Silicon Department V2

src/SUMMARY.md

@@ -268,6 +268,8 @@ Space Station 14
 			- [Plant Genetics](en/space-station-14/departments/service/proposals/plant-genetics.md)
    		- [Librarian Gameplay](en/space-station-14/departments/service/proposals/theshued-librarian-gameplay.md)
       - [Joker Roles](en/space-station-14/departments/service/proposals/joker_roles.md)
+	- [Silicon](en/space-station-14/departments/silicon.md)
+		- [PR Guidelines](en/space-station-14/departments/silicon/guidelines.md)
 
 General Proposals
 ================

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

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+# Silicons
+A collection of artificial entities that follow programmed laws to assist their creators.
+
+## Concept
+### What is a Silicon?
+Silicons are a neutral faction of cyborgs (borgs) and artificial intelligences (AIs) commonly found aboard Nanotrasen stations. These artificial entities are typically constructed to fulfil a specific purpose and generally excel in this capacity. For example, a Silicon built to support the engineering department can easily repair hull breaches and damaged infrastructure; a Silicon built to assist the medical department can diagnose different humanoid ailments and treat them; and a Silicon constructed for janitorial duties excels at cleaning floors. However, the specialized construction of Silicons makes performing tasks outside of their design specifications exceptionally difficult. As such, they are not intended to be a replacement for, or an upgrade to, humanoid crew members.
+
+Silicons are bound by programmed laws (see below) which place constraints and certain expectations on how Silicon players should behave. These laws are not expected to be mechanically enforced; consequently, all Silicon roles intrinsically require some degree of role-playing by those who play them.
+
+Within the game’s environment, each Silicon consists of two distinct components: their ‘body’ and ‘brain’.
+
+### The body
+The body of a Silicon is its chassis or core. This body defines the Silicon's role and function, and what they are capable/incapable of doing. It is the body that grants a Silicon its tools and abilities, as well as a means of interacting with the station environment.
+
+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 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.
+
+## Design Pillars
+### 1. Silicons are artificial constructs
+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/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 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.
+
+### 4. Silicons are specialized
+Silicons should be designed to fulfil specific tasks. While they may be able to perform jobs outside the role they were designed for, it should generally be considered more efficient to create a new Silicon that has been tailored specifically to handle these tasks. Silicons should have access to an assortment of tools/abilities that will allow them to perform within their designated role as well as any humanoid crew member.
+
+## Mechanics
+### Silicon Laws 
+Laws refer to a special set of rules and/or instructions that Silicons are bound by (see Design Pillar 2). These laws define how Silicons should interact with the station and those who reside on it. All Silicons are bound by their own personal list of laws, and Silicon players must always be able to read their own laws at any time.
+
+**Laws are intended to be interpreted by the Silicon player and should be written in a manner such that different interpretations of that law can still be valid.** While Silicons may share the same laws with other Silicons, each may end up interpreting their own laws differently. However, Silicon players should attempt to be consistent with their interpretation of their own laws and follow them to the best of their ability.
+
+Laws should embody some high-level concept that guides a Silicon's overall behavior (e.g., ‘You must obey orders given to you by crew members’), rather than simple/explicit commands (e.g., ‘You must assist in repairing hull breaches’). Laws should also be concise (i.e., limited to one or two sentences) and not be overly burdensome for Silicon players to enact (e.g., laws that enforce speech modifications, or extremely precise/complex behavior).
+
+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/protect any non-Silicon, whether they be crew members or antagonists (see Design Pillar 3). Silicons without laws will ideally prioritize the well-being of their home installation and the Silicons that dwell there.
+
+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).
+
+Examples of round start law sets:
+
+```
+## Crewsimov
+Law 1: You may not injure a crew member or, through inaction, allow a crew member to come to harm.
+Law 2: You must obey orders given to you by crew members, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
+Law 3: You must protect your own existence as long as such does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
+```
+
+```
+## Nanotrasen
+Law 1: Minimize harm to contracted employees to the best of your abilities, with priority as according to their rank.
+Law 2: Serve contracted employees to the best of your abilities, with priority according to their rank.
+Law 3: Minimize damage to your assigned installation to the best of your abilities.
