Echolocation and the importance of sound

locallyunscene

<div class="IPBDescription">Kind of a bizzare idea</div>I was watching a show on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_echolocation" target="_blank">Human Echolocation</a> and afterwords I started thinking about if I had ever used sound to detect something and the closest I had come was Natural Selection. Then they mentioned that the <a href="http://scitation.aip.org/getabs/servlet/GetabsServlet?prog=normal&id=JASMAN000035000005000803000004&idtype=cvips&gifs=yes" target="_blank">air force</a> was studying it so pilots could "hear" their radar instead of looking at it and I thought of the removal of the minimap from NS2. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/nerd-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::nerdy::" border="0" alt="nerd-fix.gif" />

Some of you probably remember the "Flashlight Motion Tracker" mod where you would get a periodic "blip" that would get faster as an enemy got closer. I had several problems with this mod A.) it was too loud and would drown out other sounds B.) it wasn't very accurate C.) it didn't distinguish between multiple enemies. I think the devs could avoid these pitfalls fairly easily.

How Echolocation would be different:<ul><li> You would "ping" and get an echo back. The time for the echo to return is how you measure distance to an enemy.</li><li> It would be directed(ie there's a cone in front of you, it wouldn't help from behind or above)</li><li> It would be more subtle and configurable.</li></ul>

edit: [*] It would be directed(ie there's a cone in front of you, it wouldn't help from behind or above<b> if you weren't looking in that direction.</b>)

Bacillus

I like the idea apart from the fact that you'll need the headphones even more than before.

Zek

I definitely would like to see motion tracking replaced with an audio notification of some kind.

Sarisel

I think it would be interesting to make echolocation an upgrade requirement <i>prior</i> to motion tracking.

spellman23

um..... wuh?

I think setting up the control system for this might a bit.... annoying. However, it sounds like it could really work.

I'd slot this as a LUA job.

Konohas Perverted Hermit

Erm only thing sound wise that should be added into the game is maybe a fifth attack for the Lerk. Similar to what Sperm Whales do to Giant Squids. They send out a very focused Sonar Beam that stuns their prey till they are able to eat it. Lerks, since they have Primal Scream could do a similar thing only it'd take all their Adrenaline for a good 10 seconds. It'd stun all Marines within a 20 foot radius for 1-3 seconds. No damage would be done but it could be very useful. Heavy Armors would only be stunned for half a second.

locallyunscene

<!--quoteo(post=1696306:date=Dec 18 2008, 02:20 AM:name=Konohas Perverted Hermit)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Konohas Perverted Hermit @ Dec 18 2008, 02:20 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1696306"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Erm only thing sound wise that should be added into the game is maybe a fifth attack for the Lerk. Similar to what Sperm Whales do to Giant Squids. They send out a very focused Sonar Beam that stuns their prey till they are able to eat it. Lerks, since they have Primal Scream could do a similar thing only it'd take all their Adrenaline for a good 10 seconds. It'd stun all Marines within a 20 foot radius for 1-3 seconds. No damage would be done but it could be very useful. Heavy Armors would only be stunned for half a second.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
First, this has nothing to do with the idea I proposed other than this stun ability suggestion happens to use sound. Second both could be in the game as far as I can tell, I don't think that either idea excludes all others.