A simple, sober idea about being able to tell aliens apart
OBhave
Join Date: 2003-03-13 Member: 14462Members, Constellation
Join Date: 2003-03-13 Member: 14462Members, Constellation
<div class="IPBDescription">...for the alien players, that is</div>At the moment there are several threads about alien visual customization and alien Special Edition looks.
But I somehow doubt that the aliens being all individually unique is what Flayra and the gang have in mind.
So I would suggest this:
Smallish player name HUD text layered on every alien on the screen, but ONLY when the player holds down a button (like you hold down a button in Warcraft3 to see health bars), thus still keeping the alien HUD clean and immersive. Next to the name text could also be a small spiffy icon if you're a SE customer (probably the same SE icon as in the score list).
This would serve both:
The need for alien players being able to tell tell each other apart, AND
...the luxury of SE-customer visibility at a glance.... but still without making the aliens "pimped" in any way.
Plus it's cheap. Or at least much cheaper than customizable visuals, I'd think.
Anyway, what do you guys think?
****edited to refer to smallish text rather than FAT text :Þ
But I somehow doubt that the aliens being all individually unique is what Flayra and the gang have in mind.
So I would suggest this:
Smallish player name HUD text layered on every alien on the screen, but ONLY when the player holds down a button (like you hold down a button in Warcraft3 to see health bars), thus still keeping the alien HUD clean and immersive. Next to the name text could also be a small spiffy icon if you're a SE customer (probably the same SE icon as in the score list).
This would serve both:
The need for alien players being able to tell tell each other apart, AND
...the luxury of SE-customer visibility at a glance.... but still without making the aliens "pimped" in any way.
Plus it's cheap. Or at least much cheaper than customizable visuals, I'd think.
Anyway, what do you guys think?
****edited to refer to smallish text rather than FAT text :Þ
Comments
Still, i think it would need to be pretty small, and if this were the case, a viable option.
But anyway I really hope they'll do SOMETHING that let's you tell the aliens apart ... it would solve the problem of saying to your friend on vent: "Follow me" and they're like: "Which of the 6 skulks are you??" ... and then they try to look at each skulk individually trying to see the text pop up on each one. Which is hard when people are walking around in a big pile.
Maybe icons instead? Or just colored circles maybe? That would be a lot less cluttered than text.
It could be kinda like in DotA/RTS games ... "follow brown!" ... "mkay"
Meeeh I dunno, maybe it's too much of a hassle remembering what color you rolled every time you join a server ... maybe text would be better
Anyway I'm leaning more and more towards some kind of system that let's ONLY the alien players tell each other apart. Cause the marines don't wanna see each alien as a unique and special person... they are T3H SWARM, that's what they are.
In an attempt to immerse the players in the environment, why not have a procedurally generated identifier appear on a fellow alien player when you stare at them long enough(to be determined) based on their in game name. This generated identifier could be used to help form impromptu squads/groups in game with the to be fleshed out in-game popup context menu. Obviously, you would resort to using player names along with these identifiers during voice chat, scoreboards, and the like.
In an attempt to immerse the players in the environment, why not have a procedurally generated identifier appear on a fellow alien player when you stare at them long enough(to be determined) based on their in game name. This generated identifier could be used to help form impromptu squads/groups in game with the to be fleshed out in-game popup context menu. Obviously, you would resort to using player names along with these identifiers during voice chat, scoreboards, and the like.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Err... whaa?