pSyk0mAnNerdish by NatureGermanyJoin Date: 2003-08-07Member: 19166Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Silver, NS2 Community Developer
edited January 2009
<!--quoteo(post=1698303:date=Jan 23 2009, 02:07 AM:name=Carte Blanche)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Carte Blanche @ Jan 23 2009, 02:07 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1698303"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Shouldn't the new model look more durable and provide skulks with less cover? You'd think that after so many years fighting skulks that regularly hide behind resource towers, the marines wouldn't design their most essential, most attacked, and most commonly placed structure to be perfect skulk cover.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> That's actually a very good point imho. But I think, you have to be careful to not take it too far, because the point also applies to the aliens and their ability to adapt, and then in the end you have two teams with no weaknesses (exaggerated).
<!--quoteo(post=1698291:date=Jan 23 2009, 06:24 AM:name=the_x5)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(the_x5 @ Jan 23 2009, 06:24 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1698291"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Wow it seems I'm in the minority here... You know what? I'm going to buck the popularity ego-inflation trend here and say what I honestly think (something you can always expect from me btw, the honest truth):
<!--sizeo:4--><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->I think it's kind of ugly and looks feeble.<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
Sorry, but I hate the resource "bonk droid" (star wars) or Terran Barrack (starcraft) look. Don't understand what I'm getting at? I think both c0ke and botchiball had a pretty good criticisms. It's looks feeble with little metal legs and a high center of gravity. The Natural-Selection original resource tower was more "spidery" and less "bulky". The spidery thing was cool, it not only looked tough and was neat how it deployed (animation) but it looked like it was very stable and could possibly walk around. Sorry if that comes off as harsh criticism, but as an artist I know I would want people to tell me what they honestly thought.
As far as how to improve the design, cut some bulk off. Lower the center of gravity. Make the legs look tough enough to take a rhino-sized onos careening into it hard at 60KPH. Make it look tough enough to match the 5500 hit points (or what ever you plan to adjust it to) it is worth. The RT was the third strongest structure in NS if memory serves, next to the hive and command chair. This new design just looks so feeble compared to what it is supposed to represent, which is the whole point of the model. Otherwise you could just have a big neon-green letter R stand on the resource point.
Why four legs for that matter? Why not go for a tetrahedron or a hexagon design with three or six legs respectively?
:-/<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I tend to agree with x5, c0ke and botchiball that the legs on this version look insignificantly chunky to support and protect it's body (which yes does look starcraftesque).
I must disagree with the guys that didn't like he electrical warning.I don't see any reason why standard warning symbols should change, they are standards for a reason. Plus it's not for future humans to read and understand but for current day humans playing skulks and think of gnawing on that electrified box.
On the plus side the res nozzle looks good and the in-game shot looks really good, better than he final max render, which seems like a more important thing to me than the art assets. The glow around the self illuminating parts does rather soften the look quite a lot, which is not really the feel i'd want from a piece of military hardware. Can we get some harsh illumination from that?
I think people misinterperate the design until its in a rendered enviroment and or when playing the game. Nonetheless the difference is remarkable and excellent, just excellent. You guys are doing so well, im thrilled.
I showed my brother and he used to play NS1, first thing he said was "Whens it comming out? Whats the release date?" Haha.
I'm not sure I'm a fan of the art style I've seen so far, it definitely appears to me like you guys are deviating from the "desaturated dirty gritty" feel you accomplished with the original NS. I guess time will tell.
I think it looks good. And with this new design we'll be able to easily determine when it's functional/non functional when it's animated.
Also it's a lot dirtier and worn than the MASC so thumbs up for that. I don't see how you can possibly suggest that NS2 is "deviating" when the new tower is so beat up.
<!--quoteo(post=1698322:date=Jan 24 2009, 09:01 PM:name=Supernorn)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Supernorn @ Jan 24 2009, 09:01 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1698322"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Also it's a lot dirtier and worn than the MASC so thumbs up for that. I don't see how you can possibly suggest that NS2 is "deviating" when the new tower is so beat up.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's more the saturation that bothers me, rather than the amount of damage/wear/grunge.
1. It's boxy and inefficient looking. It's basically a cube with legs. I look at that and think "vending machine that walks", not "resource gas techno-converter". This is a resource moving crate, not a resource tower.
2. From a game play stand point, it's big enough that I could hide behind it as a skulk and be completely covered from marine weapons fire. As a marine, I would basically be *required* to throw a grenade at it to flush a skulk out, and god knows we don't have enough of those. When I think about a skulk behind that thing at the end of an alcove, it's basically a bullet barrier.
3. From a role playing stand point, the tube going to the nozzle looks very, very vulnerable. As a skulk, when I chew on that trying to take it down so the marines can stop sucking res, I would be wondering the whole time why I couldn't just bite that tube in half and run away.
Sorry, but all in all thumbs down. It needs to be redone.
Wow, I just hit reply when I saw the glowing positive remarks on the front page, I didn't bother to read through the comments on the second page until after I posted.
I hadn't realized x5 had basically covered all my points already.
schkorpioI can mspaintJoin Date: 2003-05-23Member: 16635Members
i think all you negative nelly's are looking FAR too deeply into it - commenting on gameplay issues at this stage is just crazy.
im glad to see all of the marine equipment will have a uniform look <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
aww... I'm going to miss the old tower... <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" /> but I guess we do need some improvements... <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tsa.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::tsa::" border="0" alt="tsa.gif" />
On a 'practical' side, yes it does look a little unstable. However, the form factor alludes to it being able to fold into a cube, which would make it very easy to store. Then again, I'm not sure on the backstory of how these things are made/deployed.
I do agree with x5 and the improve the legs and tubes a bit. Unless this is gonna be fairly squishy in game. As for the boxy feel, I'm OK with it.
I like it! At first, when I saw the sketch and noticed the white one, I thought it looked like the lunar lander. I'm not saying because of that, but there should be no problems, even with todays materials, to hold that thing up. It could be bolted down in some way. Can't remember what real machine or movie they have the gun that nail it to the floor. It could bolt it self down. But then again you have the problem with the holes when the machine is no more. Magnetic feet, hehe.
Agree that the tube looks very cool. At the same time it looks very vulnerable as some have mentioned. Make it in some sort of nano kevlar though and there should be no problem. Haha. I mean there is no way the human race would end up going in the direction of shooting projectile weapons in "space" or even sending humans into the fight. We enjoy debating all this but we know it's not a very conceivable future. There is probably something like max 30 years left in this post industrial revolution we are living in now. Nano bots, singularity, blah blah... will turn things on it's head and if we manage to cope, will be a unimaginable difference. If we all end up in some kind of singularity machine I guess we won't even care about space but then we could create a less techno, more primal, natural selection univerese in there.
The designs, the yellow warning triangle and so on are just to make it easier to grasp. Would be interested to see another kind of warning label but would everyone be "warned" by it?
When it comes to the skulk I liked the way it could be partly hidden behind the legs. With this design I guess it could stand on top of one of the legs and chew. The marine has to move in close and around or use a grenade. I'm not sure about the hitbox but the skulk would have less "headroom" around those moving parts.
Anyways, sorry for the blabber, the deisgn is great and it probably won't change but do keep debating.
It looks beautiful, and I think the render came through really well from concept to model.
I have to agree that the art style is kind of bright and happy compared with NS1, but if you're using that as contrast against a darker alien team (in theme, not in light) or if you're predicting the dynamic lights to desaturate the models and compensating, that's cool.
Regardless, I'm still hungry for gameplay. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/asrifle.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::asrifle::" border="0" alt="asrifle.gif" />
I love it, and the term natural progression that been going around really hitting it.
From what I can tell from the render, the engine you guys created looking pretty damn amazing, and I'm not lying about that. With those glowing panel and dark textures, I can't help it but keep getting reminded that this is Dead Space. Seriously, Alien vs. Marine we all know that those categories are similar, but one can really tell just by looking at those lighting and texture. ( I can guess that you guys had been playing Dead Space <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/confused-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="???" border="0" alt="confused-fix.gif" /> )
What startling me was that a couples of comments I've seen did mention about it being too bulk and blocky that could result being a perfect shield for skulk. And I totally agree with that, because it would effect gameplay alot, putting more risk on marines that trying to save res nodes. Still there might be possible chance of this res tower to be smaller then it look. But it'll be all up to the team to decide.
Couple of comments did mention about it being grungy, old, rusty and all that stuff, I'm going to have to disagree with that. Because if you think about it, these constructed on site machines might be using materials or parts that came from some old res tower in order to save resources.
Anyways, It really great seeing how this game expanding, growing, and most of all EVOLVING! really appreciate the effort of showing us the progress, and I just can't wait to see this game on my shelf.
