Metastable II shuttle, new and improved

[Temoffy]

About the PR

Added the new TCI Metastable II shuttle to FO shipyards!

Shuttle notes: Mouse spawner timer increased to 30 minutes, flatpacks unpacked for pricing and power testing. Gas miner atmos tiles intentional for recovery from near full spacing. Brig doors not bolting is intended. Disposal route into locked-down cargo is intended unless abused repeatedly.

1330 tiles, 131231 spesos, ~85kw draw with thrusters, ~39kw draw without

Why / Balance

Brief priorities: Enable large crews and factions/fleets in a flagship role, mimic Meta station (SS13 version with xenobio), upgradability/customizability, keep it as small as reasonable for it's purposes.
See https://discord.com/channels/1123826877245694004/1305284207077232640/1306790795457597493 for further.

How to test

buy from FO shipyard, have fun

Media

Requirements

• [X ] I have read and am following the Pull Request and Changelog Guidelines.
• [X ] I have added media to this PR or it does not require an ingame showcase.

Breaking changes

None!

Changelog

🆑

• add: Added the TCI Metastable II shuttle!

[Temoffy]

Hopefully this works, I was attempting to commit by webpage to avoid redownloading the entire git after properly forking and I just managed to bork everything a few times. Please forgive the excess PRs.

[Temoffy]

sigh, welp in case the "crlf check" can't be easily fixed I'm starting a fork download to do this properly

[Temoffy]

Some recent (ie: after the version I developed most of the Metastable II in) update made it so shutters don't close on chargers anymore, is that intentional? I can find somewhere else for the chargers if that is the case.

[arimah]

Note that this is not merge-ready.

I'm going to convert the PR to a draft in that case. :)

[github-actions]

RSI Diff Bot; head commit c4e10e5 merging into cdcc0dd
This PR makes changes to 1 or more RSIs. Here is a summary of all changes:

Resources/Textures/_NF/Guidebook/shuttle_maps/128x96.rsi

State	Old	New	Status
metastable			Added

Edit: diff updated after c4e10e5

[Temoffy]

Aside from not having mappable armory gear I'd call this done and ready for... probably more tweaks and changes as I find out I missed stuff.

[ErhardSteinhauer]

[2024-12-14 07:20:50   ERROR] Map 'Metastable' has 6 illegal prototypes.
[2024-12-14 07:20:50   ERROR]  - CrewMonitoringServer
[2024-12-14 07:20:50   ERROR]  - ClownPDA
[2024-12-14 07:20:50   ERROR]  - SignSecurity
[2024-12-14 07:20:50   ERROR]  - AirlockSecurityGlass
[2024-12-14 07:20:50   ERROR]  - AirlockSecurity
[2024-12-14 07:20:50   ERROR]  - DefaultStationBeaconSecurity

[ErhardSteinhauer]

[2024-12-14 07:20:50   ERROR] Map 'Metastable' has 6 illegal prototypes.
[2024-12-14 07:20:50   ERROR]  - CrewMonitoringServer
[2024-12-14 07:20:50   ERROR]  - ClownPDA
[2024-12-14 07:20:50   ERROR]  - SignSecurity
[2024-12-14 07:20:50   ERROR]  - AirlockSecurityGlass
[2024-12-14 07:20:50   ERROR]  - AirlockSecurity
[2024-12-14 07:20:50   ERROR]  - DefaultStationBeaconSecurity

CrewMonitoringServer and ClownPDA must be removed, the rest is up for debate but imo security themed room should be replaced with mercenary themed room.

[Temoffy]

Went to go fix the server and pda, but it started fussing about missing prototype SalvageSeedSpawnerLow even after I deleted it from the file. I'll try to chase down the ghost salv seed spawner tomorrow

[Temoffy]

I'd prefer the red sec theme, but can swap to green merc if need be.

[Temoffy]

Should I make the captain's room access restricted to captain or leave it as general access? Thoughts?

