DeltaV-Station
Admin assistant has become validhunt express
Description
90% of people who play this role use it to be a bridge guardian, and more often than not have powergamed items in their inventory that they obtained with their title and access. If you want to guard bridge, play sec. Reproduction join server, specatate admin assistant.
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Additional context
Quite true, considering half of time nobody picks AA as learner role, and even if they do, command often is either neglecting to teach them or simply too busy with their departmental duties. The only exception is maybe being sidekick to captain, but again they might not be interested. And by my own opinion, the whole issue of AA being just tider with command access and having almost 0 responsibilities besides maybe doing couple paperworks once in blue moon or be glorified bartender for giving out lattes and other coffee drinks.
I am pushing for Content Removal.
Issues Identified:
- Administrative Assistant does not encourage players as a role to go out and seek to provide assistance to the command staff
- Administrative Assistant has no mechanical job functions, leading players to sit at the bridge and play bridge guardian. This alone does not prohibit the job from existing, but it exacerbates the first issue.
Some ideas floated that might address these:
- Putting the AA spawn/locker closer to the bar.
- Removing AA for BSO.
- Whitelisting AA
- Rolebanning more AA
In my opinion, this job suffers from too much overlap with the HOP and Clerk, and should be removed.
I would like to push for a deadline of 2 weeks to have a solid plan for our next steps @DeltaV-Station/direction.
I'd hate to see the Command Tider be deleted. Though from a play experience, I can definitely say it missed it's mark for anything it was feasibly meant to be.
- It's not a learning role, because there's nothing to learn, and nobody will teach you.
- It can't assist anyone, because why would they need the assistance of someone who can do nothing but open Bridge doors? Only time I ever needed the AA's help was for their access configurator, because that's the only thing they can do. They don't even have their own access, every command can open their doors and locker.
However It's been so fun to play AA with either a competent Captain (Alexis), or with your own imagination. I've had a lovely experience building my own office on Glacier and much more under the guidance of Alexis, who's been actively giving me tasks as an AA. It's the most fun when you can even be a bodyguard in dire times.
Though, I'd suggest adding to the capability and duties of the AA. Give them a role-exclusive tool or something, as well as work with the general common crew, like passengers and the likes. Such as the HoP, but in a way that everyone could need the AA's help. Maybe with paperwork, or other stuff.
Hey, beginning the process for Content Removal per direction guidelines, linkie is here.
The issues with Administrative Assistant boil down to this:
- They have zero explicit mechanical powers. They are not rewarded for being the Command intermediary, nor are they rewarded directly for "Shadowing" any member of Command. Moreover, their limited innate access stymies any effort to access any departmental rooms, and only grants them entry to the Bridge and the Vault.
- They have a wide variety of implicit mechanical incentives to engage in unintended gameplay. Their access to the Bridge and Vault grants them a variety of lethal and less-than-lethal weapons, such as the Deckard, the Fire Axe, Disabler Pistols, and Stun Batons. Moreover, they're granted the Command radio frequency- the best way to alert Command to anything going on.
Their equipment- and the implied accesses it gives them- serve to make the Administrative Assistant exceptionally suited to a sort of "Bridge Security Officer".
Possible solutions may include the following:
- Adjusting AA accesses/equipment to deny access to weaponry, and/or to remove them from High Security Areas such as the station bridge.
- Replacing the AA with a different role; the primary suggestion is the "BlueShield Officer" or BSO.
- Placing the AA under a whitelist; such a whitelist should be made with rationale.
- Taking administrative action against AA players who act outside of standard, and clarifying such action is to become the norm.
This message serves as a notice of the beginning of the Content Removal process. If no action is taken by two weeks from now, we will begin the process of removing the Administrative Assistant from Delta-V.
This will NOT officially begin until an announcement has been made on the Discord with a deadline in it; however, anyone seeing this can submit PRs to fix it at any point.
