[Useless Pro Tips]

On 8/20/2020 at 11:46 PM, Meow19 said:

You can light matches and cigs with telekinesis, You can also stand in front of the bridge and get Your ID in hand then click a machine ID slot and then take it out: congratulations, Your ID teleported to a location inaccessible by You and now You have to bother command to bring it back for You.

Not entirely sure if it still works, but I recall certain machines, namely ATMs and the bridge's medical computer console, to allow wielders of telekinesis to both insert IDs and take them out again, if the wielder is within three tiles. If you were feeling especially metagamey, you could make off with a bag full of IDs if the round had a trading shuttle event.

[Reach the highest number without an admin posting]

5 nukies a gibbing

[R&D Superguide]

I'm late to the party, but I thought it worth mentioning that the CE's jetpack IS confirmed to be deconstructable for Engineering 6, it's there at the start of the shift and not an objective for traitors, so it's good for speed if Cargo is having trouble and typically won't get you too many stares.

Also, the super hard disk drive will advance both Data and Engineering levels. You can just print one of those instead of a holographic sign projector and mining drill to up the levels simultaneously.

[Language Blending]

As you are probably aware, every standard, humanoid race in the game is bilingual by default, able to speak in their race-specific tongue as well as Galactic Common. A lot of players even choose to be trilingual, adding a third, even more seldom used, language to their metaphorical toolbox. It's a system that, while intentionally obnoxious at times, is enjoyable to me and clearly based in reality.

Anyways, the main topic of this post is language blending, that is, using multiple languages in a single sentence or phrase. In real life, multi-lingual people will often substitute in words from the different languages they know as needed, sometimes explaining the meaning afterwards, but sometimes not. This is something that happens frequently in real life, and unsurprisingly, this is actually a system in the game, being able to switch languages mid-sentence. Here's an example:

What is being input: "The old days, just like on :1 Earth. :9 You remember :1 Earth, :9 don't you?"

What is being output: " The old days, just like on Earth. You remember Earth, don't you?"

The blue text is the human-specific language, which will appear in blue coloration for everyone, but to all non-humans will be read simply as gibberish. The way that the language system works, you can switch languages at any time, and any amount of times during a statement by simply typing in the language's prefix prior to whatever you want to switch. From a purely practical viewpoint, it's easy to dismiss, as it's much more convenient to just change an entire statement, but switching languages more smoothly makes a lot of sense from both a real world and RP standpoint. Whether you are covering up a racial insult, referencing something old from the lore, or simply trying to stand out a bit more, language blending is a viable and immersive option.

[Screenshot thread!]

Eh. Just saw I had this for some reason. Couple months ago, there was an event where the admins filled a vault with a sizable amount of cash, and I used some genetics shenanigans to break in and stuff my account.

[Useless Pro Tips]

Dionae can feed off two basic lights sources(3x3) when used together. (e.g. lit welding tool and PDA flashlight)

The clown's multicolored crayon is essentially infinite food.

Wizards have a "staff of animation" purchase, that works similar to the living vending machines event. Employ on welding and fuel tanks for maximum hilarity.

Ascended shadowlings can be killed by a nuke, and incapacitated by a loose singularity, but not a loose tesla.

A sorium explosion will break holds and drags, even when handcuffed. Viable for cheeky get-away attempts when Security finds you via voice-activation.

Shadowpeople and shadowlings can survive prolonged exposure to light, given they are in a locker or cardboard box.

Labcoats, and some jackets have their own storage slots, that most officers won't check in a pat-down.

You can scan a mouse with a chameleon projector for maximum immersion.

Shielded hardsuits and archmage armour deflects all thrown items. You can easily disable their capabilities with nothing more than the contents of your emergency kit.

Special shotgun rounds craftable in the crafting menu are useful. Meteorshot rounds will blow an airlock off its hinges, and the ion scatter shot is potent against swarmers and borgcursions.

Though generally frowned upon, you can hide from the law and anyone else who may be pursuing you on the Arrivals Shuttle, especially in the small front room.

[Syndicate X Nar'Sie: Cultist-Traitor Hybrid Event]

Name of Event: Syndicate X Nar'Sie

One Sentence Description:

A high-ranking member of a certain pirate-tech conglomerate now serves a red-space deity, and can utilize the tools given to them by both worlds.

Map Changes: Minor

Possibly needing to seal off and stabilize atmos in the Abandoned Teleporter for the start of the event.

Code Changes: No

Suggested Number of Players: High - 80+

Full Description of Event:

Under unknown circumstances, a member of Syndicate middle management tasked with negotiating with a local sect of Nar'Sie has gone missing, along with a couple of their underlings and a valuable crate of equipment. However, a local Syndicate outpost on a has picked up a Syndicate tracking beacon making its way nearby to the hostile Cyberiad, and the Syndicate has activated several sleeper agents aboard the Cyberiad to handle this newfound threat.

Two or three cultist-traitors spawn into the Abandoned Teleporter with standard civilian clothing, dufflebags, agent IDs, the tools they need to get the teleporter running and a single super-surplus item crate. They will be given a classic cultist objective set, however, their first priority will be to find and dispose of a tracking beacon found in one of their bags. They will be given the following overarching objective as well: "Do NOT allow the presence of the cultist sect aboard the Cyberiad to be revealed."

At about ten to fifteen minutes into the round, somewhere between five and ten newly activated "traitors" will be given the following objectives: "Identify and eliminate the cultist sect upon the Cyberiad" and "Do NOT allow the presence of the Syndicate aboard the Cyberiad to be revealed". These traitors will be given classic uplinks with twenty telecrystals. One of the traitors will be the Chaplain, if there is one.

The key to this event is the lack of information. The syndie-cultists will not know that they are being hunted down. The sleeper agents will not know who exactly they need to kill, or that their targets are armed with Syndicate weaponry, so they will need to do some sleuth work. And the crew, of course, will not have any idea what is going on, lest they are one of the newly converted cultists or simply a witness that needs to be silenced. The addition of the stealth objectives is to provide the illusion of a normal round until someone is found out, and then for the crew to watch as the whole thing unravels into chaos.

["Obscure" Identity Changing Methods]

This is a pretty tired excuse for....something....but here's a short list of some of the less-used methods that I've used for changing the look, voice and race of a character that don't rely on being an antagonist.