[Temoffy]

latest version

[dustylens]

Hello! Just taking a look through. I recognize this is a HUGE shuttle and as such there are going to be a lot of moving parts. I'm just going to call them as I see them, take my reflections as you will : )

Guidebook:

• I believe that the standard designation of mothership might be appropriate here, so as to inform that this is a shuttle that can summon smaller shuttles. But now I need to see if I called my big shuttle a mothership or a carrier. Am I a hypocrite!?
• The ship legend is kind of hard to read in the guidebook and feels a little out of place not following the same coloring scheme as the other entries. When the shuttle's structure is finished please give a shout if that's something you would like to work together on.
• I might skip right to the overview description in the guidebook. It does a much better job of informing me what this shuttle is and what I should expect.
• The other specifications are interesting in their layout but might come up under scrutiny for deviating from the norm. I guess we'll see if there are specific guidelines for the guidebook in the near future.
• I appreciate the attempts to "spruce up" the otherwise negligible utility of the guidebook.

Intro dock:

• As an initial introduction I feel like this space could be spruced up. This would be a great place to make a HELLO! Huge first impression. To put down some maps, decorations and to really sell the initial place you just stepped foot onto whatever this awesome station is.
• The buttons / lights on the windows are going to come back to haunt you.
• The blast doors for moving cargo are probably not a requirement here given the lack of infrastructure to support them?
• I'm all for the shutters over the windows (though I prefer to orientate the shutters with the windows) but I'm not sure if I love that they shut off access to the docks as well. Those seem like different tiers of need.
• Button frames are always nice in my book.
• I feel like the narrow hallway could use with a little more width, some tiles decorating, a little something to both break up the space and take advantage of the sky bridge aesthetic. It's just a hall right now,

First steps into the station proper:

Again this feels very claustrophobic and really lacks the feeling of stepping into something grand! This would be a phenominal place to put in some decal work, a reception desk even. Or something to really let people know where they are as the station opens up.

It feels odd that I see the brig before I see a space for someone to greet me or a sign of where I am. Maybe not the best ambassador. It might also be fun to have the brigs be space facing and the security office/customs be hall facing.

Main hall:

Security: Again the buttons lock you in even as they close the cells off from public view. Likely not desired?

• Not a lot of space for security proper. Might do with some expansion.

Cargonia:

• The hall facing desks are the first time I've felt like I might run into some people!
• This space may benefit from a mass scanner console to see what's outside.
• Airlight plastic flaps over the blast door spaces may be advisable.
• Try exploring through this space as a person or with the lighting off. You might notice some dark spots.
• The adjacent airlock feels a bit compressed.
• The recycling space might do with a conveyor to help move goods in.
• Why does the janitorial closet have a gyro in it?

Engineering:

O_O

• I appreciate the uranium setup. It might be nice to have another point of access?
• I don't know atmos so no comment.
• Being said... Where is your waste gas going? I couldn't find the passive vent leading out.

Medical:

• Why is there a gyroscope in the cryo chamber?
• Given the naked tiles in this space I think it's currently undergoing renovations. So I wont go over much into it, Beyond reflecting that it might be good to split your attention between the stasis and medical beds.

Chapel:

• Always nice to see a chapel, but I think the floor tiles and benches might be placeholders?

Kitchen and Hydroponics:

• I like the little side cafe. Feels open and inviting. I think this is a really nice presentation.
• People will appreciate the open hydroponics bay feel I think. It is perhaps a tad sparse.

Southern Dock: Oh hey this is much nicer.

Gonna wrap this one up as it's getting a bit over drawn and my coffee has run dry.

One of my key takeaways is that, as presented as a mobile station, many of the spaces where people may be expected to move and visit and interact feel a little claustrophobic. I think that there's a lot of hard work and creative vision that could be flexed to move beyond some of the constraints presented by a homage to the specific station to make a space that feels stronger for what this shuttle wishes to do and be. I think it has a lot of potential to be a fun tool for mayhem.

[Temoffy]

Hello! Just taking a look through. I recognize this is a HUGE shuttle and as such there are going to be a lot of moving parts. I'm just going to call them as I see them, take my reflections as you will : )

:D
thank you so much for your time and effort! I'm gonna be lumping some responses together for brevity and clarity, so not all going to be direct quotes.

