I feel like the T5 androids are hugely underused and too different from the other androids. I've only seen a few of them for trade from slavers, and they all have a huge chance to just go crazy and murder your own people.

It's a useless model. I'm not sure what to change to make it better, but maybe it should simply be removed. I don't know.

Well, since we have SkyMind, why not add a SkyHaven (brain library), which allows you to store up minds of your colonists and robots and then load them up from storage, when a fitting body is available? That d be cool. Maybe even make backup copies of your colonists minds, to later always have an option to download them back to a body if someone gets rekt. Hi-tech solution for mortality ahoy.

@Madman666 : In fact it's a good idea i will see how implement the SkyHaven (maybe throught neural servers that you can place and then create a "cloud" with a counter of available storage (place) for minds), but it would be even better if these minds waiting for a body could be usefull for the colony in some way ... if anyone have ideas ?

@NECEROS : In fact you can now have "docile" T5 by capture one add a "VX2 neural chip" in his artificial brain then connect it to SkyMind and duplicate the mind of one of your colonist into his artificial brain ==> no more "Intolerant" trait to mess with your colony

That's a good idea Madman.

A SkyHive, full of minds. No limit on number of minds?

Each mind in the hive gives you some bonus to researching, or maybe helps other androids think better, giving them consciousness bonus?

Cool idea

Yes maybe for each colonists connected to the SkyMind (throught a neural chip), each mind contained in the SkyHaven can increase their skills in some way, so more skilled minds you have in the SkyHaven and more your connected colonist will benefit extra skills points, obviously in case of disconnection (solar flare, power outage...) all extra skill bonus disappear until reconnection.

So, stored or copied minds enhance people connected to SkyMind? Pretty cool actually. Though instead of raising their skills, i d go with enhancing their basic stats (workspeed, tend quality, plant harvest etc.) would also be cool.

Maybe you could even harvest raiders and force their minds into SkyHaven for your own benefit (increasing stats). The more you collected - the stronger you are. With some potential consequences, where too many hostile minds can overpower safety protocols and try for an escape via a connected body of a colonist or android! That d be super cool.

Also an obvious addition would be some kind of capsules, pods for body storage. It d be much more immersive if to connect to surrogate droids, people needed to be loaded into those pods. And i guess pods for storing surrogate droids themselves.

Wireless charging of androids, maybe with an implant, using Power++.

An uncraftable tier 3 antenna would be nice. Something small and futuristicy to find in ruins or exotic merchants inventories.

Q1. A colonist is controlling a surrogate android. Suddenly, an infestation occurs and the colonist's body is destroyed. Is the colonist stuck in the surrogate android body now and, if so, do they have a large mood debuff that is also a mood boost for trans-humanist colonists?

Q2. If the above is possible, would it be possible to synergize with Pawnmorpher (save morphs via androidification, or morph a body while a colonist is controlling an android, androids can get morphed into mecha animals added by the android mod, etc.)?

Q3. Would it be possible to create synergy with Questionable Ethics Enhanced (alternate cloning path, turn androids into humans)

Q4. Does this have any interactions with the mechanoid based mod "What the Hack?" (Eg, mechanoid ship hacking back)

Q5. If I have a surrogate android just lying around, and then a raid occurs, is it at all possible for a raider to "hack" my system and use my surrogate android? Vice Versa?

Q6. Does this have any interactions with the Glitternet mod?

Q7. Synergy with Power++ Map-wide charging

Q8. Is there currently a way for androids to charge while in a caravan? Or is that to be their weakness?

@HappyHead :

Q1. No when the colonist's original body is killed/destroyed his mind is also "dead" (it's a soft mind permutation in case of surrogate androids remote control process unlike the permutation mind feature), and the surrogate android lay downed on the floor in "No host connected" state.
=>Maybe add a little chancethat the controller's mind stay stuck in the surrogate android ?

Q2. Q3. I will see what i can do in the easiest way

Q4. For the moment it's untested, but i will test the current interaction with WTH

Q5. Not in case of raid, but i plan to had a new event "hacked surrogate" which make a number of your not used surrogates androids remotely controled by some faction, to avoid this event you will need to build security servers which securise a limited number of surrogate androids (for example 5 per server), so you will need to build several to protect against hacking your surrogates in stock.

Q6. No but do you see any potential interactions with Glitternet mod ?

With the ability to use androids as disposable units, maybe a new production facility to mass produce them. Could even connect with the previously stated idea of a memory/consciousness bank and pre-upload them. Or turn the SkyHaven into a Gestalt Consciousness that can connect and command units independently. So you'd essentially build a super computer that connects to every thing on its network, subsuming them when needed and controlling everything from a centralised location.

@Samekh : I really like this idea, in a way create a central super computer which control the entire colony with surrogates androids offering the possibility of contained AIs (digitalized minds) to physically interacting with the world, a bit like in the game StarMancer[www.playstarmancer.com].

I will compile all your ideas (SkyHaven, centralised super-computer, automated mass production surrogate androids factory...) and make a big update.

Would it be possible to add "Basic replacement" versions of all the non-limb parts (coolant pumps, heatsinks, light sensors, etc.) that can fit all tiers? One thing that's always bothered me about the original mod is that I can make factory-spec replacement limbs to repair my T1s, but to replace a broken light sensor my only options are crude light sensors or the advanced sensors that don't fit in T1/T2 droids.

Loving all of these ideas. I'm excited.

An intergration with glitternet could be that a uploaded mind increases preformance of the network. Maybe 5% increase per mind, with one mind per 10 capacity. Another idea is with an uploaded mind you would get a small but constant research point added to the current project, half of the mind's research skill rounded down maybe. Is there any way to make prisoners into organic surrogates through an implant?