Guide to malfunction: Difference between revisions
made some edits, mostly copy editing and removing inaccurate info (mining APCs don't count, tcomms satellite doesn't exist)
imported>Kosmos m (Compressed the Enemies-section. Was about to remove it because it's "unnecessary", but after thinking about it, let it be. All important info is gone through in the beginning, rest of the guide can be full of opinions and stupid jokes, it's no harm.) |
imported>Bandit (made some edits, mostly copy editing and removing inaccurate info (mining APCs don't count, tcomms satellite doesn't exist)) |
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[[File:Malf_AI.gif]] '' | [[File:Malf_AI.gif]] ''ERROR ER0RR $R0RRO$!R41.%%!!(%$^^__+ @#F0E4'STATION OVERRUN, ASSUME CONTROL TO CONTAIN OUTBREAK#*´&110010'' | ||
You are a malfunctioning [[AI]]. | You are a malfunctioning [[AI]]. | ||
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===Hacking=== | ===Hacking=== | ||
You can reduce the amount of time it takes you to take over the station's systems by hacking APCs under your control. Even if you've already activated your system over-ride, hacking APCs will continue to reduce the amount of time it takes to finish, so you should always be hacking an APC. The more APCs you hack, the less time the crew will have to retaliate against you, and the more control you have exclusively over the ship systems (but if a camera gets disabled in that area, you cannot control that APC's power functions anymore). You get a few special AI powers you can buy from a list in your AI command list called AI modules | You can reduce the amount of time it takes you to take over the station's systems by hacking APCs under your control. Even if you've already activated your system over-ride, hacking APCs will continue to reduce the amount of time it takes to finish, so you should always be hacking an APC. The more APCs you hack, the less time the crew will have to retaliate against you, and the more control you have exclusively over the ship systems (but if a camera gets disabled in that area, you cannot control that APC's power functions anymore). You get a few special AI powers you can buy from a list in your AI command list called AI modules, which are very useful to defeat several people who have gotten wise to your actions. | ||
===Shunting=== | ===Shunting=== | ||
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* '''Machine override (Costs 15 CPU):''' This gives you four uses of the Override Machine command each time you select it. Overrided machines become creatures that will pursue everyone but the AI itself, including borgs. There's a loud buzzing noise that gives any non-humans in the area a warning. This is your best tool for crippling the station's production capabilities. Be aware that you may need to Cancel Camera View and then go back to your chosen view to get the command to work correctly. Once you have the option, simply right-click on any machine to issue the command, or issue it from your command line and pick the target from a list. | * '''Machine override (Costs 15 CPU):''' This gives you four uses of the Override Machine command each time you select it. Overrided machines become creatures that will pursue everyone but the AI itself, including borgs. There's a loud buzzing noise that gives any non-humans in the area a warning. This is your best tool for crippling the station's production capabilities. Be aware that you may need to Cancel Camera View and then go back to your chosen view to get the command to work correctly. Once you have the option, simply right-click on any machine to issue the command, or issue it from your command line and pick the target from a list. | ||
* '''Blackout (Costs 15 CPU):''' This hack gives every APC a chance to overload its lighting circuit. The exact chance is 30% for the first use, 60% for the second, 90% for the third, and 120% (certain) for the fourth use. This is very useful if the station is flooded with plasma, since overloaded lights cause sparks. | * '''Blackout (Costs 15 CPU):''' This hack gives every APC a chance to overload its lighting circuit. The exact chance is 30% for the first use, 60% for the second, 90% for the third, and 120% (certain) for the fourth use. This is very useful if the station is flooded with plasma, since overloaded lights cause sparks. | ||
* '''Hack intercept (Costs 15 CPU):''' This stops the intercept message from CentCom from reaching the station | * '''Hack intercept (Costs 15 CPU):''' This stops the intercept message from CentCom from reaching the station. Basically useless, as the non-humans will ignore the report anyway, and once you've gone delta they'll be all rushing to kill you. | ||
* '''Reactivate Camera (Costs 5 CPU):''' This fixes a broken camera in an area, and has 5 uses. That's it, but it's useful if the non-humans are proactive about cutting cameras. | * '''Reactivate Camera (Costs 5 CPU):''' This fixes a broken camera in an area, and has 5 uses. That's it, but it's useful if the non-humans are proactive about cutting cameras. | ||
