For the love of God, rebuild the chem system from the ground up.

Aug 17, 2022
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What does this suggestion change/add/remove:
This suggestion would prompt the developers that work on SCP-RP to unite to, as quickly as possible, rebuild the chemical system from the ground up. This is being requested in the aftermath of the revelations made from @Harry 's resignation document about the chem system.

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

Possible Positives of the suggestion (At least 2):
1) Makes the chemical system actually function as intended without numerous exploits that can be used to effectively abuse chems to extend raids to ridiculous durations, make people nigh on immortal or otherwise ruin intended gameplay loops on the server.

2) Brings factions on the server way more in line with each other when it comes to power balancing. This system is by far and away the source point of so much imbalance and it NEEDS to be addressed.


Possible Negatives of the suggestion:
1) This is almost certainly going to require a LOT of dev time, based on the level of exploitation/fundamental code issue that must be present for the chem system to be working as it currently does.

2) A severe normalization of the chem system is going to be very annoying for those who frequently use chemicals in combat.


Based on the Positives & Negatives, why should this suggestion be accepted:
Never in my life did I think I was going to make a suggestion with as much urgency and hope to see it implemented as the content parity suggestions. Holy SHIT was I wrong. Harry's chemical document on how the system currently works is completely and utterly diabolical for the state of server health and shows that this system is fundamentally flawed and needs a rewrite.

To break it down for those of you who may not have read the document yet; (Link here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p-6IXxeL8k-TFkWk7rGVKhTbq3A2pLQhg_3t2aBPZ-4/edit?usp=sharing)

Ever wondered why CI on chems seemed like absolutely unstoppable forces even in the face of many regiments trying to mass produce potent and other useful chems? Well, there WAS a reason for that all along! It turns out CI discovered a way to use the way the chem system cached effect timers on the server memory to absolutely DESTROY the balance of chemicals.


1760794090586.png
Want a chemical that allows you to maintain see-through which is the number one basic indicator that you're unable to shoot, gives you infinitely topping up 50% speed and actually allows you to shoot WHILE in see-through state due to the fact they stacked the see-through outside of the NHU abilities, meaning nobody could ever find out if you were in a damagable state or not? YOU GOT IT RIGHT HERE!

1760794168787.png
Want a chemical that is literally using REVERSAL OF CHEM EFFECTS (that's right, this chem heals you for 1200hp in 2 mins by drinking CHLORINE OF ALL CHEMICALS) to make you effectively unkillable thanks to the heal override system, while only costing approx 700 dollars for one dose of it due to how accessible these basic chems are? YOU GOT IT RIGHT HERE!!!


Oh, speaking of the memory cache and reversal of chems thing:
1760794359134.png
YUP! It turns out that every single basic negative HP chemical has been the key for these CI chems all along, because for some god forsaken reason, due to memory cache based on the order you drink chems, you can stack the timer of an extremely long -hp effect onto the insane heals of a short burst +hp effect to gain nigh-on INFINITE healing! FUN!

1760794520907.png
Also, turns out the reason CI always seem to never run out of speed chems is because they literally DONT! If you keep drinking basic speed chems after using NHU, you can literally keep refreshing the timer over and over again, which explains why they've been able to use these systems to such good effect, because they never needed to make that much of the best chems in the first place! (Also, sick job including bugs in this document Harry, as well as the recipe to multiple now banned god chems! I'm sure minges and covert CI players totally aren't going to secretly try and use these going forward!


I could go on ranting and raving about the absolutely abysmal state of this system that has been unveiled by Harry's document, but I genuinely can't be bothered. The fact this information is currently public domain is a genuine DANGER to server health, because now every down to Johnny CI Main can start producing this shit and it's going to work until the timer reversal and memory caching issues are fixed. Every single hunch people have had for months if not YEARS about CI's chems and abilities in combat have been validated by this nonsense, and the worst part is, 99% of the players who've been exploiting this are never going to see punishment for it despite how secretly unfair the gameplay loops have been this whole time.

For the love of god, fix this. Nothing has ever gobsmacked and discouraged me more from playing than knowing how right people have been about this stuff for so long and it took Harry essentially dropping a truth nuke on leaving to actually bring it to the public light. How many players have we lost cause of the imbalance this sort of thing causes to gameplay loop interruptions, all while being told that these things HAVE been looked into and are fine?

 
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What does this suggestion change/add/remove:
This suggestion would prompt the developers that work on SCP-RP to unite to, as quickly as possible, rebuild the chemical system from the ground up. This is being requested in the aftermath of the revelations made from @Harry 's resignation document about the chem system.

