Flame Thrower Alt-Fire
Cruor
Join Date: 2004-11-07 Member: 32677Members
Join Date: 2004-11-07 Member: 32677Members
<div class="IPBDescription">radical idea and discussion area</div>I know there's the official twitter discussion and most likely several threads like this so I apologize for making a new one, but in tandem with the twitter post I thought we could summerize all our thoughts in here. So feel free to comment on my suggestion and post your own ideas on flame thrower alt-fire. As it stands UWE is considering launching your entire fuel tank as an explosive combustion grenade, triggered by shooting it or on impact as the alt-fire. Sounds like a desperate last resort kind of thing to me not an alt-fire feature.
My suggestion would be to have a secondary launcher on the flamethrower. This launcher would contain a 3D-printer which would print a breakable capsule directly in the chamber. that capsule gets filled with the flammable fluid used in the flamethrower from the main tank. It is also filled at the same time with specialized nanites that are programmed upon entering the fuel capsule with their own activation codes. Upon pressing alt-fire the flame thrower launches the capsule with compressed air or possibly a small fume launch a la spud gun, it shatters on contact either with a foe or environment. Pressing alt-fire again sends the activation codes and the nanites in the pool of fuel ignite the fuel causing a triggered combustion.
Since there will most likely be a visual effect for 3D printing in the game, eg the armory etc. printing your weapons. I would suggest some of this effect be visible on the weapon as well as it prints the capsule. So folk don't wonder why there is never any loading of these capsules done by hand.
here is a crude design, you'll have to excuse the flamethrower design :D
<img src="http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/4286/flamethrowerw.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
My suggestion would be to have a secondary launcher on the flamethrower. This launcher would contain a 3D-printer which would print a breakable capsule directly in the chamber. that capsule gets filled with the flammable fluid used in the flamethrower from the main tank. It is also filled at the same time with specialized nanites that are programmed upon entering the fuel capsule with their own activation codes. Upon pressing alt-fire the flame thrower launches the capsule with compressed air or possibly a small fume launch a la spud gun, it shatters on contact either with a foe or environment. Pressing alt-fire again sends the activation codes and the nanites in the pool of fuel ignite the fuel causing a triggered combustion.
Since there will most likely be a visual effect for 3D printing in the game, eg the armory etc. printing your weapons. I would suggest some of this effect be visible on the weapon as well as it prints the capsule. So folk don't wonder why there is never any loading of these capsules done by hand.
here is a crude design, you'll have to excuse the flamethrower design :D
<img src="http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/4286/flamethrowerw.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Comments
I dont think NS2 needs new weapons although they are welcome, I wish they had a reason they excel at instead of damage X at rate X. As an NS1 example lmg is all around starting weapon, sg excels at close range and building, hmg excels at killing lifeforms and GL is to bust thick alien buildings. We have all these thing in NS2 what would flamethrower to useful for ?
Adding too much stuff that simply sound cool "WOAH FACTOR" do not really add to the game, infact they may even worsen it in the end by complicating balancing or just bring in some crap, example would be gorges hideout in ns_ayumi its a cool place with a cool name and all but jesus how many minutes have you lost just because someone HAS to build DCs there just for the kicks. The spraying oil and ignitation it sounds cool yea but chances are people start spraying or writing some crap instead going for important objectives just because microsoft paint is not enough. Also I have to add that the "tank" drop would probably bring up same kind of play as the grenade in NS1, still even though the game is years old some players reflexsively bring up the grenade and throw instead of shooting the skulk with the weapon, this saddens me greatly.
2) an incinerating-rocket
3) melting-laser
etc.. from now lol
You mean like the flamethrower guns in the super mario movie? Which was actually to recreate the fire-flower mario-game attack. (Of course this makes me think of skulks as nothing more then goombas).
But why not take it one step further and combine it with my idea... scrap the capsule launcher and just have the spraying of unlit napalm... but with the added bonus of the napalm being laced with those specialized nanites from production.
So holding down the alt-fire button sprays the unlit napalm and it sticks to walls, roof, structures, enemies and what not. It can be lit by primary fire button or even bullet richochets and even the welder.
But... and this is the fun part, the nanites in the napalm allows for you to tap the alt-fire button to trigger the nanites to ignite the fluid that has left the weapon, the nanites are of course only activated once they pass through the barrel so no danger of any unwanted ignition in your fuel tank.
So holding alt-fire sprays the liquid and tapping it ignites any around, but only your own sprayed fluid since the nanites recieve their activation codes from their own weapon only. Unless of course your napalm intermingles with someone elses :D
Here's another idea, why not have the secondary spray acid? Fire deals heavy damage but isn't as effective against heavily armoured targets such as structures or the Onos, yet acid is the opposite doing weak damage but wreaking against heavy armour.
The nanites are also kind of exaggerated.
The simple unignited fuel is really good because it doesn't add complex stuff to the game. Also its quite natural because any flame thrower should be able to unload without ignition. A garden hose which can't be used in normal mode would definitely raise some question marks :-)
I think a good feature would be alt-fire to just switch the igniter between on/off. One would see a nice animation then when the igniter is activated. This would keep marines from spraying fuel with instant ignition afterwards. You could become very upset though if you hit alt-fire accidentally in a combat ;-)
Requires good team communication though.
