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[Nikitian]

@nik: wouldn't it be much easier though to just offer a certain amount of tokens for certain jobs done? Much less hassle, just 'do X and get Y tokens for it'.

I don't mind it, but then it gets a little more complicated towards semi-permanent Heph personnel, I believe. Unless we'd extend token use to Hephaestus (in regards to personal acquisitions of non-zero-token price)... which isn't that unlikely, actually, with tokens as virtual currency and all, but might severely damage Hephaestus economics and work order if approached incorrectly (introduced in more circumstances than warrant their use, hampering the research and production, for example).

[Radio Controlled]

@nik: wouldn't it be much easier though to just offer a certain amount of tokens for certain jobs done? Much less hassle, just 'do X and get Y tokens for it'.

I don't mind it, but then it gets a little more complicated towards semi-permanent Heph personnel, I believe. Unless we'd extend token use to Hephaestus (in regards to personal acquisitions of non-zero-token price)... which isn't that unlikely, actually, with tokens as virtual currency and all, but might severely damage Hephaestus economics and work order if approached incorrectly (introduced in more circumstances than warrant their use, hampering the research and production, for example).

Well, who is that? You, Sean and Emp. Emp doesn't really do artifact R&D, Sean doesn't do that often either it seems.

Either way, we could just say people on Hep can still get what they want, but need to leave equipment there if they move to the Sword. Combined with the fact that this would be for things not getting done by the current Hep staff either, they could also 'claim' one of these jobs and get paid for it.

[Nikitian]

Ah, so it's free job claiming irrelevant of person's position? That I can approve; but then I question the position of "things not getting done by the current Hep staff" - could that be instead "things that need to be done as expressed by Generals' directive" or something?

Basically, I want to say, 70-90% of what I do on Hephaestus is public projects. I love the process enough to do it essentially for free (or, well, for the ability to do it at all; as are other Heph admins, I believe). I feel the duty to do so because this is a higher calling for us. But if I had an intern to do the artifact and sample research for me, who is paid for the job and all, it'd mean a loss of incentive for me to contribute to public projects at all, focusing on private tinkering and stuff, leading to corruption and inefficiency.

Once upon a time Hephaestus people could claim equipment and stuff out of their volition, and no one would question it - that could be considered their payment. Nowadays, as you yourself mention, we are to return our requisitioned equipment upon leaving Hephaestus. It stands up to reason to prevent power abuse, but becomes simply unfair when payments are introduced into the system.

In a nutshell, I don't want for Hephaestus Administration to turn into wageless slaves working "for the sake of it" nor corrupt incompetents, being incentivised to neglect their work and occasionally snip at others' to maximize their income.
@Hephaestus defenses and (again) temp-working
Oh, and one more thing - once upon a time, there was a division of spheres between the Hephaestus Administration, so that one wouldn't tread upon the other's territory and all. Of course, since then we've lost half of our Administrators to stasis catatonia, but unless we want to change the structure yet again, I'd say we should find a way to preserve its ideals rather than have all Admins and interns dabble in all affairs simultaneously, with no check or supervision. 

Some of you asked what was the matter with Hephaestus defenses; under the current system, it's not a question aimed at the Administration as a whole, it's a question aimed at one specific person (who I believe is doing his job just fine behind the scenes, via PMs) - it's the same as if you question the current slow pace of artifact research you are saying that to me, not Sean/Syv/Pyro. That is how currently the system works, and until we change it, let's keep having the designated people responsible according to their designations, okay?

(I'd love to dabble in shipbuilding/defense preparations, but I respect Sean not to encroach upon what is rightfully his, at least without his permission.)
((Yay, walls of text strike again! I didn't have enough opportunity to enjoy writing them since Syv has gone unresponsive.))

Add:

I wonder if the Hammer cannon can shoot people as well...

Yes it can. See the boarding action in the Defense of Hephaestus

[Radio Controlled]

Yes it can. See the boarding action in the Defense of Hephaestus

Without a shell, mind. A big dang man cannon.

[Nikitian]

Were the person in question in robotic body, it would probably work fine (I think there'd be enough ferromagnetic metals inside). Now, if the person in question is in synth-flesh or meat-flesh body, we have a little engineering problem to solve...

@Sean: ...I've never been so glad that both Maurice and Anton are meatlings and so would require additional effort to, ah, fire from their positions on Hephaestus. 

Although, come to think of it, Simus and Steve aren't vanilla robobodied either. They knew... ~_~

[AoshimaMichio]

As far as tinkering, Anton is going to revise and redesign his Artee plans into this (this optional). Basically, just a robotic quadruped body with paws, wheels, a tail, and two hidden arms. The only integrated weapon it keeps is the metal cutter jaw, everything else is in modules.[/b]

Spoiler: RT subsystems writeup (long, mostly boring) (click to show/hide)

Basic Artee
Body - robotic synthoid, quadruped, animal-like. Combines feline, equine, humanoid, and reptilian features, in that order.
Control unit - organic brain (front torso), supported by two CPU blocks (head/rear torso) for multitasking and automation.
Power supply - 8 TPU generator, compact. (mid torso)
Features:
- Extra storage: Internal bays in sides of middle torso, under hinged "wing" covers. External bays over rear torso.
- Extra limbs: Two fully articulate arms with hands, roughly human-strength, with custom double-joint shoulders. Capable of fully folding into the internal bays, under the wing covers, with some space to spare, for concealment. Fully articulate prehensile tail, body-length.
- Mobility wheels: One in each leg, retractable, electric powered.
- Weapons: None integrated in basic form.
- Armor: Minimal/similar to standard robobody, with some reinforcement of "wing" covers.
- Tools: Mechanical crushing/cutting jaw (head). Universal holsters (sides of front torso). Boosted communications antenna (back of neck). Battery recharge ports (inside torso bays).
- Misc: Folding handgrips (back of head) and folding footrests (sides of torso), allowing a single person to drive the unit as one would a motorcycle.
- Equipment/Addon slots: Head, Muzzle, Neck, Back/Spine, External bays, Tail, Outer shell.


Equipment/Addons:
One set of equipment can be installed per slot, from the provided choices, for extra cost.

Head slot: Fits equipment inside a vertical mount through the top of the head.
-> Kinetic Ram: Gauss-accelerated ramspike with kinamp tip, intended to put the entire mass of the unit behind a single impact (headbutt).
-> Catapult: Gauss-accelerated launcher for custom-fitted grenades, grappling hooks, and any similar ammunition (bought separately).

Muzzle slot: A small equipment slot in the center of the unit's faceplate, aimed forward.
-> Small Electrolaser: A customized version of a Red Hand, feeding off the internal generator.
-> Cutting torch: A high-intensity short-range utility laser, with limited chemical fuel cell.

Neck slot: Fits equipment into a compartment behind the outer panels of the neck, extending into the bottom of the skull ("lower jaw").
-> Universal Sprayer: A compact, shorter-range modification of the handheld weapon, installed in the lower skull, feeding from flexible tanks fitted in the neck compartment (up to 2 different substances, small tanks).
-> Medical Suite: The neck compartment is fitted with a custom version of the Advanced Medical Kit, including a small tank of Fleshknitter. The "lower jaw" is fitted with a combination injector (for Fleshknitter/painkillers/boosters) and dispenser for medical tools and supplies.

Back/Spine slot: A series of connectors and attachment points hidden under outer panels, allowing installation of external gear. Installing gear in this slot prevents carrying additional cargo over the back of the unit.
-> Turret Hardpoint: A Pawn-like 360-degree turret, with options to be controlled externally or by the unit's own AI. Weaponry varies.
-> Flight Unit: An assembly consisting of a series of rocket verniers and a large fuel tank, affording the unit flight akin to that provided by a Mk3 suit.

External Bays slot: The two compartments on either side of the rear torso can house a variety of gear instead of being used to store cargo.
-> Grenade Launchers: A pair of single-barrel 40mm grenade launchers, with some elevation/traverse capacity and automatic reloads fed from a rotary magazine, 8 grenades per launcher.
-> Technical Suite: A collection of enginnering and assembly tools similar to an extended Advanced Toolkit, including all necessary peripherals for directly interfacing with a variety of computer systems.

Tail pylon: The prehensile tail's tip can have extra gear installed, to leverage its strength and dexterity.
-> Small Electrolaser: A customized version of a Red Hand, feeding off the internal generator. Acts as an independent 360-degree turret controlled by the CPU systems.
-> Grasping Claw: A mechanical grasping attachment, for carrying small amounts of cargo, towing/dragging vehicles or teammates, or reaching into difficult spaces (among other things).

Outer Shell upgrades: The powerful onboard generator, processors, and high strength/endurance of the quadruped body allow some extensive modifications to the unit's carapace without hampering its other functions.
-> Heavy Armoring: Hexsand/Sharkplate plating around the body's surface, extra ballistic mesh around the joints. Extra reinforcement of "wing" covers.
-> Electrified Surface System: Similar to the robobody upgrade, allows electrifying specified surface areas selectively as an offensive measure. (i.e. electrifying the tail for melee attacks or grapples)
-> Optical Camouflage: A layer of electrically controlled "paint" that can change color and even emit light to mask the unit's presence in almost any circumstances, though it does not render it invisible.

