Blood splatter sprites slowly flowing down the walls, randomly. Motion tracking displayed on a weapon sprite, bleep. Arcade games in the readyroom, packman.
you know what would be nifty, during tournament mode (ie clan wars) each team can specify a picture url that shows up on appropriate screens in ares they control, walls, marine uniforms or even etched into the hive etc.
MouseThe Lighter Side of PessimismJoin Date: 2002-03-02Member: 263Members, NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
I wonder if it'd be feasible to use this and/or the dynamic infestation code to emulate spreadable effects? Say, the spreading of a fuel fire for example.
<!--quoteo(post=1636759:date=Jun 30 2007, 10:11 PM:name=digz)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(digz @ Jun 30 2007, 10:11 PM) [snapback]1636759[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Thinking about this some more, couldn't this be a way to implement a fake volumetric flame down a vent? <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo(post=1636820:date=Jul 1 2007, 09:05 AM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Jul 1 2007, 09:05 AM) [snapback]1636820[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> No, because that's geometry, not materials. <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's why I said a fake volumetric. I don't see why the vent textures couldn't be told to "flame on" ala Fantastic 4 via a scripted event. It would probably take a great deal of work from the mapper, but I can imagine weapon triggers telling the vent the direction and duration of the event and allow them to automatically spit out a predetermined path of hellish flame.
For the very good point that Faskalia made, you could make it so the server specifies the language group that all the signs will be displayed in, not the client.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The advantage is that in addition to working with decals, we can also apply procedural textures to any surface or object in the game world.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->I can see this working very well with the Hive locations. Think of metal and glass materials gathering condensation as the Hive builds close by. Think of flat Hive creep (basically bump-mapped moss) growing on surfaces around Alien chambers. Think of vents getting charred as Jetpackers zip through them.
Perhaps there could be a "map room" that dynamically changed when areas became infected. Or warning signs above zones or doors when it becomes infected (perhaps could trigger a warning light or something).
It would also be hilarious if the commander could place a sign model into the world and could write a message like "No Skulks Allowed" just for kicks or whatever on it. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
For those playing, this strikes me as something that allows the enviroment to react even more to the interaction of the players, making the world(s) of Natural Selection 2 come distinctly alive. This implemented even in signs that change from green to yellow to red as the Kharaa advance or visa versa as the Marines advance would strikingly add a beautiful atmosphere to NS2 that would be undeniable.
If I am reading the blog right, this offers development possibilities for changing the look of surfaces as the player plays aka doesn't require a loading screen.
This would mean you could change the look of just about anything right? Or is that just an idea that sits in my head from reading this thread and its flood of ideas?
If you can change anything on the move, please let it be the players view of their hands, feet, reflection in mirroring surface, and how they are seen by other players. Goo on gloves, weapons, face screen, changes in Heads Up Display (a bright light lets you see a reflection of your face for a split second - saw that in a Metroid game...), having tatoos or graffitti that a "grunt" might put there ("Hive AND Bust" or "Death 2 Kharaa" - think 'Full Metal Jacket' movie). Customizing a players experience should help heighten the satisfaction of the game by giving lil'rewards in a "living" NS2 view.
<!--quoteo(post=1636503:date=Jun 29 2007, 02:55 PM:name=Flayra)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Flayra @ Jun 29 2007, 02:55 PM) [snapback]1636503[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Good point Faskalia. I think it would be worth distinguishing between locations and signage for just this reason. Maybe location names are listed on the HUD and/or minimap and the signs are just for flavor?
I wonder if we could put decals on players this way too? For instance, a script could make Constellation members have a special crest on the back of their helmet? <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> That would be awesome! <i>Slight</i> variety between marine models would be so cool.
Is there room for player interaction? Instead of Conway's game of life, could it be pong? I ask because it leads to my dream of interactive computer screens in NS2.
I guess it would allow you to make computer screens like in Doom3 almost. Just not with the cursor in the screen but using normal buttons for input. So I don't see why not <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
<!--quoteo(post=1636527:date=Jun 29 2007, 02:08 PM:name=Max)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Max @ Jun 29 2007, 02:08 PM) [snapback]1636527[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> .... but by making a few modifications to Source I was able to get it all hardware accelerated. I also included a flag so that if something isn't going to be changing during the course of the game so that it only gets generated once.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
My concerns become whining. :-) You guys have your eye on the ball.
The NS team has always impressed me with their good ideas. It's easy to take for granted how technically sophisticated and slick NS1 is. So many great ideas, this is just another one.
About different languages, that blog just sounded like a dev brainstorming. It's helpful to through out different possibilities, even if it's not a good idea, because it may cause you or someone else to have another idea later that is good.
PUT THE GAME OF LIFE ON IN-GAME CONSOLES. Please, please please please. Let it be interactive, so when I use it, it will create another random pattern. Imagine a giant 10 marine tall screen playing life in the background, evolving, changing, whilst two species do the same... I'll stop myself from typing more because I could seriously type for pages on how awesome life is. Glider FTW...
schkorpioI can mspaintJoin Date: 2003-05-23Member: 16635Members
what about "Super Turbo Turkey Puncher 3" on the consoles <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
This has huge potential, for an example take Combat. If you guys are going to include combat maps you could add a feature where every time you raise a rank on the marines side your badge on the arm of your marine changes to the new rank you just archived, or even after you die. The same could be done with the Kharra, you could have two or three different textures for each alien that switch as you level up, making your skulk look meaner, more muscular and all around more bad ass.
The same technique could be used in Original style maps as well, with each chamber an alien looks a little different, not sure how you'd use it for the marines, maybe based on score or something.
You could even go as far as to add small decals you can choose to add onto your marine. While imported ones might be a stretch and could take away from the immersion, there could be a small number of ones that come with the game that you can choose to add form the options menu. There could even be constellation only ones that really cool <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> . Because they are made by the team, they could easily be made to fit in with the marine armor so they wouldn't be too distracting. Adding even small amounts of customization can go a long way.
I was originally thinking of a way to unlock more cool/different looking textures for your marine/alien by some sort of global score or point system, hey it worked great for the Battlefield series <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" /> but yeah that might be taking it a tad to far.
Either way I can't wait to see how both the team and the community use this system to expand the atmosphere and originality of NS:S
<!--quoteo(post=1636506:date=Jun 29 2007, 10:48 AM:name=kingmob)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kingmob @ Jun 29 2007, 10:48 AM) [snapback]1636506[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> I can even picture game state triggering changes through map or control room. To express either aggitation or success 1 hive equals black background "Stabilizing..." 2 hives equals yellow warning signs 3 hives equals red evacuation signs <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I love this idea <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wow.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":0" border="0" alt="wow.gif" />
so i like the being wet as you come out of the water, but what about marine boots that get crusted in bacteria when they go near the hive? maybe the kharaa could buy an upgrade that lets them see these marines on their friendsense until they stepped in water or something.
they could also just leave footsteps of the ooze they stepped in for a few steps afterwards, letting the clever aliens see which direction they headed in. Also, if a skulk is climbing on a soft metal wall with their little bone spike feet, wouldn't they punch holes in it? that'd be really interesting to see a wall get pockmarked by skulks running over it, or again, be useful for tracking skulks.
as for dynamic text, wouldn't it be interesting if there was a control room you could weld into outside the marine base that gave a readout of broken things in the level, such as when a hive was disrupting major systems. that way, the marines could tell where the hive was, and the hive could then release poisonous gas or something when it disrupted a pipe or reservoir.
i'd love to see a lerk that couldn't fly well because part of his wing got blown out by a shotgun (and you could see the damage) slowly healing it back.
i would also love to see a room the marines fought toward on a specific level that closed doors/vents into the marine base, or restored power to critical systems like a forcefield or an airlock. I'd love to see an airlock open that flushed out a hive of small aliens.
i'd love to see a lerk that couldn't fly well because part of his wing got blown out by a shotgun (and you could see the damage) slowly healing it back.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
IMHO, its a cool idea, especially for the challenge and "Wow!" factor. Not so good for possible frustration.
And before anyone screams "What about balance!?!", may I suggest the opposite thing on a marine would be a hamstring or even dismemberment, which of course equals slower or even crawling movement, or loss of accuracy or manipulating the enviroment, such as buttons, doors, or picking objects up - if they have that over from HL2.
Oh, I just remembered this custom map where it gave the constant feel that the whole map was traveling upwards and it would be very perilous to fall off...
Wouldn't the "good sign" make it even more possible to have sky boxes that appear to move? So you space ship sails through space and spacial bodies appear to pass by. Perhaps that space station appears to orbit that planet. Maybe that planetary base has clouds that pass by in a crazy swirl of a huge storm. Maybe that under liquid base, outside things look like they wave back and forth in the current.
Comments
Motion tracking displayed on a weapon sprite, bleep.
Arcade games in the readyroom, packman.
during tournament mode (ie clan wars) each team can specify a picture url that shows up on appropriate screens in ares they control, walls, marine uniforms or even etched into the hive etc.
Thinking about this some more, couldn't this be a way to implement a fake volumetric flame down a vent?
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
No, because that's geometry, not materials.
meh peoples creativity never goes further than making a huge ######.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Given the quality of maps already available in Natural Selection, I would have to disagree.
No, because that's geometry, not materials.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's why I said a fake volumetric. I don't see why the vent textures couldn't be told to "flame on" ala Fantastic 4 via a scripted event. It would probably take a great deal of work from the mapper, but I can imagine weapon triggers telling the vent the direction and duration of the event and allow them to automatically spit out a predetermined path of hellish flame.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The advantage is that in addition to working with decals, we can also apply procedural textures to any surface or object in the game world.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->I can see this working very well with the Hive locations. Think of metal and glass materials gathering condensation as the Hive builds close by. Think of flat Hive creep (basically bump-mapped moss) growing on surfaces around Alien chambers. Think of vents getting charred as Jetpackers zip through them.
Mmm...
Perhaps there could be a "map room" that dynamically changed when areas became infected. Or warning signs above zones or doors when it becomes infected (perhaps could trigger a warning light or something).