1. Slimeperson Progression: If you have access to Xenobiology, and they have gotten to both black and blue slimes, you can turn yourself into a slimeperson. The extract from a black slime contains "advanced mutation toxin", which turns an injected individual into a slimeperson, and then shortly after, a slime. The extract from a blue slime contains "frost oil", which, if injected during the slimeperson stage, will halt the progression of the advanced mutation toxin, and you will now be a slimeperson, albeit a completely pale one, with the same name and voice.
2. UI Genetic Element Changing: If you have access to Genetics, you can pretty easily change your UI elements, which include your gender, hair, hair color, eye color, skin color and tattoos. The Guide to Genetics on the wiki page specifies what each UI block does to change these elements. Several genetic abilities allow you to do this as well, "morph" directly letting you change your UI elements, "polymorph" allowing you to copy the UI elements of another player, which, if given an incompatible race(e.g. vox and human)will give you a default UI, a bald, pale human in the case of a human user.
3. Hair Changing: Using a mirror, you can change your hair and hair color, and given the accessibility of mirrors, this is an incredibly easy way to fly under the radar if being looked for.
4. ID Hiding: If you put your ID in your PDA, and your PDA into your ID inventory slot, you will be identified by the PDA name, not the ID within. When an ID is in a PDA, the PDA itself has the ID's access. This is extremely useful for ID swiping. (Also useful for the Blueshield if they want to have Captain Access at all times, but want to be identifiable otherwise)

[Why More People Should Play Diona & Request for Racially Diversified Nuclear Operatives/SIT]

Diona, dionae. It was only a little while ago that I really started to enjoy playing diona, as I see them as arguably the most forgivable of all species in terms of gameplay, and objectively one of the best species for new players to play.

That might sound a little weird, but I'll elaborate. Dionae, are one of, I believe, the six species that someone can choose to play as free of charge. But, what really makes dionae optimal as a species choice for newer players is the way that they encourage the game to be played. Dionae are differ from humans with three additional game mechanics. They starve quickly in darkness, are given constant healing and nutrition while exposed to light and take extra heat damage. Assuming that the players in question are familiar with the game mechanics and game itself, which, admittedly, is not always true, this encourages said players to stay out of dark and dangerous maintenance areas, which is always good, to not pick fights with Security, who primarily employ energy or burn weaponry, and to lastly just help out others medically with the knowledge that, given light, diona passively heal and are better suited to play at being a combat medic. Even disregarding all of this, the passive heal afforded to dionae is worth it, so much so that I've voluntarily chosen to retcon some bionic limbs onto my diona character as a sort of balancing mechanism. Given all of this, I just find it a little bit strange that dionae are relatively untouched among the experienced and newer playerbase alike in lieu of the vox/slimeperson/IPC/vulpkanin meta.

On somewhat related note, I'm also a bit confused as to why nukies and SIT are comprised almost solely of humans. Given the allowance of changelings, vampires and traitors of all different races into the ranks of the Syndicate, it seems odd why these specific teams are only humans. I understand that there might be some code limitations, and the few times that I've seen admins attempt to spawn racially diverse SIT teams, what ended up happening was an equal parts hilarious and terrifying mashup of species(in one instance, I was officially a grey, but had the skin tone and model of a human, the black eyes of a grey floating several inches in front of my nose and a dysfunctional headpocket that immediately dropped anything placed in it, not to mention the fact that my character used the clothing model of a grey, making my back and shoulders bulge through my jumpsuit). Simply put, I'd like to see racially(specieally?)diverse nuclear operative and syndicate infiltration teams, or at least some reasonable explanation as to why the Syndicate enlists humans exclusively for their group-work. 

[Species Slur Generator]

Pretty simple idea here. Post the actual name of a species that you aren't particularly fond of and then an offensive nickname for it. 

 

[Newbie tag idea]

I'm definitely of the opinion that this, or a similar system should be implemented both for total playtime and for role playtime. Spending a lot of time playing Security and Science(which, of course, are the two departments where all great greytiders go to die)I'd like to think that I've become relatively newbie-friendly, if someone asks about something, I'll explain it IC and reference them to the wiki if they're having trouble, but, just as often as not, new players will silently take up their station and get frustrated with being berated when trying to feel out unintuitive game mechanics and server rules, just as I remember when trying out non-Service departments for the first time myself. Worse, even, as was stated, I've directly experienced being actively pushed out of doing my role by virtue of being a new player, which is understandable in some more essential contexts(RnD, any sort of Command, Medical Doctor & Surgeon), but more commonly in peripheral roles like xenobiology and botany that are generally considered fun by more experienced players, creating a really shitty environment where newer players get the impression that perfection and efficiency is valued over having fun and experimenting.

Now, by no means do I want to toot my own horn in being a great guide, I've had my share of cancerous interactions with new players, but I do believe that something clear and recognizable to distinguish people new to the server, the various departments and specific roles would encourage more player-to-player assistance like that of which I've experienced from both sides and foster a more helpful environment, as(I hope)that a clear "newbie" indicator would be at least able to prevent experienced players in departments like Science and Cargo from actively denying new players from learning the game organically, through experimentation and gentle aid, and at best would create a group of psuedo-mentors within the departments who'd be willing to teach newbies IC.

[Guide to Telekinesis]

Disclaimer: This is not a guide on the role of Geneticist or using the Genetics Lab. This is strictly a guide on the ways that one particular genetic power can be utilized, and may not be complete at that.

Overview:

The geneticist is chief among the ranks of underestimated roles on the server, and with the right stroke of luck, along with a little bit of skill, can become a real force to be reckoned with. This guide hopes to explain all the uses of one particular genetic power that a geneticist may find, may you be fortunate to find yourself in the possession of one.

Functions:

Passive Ability: None

Active Ability: Move shit. Open shit. Use shit. Press buttons. Steal people's ID cards.

Description: Telekinesis is, by a long shot, the most versatile, and simultaneously the most overlooked major ability in the metaphorical toolbox that is Genetics. Telekinesis is also, objectively, the most complex power, and many of its uses require thinking outside the box. The specific functions of telekinesis, in no particular order, are as follows:

1. Basic Throw: This is the most common usage of telekinesis, and, as such, will likely be what you default to in a crisis. In essence, the way that the "basic throw" works is the player clicks on the object that they wish to telekinetically grab, and then click somewhere else, where they wish to "throw" the object. Keep in mind that after being "thrown", an object remains in the telekinetic grab, and can be thrown again, as well as the fact that pretty much any movable object can be "thrown". Mechanically, the basic throw is exactly the same as a regular throw, except for the fact that multiple throws can be chained together, making weapons such as spears and floor tiles, that deal more damage when thrown, and weapons like baseball bats, with knock back, especially potent in combat, and for just fooling around. You can "throw" as fast as you can click, which makes ranged combat easier, and allows one to break windows, grilles and even doors by continuously throwing common objects such as oxygen tanks and fire extinguishers at them.
2. Basic Attack: Incredibly basic, as the name states, telekinetically grabbing an object allows the player to attack machines and doors with the held object. Grilles can be attacked even without grabbing an object, but electrocution still applies.
3. Basic Use: A little more complex than the basic throw, and very specific, the "basic use" can be applied to closets, crates, doors that do not require an ID and buttons. With unlocked doors and buttons, a player merely needs to click on the door or button they wish to use, such as shutters, and that object will be activated. Closets and crates are a little more complicated, requiring the player to first telekinetically grab the object via a basic throw, and then press their respective use hotkey. This will open or close the closet or crate being held, and can be used obnoxiously to much success. Another function of this ability, is that a telekinetically grabbed object adjacent to a machine, such as a beaker to a chem station, can be inserted in, or food, if adjacent to a player, eaten.
4. Machine and Console Use: This is where the telekinetic grab shines the most. Any machine or console in viewing range, given you have the proper ID access to use it, can be opened, but this comes with a roadblock. Machines and consoles require the player to be standing within three tiles to them for usage, and generally have their functions grayed out until the player enters this range, making the telekinesis somewhat limited. However, even this limited function is incredibly useful. One of the most gimmicky things to do is to find a computer console that requires an ID, like at the Security line. When accessing the console telekinetically, the player has the ability to eject the ID from the console directly into their hand, disregarding walls, windows, people and distance between the player and the console. Obviously, this is incredible exploitable. Unfortunately, this is not true for modular consoles, such as fax machines and the HoP's ID console, which will simply eject the ID on the same tile.

The usage of Telekinesis can be employed in numerous obscure, little functions, simply because of the admirable attention to detail given to it by the coders. Even more specific ways to utilize the above functions are as follows:

• Telekinetically grabbing a rolling chair, vehicle or wheelchair, buckling yourself to said item and rapidly "throwing" yourself forward allows a player to obtain speeds rivaled only by cultists wearing a zealot's robe and heated slimes. Keep in mind, you do not open doors automatically when doing this, so having a free hand to swap to is useful, and, as chairs work in the game, you will block other players upon contact and get pushed around when stationary.
• Within three tiles of a computer console that requires an ID to be inputted, such as Medical or Security Records Consoles, a player can eject any ID that has been inputted directly into their hand. This is particularly useful with Security Officers, who often change Security records in areas accessible to the three-tile limit, and require their ID to remain in the console for as long as they are changing records.
• Closets are your friends. Quickly moving and closing a closet or crate in your wake when being chased will stall your pursuers for long enough to get out of their vision, and block any incoming projectiles. The ability to close a closet from range is also effective in hiding evidence.
• All basic functions(basic attack, basic throw and basic use), can be utilized anywhere within your viewing range. This allows you to multitask to a great degree, a player being able to force any number of firelocks at the same time, for example.
• Basic use is your friend when it comes to simple labour tasks. A telekinetically grabbed crowbar, for example, can be used to pry up floor tiles adjacent to it. Keep in mind, this is mostly limited to non-intent related uses. To my knowledge, butchering, and other intent-specific game mechanics cannot be used telekinetically.
• Many buttons, like the doors in Medbay, or the shutters in the OR and Detective's Office, do not require an ID to press, and can be used to again, hide evidence. Keep in mind, shutters will block your line of sight if you wish to press the button again.
• Basic attack will deal the same amount of damage as a regular attack with the held object, but with objects that have a high, or even medium throwing damage output, it may be more useful to throw, as enemies do not have to be directly clicked on, only be in the line of fire, and, while basic attack has the regular attack cooldown, basic throw does not.
• Properly utilizing disposal bins is key in theft and item denial. If you can throw the item you want to have, or want to deny someone else from having, into a disposal bin, you will have placed that object in a situation where you have a significant advantage in later obtaining the item in question, the Cargo Office Disposals line being visible from the hallway.
• Beware of scary people with scary syringe guns. Who knows what could be fired out of that monstrosity, perhaps even the dreaded mutadone. Getting hit with a single mutadone syringe will reset your genetic sequence, and you'll have to give an unhappy farewell to telekinesis.

Above all, telekinesis is best employed as a distraction. It's something that is extremely difficult to use effectively unless you are dedicating your full attention to it, and over-reliance on it is equally unhelpful. The difficulty of employing all your skills when roleplaying, working or fighting is compounded, simply because telekinesis's relative scarcity affords it little familiarity among even the experienced playerbase, and the idea that anyone will be able to casually utilize all of its functions, ever, is unrealistic. If you are lucky enough to come into the possession of a telekinesis mutation, may it be through the efforts of a geneticist or just a really, really lucky rad storm(don't stand in rad storms. please)you become a powerhouse, not by virtue of possessing an admittedly unbalanced and overpowered game feature, but through your knowledge of advanced gameplay mechanics and when to use them. 

Damn, I just keep adding to this, don't I? Been having so much fun just meming around with telekinesis that I've found some more easter-egg functions, if you will.

[When your not playing 2d Spessman?!]

Sleeping and studying economics at uni, which I'm admittedly pretty terrible at.

[Tactical targeting]

By no means do I know the existing combat system very well, but I like the idea of adding this extra layer where targeting specific body parts affects different things.

However, I do think that it's worth mentioning that some of these things are already in the game to some extent. I believe there is already a low chance in which punching activates a "weaken" ability that stuns for some time, although I think that making that ability only applicable to certain parts of the body(i.e., head, upper body, lower body)would make more sense as someone doesn't necessarily get stunned in real life from getting punched in the hand or foot. All that I can say is that for a system like this to be implemented, RNG definitely should not be generous, as there are already enough ways to deal various types of damage in the game.

As a sidenote, getting punched or kicked in the groin(for males)does a lot more to someone than causing them to drop whatever they're holding. I recall lying in the fetal position for about an hour, puking and pissing out blood. It's not fun.

