Minimap Concerns

Nominous

<div class="IPBDescription">Preemptively Revealing Enemies</div>Hey guys, I just started playing the beta a few days ago and the game is looking great. I find myself questioning the minimap, however, and the mechanics behind it. I use the minimap often since I'm starting to get used to navigating maps, but I also use it to preemptively reveal enemies that come within a certain distance. The enemy doesn't even need to be in my line-of-sight for me to 'see' him; he could be behind me, below me, or hiding behind a pillar. Imo, the minimap ruins ambushes and sneaky gameplay.

On one occasion in early/mid game, I was protecting an extractor and phase gate at the boundaries of our territory. A skulk took his time to walk from an adjacent room so that I wouldn't hear his footsteps. Using the minimap, I anticipated that he was coming around a corner and killed him despite his careful sneaking. <a href="http://youtu.be/SewyuwVwG3U?t=6m57s" target="_blank">Here's</a> a great example of when the minimap gets a hiding skulk killed (credits to NS2HD).

One might argue that a disadvantage of using the minimap is the fact that it takes up most of the screen, but this usually isn't a problem if you use it for short intervals. I suggest making enemies appear on the minimap only if they are in the player's (and his teammates') 180 degrees line-of-sight. No more being able to 'see' enemies that are behind you or hiding behind map elements without the use of parasite, scan, attacked buildings/teammates, etc.

Floodinator

Another thing is, if an Alien atacks an RT and then searches for cover the marines still can see it for 3s on the minimap.
Agree with you on this points, because it is deprimating to hide above a group of marines out of theyr LOS and getting killed by the last one that was the only one that took a look on the map.

Krizzen

I hit the map key more than I left-click.

antacid

When the commander detects an enemy, it appears on your minimap.

Your minimap feed is directly sourced from the commander, that is how you are seeing the skulks.

It makes sense and it is a key part of the marine gameplay.

I still find it easy to hide and launch at marines, somebody still needs to "see" you for you to be detected.

_Necro_

Yeah, but "seeing" isn't seeing. You hide on a wall 12meters above ground in crevice. The marine coming in can't see you. But automatically he looks in your direction. Now he can see you on his map. He starts searching the direction shown on the map and shoots you with his pistol before you realize.

I have done this as marine many times. Sometimes I looked straight at a vent or a ceiling, trying to find that skulk on my map. After 5 - 10seconds i suddenly saw him and could kill him before he was able to run away.

This should be fixed. The commander has to see the aliens who are in line of sight of his marines. (He can than warn them via voice.) But a normal marine should only see aliens if the commander scanned some.

Skie

I think the minimap is okay in how it works except that extractors give vision to marines from a very long range, or a too long time. Only the skulks or other creatures that are directly adjacent to it, or that are attacking it, should be revealed. Not those that have bitten it, say once 5 seconds ago, then has gone hiding somewhere ~10 meters away.

Skie

As a matter of fact, there is another problem with the minimap: It doesn't scale properly when you change the resolution while the other UI elements do. At 1920x1200 it's pretty okay, but at 1280x1200 it's god damn enormous and covers the entire screen.

<div align='center'>1920x1200</div>
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/Dx32S.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

<div align='center'>1280x800</div>
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/JgQt7.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />