Introduction
So you want to not be a burden for the Engineering department. That’s good. This guide will cover things like damage control, solar, hacking, and other miscellaneous Engineering stuff. Power generation won’t be included because that needs a guide of its own.
How to fix the crippled death trap we call a "station"
Damage control is arguably one of the easiest parts of Engineering, but people fuck it up a lot. The main mistake people make is that they just put down rods and plating then call it a day. While this works and will be fine for short rounds, it is often problematic in long rounds or when it wasn’t just a dorm room. When fixing hull breaches and other damage, remember to try and fix piping and wiring as well. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a low-pressure botany, a powerless chemistry, or a pile of shit people threw down disposals in the Captain’s office. The other thing is that you should probably fix walls and windows, so the Brig doesn’t become public access, and fix machines, so R&D can do their jobs. APCs and air alarms are also necessary if destroyed. I can’t be bothered to go over building all that shit now, so just check the /tg/ wiki if you don’t know.
How to break into the brig
Hacking can be difficult. It’s not hard once you get the hang of it, but it can be difficult. Airlocks are the main thing you’ll hack, and what I’ll cover here. To hack an airlock, you first screwdriver the panel open then test each wire with a multitool by pressing the “pulse” button next to each colour. When the text down the bottom says “The door bolts have fallen!” remember that wire. It bolts doors and makes them impossible to open without hacking the airlock again. When it says “The test light is off” that’s the wire you want. Remember it too, then cut it with wirecutters. If the bolts are not down, this will allow you to pry open the airlock with a crowbar. You should also probably wear insulated gloves while hacking since the airlock can - and probably will - shock you.
How to get the solars running
Solars are a very easy way to generate power. They usually won’t make enough to power the station, but they work well as a backup. They are stationed in maintenance at the four corners of the station and require Engineering access. You will need a hardsuit and internals to get them running. First, go outside on the catwalk (with your hardsuit closed, thermal regulator on, and internals on) and place wire in a straight line going from the airlock to the circular blue thing at the end (the solar tracker). You might need to wire around a corner on some maps. To place the wire, just click on a wire-less tile with cable coil in-hand. Once it is wired, go to the console just inside the airlock and press “search for new devices” then set solar tracking to Auto. After that, go to the SMES and set input to max and output to 10 below max. Once you’ve done that 4 times for each solar array, it’s done and the solars are wired.
What to do when bored
First, keep an eye on the goddamn radio. If someone yells out for Engineering, go help them. When a rod or meteor strikes, go fix the damage. At shift-start, if you know how, set up the SM. If you don’t know how it works, don’t touch it. Once the parts for the Station Goal have arrived, help build that. Maybe you could expand Chemistry, make dorms useful somehow, or just wander in maint. Keep in mind that if you do fuck off to maintenance, please don’t bring a hardsuit with you. You don’t need it in maints. And be ready to leave maints and go be useful quickly if a need for Engineers shows up. Also don’t just respond to people yelling over comms, if you hear a miner say “Hey engineering, could you come fix the tcomms relay” then go and fix the goddamn tcomms relay. Finally, don’t throw yourself into the SM unless it’s EORG. You’ll be permanently removed from the round, which sucks, and you’ll take all your stuff with you, which sucks for everyone else. It usually won’t cause an SM delam, but please don’t do it.
if this goes well I might make more for the sm and other shit just lemme know if you want a specific guide and I might make it