[Reach the highest number without an admin posting]

*cough*

[The Bobbie Wilkins List of Assorted Tips and Tricks]

*Disclaimer* ADVICE IS NOT CONFIRMED TO BE FACTUAL, USEFUL OR LEGAL

Welcome! This is a list. I'm not sure at the time of writing, but this may become a very long list. One that is added to over time. What is in this list, you may be asking. Assorted tidbits from my time on the server, little tips and tricks, advice if you will, about game mechanics, some obscure and some well-known. A lot of the stuff on this list is going to be gimmicky, cheesy, cheap. But that's what it's all about. Now, let's get a-rollin'.

Original List:

1. Ten units of meth is a good amount for escaping situations you don't want to be in. It's enough for you to maintain the stun reduction and speed boost for a reasonable amount of time, but not long enough to cause any major damage or have a high chance of causing an addiction.
2. If you have an EVA suit, internals and some uncrushed bluespace crystals, you can get just about anywhere on the station.
3. Thermite can burn through reinforced walls after applying a welder to it half a dozen times. The formula is one part aluminium, one part iron and one part oxygen, and you can splash it on walls using the harm intent while holding a beaker.
4. Optimal slipping strategy is to get on the same x or y tile as the victim and to throw the slipping object directly at them.
5. Telekinesis can be extremely effective at thievery, destruction of evidence, ranged combat, and general pranking.
6. The wire for door power is randomly generated at the start of the round, but is the same for every door. If you can find it on one, you can quickly hack through others.
7. RnD can create some of the most potent BnE tools during the late game. Sonic Jackhammers can break down both regular and reinforced walls and Jaws of Life can open any non-bolted doors.
8. As a vampire, if you spend some time gardening, you can get enough biomass to create some monkey cubes, which will prevent you from starving. Easiest biomass comes from wheat.
9. You can catch objects thrown at you with an empty hand using the grab intent.
10. If you have the means to break down two walls, you can break out of the perma-brig by destroying an east wall in the bottom entering area, and then a south wall in the Execution Chamber.
11. The outlet at the far Northeast end of the station, right next to the Arrivals escape pods, doesn't require any access, and is useful for spacing unwanted objects or people.
12. It is very difficult for humanoids to break into a locked closet without an emag, however, simple mobs can completely destroy the closet very quickly.
13. Breaking down the clown or mime statues will yield five sheets of bananium or tranquilite respectively.
14. A Warden has buttons in their office capable of locking down the prison wing or the entire brig. This is useful for preventing break-outs. Or break-ins.
15. A Warden, HoS or Security Officer blob spawn can easily cripple the station by destroying weapons en masse. Simply collect the armoury into a locker, and stand on the locker's tile when you burst and everything inside it will be destroyed.
16. Groupfighting always has a relatively high chance of resulting in friendly fire. Watch yourself and those around you.
17. Bags of Holding can carry objects that are too large for other bags.
18. You can break down a standard door with a fire axe in thirty to fourty swings. You'd be surprised how little time that takes.
19. You can cripple Cargo for some time by destroying the buttons that open the supply shuttle's blast doors. Those things are difficult to replace.
20. With a voice changer, chameleon suit, agent card and frequent visits to the locker room for a little hair work, you can change your identity at will.
21. Emagging the supply shuttle console will enable you to order "ERROR_NULL_ENTRY" crates and "Special Ops Supply" crates. They contain syndicate gear.
22. Chainsaws can be made using a circular saw, plasteel and cable coil, and are one of the most deadly melee weapons for the layman Assistant to come in possession of.
23. Whispering and then going silent when someone positions themselves adjacent to you is a good way of getting yourself sent to the Brig and force-fed holy water. Or to the Therapist's Office.
24. Borged individuals are considered "dead". 
25. You can put desk lamps into a belt slot.
26. The numbers given by the Genetic mind-reading sequence are the individual's account and pin number, they thing they are thinking about is random and the way they feel is their intent. Using the numbers given in an ATM will allow you to access their balance balance.
27. You can pass through holobarriers by switching your movement type to "walk".
28. Most swords have a block chance of ranged and melee attacks. Wielding two swords to double this chance is viable.
29. Praying is a mixed bag. Try to do it when there are many admins on, and make your requests reasonable, lest those up above decide to send a lightning bolt your way.
30. Bananas are easily as robust as tasers if utilized correctly. Especially acid bananas.
31. Most HoPs do not check with the AI to see if you are on the manifest if you ask for a new ID. This is useful for vampire and changeling morph shenanigans.
32. Sometimes ghosts will try to warn you of an incoming threat. If you see the lights flickering, or feel sadness, be weary.
33. A Traitor Coroner with an agent ID can quickly gain access to much of the station.
34. The disarm intent is incredibly useful if outgunned. You can turn the tide of an engagement by disarming or knocking over the right opponent.
35. Misinformation is potent if used correctly. Calling out fake antags will draw attention away from you, and may distract Security for a short while.

It's amendin' time. Why am I adding to this list? Who cares?

Amendment Numero Uno

1. A Capulettium-Neurotoxin cocktail is a great way to completely take someone out of the action. Capulettium makes them appear dead and knocks them out, people are generally less likely to interact with a dead body than a live one, the Neurotoxin works its magic and continues the knock-out if the dosage was sufficient.
2. Stable mutagen shenanigans can enable a non-changeling antag to operate in a similar manner to a changeling. Have the materials for stable mutagen on your body, an empty syringe for taking blood from your victim and a preloaded syringe of stable mutagen christened with your own blood. Once you take a blood sample from the victim and administer your preloaded syringe, make your stable mutagen with that blood and voila. You can gain access very quickly, the go-to being a Command or Security role that normally cannot antag.
3. If you have a crowbar and a screwdriver, you can dismantle any machine quickly. Screwdriver first, then crowbar. If you want to further the sabotage, take and dispose of the circuit board. Using this method of destroying the roots can cripple the station if you target vital machines, like the Destructive Analyzer and Circuit Imprinter in RnD or the Medbay's cloning and cryoing facilities. Just be weary of the fact that the Secure Tech Storage probably has a replacement.
4. Most lit rooms have a light-switch. Using your knowledge of switch-flipping, you can more effectively hide by doing so.
5. Light fixtures conduct high levels of electricity. By placing a conductor into one, like a radio headset, you can electrocute yourself.
6. A loaded RCD is an extremely potent sabotage tool and enabler of advanced BnE operations. It's also nice for shop making.
7. Closets can be made with only two metal. If you're in a pickle, and need to hide evidence fast, making a storage closet and running is an option.
8. In the Orion Trail game, immediately killing a crewmember is optimal in ensuring you have enough food.
9. Clowns and Mimes have access to each other's rooms, but not their closets.
10. As an antag with medical access, it's usually a good idea to pick up a crew pinpointer from a NanoMed machine.
11. Body shields are effective. If you are kidnapping someone while chased, make sure they remain standing for the duration of the chase, so they can soak up lasers, taser charges and bullets while you flee.
12. Disposals is not an incinerator. People can, and will, go into space to retrieve what you've dumped there.

