diff --git a/Docs/core.txt b/Docs/core.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b0b15b4 --- /dev/null +++ b/Docs/core.txt @@ -0,0 +1,92 @@ +========================================== +Drill Station (working title) core concept +========================================== +Written by arenaconspiracy + + +The concept for Drill Station came from a wish for a round flow not reliant on antagonists driving it. +It's core idea is that roundflow is dictated by an autonomous Drill at the center of the station, +with periods of "uptime" and "downtime" corresponding to the Drill being on and off. +The Drill autonomously turns on and off on a set timer of 30 minutes. The 1st and 2nd in command +on the station have the authority to manually start/stop the Drill after 15 minutes of either state. + +During uptime, the Drill's operation causes events that place the station and it's crew in danger. +The volume and intensity of the threats scales as the round goes on, until it ends. +During downtime, the crew is given time to breathe, repair damage to the station and themselves, +and relax & engage in unobstructed roleplay. +The round permanently cycles between uptime and downtime on a set, predictable period, with Command +being able to influence it only in emergencies. + +Gameplay takes place underground, on a mining station embedded in solid rock. +The map is a large grid of rock with an indestructible outer rim, and a network of procedurally +generated caverns, centering on the station. The caverns are barren and serve only as out-of-view +spawn points for hostile mobs. The crew has no reason to leave the station for the caverns. + +Instead of a continuous event scheduler gamerule, events are called by the Drill while in operation. +The entire crew is involved in the hazards to the station, which comes from the Drill, failing station +infrastructure, and hostile mobs brought by the Drill. +Antagonists among the crew are an optional modification to the gameplay, as an auxiliary to the game. +The crew is subject to permadeath, elimination of all crew members serves as a round end condition. + +The overarching goal of a round is achieving a set profit quota, reaching a population dependent +balance in the station budget, achieved through selling the output of the Drill. +There is a "target product" the Drill produces in the form of Phoron, +that has a sell value far surpassing anything else the Drill produces, with occasional use on station. +The other outputs of the Drill can be sold at a lesser price, but are more necessary on the station. + +Once the shift profit quota has been reached, Command may authorize an evacuation pod to drop +down to the station's level, and subsequently take off, ending the round. + +The gameplay depth comes from managing, modifying, and living around the Drill. It produces +vital resources necessary to sustain the station, but the crew must deal with it's inherent danger, +and adapt to it's whims, and changes made to the station for the sake of upgrades and supply routes +between the Drill and destinations with fixed locations, such as the Requisitions Pad, power engines, +et cetera. + + +******************************* +Drill mechanical specifications +******************************* + +The Drill permanently cycles between uptime and downtime with a maximum interval of 30 minutes +between phase changes. After 15 minutes of either state the SO or DO can run an emergency start/stop. +Dedicated gamemodes may modify the intervals, creating more extreme experiences. + +The Drill structurally can be compared to an AME from upstream, consisting of 2 (kinds of) parts. +A Drill body, similar to AME shielding - and attached modules & ports, similar to AME controllers. +The Drill has many different Input and Output ports, as well as a discrete Computer Control Module. +Input ports must be adjacent to body corner tiles, and output ports must be adjacent to edge tiles +with a core tile behind it. With the exception of the computer module & a roundstart power input, +which both work adjacent to any tile. + +The map starts with a pre-mapped Drill assembly with a configuration immutable during the round. +Engineers can add additional parts onto the Drill assembly to increase it's productivity midround. +The body, computer, roundstart inputs and outputs are indestructible and cannot be moved or modified, +the "flavor" and unique challenge in a map comes from it's configuration of the Drill and +it's relations to destination structures, and possible ways to modify the station for supply routes. + +The Computer Control Module serves as a console through which crew can interface with the Drill, +see it's parameters/data readouts, and engage the manual start/stop. + +Input ports include Power and Gas input required for power supply and ventilation. Every connected +port has a resource demand, except input ports which do not demand what they're supplying. +Input ports are limited by a 'choke' on the wattage & gas volume they can supply to the Drill. + +Output ports include Phoron, Ore, Gas, Reagent, and Miscellaneous outputs. +Phoron ports output Phoron into discrete Phoron Kegs connected to them. +Ore ports output chunks of ore onto conveyor belts. +Gas ports output mined gas, configurable to send specific gasses to separate attached pipe layers. +Reagent ports output reagents to an internal buffer, which can be transfered to storage tanks. +Miscellaneous ports spit out odds and ends into disposal pipes. + +Most port types have 3 tiers, a higher tier corresponding to a higher throughput & resource demand. +Pre-mapped, indestructible ports are discrete, but correspond to Tier 2 of their type. + +New ports come at a high material cost, increased challenge with their demands, and must be +researched before thier machine boards can be printed. Drill ports use a discrete, directional +machine frame separate from the generic machine frame for everything else. + +The Drill, and destinations for it's outputs such as the Requisition/Sale pad, power engines, et alii +are practically or literally immobile, to create depth and challenge in midround modifications to +supply routes from the Drill and back. + diff --git a/Docs/departments.txt b/Docs/departments.