User:KindaNice/Engineering rework: Difference between revisions

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<big>main page: [[Engineering]]</big>
<big>main page: [[Engineering]]</big>


The '''Engineering''' department is single-handedly responsible for providing power to the station & performing any maintenance that the station may require. Whether it be patching up holes left by meteorites or rebuilding a department after a bombing, it is the sole purview of the Engineering department to keep the station running smoothly & in one piece. Due to the relatively high priority of engineering tasks, there is a lot of overlap between different departments.
clearing this as I moved changes to main Engineering page, see history if you're curious
 
= Jobs =
The chain of command in Engineering is as follows: [[Chief Engineer]] > [[Station Engineer]] = [[Atmospheric Technician]] > [[Technical Assistant]].
 
== Chief Engineer ==
[[File:Chief_Engineer.png|right|80px]]
The [[Chief Engineer]], or CE, is the head of the Engineering department and works alongside their subordinates on various engineering duties.
As a CE, you are expected to have a good level of understanding of both sub-departments of your department and be able to teach skills when necessary. You will also need to be able to properly relegate tasks in times of crisis, monitor material levels, and communicate with other departments and [[Command]].
 
== Station Engineer ==
[[File:Station_Engineer.png|right|80px]]
[[Station Engineers]] work in the Engineering sub-department. Station Engineers often can be found setting up [[Power|power generation]], patching holes in the hull, or rebuilding destroyed areas of the station. Station Engineers also often find themselves backing up Atmospheric Technician to assist with fixing spaced parts of the station.
 
== Atmospheric Technician ==
[[File:Atmospheric_Techincian.png|right|80px]]
[[Atmospheric Technicians]] work in the Atmospherics sub-department. As an Atmospheric Technician, you will find yourself building and repairing [[Pipes and vents|pipe networks]], setting up the [[Power#The_Thermoelectric_Generator_(TEG)|Thermoelectric Generator]], and scrubbing hazardous gases from the air. Atmospheric Technicians also often find themselves doubling as Station Engineers to manage power generation on the station.
 
== Technical Assistant ==
[[File:Technical_Assistant.png|right|80px]]
A [[Technical Assistant|technical assistant's]] primary job is to learn as much about engineering as possible. Your Chief Engineer or other department members should assist you in this learning when possible, in order to turn you into an effective member of the team. Study what your superiors do and ask for help!
 
= Responsibilities =
== Power Generation ==
''Main article: [[Power]]''<br>
 
Generating electricity for the station is the primary concern of the engineering department, as without it, none of the other departments aboard the station are able to work. Luckily, there are a selection of different methods to do so, ranging from immediate plug & play to more in depth setups.
 
Only some of these power generation methods will be available on the space station at the start of the shift, and all of those require additional setup - because of this, engineers need to work quickly at the start of every shift to set up permanent power generation. It is possible to order the parts/machines/fuel for other power sources through [[Cargo]], but at a high price.
 
=== Fuel-based power ===
Generating electricity from fuel is the simplest way to power a space station, and they do not require any input power to run. However, there is nowhere near enough fuel available for any of these machines to power a station for the entire shift, so these two generation methods are primarily used at the start of a shift or when some other emergency disrupts power supply on the station.
* Every station comes equipped with parts to build an [[Power#The Antimatter Engine|Antimatter Engine (AME)]] can provide power for the entire station, but only so long as anti-matter fuel is available. Generally, each map has enough anti-matter fuel to last long enough to set up another permanent power-generation method. Station engineers are responsible for setting up the AME at round start, as they are not fully assembled at the start of the shift.
* There are three different sizes [[Power#Small Portable Generators|portable generators]] (all from the "P.A.C.M.A.N." line), and each use different types of fuel to provide different amounts of power. The small J.R.P.A.C.M.A.N. uses welding torch fuel, and can provide enough power to act as an APC temporarily. The larger P.A.C.M.A.N. generators consume plasma or uranium, and can provide emergency power to a whole department or a constructed space shuttle (or in an emergency, to power up a particle accelerator). These generators are usually found in the engineering department so will need to be moved around by station engineers.
 
=== Particle accelerator sources ===
Most, but not all, stations have a particle accelerator and containment platform (set up in the vacuum near the Engineering department) that can be used to create a [[Power#Gravitational_Singularity_Engine|gravitational singularity]] or [[Power#Tesla_Generator|tesla ball lightning]]. Each of these phenomena can provide enough power for the entire station without needing any other generation, however they come with significant risks:
* Even when properly contained, engineers can be harmed either by the singularity's radiation or the lightning ball's strikes. The containment field is outside the station in the vacuum of space, so any accidents can be deadly.
* Both the singularity and lightning ball must be kept in a containment field, and if the containment field loses power or is sabotaged then the power-generating phenomena will escape and most likely destroy the station (see [[Alert_Levels#Yellow|yellow alert procedures]] for this scenario).
* If a "tesloose" or "singuloth" situation occurs but it somehow doesn't destroy significant parts of the station, the evac shuttle still usually needs to be called because setting up another containment-based power generation method will be very difficult to do before the station runs out of power.
 