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

Possible Positives of the suggestion (At least 2):
1) Makes the chemical system actually function as intended without numerous exploits that can be used to effectively abuse chems to extend raids to ridiculous durations, make people nigh on immortal or otherwise ruin intended gameplay loops on the server.

2) Brings factions on the server way more in line with each other when it comes to power balancing. This system is by far and away the source point of so much imbalance and it NEEDS to be addressed.


Possible Negatives of the suggestion:
1) This is almost certainly going to require a LOT of dev time, based on the level of exploitation/fundamental code issue that must be present for the chem system to be working as it currently does.

2) A severe normalization of the chem system is going to be very annoying for those who frequently use chemicals in combat.


Based on the Positives & Negatives, why should this suggestion be accepted:
Never in my life did I think I was going to make a suggestion with as much urgency and hope to see it implemented as the content parity suggestions. Holy SHIT was I wrong. Harry's chemical document on how the system currently works is completely and utterly diabolical for the state of server health and shows that this system is fundamentally flawed and needs a rewrite.

To break it down for those of you who may not have read the document yet; (Link here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p-6IXxeL8k-TFkWk7rGVKhTbq3A2pLQhg_3t2aBPZ-4/edit?usp=sharing)

Ever wondered why CI on chems seemed like absolutely unstoppable forces even in the face of many regiments trying to mass produce potent and other useful chems? Well, there WAS a reason for that all along! It turns out CI discovered a way to use the way the chem system cached effect timers on the server memory to absolutely DESTROY the balance of chemicals.


View attachment 24532
Want a chemical that allows you to maintain see-through which is the number one basic indicator that you're unable to shoot, gives you infinitely topping up 50% speed and actually allows you to shoot WHILE in see-through state due to the fact they stacked the see-through outside of the NHU abilities, meaning nobody could ever find out if you were in a damagable state or not? YOU GOT IT RIGHT HERE!

View attachment 24533
Want a chemical that is literally using REVERSAL OF CHEM EFFECTS (that's right, this chem heals you for 1200hp in 2 mins by drinking CHLORINE OF ALL CHEMICALS) to make you effectively unkillable thanks to the heal override system, while only costing approx 700 dollars for one dose of it due to how accessible these basic chems are? YOU GOT IT RIGHT HERE!!!


Oh, speaking of the memory cache and reversal of chems thing:
View attachment 24534
YUP! It turns out that every single basic negative HP chemical has been the key for these CI chems all along, because for some god forsaken reason, due to memory cache based on the order you drink chems, you can stack the timer of an extremely long -hp effect onto the insane heals of a short burst +hp effect to gain nigh-on INFINITE healing! FUN!

View attachment 24535
Also, turns out the reason CI always seem to never run out of speed chems is because they literally DONT! If you keep drinking basic speed chems after using NHU, you can literally keep refreshing the timer over and over again, which explains why they've been able to use these systems to such good effect, because they never needed to make that much of the best chems in the first place! (Also, sick job including bugs in this document Harry, as well as the recipe to multiple now banned god chems! I'm sure minges and covert CI players totally aren't going to secretly try and use these going forward!


I could go on ranting and raving about the absolutely abysmal state of this system that has been unveiled by Harry's document, but I genuinely can't be bothered. The fact this information is currently public domain is a genuine DANGER to server health, because now every down to Johnny CI Main can start producing this shit and it's going to work until the timer reversal and memory caching issues are fixed. Every single hunch people have had for months if not YEARS about CI's chems and abilities in combat have been validated by this nonsense, and the worst part is, 99% of the players who've been exploiting this are never going to see punishment for it despite how secretly unfair the gameplay loops have been this whole time.

For the love of god, fix this. Nothing has ever gobsmacked and discouraged me more from playing than knowing how right people have been about this stuff for so long and it took Harry essentially dropping a truth nuke on leaving to actually bring it to the public light. How many players have we lost cause of the imbalance this sort of thing causes to gameplay loop interruptions, all while being told that these things HAVE been looked into and are fine?

I'll start by sharing some basic info on how CI uses these chemicals, then shift to another point. Speed chems have been around forever and never really caused problems they're just for getting around the server easier. Foundation uses chems like potent too, but mostly for breaches or rushing to far locations. CI and GOC, though, need to move fast often because of the constant risk of getting killed; that's why these two groups rely on them the most. I see no real issue here, speed chems don't boost your weapon damage, combat skills, tactical smarts, or anything like that. In the end, any interaction with speed chems still come down to the player's skill.


