To Devs - Parasite Visual Suggestion
Cruor
Join Date: 2004-11-07 Member: 32677Members
Join Date: 2004-11-07 Member: 32677Members
<div class="IPBDescription">If it should make it into the game that is...</div>I just had the most wicked idea about a mind blowing visual effect if pulled off correctly for the parasite ability if it is to be added to the game after all.
Instead of having the glowing ring outline we have today in NS1 and the placeholder we all saw in the gameplay video released not so long ago. Here's my take on the effect.
Imagine having a model of the human circulatory system with heart and all occupying the same space as the marine body and using the same skeleton animation joints as the main body marine. I don't know how tricky it would be but this circulatory model would then have to be rendered on a layer on top of everything else despite actually being inside the other marine model in the 3D space, thus it would shine through the marine and walls etc. and very explicetly showcase the exact size and approximate distance of the marine.
The circulatory system would be textured with a glowing perhaps orange color and would pulsate in intensity going from visable to not visable like today, but I imagine it would be tied into the animation of the heart in the circulatory model. So on each heartbeat the circulatory system would pulsate and glow the drop off to being not visible in between beats. This being the future with super buff perhaps a bit gene spliced marines rigorously trained to handle stressful situations their normal heart rate would be less than 1 beat per second maybe even 1 beat per 2 seconds or 1.5 seconds. But it would be cool that if you as an alien were in the sight of the marine their heart rate would go up slightly and thus the pinging of the circulatory system would increase. So seeing an Onos coming at you would make your heart beat like mad and the heartbeats would be very frequent. Perhaps eveing the skulks taunting could have an increasing effect on the number of pulses per second, so you parasite the marine and then chuckle to see him more clearly :D
And below is a crude concept image of how it might look, the background used is from a WIP map of SgtBarlow (hoping you won't mind me using it in this manor). Once again this is after all stricly an eye candy suggestion and thus I don't expect it nor would want it to get that high a priority, however I definently think it's worth considering. Now the model would definently not need to be this detailed just a few veins and arteries here and there.
<!--coloro:#FFA500--><span style="color:#FFA500"><!--/coloro-->*EDIT*<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--> Newly added animation showcasing the animation of the texture and or shaders applied to this model, courtesy of <!--coloro:#FFA500--><span style="color:#FFA500"><!--/coloro-->RobB<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
<img src="http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/6906/parasiteconcept.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /><img src="http://s3b.directupload.net/images/100227/7jblfvq9.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" />
and below is a link to a clinical anatomy chart of the human circulatory system:
<a href="http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/1213/exphuman055.jpg" target="_blank">Anatomy of the human circulatory system</a>
What do you guys think?
Instead of having the glowing ring outline we have today in NS1 and the placeholder we all saw in the gameplay video released not so long ago. Here's my take on the effect.
Imagine having a model of the human circulatory system with heart and all occupying the same space as the marine body and using the same skeleton animation joints as the main body marine. I don't know how tricky it would be but this circulatory model would then have to be rendered on a layer on top of everything else despite actually being inside the other marine model in the 3D space, thus it would shine through the marine and walls etc. and very explicetly showcase the exact size and approximate distance of the marine.
The circulatory system would be textured with a glowing perhaps orange color and would pulsate in intensity going from visable to not visable like today, but I imagine it would be tied into the animation of the heart in the circulatory model. So on each heartbeat the circulatory system would pulsate and glow the drop off to being not visible in between beats. This being the future with super buff perhaps a bit gene spliced marines rigorously trained to handle stressful situations their normal heart rate would be less than 1 beat per second maybe even 1 beat per 2 seconds or 1.5 seconds. But it would be cool that if you as an alien were in the sight of the marine their heart rate would go up slightly and thus the pinging of the circulatory system would increase. So seeing an Onos coming at you would make your heart beat like mad and the heartbeats would be very frequent. Perhaps eveing the skulks taunting could have an increasing effect on the number of pulses per second, so you parasite the marine and then chuckle to see him more clearly :D
And below is a crude concept image of how it might look, the background used is from a WIP map of SgtBarlow (hoping you won't mind me using it in this manor). Once again this is after all stricly an eye candy suggestion and thus I don't expect it nor would want it to get that high a priority, however I definently think it's worth considering. Now the model would definently not need to be this detailed just a few veins and arteries here and there.
<!--coloro:#FFA500--><span style="color:#FFA500"><!--/coloro-->*EDIT*<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--> Newly added animation showcasing the animation of the texture and or shaders applied to this model, courtesy of <!--coloro:#FFA500--><span style="color:#FFA500"><!--/coloro-->RobB<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
<img src="http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/6906/parasiteconcept.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /><img src="http://s3b.directupload.net/images/100227/7jblfvq9.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" />
and below is a link to a clinical anatomy chart of the human circulatory system:
<a href="http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/1213/exphuman055.jpg" target="_blank">Anatomy of the human circulatory system</a>
What do you guys think?