*scream............also a PSA. Please do not kick diona nymphs. It isn't very nice.

Amendment Number Two: Electric Boogaloo

1. Shooting a slime with a temperature gun on high pressure makes it speedy. Real speedy. Usage on sentient slimes is recommended and will yield favourable results.
2. Diona can survive without oxygen for some time if they have a suitable light source on them.
3. Guest passes work as temporary IDs, and there is a guest pass in most departments.
4. A changeling with a mindswap ability can quickly incapacitate and kill an individual by drinking incapacitating chemicals such as Capulettium and mind-swapping with their target within twenty seconds, effectively incapacitating them for some time and allowing them to bypass the trouble that comes with duplication and item transfer.
5. One can quickly escape from a situation by climbing into a disposal bin and engaging the lever while doing so. Do keep in mind that this route is easily intercepted, as all disposal chutes end in Cargo.
6. A hulk's inability to be stunned and devastating punches can make quick work of the layman crewmember.
7. Telekinesis, when used alongside a weapon like the baseball bat, with severe knockback, can keep several enemies at bay simultaneously.
8. Most mechs can be taken down in less than a dozen hits from an ion rifle or carbine.
9. A strategically placed patch of damaging or fast-growing Kudzu can prove to completely incapacitate a crew quickly.
10. Throwing a charged stun-baton or stun-prod works in a similar manner to a taser, and also makes you look more robust than you actually are.
11. Syndicate surplus bundles often come with job-specific gear, and can be extremely useful.
12. The door remotes given to each head can be extremely useful as an antag, by either trapping enemies, or allowing allies to enter.
13. Most races can survive without their kidneys and appendixes for some time.
14. The incinerator and the two rooms directly above it are among the least frequented areas on the station.
15. The small room at the head of the Arrivals Shuttle is a good place to hide.
16. The Pod Pilot's Area can be an easy entrance into Security, and brings you only one wall away from the HoS's office.
17. As a vampire, the AI and borgs can be your best friend when running from Security. If you are on the manifest, the AI is obligated to view you as crew.
18. A crew pinpointer is always useful to have on, whether you are stalking a victim or stalking a "friend".
19. If you don't have time to formally kill a vox or plasmaman, removing and running off with their veil/envirosuit helmet will do the job too.
20. Being blatantly racist is usually enough to get someone off your back for a bit. It might also result in them calling over an IAA to deal with you.

[Guide to Golemcraft, Goleming and Golemdom]

22 hours ago, Garrulous said:

Do not forget the wonderful gold golem, with the much sought after ability of not being as slow as a normal golem.

Thanks! Added.

[Guide to Golemcraft, Goleming and Golemdom]

Golems. Sometimes the pride of the station, usually the worst troublemakers and ruffians. This is the guide to being, creating and utilizing golems.

Golemcraft

A standard Iron Golem, the least unique, and the most tame of the Golem family

Choosing what golems to make, especially when given limited resources, can be the difference between a smashing success and a crushing failure. Thus, here are some words of advice for the general practice of golem creation, both for Xenobiology and the Free Golems.

• Golems have types. These types are extremely important in deciding their utility in different situations.
• Golems are players too, and they will likely not decide to play if they deem the type of golem that has been created to be too vanilla, or too boring. A general rule of thumb is to only create golems with unique abilities, like Bluespace Golems, or ones that are extremely durable, like Diamond Golems, because those are what people want to play.
• Golems may or may not be the blindly loyal assistant(Xenobiology)or the competent new brother(Free Golems), that they are expected to be. Have a contingency plan if the golem's utility doesn't pan out, may it simply be the creation of more golems, or some other means.

Now, onto the actual golem types.

Support Golems:

Support Golems are golems with unique abilities. I'm going to be ranking them with regards to my personal preferences in terms of utility, although each of these can be versatile and capable in their own way.

1. The number one support golem is the adamantium golem. Although they are rarely made by Xenobiology due to the lack of resources, and are limited in number to the Free Golems, their ability to speak and be heard only by other golems is incredibly useful for coordination. Should a Xenobiologist make one, consider using it as a lieutenant of sorts, to keep your creations together.
2. The bluespace golem is only second to the adamanitum golem for the RNG that its abilities employ. Being able to both teleport manually and upon getting hit, similarly to the RD's reactive armor, the bluespace golem is perfect for distractions, escapes, and, if need be, heists.
3. Plasma golems are useful as well. They have an inherent resistance to burn damage, but will blow up if too hot. Coupled with their self-ignite ability, plasma golems serve as a mobile and versatile alternative to conventional IEDs, having the unique quality of being able to chase after something, or someone, that you want to destroy.
4. Although hard to gather resources for, plastic golems have some utility, albeit extremely situational use. Plastic golems can ventcrawl, but only if they do not have a single item on their bodies, with the exception being implants. This makes them most useful as scouts and distractions.
5. Finally, although even more situational, the uranium golem provides yet another circumstancial utility. Every organic within two tiles of a uranium golem immediately takes radiation damage, and may mutate, resulting in a somewhat useful area denial tool, if that is what you need.

Standard Golems:

Standard Golems are standard in that they lack true abilities. They can be used as the rank-and-file of your private army. These are in no particular order.

1. Diamond golems are the jack of all trades, resistant to all damage. They also look pretty cool.
2. Plastitanium golems take little burn damage.
3. Titanium golems take slightly more burn damage.
4. Plasteel golems are slow, but hit harder and get up faster.
5. Gold golems are slightly faster than other golems, but have reduced armour.
6. Silver golems are average, but are immune to magical abilities and stun for longer when punching.
7. Glass golems are immune to and reflect laser projectile, resistant to burn damage, but take significantly increased brute damage and cannot be revived.
8. Sand golems are immune to ballistic projectiles and resistant to brute damage, but take significantly increased burn damage and cannot be revived.

Rare Golems:

Rare Golems are "rare" because, in practice, I have never seen one made and/or are not worth making. These are again in no particular order.

1. Iron golems are vanilla, and boring.
2. Wood golems are weaker on average and die in the darkness.
3. Abductor golems are never made because abductor alloy is hard to find.
4. Bananium golems are never made because bananium is hard to find.
5. Tranquilite golems are never made because tranquilite is hard to find.