It would also be hilarious if the commander could place a sign model into the world and could write a message like "No Skulks Allowed" just for kicks or whatever on it. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
If I am reading the blog right, this offers development possibilities for changing the look of surfaces as the player plays aka doesn't require a loading screen.
This would mean you could change the look of just about anything right? Or is that just an idea that sits in my head from reading this thread and its flood of ideas?
If you can change anything on the move, please let it be the players view of their hands, feet, reflection in mirroring surface, and how they are seen by other players. Goo on gloves, weapons, face screen, changes in Heads Up Display (a bright light lets you see a reflection of your face for a split second - saw that in a Metroid game...), having tatoos or graffitti that a "grunt" might put there ("Hive AND Bust" or "Death 2 Kharaa" - think 'Full Metal Jacket' movie). Customizing a players experience should help heighten the satisfaction of the game by giving lil'rewards in a "living" NS2 view.
Good point Faskalia. I think it would be worth distinguishing between locations and signage for just this reason. Maybe location names are listed on the HUD and/or minimap and the signs are just for flavor?
I wonder if we could put decals on players this way too? For instance, a script could make Constellation members have a special crest on the back of their helmet?
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That would be awesome! <i>Slight</i> variety between marine models would be so cool.
I ask because it leads to my dream of interactive computer screens in NS2.
.... but by making a few modifications to Source I was able to get it all hardware accelerated. I also included a flag so that if something isn't going to be changing during the course of the game so that it only gets generated once.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
My concerns become whining. :-)
You guys have your eye on the ball.
About different languages, that blog just sounded like a dev brainstorming. It's helpful to through out different possibilities, even if it's not a good idea, because it may cause you or someone else to have another idea later that is good.
PUT THE GAME OF LIFE ON IN-GAME CONSOLES. Please, please please please. Let it be interactive, so when I use it, it will create another random pattern. Imagine a giant 10 marine tall screen playing life in the background, evolving, changing, whilst two species do the same... I'll stop myself from typing more because I could seriously type for pages on how awesome life is. Glider FTW...
The same technique could be used in Original style maps as well, with each chamber an alien looks a little different, not sure how you'd use it for the marines, maybe based on score or something.
You could even go as far as to add small decals you can choose to add onto your marine. While imported ones might be a stretch and could take away from the immersion, there could be a small number of ones that come with the game that you can choose to add form the options menu. There could even be constellation only ones that really cool <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> . Because they are made by the team, they could easily be made to fit in with the marine armor so they wouldn't be too distracting. Adding even small amounts of customization can go a long way.
I was originally thinking of a way to unlock more cool/different looking textures for your marine/alien by some sort of global score or point system, hey it worked great for the Battlefield series <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" /> but yeah that might be taking it a tad to far.
Either way I can't wait to see how both the team and the community use this system to expand the atmosphere and originality of NS:S
I can even picture game state triggering changes through map or control room.
To express either aggitation or success
1 hive equals black background "Stabilizing..."
2 hives equals yellow warning signs
3 hives equals red evacuation signs
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I love this idea <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wow.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":0" border="0" alt="wow.gif" />
I love this idea <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wow.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":0" border="0" alt="wow.gif" />
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Same, its a neat idea.
they could also just leave footsteps of the ooze they stepped in for a few steps afterwards, letting the clever aliens see which direction they headed in. Also, if a skulk is climbing on a soft metal wall with their little bone spike feet, wouldn't they punch holes in it? that'd be really interesting to see a wall get pockmarked by skulks running over it, or again, be useful for tracking skulks.
as for dynamic text, wouldn't it be interesting if there was a control room you could weld into outside the marine base that gave a readout of broken things in the level, such as when a hive was disrupting major systems. that way, the marines could tell where the hive was, and the hive could then release poisonous gas or something when it disrupted a pipe or reservoir.
i'd love to see a lerk that couldn't fly well because part of his wing got blown out by a shotgun (and you could see the damage) slowly healing it back.
i would also love to see a room the marines fought toward on a specific level that closed doors/vents into the marine base, or restored power to critical systems like a forcefield or an airlock. I'd love to see an airlock open that flushed out a hive of small aliens.
i'd love to see a lerk that couldn't fly well because part of his wing got blown out by a shotgun (and you could see the damage) slowly healing it back.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
IMHO, its a cool idea, especially for the challenge and "Wow!" factor. Not so good for possible frustration.
And before anyone screams "What about balance!?!", may I suggest the opposite thing on a marine would be a hamstring or even dismemberment, which of course equals slower or even crawling movement, or loss of accuracy or manipulating the enviroment, such as buttons, doors, or picking objects up - if they have that over from HL2.
Oh, I just remembered this custom map where it gave the constant feel that the whole map was traveling upwards and it would be very perilous to fall off...
Wouldn't the "good sign" make it even more possible to have sky boxes that appear to move? So you space ship sails through space and spacial bodies appear to pass by. Perhaps that space station appears to orbit that planet. Maybe that planetary base has clouds that pass by in a crazy swirl of a huge storm. Maybe that under liquid base, outside things look like they wave back and forth in the current.
And so on and so forth.
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />