Better Robotics (and more useful INT-based characters)

Right now, there are quite a few craftable robots, which can be used in indirect combat (for example, deploying a manhack as a weak character. It does work for you, and fits well with RP). I’ll try to implement some simple, craftable robots, which can be upgraded (a 4-wheeled robot which holds a MP5 and has a targeting system: supposing you have the gun, you can build the robot, assuming you have 4 motors, 4 wheels and other stuff I’ll mention). This way, characters which focus on INT and Electronics/Mechanics have a chance to survive.

To reinforce this, the Computers skill can be expanded, by making a working version of the laptop, where you can code stuff, if you have enough skill: you can create AI’s for your robots, the hacking system for the control laptop, or you can decompile the useless vanilla USB programs to raise your Computers skill (like reading from a book, but you’d need more INT for that).

Even more, you could “upload” your mind into a robot (assuming it has corresponding hardware and software to house it). Such pre-build robots could be found in Science Labs, and, if you have enough Computers, Electronics, First Aid skill and good INT (around 16), you could transfer your consciousness into a robot (think those like FO4 synths). You’d lose your physical traits (like Bad Knees, Smelly), keep the mental traits (like Pacifist, Schizophrenic), you’d be unable to feel pain (assuming your robot doesn’t have a pain module; you could try to disable some modules, at the risk of wrecking the robot), and your stats change (more or less STR (depending on the robot’s motors and servos), INT (you’ll end up with a “slower” mind if you have a 1 GHz CPU…), PER (you’ll have to adapt to the new body, but you’ll have (possibly) more advanced sensors) and DEX (maybe the robot’s systems can’t calibrate fine movements)). Building such a robot or a upload system could be impossible, so you’ll have to find them in Science Labs. You could cannibalize parts of the robots and fuse them together to build the best version you’d like, of course. The robot could have it’s own traits: Noisy Motors, Plated Armor, Night Vision etc. (which would work like bionics). You’d ask what would be the difference between this and bionics: You’d gain HP and stats through this procedure, and you’d be able to mount more advanced parts (like tracks, if you get bored of legs; become a tank bot!). You could even escape death, if you have a wireless module, which transfers your consciousness to another robot in case yours gets destroyed (extremely hard to code, I think). Of course, no physical burdens, like hunger, thirst etc.

I can implement the first part (with the MP5 bots; just JSON work, they’d have the Security Bots AI with some tweaks). The second part could be more tricky (I’ll try to make an “upload” class for “player.h”, which is called whenever you access the upload system. You lose all bionics, mutations, and the mentioned types of traits, you no longer suffer from physical effects like hunger, pain, diseases etc., and you gain the robot’s traits, dictated by it’s parts).

Please tell me what you think about these suggestions. Not lore-friendly at all (and not coder-friendly), but they could make INT-based characters actually viable.

I am %100 on board an expansion of the capabilities of INT focused characters early game, as well as the broadening of the computers skill. Starting with more robot followers/drones seems like a good idea.

The transfer of consciousness thing I’m less enthused about (although I think it would work great for Coolthulu’s bright nights conversion):

It sounds like a huge system to implement, in a game with lots of huge systems that haven’t quite been balanced in relation to either themselves or to the other systems (at least from what I’ve gathered lurking here and on Github). Perhaps I’m wrong, I’m no dev, and haven’t even messed with JSON’s.

All in all though, I’m for more robots, more computers, more and better hacking. If it were possible to get a low strength, low dex, high int character to be able to turtle up and send out a remote turret on treads to do the looting for them that would be awesome.

There was briefly a mod that did something like this (Jury-rigged robots) in the lab but it was rendered unusable by some core code changes and never updated, the same fate that befalls most mods.

I don’t think it’s a bad idea, with good electronics knowledge you can make a remote controlled robot, which would be hella useful for dealing with relatively stupid enemies. For the RC robots I’d like to focus on tiers of robots, with increasing skill and component requirements. For the brain upload thing, that would simply be a lab special, it’s certainly not completely outside the bounds of super-science we’ve already established, but each robot body would probably be unique and unrepairable, and the way it works would have to be hard-coded.

What we already have is a RC car that you can strap a bomb to and detonate, I feel like the next step up would be a RC car with a gun on it that can blind fire, succesive versions would have more carrying capacity. A more advanced version would attach a camera to the sight and allow aimed firing. Effectively upgrading to an automatic turret that can fire is of course the next step, and at the same time vehicle turrets would have similar requirements for aiming.

This isn’t actually much of a balance problem IMO, instead it would present an opportunity to add some requirements and resource drain around existing turrets, which are pretty much as bad for balance as these would be.

I love it!
Conscious uploading could also lead to building some interesting quests and characters, and could easily expand lore as opposed to being a detriment to it!!! (In my noob opinion)

Thanks for the feedback!

I’ll try to code some stuff with RC (possibly include an upgrading system for the RC car to transfer your view to it…?), but, until then, I’m sure I can finish some automated robots (JSON work) and the better laptop part. When it’s done, I’ll post it in the mod section, and remind you here.

I’m all for this, It would add more depth to electronics and computer skills.
Mechanics and Fabrication have been a bit of a hog with constructions vehicles/etc.

Becoming a posthuman robot with an artificial brain would be a neat endgame goal. Could be built onto the mutations system, or the bionics, or both.