Hoping not to sound too critical, I honestly think the design looks kind of wimpy. My first gut reaction upon seeing it was to kick it over.
I liked how the NS1 RT had very thick legs spread wide for maximum stability and how it's core looked like one solid, continuous structure. The new design has a very small base of support and appears to be very top-heavy, making the overall structure unstable (looking through previous posts, this seems to be a common complaint.) However, the "squatting" look does help to alleviate this.
On a positive note, I assume that "reducing the overall footprint" means that you want the structure to impede on player movement as little as possible, which this design does accomplish. The gap between its legs also gives marine a line of fire to nearby skulks. To me, these positive points don't outweigh the RT's fragile look though.
<b>IDEA 1</b>: This design gives me the impression that the RT is a mobile platform due to its narrow stance and dragoon-like appearance (a starcraft unit for those who don't know.) What if the marine team could construct these towers from within their base and send them to their respective resource nozzles, eliminating the need for marines to drop their guard while building the RT on site. Similar to the MASC, the RTs would be vulnerable while on the move, requiring a marine or two to escort it to its destination. This way, marines would be actively participating in the RTs deployment while being able to keep their LMG readied the entire time.
This idea could also be extended to other structures like the armory or even observatory (if these structures will still exist in NS2). A mobile armory will allow a commander to supply a squad of marines on the move, eliminating the need for a commander to drop field-armories that immediately become useless when the marines shift position. Likewise, a mobile observatory would provide excellent support against cloaked aliens, serving as a kind of flag for marines to rally around. The ability to make these structures mobile could be a pricey research upgrade and the mobile structure's HP could be less than that of their immobile counterparts for the sake of balance.
I've always felt that dropping static buildings like armories and observatories in a battle zone seemed nonsensical. With mobile structures, a marine force could be supplied and supported the same way a modern army is with fuel trucks and AWACs.
On a side note, these walking structures could be an invaluable tool for organizing a pub marine team. Instead of a commander yelling at marines to go to a waypoint, the sight of an armory marching its way towards an enemy hive is as good an incentive as any (not to mention the fact that it gives free health and ammo.) To prevent "armory humping" there could even be an upgrade that allows marines to be resupplied while in proximity to the armory, without even having to +use it. But this is already way off topic.
<b>IDEA 2</b>: I agree with the previous posts that mentioned the huge amount of cover this design would give to skulks. Maybe the small containers that hold the nanites could be housed on a rotating mechanism. After every tick of resources, the filled nanite container would be disengaged from the pump and an empty container could be quickly cycled into its place. This periodic, violent rotation could throw off any skulks hiding behind the RTs superstructure and slightly damage them, encouraging the skulks to remain down by RTs legs. This idea is a bit complex, but the general idea is that there needs to be a way to keep the skulks off of the superstructure.
Anyways, great job on NS2 so far. I hope my first comments don't make it seem like I'm unappreciative of your efforts.
<!--quoteo(post=1698372:date=Jan 25 2009, 01:36 AM:name=FrostFire626)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FrostFire626 @ Jan 25 2009, 01:36 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1698372"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->This idea could also be extended to other structures like the armory or even observatory (if these structures will still exist in NS2). A mobile armory will allow a commander to supply a squad of marines on the move, eliminating the need for a commander to drop field-armories that immediately become useless when the marines shift position. Likewise, a mobile observatory would provide excellent support against cloaked aliens, serving as a kind of flag for marines to rally around. The ability to make these structures mobile could be a pricey research upgrade and the mobile structure's HP could be less than that of their immobile counterparts for the sake of balance.
I've always felt that dropping static buildings like armories and observatories in a battle zone seemed nonsensical. With mobile structures, a marine force could be supplied and supported the same way a modern army is with fuel trucks and AWACs.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Holy Crap FrostFire..
I don't really like the idea of a self-walking res tower - I like the way it worked in NS1. But the second part - the mobile armory.. that has to be the one of the best ideas I've heard yet. I would suggest not making all armories mobile, but instead having an additional model for end-game tactics.
-This commander controlled 'tank' could be sent anywhere, but not do anything on its own - merely be a defense support (or technically an offensive support). Having it act as an armory would make the most sense, but you could go so far as to also provide health paks, turrets, or spawn points and could be electrified (like so much NS1 equipment was) and provide auto-welding points (armor repair). I actually wouldn't want turrets or spawn points on it.. but you could.
