Chief Engineer

Cogmap2Cogmap1DestinyClarionOshanHorizonAtlasManta

Your home, right in the middle of hell.

Your home, not too far from hell.

Your home, a good distance away from hell.

Your home, with a door straight into hell and an evil lair.

Your home, just a door away from Leviathan.

Your home, with a table of tables and a gate into a warm place.

Your starting place. A long way to hell.

Your office, overlooking impending doom and destruction. Don't forget to yell at your underlings through the intercom and at the crew through your announcement computer.

Your private quarters. Notice your prized golden wrench and your rocket launcher.

The Chief Engineer is the head of the engineering department, responsible for making sure the station is powered, equipment is functional, and wise-ass engineers aren't trying to run the engine backwards. They start with special gear and EVA access to help patch up hull breaches quickly and safely, or to go on wild adventures and get lost in the dangerous depths of space.

Equipment

As the head of the engineering department, the CE will most likely be building, repairing, or breaking something at some point during the round. That's why you start off with so many tools. In your special "Chief Engineer's locker", you get:

• An aurora belt that can protect you from extreme temperatures and comes with a standard engineering toolset (crowbar, welder, wirecutters, screwdriver, wrench, multitool, and deconstruction device).
• A pair of magnetic boots to protect you from space wind.
• A flash to keep your unruly subordinates in check.
• A engineering space suit and helmet set (or diving suit and helmet set for Oshan Laboratory and Manta) for doing work outside of the station/ship.

Said locker also has some extra engineering equipment just for you, so you don't have to fight with your underlings to get your own. It includes a multitool, a mechanical toolbox, an extra pair of insulated gloves, a welding helmet, and a firesuit.

You're also free to help yourself to anything in EVA, such as the RCD, though you also start with one in your office.

In addition, you start with the Engineering Training trait. It's not exactly a tool, but it is something useful, because it halves the time it takes to do certain constructions and deconstructions, e.g. building a table. This does not stack with Carpenter's similar bonus, so you can't take both and deflect questions about your qualifications (or lack thereof) with light-speed crafting skills.

Engineering Radio Channel

The chief engineer has access to a headset with a radio channel used solely by the station's engineers, miners, mechanics and quartermasters. The engineering headset has a yellow stripe on it. To use it, simply type:

• say :e Can someone help patch up the Bar while I rescue the miners?

This message won't be broadcast over the normal radio channel. However, someone standing close to you can hear messages on the engineering frequency.

Standing Operating Procedure

Start & Maintain the Engine

The first thing you should do is go to Engineering and check whether the engine is being started. If it isn't, you should obviously start it, and get any nearby Engineers to help you. On most maps, this means the thermo-electric generator, with the big exception of Oshan Lab, which uses the geothermal capture system, and Manta, which has a singularity engine. In any case, if you don't set it up, the station will gradually lose power and begin failing. The lights will go out, doors will stop responding, and life-saving technologies, like cloning and communication links, become nonfunctional.

Set Up the Solars

After setting up the engine, go configure the Solar Arrays if someone hasn't already, unless you're a station that doesn't have them. These should be online at all times, even if the engine is running and generating power. If some idiot and/or traitor manages to set engineering on fire, you want the station to be powered until the AI can call the shuttle. Setting the solars should not take you very long; there's no wiring involved, and it usually only involves pressing buttons to make numbers go up. You may also ask the AI to do it if you can't be bothered to hotwire them. Also, keep in mind that the solars can be put out of action by snipping a single wire, so keep an eye on them and mend their wiring if required.

Repair the Station

It's also important to ensure the station stays intact and fix any damages and breaches that occur. You have a rapid construction device that makes repairs a breeze, though there are a few things it can't fix. In addition to the aforementioned magical RCD, you also have a vast stock of construction equipment and supplies in Engineering Storage, access to the Mining Department & the Cargo Bay to replenish it all, and access to the Mechanics Workshop to replace any lost electronics.

Manage Cargo & Mining

Make sure to help out the Quartermasters churn out a profit in any way you can, whether it's by activating the PTL, mining asteroids for ore to sell, or just throwing some funds into the Shipping budget. Feel free to suggest a gimmick to do or participate in one they're already doing. If there aren't any QMs, fill in for them if someone's requesting a crate from Cargo.

