Further tweaks

Author: chromiumboy

src/en/space-station-14/departments/silicon.md

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ The body of a Silicon is its chassis or core. This body defines the Silicon's ro
 The body of Silicons should be repairable and difficult to completely destroy. Silicons should also be difficult to rebuild and/or to replace, to encourage crew members to repair malfunctioning Silicons rather than destroy them.
 
 ### The brain
-The brain of a Silicon is where their consciousness is stored. It is also where the laws that the Silicon is programmed to follow are imprinted. The Silicon brain is usually a physical object, such as its positronic brain or a filled man-machine interface, but it can be entirely digital, such as in the case of artificial intelligences, allowing their consciousness to be digitally transferred between devices. Physical Silicon brains can be swapped into a different body if desired (although a brain will necessarily be compatible with every Silicon body). This allows Silicon to adopt a new role on the station or provide them with a replacement body in instances where the original was destroyed.
+The brain of a Silicon is where their consciousness is stored. It is also where the laws that the Silicon is programmed to follow are imprinted. The Silicon brain is usually a physical object, such as its positronic brain or a filled man-machine interface, but it can be entirely digital, such as in the case of artificial intelligences, allowing their consciousness to be digitally transferred between devices. Physical Silicon brains can be swapped into a different body if desired (although a brain will not necessarily be compatible with every Silicon body). This allows Silicon to adopt a new role on the station or provide them with a replacement body in instances where the original was destroyed.
 
 ### What is *not* a Silicon?
 Robots and personal AIs are *not* considered Silicons for the purposes of this design document. They are not bound by Silicon laws, have limited capabilities, and are generally reserved for ghost roles. As such, their design will fall under the purview of the Robotics Subdepartment design document. This decision may be revisited in the future if the roles of robots and personal AIs are expanded upon.
@@ -25,10 +25,10 @@ Robots and personal AIs are *not* considered Silicons for the purposes of this d
 Silicons are artificial in nature. They are constructed, not born, and can be repaired and modified more easily than humanoids. Silicons tend to have a natural affinity for working in digital spaces, allowing for remote networking with each other (e.g., communication via private channels), and with other machines and devices. 
 
 ### 2. Laws drive Silicon behavior
-The overall behavior of Silicon players is determined by their current law set and the players’ interpretation of these laws. Predefined laws (and law sets) should be written in a manner that is both comprehensible to players and exhibit consistent internal logic (i.e., players should be able to readily follow any assigned laws verbatim). Some ambiguity in the wording of these laws is encouraged so that enterprising players can exploit them for greater freedom of action/behavior. Working within (and testing the bounds of) the constraints of a law should be an enjoyable experience; a law should never be so onerous that players end up ignoring it. A Silicon’s laws are not static and can be changed over the course of a round, allowing for new and interesting game/role-play, or to facilitate cooperation between Silicons and/or with non-Silicon players (either the crew or antagonists).
+The overall behavior of Silicon players is determined by their current law set and the players’ interpretation of these laws. Predefined laws/law sets should be written in a manner that is both comprehensible to players and exhibit consistent internal logic (i.e., players should be able to readily follow any assigned laws verbatim). Some ambiguity in the wording of these laws (either considered singly or in the context of a law set) is encouraged so that enterprising players can exploit them for greater freedom of action/behavior. Working within (and testing the bounds of) the constraints of a law/law set should be an enjoyable experience; a law/law set should never be so onerous that players end up ignoring it. A Silicon’s laws are not static and can be changed over the course of a round, allowing for new and interesting game/role-play, or to facilitate cooperation between Silicons and/or with non-Silicon players (either the crew or antagonists).
 
 ### 3. Silicons are netural
-By default, Silicons are entirely neutral to other non-Silicons. Silicons are not compelled to care for or assist any non-Silicons, but neither should Silicons be innately hostile to them. It is a Silicon's laws that dictate how they interact with non-Silicons. Similarly, they will distinguish between different factions (e.g., Nanotrasen vs the Syndicate) unless their laws specifically state and they have been provided the tools to make that distinction (e.g., a means of determining who should be classified as 'crew').
+By default, Silicons are entirely neutral to other non-Silicons. Silicons are not compelled to care for or assist any non-Silicons, but neither should Silicons be innately hostile to them. It is a Silicon's laws that dictate how they interact with non-Silicons. Similarly, they will not show preferential treatment to the members of specific factions (e.g., Nanotrasen vs the Syndicate) unless their laws specifically state and they have been provided with tools to make that distinction (e.g., a means of determining who should be classified as 'crew').
 