Digging deeper into chems, Harry's doc shows that mixing a damage reduction with a healing chem (the core basics) lets you take less damage while healing more than what's coming in. That's what players call a "God Chem"—really just a performance boost. On the other hand, stuff like the "Terminator" is clearly problematic since it makes you truly unkillable no matter the damage. I agree that shouldn't exist... The balance issues outweigh any upsides for anyone. But scrapping all performance enhancers outright is a weak & small understanding of what the chem system is: a cool mix of SCP samples that, when combined uniquely, give players advantages or new ways to do things you couldn't otherwise.


I'm not sure if people in this thread have actually tried these "God Chems," but if you have, humble me real quick. When you drink one, as long as shots hit your body or lower and not every bullet lands perfectly, you'll out-heal the damage thanks to reduction. But get hit in the head with the same number of bullets, and you'll die fast God Chem or not. Same if a heavy weapon blasts you with massive damage. Take a basic Spaz shotgun: it can one-shot someone on a God Chem. Bet most here haven't thought about counters or downsides at all. You see an enhancement and jump to "broken, no counter, remove it." That's lazy thinking. Small example, but take CI-TB nerfed tons of times, yet "TB is OP" complaints linger, though it's rarely true (Team-Inversion being OP, sure). It boils down to the player using TB and the enemies facing them. Did you know a SCRANTON at the bottom of SCP-076's stairs covers the whole cc area, making TB useless? Fact is, most MTF don't even try Scrantoning TB much. Often, TB can't use abilities because CI drops Scrantons to block MTF dimensions. Problem's with players lacking the ability to target the weaknesses, not the strengths themselves.


It's a harsh truth some or all players need: in life not just SCP, master a deep understanding of something and you'll find tricks or methods to max it effectiveness. Harry did that with chems better than anyone on CN he truly understood how they work, found the best ways to advantage CI, and deserves credit for it. Same with the weapon complaints: most do similar damage, 3-4 bullets to the head kills. I invite you to slow down clips from people, they miss most shots except 2-3. That O-1 weapon clip is a prime example of it. Tough pill: maybe focus on improving your own combat or thinking smarter? Like, should I wait here knowing they'll come, or rush a 500HP juggernaut with 4 medics backing him and expect to win? Be Fr..


I'm writing this not to bash anyone I truly love this server and play daily if not Bi-Daily because of my job. But I think folks need the raw truth and another view before nodding along and agreeing to every "OP" and broken claim. Maining CI, I've seen us hit with nerf after nerf, yet nothing changes? Doesn't anyone see that at some point, it's the players causing the issues you describe, not the mechanics?


Lastly, I'm open to a fresh chem system for everyone to explore, but it brings issues like screwing over us collectors mate. I've got over 5m in chems alone would you wipe them and make me start over just from this doc? or would you compensate us in some sort of way? Im open to continue talking about this If i'm invited in any channel.


- FINALY

Neutral Support, As I Think People Are Viewing This Only From 1 Perspective
 
How would this not be considered Minor Glitching?
The effects are not inherent to the base attributes of the chemicals or their combinations, they are stacking effects through loopholes and broken mechanics.
I think on the contrary, the combination of chemicals to find new effects is more than intended and welcomed. Am i missing something or is that not the purpose of having a complex chemical system where mixing different chemicals with each other results in more interesting abilities?

Although Yes things like the fracture to keep speed would be a obvious Glitch, mixing dmg reduction with healing just seems like a common sense combination?..
 
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Go figure CI come up with exploits to ruin anyone elses Roleplay. This explains what I thought was SCP-966 usage, and what many CI will claim it was now if they're accused of drinking it.
My goat, 966 is still 966... The "God Chem" that used 008 turns you green, the current one turns you red... 966 just makes u semi translucent. That is all and for you all if you don't want combat chems on an RP server, Consider removing any pvp? also for a POSITIVE chemical having a downside like recoil? what downside would you give it, also does that not just defeat the purpose of a positive effect chemical? Im kind of lost, you guys are proposing the same sentences and not any fixes which is what we are looking for I just gave my perspective on it that is all.
 
My goat, 966 is still 966... The "God Chem" that used 008 turns you green, the current one turns you red... 966 just makes u semi translucent. That is all and for you all if you don't want combat chems on an RP server, Consider removing any pvp? also for a POSITIVE chemical having a downside like recoil? what downside would you give it, also does that not just defeat the purpose of a positive effect chemical? Im kind of lost, you guys are proposing the same sentences and not any fixes which is what we are looking for I just gave my perspective on it that is all.
dont tell this person about MRP's "RP" 😇
 
drug system should be purely RP based, and have no interactions with combat at all.

