Shipside Crew Uniform Standardization

[staykeu]

Hello. I plan on standardizing uniforms for shipside crew, specifically condensing the uniforms into two. Officers of all departments will now get the Marine Operations Uniform as standard, enlisted men will get the USCM uniform squad marines get.

The point of this post is to collect information on popular opinion, so don’t be afraid to speak your mind. If your idea/opinion sucks I’ll just ignore it anyway so it’s okay .

The information I need from you all may dictate what is used, but before I get into that, I want to state the purpose of this change.

1. Uniformity is beauty. Different roles will not be separated by different skittle-colored uniforms, but by the gear that sits upon their uniforms.
2. It is far easier to maintain two uniforms rather than two billion.
3. Contrary to popular believe, restriction breeds creativity. You will have to think about how to make yourself look unique with the parameters the game will set for you.

I have a few examples of what these uniforms could look like attached below, browse at your leisure.

Now, onto the purpose of this post.

Firstly, as was brought up to me by Joooks, some people (specifically doctor mains) most likely wouldn’t like their M&M cosplays being removed, so I was offered an alternative. Keep the rainbow scrubs in auxiliary (limited storage inside a locker) for anyone that would like to rummage around and use them. They’re meant to be out of the way, I don’t want the purpose of this PR to be removed so easily.

I have a counter proposal, the way it’s looking, the standard surgical cover is most likely going to be replaced with a map-specific camo one. These caps were also made with uniforms in tow, so I could either…

1. Make the standard uniform for doctors specifically the map-specific camo scrubs (fair warning, most of the camo palettes are ugly as fuck).
2. Make the standard uniform the Marine Operations Uniform (USCM Uniform for nurses) (my original intention) and have the map-specific scrubs as an auxiliary option in the ColMarTech vendors alongside the doctor/nurse’s specific uniform.
3. Make it so if you have the job specification of “surgeon”, you are equipped with scrubs rather than an operations uniform. Logistically, marine doctors would only wear scrubs during surgical operations, but it would be too much of a pain to be constantly swapping between scrubs and the uniform, so for gameplay purposes it would just be the standard for surgeons specifically.

I’ve already decided what I want to do with surgical caps, the questionnaire above is just for the uniform. If you have a different idea, run it by me.

Secondly, I want to standardize the colors used by maintenance technicians. The CE will use a white reflective vest and helmet, while maint techs will use either orange or yellow. I would like to get some opinion on which color to use. So, tell me, yellow or orange reflective gear?

P.S. The current SO/XO uniform is also being updated to the ops uniform, the service charlies will be regulated to the snowflake vendor for events that require a more ceremonious garb. I’m not touching CO. Don’t @ me.

Below are a few conceptual pictures on how this could look. I had the idea of also implementing role-specific patches, no work has been done on this yet, however.

A link to the design doc can be found here. Please keep in mind that this is in the very early stages, everything is subject to change.

Shipside Crew Uniform Standardization Design Scope

Despite my teasing above, try to be civil; I’m not here to ruin your favorite dress up game.

[Seabass390 (Landon 'Hatman' Hughes)]

This won’t stop me. I’m going to grow out a ponytail and a full beard and dye it neon orange with purple frosted tips.

Great idea. I support this, especially the third point where restriction breeds creativity. Your boy tucked orange bungie cords into the back of his helmet band to differentiate that that was MY kevlar, so nobody else would grab it and it would be easy to know who stole my shit. I also tucked a folded American Flag onto the rear of my shoulder strap (to differentiate my armor). Uniformity can be bent into creative ways that still portray realism/uniqueness.

Morale patches are a thing, and they will forever be a thing and no amount of AR-670-1 will stop us.

Generation Kill - Moustache Hair

[DukeofCagliostro (Archibald V. Cartwright)]

@staykeu

Secondly, I want to standardize the colors used by maintenance technicians. The CE will use a white reflective vest and helmet, while maint techs will use either orange or yellow. I would like to get some opinion on which color to use. So, tell me, yellow or orange reflective gear?

Orange would be the superior choice.

[pugie]

If the surplus doctor uniforms look like this, then I am on board

[MrMoon]

they should be an option alongside what we have, making it mandatory would just remove life from the game and the ability to look unique

[staykeu]

they as in the scrubs or the uniforms in general? also remove the 30 minute delay ts some ass

[darkace8708]

Agreed. Everyone looking nearly identical is boring.

[ReqMain (Dan Sullivan)]

If you take away my QM jacket so help me god

[staykeu]

i dont plan to

Again, the purpose of the PR is to solely replace the uniforms, nothing else aside from a few hats to match the color scheme

[MistChristmas]

The only thing I don’t like about it is the split for officers and enlisted.

Also
Re-style MPs

[kooarbiter]

honestly? I kinda dig the

uniformity. If people wanted more uniqueness, we could go with star trek and have color coded pauldron attachments for each department.

[staykeu]

@kooarbiter

If people wanted more uniqueness, we could go with star trek and have color coded pauldron attachments for each department.