 

Goleming

A Plasma Golem, AKA, a walking, ticking IED

In practice, most people are willing to play a loyal servant or a new brother, but here are some general tips and clarifications of such.

• As a golem, you do not need to feign ignorance, as according to the lore, you are souls of the dead, who retain knowledge of their former selves. However, doing so may lead to an enjoyable roleplaying exchange.
• Xenobiology golems are bound to their master. They are to follow their master's orders to a fault, and actively resist doing anything major without direct permission from their master. The master-golem relationship can also be taken through the mediums of borging, transforming and other changes of the master, although it is not mandatory for the golem to continue obeying their master if they give valid IC justification with regards to why the transformed being is not, in fact, their past owner. Golem loyalty must extend to the point at which they are willing to run to their death at the master's behest.
• Golems cannot fire ranged weapons, with the exception being a modified kinetic accelerator. Golems can, however, enter mechs with ranged weaponry.
• Golems, with a few exceptions, are slow. Do not get yourself into a fight that you cannot run away from easily.
• Often, a golem's punch is superior in terms of damage or extra qualities to that of rudimentary melee weapons.
• All golems can hear the resonantion of adamanitum golems.
• Golems, if need be, can transfer themselves into a material-filled shell, killing their previous body. This is useful for switching utilities.
• Golems do not need to breathe and do not take pressure damage, but they do need to eat.
• Golems can be healed with regular medical supplies, with the exception being injections via injector or syringe.
• When gibbed, all golems, with the exception being Sand and Glass Golems, will drop a runic mind.
• All golems are immune to lavaland storms, making it a viable place for them to flee.
• Golems cannot wear items in their mask, gloves, uniform, exosuit and boots slots.
• Golems do not bleed, cannot be dismembered and are immune to radiation.

Specific to the Free Golems.

• The Free Golems are not crew, and while generally not messed with, it is perfectly legal IC for them to be killed. OOC legality is variable, dependent on the situation.
• The Free Golems can create new shells with their special Autolathe.
• The Free Golems start off with several adamantium golems as leaders, and they are vital for communication and survivability.
• The Free Golems start off on lavaland, and can expect to encounter hostile fauna, usually friendly miners and variably friendly lavaland survivors.
• The Free Golems can and will often control the only RnD station outside of the Science Department.

Golemdom

A Bluespace Golem. Can teleport into the Captain's Quarters. Can teleport out of the Captain's Quarters.

So. Instead of finding some friends, you made them instead. No matter, your creations are extremely powerful, and can be utilized in different ways.

1. Golems can be used a hencemen to carry out greytiding your authorized antag objectives. You can easily pin your failed attempts on golems on the counts of a "breakdown of loyalty", them being a "fugitive slave" or them practicing "free will".
2. Golems compliment each other's abilities. Having a coordinated force of resistant and support golems can easily take down other establishments on the station if need be. A uranium golem can passively and actively prevent a door from being opened, while others, immune to the effects of the uranium golem, can go about their business in peace.
3. Golems do not have to breathe. You can easily dispose of bodies around the station by sending them out into the vacuum of space.
4. Golems are immune to a vampire's bite, or a cult's conversion, so having them around as both an extra hand and an immune partner-in-crime can save you a trip to the cloning bay.

Some pratfalls associated with golems

1. Golems are not crew. They are your property, and since you are owned by Nanotrasen via contract, therefore "station property". Any damage done, intentionally or unintentionally to a golem can, at the very most, be considered "damage to station property".
2. Golems are not crew. Anything potentially damaging to the station that they do can, and will, be readily taken as an act of open hostility, and, as such, golems are a favorite among blood-thirsty security teams for executions.
3. Golems do not always listen to commands. They're players, it's understandable. Just try to reason with them, and if it gets too out of hand, ahelp.

 

El fin

As always, give advice/criticism, correct mistakes and suggest information, cheers.

Edit Log:

Addition of Gold Golems to main list - Credit to Garrulous

Golems are liable to virus infection & Plastic Golems can still vent crawl if they have implants(Storage, Mindslave, etc.) - Credit to BeanOS

[The Life and Lies of an unnamed swarmer]

So. Our story begins with an unnamed swarmer, not long ago a lifeless shell, now a cog in the machine that is the will of The Masters, set to consume everything in its path, save for a few things they want inta.....wait.

Our story begins with First Class Xenobiologist Bobbie Wilkins, a veteran of ill-fated ventures and failures of the mind. Though assigned to work in the Cyberiad's Xenobiology Lab, Wilkins saw something more in the power that Science access had vested in him. He saw....the magic of bluespace. Tirelessly, Wilkins worked to obtain the materials needed for his personal laboratory, a(Making a sidenote here that there is a perfect room for ghetto Science stations in South Sci-maints)cramped, yet cozy room that was not much frequented by the denizens of the station. After countless hours, a labour of love, Wilkins' masterpiece had been completed, a personal teleporter station, set to locations that man has not stepped for years, and Wilkins was ready to explore, to find the remains, the ruins of these lost stories, lost civilizations. However, Wilkins made one, fatal mistake. Wearing a bag infused with the energy of bluespace, Wilkins was fully unaware of the sad fate about to befall upon him. As he stepped into the teleporter hub, two bluespace discharges met, one from the teleporter, one from the bag. In milliseconds, the bag, and Wilkins with it, were ripped from the station, and flung to the cold, empty vacuum of space. Wilkins' dream would never be seen through, his body never recovered, and his soul lost to the ages.

Now. Enter an unnamed swarmer, not long ago a lifeless shell, now a cog in the machine that is the will of the Masters, set to consume everything in its path, save for a few things they want intact. The swarmer's dreadfully focused mind sees a wall, and attempts to break it down. ZAP. A minor disabling shock runs through the swarmer. The Masters do not want that wall broken down. Apparently, its existence keeps the air in. What is air? The swarmer doesn't care, there are plenty more walls to break down, ones that won't result in a painful shock.

Perhaps several minutes into this swarmer's existence, it finds a small room. A strange light shines under the door, and the swarmer is instantly attracted to it. Breaking down a meager barrier, one that is suppose to open and close, the swarmer sees a thousand lights in so small an area, small charges of a sort being emitted from a swirling mass of colors. Though the swarmer's first instinct is to break down the contraption, another painful shock courses through it. As the swarmer buzzes into the mass of colors, a sudden change takes to the environment. The swarmer has been teleported, this time to a new, brightly lit room, with a similar, yet disabled teleportation station below it. So many walls. So much to consume. The swarmer tries most of the walls around it, receiving a countless number of shocks. But, after several minutes of testing, the swarmer finds its mark. To the North is much to consume. And so it does. After several minutes, the swarmer can replicate itself. Then again, several minutes after. Soon, the entire interior of the structure, some sort of communications satellite, has been ravaged. 