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cb231fa --- /dev/null +++ b/Docs/departments.txt @@ -0,0 +1,173 @@ +=============================== +Drill Station department design +=============================== +Written by arenaconspiracy + + +Each station department is tasked with unique, largely non-overlapping duties. +Every crew member has a functionally identical backpack item, and each role has a standard issue +gearing consisting of a belt slot item and 2 pocket slot pouches necessary to perform their job, +intended to be worn 100% of the time. Crew members are limited to their role by the amount of +job-related gear they can carry on their person, with personal storage being at a premium. + +All role specific gear, including functional clothing should start in the respective job's locker, +and crew members should spawn with a minimum of cosmetic clothing and a backpack. + +Death is permanent. Losing a crew member should mean a tangible increase in tension on station work. + + +********************* +Operations Department +********************* +The Operations department is responsible for working with & around the Drill and it's products. +It closely resembles a joint of SS14 Engineering and Cargo in it's function. + +Operations is comprised of Maintenance Technicians [MTs] (analogue to station engineers), +Supply Technicians [STs] (analogue to cargo technicians), and Director of Operations [DO] as the +department head. +MTs are responsible for maintaining & upgrading the Drill, handling it's waste products, +fixing & modifying the station, and maintaining the station power. +STs are responsible for handling the Drill's desired products, handling requisitions & sales, +and ensuring the departments are supplied during the round. +The DO is responsible for leading Operations, coordinating the staiton's needs with other Command, +and being one of the two people authorized to early start/stop the Drill (outside of skeleton crews). +Operations is expected to modify the station to the whims of the Drill in the name of profits, +the DO generally being considered second in command on the station. + +MTs should be expected to attend to the Drill during uptime, and to the power engines during downtime, +as well as repair damage to the station during both uptime & downtime. +The station should experience semi-frequent structural faults during the round to encourage MTs to +attend to them in various locations, bringing them away from the static drill and power engine. +MTs will be expected to bulldoze structures and departments near the Drill for upgrades, and to +pave new supply lines between it and sales pads, atmospherics, power engines, and other immobile +destinations across the station. + +STs should be expected to deliver supplies between departments, make sales of Phoron and other surplus +at the Requisitions Pad in Ops, handle & purchase requisitions using the station budget. +STs should be required to approach the Drill to do their job, to process it's outputs, and subject +themselves to the hazards that come from the Drill's operation. + +The DO should be expected to command MTs on modifications to make, evaluate when requisitions are +worth cutting into the station budget, and coordinate resource use between departments. The DO is +expected to be second in command to the Site Overseer in an emergency. + +The station's power supply should be provided by relatively simple power engines, to shift depth +from the engines to the Drill. +Continous operation of power engines should produce waste products and environmental hazards in +their immediate area, with guaranteed failure states if left unmaintained for too long. +Power engines should be immobile practically (extensive waste management infrastructure which +takes up space) or immobile totally (cannot be deconstructed or unanchored) + +Sales and requisitions happen on an immobile Requisitions Pad, sales are winched up and requisitions +are dropped down in crates. Purchased crates have the potential to crush things they land on. +Purchases using the unified station budget cut into the profit quota, thereby delaying the round +end condition. It should be a challenge to evaluate what purchases are worth cutting into profits. + + +****************** +Medical Department +****************** +The Medical department is responsible for keeping the station's crew in good health. +Crew deaths are permanent. Resources are at a premium. Time until next cycle is finite. + +(this document assumes Offmed or a similar medical system is implemented) + +Medical is comprised of Nurses, Doctors, Paramedics, Chemists, and the Chief Medical Officer [CMO]. +Nurses are responsible for stabilizing patients on site and treating minor damage. +Doctors are responsible for performing surgery and treating major damage. +Paramedics are responsible for moving & retrieving injured crew members from around the station, +and stabilizing patients outside of the medical bay. +Chemists are responsible for stocking the medbay with medical reagents. +The CMO is responsible for leading Medical, ensuring patients are handled correctly and efficiently, +and assisting treatment. + +The individual medical roles should be mechanically encouraged to separate their duties. +A sufficiently advanced medical system creates a divide between stabliziation/healing/aftercare +on it's own, but additional means should be employed, such as Doctors getting belts with surgical +tools; Nurses getting belts holding reagent bottles, syringes, injectors, et alii; +Paramedics being able to store rollerbeds in a specialized belt, which are otherwise too big to store; +the Chemist workflow being sufficiently involved; et cetera. + +The supplies in the Chemistry lab should be limited. The round should start with enough to +stock the bay with a minimal supply of basics that last the Medbay the first uptime at most. +Chemists should be expected to process the output of the Drill to source more precursors for medicine. + + +******************* +Security Department +******************* +The Security department is responsible for neutralizing threats from the caverns assaulting the +station, and arresting crew members breaking the law. + +Security consists of Security Officers, the Warden, and the Head of Security [HoS]. +Security Officers are responsible for the defense of the station against hostile mobs & arresting +crew members breaking the law. +The Warden is expected to oversee inmates & manage materials used to print ammo and supplies. +The Head of Security commands the department. + +As threats to the station are nearly everpresent, locking away arms in an armory is less important. +Instead, focus is placed on personal-carry weapons, with frequent ammo restocks at security necessary +to sustain fire. + +Due to the scarcity and cost of medical treatment, security is encouraged to use nonlethal tools +above all else when performing arrests, and are highly liable for crossfire or unnecessary damage. + +Security members are all given a standard issue set of a combat knife, a sidearm with a holster, +and a small pouch for sidearm magazines. As well as a choice of a major weapon surpassing the +sidearm and weapons available to anyone else. Starting available options should include 1 option +for each brute damage type, e.g. a machete (slash), a sledgehammer (blunt), and a shotgun (piercing). +Other weapons could be unlockable through research, acting as upgrades and filling new niches. + +Hostile mobs should have a high diversity, with certain enemies having notable mild, major, +resistances, and vulnerabilities to damage types, encouraging security officers to diversify their +choice of weapon across the security force and between rounds. + +Personal carry should let you keep barely enough ammunition to last a particularly intense uptime, +encouraging constant restocks & the viability of melee options. Ammo boxes should have a notable +do-after filling magazines, and only let you replenish one magazine at a time, to complicate using +them for carrying ammunition on your person. + + +******************* +Research Department +******************* + +****************** +Service Department +****************** +The Service deparment is responsible for maintaining the station's morale and padding out downtime. + +Service consists of Chefs, Bartenders, Janitors, the Clown, and the Service Manager [SM]. +Chefs are responsible for growing crops, turning hostile mobs into food, and preparing meals. +Bartenders are responsible for tending the bar, and preparing drinks. +Janitors are responsible for cleaning the station, and maintaining decoration. +The Clown does clown things. +The Service Manager commands the department, makes sure the crew is fed and enriched, +and yells at the Clown. + +Service should be expected to be more active during downtime, facilitating relaxed roleplay +engagements and contrasting the gameplay intensity of uptime. +Service roles should have substantial enough mechanics and impactful enough duties to necessitate +belts & pouches carried at all times. Service roles should not be able to 'fill in gaps' in staffing +by using gear from other departments that they have the space for, nor should they be 'spare hands' +that can be hired to a department if necessary. + +The SM has access to a uniform printer, capable of printing alternative or replacement clothing for +crew members, not limited to clothing from the service department. + + +****************** +Command Department +****************** +The head of all other departments collectively form the Command department, additionally headed by +the Site Overseer (SO) holding authority over the station, in a Captain role. + +Command members should be expected to consistently communicate and closely negotiate resource use +accross the departments. The SO should be expected to ensure departments are adequately performing and +working in tandem through oversight, doing work manually only in case of emergency. + +The SO and DO have the authority to manually start/stop the Drill after 15 minutes in either state, +colluding with the entire crew to determine when starting/stopping is in the crew's best interests. + +The SO should be able to defend themselves individually, but not assist in defense on the frontline. +Potentially achieved with a high burst, low sustain weapon, with hard to carry ammo, like a revolver.