# Anomaly Science ## Flux Flux anoamly density is a measure of the build up of anomalous precense. This is global for the station and independent of area. ## Anomaly Entropy A localised value that represents the density of nearby anomalies. If a lot of anomalies are nearby, or there is an anomaly about to appear, the value will be very high in this area. ## Devices ### Entropic Anomaly Analyser Used to measure the levels of anomalitic entropy in a localised area. Areas near anomalies have a high anomalitic entropy level, areas with an anomaly about to appear will have an insanely anomalitic entropy flux level. This exists in 2 forms: - A handheld device - A placed device which records the results back to a computer. This can be used to locate anomalies and detect them before they arrive. ### Flux Wave Monitor A device that measures the flux density of the area. When flux density is low, more anomalies are likely to spawn. - Measures the flux density of the world. - Lower values mean anomaly events are more likely. ### Flux Harvester Extracts flux from the world. This will decrease the flux value but can be used to create flux power cores. The extraction rate is boosted when there is anomaly nearby. If the flux density gets too low, they will shut down. You can control the rate of extraction via a user interface. - Harvests flux from the world. - Lower flux levels mean anomalies are more likely to be dangerous and spawn. - Anomalies produce flux passively. - Anomalies produce flux at higher rates when interacted with. ### Flux Power Core An power cell containing extracted flux energy. Can be used to power advanced fabrication devices. - Filled by flux harvesters. - Used to power devices used by other departments. ### Anomaly Archive Registry When you generate flux from interacting with an anomaly, you can use the archive registry to unlock insights about the anomaly, which describe what the anomaly does. - Working with an anomaly generates insighst - These insights can be viewed at this registry. - Anomalies have no insights revealed by default. ## Research Chambers - There are 4 different research chambers located within science. - These research chambers are specialised to performing different basic actions. ### Interaction Chamber - Testing chamber about interacting with the anomaly. - Enter the chamber and touch it. - Requires physical interaction, so may be dangerous to the person entering ### Temporal Analysis Chamber - Testing chamber that uses temporal anomalies to trigger reactions in anomalies. - Controlled via a control console and sensors to keep the levels stable. ### Flux Vacuum Chamber - Creates a flux density vacuum inside the chamber which triggers reactions in non-volatile anomalies. - Volatile anomalies may violently react to this method of research. ## Anomalies ### Anomaly Hazard Level - Indicates how dangerous, but how flux producing this anomaly is. - The first insight revealed by the archive. Anomalies have a few different hazard levels: - Safe - The anomaly is unlikely to pose a threat when researched in a safe manner. - Risk - This anomaly poses a risk to the station if misused. - Threat - This anomaly is an active threat and requires mitigation in order to avoid damage to the station and personnel. - Hazard - This anomaly is hazarous and requires extremely caution when being worked with. Upmost care should be taken to control this anomaly. - Danger - This anomaly is extremely dangerous and unpredictable, all actions against it pose extreme risk and are likely to cause damage, injury and or death. - %#£\*%" - Existential threat detected. ### Anomaly Interaction Types - All anomalies will have at least 1 basic interaction type that they respond to. - Easier anomalies have more positive basic interaction types. - Anomalies may have special interaction types which are only known about when revealed through insights. Physical Interaction Temporal Interaction Flux Interaction **TBD** ### Anomaly Hazard Labels - These are general labels that indicate risks that an anomaly may pose. - These are the second insights obtained after the hazard level. Physical Injury: This anomaly poses a physical injury threat to personnel working with it. Teleportation Hazard: This anomaly can move via teleportation to other locations. Replication Hazard: This anomaly can self-replicate. Biological Hazard: This anomaly poses a biological threat to the station. Care should be taken to avoid cross contamination and the spread of virus particles. Radioactivity Hazard: This anomaly produces high levels of radiation. Information Hazard: This anomaly produces information which is hazardous to possess. Dimensional Hazard: This anomaly interacts with other dimensions in order to produce effects. These are just some ideas, more can be added. ### Anomaly types #### Mob Type - Can freely move around, usually in a passive state by default - Has an aggressive state where it will actively breach and perform some effect on people - Has non-active effects (Will perform them at will) ##### Statue Type - Will stay still for the most part - May move / teleport while not being observed #### Book Type - Effect is always triggered when the book is read by a player. Relatively safe since it will not trigger effects randomly. - Books effects are based on information in some way, possessing the information could be hazardous (such as cult themes). **Effect Trigger Modes:** - Same effect when read. (Pick a random effect, trigger it) - Effects based on number of reads per person. (If a user has read the book X times, the effect changes.) - Effects based on number of total reads. (If X people have read the book, the effects may be different) - Effects based on user reading. **Effects** Most of these we will group into similar effects, so you dont have something that makes no sense happening. Pure randomness usually results in bad or shallow content with the occassional interesting thing. Not all of these apply will apply at once, the effects will be selected from a random pool selected to maintain consistency. Positive (Happens on the ones where you can read the book multiple times when you haven't read it too much) - Permanently grants the user with a new language - The user admires the book and wishes to read it again. Their mood gets boosted. - The book provides information about how to build useful machines. Neutral (Might happen on same effect) - Removes 1 user language and grants them a new one - The user cuts themselves and starts writing in the book (transition effect) - The user will gain mood debuffs when not reading the book. - If a person of religion reads the book, they will be disgusted at the book and will not be effected. - The reader is told to encourage other people to read the book. Negative (Starts happening if the book is read too much) - The reader gains a disease/trauma - The user rips off a limb - The readers flesh mutates into an abomination which will proceed to attack nearby personnel. Upon death this creates a flesh cocoon which when broken will release the body of the person, if left then the abomination will rise again. Anyone killed by the abomination will subsequently turn into an abomination. - The book contains nightmarish information that slowly drives its readers to insanity. - The book instructs the reader to do something that would ultimately be bad for the station. ## Content Loading - Anomaly data is loaded from .anomdat files. - This allows them to be dynamically reloaded without recompiling the game and organises the content a bit better. Here is an example file: ```yaml book_anomaly: type: /datum/anomaly_affect/trigger/interaction type: /datum/anomaly_affect/pick amount: 1 type: /datum/anomaly_affect/random type: /datum/anomaly_affect/do_something type: /datum/anomaly_affect/do_something type: /datum/anomaly_affect/do_something type: /datum/anomaly_affect/random type: /datum/anomaly_affect/pick amount: 2 type: /datum/anomaly_affect/do_something type: /datum/anomaly_affect/do_something type: /datum/anomaly_affect/do_something type: /datum/anomaly_affect/do_something type: /datum/anomaly_affect/sequence type: /datum/anomaly_affect/do_something type: /datum/anomaly_affect/do_something type: /datum/anomaly_affect/pick amount: 1 type: /datum/anomaly_affect/do_something type: /datum/anomaly_affect/do_something ``` ## Anomaly Fusion **This is the idea for an advanced mechanic and won't be focused on until everything else is solid and complete (and if the core alone isn't enough).** Different anomalies could be fused together. This could be an option for a more advanced / deep mechanics, although might not be needed and isn't thought out.
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