Access: All Engineering Departments, CE Office, Construction Site, Bridge, Maintenance, EVA, Tech Storage, AI Upload, Teleporter, Telecoms Satellite, External airlocks
Difficulty: Hard
Supervisors: Captain
Duties: Coordinate engineering, oversee power and atmospherics, and maintain the AI and Telecoms
Guides: Guide to Command, Guide to Engineering, Hacking, Guide to Atmospherics, Guide to Construction, Guide to Advanced Construction Singularity Engine, Solars, Supermatter
As the Chief Engineer, you're in charge of the integrity of the station and the AI, but also managing your subordinates.
As the head of the department of engineering, you should have a strong grasp of the duties of the Station Engineer, Atmospheric Technician, and Mechanic. As you have access to their respective areas, you may have to fulfill their duties if jobs are left unfilled, or if they go missing.
You have a few things that set you apart from a regular staffer. Aside from having the lockdown buttons in your room, you also have…
The advanced hardsuit. It combines the heat/pressure/plasma resistance of an atmospherics hardsuit with the radiation resistance of an engineering hardsuit.
The advanced tool-belt. This special toolbelt can hold all normal items and also the station blueprints, larger welders, full size extinguishers (including foam), the RCD, the RPD, the RCL, and the tile-painter.
The advanced device analyzer. Can hold twice as many designs as a normal device analyzer, and can also scan machines that normally have access requirements (such as the robotics computer).
An RCD. This is the only one on the station until someone hacks an autolathe to make more. You are also responsible for the integrity of the AI. Although it is well-protected, sometimes an AI may be damaged by something that can teleport or even ventcrawl. In order to repair an AI, enter the main chamber of the AI core with an Intellicard: you may need to deconstruct the wall. You can get an Intellicard at Tech Storage, or the Bridge. Use the card on the dead AI, and take it to an AI Integrity Restorer, a computer which can be found near the AI core, and additionally inside the Research Director's office. Use the loaded card on the computer and begin restoration. This process will take several minutes. Once it is done, use the card on the computer to transfer the AI back, and finally return it to the core.
Find out who is in your department. Communicate with the AI to find out if there are engineering cyborgs or MoMMIs. When you greet staff over radio, introduce yourself as the Chief Engineer, as they otherwise may not realize. Seeing who responds to your initial greeting is usually a good barometer for who can be relied upon to actually do work. Check in with the command staff over command radio, and go over your plan for power with your team. If you have plenty of engineers, delegate additional engines: it can be useful to have solars and an antimatter engine running early to support a longer build, such as the supermatter engine.
Keep the team informed about the plan and your progress. You are the supervisor. You may need to step in and reach an uncertain new engineer.
In general, these are things you should try to accomplish early in a shift before any hull breaches call for your attention. Try to work on all three at once. Delegate to any competent underlings so that you aren't running around as much.
Get a quick engine, such as an Antimatter Engine or Thermoelectric Generator running to help charge the SMES while working on longer projects.
Pursue a more long-term power source that doesn't require as much maintenance, such as the Solars, Supermatter, or Singularity.
Ensure that your department is producing at least 600kW reliably, as this is the maximum that your three SMES can charge at.
(Optional) Use the Workshop to produce additional SMES for more battery power.
(Optional) Wire your power to the grid only if it is a safe level of output. Ensuring no one dies of shock is part of your role as Chief Engineer.
Check in regularly with your engines to make sure they haven't been sabotaged (e.g.: Supermatter cooling disabled, singularity released, antimatter injection too high, solar panels damaged, thermoelectric generator doors opened).
Increase the air-to-distro output
Begin Cooling Plasma for engines
Optimize the air-to-distro connection point for better control over air
Optimize the waste-to-space to cool itself to prevent clogging
Check in at Atmospherics regularly to ensure no one has attempted to flood bad gas into the distro loop.
Set up Telecommunications with a script to indicate job title. This helps reinforce your authority as Chief Engineer, as people can see your job every time you speak.
Back up the most important machines, such as the cloning machinery, with the device analyzer.
Build a chem dispenser and autolathe, so that you can fuel soldering irons, produce extra RCDs, and additional compressed matter cartridges.
Upgrade the autolathe with better parts to improve production speed.
(Optional) Print out a material synthesizer and scan reinforced plasma glass into it. Produce many sheets of this for your team to make better windows and solars.
Check in with the AI regularly to ensure it has not been damaged or subverted.
(Optional) Set the AI to a more shift-friendly lawset. Examples:
Your goal in a supervisory position is to make sure your team has everything it needs to succeed. If there are bombs, ensure the mechanics keep making more compressed matter cartridges to quickly repair damage. If there are emags loose, get your team filled fuel cans with sulphuric acid. If metal and glass begin to run low, contact Cargo to order more. Communicate with other heads of staff to anticipate needs.
Help your staff learn the tricks of the trade and grow their projects while working on your own.
The obvious route to go with an antagonist Chief Engineer would be to release dangerous engines or flood atmospherics, but stop to consider: these solutions will likely result in the shuttle being called right away, and limit your time to complete your objectives. A slow, more creative route that is less catastrophic can be more rewarding. Consider rerouting disposals with your RPD to fly into space… or into the supermatter. Subtly replace all the air on the station with oxygen, and watch in amusement as someone starts a huge fire in the oxygen-rich environment – an act of destruction that is less likely to cause a call than an outright flood. Additionally, your power gloves reward you for wiring a huge amount of power into the grid, so crank up every engine you've got.