Lavaland Outpost
A Map Design Document by Markus
Background
This map is a low-pop map changing the normal gameplay loop through strategic designs to make a unique experience centred around low-pop gameplay. Similar to Echo Station the map is featured on a planet, this time Lavaland itself. The station is on a single Z-level and will feature most rooms and departments as one might expect. Exceptions to this is merging mining and exploration under the guidance of the QM and RD, merging Atmospherics and Engineering, moving round-start materials to Cargo, removing or significantly changing Xenobio, removing tool storage, and probably the most controversial change: removing telecomms entirely,
Goal
This map hopes to make major changes to the normal gameplay loop through mostly, if not exclusively using mapping methods, in order to bring a unique experience and testing out new ideas.
Changes
The changes are ideas I’ve had or wanted to experiment for a long time.
Xenobio
With Xenobio being significantly easy and overpowered, I look to change how it is operated by making one of two changes. The first option is the easiest which is to remove the slime consoles. It is also the most controversial and for good reason. The second option is to nerf and buff Xenobio by giving them free non-grey slimes, extracts and maybe even cores. In exchange, they won’t get any grey slimes and only a limited number of monkey cubes, making their reproduction significantly more difficult. I expect Xenobiologists to either bug Genetics, Cargo, Botany, or getting themselves Rainbow slimes, for more monkey cubes. I know there are methods of getting grey slimes again but I hope to prevent the easy methods by giving them specific slime colours to make this difficult or impossible. I hope Xenobio can become a department you can get something specific out of and not everything from by simply hanging out there.
Telecomms
To replace telecomms, there will be a significant amount of intercomms around the station and its departments along with other options of communicating. Each department will be set to their department comm, including ones at their public lobby. Common channel will still exist in public hallways and station-bounced radios. The only ones with actual telecomms communication will be Mining-Exploration and maybe Security.
Tofu Walls
Reinforced walls are somewhat rarely but randomly made as regular walls and regular walls are randomly made rusty. These affect most areas expect the most high secure of areas. (The name is a reference to Tofu-dreg project)
Mining-Exploration
Unlike Echo Station, this is a single Z-level with a very limited amount of mining area. You will still be able to mine and gather some resources. However, there will be obstructions in the way such as obstinate rock, a subtype which can only be mined using a mining drill, either a hand held or an exosuit variant. The main method of collecting materials should be via Exploration. All of them will be provided a free fulton extraction pack. If they lack co-workers they can freely steal theirs too.
Engineering
Due to the location of the station, there will be several mini-stations spread out around the area. These are for collecting O2 and N2 from Lavaland and will serve as the stations only methods of getting these gases. Plasma, N2O, and possibly CO2 will be provided. Engineering will be encouraged to interact with the station and be given an extended techstorage they have exclusive access to which will contain a curated selection of low-risk boards (such as life stasis beds). Hopefully, this will encourage Medbay to ask Engineering for help rather than being little mini-engineers. I hope to include the RBMK in this station as the main method of power generation, alternatively a geo-thermal generator will serve as the main power source.
Cargo
Most standard materials expected and made available to the station on round-start will instead be located in department locked crates in Cargo along with some additional bonus equipment to compensate for this change. Making Cargo possibly the richest department on round-start on materials and so on. Each department will be provided a list of all expected items, giving their crew the job of ensuring everything is properly delivered. Additionally, Cargo will be provided a Ripley MK1 to assist in the crate delivery, mining or breaking open the crates and stealing everything inside.
Disposals
Instead of the common disposals system, there will instead only be one for each department in their techfab / storage room. The rest will be regular bins which has some random junk and maintenance garbage on round-start, allowing a janitor to have a reason to enter each department immediately and later into the round.
Spare Access
In each department there will be a temporary ID access with department hallway access to allow a janitor, engineer or such to enter without much restraint. Additionally a full department access ID will be found in the related head of staff room. This also allows antagonists to gain additional access without RRing the HoP or Captain and even non-Syndicates to get it without the use of an Agent ID.
Maintenance
Each department will have their own SMES which will be the only electrical link to each department. All pipes and wires will travel through maintenance when possible.
Making departments follow this vague design to serve as a centralized connection between the department and the rest of the station via pipes, power and maintenance access. This will change how vent creatures operate and allow for choke holds to be done to prevent their easy movement. Preventing Engineers and alike from having to tear up the entire piping system and welding all the vents and scrubbers to prevent only a fraction of their movement. Similarly, there will be valves in these choke holds. Most systems will be disconnected by default, including the SMES. This is to give Engineers some minor work to get around the station but it can also be ignored or easily done by a silicon or a department crewmember. Additionally, two O2-N2 filters there to prevent easy plasma floods and if there is an adequate amount of space.
Feedback
I am curious to hear what people has to say about this. If you have any ideas you’ve wanted to see implemented and what changes it might make I might be intrigued to include it in this.
