Skills Redefined

Problem

Entirely item dependent jobs can and will be done by others

This is something that his historically been very prevalent in tg, the classic "assistant breaks into medical, steals meds, self heals". Having equipment be the only thing that sets jobs apart from eachother makes the jobs mesh into one glob of holding meds, tools, defense items, insuls, and other smaller utilities. This turns the person's job from "Nothing" (assistant) to "Literally everything". NOTE: WE WANT EVERYONE TO DO EVERYTHING. In crisis, we want people to struggle and fight to survive and having a "bzzt you can't do this" type deal would seriously impact that. But it's a balance, and there's a difference between letting everyone do everything at the same level as everyone else, and letting everyone do everything else but finding a doctor during a plasmafire in maintenance maybe even being a wonderful blessing.

Too easy to disguise

Disguising has been incredibly strong for a very long time in /tg/, shoutout to PKPenguin running down a hallway as a changeling, changing forms, and then running back past the people chasing them. Hiding your face is not a suspicious action as people simply try to fill all their equipment slots. And on top of that, since items decide the ability to do a job, disguised members can perform jobs at the exact same level as someone who isn't.

Solution

Out with the old skill system

Entirely remove the old skill system, in terms of grinding and levelling.

Why

Old skill system is incredibly "gamey", as in them requiring grinding and being something built throughout a round. We could also not add this skill system on top of an existing one.

Three skills, three skill levels.

Skill levels

Skills are now three levels, and there will be mechanics to change what skills you have but they will be through extensive work or antagonist tools. Skills should never be "gained" but rather replaced, except for changelings which of course can just keep on gathering many skills. It's in their theme.

Untrained skill doesn't mean you won't be able to accomplish an action, it will just be slower than normal.

Side skills is about the level you are able to do something now.

Main skills, the one given by your job, will actually enable you to do something extra. Engineers can construct special items, Doctors will have better CPR, etc. These should not be core parts of doing a task, but rather special abilities to make a job better at doing something.

Why

I have very specifically designed this to NOT make any action impossible, but rather open up unique options to make jobs easier. This is rewarding letting the person who joined the job work the job and softly punishing stepping out of your lane to do others. Another point is about disgusing as others. Disguising is still as powerful but you won't be able to perfectly reproduce the job to the level the person you're taking from did, which

Three Skills

When you join the game, all your skills are at the lowest skill level, except for three. One skill will be set to the highest level by your job, and one skill will be set to a medium level by your job as a side-skill. The last skill is choosable by the player in their preferences.

Why

Again, three skills keeps what you know at a premium. The personal skill can be used to fill in a general skill you don't want to ever deal with doing slowly. It also lessens the gameiness of the skill system which has been something i've been trying very hard to avoid: spacemen are not going to be carbon copies in what they know

The combat skill debacle

Yeah, I knew you were thinking about it. I think a combat skill has merit, but it needs to be handled in a special way. And just scroll down, it's crazy but this needs an entire section for itself.

"Why even add one?"

Security is actually the one department in the game that stands above normal jobs in their innate ability because they have something other jobs don't: TEAMWORK. Security becomes a deathtrain when using good teamwork as shown by terry's operations, but we can't nerf that at the moment for another anomalous property of security: It often finds itself unpopulated outside of Terry, at populations it shouldn't be. Freaky, right? It's because security on other servers didn't reach enough mains to build teamwork that lets security operate well, which removed its special reason for playing it. And worse, security comes with unique downsides that other jobs don't deal with. So many potential security players on other servers play assistant, because the advantages of being assistant are greater than being security. Crazy, right?

• Assistants get the drop on antagonists, where security officer gear means antagonists get the drop on sec officers first. Mitigated by teamwork which isn't present.
• Assistants can obtain the gear from security that lets security clean house, except they can hide it better. Assistants can just run around with a stunbaton hidden and do a better job than sec.
• Assistants don't have special rules around dealing with unruly crewmembers. Assistants can freely escalate issues and not deal with the brig system at all. Security can't overescalate, and are responsible for the safety of the people they arrest until antagonism is discovered or the arrested acts like one.

"So What's different about it?"

I don't have faith people won't make their alt skill always combat, since combat is an incredibly useful skill that will always be relevant in the game. Because of this, combat skills will not be selectable in preferences.

Any antagonist will have their combat set to either side or main, I'm unsure which should be the case. Probs main.

To avoid a headache with balance I will probably not make base level combat worse, but rather make side and main combat better.