I think it is reasonable that unlit fuel is dangerous by itself, so it should (if it is a seperate value from health) deal some humble damage to armor, and double standard damage if it is ignited on a lifeform.
I hope the flamer burns tissue away without setting the whole enemy on fire.
for safety regulations it may only be ignited by fire (welder, primary flamer attack), no ricochets.
if the fuel is dispensed AND started by using alt fire you have basicly a fuelthrower, not a flamer.
Here's another idea, why not have the secondary spray acid? Fire deals heavy damage but isn't as effective against heavily armoured targets such as structures or the Onos, yet acid is the opposite doing weak damage but wreaking against heavy armour.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well the nanite ignition would cause all the napalm to ignite at the same time, basically creating a huge firebomb, whereas lighting the fuel at a certain location might serve to drive the enemy with the napalm igniting as a wave along the path it was laid out. Thus allowing for varied forms of traps. Granted stray bullets shouldn't be able to ignite the napalm for the reasons you laid out.
And having another tank for acid on the flamethrower doesn't seem very viable.
<!--quoteo(post=1799140:date=Sep 19 2010, 08:06 PM:name=RobB)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (RobB @ Sep 19 2010, 08:06 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1799140"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->if the fuel is dispensed AND started by using alt fire you have basicly a fuelthrower, not a flamer.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You misunderstood, primary fire will allways be the standard flamethrower with the ignition flame at the end lit. But holding down alt-fire immediately turns off the ignition flame and the weapons sprays unlit napalm for as long as you hold the button down after which the ignition flame sparks up again. After all that if you tap the alt-fire the flamethrower sends out a signal for the nanites in the napalm to spark and ignite it immedietly. Or you could spray some more by holding down the alt-fire again and then tap it to ignite all of the napalm that has left the weapon.
Insta firebomb weee :D
Imagine spraying a small room and igniting it all with the tapping alt-fire. Can anyone say flash fire
Awe-some.
also for alt-fire u could spread a cloud of dark smoke so that enemies couldnt see thing, like a smoke grenade, that gives strategy tasting
Make some type of defensive weapon.
When you shoot, it isn't combusting; it's just the fuel fired so you can ignite it when you want.
The fuel shot can evaporate after time since it's likely volatile.
Everyone/alien that walks past it takes damage,
so if you spray a hallway it'll have a burning sensation when you want :)
TOASTY :D
Requires good team communication though.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That would just cause campers everywhere in the game and make the vents useless since they will likely add some afterburn effect like TF2 pyro.
Aliens will be on fire all the time and you'll see fireballs jumping everywhere.
Flame thrower should have no afterburn effect, or a short one.
This weapon just makes the game marine sided
With all due respect, but that is a stupid mechanic. You'd set yourself on fire in at least 30% of all uses.
It might be usefull to spray down a balcony or catwalk, but if you use it in actual combat you end up as toast way to often.
It would take a few seconds to charge up, then the flamethrower would emit a short, narrow line of flame that has a good speed but is susceptible to gravity (like BC2 bullet drop).
-Fuel Spray, Which is a neeto idea if properly implemented. The secondary fire should lay the fuel, which after X seconds(minutes whatever is balanced) disperses, which can be lit by either Primary Flame fire, or welders(allowing allies to light the trap if the Flamer dies). Directly sprayed on lifeforms should have an increased damage taken, but to prevent Spray then Flame, it should take alittle animation or sort to light/delight the pilot light. Friendly fire should be implemented on a minor scale here, reducing armor, but not health?
-Range Change, which again, is neeto if rightly added. Having the ability to choke the range of the Flamethrower to cause a high fuel using, short range 'flamewall' has many uses, from covered retreat to heavy assault. Again, the high fuel usage balances the Higher side coverage, having the fuel drain at 50% increased(or w.e % is balanced) rate.
<img src="http://oi52.tinypic.com/14ugpiu.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
I hope you can see what I try to explain here.
Red - Close combat mode, you spray a larger cone, codename "fire wall", low damage (to easy to shake a skulk off with this)
Yellow - Medium Range, medium spray, medium damage.
Magenta - Default range, spread, damage.
Black - long range mode, codename "fire lance". almost no damage. psycho weapon (nobody will stay if a wall of fire is closing in).
the charges cant be detonated by buildings or remotely triggered (besides a chain reaction from other charges).
imagine this:
flame marine finds a restower, but commander deems it's to risky to destroy and take the nozzle, so the flamer proceeds to fire a few charges at the tower, constantly triggering a pain reaction which reduces or stops resflow.
if an alien comes to close to see whats going on, it all goes to hell.
but! a single gorge can disable the charges with his bacterial (heal-)spray by clogging up the sensors and slowly destroying the electronics.
if the gorge stops spraying, the mines are 'hot' again. if the armorhamster is in detection range, he's going to be satans pet now.
marine caught in the blast is dealed indiscriminate damage (storywise its a failsafe mechanic for unauthorized tinkering), normaly marines won't suffer from friendly fire
<note: remark about floating trashcans and them reducing marines to shooting has been omitted>