Content Suggestion SCRAMBLE Gear Update

Content Suggestions will be reviewed by Content Team weekly, please allow time as not everything can be reviewed at once.
What does this suggestion change/add/remove:
The general idea is to rework SCRAMBLE gear. The specifics are:
  • When wearing SCRAMBLEs, tint the user's vision (red, perhaps) and apply a film grain-esque visual effect. At the same time, apply a quiet constant audio grit, i.e. a constant, quiet, low-pitched white noise, and make any audio heard by the player be filtered in a similar way.
  • Make sure that SCRAMBLEs actually work on audio cognitohazards like the cow bell (which I have been told it no longer does, despite that being, as far as I'm aware, unintended behaviour).
  • Add a longer-term battery level and indicator.
    • Alongside the existing resistance level, not in replacement of.
    • Constantly drains while active, but drains faster when actively mitigating a cognitohazard.
    • Once drained, stops working entirely - vision goes black and audio is completely muted until they are toggled off or removed.
    • Should last long enough passively that you could wear them for a good while - enough for an event.
    • Can fill battery using ammo stashes.
  • Add the ability to toggle them, not just remove them, similar to NVGs.
    • Via the existing arc_vm_nvgs bind, and via the context menu.
    • When toggled off, all effects go away, including HUD, they stop being visible on your head, and the battery stops draining.
    • Maybe a one-off higher battery drain when turning them back on.
  • Add a command for GMs/staff to view an indicator for players showing whether they are wearing SCRAMBLEs or not and its current levels.
    • Similar to vwar_admin's names, but for SCRAMBLEs status.
    • Maybe also make it show the same sort of thing for NVGs and the like.
  • Make it no longer FailRP to just wear SCRAMBLEs all the time.
  • (Optional) Make SCRAMBLEs no longer show Hume Levels.
    • Depending on CT balancing decisions. I want these to be viable to wear generally, with no OOC ruling saying you can't outside of a code 4, so balancing is a concern before that can be allowed.

Has something similar been suggested before? If so, why is your suggestion different?:
Not as far as I'm aware.

Possible Positives of the suggestion (At least 2):
  • Makes SCRAMBLEs have an actual downside so that instead of just having an OOC rule (which isn't written anywhere) randomly saying "no, you can't wear these easily available things all the time, despite them having no downside, because balance". They would instead just actually be balanced in gameplay - there's a tradeoff for wearing them (worse sight and sound, battery considerations, slightly annoying visual and audio elements), and people can choose whether their character will go for it. Most won't, but maybe a few will.
  • SCRAMBLEs are more immersive and interesting, visually and otherwise. They're not just an easily unnoticeable HUD element that otherwise has no effects when they're not actively countering a cognitohazard.
  • They actually work on audio cognitohazards like they're (as far as I'm aware) supposed to already.
  • Better management system. You can actually just turn them off and on, rather than having to get rid of them entirely to stop the effects. Some E-11 might, for example, choose to wear them but turn them off most of the time, rather than having to run all the way back to bunks whenever there's a code 4.
  • Staff/GM command allows better cognitohazard event management (i.e. GMs can decide whether their cognitohazard should affect people based on their SCRAMBLEs status), and more context for staff (e.g. is this player going into 096 containment without any on for no reason?)

Possible Negatives of the suggestion:
  • SCRAMBLEs become more annoying to use.
    • Both a positive and a negative. Makes people not want to use them all the time, so contributes to better balancing, but is a mild annoyance when they're needed.
  • Balancing decisions needed in the process of making SCRAMBLE wearing an entirely IC thing.
    • It would be really nice for this to be allowed OOC, and just be an IC decision. Less ruleplay, better roleplay flexibility.

Based on the Positives & Negatives, why should this suggestion be accepted:
This would generally improve the functionality and immersion of SCRAMBLE gear, while also removing an existing ruleplay element where there's a hidden staff ruling that you can't just be wearing them outside of a code 4, because balancing - they would instead be balanced in actual implementation, and the ruling can be reversed to allow for better roleplay flexibility with SCRAMBLEs and cognitohazard stuff in general.
 
+support

The visual aspects of the scramble gear are thought out and would add another level to them, the white noise is a bit iffy as they don't have any built in speakers.

Using them to prevent auditory congitohazard exposure though makes little sense, they were designed to be used against SCP-096 and are a very rudimentary counter measure.
what this guy said
 
Dec 25, 2023
247
46
61
Least evil Zen suggestion.

I do actually like some of the ideas, and I do kind of wish that Scrambles were more controlled use wise however for me (smooth brain gentleman) small grainy sounds and visually could genuinely make it impossible for me to wear scrambles :|

However I do like a good few of the other ideas and I personally (with no CT control) think they should be added:

- Your GM idea - What a wonderful giver you are, GMs being given more abilities to interact with the physical mechanics of the server will always be something I support.

- No more Hume Levels - Genuinely I'm not sure I've ever seen a use of Scramble based Hume Levels that wasnt FailRP to wear. I also find it stupid that an invisible thing (because Scrambles rarely show) can be used to find out what is frankly massive information against 914 users / anomalies. Hume Scanners are much cooler and visible, and I think if CT considers any idea they should do this.

- No Longer FailRP - Now I assume from a rule perspective this was heavily based in balance, if everyone wore Scrambles everywhere 096 would never breach and fakes (914 disguises) would be found instantly. With your changes that second problem would no longer exist - although the first one would. I'm not sure how I would fix this although imo Scrambles should not be an item as readily available as a glock.

Generally - I hate evil screen and constant sound affects, but I vibe with the other ideas.
 

Yellow571

Well-known Member
Apr 11, 2024
43
5
41
+Support
I don't think I've ever seen someone getting a failRP warn for wearing a SCRAMBLE outside a code 4. I often find myself wearing one for hours after a code 4 because I never bother to take it off afterward.
 
+support

The visual aspects of the scramble gear are thought out and would add another level to them, the white noise is a bit iffy as they don't have any built in speakers.

Using them to prevent auditory congitohazard exposure though makes little sense, they were designed to be used against SCP-096 and are a very rudimentary counter measure.
what this guy said
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Me when I don't read
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Starling6
+support

The visual aspects of the scramble gear are thought out and would add another level to them, the white noise is a bit iffy as they don't have any built in speakers.

Using them to prevent auditory congitohazard exposure though makes little sense, they were designed to be used against SCP-096 and are a very rudimentary counter measure.
+support ok