Speaking of mining, you should lend the Miners a hand as well. You don't have to suit up and mine asteroids with them if you don't want to (though it's often preferred). Just finding asteroids on the quantum telescope or handing them extra medicine is often just as good. At the very least, check up on them from time to time to make sure they haven't died of radiation poisoning or suffocated in Space/the Trench.

Supervise Mechanics

Keep an eye on the Mechanics. Make sure they aren't setting up traps in the halls or trying to build some sort of horrific lag-machine. Beyond that, they usually don't need much direction or aid from you and can typically run themselves perfectly fine. Feel free to scan some devices on your own or experiment with MechComp.

Crew Objectives

As a loyal crew member, you can sometimes be assigned some strictly optional objectives to keep yourself busy while you wait for something to happen. As a chief engineer, you can expect to see the following:

Make sure all furnaces on the station are active at the end of the round.

This is simple enough. The default load of furnace fuel you start with is often enough to last you through the whole round, or at least a good 45 minutes of it. Should you need more, don't forget that you have access to the Mining Department and all the char and plasmastone obtainable through it. In addition, the furnaces can accept many, many other types of combustibles: wood planks, weed, paper, clothing, people...

Obviously, this objectives encompasses any furnaces in Engineering, but it also considers any that might be in the Sauna. If you're on Cogmap2 or Oshan Laboratory, don't forget about the furnaces in the Research Outpost.

Earn at least a million credits via the PTL.
PTL refers to the power transmission laser, which basically takes power and outputs it as a laser that brings money to the station. Some configuration is requrired, first to actually get the laser up and running, later on to adjust its power to engine output. You can always check how much money it's earned by clicking on the PTL and scrolling down to "Lifetime credits". Note that it tracks amount earned, so if someone spends/steals all the money, it won't prevent you from satisfying this. The PTL can also be turned off once accumulated its million.

Unless you have supernatural powers, this is going to involve some measure of collaboration with other members of Engineering, on all the main engine types. For maps with the TEG, it'll most likely in some way involve setting up and maintaining a hellburn with other engineers. For maps with the geothermal system, it's good idea to ask Miners to mine under hotspots you're harvesting, on top of getting other engineers to find and harvest hotspots; knowing how to stack hotspots definitely would help. For maps with a singularity, you'll probably need to come up with some system for feeding things/monkeys/willing humans into it, perhaps with the help of the Mechanics. Basically, find some way to significantly boost engine power.

In addition, any setup can make a million if given enough time. Suffice to say, recalling the shuttle repeatedly, murdering people trying to call the shuttle, or otherwise ruining people's fun so you can watch the number on the PTL go up is a big no-no. It's not worth it.

The E Stands for Evil: Antagonist CE

As an antag CE, you can do one of two things. One option is to simply deny the station power by never setting up the engine and disabling the solars - which will cause a complete power failure after around 30 minutes. If you are in the mood for real mass destruction, get the engine to produce so much power that the APCs shoot lightning at nearby people, and electrified grills and airlocks shock people so much they explode!

Remember that the furnaces are the best hiding places for bodies - toss them in, and nothing can ever recover them.

As CE, you are authorized to enter the AI upload. You don't even have to go through the trouble of hacking in to subvert it to your whims! As boss of the engineers and mechanics, you won't raise any suspicion in keeping a close eye on the technical staff who have the abilities to undo your troublemaking.

And The C Stands for Crime: Syndicate CE

Traitor Chief Engineers can order two job-specific items: the pickpocket gun and power gloves.

As its name suggests, the pickpocket gun lets you swipe things from people when in Steal mode and also lets you reverse-pickpocket (i.e. place items on people) when in Plant mode. The real fun, however, is in Harass mode, which lets you do all sorts of mischief. You can give people wedgies! Tie their shoelaces together! Smack themselves like a Clown! All three of these modes do different things when targeting certain body parts.

Meanwhile the power gloves are more deadly but no less silly. Based on its name, you might be expecting something that boosts your punches or perhaps a curious gaming peripheral with horrible handling, but it's neither: instead, if you're standing over a wire, it lets you shoot lightning wherever you click! Disarm makes said lightning a non-lethal stun, and Harm makes it cause BURN as you might expect from lightning. The gloves get much more powerful the more electricity there is in the grid, so it also rewards you for being a good engineer too. Goes well with the otherwise rather niche T-Ray scanner.

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