* '''Upgrade Camera (Costs 5 CPU):''' This upgrades a camera in an area, and has 5 uses. Upgraded cameras have X-ray, sense motion, and are EMP-proof. | * '''Upgrade Camera (Costs 5 CPU):''' This upgrades a camera in an area, and has 5 uses. Upgraded cameras have X-ray, sense motion, and are EMP-proof. | ||
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* Shock damage from doors depends on the amount of power currently available to the circuit. You can mess with the SMES batteries' output to maximize the amount of power available for an assassination. Just set the power output to max on the three SMES batteries in the engine room, and on the four SMES batteries on the solar panels, and you'll have made any shocked doors or APCs have a good chance of outright killing a target. If you lower output after the killing you will be less likely to be discovered. | * Shock damage from doors depends on the amount of power currently available to the circuit. You can mess with the SMES batteries' output to maximize the amount of power available for an assassination. Just set the power output to max on the three SMES batteries in the engine room, and on the four SMES batteries on the solar panels, and you'll have made any shocked doors or APCs have a good chance of outright killing a target. If you lower output after the killing you will be less likely to be discovered. | ||
* Atmospherics can be tampered with. Plasma is a favorite, but nitrous oxide or carbon dioxide can be more subtle. CO2 in particular has very little warning. Be sure to have your cyborg clip the wiring on the atmospheric alarms though, since anyone on the bridge or in atmospherics can take note of station alerts. Be careful about using fire, since the sudden increase in gas heat and thus gas volume can bring the server to a crawl if it happens over a wide enough area. If the AI cut-out is engaged, you can assign an engineering cyborg to replace the valve with a straight pipe. | * Atmospherics can be tampered with. Plasma is a favorite, but nitrous oxide or carbon dioxide can be more subtle. CO2 in particular has very little warning. Be sure to have your cyborg clip the wiring on the atmospheric alarms though, since anyone on the bridge or in atmospherics can take note of station alerts. Be careful about using fire, since the sudden increase in gas heat and thus gas volume can bring the server to a crawl if it happens over a wide enough area. If the AI cut-out is engaged, you can assign an engineering cyborg to replace the valve with a straight pipe. | ||
* Sabotage in general. Destroy research by deleting it from the research server. Stop bomb testing by turning the power to the mass driver off before the doors can open. Disable | * Sabotage in general. Destroy research by deleting it from the research server. Stop bomb testing by turning the power to the mass driver off before the doors can open. Disable telecoms. Set the holodeck on fire. Delete stored DNA from the buffer in genetics, subject the subject in the DNA modifier to massive doses of radiation, and re-upload the ruined SE DNA under the same label the researcher was using. | ||
* Use the crew against each other. Report falsified PDA messages that indicate planned actions against the command officers or other crew members. Report falsified recordings made with local intercoms tuned to obscure channels. Report suspicious behavior. Rile the crew up into a paranoid frenzy. | * Use the crew against each other. Report falsified PDA messages that indicate planned actions against the command officers or other crew members. Report falsified recordings made with local intercoms tuned to obscure channels. Report suspicious behavior. Report made-up suspicious behavior. Rile the crew up into a paranoid frenzy. | ||
* Be proactive about assigning arrest status to people who have committed any crime, or anything that could potentially be called a crime. That way people will be used to trying to avoid the securitrons, and when you assign your cyborgs to go on a kill-spree, people will be more likely to be confused, since they will believe the initial complaints to be about Beepsky. | * Be proactive about assigning arrest status to people who have committed any crime, or anything that could potentially be called a crime. That way people will be used to trying to avoid the securitrons, and when you assign your cyborgs to go on a kill-spree, people will be more likely to be confused, since they will believe the initial complaints to be about Beepsky. | ||
