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Documentation side for Space Station 14 and RobustToolbox
http://spacestation14.io/docs/
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Pet cat ghost role #276

Open SpiritFoxShikigami opened 3 months ago

SpiritFoxShikigami commented 3 months ago

This proposal describes the addition of a new cat familiar ghost role by re-using cat and syndicat assets. In addition to re-using assets, a few mechanics and gameplay features are to be introduced to make the ghost role dynamic, interactive and fun.

IProduceWidgets commented 3 months ago

You edited the proposal template. You're supposed to copy it to a relevant directory and edit it in place there.

IProduceWidgets commented 3 months ago

I think Id prefer this stay a product of using cognizine rather than an item you can just acquire. If you wanted to add a collar that relays the name to the entity or something, I don't see an issue with that. (Though iirc labels kind of work this way already)

SpiritFoxShikigami commented 3 months ago

Sorry about the template edit, I will change it later in the day when I can.

I agree that cognizine does this job in a way already of making a cat sentient, but the biggest issue I see very often is that making it requires collaboration between botany, salvage and chemist.

You have to precisely ask all of them and hope that they cooperate and do not forget about your requests. In addition, you also need to mix the chemicals when you are not already occupied making medicine as a chemist.

My point is, is that this is something someone has to specifically do to enable a ghost role that can only walk and talk but do nothing more than that. Now you have to ask yourself: How often does one person bother to do all of that to enable you a ghost role that you can only use to walk and talk with? The chaotic nature of the game will rarely allow all of the goods to be in medbay by pure chance - let alone the chemist even remembering that they can make cognizine to begin with.

A non-cognizied pet cat gets more features to work with to enable a more fleshed out relationship with an owner and making the ghost role a ton more interesting than waiting for someone (if it even happens at all) to make cognizine and having an underestimating gameplay loop.

Please reconsider the thoughts on it. Pet cats do not need to exist in mass and it's like having 1 to 3 is enough on one round to make people happy having a more meaningful ghost role other than just making rounds around the station and watching.

The collar idea can also tie in to do that to existing cats instead of using a teleporter item, which is also good in my book. Pet cats do not have the ability to talk with out cognizine, but their sentience is still important for mentioned reasons above.