-So this 'tank's purpose would be towards the end of the game when Kharaa are growing strong and marines start dieing left and right, if the commander has researched the requirements, he could build one of these mobile armor 'tanks' and a couple seige gun 'tanks' and send them with a large contingincy of marines to take a hive.
Sorry this is all definately off topic, and hopefully I don't sound sarcastic - I think this is a great idea. It would be key that these 'tanks' would be defenseless (besides their armor) without marines. I wouldn't want to play a game where the commander ignores his marines then builds a bunch of AI controlled machines to win.
Looking forward to see a deploy animation <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
<!--quoteo(post=1698270:date=Jan 23 2009, 03:50 AM:name=pSyk0mAn)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pSyk0mAn @ Jan 23 2009, 03:50 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1698270"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->... Because that's the little minigame skulk and marine play, when attacking or defending the rt and I wouldn't like my skulk to feel like on a bumpy road, when I walk left and right, while biting, to dodge bullets.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> I think that kill skulk behind RT too difficult. While skulk eating RT his undead. May be make RT size smaller what let kill skulk.
<!--quoteo(post=1698372:date=Jan 25 2009, 12:36 AM:name=FrostFire626)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FrostFire626 @ Jan 25 2009, 12:36 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1698372"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->On a side note, these walking structures could be an invaluable tool for organizing a pub marine team. Instead of a commander yelling at marines to go to a waypoint, the sight of an armory marching its way towards an enemy hive is as good an incentive as any (not to mention the fact that it gives free health and ammo.) To prevent "armory humping" there could even be an upgrade that allows marines to be resupplied while in proximity to the armory, without even having to +use it. But this is already way off topic.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Oh man, I just got an image of an armory wandering through a map like the pied piper of hamlin, luring starry eyed pub-marines to follow it into a hive -- where they all get eaten. Had to laugh at that.
Remember in your criticisms that we wanted NS2, not NS:S - this is a mild differentiation from NS and it seems promising. I don't think that skulk kills will be too hard by any means - if anything, they might be too easy.
Comments
That's actually a very good point imho.
But I think, you have to be careful to not take it too far, because the point also applies to the aliens and their ability to adapt, and then in the end you have two teams with no weaknesses (exaggerated).
You know what? I'm going to buck the popularity ego-inflation trend here and say what I honestly think (something you can always expect from me btw, the honest truth):
<!--sizeo:4--><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->I think it's kind of ugly and looks feeble.<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
Sorry, but I hate the resource "bonk droid" (star wars) or Terran Barrack (starcraft) look. Don't understand what I'm getting at? I think both c0ke and botchiball had a pretty good criticisms. It's looks feeble with little metal legs and a high center of gravity. The Natural-Selection original resource tower was more "spidery" and less "bulky". The spidery thing was cool, it not only looked tough and was neat how it deployed (animation) but it looked like it was very stable and could possibly walk around. Sorry if that comes off as harsh criticism, but as an artist I know I would want people to tell me what they honestly thought.
As far as how to improve the design, cut some bulk off. Lower the center of gravity. Make the legs look tough enough to take a rhino-sized onos careening into it hard at 60KPH. Make it look tough enough to match the 5500 hit points (or what ever you plan to adjust it to) it is worth. The RT was the third strongest structure in NS if memory serves, next to the hive and command chair. This new design just looks so feeble compared to what it is supposed to represent, which is the whole point of the model. Otherwise you could just have a big neon-green letter R stand on the resource point.
Why four legs for that matter? Why not go for a tetrahedron or a hexagon design with three or six legs respectively?
:-/<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I tend to agree with x5, c0ke and botchiball that the legs on this version look insignificantly chunky to support and protect it's body (which yes does look starcraftesque).
I must disagree with the guys that didn't like he electrical warning.I don't see any reason why standard warning symbols should change, they are standards for a reason. Plus it's not for future humans to read and understand but for current day humans playing skulks and think of gnawing on that electrified box.
On the plus side the res nozzle looks good and the in-game shot looks really good, better than he final max render, which seems like a more important thing to me than the art assets. The glow around the self illuminating parts does rather soften the look quite a lot, which is not really the feel i'd want from a piece of military hardware. Can we get some harsh illumination from that?
Yay for progress!
I showed my brother and he used to play NS1, first thing he said was "Whens it comming out? Whats the release date?" Haha.
Lovin it!!
Also it's a lot dirtier and worn than the MASC so thumbs up for that. I don't see how you can possibly suggest that NS2 is "deviating" when the new tower is so beat up.
awesome. godlike.
