Whats the deal with working with your department?
one of the round last night I start as the Chief Engineer and have 2 engineers spawn in. Yes! A team this will be a good round.
Immediately one runs off into the crawl spaces so I start working on the engine and ask for phoron canisters to be filled. Come out 2 min later.. other engineer is gone. *sigh*. So I start working on canisters and then I hear the emitter firing.. **#*&@#* Run into the engine, to see no one else and no cooling setup/working yet and the emitter running. *SIGH*
So I get it cooled and stable and power things up and the rest of the round I didnt see either one of them.
So I guess my question is, is there any expectation that someone in your department is going to actually work the job? or is it really that common to have people join a role for "access" to just fuck off and be an tags? (btw this round in question neither were the antag) and I never figured which one tried to blow the engine
Well, usually nobody wants to play so anyone who engineers with me has been pestered in OOC, since engineering is pretty unfun without friends. But other than that:
I often have this problem as CE. In fact, I had this problem a couple of days ago when the CE ran off then tried to take the claim when I singlehandedly repowered the station.
Make sure you keep in touch with your underlings. Radio them for progress reports often. Give them clear and concise individual commands - ie. Not can someone fill the plasma, UristMcEngi, go fill 10 tanks of plasma for the collectors.
If they run off without your permission reprimand them and order them back. If they refuse, have them demoted or dock their pay. If you're an engineer under me, you are not going to run off. Keep an eye on your metal and construction materials stocks as well, catch them in the act and they tend to crumble pretty fast. Make sure they have a project. We built a singulo together. There's far too much stuff to move alone and everyone was pretty excited to get one working. And, despite it going against everything I said, be a good boss. Get to know them. Syd's pretty old, so I like to draw on his stories and 'experience' to spin tales. Ask them if they have loved ones. Buy them a drink at the bar if they do a good job.
As for the SM, lock your damn emitters unless you trust your minions implicitly. Otherwise, that kind of antaggy behaviour is worth an ahelp.
I like to think I'm a good CE. Am I?
I can't remember if I've played with you as CE. Your description *sounds* pretty good. It's what I tend to do as CE, and unless I have griefer Engs, it usually goes pretty well for all involved. I have fun, they have fun, and engineering develops a particular sense of community.
Griefer eng are... how shall I say, instantly recognizable when you have other active people in engineering. I usually, either as CE or when we have no CE, greet any engineer as soon as they arrive on station. If they don't respond at all... They tend to be griefers. If the first thing they do in engineering is grab a hardsuit... all the worse. It's to the point that I'm a little tempted to ahelp them as soon as they exhibit such behavior, just to quickly put them on admin radars...
I've also never understood why people find engineering so boring
I suspect it is because the shuttle generally gets called somewhat rapidly on Urist, for no obvious reason other than 'we're bored, let's leave'. One reason I *like* engineering is that they can become involved in the round at any point, because at any point someone can do something to damage the station, and then engineering will come running