It was brought up to me the possibility of colored the sleeves of uniforms for each department, which I’ll certainly keep in mind. The thing that’s at the forefront of my brain for department uniqueness is patches. I’ll likely have the squad patch be modified to represent departments as well, though I would love specific styled patches for each department.

[Arbs (The real Alan Jones maybe? Perhaps?)]

I like the idea of universalizing the uniforms, and keeping the existing uniforms as an alternative in the vendors/lockers.

The uniforms are already standardized for most roles such as command and squad marines. The remaining roles are quite frankly engineering, cargo and MP departments. However if you could bring it all to a clean slate based on the current ops and uscm uniforms, with variations on the sleeves or such, it would be awesome.

Adding some kind of identifiers for departments, such as patches or colored bands on the sleeves (brassards for MPs) and hud icons to differentiate without having to produce different variations of current uniforms would also be helpful.

For the engineering department, there could be some flavoring based on actual standards from industry field for the headwear and vests available.

For hardhats:

• White: Site managers, foremen, engineers, supervisors, or architects.
• Yellow: General laborers and earth-moving operators.
• Blue: Electricians, carpenters, and other technical trades.
• Green: Safety inspectors, new hires, or trainees.
• Orange: Road crews, traffic marshals, and lifting operators.
• Red: Fire marshals, emergency personnel, or specialized safety roles.
• Brown: Welders and workers in high-heat applications.
• Grey: Site visitors.

And for vests we can have 3 main variations available in vendors:

• Fluorescent Yellow-Green: Often preferred for high contrast against varied backgrounds.
• Fluorescent Orange-Red: Commonly used for roadwork and construction.
• Fluorescent Red: Ideal for signaling or emergency personnel.
• Reflective Material: Must include reflective silver or yellow

Meaning the CE gets to wear the white one. And MTs/OTs or similar get to choose between yellow, blue, orange or brown, depending on what they want to be RPing as.

As for Cargo, I think they can be easily fixed with the addition of the uniform and the current alternative in a vendor/locker and high-vis vests and PPE being made available to them as well.

For MPs, the uniforms are in desperate need of being updated. The armors are still fine, however the uniforms need an overhaul (as they’re all outdated) and desperately need to be matched to the current ones, along with the relevant markers on the sleeves as well.

As for medical, a mix between ops uniforms for doctors and uscm for nurses, mixed in with some relevant fluff such as slacks, labcoats, latex/nitrile gloves, etc and alternatives will do great.

And with that, I believe every role will be more or less standardized, yet specially distinguishable

[onetoughcreampuff (Romayne Mens)]

Ergh, keep the old uniforms in the vendors and not leaving it in some dank hidden maint locker and im fine with this. Especially with the scrubs.

As for the uniforms, ergh the messtech one looks pale and uninspiried but tbh any military cook uniform of sorts ive seen is shit chef drip imo. All the blandness of military uniform without the tacticool-ness or crispness.

CT uniform feels too much like the current marine dress as well IMO, though i can’t think of what I’d add to it either.

[Lambinatore (Sir_Lambini)]

there is an MP pauldron used by provost enforcers, if we can add that to the MPs would be great

[Suriyel (Shiroe)]

If one thinks in terms of the marines, isn’t there some joke that the US Marine ranks are “deflated”? (As in marines have more responsibility per lower rank compared to other branches)

So shouldn’t the marine uniforms thus be split between enlisted, commissioned officer and then the civilian types that are doctors and the researchers be outstanding in the way that enables easy identification even after someone kits themselves out for fashion?

[staykeu]

Doctors are commissioned marines.

[DukeofCagliostro (Archibald V. Cartwright)]

@Suriyel

So shouldn’t the marine uniforms thus be split between enlisted, commissioned officer and then the civilian types that are doctors and the researchers be outstanding in the way that enables easy identification even after someone kits themselves out for fashion?

Doctors are officers in the USCM.

[hxdxs]

No, I will continue to admire the shirtless marine who deploys with only a gun and his boxers.

[whossweaterguy (rodkimble)]

I can understand the point of standardization to an extent, but this gets very close to Anti-Soul territory for me. For example, there is absolutely no reason to remove the chef coat. You walk past the mess hall and see that brilliant white coat, and you just know everything is gonna be alright. Simply Anti-Soul to remove it.

I personally don’t agree with uniformity is beauty in this context, and also don’t think its a major issue currently. Don’t often see many “skittle-colored” uniforms outside of Medbay, which it seems this conversation has focused on anyway. Outside of Medbay it seems it would have the greatest effect on the almost pure RP roles. For example the combat correspondent, which has unique uniform options as the Military CC. Again to me that would just be Anti-Soul. MT uniforms are a different color yes, however they are not all out of place. I personally think the blue coveralls are right on brand for a shipside maintenance technician.

I believe looking at this as a replacement is a solution looking for a problem. I think the compromise path would be acceptable to most players, I just don’t see the payoff. Maybe a larger gallery of the actual proposed sprites would help.