I believe that the standard designation of mothership might be appropriate here

As in instead of "flagship" or in some other context/flair/tag/label?

The ship legend is kind of hard to read in the guidebook and feels a little out of place

Yeah I was questioning myself a lot there. The current one is made in the pattern of the in-game Meta station map, but I wouldn't be torn up about it if I ought recolor it to fit the standard.

I might skip right to the overview description in the guidebook

Sure I can merge the blurb into the overview. It being separate is remnant of mimicing other entries.

I appreciate the attempts to "spruce up" the otherwise negligible utility of the guidebook.

thanks man!

various intro dock bare, unwelcoming, and boring comments

very good points, may at least double the width of the docking area and see what I can do to fit some more plants, desks, whatever else in that area. Would also allow widening the top dock to a proper 3 long one.

The buttons / lights on the windows are going to come back to haunt you.

Not entirely sure what is undesirable here, but I'll try to avoid it during the rework of the area. I did account for the shutters covering the window buttons though.

I'm all for the shutters over the windows (though I prefer to orientate the shutters with the windows) but I'm not sure if I love that they shut off access to the docks as well. Those seem like different tiers of need.

also the similar comment about sec shutter

shutter orientation is a very good point, but redoing it in one area means I need to redo it everywhere and I don't want to redo all the linking. (maybe I can pull some shenanigans with yml or commands to rotate already placed shutters faster than relinking them all?)

I assume you mean privacy vs security in the 'different levels of need', but I didn't want to double the number of buttons in the area by seperating them. Do you think I ought to? Or have I misunderstood the comment?

Button frames are always nice in my book.

button frames vs less visually crowded walls, I went one way but could be convinced of the other.

Again this feels very claustrophobic and really lacks the feeling of stepping into something grand!

The first part is slightly intended, but it would be nice if it felt grand. The tighter quarters is for two main reasons and some smaller ones. Firstly; to shove people more into proximity (direct reaction to how working on a full crewed Crescent can feel practically solo). Secondly; to push people out of the ship, it's meant to be a hub not a world unto itself. Minor-reasons-ly; smaller footprint is generally cheaper, and this is supposed to be on the budget side of things for it's purpose; some people actually liked the cramped-ness of the first one and specifically request I keep it tight; and can I really call it a compressed station if the hallways are standard station width? :clueless:

Or something to really let people know where they are as the station opens up.

says the guy standing next to a station map in the screenshot 😁.

sec comments

I will readily admit sec is my least experienced area and it probably shows. I'll see about making the dock rework include a sec desk, but I'd prefer cells stay facing the public so that prisoners aren't entirely isolated. Also I didn't make sec with the intent for officers to stay in the dept most of the time, which is probably where your "Not a lot of space for security proper." comment comes from. Again probably because I don't sec and I haven't a clue why they would stay in sec or what they would want besides meeting room, vault, storage lockers, brig, and interogation room (didn't fit that last one in).

cargo may benefit from a mass scanner console to see what's outside.

For... salvage purposes? Cargo shouldn't be salving and besides trade station and cargo depot I can't imagine when this ship would be the one initiating a cargo docking. I'll still put one in if you still think it needs one, but I don't see the use case.

Airlight plastic flaps over the blast door spaces may be advisable.

plastic flaps are the bane of conveyering half of what people want to conveyer. Machines and large artifacts can't get through, and people get stuck on them regularly just off the top of my head. Maybe more things now depending on barrel behavior I guess. Until I get told from on high that I need flaps or the ship's not getting in, I'm leaving them off. (nothing towards you, just annoyed by plastic flaps)

Try exploring through this space as a person or with the lighting off. You might notice some dark spots.

The EVA airlock lightless and how it's a bit dim in the back? Yeah it seemed too bright with a bulb in there. I take it you differ.

The adjacent airlock feels a bit compressed.

not sure which airlock you mean or how best to address either being 'compressed', sorry.

The recycling space might do with a conveyor to help move goods in.

not intended for people to conveyer from other ships into disposals, I just didn't want conveyers in front of the door. Not the best situation but not sure how to improve it.

the many 'why gyro here' comments

there was room
I guess I can put the 3 gyros outside in the thruster pods or ai sat, but that seems like it might be worse.

