the OC

JAmazon

<div class="IPBDescription">needs to look better :P</div>Ok this is a little random, but i just finished a game of NS1 and the OC never bothered me, just because it grew on me and I never thought about it. But the OC from NS1 looks awful! Both from a functional standpoint and an artistic standpoint. A big red all on top of a stalk that shoots spikes by some random mechanism. I don't begrudge it, I love the OC :P but for NS2 please put a little more thought and design into it to make it more believable, lets get it right this time :D

Daworm

One of the vid releases shows the models from NS1 rendered ingame on NS2 engine and the structures as they are look pretty good.

I can only assume they'll look more meaner and badass for the models in NS2 :)

Kwil

I'm hoping they wont' have the obvious "ball on a stick" look like they do now. For some reason, I picture a column about the same thickness as a 1 gallon milk jug, standing about 1/2 to 3/4 the height of a marine, no obvious sharp edges, just lumpy and bumpy like infestation, but with some verticle creases, almost like closed scars, scattered around the column at apparantly random heights and spacing. These split open when a marine is in view and inside are several spikes, looking kind of like the spine or tail that the aliens have, and those fire out.

Anyhoo, that's my vision for what the OC looks like.

linfosoma

I think it would be cool if it looked more like a plant.

Example:
<img src="http://www.plantpatrolns.ca/images/Canada_thistle_MarikaGodwin_CARP.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

NeoSniper

Agreed that they should make more visual sense.

a little off-topic but I'm also hoping for:

-wall and roof placement of chambers in NS2 (much like some NS1 co mods)
-upgradeable chambers (especially the OC)

BadMouth

Going with the trend of the stuff they released, I'd expect it to be beefier looking and more armoured.

Squeal_Like_A_Pig

<!--quoteo(post=1721528:date=Aug 8 2009, 02:49 PM:name=BadMouth)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BadMouth @ Aug 8 2009, 02:49 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1721528"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Going with the trend of the stuff they released, I'd expect it to be beefier looking and more armoured.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->


Ha! Nice observation, and after the skulk reveal and the twitter post about the new turret design it may seem that's the general theme for everything, but it isn't. Not everything is getting beefed and armored up.

And yes, all of the alien structures are getting a visual makeover, which means that the red ball on a stick OC will be no more.

--Cory

XeZo

<!--quoteo(post=1721557:date=Aug 8 2009, 06:11 PM:name=Squeal_Like_A_Pig)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Squeal_Like_A_Pig @ Aug 8 2009, 06:11 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1721557"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->....all of the alien structures are getting a visual makeover, which means that the red ball on a stick OC will be no more.

--Cory<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->


<!--coloro:lawngreen--><span style="color:lawngreen"><!--/coloro-->

awesome <3

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schkorpio

i'm guessing, but i wouldnt be suprised if all of the alien structures were really just like strange growths from the out of the infestation rather than stand alone looking structures

culprit

Awesome. It's exciting to hear that the kharaa structure line-up will be altered significantly. The hive was a nice evolved progression, but I'm guessing the other ones won't be so derivative of the original. Can't wait to see where the concepting process led. I'm hoping it is some sort of very organic plant-like motif.

Cereal_KillR

While we're at it, is the building process more convincing? As in not a full sized but slightly deflated version of the chamber, but actually a growing structure?

Thaldarin

<!--quoteo(post=1721561:date=Aug 8 2009, 06:17 PM:name=XeZo)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (XeZo @ Aug 8 2009, 06:17 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1721561"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><!--coloro:lawngreen--><span style="color:lawngreen"><!--/coloro-->

awesome <3

<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Can you stop making your text coloured? It's not hard to type normally.

todd1Ok

To be honest i always thought orange county was a bit bland myself.

gamakun

It would be cool if the OC had some kind of eyes or sensors to explain how it can detect and aim at the marine.

TychoCelchuuu

<!--quoteo(post=1721683:date=Aug 9 2009, 11:42 AM:name=gamakun)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (gamakun @ Aug 9 2009, 11:42 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1721683"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->It would be cool if the OC had some kind of eyes or sensors to explain how it can detect and aim at the marine.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I kind of likes how it didn't have any eyes. That made it more alien. You might also notice that plants, which, believe it or not, don't have eyes, still manage to detect and aim at the sun.

gamakun

Good point, I just hope the new OC looks lean and mean XD.

JAmazon

"Not everything is getting beefed and armored up."

