No dynamic infestation in final?
RTV
Join Date: 2008-06-09 Member: 64417Members
Join Date: 2008-06-09 Member: 64417Members
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where did you get the impression dynamic infestation is canceled? the cysts (pustules) are actually the first step towards it.
or something along those lines
1. I mean all maps are so tiny, and the only one (and surprise...played by like 99% of all servers now) is NS_summit
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2. The Rifle feels not like you shoot it, the shotgun is like it has a delay,
3. the flamethrower doesn't match in ns2 The Grenadelauncher is overpowered.
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4. The Skulk is so fat and slow, its a easy target
5. The Gorge is kinda useless, he can not build some chambers, only Hydras.
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1. That's because of none of the other maps except tram were thought to be in the final version:
junction = not really a map, just created for pure testing
rockdown = small closeup map for death-match-style combat. Mainly created for testing the combat system. Because it was quite popular before summit came they extended it a bit (don't know if they plan to extend it even more)
tram = only map that was planned for 1.0, yet (and considered a small map (!)). Bad performance due to having much lights, that's why it isn't currently played. thought for creating a map that looks like what maps in the final version should be like, that's why it isn't really optimized for the beta (they _could_ do so by reducing the number of lights)
summit = community map that was created for the current version. Includes only a small number of lights per room
mineshaft = not released, yet. But I think it will be bigger than the current maps
2. That's mainly cause of 1. performance and 2. not final sounds and effects. I don't think that this is due game design (now the screen shakes a bit while firing the rifle)
3. Well, seems like everyone has his personal opinion about that. Previous to the current build the flamethrower was mainly an infestation-removal tool. Now it looks like it's main purpose is to drain alien energy but I think its not final, yet. If you successfully implement an application for a new weapon in the game-play that makes sense, I don't see why a new weapon should be a mistake. But being used to NS1 weapons that was my first thought on the flamethrower, too. Now I got used to it. What would definitely not fit are laser guns XD.
What is overpowered about the GL? Your fire-rate is slow. (You could spam nades in NS1 much better) and your only defense is a rifle. Grenades have odd physics currently, so its hard to directly hit a target. Ive got killed with nades sometimes, but you can easily evade them. That's kind of like getting killed with a knife in CS.
4. Agreed. But it has more health now to compensate that. If they make it smaller, they would have to lower the hp, too.
5. It's not as powerful as in NS1 anymore. Most of it is now in the hands of the alien commander. I don't want a discussion here about if the Alien comm was a good idea or not, that already has been broadly discussed and I'm pretty undecided about that. However I would like to point out that its far from useless. You can:
- Help your commander get bases up faster. Do so by pre-infesting the area before the infestation is coming from the hive. You can make buildings grow faster by +using them as well.
- Heal your teammates. That's important, so they don't have to get back the hive if they're harassing an marine base, staying a shorter time out of battle. You are the only one one who can put out fires on your teammates before they go out themselves. (crags and hives don't do that, they only heal)
- Deal some damage. Of course you are primarily a support unit, but healspray is excellent in close combat vs. rifle-wielding marines as you damage him and heal yourself at the same time. Bilebomb does a lot of damage to marine structures and now to ARCs, too.
edit: oh, how could I forget maybe the most important task (the main reason why you MUST have gorges in clan matches):
-heal the hive if it is under attack! It takes time to grow and goes down very easily if there are no gorges healing it while the rest of the team defends.
There are enough elements from NS1 to make the core game too similar, which is why balancing these new elements is going to be so difficult.
As in same sides, same lifeforms, mostly same weapons, similar map layouts, similar importance on second hive, similar abilities... anything else?
It's like they took NS1's core game, and added random stuff into it. Infestation and power nodes are boooooooooooring.
One would imagine true dynamic infestation to be automatic and have an AI of its own dictating where it spreads to but controllable with some prodding and poking ( say a cyst in the direction the comm would like the infestation to prioritise, otherwise it just spreads as it wants.
Current implementation makes the DI all too similiar to the power node infrastructure of the marines, including the portable power pack system... and thus makes the teams more symetrical.
I would like to know if the devs have given up on AI controlled DI , and are playing around with player placed DI as a final DI implementation... or is the current build the DI where you want a temperary DI system to play around with DI balance and mechanisms ?
I really have to agree to this.
It's not an MMO; random number generators should have no control over who wins or loses.
Nope, I never said that. I don't think its going to be an easy task at all, otherwise it would have been done by now. He had merely mentioned that the intent is to have it look as good or better then in the DI prototype video when the final implementation of it is done.
<!--quoteo(post=1859363:date=Jul 10 2011, 11:12 AM:name=ASnogarD)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ASnogarD @ Jul 10 2011, 11:12 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1859363"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I would like to know if the devs have given up on AI controlled DI , and are playing around with player placed DI as a final DI implementation... or is the current build the DI where you want a temperary DI system to play around with DI balance and mechanisms ?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I believe we still plan on having the DI continue to spread on its own, a little bit, out from where the commander is growing it. But having it only be AI controlled could only be done if the infestation was just a visual element and not a gameplay one. Because the alien comm really needs to dictate where exactly he wants it to grow, and marines still need a clear way of killing it (the cysts).
--Cory
If that were true we wouldn't have multiplayer games because AI would be more fun.
As I saw, cysts need to be places on "sight" to each other ... that is difficult with many corners etc.
The best solution will be to place cysts in globe spere of another one. (mini cyst will have smaller globe aroud them).
Also all other buildings need to be in sphere not the plane around the cyst, because of complicated level hights is really anoying to place hydras on walls.
(you need gorge and place cyst on wall to spread infestation first and then place hydra there :( )
Soylent , I didnt mean it totally random, I meant within reasonal logical boundries...
Obviously it would start at the main hive and cover the hive area in a circular pattern, and then work its way through the corridors creeping along at a slow rate as it infests all the routes from the hive outwards.
Could of made it sort of controllable by say the Comm planting a cyst in the path the comm wants the infestation to prioritise.
Hmm, imagine a hive room with 3 exits ( vents dont count ) , the DI on its own would move a bit in exit 1 then maybe 3 , then a bit in 2 and back to 3 then 1 ... now if the comm placed a cyst down exit 3, the DI would grow towards it ( shortest pathing ) and not move in 2 or 1 until it engulfed the cyst ( would of been pretty cool if the cyst was visible and vunerable to any weapon until the DI engulfs it, then fire would be needed ).
I can develop this idea a bit more if its of any intrest ?
We're not all so antisocial, some of us actually like to play with human teammates against human opponents.
if i recall correctly:
cysts is 2 res and hydras 10
so just make hydras cost only 9 res and with the average gorge-garden being 2 hydras we get:
build 179 healspray-infest: free + 2 hydras (2*10res) = 20 res
build 180 mini-cyst: 2 res + 2 hydras (2*9res) = 20 res