O_O

^_^
would go fewer but those fabs all have unique recipes that people may need unless I missed something in my comparisons.

I appreciate the uranium setup. It might be nice to have another point of access?

consider it done. also means you don't have to walk all the way around it to the fuel locker.

Being said... Where is your waste gas going? I couldn't find the passive vent leading out.

into the waste chamber, but I did forget to put an unattached space vent through the wall to make it easier if engineering wants to use it.

Given the naked tiles in this space I think it's currently undergoing renovations.

actually the two bare tiles are easy-insert upgrade slots for cryotube and freezer. Wasn't sure how to communicate that best.

Beyond reflecting that it might be good to split your attention between the stasis and medical beds.

I... don't follow

Always nice to see a chapel, but I think the floor tiles and benches might be placeholders?

well they weren't until you mentioned it. Took another glance and realized I could probably improve the flooring instead of just default chapel carpets.

I like the little side cafe. Feels open and inviting. I think this is a really nice presentation.

:)

People will appreciate the open hydroponics bay feel I think. It is perhaps a tad sparse.

maybe I should have left that third tray in. Removed it on concerns it'd be considered too versatile of a ship.

I think that there's a lot of hard work and creative vision that could be flexed to move beyond some of the constraints presented by a homage to the specific station to make a space that feels stronger for what this shuttle wishes to do and be. I think it has a lot of potential to be a fun tool for mayhem.

:salutes: I'm still improving what I can! It was AME powered till last week and just gained a chef locker and emergency lights a few days ago.

I will also be adding more info to the initial PR message because I think you read the ship's intentions as more grandiose than they actually are. (more budget fleet/trade hub, less grandiose faction centerpiece)

[blackknight954]

Just stopping by to comment you are getting some errors on the tests regarding CLRF (not familiar with what that is), just had to deal with 30 mins of integration test so figured I’d save you having to struggle like I did haha.

can’t wait for this to be added, I love big “group” ships like this.

[Temoffy]

Thanks for swinging by and letting me know!

It's fussing about the line endings for some reason, and I had trouble figuring out what to replace them with so I'm leaving that be. It should be a simple crtl-f replace fix if I knew how to address it.

[Temoffy]

Oh Dusty, your 'trapped in sec' problem with closing the shutters is addressed in the bridge by the way.

[dustylens]

• The back side of the cargo bay was pitch black. Which was my thought for the lighting.
• "The only things you may mount on top of windows are neon bar signs, shutters, and blast doors (sec only)." from the current ship submission guidelines. Re: buttons on windows. Unless you were given alternative direction.

I'll reflect a bit on your other feedback pieces. I think the biggest disconnect for me was the author intent of budget and my own, entirely subjective granted, anticipation from jumping into a flagship personal station.

[dustylens]

Oh Dusty, your 'trapped in sec' problem with closing the shutters is addressed in the bridge by the way.

Perhaps! But I do think it's probably reasonable to expect a button that closes shutters over brig windows and locks access to security as a whole to perhaps be on two different circuits.

[Temoffy]

The back side of the cargo bay was pitch black. Which was my thought for the lighting.

Hmm, was there a light out? I've wandered through several times and the only pitch black I see is inside the EVA airlock

"The only things you may mount on top of windows are neon bar signs, shutters, and blast doors (sec only)." from the current ship submission guidelines. Re: buttons on windows. Unless you were given alternative direction.

Ah gotcha, thanks for the reminder. Not sure if the lights count as mounted on the window vs mounted where the window meets the roof, but I'll see about moving the buttons.

I'll reflect a bit on your other feedback pieces. I think the biggest disconnect for me was the author intent of budget and my own, entirely subjective granted, anticipation from jumping into a flagship personal station.

I appreciate the anticipation! It being budget friendly in purpose means I'm not directly pitted against the Crescent or other 'luxury' ships in my attempt to get it in. And it may be flown more commonly if its more affordable.

[Temoffy]

Technically unfilled niche versus currently badly filled niche might make the difference in getting it through

[github-actions]

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