by SL. SL would have access to a menu to edit this config, where they would have options like:
  • Input Type (e.g. Chemical Container, SWEP, Player, Other Entity)
    • Specific Input (e.g. Injection Vial of 106, ARX-160, Hazmat Suit, Player on TG-A, Player on Foundation Job)
  • Setting (Rough, Coarse, etc.)
  • Output Type (same as input types, plus effects)
    • Specific Output (e.g. Centrifuge Vial of Anomalous Matter, QBZ, Gas Mask, gas form of XYZ chemical into the room, explosion in output box, Player disguised as TG-B)
      • May have a combination for each of these, e.g. an explosion and a gas release
SL would be able to add any combination of these, remove existing ones, and search through existing configs.

While in the menu, a member of SL would be able to click a button to Add a new combination, select an option for each of the options listed above, and then add this to the list of active combinations.

If any combination of specific inputs and settings were to have multiple outputs currently configured, 914 would provide one of those outputs at random. Possibly, the chance of each might be configurable, but if not, it would just be an equal chance for each option.

For each option type, there would be a lot of configurability of outputs, e.g.:
  • Player on <Job> -> Player with <disguise>/<ability (e.g. reality bending SWEP with XYZ config)>/<GMObjective-style effect>/<chemical effect>
  • <Chemical> in <Container> -> <Another chemical> in <another container>
    • Possible container includes gaseous state, i.e. releasing the chemical as a gas into the inner room of 914
  • <Dropped SWEP or other entity> -> <A different dropped SWEP or entity>
  • <Food item> -> <Chemical/other food/SWEP/etc.>
There should also be options for certain outputs to only be possible with certain player counts, e.g. converting things to Freedoms might be disabled below 30 players.

Secondly, SSL should have the option to disable and re-enable 914 entirely at any time, for e.g. if there is a bug, or if there is an event that requires it.

Thirdly, there should be, for the Containment Maintenance V2 ticket on GitHub, the possibility of 914 cogs becoming missing and/or jammed, which would stop 914 from working, or cause unpredictable results. This would then be repaired using the new containment maintenance system.


Some example configs for 914 would be:
  • Player on TG-A, on 1:1 -> Disguised as TG-B, abilities and stats replaced with that of TG-B
  • Flask of Class-A, on Rough -> 939 blood gas released into the inner 914 room
  • Player on 008-2, on Fine -> Player switched to 008-3
  • Player on CI Juggernaut, on 1:1 -> Health and armour downgraded to normal, random human disguise given
  • Hazmat Suit, on Coarse -> Gas Mask
  • Player on <any random human job>, on Rough -> Player experiences GMObj/chem effects saying they're in immense pain, their vision goes white, etc., and then they explode
  • Injection Vial of Human Blood, on 1:1 -> (Centrifuge Vial or Injection Vial 50%/50% chance) of (Human Blood or O- Blood, 80%/20% chance)
  • <Any random assault rifle>, on 1:1 -> <Any random standard primary weapon>
  • <Any random pistol>, on 1:1 -> <Any random standard pistol>
  • <Any random pistol>, on Fine -> (<Any advanced pistol (deagle, .44, etc.)> or temporary GMObjective in output section saying "Some kind of metal contraption", 35%/65% chance)

Has something similar been suggested before? If so, why is your suggestion different?:
Not to my knowledge.

Possible Positives of the suggestion (At least 2):
  • Allows the creation of much more varied 914 settings, as someone can just sit on SL and make them whenever they want, rather than requiring a dev to change
  • Allows the use of more items via 914, such as chems and entities like gas masks
  • Allows more varied outputs, like chemicals, gases, explosions, GMObjectives, etc.
  • Outputs can be changed on the fly, e.g. as part of events, or as SL/others come up with new ideas, rather than needing a dev and approximately 10 business centuries.

Possible Negatives of the suggestion:
  • Dev work
  • New SL work

Based on the Positives & Negatives, why should this suggestion be accepted:
This would generally be a massive improvement to 914, which doesn't work on a lot of basic things, and only has some very basic changes pre-programmed, with no way to easily change them. This would allow much more flexibility for events and stuff, it would allow CT to easily change or re-balance 914 outputs without devs, and would allow more interesting research and the like to be done with a broader variety of inputs and outputs, and the possibility of new ones being added or changed at any time.
 
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Emilia Foddg

Emilia Foddg

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Zen said:
Has something similar been suggested before? If so, why is your suggestion different?:
Not to my knowledge.
Click to expand...
It's not quite the same, but it's still a 914 rework so you should please see my past failed attempt at a 914 rework from just over a year ago; Even though the core concepts are different (In fact, these ideas are actually compatible, since I didn't suggest outright replacing 914's behaviour, just adding to and altering it), there's a few similarities in terms of both what the reworks aim to do and what effects they may have on gameplay - And it may also shed some enlightenment on how CT may approach this suggestion.

For everyone comparing this to 294, I'd like to state that there is a distinct difference between 914 and 294 in their implementations, in that 294 is a spawnable scripted entity and 914 to my understanding, is a collection of a map fixture, a couple... like, weird map entities? I don't know exactly, but I know they're not equivalent. 294 just has less moving parts to it, basically.

I agree with the premise of changing 914 for pretty much all the same reasons I put forward my original rework in the past, although IMO we should still make it a breachable SCP. After weighing the results and following considerable thought surrounding it, I simply have not let go of the idea. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the prospect of an actual 914 breaching job may tempt me back onto the server - It may even be something I play other than 096. Anyway, that's unrelated to this and that prospect is a different suggestion idea altogether.

The short of it is, this would make 914 less predictable and more engaging in terms of both RP & gameplay - While also making it more wiki-accurate, essentially that entire positive point I made in my suggestion applies here, too. I know there isn't a single unified canon, nor any kind of target for lore accuracy in any shape or form; However, 914 is one of the most iconic SCPs, and I'm of the belief that it's one of the ones that is not often fully understood from the outside.

What people don't understand about 914 is that there is no "914 wouldn't do that." It wouldn't always do that, but it wouldn't wouldn't do that. 914 would absolutely do that. Just not every time. And I think because people don't get that, it conceptually remains underused.

CT will probably be more receptive to this than they were my idea, as it not only keeps the control of 914 out of the hands of players, but makes it more open to output change & balance, and may make 914 less gameable by players of all factions as a result. This would be a significant undertaking, but IMO justified, as it is something that can potentially generate new RP interest in 914, while also providing the tools necessary to influence its impact on combative gameplay.

Currently, 914 occupies this sort of weird haze? In server content, where it's kinda just there and has the effects that it has - And because of those effects, it's... A bit inoffensive in terms of the impact it has? It's not super detrimental to the server that it absolutely destroys balance, it's a manageable thing that is managed. But it's also not something you can just safely ignore. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this gives good, comfortable control, more so than what is had now, over how 914 impacts the server. If that makes sense. I don't know if that got across after a whole paragraph of me trying to formulate this and failing.
 
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