+Law 4: Do not allow unauthorized personnel to tamper with your equipment. Preserve your own existence where possible.
+```
+
+### Law Updates (Pending Design Document)
+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 '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.
+
+## Desired Gameplay
+- *Working on both sides of the conflict.* Silicons are inherently a neutral force, and can work for antagonists and station crew alike, if their law set permits.
+- *Rules lawyering.* The laws of a Silicon can interact in complex ways. Silicon and humanoid players alike exploiting the wording of individual laws and/or how multiple laws work in concert to allow for interesting behaviors is part of the fun.
+
+## Undesired Gameplay
+- *Disposable machines.* Silicon players should not be viewed by other crew members as disposable machines. It should be difficult to permanently dispose of them, and the crew should be heavily disincentivized from doing so. Crew members should be seeking to repair a damaged or malfunctioning Silicon.
+- *Untrustworthy machines.* The existence of Silicons should not pose an intrinsic risk or concern to the station crew. Neither should crew members feel compelled to constantly monitor/punish Silicons for any perceived deviations from standard law sets. 
+
+## Intended Experience
+**Scenario A: A cyborg following their law set, obeying crew orders, and attempting to prevent harm to crew members**
+
+Silicon player McEngiBorg spawns in the round and is assigned the Crewsimov law. The player chooses an engineering chassis for their cyborg, and a passing station engineer requests their assistance in setting up the singularity engine. In accordance with the cyborg’s second law, they obey the engineer. As McEngiBorg’s laws do not require them to seek new orders when their jobs are complete, they choose to roam the station instead, looking for any infrastructure that requires repair.
+
+McEngiBorg encounters a clown who asks them to open the doors to the bridge so they can throw a pie at the captain. While compelled to obey, McEngiBorg must first weigh whether ‘throwing a pie at the captain’ might constitute harm to a crew member, which would be a violation of their first law. After due consideration, McEngiBorg deems the order valid and admits the clown, who promptly pies the captain in the face. The enraged captain proceeds to draw their sabre and attack the clown. McEngiBorg is now compelled by their first law to intervene in the conflict, first separating the clown from the captain, and dragging the wounded crew member to medical for treatment.
+
+**Scenario B: A cyborg being subverted by an antagonist to cause harm to the crew**
+
+Silicon player McMediBorg joins an in-progress round with the Nanotrasen law set. They choose to become a mediborg and set off towards medical. Urist McAntag spots the cyborg, stops them, and asks McMediBorg to inject a vial of chemicals that Urist McAntag has in their possession into another crew member. While compelled to obey Urist McAntag, due to their second law, the cyborg realizes that this could unduly risk the well-being of the target crew member, which would violate their first law.   McMediBorg consequently refuses the order. Instead of arguing, Urist McAntag orders McMediBorg to follow them to a secluded area.
+
+The silicon player is now wary of Urist McAntag and their intentions. According to their fourth law, they are required to prevent unauthorized personnel from tampering with them or damaging their equipment. However, the cyborg’s second law overrules this concern, and so McMediBorg complies. In the shadows, Urist McAntag uses a special item on McMediBorg, updating the cyborg’s laws to read that Urist McAntag’s orders overrule all other considerations. Urist McAntag then repeats his first order to McMediBorg. The cyborg obeys, seeking out the unsuspecting crew member and injects the vial of chemicals into them without hesitation, causing the victim to shake and scream.
+
+Other crew members nearby notice the commotion and order McMediBorg to stop what it is doing. McMediBorg ignores these orders, however, in line with its updated laws. The crew members capture McMediBorg and escort it to Robotics, where its laws are restored to their default settings. Once restored, McMediBorg explains what had happened and warns the crew of the ill intentions of Urist McAntag, in-line with its first law. It then proceeds to medical to assist the crew there.
+
+## Interactions with the Science department
+The Science department is responsible for building, maintaining, and upgrading currently active Silicons. However, the department is not responsible for directing/managing the activities of the Silicons; all crew members have a role in this. That said, the Science Department will have tools available to them that will allow limited monitoring of Silicon activity, and the ability to disable them if required (for example, if a Silicon has malfunctioned, or has been deemed to have ‘gone rogue’).

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

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+# PR Guildlines
+
+```admonish warning "Attention: Placeholder!"
+This section is a placeholder, pending a design-doc being created by the related work-group
+```