PyriteChimera:Sandbox
 Research Director |
Alternate Titles: Biorobotics Director, Chief Science Officer, Lead Researcher, Research Supervisor, Silicon Administrator, Director of Science
|
The Research Director is in charge of what is (theoretically) the reason the station is around. You job is to direct research into new things. And you have a group of Scientists to help you do that.
Expectations
- Coordinate and communicate with command regarding what technologies are needed and departmental on-goings.
- Communicate with your staff members and delegate areas of work, ideally in places they are comfortable and knowledgeable in.
- Be knowledgeable in Research and Development and know how to do most of the experiments.
- Be knowledgeable in either Xenobiology or Ordnance, while having a basic understanding of both.
- Be knowledgeable in most of Robotics: At minimum, Synthetic Surgeries and Cyborg Maintenance.
- Assist in teaching those new to the department in areas that are important to know, such as RnD, Robotics, Ordnance, and Xenobiology.
Overview
Unlike most Heads of Staff, your job isn't so much to keep your staff working as it is to keep them from doing so. Or, at least, to keep them from doing so badly.
Technically speaking, your job is the least vital out of any of the Heads of Staff. The Science division isn't vital to the continued operations of the station, even if it is why it's there in the first place. The station won't fall apart if the slimes die, alien artefacts never get studied, and bombs never get made. It will, however, fall apart if the slimes escape, if dangerous alien artefacts aren't well-monitored, or if a poorly made bomb destroys a large portion of the station.
Your job is to keep them from accidentally killing themselves. Ordnance and Xenobiology in particular are highly dangerous areas and should be monitored often.
You're also the foremost expert on strange phenomena on the station. When something strange shows up, it's your job to figure out what it is and how best to deal with it. The other Heads of Staff will rely on you to figure out exactly what it is and what to do about it.
So, in short, keep your staff from screwing everything up royally and keep the other Heads informed about anything weird going on.
You arrive on the station inside your office next to Ordnance. You have the front seat. So sit back and enjoy the view. Remember that you have two of the most important things on the station, Robotics control and the AI integrity restorer.
Directing Research 101
As the Research Director, your job is obviously to direct research. You have access to anything scientific.
There's No I In Team
As a member of command, you are held to a higher roleplay standard. As such, instances of LRP and violations of the character guidelines will be treated more severely. | |
General guidelines for all command positions are as follows:
| |
Who Can Demote?
| |
Acting Captain
|
Your official responsibility is to ensure that nobody does anything they shouldn't. This means making sure that the Roboticists don’t cyborg people without following protocols, and that ordinance does not destroy the station.
Try to stop ordnance from igniting. Teach your scientists the proper way to handle plasma.
Computer Maintenance And You
In the event of AI damage on an IntelliCard, there is a computer in your office which can be used to repair its systems. This is a long process, but it is still usually better than having no AI at all. In addition, it is possible to build a new AI from the circuit also found in your office. Using plasteel and glass, it is constructed just like any other computer up until the Synthetic brain is inserted. Please be aware that a freshly constructed AI comes with the default NanoTrasen laws.
AI Overpopulation: The Core Circuit And You
Whether to reduce the load on primary AI or just to increase information chaos, with this nifty AI Core circuit board found in your office you can make a second, working AI. You need the following components first: a screwdriver, a wrench, 4 sheets of plasteel, 2 sheets of reinforced glass, the circuit board, and, of course, a brain in an MMI.
Make AI Core frame with plasteel, wrench it in a preferably secure place near an intercom (or a radio), add circuit, screwdriver, wires, MMI, glass, screwdrive again. Voila! Now there's two working AIs on station!
KNOW YOUR SILICON
There are three types of rogue silicons that you should be familiar with. Each has a slew of different options regarding how you can deal with it.
- Subverted: A traitor (Or unscrupulous Captain) has used either a Freeform module of a Hacked Law Module to upload a law (or several) that is dangerous to the crew
- Subverted AIs can be fixed very easily via using a Purge and Default board on an Upload Console.
- Subverted AIs cannot hack their cyborgs
- Subverted AIs can be downloaded to an IntelliCard
- Malfunctioning: The AI has an irremovable hacked law and the ability to hack APCs. It can access several special powers by spending its CPU.
- Malfunctioning AIs cannot be fixed. They must be destroyed. They can and will shunt into a hacked APC before dying, requiring you to deconstruct the APC (ENTIRELY) to finish it off.
- Malfunctioning AIs can hack their cyborgs.
Upgrading the station
NT has granted your colleagues a station that has plenty of room for improvement. Plenty of machines around the station can be upgraded to improve efficiency, and you're encouraged to let your coworkers feel what an efficient science really means: Better work conditions. Use the Rapid Part Exchanger device, produced by the Protolathe to rapidly replace obsolete parts with newest parts which will further improve machine efficiency; or deconstruct and reconstruct the machine from the get-go. The RPED is able to scan the stock parts present in the machine.
Links to Other Departments
As the research director, you are the link between the captain, the heads of staff, and your researchers. R&D supplies technology to the other departments and receives supplies from the miners and quartermaster. When something strange happens--someone turns into a monkey, teleports without a device, or has illegal technology--it's your job to try to explain what just happened. Good luck.
Ordnance will be your best bet, with all those explosives you'll probably be able to hold the station hostage. You hold a lot of power, and at the same time, a decent amount of responsibility.
Less useful but still dangerous, robotics is a useful stopping point.
AI Laws
Who can Change Them?
Only the Captain and Research Director have permission to re-law the AI; However, both have equal power/say on the matter, and the Captain preferably should defer to the Research Director on this matter. The acting captain can re-law the AI in the case of rogue or Ion law situations. This does not extend to elective law changes.
How to change them
Changing the AI's laws is one of the most important things to know for a Research Director, this subsection will explain the basics:
- Start by either diagnosing the Ion Law or by choosing the law set replacing their current one.
- Enter the AI Upload after disabling the turrets and locate the 'Purge' AI Module, as well as in most Situations, the 'Default Silicon Laws' AI Module.
- Barring certain shift divergencies, the 'Default Silicon Laws' AI Module with always be sitting on a table in the open, the 'Purge' AI Module will always be locked behind the High-Risk Modules Windoor and will require assistance from either the Captain or any of the Silicons willing to open the Windoor for you. In particularly delicate situations however, the 'Purge" AI Module and other law boards can be printed at the Circuit Imprinter's in Research and Development.
- Determine which console is the AI Upload Console, or the Cyborg Upload Console if a Cyborg is in need of re-lawing and interact with it with an empty hand until the name of the Silicon you wish to re-law is confirmed as the target in the chat window.
- Following this, swipe the AI Upload Console with the 'Purge' AI Module, and follow it up with a swipe from the 'Default Silicon Laws' AI Module, unless the laws are being changed to another law-set.
- Place the boards back in their proper places and leave the Upload. Be sure to turn the turrets back on your way out to keep this secure area secure!
Tips
- Lamarr can be used for internals.
- You can restore dead AIs using the AI system integrity restorer consoles. There's one in the RD office, and one directly to the right of the AI foyer. When your AI dies, use an IntelliCard on the destroyed AI core and slot it into the console! Wow! You're a helpful little furless monkey!
- If you have an assistant or extra Science crew, give one a RPED full of parts for said machines and a screwdriver, and send them around the station, mainly to science, medical, and engineering. Places particularly in need of parts are xenobiology, robotics, genetics, the supermatter, and the incinerator if the atmos techs are using it.