It's more the saturation that bothers me, rather than the amount of damage/wear/grunge.
1. It's boxy and inefficient looking. It's basically a cube with legs. I look at that and think "vending machine that walks", not "resource gas techno-converter". This is a resource moving crate, not a resource tower.
2. From a game play stand point, it's big enough that I could hide behind it as a skulk and be completely covered from marine weapons fire. As a marine, I would basically be *required* to throw a grenade at it to flush a skulk out, and god knows we don't have enough of those. When I think about a skulk behind that thing at the end of an alcove, it's basically a bullet barrier.
3. From a role playing stand point, the tube going to the nozzle looks very, very vulnerable. As a skulk, when I chew on that trying to take it down so the marines can stop sucking res, I would be wondering the whole time why I couldn't just bite that tube in half and run away.
Sorry, but all in all thumbs down. It needs to be redone.
--Locane
I hadn't realized x5 had basically covered all my points already.
I agree with x5.
--Locane
im glad to see all of the marine equipment will have a uniform look <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tsa.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::tsa::" border="0" alt="tsa.gif" />
On a 'practical' side, yes it does look a little unstable. However, the form factor alludes to it being able to fold into a cube, which would make it very easy to store. Then again, I'm not sure on the backstory of how these things are made/deployed.
I do agree with x5 and the improve the legs and tubes a bit. Unless this is gonna be fairly squishy in game. As for the boxy feel, I'm OK with it.
Agree that the tube looks very cool. At the same time it looks very vulnerable as some have mentioned. Make it in some sort of nano kevlar though and there should be no problem. Haha. I mean there is no way the human race would end up going in the direction of shooting projectile weapons in "space" or even sending humans into the fight. We enjoy debating all this but we know it's not a very conceivable future. There is probably something like max 30 years left in this post industrial revolution we are living in now. Nano bots, singularity, blah blah... will turn things on it's head and if we manage to cope, will be a unimaginable difference. If we all end up in some kind of singularity machine I guess we won't even care about space but then we could create a less techno, more primal, natural selection univerese in there.
The designs, the yellow warning triangle and so on are just to make it easier to grasp. Would be interested to see another kind of warning label but would everyone be "warned" by it?
When it comes to the skulk I liked the way it could be partly hidden behind the legs. With this design I guess it could stand on top of one of the legs and chew. The marine has to move in close and around or use a grenade. I'm not sure about the hitbox but the skulk would have less "headroom" around those moving parts.
Anyways, sorry for the blabber, the deisgn is great and it probably won't change but do keep debating.
I have to agree that the art style is kind of bright and happy compared with NS1, but if you're using that as contrast against a darker alien team (in theme, not in light) or if you're predicting the dynamic lights to desaturate the models and compensating, that's cool.
Regardless, I'm still hungry for gameplay. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/asrifle.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::asrifle::" border="0" alt="asrifle.gif" />
From what I can tell from the render, the engine you guys created looking pretty damn amazing, and I'm not lying about that. With those glowing panel and dark textures, I can't help it but keep getting reminded that this is Dead Space. Seriously, Alien vs. Marine we all know that those categories are similar, but one can really tell just by looking at those lighting and texture. ( I can guess that you guys had been playing Dead Space <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/confused-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="???" border="0" alt="confused-fix.gif" /> )
What startling me was that a couples of comments I've seen did mention about it being too bulk and blocky that could result being a perfect shield for skulk. And I totally agree with that, because it would effect gameplay alot, putting more risk on marines that trying to save res nodes. Still there might be possible chance of this res tower to be smaller then it look. But it'll be all up to the team to decide.
Couple of comments did mention about it being grungy, old, rusty and all that stuff, I'm going to have to disagree with that. Because if you think about it, these constructed on site machines might be using materials or parts that came from some old res tower in order to save resources.
Anyways, It really great seeing how this game expanding, growing, and most of all EVOLVING! really appreciate the effort of showing us the progress, and I just can't wait to see this game on my shelf.
I liked how the NS1 RT had very thick legs spread wide for maximum stability and how it's core looked like one solid, continuous structure. The new design has a very small base of support and appears to be very top-heavy, making the overall structure unstable (looking through previous posts, this seems to be a common complaint.) However, the "squatting" look does help to alleviate this.