I hope your insinuating that the Gorge is fatter and squishier than before! :D

SjN

<!--quoteo(post=1721610:date=Aug 8 2009, 08:13 PM:name=Thaldarin)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thaldarin @ Aug 8 2009, 08:13 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1721610"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Can you stop making your text coloured? It's not hard to type normally.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Control freak :D

steppin'razor

<!--quoteo(post=1721593:date=Aug 9 2009, 09:17 AM:name=Cereal_KillR)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Cereal_KillR @ Aug 9 2009, 09:17 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1721593"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->While we're at it, is the building process more convincing? As in not a full sized but slightly deflated version of the chamber, but actually a growing structure?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Good point, I'd love to see the chamber grow/spawn to full size rather then just 'poof' into place.

xmaine

<!--quoteo(post=1721683:date=Aug 9 2009, 04:42 PM:name=gamakun)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (gamakun @ Aug 9 2009, 04:42 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1721683"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->It would be cool if the OC had some kind of eyes or sensors to explain how it can detect and aim at the marine.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Hivemind. This concept is under discussed and not taken in account for.

<!--quoteo(post=1721745:date=Aug 10 2009, 04:49 AM:name=steppin'razor)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (steppin'razor @ Aug 10 2009, 04:49 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1721745"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Good point, I'd love to see the chamber grow/spawn to full size rather then just 'poof' into place.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Maybe gorges can shart out some infestation and mold it onto an OC :]

JAmazon

poop covered OC... would definitely make the marines think twice about rushing in :P

xmaine

they would cower to the poop covered oc but not the onos hiding behind it.

iPanda

How about moving the skulks Parasite effect to the OC?
also id quiet like it if they wasnt all uniform like 3 or 4 diffrent models to show its a varying life form, more work yes but would be more believeable humans evolved yet were not all the same so why should Ocs be?

JAmazon

That same logic could be applied to all organic art assets in the game. As cool as it would be to have several alternate models for every alien and every marine and every chamber I feel like it'd be alot of work. Now if the devs are up to that then hey lets do it! :D I think it would be cool if they had procedural variation. Like mabe DI could grow up and around it in some fashion, or slight variations in color filters to give different pigmentation. It would be the easier way to have organic differentiation between same species.

side: It would also be freaking sweet if we could customize our own alien/marine...but thats a little much :P

side side: ACTUALLY, what if the inclusion of black armor for pre-ordered marines is hinting at something like this :O Perhaps we'd be able to choose slight visual variations to our playable character in game to make it easier for other players to recognize us at a glance and thus coordinate teamwork easier. Ok, now I'm just conspiracy theorizing...

iPanda

a Paintable armour section would be quiet lovely Aka Dow, but it would remove the uniqueness of the black armour, plus it could create havoc for aliens. i mean a bright pink Uber gorge of death i dont think any counciler could save your mental state from that. but all joking aside im sure they have got great things instore for us.
[Edit] Brain-dead and half asleep

Daworm

<!--quoteo(post=1721920:date=Aug 11 2009, 10:26 AM:name=JAmazon)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JAmazon @ Aug 11 2009, 10:26 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1721920"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->side side: ACTUALLY, what if the inclusion of black armor for pre-ordered marines is hinting at something like this :O Perhaps we'd be able to choose slight visual variations to our playable character in game to make it easier for other players to recognize us at a glance and thus coordinate teamwork easier. Ok, now I'm just conspiracy theorizing...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They have concept art showing severeal variants of helments so it MIGHT be possible (not at launch but perhaps after launch) that you could customise your marine / alien to one degree or another and have visible changes for upgrades to yourself. IE: as aliens / thicker skin / visible differences showing you are "evolved" from the standard skulk sort of thing.

NeoSniper

<!--quoteo(post=1721924:date=Aug 10 2009, 07:46 PM:name=iPanda)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (iPanda @ Aug 10 2009, 07:46 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1721924"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->... im sure they have got great things install for us.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think you mean "...great things in store for us." :)


<!--quoteo(post=1721927:date=Aug 10 2009, 08:13 PM:name=Daworm)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Daworm @ Aug 10 2009, 08:13 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1721927"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->They have concept art showing severeal variants of helments so it MIGHT be possible (not at launch but perhaps after launch) that you could customise your marine / alien to one degree or another and have visible changes for upgrades to yourself. IE: as aliens / thicker skin / visible differences showing you are "evolved" from the standard skulk sort of thing.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The Helmet where just design iterations until the reached the final version. The where also open and closed versions of the final version but that's just that.


Anyway I don't like the idea of having too much variation among the same units in the game. In this type of game unit which behave the same should look the same (for gameplay instant recognition's sake). Any extra work in unit models should have a purpose (like carapaced aliens looking more armored for example)

Sumo-Soldier

maybe just have different helmets, armour styles, or logos on the armour should be enough. color should not really be messed around with as we dont want green marines blending in with the alien environment lol.

maybe include these later on through a patch based on an achievement system and unlockable armour styles etc. that wud be pretty cool.

edit: oh yea..the oc needs to look better and stuff..