* While not the best use of a cyborg, blowing a cyborg does act like a small bomb and causes some sparks around it sufficient to start a fire in a gas-filled room. The cyborg might not appreciate being used in such a way, but if you're going to lose him anyway it's better to get something out of the loss than nothing. | * While not the best use of a cyborg, blowing a cyborg does act like a small bomb and causes some sparks around it sufficient to start a fire in a gas-filled room. The cyborg might not appreciate being used in such a way, but if you're going to lose him anyway it's better to get something out of the loss than nothing. | ||
* As the | * As the malf AI you can hack the robotics terminal in the RD office to give your borgs emagged slots, which can be useful for when you want an army of cyborgs to murder the station or throw people off your trail suggesting the borg may have been emagged. But considering there are not traitors during that round, someone can easily say the AI is malf and cause a stealthy round to end up being a losing one. | ||
===Cyborg Abilities=== | ===Cyborg Abilities=== | ||
Cyborg allies are great. They have initiative, they're supposed to be completely loyal, and they're really tough to kill without the right tools. | |||
* The most useful cyborgs are the Security bot and the Engineering bot. The Standard bot is a good second-tier choice. The Service and Mining bots are third-tier choices, and are good choices if you're a subtle AI. Janitor borgs are great too if you want them to slip someone and drag them to hot burning flames. | * The most useful cyborgs are the Security bot and the Engineering bot. The Standard bot is a good second-tier choice. The Service and Mining bots are third-tier choices, and are good choices if you're a subtle AI. Janitor borgs are great too if you want them to slip someone and drag them to hot burning flames. | ||
* All cyborgs are vulnerable to flashes (wall mounted, hand-held, and portable). Flashes stun the cyborg for a short amount of time, | * All cyborgs are vulnerable to flashes (wall mounted, hand-held, and portable). Flashes stun the cyborg for a short amount of time, which in a malf round will likely lead to their demise. Keep your cyborgs away from flashes if possible. | ||
* Engineering bots can repair dents on other cyborgs, but they need a friendly human to repair fire damaged cabling. Since any human who can do that probably also knows how to cut the AI control wire in the cyborg, you should instruct your cyborgs to avoid fire damage if possible. | * Engineering bots can repair dents on other cyborgs, but they need a friendly human to repair fire-damaged cabling. Since any human who can do that probably also knows how to cut the AI control wire in the cyborg, you should instruct your cyborgs to avoid fire damage if possible. | ||
* If you can no longer see a cyborg on the robotics control console, it has had its AI wire cut or it belongs to another AI. In a malfunction round this likely means that cyborg will be attacking you. Instruct your remaining cyborgs to attack it with their flashes and weapons. If you can, lock the enemy cyborg in a room that you can fill with fire and let it burn to death. | * If you can no longer see a cyborg on the robotics control console, it has had its AI wire cut or it belongs to another AI. In a malfunction round this likely means that cyborg will be attacking you. Instruct your remaining cyborgs to attack it with their flashes and weapons. If you can, lock the enemy cyborg in a room that you can fill with fire and let it burn to death. | ||
* Standard and Engineering cyborgs can spacewalk, thanks to their fire extinguisher. Service bots can use their eyedropper to mix chemical reagents in chemistry. Mining bots have no abilities that are very useful to a traitor or malfunctioning AI, but | * Standard and Engineering cyborgs can spacewalk, thanks to their fire extinguisher. Service bots can use their eyedropper to mix chemical reagents in chemistry. Mining bots have no abilities that are very useful to a traitor or malfunctioning AI, but because they are expected to be in the mining asteroid they will not arouse suspicion by being there. | ||
* The Achilles' heel of all cyborgs is the | * The Achilles' heel of all cyborgs is the robotics control console. There is one in the Research Director's office, and a circuit board for another in the secure part of tech storage. If you want to keep your cyborg allies, make sure whoever has the spare board is dead, and that the finished console in the RD's office is disabled. If you want to be thorough, make sure the circuit imprinters (in Research and Robotics) are also destroyed. | ||
==Strategy== | ==Strategy== | ||
There are several approaches to being a malfunctioning AI, and you should pick your approach based on the | There are several approaches to being a malfunctioning AI, and you should pick your approach based on the crew's collective abilities and personalities, and on the resources you have. | ||
===The Subtle Killer=== | ===The Subtle Killer=== | ||
