Guide to Genetics

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Revision as of 07:00, 12 September 2024 by Studenterhue (talk | contribs) (→Research: Add links to mentions of emitters)
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GeneTek Console

Geneticists have access to GeneTek consoles and scanners. These devices can, with enough patience, reward you with superpowers, crippling disabilities, or just amusing Mutations.

GeneTek Console

GeneTek console and GeneTek scanner are machines that help Geneticists activate Mutations. Click the GeneTek console to start.

Research Menu

When you click Research the GeneTek console will show:

  • Statistics - Shows amount of Research Materials you have, number of Mutations researched, number of Stored Mutations (if you have the requisite upgrade), and amount of Auto-Decryptors for unlocking locked base pairs
  • Purchase Additional Materials - Where you buy Research Materials using the Research Budget, strategically placed next to the Statistics scanner. You specify how many you're buying through a dial, and the game shows you how much it'll cost, how much money is currently in the Research Budget, and how much will be leftover in said budget after the purchase. Pro-tip: you can click the dial to enter an exact amount.
  • Available Research - Shows Research.
  • Finished Research - Lists finished Research.

Storage

When you click Storage, you will see the following elements:

  • Stored Mutations - Shows Stored Mutations, if unlocked.
  • Stored Chromosomes - Shows stored Chromosomes.
  • DNA Samples - Click View Record to see the Potential of a crew mate. The strings of letters and numbers next to each person's name are blood DNA strings, which Security sometimes uses to conduct forensics.

Equipment Cooldowns

After the GeneTek console is upgraded through Research it will show:

All cooldowns are measured in seconds.

Scanner Occupant

When the GeneTek scanner is occupied, the GeneTek console:

  • Health - Shows occupant's health.
  • Stability - Shows occupant's Stability.
  • Potential - Where you Scramble DNA and view, research, sequence, activate and reclaim Mutations.
  • Mutations - Lists occupant's activate Mutations.
  • Appearance - Change occupant's skin tone, eye color and top, middle and bottom details.
  • Body - Change occupant's Body Type Mutations.

To insert an occupant, either:

  • Click them with Grab intent and click on the GeneTek scanner.
  • Drag and drop their sprite onto the GeneTek scanner sprite.

To eject an occupant, either:

  • Right click on the GeneTek scanner and choose Eject Occupant.
  • Drag and drop the GeneTek scanner sprite onto the floor.

To lock an occupant inside the GeneTek scanner right click on the GeneTek scanner and choose Scanner Lock. The occupant can sometimes break out by flipping (R). To unlock the GeneTek scanner click Scanner Lock again.

There is a finite amount of air in the GeneTek scanner, so it is possible but unlikely for occupants to suffocate.

Radiation Emitters

Re-roll the pool of all Mutations of an occupant. This will cause severe radiation poisoning that will have to be treated. This can not be used on dead organisms and has a cooldown time of three minutes. You use these by clicking the Scramble DNA button in the Scanner tab.

Research Materials

Research Materials are a currency shared by all GeneTek consoles.

You gain Research Materials:

  • Passively, 1 every few seconds; you can increase the gain up to 3 if you enable Advanced Genetic Analysis on up to two cloners.
  • 40 for putting a filled DNA Activator into a GeneTek console.
  • 1 for every 50 credits spent from the Research Budget through the Purchase Additional Materials.

You spend Research Materials on:

Potential

Every organism has Potential, Unknown Mutations, incomplete and inactive. Potential Mutations are randomized each round, but within a round, they will always be the same, even after death. Only changing identity via stable mutagen or DNA Scrambler can change it. The overarching goal of genetics is to research and activate Potential Mutations among the crew.

To view a crew member's Unknown Mutations, you can either:

  • Go to Storage, scroll down to "DNA Samples", and click View Record for a crew member of your choice.
  • Insert an occupant into the GeneTek scanner, click the Scanner tab, and go down to "Potential Genes".

To research an Unknown Mutation select it and click Research required. After several seconds the research will finish. Each Unknown Mutation only needs to be researched once. The base cost of researching Unknown Mutation is 20 Research Materials.

To activate the Mutation either:

  • Create a DNA Activator and inject it into the subject.
  • Sequence the Mutation and activate it.

When you activate the Potential Mutation of a crew member or player-controlled monkey you are rewarded with:

Activating a Mutation on an NPC human or monkey will not give you the above rewards, though the Mutation will still work as normal.

DNA Activators

DNA Activators activate organism's Potential Mutations. You make DNA Activators by clicking the Activator button, which can be accessed through any of the menus below. You can do this every 20 seconds.

