Tactical AI:playable "MOTHER"

[Dyne]

Summary (a quick, 2-3 sentence summary):
Currently MOTHER is a valuable admin tool, an AI to give tactical advice and make alien number scans.
It would be beneficial to have this role present as a full player-role, with some limitations and abilities provided.

Benefits (How this will benefit the server and game as a whole):
A tactical advisory AI will be a benefit to coordinating and pushing the marines forward, hopefully offsetting poor command, lack of coordination,
and stalemate rounds that result of it.

Details (Description of how you think this would work, the benefits, etc):
An AI is potentially a very powerfull role, even in an advisory capacity. Therefore my proposal is very limited, and open to further discussion.
1. The AI is placed on the ship, and can not be moved except for possible evacuation procedures.
2. The AI has NO control over doors, to prevent too active a defense of the ship/round participation. (Possible exception- escape shuttle call if standart pre-requisites are met)
3. AI can watch over cameras, be it SL's helmets, sentries, ship cameras.
4. AI has access to an operation map (offscreen, to justify AI knowing areas and dome geography)
5. The main question is what channels to give to the AI- I assume command and general, with a possible addition of squad channels on commanding officers discretion.
6. After 13:45 has passed AI has the possibility to do a scan of the planet surface, which gives the approximate number of "non-human" lifeforms. Such a scan can be done once in 30 minutes.
7. AI follows a simple ruleset in advisory capacity, to supplement but not to override any human command staff.
8. AI has no rank or direct authority. It must respect the chain of command at all times and cannot override any orders given by "meat" marine personnel.

Implementation (Optional, if you have an idea how to implement it):
BayCode (which Colonial Marines is based on) has elaborate AI possibilites.
Sully already has an area to place the AI.
Main details to hammer out is the exact ruleset and comms access.

[Seehund]

As a certain to host would say, sell this to me.

From what I can see, it's literally your average ghost with access to IC communication.
What would set this apart, what could it do that moderators and human mobs can't do?

[Dyne]

As a certain to host would say, sell this to me.

From what I can see, it's literally your average ghost with access to IC communication.
What would set this apart, what could it do that moderators and human mobs can't do?

A. Its not an omniscient moderator, nor it is supposed to be. If we get this role in moderators have more time to play, or do things related to rule observing and stuff, with less need to actively influence the round.
B. It can make a scan on established intervals, other then that 'human mobs' have the same potential capacity.

Essense is it is a supplementary command instrument that doesnt run off to die in a blaze of glory.
One might argue that if we cut off a CO's legs and put him/her in front of all the cameras we'd have the same effect.

Still, It is a usefull niche for players who want to supplement marine command, and the server itself can benefit.

[MauroVega]

wasnt this suggested and denied?

[Adjective]

This is already a thing. If an Admin wants to give Mother a physical body it will happen.

[Ms.Degrasse]

+1 on this one.

A player-driven AI would make a difference in rounds where we have no staff for acting as it.
It could even be physically at the bridge, or in enginering.

Door control could be a good thing too, if added.
-> This is actually something something human MTs and engineers can do much better than an AI, so it isn't overpower.
Having the AI to open certain doors on demand would make solving some conflicts much easier.

And even an eventual griefer, on this role, woudln't be impervious to other player's actions (it's easy to disable an AI if needed, specially if it's in an area many characters have access to.).

[lucashunter608]

This is already a thing. If an Admin wants to give Mother a physical body it will happen.

i think she/he mean't to add a MOTHER from round-start, anyway, i give this a 1+, an AI would be realy helpful to secure sulaco from trouble makers and sending the rasputin and pod to the planet/back to sulaco.

[Tristan63]

An AI if playable by everyone can be any dumbfuck, or possibly SSD mid round.

-1, unless you make a whitelist for it.

[Varnock]

I'll be honest, most people would probably get bored in a role like this. I'm going to have to say -1, if only because I feel people wouldn't be interested if it was a whitelist only, and would SSD out of boredom if it wasn't.

I mean sure it would be nice when no staff are on to do MOTHER stuff, but I think it will cause more harm than solve.

[qDan]

+1, if this works well on SS13 why it cant work good on CM?

[Varnock]

+1, if this works well on SS13 why it cant work good on CM?

Because as an AI we would have much less to do on CM. The sulaco is MUCH smaller than the normal station and the majority of the players are on the planet for most of the round, even with the ability to supplement the bridge staff, this just seems useless and boring. It's a robo BO that's actually pretty much just a ghost.

[Dyne]

An AI if playable by everyone can be any dumbfuck, or possibly SSD mid round.

-1, unless you make a whitelist for it.

Thats why limiting its functions is a logical move short fo whitelisitng.
People go SSD all the time, in command roles as well.