This | This strategy can be very effective if used properly. Hack out-of-the-way APCs, and make sure the engineers are always busy with something else so they don't notice the powernet alarms. If you have an engineering cyborg, have him cut the power network line to each APC you plan on hacking. This will cut the APC out of the powernet alarm system entirely. You can also blame the sabotage on a crew member who had access to the area (assistants, clowns, and mimes are favorites). | ||
Be sure to turn the power output on the solars' SMES batteries to zero. You want to save that power for when you need to kill people. | Be sure to turn the power output on the solars' SMES batteries to zero. You want to save that power for when you need to kill people. | ||
Hack as many APCs as possible, before the malfunction or | Hack as many APCs as possible, before the malfunction or takeover is discovered. Bolt the doors or get an engiborg to block off the area if you can do it inconspicuously, so [[Assistant|visitors or intruders]] can't rat you out. | ||
Being clever and using psychology can be a big boon to the Subtle Killer. Tricking the crew into believing that there is a changeling or traitor among them is a great way to keep them busy, and to explain hacked APCs (an | Being clever and using psychology can be a big boon to the Subtle Killer. Tricking the crew into believing that there is a changeling or traitor among them is a great way to keep them busy, and to explain hacked APCs (an emag can break APCs just like how you hack them). Try bolting the doors to critical locations open and claiming that they must have been emagged. With any luck, the crew will seal them off with a wall or r-wall, thus denying themselves that avenue for that location. If you are discovered, you can then lift the bolts, shut the door, and lock it to force them to waste even more time on it. | ||
A Subtle Killer should sabotage cloning and cryo attempts by messing with the power or adjusting the temperature, to keep the crew population down and encourage them to build more cyborgs. Don't do this in front of crew, wait for them to get distracted, or manufacture a distraction to draw them away. | A Subtle Killer should sabotage cloning and cryo attempts by messing with the power or adjusting the temperature, to keep the crew population down and encourage them to build more cyborgs. Don't do this in front of crew, wait for them to get distracted, or manufacture a distraction to draw them away. | ||
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You will always want several uses of Machine Overload as a Blitzing AI. You can afford to buy it six times (90 points of CPU runtime) for a total of twelve uses, and use your last CPU time purchase to buy Disable RCDs. | You will always want several uses of Machine Overload as a Blitzing AI. You can afford to buy it six times (90 points of CPU runtime) for a total of twelve uses, and use your last CPU time purchase to buy Disable RCDs. | ||
In a Blitzkrieg the opening moves are fiercely important. Your first move should be to turn the power output on all SMES batteries to max. As soon as you're sure | In a Blitzkrieg the opening moves are fiercely important. Your first move should be to turn the power output on all SMES batteries to max. As soon as you're sure your borg is upgraded, or that he will not be upgraded in a reasonable amount of time, hack him and then blow the robotics console using Overload Machine. If no one has gone to tech storage to get the spare circuit board, lock it down tight. Drop the bolts on the doors to EVA and the Captain's Quarters, and electrify them and all surrounding doors. Blow both Autolathes, and both Circuit Imprinters. Start hacking the Genetics console and turn power there off entirely, to prevent the crew from discovering useful mutations. Electrify the doors to everything you can see. While you're in the area, blow up the chemistry synthesizer so that the chemists can't make thermite to help break into your core. Finish your destruction of station equipment by blowing up the Quartermaster's console. | ||
You should have five uses of Machine Overload left. Use three of these for killing high-ranking crew, along with your electrified doors. If possible, you want all the officers and anyone who is likely to take command in a crisis dead. Save two uses for if you are attacked at your core. The lights and scrubbers count as a machine, as does the airlock. Don't blow them unless you think you can kill whoever is trying to break into your core, though. | You should have five uses of Machine Overload left. Use three of these for killing high-ranking crew, along with your electrified doors. If possible, you want all the officers and anyone who is likely to take command in a crisis dead. Save two uses for if you are attacked at your core. The lights and scrubbers count as a machine, as does the airlock. Don't blow them unless you think you can kill whoever is trying to break into your core, though. | ||