Accesible Commands for Tweaking
Bacillus
Join Date: 2006-11-02 Member: 58241Members
Join Date: 2006-11-02 Member: 58241Members
One of the interesting features you've got in Quake Live is the way it handles the nature of deathmatch in its client variables and such. A good example is the simple console command that allows you to turn all the enemy models into a similar bright green model that represents the actual hitbox accurately and clearly cuts out from any background.
In NS you can't have bright green models or one color textured walls, but I like the approach ID took on the command side. The commands have a single clear purpose, which is stated on the command itself. The developer team has clearly aknowledged the problem and allowed the use specific command whenever necessary.
In present on the other hand there are some of commands and tricks that are more or less on the gray area of customization. Some (mostly gamma related) commands aren't that obivious and clear purposed (apart from the partitial effect of getting brighter maps) anymore. A lot of people also use 3rd party Gamma Panel to get the vibility to the level they want. Also the ambient sounds are outside consistency, so you can replace them by silence.
Most of the tweaks have later on become widely accepted by the competetive community and it's fine that way, but for NS2 I'd really like to see a little different philosophy. For example, instead of having the player to manually replace the ambient sound files, there could be a command cl_ambientsound 0. It could be enforced by the server to 1 if necessary, but the command clearly states that the devs are willing to allow the removal unless the server states otherwise.
Where should the line go? Are there any other areas of tweaking that could use similar commands? Discuss.
Edit: Oh well, looks like this could've gone directly to the I&S side as my point of view is quite clear.
In NS you can't have bright green models or one color textured walls, but I like the approach ID took on the command side. The commands have a single clear purpose, which is stated on the command itself. The developer team has clearly aknowledged the problem and allowed the use specific command whenever necessary.
In present on the other hand there are some of commands and tricks that are more or less on the gray area of customization. Some (mostly gamma related) commands aren't that obivious and clear purposed (apart from the partitial effect of getting brighter maps) anymore. A lot of people also use 3rd party Gamma Panel to get the vibility to the level they want. Also the ambient sounds are outside consistency, so you can replace them by silence.
Most of the tweaks have later on become widely accepted by the competetive community and it's fine that way, but for NS2 I'd really like to see a little different philosophy. For example, instead of having the player to manually replace the ambient sound files, there could be a command cl_ambientsound 0. It could be enforced by the server to 1 if necessary, but the command clearly states that the devs are willing to allow the removal unless the server states otherwise.
Where should the line go? Are there any other areas of tweaking that could use similar commands? Discuss.
Edit: Oh well, looks like this could've gone directly to the I&S side as my point of view is quite clear.
Comments
mp_blockscripts
Most competetive players remove the ambient sounds already. The point is that most of the configuring should be done by purposeful client variables instead of 3rd party programs, file modifications and hard to understand client variables. That should both make the competetive play more accessible and also help creating a working set of rules to limit the customizing if necessary.
The clear set of client variables would also allow servers to decide whether they're running athmospheric games without any modifications or more 'hardcore' gameplay oriented games with configured setups.
The mp_blockscripts styled division might be a problem. I don't know if the separation of more gameplay oriented and athmosphere oriented can be prevented in any way though.
<img src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v58/66/4/9903280/n9903280_30408766_9829.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Beautiful.
Like mentioned, I'm not completely sure if the configuration block works similar as the blockscripts. The division between atmosphere and pure gameplay players already exists and most likely servers will create quite a bit of this division all by themselves, no matter if they're given the option. Of course making separation between the groups bigger isn't good.
Nevertheless, the main idea is to make configuration accessible and clear, the server variables were just a random thought that ended up there.
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Beautiful.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I agree with you completely on one specific thing:
Anything that is accessible should be menu accessible, so every player can be just as competitive without resorting to external advice.
I completely disagree on what should be accessible, however.
Oh well, it only caused endless flame wars last time around, why not twice?
edit: odd my constie status isn't showing
I haven't altered any sounds, but I do have a key bound to 'stopsound'; not for advantage, but because the same old in game sounds can get pretty annoying after a while. To me, replacing ambient sounds could pretty easily be for this reason.
edit: odd my constie status isn't showing<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If there's an easy way to gain advantage, people will use it. At that point the rest of the players are either forced to use it or play in disadvantage. I highly doubt it's possible to completetly shut down the tweaking advantages (which probably would also emphasize any errors made in the game design) and at that point it's at least fair to remove the unnecessary twists and turns from the most obivious parts of tweaking.
How are you going to make sure that the playing field is even for every player? Darkness depends on your monitor, graphics hardware and windows settings. In addition the competetive balance is built around seeing things and there has never been enough of well lit maps that are balanced enough for competetive play. At that point picking the best dark maps becomes a necessity.
Ambient sounds are irrelevant for my idea of equal gameplay. Nevertheless, they should either be added to consistency or made easier to remove. The present system is quite weird as they have basically allowed the modification by leaving the ambient sounds outside consistency, but the only way I see the feature being used is blanking out the whole ambient sound -Which probably could be done by a simple setting that decides whether the sound plays in the first place.
Yeah thats completely understandable.
In the end I just want it to be clear cut what should and shouldn't be done. Altering game files to get an advantage seems like a bit of a no go for me.
You either have to go totally black which will be disorientating, or use low gamma levels where any PowerStrip Joe can make it as bright as the Sun.
TF2 is again setting a nice benchmark for pleasing both casual and hardcore players- you get a great experience without touching anything, but the more tech-minded can use menus to change crosshairs and other variables. Then the hardcore have the console for making network interpolation as painless as possible.
The next step is to dedicate a portion of the game menus to dealing with as many of these commands as possible, within reason.
Having these options clearly signposted in-game completely destroys any possible backlash against players who chose to change the settings, because all of these changes are known and accessible to every player. Therefore the only difference between players is personal preference, not a knowledge of the game found from sources outside of the game.
Some of these settings actually help more than just the competitive community. For example, lowest texture/model/lighting/shader settings would help people with very low spec machines to run the game, while it would also help the competitive community run the game more smoothly. I don't think there's any need for bright green skulk models to be supported, but I do think the redesign of the Aliens for NS2 should look at making the Aliens distinguishable by colour as well as shape. This would mean the lowest model/texture settings would display the Aliens in their baser colours at any rate, and those colours would not be similar.
The need for scripts is something that needs to be addressed at the design level. Generally speaking every action should be just as easy to perform at a mechanical level (as opposed to ability) for every able-bodied player. The only difference between playing the game should be skill insofaras anticipation, timing and sequencing; there should be no difference in input mechanics.