Station engineers are also responsible for setting up one of these generation methods if they are available, and will move to set this up after turning on the AME. Always defer to the chief engineer about which to set up, or if these risky engines should not be used in favor of other power generation.
 
=== Other permanent power generation ===
There are three other significant power sources that can be available on different stations. Generally, these are more complex to set up but may be safer alternatives to relying entirely on a tesla or singularity.
 
* [[Power#Solar power|Solar power]] - The station's solar arrays are a passive means of generating power, however they do not provide enough power to run the entire station by themselves. They always require some additional setup (either connecting HV cables or repairing the panels themselves) and take a lot time merely walking to each array. Even though other permanent power sources have enough output to fully power the station, it can still be worthwhile to set up solar panels in case of emergency situations that temporarily disrupt the power grid.
* [[Power#The_Thermoelectric_Generator_(TEG)|Thermoelectric Generator (TEG)]]- If the station has a TEG it will be in atmospherics, so unlike most other power sources this should be set up by [[Atmospheric Technicians|Atmosians]] instead of station engineers. Sometimes the TEG can be set up quickly (before a singularity or tesla) but often it will take more time to get running - the amount of work needed to construct gas loops can very a lot between stations, and the skill of the engineer working on setup can also greatly changes how long the setup takes.
* [[Power#Supermatter Crystal|Supermatter Crystal (SMC)]] - The rarest and most difficult to set up power source - an SMC is not available on most stations. The crystal itself can immediately kill anyone who touches it, and usually only the chief engineer can safely set it up.
 
== Maintaining Atmosphere ==
''Main article: [[Atmospherics]]''<br>
 
Another important responsibility for engineers is maintaining breathable air for all the station's inhabitants. Both Station Engineers and Atmospheric Technicians have important parts to play in this task. Maintaining atmosphere involves mixing nitrogen and oxygen to create breathable air, filtering pollutants out of the station's air supply, and patching holes in the station hull to prevent spacing.
 
=== Distro and waste ===
All stations have gas miners in the Atmospherics sub-department that provide an infinite supply of oxygen and nitrogen (and often other gases), and those should be piped into every room of the station to meet these environmental conditions:
* Ratio of 79% nitrogen and 21% oxygen
* Pressure of 101.325 kPa
* Temperature of 293.2K
 
At the start of the shift, the mixture of standardly breathable air must be set up in Atmospherics and pumped out to the rest of the station in what's typically called the 'distro' loop. Typical activities in the station - breathing, scientific experimentation, unexpected gas leaks, other biological processes - will produce undesirable gases like carbon dioxide and ammonia. A separate loop from distro, called the 'waste' loop, uses air scrubbers set up all over the station to filter those waste gases out of the air and pump them out of the station. The single point where the waste loop vents into space is also in Atmospherics, and typically requires some kind of setup at the start of shift to correctly dispose of these gases.
 
=== Spacing ===
hmm...
 
== Other responsibilities ==
The engineering department also is responsible for keeping the gravity generator and telecommunication servers running, but these do not require any active management. Unless they are sabotaged or the whole station loses power, these machines do not need any active attention in a shift. Also, the station anchor is sometimes in an area only accessible to engineers, but it does not require power and it's unclear what sabotage is possible with the anchor.
 
= Equipment =
''Man is a tool-using animal. Without tools he is nothing; with tools he is still an animal.''<ref>The actual quote attributed to Thomas Carlyle is "Man is a tool-using animal. Without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all."</ref>
 
The tools used by each engineer depend on their sub-department.
* [[Station Engineer#Equipment|Station Engineer]] -
* [[Atmospheric Technician#Equipment|Atmosian]] -
* [[Chief Engineer#Equipment|CE]] -
 
Also, here are some machines commonly in Engineering departments:
* Autolathes
* Portable generators
* Portable air scrubbers
* iono, fuckin' uhhhh...
 
= Working with other departments =
Everyone on the station requires the power grid and air distribution/waste loops to be fully operational. However beyond those basic requirements, here are a few other interdepartmental activities you can work on:
 
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Caption text
|-
! Department !! What engineering needs from them !! What they ask engineers for
|-
| [[Cargo]] || Machine parts for power generation, gas canisters || Example
|-
| [[Science]] || Example || Example
|-
| Example || Example || Example
|}

Latest revision as of 19:34, 21 February 2026

KindaNice (talk)

main page: Engineering

clearing this as I moved changes to main Engineering page, see history if you're curious

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