Post by SyncxizT on Aug 24, 2013 18:57:39 GMT
In City 17, Dispatch, or Overwatch as referred to in Half Life 2 more often (but now everyone thinks Overwatch automatically means COMBINE SOLDIER, so let's use Dispatch), is a massive part of life in the Metropolice/Civil Protection. First and foremost, Dispatch is essentially a massive supercomputer which gathers thousands of information all at once, and streams them all seamlessly from terminal to terminal, unit to unit, location to location. Utilizing cameras, scanners, manhacks, mines, synths, Dispatch, because it is not controlled by humans, is the only way to ensure that those who break the laws of the Benefactors are dealt a harsh judgement.
If, as a member of Civil Protection already OOCly, you want to become Dispatch, you can get a scanner character, or if you are a fancy pants admin, spawn a bunch of cameras and operate solely on that.
Here are some rough pointers for when you are playing Dispatch.
•Don't talk normally, speak like a robot all the time. (expanded in the chapter downstairs)
•Organize patrol groups for units, give them a job to do, or even better, a boring job so they can passive roleplay.
•Don't forget to do Regeneration Processes, this is essentially the equivalent of a break, is most usually 20 minutes. Members of Civil Protection go to the mess hall and eat their rations out of the dispensers, they need to line up just like citizens.
•Punish units, there must be some education value behind a workforce doing something wrong, disciplinary action can vary between a small slap on the wrist (point reduction) to citywide manhunts for rogue units, executions and detainment of up to a day.
•Reward units, adding notes to their data file indicating that they did something properly.
•Check citizen names. By pressing Alt, you can read the name of the character, this person living in City 17, will most likely be registered. This is not Hitman: Blood Money roleplay, Combine technology will have a file which will retain all of someone's background, origin, personality traits, physical appearance and likelihood of rebellion.
•Don't take any shit from anyone. You're Dispatch for crying out loud. Even the Ambassador of Earth, Dr Breen does not mess around with the affairs of Overwatch. You run the streets of City 17, you represent and embody The Combine, there are no second chances, no mercy, no failure to complete objectives. If Ministry Members or Loyalists are treating units like shit, bossing people around - you need to remind them. Might is Right.
Dispatch (or Overwatch) uses a 1984-ish type of Newspeak, using medical terms such as sterilize to signify a killing, amputate for execution, disunity for arguments, etc. Here is a list that can help you when referring to things in-game, derived from the vanilla sound files of Half Life 2, put into context from the situations and explained. The ones colour coded to red, are also verdicts which can be applied to citizens.
21 - Complaint (can be used for request devices)
27 or 99 - attempted crime/intent on committing crime
28 - Inciting (encouraging) a felony
29 - death
30 - homicide
30s - homicide by shooting
34s - shooting
51b - threat to property (this can be any form of suspected vandalism or breaking in to an area)
243 - assault on protection team
603 - criminal trespass (somewhere someone shouldn't be)
415 - disturbing unity (arguing, fighting, anything which stops the peace)
17f - fugitive detachment (hiding/tyring to hide from Dispatch)
95 - illegal carrying (contraband, or carrying anything shouldn't be, like a TV)
51 - non sanctioned arson (this is treated more with Newspeak in mind and a pinch of salt, arson refers to a metaphorical type of arson, much like civic disunity, to ruin or to destroy)
507 - public noncompliance (resisting arrest, or doing any laws in the middle of the street)
148 - resisting arrest (ANY form of resistance)
94 - weapon
95 - illegal carrying
69 - possession of resources
Credits to RapidJuice - Lemonpunch