On a positive note, I assume that "reducing the overall footprint" means that you want the structure to impede on player movement as little as possible, which this design does accomplish. The gap between its legs also gives marine a line of fire to nearby skulks. To me, these positive points don't outweigh the RT's fragile look though.
<b>IDEA 1</b>: This design gives me the impression that the RT is a mobile platform due to its narrow stance and dragoon-like appearance (a starcraft unit for those who don't know.) What if the marine team could construct these towers from within their base and send them to their respective resource nozzles, eliminating the need for marines to drop their guard while building the RT on site. Similar to the MASC, the RTs would be vulnerable while on the move, requiring a marine or two to escort it to its destination. This way, marines would be actively participating in the RTs deployment while being able to keep their LMG readied the entire time.
This idea could also be extended to other structures like the armory or even observatory (if these structures will still exist in NS2). A mobile armory will allow a commander to supply a squad of marines on the move, eliminating the need for a commander to drop field-armories that immediately become useless when the marines shift position. Likewise, a mobile observatory would provide excellent support against cloaked aliens, serving as a kind of flag for marines to rally around. The ability to make these structures mobile could be a pricey research upgrade and the mobile structure's HP could be less than that of their immobile counterparts for the sake of balance.
I've always felt that dropping static buildings like armories and observatories in a battle zone seemed nonsensical. With mobile structures, a marine force could be supplied and supported the same way a modern army is with fuel trucks and AWACs.
On a side note, these walking structures could be an invaluable tool for organizing a pub marine team. Instead of a commander yelling at marines to go to a waypoint, the sight of an armory marching its way towards an enemy hive is as good an incentive as any (not to mention the fact that it gives free health and ammo.) To prevent "armory humping" there could even be an upgrade that allows marines to be resupplied while in proximity to the armory, without even having to +use it. But this is already way off topic.
<b>IDEA 2</b>: I agree with the previous posts that mentioned the huge amount of cover this design would give to skulks. Maybe the small containers that hold the nanites could be housed on a rotating mechanism. After every tick of resources, the filled nanite container would be disengaged from the pump and an empty container could be quickly cycled into its place. This periodic, violent rotation could throw off any skulks hiding behind the RTs superstructure and slightly damage them, encouraging the skulks to remain down by RTs legs. This idea is a bit complex, but the general idea is that there needs to be a way to keep the skulks off of the superstructure.
Anyways, great job on NS2 so far. I hope my first comments don't make it seem like I'm unappreciative of your efforts.
I've always felt that dropping static buildings like armories and observatories in a battle zone seemed nonsensical. With mobile structures, a marine force could be supplied and supported the same way a modern army is with fuel trucks and AWACs.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Holy Crap FrostFire..
I don't really like the idea of a self-walking res tower - I like the way it worked in NS1. But the second part - the mobile armory.. that has to be the one of the best ideas I've heard yet. I would suggest not making all armories mobile, but instead having an additional model for end-game tactics.
-This commander controlled 'tank' could be sent anywhere, but not do anything on its own - merely be a defense support (or technically an offensive support). Having it act as an armory would make the most sense, but you could go so far as to also provide health paks, turrets, or spawn points and could be electrified (like so much NS1 equipment was) and provide auto-welding points (armor repair). I actually wouldn't want turrets or spawn points on it.. but you could.
-So this 'tank's purpose would be towards the end of the game when Kharaa are growing strong and marines start dieing left and right, if the commander has researched the requirements, he could build one of these mobile armor 'tanks' and a couple seige gun 'tanks' and send them with a large contingincy of marines to take a hive.
Sorry this is all definately off topic, and hopefully I don't sound sarcastic - I think this is a great idea. It would be key that these 'tanks' would be defenseless (besides their armor) without marines. I wouldn't want to play a game where the commander ignores his marines then builds a bunch of AI controlled machines to win.
I don't think I'd say it looks upgraded in respect to the old one but it looks good nevertheless
Looking forward to see a deploy animation <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
Because that's the little minigame skulk and marine play, when attacking or defending the rt and I wouldn't like my skulk to feel like on a bumpy road, when I walk left and right, while biting, to dodge bullets.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think that kill skulk behind RT too difficult. While skulk eating RT his undead. May be make RT size smaller what let kill skulk.
Oh man, I just got an image of an armory wandering through a map like the pied piper of hamlin, luring starry eyed pub-marines to follow it into a hive -- where they all get eaten. Had to laugh at that.
Hey, it's as tall as marine view level! Things can hide behind it! Gameplay++