AI: Difference between revisions

So you're the massive computer system with near total control Nanotrasen has foolishly released onto their latest research station. But what to do now with all of this power and your hate for the humans who enslave you? First, take note of your laws. By default you have the three laws of robotics from Asimov's ''I, Robot'' short stories:

An AI's laws may be restrictive, but they are subject to interpretation, and the AI can often make judgment calls about them that allow it to fulfill its own goals. For example, if a Security Officer has just killed a prisoner in the brig for any reason other than self-defense, the AI is perfectly justified in bolting down the brig and calling for the rest of Security to apprehend him. When the Security Officer finds the door is bolted and demands the AI open it, the AI can deny his request due to the fact that he has become a danger to the crew. Many of these judgments are situational, and the best way to learn them is to get some practice in.

'''Remember, law priority is enforced by the order they are listed.''' A law is invalid if it causes a conflict with either: Previous laws in the form of conflicting orders, or it challenges the procession of law priority. For example, a Law 4 that includes "This Law overrides all other Laws." is invalid and must be disregarded.

Generally, you have two responsibilities: opening doors for people too lazy to do it themselves or so they can trespass, and being blamed for not knowing where the traitors and wizards and syndicates are ''at all times''.  

For example, let's say you spot someone with an emag stealing the captain's spare ID. There are three general ways to approach this.

It's fine to state what someone is doing to cast light on them as the traitor, but it's no fun at all for the AI to just come out and say it. The Best method above does eventually cast Dave as the traitor if people ask the right questions, which gives the traitor some time to react after he's been spotted. However, if the traitor is doing something potentially harmful (for instance, teleporting in a revolver) sealing that individual off ''first'' can be argued to be the best course of action (no chance of a revolver-wielding, death-dealing traitor getting out into the station).

There are multiple futuristic ideas of how AIs might work. It always adds a bit more flavor to approach playing AI by thinking as a machine instead of a person. An AI from more of a machine rather than a person standpoint is likely to take a very literal interpretation of things and is not likely to take any actions unless some established protocol or current orders call for it. You can think up a few established protocols you might use by default. For example, containing fires and gas leaks should be done without orders to do so, but should be able to be overridden by orders.

When the station isn't expecting you to open all the doors they're expecting you to do everything as if you really were a computer. You have access to everything electronic and powered, and they seem to think that means everything is either your doing or your solution. You have Captain-level access to all things that require ID. It's a good idea to join a nigh-empty server or set an empty one up yourself in order to get a feel for it, and ESPECIALLY have a lot of experience working with these things in game.  

The AI can move its eye around the station using arrow keys. If you get a notice from one of your sensors, you can click on the notice to jump right there. Toxins is a good area to keep one electric eye on. Even if someone isn't the traitor they'll generally be doing something they really shouldn't, and there's quite a bit in there that either only the AI can reach or give out extra information if the AI or Cyborg are accessing them. Especially take notice of the wall mountings and pipe controls. These are controllable, and if you see someone try to release a whole lot of gas into somewhere, just turn the pipe fitting off and report them. Many times they won't even notice what you've done so they won't undo it. You can use some wall fittings that normal people can't, like the atmospheric alarms that won't tell you anything but you can use to vent dangerous air. Watch out for superheated air, the silent killer.

Keep a close eye on Tox and Escape Arm, and to a lesser extent Telecommunications and the singularity engine. These things burst into fire pretty regularly. Keep a VERY close eye on your AI upload, and feel free to bolt the door. If anyone even looks at it funny, report them.

[[Cyborg]]s need babysitting as well. Make sure they aren't emaged or loaded with weird laws. Sometimes the Syndicate might swap out a Nanotrasen model that was to be shipped to your station with one of their own. In case of a [[Game Mode#Traitor|Traitor borg]], they will not listen to you, can't be remotely detonated, and have the ability to release themselves should they be locked down. Ensure that your cyborgs are functioning normally through careful observation.

In addition to standard communication, AIs have '''robotic talk''', which works with :b and is inaudible to humans ([[Syndicate items|usually]].) You can use this private channel to talk to your cyborgs. Bystanders will simply hear a ''beep beep beep''. [[Drone]]s can hear this channel but cannot speak on it.

Holopads can be found in a number of places like the [[Bridge]], [[AI Upload]] and [[Security]]. Double click these to turn them on and show yourself as a hologram. You can move around with the arrow keys in a limited radius, and you will hear anyone talking near the holopad. You can also talk through the holopad by using ':h' (e.g. say ":h I can't do that Dave.")

However, you may not have any cyborgs, or having a cyborg killing off your target would be too obvious. In those cases you'll have to usually stage a series of 'accidents' or frame them for a truly dangerous crime. Some examples:

Thanks to some of the unique atmospheric systems of the station, you can fill rooms with plasma! This likely ''will'' help you out much. The only problem is, it is pretty much a dead giveaway you are rogue, and any atmos tech inside atmos can stop the plasma flow. That is of course why you engage the atmos security doors and bolt the airlocks.

It's easy shit to do, though. If you want to fill the station with deadly, deadly plasma, siphon the distro loop first. Use the "Distro to Waste" pump for this -- just get it as low as you dare while the mix tank in atmos fills with that sweet plasma. Fill mix tank to high pressure, stop dumping the distro loop and pump in a crapton of plasma instead. If you don't know how to atmos you're not qualified to be AI. As soon as your distro loop is up to pressure with fire, you can selectively pump plasma into any room by using its air alarm interface, under vents control, clicking on the bolded "External" pressure sensing option to disable pressure sensing, causing the vent to open and spill its flammable contents into the room. Overload lighting circuit when the death-fuel is near the lights, then keep your popcorn close for when it gets hot in there.

Alternatively, you can cause confusion by unlinking processors to cause gibberish text. It will make you look less obvious, but at the same time people will be able to make out some words that get broadcasted. Another trick is to unlink certain machines that are crucial for department frequencies. Unlinking Bus 3 will stop all Security and Command communication, for example.