As someone who enjoys playing AA specifically to be a little toadie to the Cap or HoP and otherwise react to most issues with obnoxious paperwork, please don't remove the role.
Reduce its access (we should NOT have Vault), or make it whitelist only if you have to. But I think playing command's dumb intern is hilarious. I love being an annoying shadow to command staff until ordered to go get coffee, or to demand something from logistics, or walk Ian.
Though, I'd suggest adding to the capability and duties of the AA. Give them a role-exclusive tool or something, as well as work with the general common crew, like passengers and the likes. Such as the HoP, but in a way that everyone could need the AA's help. Maybe with paperwork, or other stuff.
This is something we are struggling with, and why we are pushing for this in the first place. What took or function could they perform that the HOP isn't equally capable of doing, or even the Clerk? Both of these jobs ALSO have little reason to exist, and they all occupy the same space.
As someone who enjoys playing AA specifically to be a little toadie to the Cap or HoP and otherwise react to most issues with obnoxious paperwork, please don't remove the role.
Reduce its access (we should NOT have Vault), or make it whitelist only if you have to. But I think playing command's dumb intern is hilarious. I love being an annoying shadow to command staff until ordered to go get coffee, or to demand something from logistics, or walk Ian.
I appreciate the feedback. A lot of issues come from making the Vault more locked down, namely why do we have this role in Command that cannot be trusted to actually deal with the responsibilities? What responsibilities are these? Frankly, I think that removing Command Access entirely could be justifiable, which then leads us to the question "what is the point of the role at all". Everything then that they could do, the HOP or Clerk could do better.
I think making it whitelisted wouldn't solve the problem either- and also defeats the original purpose of this role. Which was to be a starting command job for anyone who wants to learn how to be a command position without actually ready-ing up for that role. And that's also what it hasn't been used for either. It'd be nice if people that play AA would actually pick a command members to follow around all shift and learn from. As a CE I would love to show someone around wngineering and tell them everything I try and do as the CE of a station! But that's neber happened before.
Though, I'd suggest adding to the capability and duties of the AA. Give them a role-exclusive tool or something, as well as work with the general common crew, like passengers and the likes. Such as the HoP, but in a way that everyone could need the AA's help. Maybe with paperwork, or other stuff.
This is something we are struggling with, and why we are pushing for this in the first place. What took or function could they perform that the HOP isn't equally capable of doing, or even the Clerk? Both of these jobs ALSO have little reason to exist, and they all occupy the same space.
I have two ideas:
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Make Administrative Assistant locked behind hours in every department role/perhaps even head roles (except HoS and CJ). This way, the AA can take over any Department as needed, when there's a staff shortage and help out. Even better if they start with Cyborg AA, so they can fluently help out each department as needed, without having to clean doorhandles. They'd be the Captains right hand in keeping the station running.
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Make Administrative Assistant THE PAPERWORK role. Give them a portable faxing machine (which could be a high value item). Put a papermachine into their office that can print out standardized formats (perhaps even with selectable slots, so it prints out the format with the names and you only have to add the reasoning). Corpsman needs an implant search? Send the cadet to the AA and make him fill out the form. He stamps it, and then sends the cadet their way to the HoS and the likes.
Both would give the AA their own place on the station, and make them more "Administrative" and assisting others. As for the HoP, I believe the HoP is in a fine spot. They're there for service.
I think as a "learning command" role, AA kinda flops. It does let you shadow the captain which is nice for that, but playtime requirements already kinda ensure that by they time you're ready for command roles you already kind of get what is needed.
Where AA shines is... as an assistant. It's a "helping command" role. So yes, that means preparing paperwork so that the actual captain and HoP can focus on more pressing issues. Or it can just mean picking up lunch for the HoP so that they can keep their line open. It can mean making announcements on behalf of the crew (e.g. announcing a new shop, bar, or restaurant opening up, or a contest someone is hosting).
I think letting them step into a department head role is a misstep though.