  • Record - Go to Storage, scroll to "DNA Samples", and View Record for someone, and click on a Mutation.
  • Scanner - If you have someone in the scanner. The Activator button is in two places.
    • Potential Genes
    • Active Mutations
  • Mutations
  • Storage - Under "Stored Mutations", assuming you have Mutation Storage unlocked.

If a DNA Activator activates a crew member's Potential Mutation the DNA Activator will turn transparent and become a filled DNA Activator (). Click on the GeneTek console with the filled DNA Activator in your active hand to put it in and receive the rewards. If the DNA Activator did not activate a crew member's Potential Mutation, you'll get a useless expended DNA Activator ().

Sequencing

After you Sequence a Mutation, you can activate a Potential Mutation immediately, without cooldown. To Sequence a Mutation you need to find the missing base pairs. You only need to Sequence each Mutation once. Next time you see the same Mutation, an Autocomplete button will appear. Press it to Sequence the Mutation immediately.

Mutations are composed of base pairs. Bases are represented as letters G, A, C or T (Guanine, Adenine, Cytosine or Thymine). Bases always come in pair. G is always paired with C and base T is always paired up with base A.

You can only Sequence Mutations of GeneTek scanner occupants.

Walkthrough - Sequencing Mutations

Mutation with an unknown Sequence.

First, insert an occupant into the GeneTek scanner. Then, select a Mutation you want to Sequence. You don't have to research the Mutation before Sequencing it.

Filling up half-filled base pairs.

Start off by filling up any half-filled base pairs. A goes with T, G goes with C. ?-G becomes C-G, ?-T turns to A-T and A-? becomes A-T.

Filling up unfilled base pairs.

Next, start working on the unfilled base pairs. G-C is different from C-G, and T-A is different from A-T, so each unfilled base pair has four different possible arrangements. Let's try G-C first and work down the list.

Check Stability shows the guess is incorrect.

With a Gene Sequence Checker you can fill out base pairs, click Check Stability and see if your guess is correct. If the base pairs are correct, they will turn green. If they are wrong they will turn red. Make another base pair guess, wait until Check Stability cools down and see if your guess is correct this time.

If you do not have the Gene Sequence Checker Research, you can make the guesses manually by going through all the sixteen base pair permutations. If you have one person with half of the code for the Mutation and another has the other half, you can compare the two and deduce the complete code, or at least part of it.

Correct guess, but a base pair is locked.

After correctly guessing base pairs it is time to unlock the locked base pair.

Unlocking locked base pairs

Notice a little lock? Click on it to begin a game: 

 SCANNER ALERT: Encryption is a 2-character code.
 Possible characters in this code: G C 
 1 auto-decryptions available. Enter UNLOCK as the code to expend one.

If you don't want to play the game, you can type "unlock" and auto-decrypt the lock. You gain 2 auto-decryptors after activating a Mutation on a crew member.

Alternately, a specific chain of letters must be entered to unlock the pair of bases. The only possible combinations here are GG, GC, CG and CC.

If your answer is wrong, the machine will show you how close you are to the correct answer. Let's assume we entered GG and this was the result: 

 SCANNER ALERT: Decryption failed.
 0/2 correct characters in entered code.
 0/2 characters in correct position.
 Attempts remaining: 1.
Unlocked and correct!

This shows that there is no G in the code, and thus the code must be CC!

Some codes will be this simple, but others will have up to 4 characters. Some genes will even have multiple locked pairs. Most of the more powerful genes have some of their pairs locked, so it can be worth the effort!

Success! Click Activate and to activate the Mutation!

Injectors

Completing the DNA Injectors research allows the creation of DNA Injectors . When you inject an organism with a DNA Injector they will gain the Mutation even if it was not in their Potential Mutations. However, these do not give any Chromosomes, Research Materials, or auto-decryptors as rewards. It is also important to note DNA Injectors change the organism's Stability!

To make an Injector, pick Create Injector from either Stored Mutations or occupant's Mutations. This can be done every 40 seconds for 30 Research Materials. They share a cooldown timer with Activators, so creating a Injector also prevents you from making an Activator and vice versa.

DNA Injectors are administered similarly to DNA Activators, i.e. you click on the subject while you're holding the Injector to use it on them (The subject can also use it on themselves.) Using one always creates a "filled injector"; these do not give any rewards when redeemed, and it is not possible to make them do so.

Genetics Booth

Once the relevant upgrade is researched, it is also possible to grant Mutations through the Gene Booth (also known as the Genetics Booth), a machine that grants Mutations in exchange for money. Through the Gene Booth, you can share Mutations without having to stray from the console.

