Hey everyone, new guy here and I’ve been having a ton of fun on the server. One of my favorite roles in the shipside RP role, the Corporate Liaison. Great role with plenty of possibilities but it suffers from a couple of problems. The first is faxes. Most of the time you won’t get a response, and to me that’s fine. The Admin or whoever reading it is not required to respond. What I would like is some sort of feature at least telling me my fax is being read. Just sending faxes out into the void without any reaction what-so-ever can get discouraging, especially when you feel like you wrote something good. It wouldn’t have to be much, just a chatbox popup or a light that changes color on the fax. Green light-Approved, Red-suggestion rejected, grey-read but undetermined or no response necessary. Just knowing that they’re being read at all would be enough to keep me typing them up. 2nd is things to do. The CL really doesn’t have much to contribute material wise. I understand, the CL is a bureaucrat meaning you have influence but not direct power. As it stands you have no influence either, with your power tied to rare admin intervention most departments have no reason to humor your requests outside of RP, and mostly you’re treated as a nuisance. Giving the CL more of his own resources means less reliance on admins and more room for improv. Give him his on mini-supply console, vendor or techweb. Similar to the briefcase but more impactful. Marine brings you artifacts or gifts? Order that marine better weapons or armor. Req or research being friendly? Give the CL an ability to boost supply points or speed up a key research project by small increments. Nothing gamebreaking but at least something that encourages friendly relations and changes the CL from a source of RP to a productive, if sketchy and suspicious crewmember. And again, thanks for the games everyone.
Only reasons admins don’t reply is because anything that involves CL will most likely require an admin event authorisation which takes along time to do as said by nessie in OOC.
On that minib techweb/ASRS, I think most CLs would just distribute the rewards freely instead of RPing that out? And on the faxes, don’t focus too much on them, while you should send them regulary it isn’t necessary to sit next to the fax machine and send a copypasted form which is four times as long as the actual message every two minutes. Recently CLs got the ability to buy PMCs or lawyers from their briefcase added too, so you have something to threaten people with even without support from admins.
CL used to be able to give research grants which would allow them to access higher tier chems, given that research receives it’s equipment off W-Y i don’t see why CL can’t give research some sheet of paper allowing them to get credits.
Your job is to entertain yourself and ghosts with faxes and shenanigans.
The role will never have cool stuff because loser explicits will power game the living fuck out of the role. Same reason it will never get a bodyguard despite it being such a fking cool idea.
To address the other points thus far, you could hand out goodies to the crew at random but it would make more sense to me at least to use them as leverage, something to try and prod the crew into doing something you want them to do. You can buy a team of lawyers and a Single W-Y security officer to serve as your bodyguard and those are great additions. But like was stated the admins still have to okay them, so on lowpop or at odd hours it doesn’t always happen. I tend to use the bodyguard as more of an evac in case of Hijack, mostly because nobody is really gunning for the CL and if the marines want me dead one bodyguard isn’t going to stop them. I don’t really have an answer to the powergaming possibilities, but if it was excessive or a recurring issue I suppose they could be job banned. I do like the PR idea of recruiting people, but it probably wouldn’t be marines in the middle of an operation. And as for faxes I hope the people reading them like them, but during a round I have no idea. Hence giving the CL a blackberry or pager where the the admin can push a button to generate an automated response, yes, no, maybe later, that sort of thing. I don’t know if automation like that is possible, if not then it’s understandable. I don’t believe I’m entitled to my fun events at others expense, my only concern is the CL not being forgotten about and forced to roam maints like some sort of leper or getting his ass whooped by people in departments too busy to want to put up with your mischief.
In regards to liaisons that find a way to abuse mechanics, I am also in favor of them getting noted/banned from the role.
I would also like to see the implementation of a way for liaisons to SLIGHTLY increase Req supply/DS printer supply/help Research if they wish. They should also have the option to remove that assistance should things go south.
Other ideas/QOL improvements:
-A fax backpack like the CCs.
-A radio telephone backpack (oversized 80s phone).
-The ability to make a command announcement once every 15 minutes from their briefcase. They could use it to advertise WY products, admonish the marines, place a bounty on Pred artifacts, etc.
-Have the briefcase start at full points instead of 75% or whatever.
-The addition of a second WY comms channel. Sometimes CLs have two schemes running at once.
-Add a uniform vendor instead of the overflowing closet. Seriously, there are so many items in it they can’t all fit so some stay outside when the closet is closed.
-A pet cat. Other shipside roles (I am looking at you MTs) would want to buy/steal it which would promote RP situations.
-Re-add shipside cameras to the CL’s camera console. Then they can spy on people from their office again.
-Add a television in one of the CL’s rooms. That way they can watch the CC’s live broadcast.
-Give them a kevlar padded suit (uniform slot).
-At the beginning of the op, liaisons can choose a specialty (assignment to a WY Division?). They receive item/s based on their choice. Like a pamphlet that gives them basic leadership skill or first level in construction/engineering. I’m sure other people can think of more things.
-A way for liaisons to view helmet cameras that does NOT include other overwatch functions. This would be a valuable tool for them to see the progress of the operation.
-A selection of hats. Include a PMC cap and top hat.