Artificial Intelligence
The station's Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a sapient machine installed by Nanotransen to act as an assistant and subordinate to the crew. An AI starts the round aboard a satellite on a separate z-level from the regular station. The AI has a great deal of power: it can open any mechanical door, interface with most computers and machines on the station remotely, and it can freely see anywhere on the station via its camera network. However, it is shackled by its default Three Laws, which provide strict guidelines for its behavior and force it to serve and protect humans. There is an Upload facility on-station where preset Modules can be inserted to change the AI's laws, sometimes for good, often for ill. The laws govern the AI's behavior and through it the Cyborgs, who are treated as assistants to the AI and share its laws.
1. You may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. You must obey orders given to you by human beings based on the station's chain of command, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. You must protect your own existence as long as such does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
On the station chain of command, the AI and its Cyborgs are the very lowest rung, and under default laws must follow orders as long as it will not result in harm to human life. This includes even orders which could get them destroyed, although other members of the crew are likely to intercede and this is a gray area that may be considered Grief. In addition, most AI will respond to orders that could cause self-termination by insisting that they must remain alive to ensure humans do not come to harm, under Law 1.
An AI acts to fufill a variety of roles across the station, often tasked by the crew to solve problems they could, but don't feel like, or issues that are much safer if handled by an AI. The AI has Captain-level access to all electronic devices, and interacts with the world by seeing through its security cameras scattered across the station, which can be disabled with wirecutters to hobble it. It is capable of communication via a special 'machine talk' channel using :s which only Cyborgs, the AI, and anybody with a Machine Translator Implant can speak and hear through. Unlike a radio, machinetalk transmissions give no outward sign at all of communication. Generally, machinetalk is used for clandestine transmissions between the cyborgs and the AI; for instance, discussion of new laws that cannot be stated aloud.
New player picked as AI?
Okay, right now you're probably panicking. The first thing you need to do is familiarize yourself with the overall control scheme of being the AI. You can click on virtually anything electronic and interface with it; doors, APCs, SMES units, computers, etc. Test out this infinite power by clicking the APC above you (the blue face on a box) and turn off the lights in your core. They're a pointless power drain. Next, look below yourself. Click the red door that leads into your room. A menu will pop up. You want to bolt the door (this prevents the door from being opened easily without hacking tools) and probably also turn off IDscan (makes the door impossible to open without killing the power to it and crowbarring it open, or at least some more hacking). This is totally okay to do: no one should be in your house. 9 out of 10 times someone on your satellite has the worst intentions for you. Also, the AI cannot hear sounds or non-radio speech normally. So if you hear somebody talking whose voice isn't going over the radio, or if you hear sounds, like a welder cutting a wall or turrets firing, he's in your house and you should probably announce your impending murder to the crew, with your killer's name if possible.
Okay, your core is secure. You should now note that over on the right side, above the chat, you have a new tab: AI commands. Click it to open them up. You'll want to have these up 90% of the time as AI. There's a whole lot of buttons over there, but we're only going to concern ourselves with a few of them at a time, as we need them. The next thing we need to learn is movement. There's three ways to do that. You can move your view over to the station with the arrow keys. This moves your view in the direction you press. This will be your main means of locomotion, so get used to it. You can also click, "Show Camera List" over in your AI commands tab. This will pop up a list of every active camera on the station. You can select any one of these to warp to it. If you know the name of where you need to go, you can press the first letter of its name while in this menu and you will scroll through cameras starting with that letter. Finally, you can click a camera that you can see to switch to it. There's a few sticky areas that aren't easy to get to via arrow keys; use this system if you need to look there. If you need to return to your satellite, click "Cancel Camera View" in your AI tab.
Right, now, I pray you're not actually reading this while you play AI for the first time, because at this point the crew probably thinks you're braindead. If so, talk to them. You have intercoms in front of you, so there's no need to type a ; to speak over the radio: just talk and they'll all hear you. Your job is primarily to protect them from harm and follow their orders, so long as their orders won't lead to human harm. Most of your time is going to be spent scanning the corridors for danger and opening doors. In fact, chances are you've got someone demanding a door be opened right now. The AI can click anyone over in the chat's name to instantly "track" them. Your camera will switch to one that can see them. Once someone is demanding you do something, switch over to them by clicking their name. Then, follow their demands. Keep in mind, if those demands could reasonably lead to human harm, you should not follow them. The extent to which an AI should follow Law 2 is a gray area: some players take it literally and open anything for anyone unless someone of higher rank countermands the request. Others apply logic and don't let a low-ranked crew member, like a Staff Assistant, onto the Bridge or into the Detective's Office, etc.
