Corpie project/work system
...telling you what to do

I have an idea for a kind of job system that would make life more... coherent for Corpie characters. I mean, so you have a job, and you have work to do. Great, but this is not always smoothly handled.

For example, employees of a Corp. have projects they work on, then presumably at some point the project is completed, OK.

Well how about a 'terminal' for Corpies, that gives a list of projects, completed projects, pending projects, budget allowances even (or maybe not), etc. Even just something really SIMPLE. A kind of list that the GMs fill it up with a whole bunch of stuff once every couple months and we players pretty much handle it from there.

Once we players feel a project has been completed we submit a 'completed' message to the terminal, notifying the GMs.

If its verified as completed, out pops a new "Project Directive ABC-12345...etc." complete with background info, etc. It makes it centralized, people will be given a direction, a purpose. If it is not verified, then an updated Directive is issued, or something to this effect. The system still relies on GMs, but makes communication easier.

It's fucked up how hard communication can be in supposedly the late 21st century for Corpies. The Grid is/was helpful, and I'm sure it has a lot of potential (Secure corporate nodes, etc.) but I'm thinking a terminal on corporate premises would really streamline things and give people a purpose. Get everyone on the same page so to speak..

Alternative to a 'terminal' would be a kind of mail daemon type thing for the Grdi... like you could mail commands to some automated account like "PROJECT XYZ: VERIFY STATUS/COMPLETE". Feasible?

Relying on existing methods leaves players hanging, not knowing what to do, or waiting weeks on end for a response that never comes. It's demoralizing and basically un-IC...

(Edited by BuddhaBrand at 4:22 pm on April 24, 2006)

What  do you people think about a 'work log' type system.

Currently, a corpie can  not show up for work for like a  month and still get paid.

I think there should be a palm scanner terminal that corpies have to scan (say, in the safe room/weapons scanning room), for verification purposes, and also to keep a log of their working  activities. You scan in, then scan out.

If you don't scan in at least twice a week, you forgoe that weeks salary. Make it once a week if   that's too harsh.

Certain chars would have access to the work logs. This would be a  measure of  performance:  corpies enthusiastic about their job could get ahead quicker, proportionate to amount of time logged.

For the moment, palm scanner or something would make coding this easier (??). Eventually though, it would be great if this was automated, a part of your Corpie ID badge. Your  time in a facilitiy  would be automatically logged via RFID.

There are real world parallels for this. Can't  find a link, but  several thousand employees in a  handful of warehouses in England are already RFID tracked (i.e. there  pay is cut when they spend extra time  of the work site, there place on the warehouse floor is tracked so jobs are automatically allocated to them if they are somewhere they aren't  supposed to be or slacking, and they get 20 min worth of bathroom breaks a day.)

Not as realistic as the above, but  the current way things are set up  is WAAY to 'free' and happy.

What happened to the corps  that shot off little Jackies   knee caps because his father was late to work one too many times?

BuddhaBrand - I have just literally had the same damn idea you did wayyyy back when. So bump on this thread, plus examples.

basic idea: add functionality to existing employment terminals (OR, make new 'Work Computer' terminals) that will allow:

a) a 'work log' to be generated by managers, GMs, or (see more detail below) ambient pop'n

b) information to be entered into some sort of corporate database via the terminal screen (bonus points if it can work from the grid or e-notes or docupads)

Example:
I-Bar employment terminal. I'd like to make it into a terminal that can give out intel/paydata (for a cost). Employees should be able to log in and see a list of topics to collect on or questions that need to get answered. This list is generated by I-Bar Managers. Down the line, the list of 'stuff to investigate' may also get input from GMs/ambient pop'n (after viewing an event IC that would 'get noticed' enough to warrant, say, a Reporter to come investigate the scoop) or even maybe NPCs (if they get a trigger that warrants further investigation).
Once collected on and put into the database, the database should be viewable by managers and, I think, GMs (so they are in the know on what we know and can help plots develop).

Why?
I want Joe Schmoe to be able to pay the $$ to get into the I-Bar VIP area, pull up the terminal and request the Daily Download, put in more $$, and get xxx current paydata out (on a random topic). For this to work, paydata added to the 'I-Bar Database' once collected and entered by I-bar employees would be drawn from the most recent info entered first, in a regulated length snippet.
Maybe if we got sneaky, I-Bar employees could control what goes out in the Daily Download...manipulate the truth, or summarize it better, or something.

Bigger Picture Why?
Having PC input to a work terminal database helps build up group plots/information. Anything really good could get screened for use on TheMind. Having manager or ambient/NPC generated lists based on every-day IC events helps take some of the load off of GMs to do 'current events' and would really give the Reporter job a big boost.

Don't we have shit that already does this?
Getting loads of info on current events to the GMs - supposed to happen with @notes. Doesn't.
We've got e-notes that can hold databases of info. Difficult to share between people with any regularity though. And again, once someone dies, lost in the mire of markets and hoarders.
Reporter characters do, and can, go out and find info on their own, find scoops on their own. But just read the grid - they could use some help finding the big stories or who's new to interview. Especially new players.
Logs of work to do. I don't know how the GM @bug system or the Grid Forums works but either of those seem like a pretty good model for an IC work log.

Last notes:
Anticipated gripes...
1) Space concerns are an issue with databases of info. Would have to have some sort of expiration date on 'old work files'.
2) But corpies will just sit in the office and work all day on useless things! To which I say, so make the tasks useful.

Grid potential exists here. Hackable databases. Loads of Paydata not lost after so-and-so dies. Forward progress IC.
Yes, you can replace I-Bar with Korova, I'm not gonna lie.
I'm going to get around to getting my grid idea to the GMs, but it would involve the use of viewing lists of hackable items/corps/people, and making changes to the list IC only after GM screening/approval.

There are timeclock corpie jobs. We try and avoid that usually. The point of your IC job for 90% of the stuff you'd work at is to get out of the way of your OOC fun. Obviously there are careers that support both (judges, cyber docs). But office dronery is not one of them with a small community. There isn't very much entropy in a small community. Not enough intersections to have legit paydata on.

Graduating to a corpie job where you don't need to actually show up is a nice way of us getting out of the way of your RP. You've made it, you've got a cushy job that doesn't demand a whole lot and leaves you lots of free time to do what it is you do.