Ease up on survivor limitations

[Anticept]

Summary (a quick, 2-3 sentence summary):

Right now, I am getting a lot of frustrated survivors while commanding when they find out they can't do anything due to the limitations regarding drafting. Being a survivor just flat out sucks after the adrenaline rush of the round start.

I would propose an official procedure that empowers command crew to temporarily draft survivors. That would enable them to open up a few more entry level jobs to them. USCM contracts they have to sign, then they can become LZ guards, dropship guards, or engineers. MPs, Command crew, or heads of staff would still be out of the question.

--ALTERNATIVELY--

Survivors can cryo and re-deploy in an open role. This would be a one time deal only, so they have to choose wisely!

Benefits (How this will benefit the server and game as a whole):
Removes a disincentive that can discourage people from playing survivor. As it stands, survivors are extremely valuable to USCM forces due to how they know nothing about the aliens, except through discovery or by survivors informing them. After that though... they have nothing to do if they can't find roleplay buddies.

Implementation (Optional, if you have an idea how to implement it):
Just need a wiki page with a copy of the contract, and list out what jobs they would be allowed to perform.

[Snypehunter007]

I can tell you the second one is definitely not going to happen straight off the bat.

Also, any survivors are still under the employ of Weyland-Yutani. I highly doubt the USCM would take them or that Weyland would let them leave their contract so suddenly, especially after an incident like this.

Third, the 9/10 times the civilians would be useless without weeks of basic training. They don't have the discipline, training, or physical conditioning to be any of the suggested roles in the first suggestion.

Heavy, -1

[Anticept]

Then how about the alternative that was proposed, and let them cryo and reroll characters. Got to do something though and be a bit more considerate of players so they can do something more than kick soap across the galley.

[Snypehunter007]

Then how about the alternative that was proposed, and let them cryo and reroll characters. Got to do something though and be a bit more considerate of players so they can do something more than kick soap across the galley.

"I can tell you the second one (the alternative) is definitely not going to happen straight off the bat."

[Anticept]

I saw that line. It would be more helpful and productive for a conversation to say why. That's what I'm fishing for. Dev time limitations? Other higher priorities?

Also, why do we have to assume survivors don't have any training? I get having RP reasons, but sometimes you've got to have some leeway for OOC considerations. Maybe the reasons they are survivors are BECAUSE they have some formal training.

[Snypehunter007]

The fact that it is HUGELY immersion breaking to see someone go into cryo and come out as a "different" person with a different role. We specifically removed that ability because it was a bug that needed to be fixed and people were abusing it.

We aren't going to add in a bug that is immersion breaking just so the survivors can feel special.

Also, a lot of the time, survivors end RPing very little and just claim to be a "doctor", "engineer", or "security guard" upon reaching the Sulaco.

[NescauComToddy]

Just a reminder, they CAN opt. to not go up and RP with something unique. Normally, "they" will force your way up, meaning you still can have fun and your revenge against the shitty and Incompetent marines that every round has.

Ps, I already did this.

I Broke out of Brig, escaped the MPS and went down to visit the crashed ship on Icy as a Artifact and some other things as a RP source, once. Also, I almost roasted Alpha's SL trying to send me up to the Sully with his own Flamethrower, sadly, I was the one who got burned because I was afraid of the ban-hammer.

I Mean, you have MANY fun things to do, people just don't really know them. You can do your own little base In the horizon, recruit marines as crew, become lovely rogues and other weird things like that. Also, try to not break some rules doing this, always ahelp because y'a know, always good to know If the admin allows It or not depending on his Interpretation of the rules.

Basically, you will never want to go "up". If you go, you can't do nothing, really. Just some lil' tips of mine, good sir.

Peace.

Forgot to add that, In long ages ago, I "RPed" with the xenos and with a guy that said he was something from Jesus. The queen made us Kings until other xenos got angry with the guy bible and Infected Us. Fun thing Is, It was my first round as a colonist. I remember the guy saying something like, "Come out, my children, no need to hide.." and Then I saw the xenos praying with him, Lmao until today's day.

Good, old times(Forgot this Is a suggestion, sorry, I got a bit too much "happy" In survivor adventures).

[Anticept]

Snypehunter007:

Immersion breaking? To who? There's a million more things that are far more immersion breaking. Why do you even allow late joiners to the round? It makes absolutely no sense that people wake up gradually on a military operation and no one bats an eye. So called "trained marines" such as baldies having trouble shoving food in their mouths. Combat engineers that fumble with their tools. Medical staff that can't hold a scapel. Larvae that are in a perpetual daze until someone inhabits them. Hell, why would you ever call an emergency shuttle on the Sulaco before aliens arrive instead of... FLYING AWAY? All these glaring problems, and this is where you draw the line?

Saying someone goes into cryo and pops out a different person being immersion breaking sounds like a total croc, to be frank. Against the backdrop of other personnel popping out of cryo, as long as the person doesn't go "I WAS SURVIVOR X", then you shouldn't even know that they were the ones that cryoed. It could just as easily require a random few minute delay if it really is that big of a problem for you. And we're talking about survivors here! If one went to cryo, you'd hardly notice they left vs say, a BO doing this.

I'd encourage them in looc to cryo and ghost and play aliens if it wasn't the possibility that there are no aliens to play.

NescauComToddy:

This change wouldn't limit them from that either. It opens up more opportunities.

[NescauComToddy]

Deleted.

[Anticept]

That wasn't directed at you, NescauComToddy. I had prefaced the two sections of my post with the name of the person they are aimed at. You must have missed that :-)

Also, I do understand that survivors are an opt in. But opt in on a special role like that shouldn't be a "welp you're screwed, shouldn't have picked survivor" when we have the ability to provide more opportunities for that player.

ALL THIS SAID. I did just now thought of a very valid reason NOT to change this rule. The limitations do encourage it to remain a roleplay heavy role, which is what it's supposed to be. Letting people change their job does start pushing it a little less roleplay heavy... so I'm now more on the fence about this.

[Swagile]

"RP" heavy, aka waiting at the ID Computer Simulator for an hour.

The only fun way to play survivor is to stay on the Planet and try to start some shit.

If your forced to go up, just fight your way out, because at least you'd have fun that way as opposed to becoming a discount marine at best, ignored forever at worst.

[Anticept]

I allow survivors to go back down. They are not prisoners. However, I'll always be uncomfortable about letting them go back down without any preparations.

[forwardslashN]

We've had a lot of staff back and forth on the role of survivors. We want to expand on what they can do, and their purpose in the round. Right now, however, you're basically there to do stuff on the ground. If you get up to the Sulaco, prepare to be bored. As for the second alternative, that's not happening. Playing a role just so you can respawn as another role, and respawning in general, is not in the theme of CM.