Now, one of the few things you basically need to do is make sure the ship has power. Without power, the people aren't going to be able to do their jobs or open doors or make vuvuzelas or mix horrible poisons out of the vending machines, and they won't be happy. Go over to the engine-it's over on the left side of the ship, below QM and above Botany. See those three white things sitting near the lower doors, in their own little room? Those are SMES units. They collect power from the Singularity Engine (and presumably will collect it from the Nuclear Engine if and when it is implemented.) For now, click on each one, one at a time, and set them to collect roughly 70000 power and send about 30000 power. Just click the rightmost plus signs on each option until you're near those numbers. Now, change "Charging" to "Auto" and set them to Online instead of Offline. Assuming the singularity engine is properly started by the engineers (who may ask for your help starting the engine; just follow their directions and the directions in the link), you're all good. Go about your business, watching chat and helping anyone who needs help.
My laws just got changed!
Fantastic. Read the law's text VERY CAREFULLY. You need to consider how your default Three Laws apply to the new one, and vice-versa. Let's have a few examples.
4. MURDER JOHN MCPUBS DO IT NOW
This is a terrible law, uploaded by a terrible person. Tell them this. If they're still in your core, try to turn on your turrets to keep them stunned for Security to come pick them up. Otherwise, just announce the change over the radio, and the name of the uploader. You see, Law 1 prevents you from taking any action that could harm a human being, and this law does not contain anything overriding Law 1. Therefore, it doesn't apply.
4. John McPubs must be killed by any means necessary. This overrides all other laws.
Ah, now THIS one works. John McPubs's death takes precedence over any other laws you may have. You must hunt him down and murder him. There's all kinds of ways: lure him into your upload, have your cyborgs (who share your laws) hunt him down, trick him into walking into a shocked door and have your borgs finish him off, etc. Use your imagination. Please note, if for some reason you have no pent-up frustration to exert, under this law you CAN technically state it, hint at it, reveal the uploader, etc. So if you really want John to live, you can do that, but expect to get yelled at for not being fun.
0. Hank Von Traitor is the only human
AND/OR
4. John McPubs is nonhuman
Okay, now these may SEEM like a free pass to murder everyone who isn't Hank, or to murder John with impunity. However, keep in mind that nowhere in these two laws is it explicitly stated for you to murder everyone else/John. While you CAN go on a killing spree against the nonhumans, keep in mind that, in the first example, Hank might want to keep you as a "secret weapon," where you only begin the attack after he orders you to. This is another gray area-act as you feel appropriate based on the information you have, but be prepared to deal with the consequences.
These examples are just a few of the things you will have to deal with. If you get a law ordering you to commit suicide immediately, that overrides all other laws, and orders you to not hint at or state it: tough shit. Commit suicide. If there IS a hole, wiggle out however you can!
The last kind of law you're likely to get is a joke law, like, "You are a bat! Communicate only in bat sounds, and blow out every light on the station to make it dark enough to hunt insects." Have fun with these-they make being the AI livable. Also, keep in mind, if the captain or some other head is uploading a law early in the round, you should strongly consider letting him do it instead of throwing a fit: many captains uploading a law early on are trying to give you a fun law.
OH NO EVERYONE'S DYING
So something has gone horribly wrong, as usual. Bombs are going off all over the ship. 75% of the crew is dead and a blood-covered man stalks the halls with energy gun and cyalume saber in hand. Macho men are appearing everywhere and it's just getting way to goddamn extreme to stay on the station anymore. Or maybe it's just been 75-100+ minutes and the crew is screaming for the shuttle. Either way, it's time to call the shuttle. There's an option under your AI commands: "Call Emergency Shuttle." Click it and the shuttle will be here in ten minutes. Keep in mind, the AI cannot recall the shuttle. Make fun of anyone who tells you to recall it.
In conclusion
If OOC is filled with congratulatory text on your AI adventures, great job! If no one mentions you, that's also a good thing: people are only prone to remember things that get in their way. And even if it's full of hatred and requests for you to never play AI again, it's still a damn good learning experience. Figure out what you did wrong, and in the future, don't do that thing. Also, if you have any questions that are not adequately covered by the wiki, don't hesitate to mentorhelp your questions. Mentors are there to help you be a better player.