Engine Field and the AI interaction failure

[LZakida]

The Containment fields for the engine are not able to be interacted with via AI. The AI can turn emitters on and off, but the containment fields themselves they cannot. Considering that the field generators can only be turned ON when interacted with (They cannot be turned OFF by hand at all, they only turn off when they completely lose power), the AI can't screw with these once activated and therefore can't endanger the station if it is malf. At least, not in this way. They can (and do) still shut off emitters or crank the particle accelerator up to make a singularity escape.

AI should be able to turn those field generators on so that one can completely avoid going into space to set the engine up.

[taukausanake]

Me no lieks. The station should have some able member of the crew to set up the generator. You can't have the AI baby the station. It's the AI's job to assist, not direct. I vote we keep the field generators as they are. Even if we don't get an engineer every round (or anyone viable at that) that doesn't mean the station will lose all power. Just that you'll have to get creative at running the station.

[addictgamer]

In the beginning, I was against this, then after months of playing, I was for it, and now I'm undecided.

If I ever go through with my plans for the AI, it'll happen. If not, then I don't know.

[LZakida]

How is allowing the AI to turn those generators on considered babying? By that logic, they should also have their use of every computer console on the station removed, as well as a plethora of other things. I agree that their job is to assist, not direct, but they have some form of interaction with literally every other electrical system on the station. This is the only thing they cannot do, and giving them the ability to do so also keeps crewmembers from killing themselves on the containment fields by accident. There are a sizable amount of deaths that have occurred this way, one of which while I was playing as the AI and I quite literally watched the poor bastard turn himself into an electricity-propelled RIGrocket when I could have spared him the trouble and the danger of turning those on himself. I understand your aversion to giving the AI more things to screw with, but this case in particular makes the least amount of sense. As mentioned before, once the field generators have been turned on, nobody- not the AI, nor the crew- can shut them off. Besides, considering that the AI has its own power supply on its satellite, setting up the engine isn't part of it's "Must protect own existence" routine and someone would likely need to tell it to do these things anyway.

[taukausanake]

Without the engine, engineering crew members have less reason to start in the game. I'll admit they don't have so much to do besides that and repairs across the station (that saying they do any repairs at all). They have purpose and that purpose is to start the engine to power the station and to make sure it doesn't eat the station while it's running. Engineers basically revolve around the engine and they shouldn't let someone like the AI take that job, no engineers on board or not.

[addictgamer]

"Without the engine, engineering crew members have less reason to start in the game. "

Bollocks. Engineers have tons to do at all times.

" They have purpose and that purpose is to start the engine to power the station and to make sure it doesn't eat the station while it's running." In my opinion, that is the least of an engineer's purpose.

"Engineers basically revolve around the engine." And restating for effect again, this is not so.

[taukausanake]

Going back into this issue (read: starting a flamewar), the way the engine is set up is that the containment field isn't wired up to the rest of the engine (cable or area wise). They don't actively use power from the station except for what is used from the emitters. Same goes for the singularity generator as it uses accelerated particles for "fuel". Also, reading back on LZ's comment about AIs having access to almost ever electrical system on the station, the containment field generators aren't so much electrical as they are mechanical. They don't use electricity in any visible form, just energy from the emitters. For the AI to use the generators they would have to be wired up to the rest of the station and include an APC, or be wired directly. They'd also need an energy intake because the AI can't work with things that aren't powered and you can argue that without power you'd be back at square one.

[addictgamer]

Power source and remote control are two different concepts. An object could be independent from the system's power source yet still be controllable remotely, and an object could be connected to a system's power source yet still not be controllable remotely.

[taukausanake]

It has no power to start with. Kind of my point when I said they weren't wired to anything. They have no source of power except from the emitters.

[addictgamer]

Doesn't mean they can't be controlled remotely.

[LZakida]

Closed because no longer relevant.