When you access an occupant's Mutations or Stored Mutations and click on a Mutation, you can choose Sell at Gene Booth to send 5 applications of the Mutation to the Gene Booth for 30 Research Materials. It'll prompt you to set a price in credits and a description. It is possible to sell Mutations spliced with Chromosomes, and genes in the booth can be locked or have their price adjusted by swiping a Captain, Medical Director, or Head of Security ID on the booth.

Similar to Injectors, the Gene Booth can give Mutations not in the recipient's Potential. Receiving a Mutation through the Gene Booth changes their Stability. Because of this, it is common practice to splice Mutations with Stabilizer Chromosomes to nullify the Stability change.

Gene Booth sales go towards the Research budget. You can swipe your ID card on the GeneTek console to siphon a portion of the proceeds to your own account.

The Gene Booth normally takes 20 seconds to give someone a Mutation, but this can be reduced with research.

Mutations

When you activate a Potential Mutation it becomes an active Mutation. There are a wide variety of Mutations, some commonplace and simple, some extremely powerful and rare. Some are beneficial, some are detrimental, some are situational, and some are just wacky and fun. There are more mutations than those listed here, so feel free to sequence and find Mutations on your own!

When you die you lose all your Mutations, but keep your Potential Mutations. For the cloner in particular, you can also enable the Advanced Genetic Analysis option, so clones keep Mutations they had when they were scanned; this is especially handy for those trying to stick with a certain Body Type Mutation.

Clicking the blue ABIL tab on your hotbar will toggle between standard options and your available Mutation powers.

Mutations are different from Traits.

Stability

Debilitating Mutations often increase Stability while beneficial Mutations decrease it. Gaining a Mutation that was already in your Potential causes no Stability loss or gain, e.g. getting Mutations through the Gene Booth and DNA Injectors can change Stability, while getting them via DNA Activators does not.

Stability determines how often your Mutation powers will work as intended. Every organism starts with 100 Stability. At 100 Stability your Mutation powers will work correctly 100% of the time. At 40 Stability your Mutation powers will work correctly 40% of the time. An example of a mutation not working properly is using Optic Energizer and having it burn your eyes instead of firing lasers.

Having less than 41 stability gives a 5% chance for a random passive mutation to degrade into its opposite counterpart. For example, Toxic Resistance degrades into Blood Toxification. Having less than 21 causes you to randomly gain mutations at the same chance!

Having Stability below 50 also garbles your speech, replacing some letters with g's, u's, l's, and b's, and instead of "[name] says [text]", it's "[name] gurgles [text]". This is a telltale sign that it's time to get some mutadone.

Mutually Exclusive Genes

Some genes belong to 'groups'. For each of these groups, you can only have one gene from that group at once. If you already have a gene from a particular group and another gene from that group is added to you, the new gene will replace the old one. There is a unique exception to this: If you have two potential mutations that are within the same group, they will not override each other, allowing you to have combinations such as Fire Resistance and Ice Resistance, or Blindness and X-Ray Vision.

All mutantraces, or body type mutations, are exclusive with each other.

Group Mutations
Thermal Modifiers Thermal Resistance, Heat resistance, Cold Resistance, Thermal Vulnerability
Toxin Modifiers Toxic Resistance, Blood Toxification
Radiation Modifiers Radioactive, Radiation Resistance
Blood Modifiers Hemopoesis Overdrive, Polycythemia, Anemia
Regenerations Regeneration, Super Regeneration, Lupine Regeneration
Fitness Physically Fit, Physically Unfit
Vision Blindness, Short Sighted, X-Ray Vision (though not Night Vision)

Mutation List

For a complete mutation list that contains super rare, antag specific, or admin-only genes, see the dedicated page on Genetic Mutations.

Frontal Gyrus

Mutations that affect speech patterns. These range from funny to miserable, and have no empowered effects.

Mutation Message Danger Level Stability Effect

Hemochromia

A reference to an old webcomic, come to Goonstation! These color your blood and give you more blood regen overall. No empowered effects.

Mutation Message Danger Level Stability Effect

Powers

Genetic abilities that can be used whenever you wish to. Instead of degrading at low stability, some of these can backfire! Can also be synchronized for safer effects.

Mutation Message Danger Level Stability Effect Empowered Effect Synchronized Effect Failure Effect

Beneficial

Good mutations that will most likely tax your stability. Don't take too many, or make sure to stabilize them!

