Sandbox;serverrules2
Gameplay States and Policy
There are three states you will find yourself in while enjoying Space Station 13 in a roleplay environment. These are fluid conditions which you can consider as simply as the difference between standing still and walking across a room. We consider three types: being social, engaging with the core gameplay itself which we call Mechanics, and engaging in violence.
Roleplay State
When you are standing about talking in low-tension public spaces, when you are repositioning yourself in a scene good faith like stepping aside for traffic, and when your actions do not place you at a direct advantage over another player (such as a bartender preparing drinks, or a doctor providing routine healthcare in normal medbay conditions) you are existing in a Roleplay State.
Roleplay States can be extended to things that might normally be considered Mechanical only if it is appropriately supported by custom emotes and ample waiting time for people to read.
You are engaging with SS13 as a social layer with which to interact with others, not as a competitive or gameplay oriented layer, at least in that immediate moment.
Mechanical State
When you are engaging with any gameplay feature that meaningfully changes your standing relative to others, whether by gaining an edge, taking on risk, or affecting your ability to act, you are entering a Mechanical State. Some examples of this State are:
- Equipping a weapon or disabling it's safeties
- Shoving someone in a way which causes them to fall over in non-hostile scenarios, or which doesn't cause them damage or immediate situational disadvantage
- Stitching your wounds or those of others in the field, particularly when done without a custom emote supporting it
- Using the radio to call for backup or otherwise say things that would alert people that there is something going on.
- Opening a door
- Existing or moving about in a hostile or obviously dangerous area, such as near active fights or warzones
Combat State and Combat Indicator (CI)
When you intend to do anything in a Mechanical State that puts someone else at physical risk, or which causes direct harm, or places them at a situational gameplay disadvantage, you are preparing to enter Combat State.
Actions that require you to engage CI before proceeding (initiating):
- Firing, utilizing, reloading, or preparing a weapon
- Planning to depressurize a room with malicious intent, starting a fire, or any other environmental techniques
- Preparing an explosive
- Applying handcuffs or resisting out of handcuffs without emotes supporting your actions
- Using a radio within view of, or planning to move away to use the radio, to communicate the location of someone in any sense other than social altruism, such as "Contractor Sci Maints" on Common or "I'm with them in the Courtroom right now" on Security frequencies.
- Running away from a clearly socially escalated situation, such as Security doing hallway detainment, or running when someone has a gun aimed at you
Actions that count as automatic reciprocation, satisfying CI without an independent wait:
- Fleeing a threat that has already engaged CI against you
- Resisting handcuffs being applied to you
- Being attacked, or getting involved as collateral in a fight
To legally enter a Combat State, you must engage with the Combat Indicator system.
Combat Indicator (CI)
The Combat Indicator is a game system that uses a hotkey to signal that you are entering Combat State, which is transitioning from roleplay or mechanics to combat, or elsewise putting yourself at a significant advantage over someone else with regards to the game environment.
The default keybind for Combat Indicator is C. This can be changed in Preferences -> Game Preferences -> Keybindings -> Human -> Combat Indicator.
This game system provides a mechanism to clearly establish the transition from Roleplay and Mechanics to Combat by:
- Providing a UI element which is visible in all conditions
- Playing a noticeable audible cue
- Sending large red text in chat warning that you are entering an aggressive state.
After activating CI, you must wait at least FIVE seconds, unless your target reciprocates CI, or enters / obviously continues a Mechanical State, to begin Combat.
Ambushes, Traps, and Stealth Weapons
Due to the constraints of Combat Indicator and our roleplay expectations, you should not attempt to ambush people if you are not PMS and in an active battle zone.
Equally, as we require Combat Indicator to be used to gain mechanical advantage, you must be within view of your target and also engage CI to utilize a trap. This means you cannot set trigger traps in nearly every situation.
Nova Sector's Combat Indicator system means true surprise attacks are not supported by design. Silent tools like poison or sleepy pens are for narrative and roleplay setup, not mechanical ambush, and still require CI at the moment of use if roleplay does not fully convey and allow for reaction to the attempt.