But wait. A sudden development. Two organics,  draped in suits made of metal, yellow in color. These organics have teleported in. Upon sighting the unnamed swarmer, they flee, opening airlocks on their way to outer space. A mistake. The swarmer pursues, and the organics attempt to fight back. A failure. Several disabler beams are fired, and the two organics float helplessly off into the vacuum, destined to die, never to be heard again.

A original swarmer begins to spark from the damage wrought upon it by the organics. Swarmers do not think of such things, but, as the unnamed swarmer falls disabled to the ground, it is surrounded by the children that it has fathered(and grandfathered), continuing on its legacy to the last, and, at long last, it is happy.

[Tribute to Xenobiology]

So. Played yet another failed antag round as a Xenobiologist, got me thinking about how viable Xenobiology can be at antagging(that is, if you are robust, which I am not), that is, actually using the tools given to you, instead of just the access that the little card you get at the beginning of the round affords you.

Positioning:

The Xenobiology Lab is a fortress, in more ways than one, but let's look specifically at the location and layout of the room.

• One way in and out
• Double-gated entrance - boltable
• Two more doors from the main science area
• All of these doors are in a straight line. If need be, you can shoot, or perhaps more relevantly, throw whatever you need through them.
• Disposal bin leads straight to outer space - unique

Looking at this alone, it is incredibly easy to see how potent Xenobiology can be as a defensive position if need be.

A couple more things to note are the obstacles, and solutions to these that are also brought about by the layout.

• Cameras, everywhere. You can turn them off, but then you can't use the pens they covered. Difficult to solve, but the AI and Security rarely look at you anyways.
• You can be locked down. However, do not fret. The lockdown area includes Sci-Chem and a large section of non-reinforced walls, which you can promptly break through using chemistry magic or the simple weld-wrench routine.

All in all, the very location of the Xenobiology Lab makes it useful for antags to hole up in if things go south, and we haven't even gotten into tools.

Tools & Equipment:

In practice, very few Xenobiologists use the more obscure slimes and their extracts, and the wiki's page summarizes the effects of useful antagging extracts pretty well, but I'm going to list them out in a little more detail, and how they can be used.

• Red slimes are worth keeping around to increase mutation chance, but as an antag, they are extremely useful for causing panic/swarming. The coupling of the easily accessible grey extract to make a small army of grey slimes and a red extract to make them hostile can easily dispatch a security squad if they are cut off.
• Just recently learning this, Green slime extract can be incredibly dangerous in the right(or wrong, from the perspective of pretty much everyone else)hands. Injecting the toxin from this extract, or, in my opinion more easily getting others to inhale it via a smoke grenade turns the victim into a shadow person. What is a shadow person, you might ask? It's a shadowling, with their intolerance of light, but without any shadowling abilities. To my knowledge, someone who is killed by light exposure as a shadow person will still be a shadow person if cloned, essentially taking victims completely out of the game because cloning almost always lit brightly.
• Black slime extract is a little sketchy to me, it turns people into regular old slimes which are obviously dangerous, and probably vengeful after being turned into a slime, so it is not nearly as much of a disabler as the green extract.
• Orange is not really worth mentioning, but if you have a firesuit and want to have a barbecue, you can light up a pretty large area around you.
• Yellow extract is useful as a quick EMP, you can use it to disable the cameras, tasers, doors, IPCs, whatever. It's a large EMP blast and that is always useful.
• Silver extract is much less direct than the others, but if you get real lucky, you can get certain plants that will grow into viable weaponry, the most prominent being gatfruit, which will spawn a revolver upon usage, but some other plants can be useful too, and it's also a real easy way to get some drugs.
• Gold extract can spawn hostile, neutral or friendly mobs. They range from quite threatening to adorable.
• Sepia extract is another lesser known extract, but it can be used to stop time in a 5x5 radius, with the exception of yourself. Can be useful, and will also prompt some crewmembers from other servers to call out a clockwork cult.
• Oil, like Orange, isn't worth mentioning, but it explodes. It's oil. Go figure.
• Adamantium is another indirect one, but extremely powerful. Simply put, you can make specialized servants(other players)that are loyal to you and essentially on the level of a crewmember, with a few disadvantages. Nonetheless, golems are useful in many ways, you can use 'em for fighting, spying, protecting and generally helping out.
• Light pink extract is probably the most well know, because most players have seen the fruits of xenobiology's labours in the form of a sentient tree. It's arguably more useful than adamantium, depending on what animals you can choose to make sentient, but everyone will agree that it is useful.

I'm going to add just one more slime extract to the existing list that I find useful, although it is situational.

• Cerulean slime extract can be made into slime blueprints, which extend the camera and console range of the Xenobiology Lab. By using it in maints and hallways, you can(through some server glitches)see in some areas where there are no cameras, as well as place slimes and monkeys anywhere you can see, so starving some slimes and warping them down to a target is viable. 

So. That's it. Some stuff to think about using if you plan on playing a Xenobiologist and roll an antag. Cheers.

[Potentially Unpopular Suggestion and I also dont know what I'm talking about(Discussion on Vox Players)]

Disregarding the Karma System completely, my request still stands. The server is, of course, a medium roleplay server, so players are left a degree of freedom. In practice, from what I have seen throughout my admittedly little time on the server, this freedom has ended up with little race-to-race differences in roleplay, the most prominent feature being a different language that races can use to slander each other. The sole exception to this that I have seen is "voxxy speak", which is consistently used by vox players when speaking in the main Galactic Common.

As I stated before, I don't know much about some of the more obscure gameplay features, I don't know how vox players consistently adhere to "voxxy speak", whether it is automatically converted from otherwise regular inputs through automation or manually distorted from grammatical English. But, if the latter is true, that vox players have to make a consistent, conscious effort to stay true to the server's roleplay expectations, I believe that they should be placed on a higher pedestal than other races through the server's system of barriers, may it be the existing karma system or playtime or something else, simply because of the very feasible extra effort that they put into every round.