As for 'nothing to do' I disagree strongly. Essentially its a reserve command staff, to inform and provide guidance to the marines.
That is what lacking in most if not all marine rounds- newly awakened marines simpy dont know what to do, and remaining command are busy dying or one BO has to manage four squads.
Even a simple robotic voice saying 'We are fighting giant lizards' and then proceeding to tell where squads are would be a GREAT benefit.

As always- no one is forcing you personally to play this role.
I'd play it, and with more fun then going CO.
I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

Lore-wise the 'Aliens' universe has elaborate AI's on all levels.

[Jack McIntyre]

-1 since mother is usually for staff to try and get something done like is the marines are camping the sulaco with 50+marines mods can't make announcements so they get to use mother. That and as mentioned although good it could be abused or even bad for marines if mother goes SSD.

[Adjective]

+1 Mother like any xeno can easily have a verb for ghosts to replace her if she is SSD. AI can be jobbannable, and in other servers there is rarely a problem with the AI being able to station announce. This is beneficial in a series of reasons, such as guidance.

[SagaSword]

+1 of course, a MOTHER AI should kick ass really. and i agree with adjective, at least we will have less unreliable Command.

[Dyne]

-1 since mother is usually for staff to try and get something done like is the marines are camping the sulaco with 50+marines mods can't make announcements so they get to use mother. That and as mentioned although good it could be abused or even bad for marines if mother goes SSD.

Yes, and stuff are quite obnoxious and 'all-knowing' with it.
In my proposal both staff and a real player can fill such a role, and staff still have possibilities to influence the round with all kinds of USCMC HQ orders etc.

[Adjective]

Yes, and stuff are quite obnoxious and 'all-knowing' with it.
In my proposal both staff and a real player can fill such a role, and staff still have possibilities to influence the round with all kinds of USCMC HQ orders etc.

Understand though, that moderators up until Mother hadn't had the ability to station announce do to a bad choice by a bad mod during New Eden.

So it is troublesome to some Moderators that were able to convince Apophis and Rahl that mother was a good idea through time. There is some stigma of trust giving it to normal players when it took a lot just for moderators to get the privelage.

If this is given to an player played AI, it is very likely they either won't be given the ability, or the verb would have a lengthy timer ect..

[Dyne]

Understand though, that moderators up until Mother hadn't had the ability to station announce do to a bad choice by a bad mod during New Eden.

So it is troublesome to some Moderators that were able to convince Apophis and Rahl that mother was a good idea through time. There is some stigma of trust giving it to normal players when it took a lot just for moderators to get the privelage.

If this is given to an player played AI, it is very likely they either won't be given the ability, or the verb would have a lengthy timer ect..

Ofcourse it is trouble for Moderators, as mods are all knowing and potentially can give out too much information.
But Command staff can give out announcements, and by itself, on limited information, its not a gamechanger of any sort.

Or you mean the scans?
For scans i specifically propose a starting time (as system adjusts to local conditions) and setting a recharge limit.

[Nick123q23]

I would play the shit out of this, +1. Being able to monitor all the cameras ground-side at the same time would be great for marines. If people aren't comfortable giving the playerbase the ability to play as an AI, the role can be whitelisted.

[Surrealistik]

+1. Would play shit out of. Also useful.

[Jdobbin49]

Only giving a plus 1 if it was a whitelisted role. MOTHER is an important thing that if not used at all can sometimes have rounds lasting 5 hours and if used too much it ruins mah emmursion.

[SagaSword]

Only giving a plus 1 if it was a whitelisted role. MOTHER is an important thing that if not used at all can sometimes have rounds lasting 5 hours and if used too much it ruins mah emmursion.

Agreed.

[Sargeantmuffinman]

I don't know if this has any advantage at all.

It'd just be an AI shifting through the cameras and talking to marines and relaying orders.

I don't know what benefits there would be for it.

[Surrealistik]

I don't know if this has any advantage at all.

It'd just be an AI shifting through the cameras and talking to marines and relaying orders.

I don't know what benefits there would be for it.

Assisting with access/shuttle launches/doors (I think the OP should be changed to allow door control, even if Xeno prying disables it briefly)/atmospheric controls/air alarms/monitoring/etc on the Sulaco would be of obvious and immense benefit. Definitely gives more utility to Team Marine than it takes away.

[Sargeantmuffinman]

Assisting with access/shuttle launches/doors (I think the OP should be changed to allow door control, even if Xeno prying disables it briefly)/atmospheric controls/air alarms/monitoring/etc on the Sulaco would be of obvious and immense benefit. Definitely gives more utility to Team Marine than it takes away.

Well since I never played AI, I guess it can benefit.