Permanent Mechanical State (PMS)
Permanent Mechanical State is a status that is applied through Policy and IC circumstance which waives the Combat Indicator engagement timeframe protection. This means you only need to engage CI to begin mechanics, without the normal wait time.
You may attempt to drop the PMS Status by disabling your CI and refusing to return violent contact with your aggressor. You may dodge and attempt to avoid damage during this time.
If someone that is PMS appears to be making an effort to return to a Roleplay State, you should attempt to indulge them. You are not obligated to do so.
Permanent Mechanical State Status Triggers are conditions in which the PMS status is applied automatically. These are currently:
- Area of Effect passives such as the Demoralizer mod module, Chaplain Bard equipment, Heretic auras, and similar.
- Anyone repeatedly teleporting or jaunting to escape confrontation
The Dynamic Antagonist Objective System and Conflict Opt-Ins
There are two different layers to interacting with the common hostilities on Station.
The first is Dynamic Opt-in (Be Antagonist Target in Character Creator > Character > Character Profile), which dictates how the Dynamic Antagonist Objective game system selects targets.
The second is Conflict Opt-In, (Be a Part of the Conflict in the same panel, just below Antagonist Opt-In), which describes how you can be expected to behave when exposed to Antagonism on Station, as defined above.
Your Dynamic Opt decides your minimum level of Conflict Opt. Without adjusting your Dynamic Opt, you can freely adjust the level of Conflict you wish to participate in. Select carefully, as this cannot be waived in the moment for a specific situation. The only way to change your selection is by Admin Help, and any change applies going forward, not retroactively to what's already happened.
| Dynamic Opt | Minimum Conflict Opt |
|---|---|
| No | Passive |
| Yes - Inconvenience | Involved |
| Yes - Kill | Vulnerable |
| Yes - Round Removal | Expendable |
Round Removal is defined as a death in which the victim is unlikely or unable to recover from. It also captures deaths which require an exceptional level of medical effort to revert, such as gibbing or braining.
Dynamic Opt-In (Be Antagonist Target)
Dynamic Opt-In governs which players the automated Antagonist Objective system may select as a target for generated objectives. It does not restrict which players a live antagonist may choose to involve organically, that is governed by Conflict Opt-In below.
- No removes you from the Antagonist Objective Pool.
- Yes - Inconvenience allows the Antagonist Objective Pool to select you for non-lethal objectives.
- Yes - Kill allows the Antagonist Objective Pool to select you for lethal objectives.
- Yes - Round-Removal (RR) allows the Antagonist Objective Pool to select you for anything.
Conflict Opt-In (Be a Part of the Conflict)
Your Conflict Opt-In selection dictates how you are expected to behave when exposed to antagonism or criminal behavior directed at you or your Department. It also dictates how other Crew should handle you when going about their criminal business. These Opt-Ins do not exclude you from IC consequences, or protect you from situations that you yourself escalate.
You can only adjust your Conflict-Opt by creating an Admin Help and having your preferences refreshed. The gameplay expectations created by your selection of Conflict Opt cannot be changed otherwise.
- Passive crew exist as set pieces, excluded from being the focus of major round events or participating in Antagonism wherever possible.
- Involved crew are accepting of confrontation and conflict within the focus and boundaries of roleplaying and story building.
- Vulnerable crew accept all situations, particularly mechanics and violence, while maintaining protection from Round Removal.
- Expendable crew do not care if they live or die. Being gibbed is funny to them and they accept any and all dire consequences which may occur.
Station Threat
Station Threat is a theoretical status that is applied through Policy and gained by IC circumstance which permits any Crew to engage a threat as a valid-huntable target, following roleplay escalation expectations.
Station Threat Status Triggers are conditions in which the Station Threat status is applied automatically. These are currently:
- Anyone that threatens the Station by Announcement System. This includes antagonists that create a Station Announcement as part of their mechanics, such as when a Contractor successfully abducts a Target.
- Anyone or any Group that the Captain labels SPECIFICALLY as a 'Station Threat' in an Announcement. The Captain may also remove Station Threat status the same way.
- Anything or anyone that Central Command designates by Announcement.
- Anyone who causes more than half of the current Security Team to be combat-disabled or deceased.