Shade Passive Ability

PsiWarp

<div class="IPBDescription">A way for Kharaa to control lighting?</div>The Kharaa cannot take advantage of the dark without existing Power Nodes currently, and the red emergency lighting only serves to indicate a contested area. I understand why the developers feel this is necessary to keep the atmosphere of the map relatively constant, but more abilities to manipulate the environment is exactly what our cosmic gardener needs.

What if the Shade's very presence can dim the lights? Within its massive range, lights in the room could flicker or turn off or glow at 50%, whichever option takes less toll on performance. Should this effect continue if the Shade is cloaked and cloaking players/structures?

Because really, Disorient is fairly lackluster, and I find that it serves mostly to give players motion-sickness.

Harimau

One idea I developed from yours... the shade could emit rather dense atmospheric lighting that is either not visible or extremely toned-down for aliens. I know this is possible to implement because the marine's flashlight doesn't show its atmospherics for yourself (so you don't get blinded by your own light), though it does for your teammates and aliens.

PsiWarp

That could work, but would it also be possible to nullify/reduce that effect with flashlight on? I think that would be pretty interesting as it forces Marines to give away their position when near a Shade (although infestation hive sight might've got that covered already).

Harimau

Hmm... as to that, I don't know.

I mean, there are ways you could do it quite crudely*, but in terms of, like, 'carving out' the atmospherics, that doesn't seem like a built-in function. You'd have to ask Max :S

*So, say, if the distance between the marine and the shade is less than 20 metres**, and the marine has their flashlight on, turn off (or tone down) the shade's atmospheric effect for that marine only.

Tweadle

I'd rather we steer clear of more visual obscuration. It's getting really extreme now and I want to be able to see the game i'm playing. We have pitch black rooms, solid spore clouds, crag umbra, alien order clouds (potentially :() and adding to this list is a bad idea, I think. It's frustrating to be bombarded by abilities that you have no way of overcoming through any discernible skill. You don't want to be feeling like the entire game is playing against you - you want to be feeling like your set of skills is overcoming theirs.

Harimau

Hmm, I said this in the other thread, but I think it's a case of team-vs-team balance versus player-vs-player balance. It seems to me you're coming from a more strongly player-vs-player balance perspective.

Tweadle

You're right, I am. And that's because I think it's being neglected. Team-vs-team balance is really easy to play around with and ideas seem cool and strategically interesting but I would like there to be more focus on what is fun for each player because that's what I think is lacking. I don't mind abilities that give benefits like these but only if they are few and far between. I would like to see most abilities geared towards advantages that buff aliens rather than hamper marines. it's just a change of emphasis that I propose but one that I think is important because i'm worried that the game is steering towards a well-built, well-balanced crock of faeces.

Tweadle

That probably wasn't fair. What I would say, though, is that "cool" doesn't always translate into "fun". I really freak out when I hear the word now. I want more player-vs-player interaction and less player-vs-theWORLD.

subshadow

<!--quoteo(post=1898528:date=Feb 1 2012, 01:27 AM:name=PsiWarp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PsiWarp @ Feb 1 2012, 01:27 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1898528"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Because really, Disorient is fairly lackluster, and I find that it serves mostly to give players motion-sickness.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

How about giving giving marines in range a strong motion-blur?

Tweadle

<!--quoteo(post=1898603:date=Feb 1 2012, 10:04 AM:name=subshadow)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (subshadow @ Feb 1 2012, 10:04 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1898603"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->How about giving giving marines in range a strong motion-blur?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Because of what I just said.

PsiWarp

I suppose the idea can be tweaked to be less imposing on Marines' vision, and more of a neutral aspect of the Shade.

I've always liked the atmospheric light flickering in the first NS2 trailer, although for gameplay purposes it shouldn't induce complete darkness. I don't know, if it's the lighting going bonkers, then flashlight and alien vision can easily overcome its effects.

It adds immersion, but hopefully not at cost of player enjoyment.

Harimau

That's a fair point, and I agree with you. I think that I would like the balance to be more player-vs-player focused. But then you have to consider that Natural Selection has never really been built from the ground up for player-vs-player balance, and more team-vs-team balance: the RTS side has always been more (too) prominent. Consider the Onos for instance. That is an OP alien -by design-, because it represents a super unit in an RTS. In a way, the scarcity of the lifeform helps to alleviate this issue (note that this isn't even the case for Natural Selection 2), but never eliminates it: it is clearly not balanced with a player-vs-player focus. If you come up against an onos with a rifle, you don't even get a coin toss, you <b>will</b> die. Basically it's pay2win with imaginary money.