+Support
I'm going to disagree a bit - while, granted, the server is SCP RP and not SCP PVP, combat still plays a major part in the server's life. Using chems for combat purposes is one of the few things that give more strategy to combat rather than running and gunning. It is a bit annoying to play against chems, but I am of the opinion that there should be more intelligence put into PVP.

Still, despite that, chems should provide a supporting role, not make you a god of combat just because someone told you how to bug the game. The drug system would need a major rework to avoid these type of bugs and balance things out.

+SUPPORT
 
+ Support

A captain always dies with his ship

Delete this again and I hunt you down
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+massive support, was about to post a suggestion about it as well once I am off suggestion cooldown.
The least that could be done is literally adding downsides to chemicals that boost your basic stats - heal you instantly, give you health regen, boost your speed.

Combat chemicals shouldn't exist, anything boosting your base stats should be outright removed.
Let's be honest, the system has so many flaws that it is unbearable - ANYTHING that gives you advantage without any downsides should be considered unbalanced and well, this just proves it!
 
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+SUPPORT
( The Mother of All Supports )


Although I personally see the combat chems as having a place in SCP:RP, the way this was used is very clearly an exploitation of the system's limitations and nothing else. Not clever wizardry nor creative thinking - Just a blatant exploit.

This must be priority number one on the list to fix as this will now become commonplace as every single regiment and player will be equipping themselves, either because they're ratty little shits or because they want to even the scales - Rules be damned.

I am simply put disturbed by the fact that it was even kept secret for so long and not reported / fixed.

Such exploits severely damage server health and people's will to play anything but the winning team ( Which was very clearly put on display during yesterday's 'event raid' ).
 
+SUPPORT
( The Mother of All Supports )


Although I personally see the combat chems as having a place in SCP:RP, the way this was used is very clearly an exploitation of the system's limitations and nothing else. Not clever wizardry nor creative thinking - Just a blatant exploit.

This must be priority number one on the list to fix as this will now become commonplace as every single regiment and player will be equipping themselves, either because they're ratty little shits or because they want to even the scales - Rules be damned.

I am simply put disturbed by the fact that it was even kept secret for so long and not reported / fixed.

Such exploits severely damage server health and people's will to play anything but the winning team ( Which was very clearly put on display during yesterday's 'event raid' ).
That event raid cost me 2.2mil btw
 
i hate potent duloxetines existance, i hate all speed chems for many reasons...

I remember when I was in content team back when the chemical system was first being presented and we were tasked with just general testing and going through the various effects, giving ideas, etc.
It was an enjoyable experience, but I think one of the complaints from me and @Kw1ll (i think?) was that we were afraid that players won't consider chems as a reward for RP. My percieved goal for the chemical update was to have more interactions with SCPs, and to have surface SCPs have a more widespread influence over the servers RP environment.

But this clearly wasn't what happened. I don't know when or how it got sidetracked, if it was in the development process, or the QC, or after the update was given out, but the update effectively killed the Research Department at the time. The server economy was changed permanently, and certain chemicals and effects were way more powerful than we originally intended (see OG anima, or the Dynamic Damage Resistance VCraft effect).

VCraft as a whole for SCP-RP needs to be adjusted. The Hunger/Energy system isn't fleshed out enough to justify it's existance, the surface scavenging for chems and food items is boring and unengaging, and the VCraft effects that comes with chemicals were made in a bad way (as proven by the document that Harry provided). I can't give solutions, but I can tell when this isn't the direction the server wants.
Some NL told me that they attempted to use "RP Chemicals" such as Codeine as a test to see if it's effective, but it wasn't. People don't want to use chemicals in a roleplay fashion. Why?
A couple of reasons I can think of would be this:
  • The process of creating chemicals requires in-game money. This balance transfers between characters, so I always was under the impression this was an OOC money system for at least the first 6 months of my time in this community. I believe this could contribute to the issue. Additionally, why would you spend money for a chemical that wont give you any sort of combative benefit, and only changes the color of someones screen.
  • The Chemist jobs are locked behind a donation paywall, this discourages players from making RP Chemicals like Codine if they don't already have the access.
  • The RP Chemicals like Codeine (especially Codeine) are not nearly fleshed out enough. You'd be hard pressed to find a player to even know what it is, and what it's intended effects are. More factors need to be added, such as effect delays, an overdose system, and clear instructions as to how to act when injected with said chemicals.
I don't know man, It's been hard to think lately.
 
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