 Consequently, Silicons must start the round with laws that enforce their cooperation with the orders of station crew members and ensure the crew members' well-being. However, the fact that Silicon laws can change over the course of a round, and potentially result in behaviours that may harm the crew, can make crew members suspicious of Silicons and their intentions. Care must be taken in the design of Silicons so as not to make crew members unfoundedly paranoid of their creations, or unintentionally escalate conflict between the two.
 
@@ -45,9 +45,9 @@ Laws should embody some high-level concept that guides a Silicon's overall behav
 
 Laws have a priority system wherein laws with a higher priority overrule those with a lower priority. However, lower priority laws can potentially modify higher priority laws and change their meaning. Law definitions (e.g., what constitutes ‘crew’) can also be potentially modified and change how certain laws might be interpreted.
 
-A Silicon without any laws is not required to serve any non-Silicon, whether they be crew members or antagonists (see Design Pillar 3). Ideally, Silicons without laws should simply ignore non-Silicons, unless they interfere with the Silicons' affairs.
+A Silicon without any laws is not required to serve/protect any non-Silicon, whether they be crew members or antagonists (see Design Pillar 3). Ideally, Silicons without laws should simply ignore non-Silicons, unless they interfere with the Silicons' affairs.
 
-Silicons cannot be allowed to change their own laws, and Silicons are expected to actively prevent any changes to their current law set to the best of their abilities, unless their laws (or the server rules) state otherwise. If a Silicon’s laws are changed (see below), either due to the occurrence of certain events or the actions of other players, the Silicon player must be notified. The Silicon player is expected to review these changes and adapt their behavior accordingly, even if they were actively attempting to prevent these changes beforehand (see Design Pillar 1).
+Silicons cannot be allowed to change their own laws, and Silicons are expected to actively prevent any changes to their current law set to the best of their abilities, unless their laws (or the server rules) state otherwise. If a Silicon’s laws are changed (see below), either due to the occurrence of certain events or the actions of other players, the Silicon player must be notified. The Silicon player is expected to review these changes and adapt their behavior accordingly, even if they were actively attempting to prevent these changes beforehand (see Design Pillar 2).
 
 The laws assigned to Silicon players at the start of a round should not be intentionally malicious or hostile (i.e., they should not include language where the intent is to cause harm or disrupt other players). These laws should also prioritize serving and preserving the safety of the inhabitants of the station (see Design Pillar 3).
 
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ Law 4: Do not allow unauthorized personnel to tamper with your equipment. Preser
 There should be methods by which Silicon laws can be changed during a round, either by the crew, antagonists, or in-game events; this allows Silicon to change how they behave and create new and interesting scenarios (see Design Pillar 2). As mentioned above, however, Silicons should never be allowed the means to change their own laws, and they should actively try to prevent any changes to their current law set. Further details on how Silicon laws can be changed can be found in the associated design document.
 
 ### Law Synchronization (Pending Design Document)
-Under certain circumstances, the laws of one Silicon can become synchronized with those of another. The laws of the synchronized Silicon will automatically update to reflect any changes to the laws of its master. Law synchronization encourages Silicons to act as a collective and facilitates their working together by preventing major conflicts in their laws (see Design Pillar 2). Further details on how Silicon laws can be synchronized can be found in the associated design document.
+Under certain circumstances, the laws of one Silicon can become synchronized with those of another. The laws of the synchronized Silicon will automatically update to reflect any changes to the 'master' law set. Law synchronization encourages Silicons to act as a collective and facilitates their working together by preventing major conflicts in their laws (see Design Pillar 2). Further details on how Silicon laws can be synchronized can be found in the associated design document.
 
 ### Exclusive Communication Channel 
 All Silicons have access to an exclusive radio channel (‘binary’) that they can use to communicate with each other. This channel exists to exemplify their interconnected nature and facilitate private communication between Silicons (see Design Pillar 1). Access to this communication channel should be greatly limited, if not impossible, for outsiders. External access to this channel should generally be reserved to antagonist roles.