Comments
...at least not for skulks. Don't know if the flys get it.
I know me personally would still like to see some form of parasite being used.
And even if parasite does get scrapped from the finished game this effect could just as easily be used for the "Scent of fear" ability and the Sensory Chambers projection of nearby enemies.
Thus the circulatory system and the heart beating would symbolize the aliens being able to sense and detect the rapid heartbeats of it's stressed out fearful enemies as well as the phermones involved.
I do too.
This idea is unique, and 1-ups the L4D "I SEE YOU ANYWHERE IN THE MAP YOU GLOWING DUDE LOL".
And it wouldn't really make as much sense from a biologically perspective seing just an outline, not that seeing someone's circulatory system does either but it would definently feel more gritty and organic and like a 6th sense of the aliens for them to detect the parasites or epinephrine being pumped through the marines body.
Only extra workload this effect would mean is to model the circulatory system model, but at the rate their modelers are churning out environment models I doubt that would be much of a problem. The model wouldn't be very complicated, A heart with a couple of branching 5-6 sided cylinders going out from it.
I'd like to see a developer's opinion on it- is it plausible?
And yeah, aesthetics after gameplayblurblahbleeh
Maybe for NS3 on the computers we have 10 years from now.
Sure thing, here you go <a href="http://uploadpsd.com/file/92789.psd" target="_blank">NS2-ParasiteConcept.psd</a>
<!--quoteo(post=1755275:date=Feb 25 2010, 10:28 PM:name=Voyager I)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Voyager I @ Feb 25 2010, 10:28 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1755275"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->It seems cool, but It would probably be a major resource hog. Mapping out all those blood vessels would work out to a ton of polys.
Maybe for NS3 on the computers we have 10 years from now.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You'd only have to model the heart and the major arteries as well as a couple of the branching smaller ones, I doubt that would amount to that many polygons not much more than some of the more detailed world props and certainly much less than every other player model. And if it is felt some of the smaller veins etc. should be in for added visual goodness, then they could simply be put on the texture on losened big polygons that would behave more like sprites.
You either have to save each layer indipendently or grab paint.net for me (PDN).
Here's an imageshack gallery containing all layers in transparency png format.
<a href="http://img4.imageshack.us/g/layer0background.png/" target="_blank">NS2 Parasite Concept Gallery (Layers)</a>
--Cory
If this gets added in, it would definitely add a "unique" visual thing to NS2. Unique things in the days of bland shooters are very good, making it actually useful is even better.
<b><i>img removed. its ugly</i></b>
Anyway, I think that jumping around, sprinting or having low health should increase the pace of the pulse through reducing the break between the beats, signaling that the marine is spend one or the other way.
IMO this is how scent of fear should've worked.
If this gets added in, it would definitely add a "unique" visual thing to NS2. Unique things in the days of bland shooters are very good, making it actually useful is even better.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That was the general idea, that it would behave very much like the sprites for parasite and scent of fear in NS1, in that it's allways on top of everything and at the same luminosity no matter the ambient lighting.
And RobB excellent work on the animation, exactly what I was going for in the descriptions. Was just to lazy to make it for the mockup concept :D props. If you don't mind I'll add it to the first OP.
<img src="http://s11b.directupload.net/images/100228/vekcjjsd.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" />
And then there is of course the nanites, the one thing that can explain away anything in the NS universe :D
Anyways I'd imagine like I mentioned in OP that the parasited marine would be emitting a pulse every 2 or maybe 1.5 seconds, suggesting a resting pulse of 30-45 seconds, kick ass marines. But upon entering the infested areas of the map this might rise to a pulse every 1.2-1.5 seconds dynamically suggesting the Marine is a bit more alert when entering this intimidating environment. Further upon being in the visual range of an alien the pulsing would go up even more suggesting a marine operating on adrenaline.
The same would apply to if this effect were applied to Scent of Fear instead which is perhaps the more obvious use if parasite does not make it in the game. But seeing as in NS1 players were allways visable when Scent of Fear was applied and not like the parasite being viewed at an intervall. So for Scent of fear I would think that the pulse of every heartbeat would light up the model like a beacon. Then in between beats it would dim down but still be visable to some degree at all times within the range of the sense.
Anyway, you shouldnt use the cardiac system as my animations are plain wrong (you'd have to trace each vessel from the heart away, then back to the heart if done right).
I'd suggest random nerve impulses or something like that, that'd even work when uwe chooses to follow my experimental lore, cybernetic remote dolls or at least implants to the max, i.e. an rotary pump to silence the pulse.
Hey... that could work as a counter, expanding the techtree for marines and increase survivability of field personal (you'd have to respawn to have that pump inserted, tho) - they would still be visible, but without pulse the pressure is generally lower and thus the glow is fainter.
And a low resting pulse doesn't necessarily suggest a high blood pressure. A higher lung capacity and perhaps a genetically enhanced red blood cell count would enable the heart to beat less to get enough oxygen to the body after all.