Something I’ve had a bit of a gripe about as security is having to call out my exact position when I am under attack. Sometimes it is straight up impossible to tell your location to your fellow officers when in an active firefight or conflict.
A tracking implant partially resolves this by telling your location over the security channel when you are critical or dead. However, by that point, it is likely far too late, as your fellow officers arrive only to see your gibbed corpse.
Perhaps a way of resolving this issue would be allowing you to send out a request for help with your implant manually when you are not critical or dead when you are about to go to, or are in a nasty situation without stopping to typing it out. It would give your fellow officers time to come in and assist, and deal with the threat. What are your thoughts?
I agree with the general idea, but we also have to consider that this would be very powerful for sec, so what limitations or requirements/tradeoffs should exist for the ability to instantly call for backup to your location?
Maybe it should ping the AI and the Warden (not sure how the latter should be targeted) so someone can call for/direct help to the distressed officer, and/or try to check on them via cameras, but the information still would not be instantly transmitted to all of sec at the press of a button.
if pinging a specific person/role is too hard. pinging it off of AI (binary) is alot easier. as then you need a dedicated borg to run up to sec (in the case there is no AI). or sec is just going to keep a borg with them at all times. which basically waste what the borg can do.
I think (corrent me if im wrong) that Errant is more concerned with the balance of having a button to instantly boardcast your in trouble… even tracking implants wait to your crit and… Id even say its kinda power gamey to use them on yourselves anyway… but im an MRP player and we kinda run on a different tempo.
I mean, it could always be shorted out by an EMP, or jammed by a radio jammer, but I do get your point. It would be a pretty significant buff for sec and command in general.
Perhaps it could be tied to a specific security vest as an alternative to the basic armour, with slightly lower armour values in exchange, as some of the plates are replaced by the machinery for sending the call.
Although, there could also be a technology unlock that adds a miniaturised version of the distress caller that could be added to any armour, but similar to the disabler SMG or truncheon it would require a dedicated effort by security and science to get it.
Full support. I once got whomped at Tools because I wanted to do some helping science as HoP, and left my office for 2 minutes, dying 10 minutes in and only saying “AU” on command. While this resulted on a Pun Pun Major… A button to do that callout would be good. Although I guess a keybind to automatically make a distress call would work, but of course, that one can’t have a location, but hey! (I know that I didn’t have a tracker so it wouldn’t have helped, but it’s the thought that counts).
It could send a warning out to a brand new computer that could be used to look at emergency broadcasts from crew/security/command that Binary, Security, and Command all have access to.
But then again it could be a downside of ,“oh we have a brand new computer, where do we put this and how do we manage it constantly?”
I think the way something that would be balanced, is making a one time use 1x1 item that when used calls out your approximate location via security chat (sending a message like distress call from Urist Mchands immediate assistance is required near medical) just like the tracking implant does, and when it is used, it is consumed and deals a moderate amount of genetic damage such as 20 genetic damage. This would force security officers to make a choice based on the threat they perceive on if it’s worth it to either try and handle it themselves or if they believe that they are just fucked regardless to try and get back up there. This would deter security officers from using this for petty or minor situations and really force them to consider only activating it when there are major threats that they probably have a low chance of survival at regardless.