Mutation Message Stability Effect Empowered Effect Degrades Into

Harmful

Bad mutations that will most likely give stability. If you want to be a true stability freak, you'll have to pick your poison.

Mutation Message Stability Effect Empowered Effect

Harmless

Silly mutations that have no effect other than making you look or act funny.

Mutation Message Stability Effect Empowered Effect


Body Type Mutations

Body Type Mutations cosmetic Mutations that change your Body, Appearance or even Race. You can only have one active at a time. You can activate these through the Body menu or just like any other Mutation.

Even if you are not a Human, you are still protected by the Rules.

Mutation Message Effect

Booster Gene

Booster Genes are a group of mysterious Mutations that, on their own, do absolutely nothing. However, they interact with other Mutations in various and interesting ways.

Mutation Effect

High Complexity DNA

This is a rare mutation which cannot be researched or activated using a DNA Activator, it can also only be Sequenced which means the occupant must be in the GeneTek scanner. When activated and stored in Mutation Storage, it serves as a wildcard for combining Stored Mutations, so you can very easily get some fascinating and rare Mutations this way. When activated it unlocks powerful Research. If a mutation is used in multiple combinations, then it will prioritize one of the combinations over the others when combined with High Complexity DNA.

Chromosomes

Chromosomes are Mutation modifiers. They can be be spliced with Mutations. Each mutation can only be spliced once. Each time you activate a Mutation you gain 2-5 random Chromosomes. Each GeneTek console has its own Chromosome storage.

To splice a Chromosome with a Mutation, click the Storage tab, scroll down to Stored Chromosomes, pick a Chromosome and click Splice. Find an active or stored Mutation which you want to splice, and click the Splice button next to it.

There are different types of Chromosomes:

  • Stabilizer - Removes the Stability penalty from the Mutation. Can't be added to Mutations which have no Stability penalty.
  • Synchronizer - Makes the Mutation less dangerous to the organism. This has multiple different effects depending on the Mutation it's spliced with. Unfortunately, has an effect with only 6 mutations total.
  • Weakener - Makes the Mutation more Reclaimable and doubles the amount of Research Materials you gain from Reclaiming.
  • Reinforcer - Makes the Mutation mutadone-proof, meaning that the only way it can be removed is through the GeneTek console.
  • Power Booster - Makes the Mutation more powerful!
  • Energy Booster - Halves the cooldown of any usable powers the Mutation grants.
  • Camouflager - Hides the message associated with gaining a Mutation.

Research

You can buy extra features and upgrades through Available Research. Research is shared between all GeneTek consoles.

In return for slowing down the cloning process with Advanced Genetic Analysis enabled on the cloner all Research cooldowns are reduced by 5%. Up to two active cloners will reduce the cooldown.

Research Tier Requires Time (sec.) Cost Effect

Here is the Genetics Research tree, with arrows indicating requirements, in case you want to focus on, say, Precision Radiation Emmiters.

Combining Mutations

Once you have researched Mutation Storage, active Mutations can be stored and combined to yield new and more useful Mutations. Some of these are only available via combination, whereas others may appear (rarely) as Potential Mutations. There isn't any penalty to getting an invalid combo, so feel free to experiment and see what results you get! Mutation combinations are not considered secret content, so if you discover one, you aren't required to ask for permission, preface it as spoilers, or otherwise take extra precautions to share it.

If you want to skip the discovery part and go straight to learning the combos, you check out this unofficial guide.

Lesser-Relevant Menus

Alongside Potential, these menus appear when you have someone in the scanner. Compared to Research and Potential, there's not much to say about these. They still have a purpose, mind you, but they do far less than the other ones. and are way less important.

Mutations Menu

This shows mutations which are active. If you have the Mutation Storage or Gene Booth upgrade, this is where you go to store or sell them. While you have the same 'Potential after getting cloned, you lose any active mutations after getting cloned, so people coming out of the cloner usually have this empty, unless the cloner had Advanced Genetic Analysis enabled.

Body

This lets you change the occupant into a variety of lovely forms depending on what mutations you've researched, such as a lizardman or a giant cockroach. By default, Human and Primal Genetics (monkey) are available.

Appearance

This one opens up a menu just like the one in the Character Selection screen, where you can change the hair style (s), hair color, skin tone, eye color, and various other cosmetic things about the occupant. If you want to give people obnoxious Sailor Moon hair or colorful Rainbow Afros, this is the place (and the only place at that, as this is pretty much the only way to get those unique hair styles). Only appears if whoever's in the scanner is a race that can accept these appearance options, namely humans.

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