station/docs/ss13-feature-gaps.md

SS13 Feature Gaps

This document is an inventory of major systems and smaller features that are not present, or are only represented in a basic form, in Station. It is based on the current source code and shipped content, not a promise or schedule for implementation. Space Station 13 differs substantially between codebases and servers, so this is a practical comparison with common SS13 gameplay rather than an exhaustive specification.

Station currently provides persistent worlds rather than rounds; free movement; inventory and item use; crafting, construction and gathering; skills; simple hunger and health; basic machines; chat; multiplayer; admin controls; and world/character persistence. Those systems provide a foundation, but do not yet form the crew-driven, round-based station simulation typical of SS13.

Major Systems

These are large gameplay pillars. Many depend on several other systems and would need coordinated data, server simulation, UI, networking and content.

• Round lifecycle and lobby: Lobby, ready-up, round start and end, round timers, end-of-round summary, and a clean reset or new-round flow.
  • Not needed, as I want to go for long running servers instead of round based
• Crew roles and departments: Job selection or assignment, department rosters, role-specific equipment and responsibilities, access levels, and command structure. Current skills gate a few recipes; they are not jobs.
• Antagonists, objectives and events: Hidden roles, role objectives, round-specific threats, dynamic events, and systems for declaring or resolving round outcomes.
  • Not needed for now
• Combat and security: Character-versus-character combat, weapons, projectiles, armor, restraints, arrest and evidence workflows, and security tools. Current damage is limited to basic survival/script effects rather than a combat model.
• Atmospherics and environmental simulation: Gas mixtures, pressure, oxygen and breathing, temperature, fire, vent/scrubber networks, and environmental hazards.
• Power and electrical engineering: Power generation and distribution, cables, breakers, consumers, power outages, and electrical hazards.
• Medical simulation: Damage types and body zones, injuries, surgery, diseases, status effects, diagnosis, medical equipment, and treatment workflows. Current health/nutrition and healing items are intentionally simple.
• Chemistry and reagents: Reagent containers, mixtures, reactions, chemical effects, toxins, and chemistry equipment. Current crafting consumes discrete item ingredients rather than simulating reagents.
• Research and technology progression: Research points, unlock trees, department research workflows, and fabrication tied to discovered technology. Current crafting uses direct recipes and skill requirements.
• Station infrastructure and machinery: Interconnected machinery and control systems, including powered/access-controlled airlocks, alarms, cameras, consoles, telecoms, and other department-specific equipment. Current doors are manually toggled and machines are generic timed processors.
• Communications and evacuation: Radio channels, headsets, intercoms, station-wide alerts, emergency communications, shuttle request/control, evacuation, and escape outcomes. Current player chat is global.
  • Communication is needed, evacuation right now isn't
• Character roles and species simulation: Species traits, body structure, species-specific needs, equipment restrictions, and distinctive capabilities.
• NPCs and autonomous station systems: NPC behavior, station AI, robots or cyborgs, pets, and other non-player entities with useful behavior.
• Station-scale content and workflows: Full department layouts, interactive props, specialized tools, jobs' equipment, and multi-step objectives that give the above systems a playable station context. Current map and item/building/recipe data are a small prototype set.

Minor Systems And Features

These are smaller in scope than the pillars above, though some will rely on a major system before they become useful.

• Roleplay interactions: Emotes, visible speech bubbles, character examine/look descriptions, and contextual examine text for items and buildings.
• Equipment and clothing: Wearable slots, uniforms, storage containers, backpacks, hand-held equipment, and item-specific interaction rules. Current inventory is a simple slot list without equipment slots.
• Richer status and damage feedback: Temporary status effects, damage indicators, incapacitation states, and clearer causes of health loss.
• Access credentials: ID cards, access levels, door authorization, access-denied feedback, and role-based access management.
• World interaction details: Pulling and pushing objects, dragging incapacitated characters, furniture placement, storage access, and more contextual interactions.
• Construction and repair details: Building damage and repair, tools with distinct uses, dismantling steps, and clearer construction feedback.
• Item affordances: Item examination, splitting and merging stacks, container contents, transfer between containers, and item-specific interactions.
• Personal communication: Local speech, radio device/channel selection, department channels, and communication feedback. The current chat is global.
• Character appearance and identity: Configurable appearance, pronouns, character descriptions, and richer identity/role presentation.
• Sensory feedback: Sound effects, ambient station audio, visual status cues, and alerts for nearby events.
• Player onboarding: In-game controls and interaction hints, role/job guidance, and contextual help for station equipment.
• Administration and moderation tools: In-game observation, teleport or intervention tools, logs and audit trails, and richer player reports. The server already has basic admin, ban, kick, whitelist, and configuration controls.
• Server discovery and reconnect experience: Server browser, connection recovery, and clearer handling of disconnects. Current play supports direct address joining.
  • Not needed for now
• Content breadth and polish: More items, recipes, machines, maps, station props, sprite variety, animations, sound, and UI for the gameplay systems added over time.

Existing Systems That Are Only Partial

• Survival: Hunger and health exist, but there is no breathing, fatigue, temperature, toxin, or broad status-effect simulation.
• Medicine: Healing exists, but there is no diagnosis, body-part treatment, surgery, disease, or reagent-based care.
• Engineering: Construction and deconstruction exist, but there is no power, atmospherics, object damage/repair loop, or linked engineering machinery.
• Machines: Input/output slots and timed recipes exist, but machines are not connected to power, research, access control, or station-wide networks.
• Social play: Multiplayer and global chat exist, but there are no local speech, radios, role channels, or round objectives to structure crew play.
• Scripting and modding: Data files and Rune hooks support content customization, but the current hooks do not provide a broad event, AI, or multi-entity simulation framework.

Suggested Development Order

This is a dependency-oriented sequence, not a commitment:

1. Decide whether Station remains a persistent-world sandbox or moves toward a round-based loop; that choice affects persistence, roles, objectives and server lifecycle.
   • I want to stay persistent world sandbox style. The community should be able to build custom maps (scenarios) that can have goals
2. Establish character state and interaction foundations: damage/status model, equipment, access, and robust item/container interactions.
3. Add station infrastructure primitives such as power, atmospherics and machinery networks before building complex department equipment on top.
4. Build role workflows and communications, then round objectives, antagonists, emergencies and evacuation around those foundations.
5. Expand departments, content, audiovisual feedback and administration tools alongside playtesting and balancing.
   • There should also be tools to generate and modify content, so that communities can make custom content in a simple way