In addition to the above, the unit can carry two regular handheld infantry weapons on the Universal Holsters, and aim and fire both simultaneously thanks to the support CPUs taking some of the sensory/coordination load off the brain unit. The unit can carry and handle other equipment that a regular humanoid could use, excepting anything requiring Exo skill.

Cost of the unit, its optional gear, and the exact skills and stats is would possess are to be determined if the concept it cleared.

((TL;DR: It can handle two one-handed weapons without issues, as well as anything that requires hands; it can operate as a Sod would, and all gear that in previous concepts was just built in, is now made into optional gear that is added at extra cost, much like soldier abilities or genemods in XCOM:EW - one per slot, mostly selecting between combat and non-combat applications.))

That Artee is starting to look very useful support thing. I just hope it won't be too expensive.

[Parisbre56]

Does it come in XXXXXXXXXXXL size? And can it wall climb?

[Sean Mirrsen]

Does it come in XXXXXXXXXXXL size? And can it wall climb?

Project TROMBE is not in the cards just yet, though not completely off the table.

And.. well it has paws. It can climb at most as well as a declawed cat can. Though maybe claws would be a good addition.

[Parisbre56]

Why not just look at something like the scout-eye's legs? Or that wall-walker legs Pyro's previous character had at Chine-9?
Not saying you shouldn't give it claws, they would be a fun and cheap addition.
Oh, and as an experiment, you could try giving one one of those new self-modifying organic brain computers we have. See what happens. One without weapon, of course. Maybe we could even raise them to become amp-users.

EDIT: Irrelevant: another idea was to take one of those organic computers and connect them to a person's brain. Try to get them to start copying how that person thinks and acts. Then that would be installed in battlesuits the user controls, so that if the pilot is ever killed or knocked unconscious, then the brain can keep fighting for a while. Of course, any brain that no longer has a pilot to control it gets destroyed or at least put in storage because it is too dangerous.

EDIT2: Or we could find a good alternative for our Stevebots with that brain computer, if we could get ARESTEVE to put part of himself in them. Something that will allow us to use them without the need for a direct connection with Steve.

[Parisbre56]

You can use superconductors and precisely positioned materials to construct magnetic wormholes. Although magnetic tubes might be a more appropriate term.

[Egan_BW]

Seems like it would be a good idea to use the SM-eating things as reality distortion sensors.  It's using a solar panel as a light sensor, but that's what you do with alien canopeners. 

[Radio Controlled]

@emp: Is it for a sort of 'autonomous evac system' that can take of running when activated, but in an intelligent way, to try and save its user without slamming headfirst into a wall?

Perhaps a pure silicon computer would work well for this? It's a fairly simple task after all, and we have snowglobe data for decent AI.

[Empiricist]

@emp: Is it for a sort of 'autonomous evac system' that can take of running when activated, but in an intelligent way, to try and save its user without slamming headfirst into a wall?

Perhaps a pure silicon computer would work well for this? It's a fairly simple task after all, and we have snowglobe data for decent AI.

Yes. Because evidently, I have complete faith that this mission will not be a complete and utter failure that will unleash a ravenous thermophage upon the universe and am preparing them as a pre-emptive celebratory action as a way of saying "See this shit? We won so hard we didn't even have to use it!"

Good idea, I forgot about that, I'll edit my turn to bring that up as a possibility.

[Comrade P.]

So, um, I had this idea. About utilising adaptive metal we use in pimp can for armor purposes. Like, you get several pounds of that metal, and an implant that is basically a computer that is wired to person's brain. The latter processes perception data, keeps up the metal in form of a weird morph suit and sends commands to the armor when detects an imminent physical impact to negate it the best way possible. Much in a way manip works, but instead of running calculations through brain it runs it through plain computer.
I believe attempts on doing at least something similar were done, so if you would just say that's not gonna work, well, then nevermind.

[Execute/Dumbo.exe]

So, um, I had this idea. About utilising adaptive metal we use in pimp can for armor purposes. Like, you get several pounds of that metal, and an implant that is basically a computer that is wired to person's brain. The latter processes perception data, keeps up the metal in form of a weird morph suit and sends commands to the armor when detects an imminent physical impact to negate it the best way possible. Much in a way manip works, but instead of running calculations through brain it runs it through plain computer.
I believe attempts on doing at least something similar were done, so if you would just say that's not gonna work, well, then nevermind.

Wasn't there a Nayrsifact that did something like that?