Skill Details

Medical

Ability to heal, those who are bad will heal slower and the medication will be applied sloppier, wasting a small amount of reagents. Pills do not apply

Main skill special

Surgery intuition. Main medical skill tells you what to do next after a surgery step without the need of a computer.

Engineering

Ability to construct and deconstruct buildings, also repair. Tied into robotics as well, with repairing borgs and building mechs/MODsuits.

Main skill special

Engineers have a set of items they are able to combine, such as Night vision goggles + Med hud = Night vision medhuds.

NOTE: This doesn't replace science making things, but rather it gives the ability to combine old items into their researched version. May get replaced as it's unique but I'm not sure how fitting

Chemistry

This needs a chemistry part that actually scales and improves but I don't know what that would be, but…

Chemistry skill also helps with pipework and extinguisher efficiency, among other things.

Main skill special

None, sorry

Botany

Skill that allows you to get a full harvest from planting. Those without the skill will "ruin" part of a harvest and get less, side skill would get the normal amount, and main skill would give a bit more.

Main skill special

None, sorry

Butchering

Speed and loot amount from butchering.

Main skill special

Probably the ability to butcher humans but i'm unsure as of yet. I'm pretty sure only chef has butchering as their main so maybe it should be cuisine related?

Commerce

Skill lets the supply shuttle arrive faster, earn more money, tourists pay more, and vending items are at a discount.

Main skill special

You start with a device to ascertain the price of things. Cargo starts with it already so it's that.

Tracking

Tracking skill determines how good you are at using tracking devices. Low skill will mean the tracking device updates very slowly, while a high skill will get closer to the tracking we have nowadays.

Main skill special

None, sorry.

Charisma

I'll think of something but those fucking roleplay jobs need something

Main skill special

None, sorry.

Cleaning

Useful for assistants and janitors, mostly the latter. Speeds up all related actions to those!

Main skill special

Using soap has a chance to not use up a charge on the soap, same with all cleaning devices (mop sometimes doesn't lose reagents, etc)

Job Details

This section outlines what jobs have what skills. Remember that each skill choice is meant to support their job. Generally, you should expect a department to share competency in the same skills at different levels. A station engineer is better at taking over for an atmos tech than a curator, yea?

Engineering

Chief Engineer

Heads of staff get two mains.

Main: Engineering

Second Main: Chemistry (Helps with atmos, remember?)

Station Engineer

Main: Engineering

Side: Chemistry

Atmospheric Technician

Main: Chemistry

Side: Engineering

Medical

Chief Medical Officer

Heads of staff get two mains.

Main: Medical

Second Main: Chemistry

Chemist

Main: Chemistry

Side: Medical

Virologist

Main: Chemistry

Side: Medical

Service

Notably this department is a lot more diverse in skills which makes sense

Bartender

Main: Chemistry

Side: Commerce

Botanist

Main: Botany

Side: Science

Chaplain

Main: Cleaning

Side: Combat

Clown

Main: Clownery

Side: Butchering

Mime

Main: Mimery

Side: Charisma

Cook

Main: Butchering

Side: Commerce

Curator

Main: Commerce

Side: Combat

Janitor

Main: Cleaning

Side: Engineering

Lawyer

Main: Charisma

Side: Commerce

Paramedic

Main: Tracking

Side: Medical

Prisoner

Completely random!

Psychologist

Main: Charisma

Side: Medical

Assistant

Assistants do not get a main.

Side: Cleaning

Cargo

Head of Personnel

The head of personnel will have a new set of skill replacers for job switching, but they will have to be implanted in surgery. Doing so will replace the main skill with a new main

Main: Commerce

Second Main: Charisma

Quartermaster

Main: Commerce

Side: Charisma

Cargo Technician

Main: Commerce

Side: Cleaning

Shaft Miner

Main: Combat

Side: Butchering

Science

Research Director

Heads of staff get two mains.

Main: Science

Second Main: Engineering

Scientist

Main: Science

Side: Engineering

Roboticist

Main: Engineering

Side: Science

Geneticist

Main: Science

Side: Medical

Security

Head of Security

Heads of staff get two mains.

Main: Combat

Second Main: Tracking

Warden

Surprise! Warden gets a more supportive role to discourage leaving the brig.

Main: Medical

Side: Combat

Security Officer

Special case here, security officers don't get a side skill beyond their player pick.

Main: Combat

Detective

Main: Tracking

Side: Combat