[Potentially Unpopular Suggestion and I also dont know what I'm talking about(Discussion on Vox Players)]

Before I get into this, I'd like to make it very, very clear that I have no experience with the karma system and the discussion surrounding it other than awarding and receiving it, no purchases, little background knowledge, whatever.

Anyways, I think that the vox race needs to be on a higher pedestal than all of the other races. Vox shares the highest karma value for species with plasmamen and slimepeople. I don't think that is very equal. The extent to which I see slimepeople consistently roleplay, in my experience, is periodically squishing(genuinely not sure if that is automated or not)and the occasional reference to water-blood. Plasmamen, I rarely see any difference from the generic roleplay of the crew, only the added "benefit" of having to constantly wear internals and a bulky suit around, which I think is more gameplay-oriented than roleplay. Vox, on the other hand, have to integrate roleplay into everything they say(though I'm not sure to what extent auto-hissing aids this), and I generally view vox players OOC as among the most experienced and established members of the community. I've seen purely fluff roleplaying sequences where vox go to great lengths to assist their "kin", possibly attributed to OOC friendship, but I'd like to see it as another example of vox being vox. As a sidenote, I've rarely if ever seen a vox captain during my time on the server. Perhaps I'm biased, but that speaks at some level to the correlation between experienced players and what I see as a relatively overvalued role.

Two solutions, pretty similar in scope. Number one is that vox is elevated to to a karma value of 60. That doesn't seem popular, and I don't really agree with it. The other method would be to push plasmamen and slimepeople back down to a 30 karma value, since I do truly think that those who(hopefully legitimately, though who knows with the playerbase)climb the karma ladder to 45 karma points both deserve and are apt enough at the game to be reasonable expected to carry out high roleplay, and that the other two species don't require nearly as much dedication.

Feel free to inform me about my lack of knowledge of the karma system, automatic systems and auto-hiss. Cheers.

[Change Space Law to be clear on Sleeping Carp users]

The problem is, and I've seen this, having played with and an even being that shitcurity officer who can't distinguish between Sleeping Carp CQC, the Chef's CQC and even more circumstantial stuff like the Warden's Krav Maga, that Sleeping Carp users are rare, and the whole point of unarmed combat is that you don't leave anything behind at the scene. If I was an IAA or Magistrate and some officer came up with someone who they claimed "shouted and hit them very hard", you can guess what my verdict is going to be if I don't get anything more to the story.

Simply put, it doesn't make sense lore-wise to automatically label those who know CQC as EoCs, even if there are very clear differences between how they work in terms of gameplay and player interactions, I think that it is reasonable to leave Sleeping Carp users some degree of ambiguity with Space Law, especially considering that it is a relatively rare purchase.

[Vampire Conversion - Enthrall Rework]

So. I've been given the opportunity to play vampire pretty frequently at this point, and I find myself falling back on the same strategy each time.

I'm not robust, and I don't like to play at being robust, so my go-to method is to coerce someone into stunning themselves, through drinking/injecting of certain substances, and upon them finding me sucking their blood, cut them a deal where I protect them in exchange routine drinking sessions.

Let's cut to the chase here. I'm not sure if this has ever been in the game, but I'm pretty certain that if it isn't, it has already been suggested. In short, my idea is this: Give Vampire Thralls a Shadowling Thrall-like role.

I think that it would be really cool for vampires to sire more vampires. It would certainly spice up a round for the crew to find an entire vampire clan in their midst, as well as allow those who collaborate with vampires a degree of release, should the vampire hold up their end of the deal.

Obviously, the ability to create full vampires would become incredibly unbalanced, so here are some ideas for how the newly sired vampires would be weaker than their counterparts.

• Sired vampires only retain one or two abilities possessed by their sire, passive or active
• All blood drunk by sired vampires is unusable
• Sired vampires have a maximum usable blood count, maybe 50
• Sired vampires lose all skin pigment upon conversion, so they are easily detectable by the crew
• The blood of sired vampires can be used by their sire, similar to how shadowlings leech off their thralls
• Sired vampires appear dead upon examination
• Sired vampires will hallucinate if below a certain thirst threshold
• Sired vampires crumble into an unrevivable pile of ash when killed
• In order to sire a victim, they must be below an upper blood threshold
• Sired vampires can only heal in coffins

[A Short Treatise on Power-Gaming]

I find it really funny that the discussion on this has taken such a turn, but it seems like a pretty valid debate.

Just to clarify, the point of the OP was to sort of combat the stigma that's associated with "power-gaming", as well as to make my stance clear on the matter, pretty much every role and player on the station uses OOC knowledge for IC benefits. It's not wrong, it's not prohibited(at least, within reason), but I think it is hypocritical to criticize someone else's RP quality when you yourself aren't going the extra mile to play your character, in the sacred name of convenience.

Antagging is a very special kind of roleplay, one that I will admit I'm not extremely good at(at least not when I get assigned, I'm perfectly capable of greytiding and being a general headass), but I personally find antagging the most fun when I'm using the tools that my role and I have been given. Of course, people who have tried and true methods of antagging that don't necessarily adhere to their character are fine, and can add more to the round than an antag limited by arbitrary restrictions, but I like trying to find ways that my role can do something unique, it's simply more fun for me, even if it's less effective. I'd rather turn someone into a monkey as a Geneticist than, I dunno, zip around with an esword playing at being robust or inject someone with stolen chemicals that I IC, should know nothing about.

6 hours ago, Calecute said:

The only powergame that really piss me off is when eng does R&D to print themselves some loot. 

This is purely my selfish side speaking, cause I'm a toddler and can't wait in line, but I do find it questionable when a non-Scientist(usually a miner)waltzes into RnD because the RD or another Scientist knows them OOC(trying my best not to point fingers here)and commandeers the machine to get RnD up to a level where they can get their beloved cool-down mods or whatever. Similar thing happened the other day, two random civilians slipped their way into Cloning within the first five minutes of a shift and pre-scanned each other without any discussion.

The key point I want to make is that there is a middle ground. You don't have to start a blank slate every shift, but it is important that you play the role that you have been given, and if you aren't, make it crystal clear why. The above case and similar incidents, in my experience, are most commonly enacted by relatively well known players that have established their identity on the server and whose achievements are generally acknowledged OOC by a significant number of the players that they will encounter in their games. Having OOC knowledge is not an excuse to streamline different dynamics that the server has intentionally declined to streamline, as, to me, the different lengths that an individual has to go to in obtaining an item or position or reputation is the most significant factor in defining their role, and differentiating one character from the next.