Thermal Vision - Marine Upgrade

pRiNcEkAhUnA

Aliens have their 'Alien Vision' Marines get a broken flashlight(Yes it is beta).

This game is supposed to be futuristic yet the marines roll around with a flashlight fit for the 1970's. I am proposing an upgrade from the obs. that would give the marines Thermal Vision and possibly motion tracking from NS1.

Thoughts and/or suggestions?

Techercizer

1) This goes in the suggestions forum

2) This has been discussed to death. The general fault is that it degrades the already thin asymmetry between Kharaa and Marine playstyles.

PersianImm0rtal

this would be a great upgrade, especially for when you get lerk gassed and you cant see sh*t! Obviously there should be some downfall for turning on therman, just like alienvision has some downfall.

Codeine

Why dont the marines just start with a bomb ticking down to destroy any alien life forms. Why waste so many human lives?

This could be an awesome game mode too "Escort the VIP" type.

pRiNcEkAhUnA

<!--quoteo(post=1922686:date=Apr 6 2012, 05:20 PM:name=Codeine)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Codeine @ Apr 6 2012, 05:20 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1922686"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->This could be an awesome game mode too "Escort the VIP" type.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Ahh good idea from TFC! That would be lots of fun actually.

Nominous

Well, I feel as if the flashlight could use reworking, sure. Perhaps make it so that the current flashlight cone does not bathe the area in white light, but instead, make the "lit" area look more like normal lighting. This might be unrealistic, but at least it would avoid disrupting your teammates' vision and still let ambushing aliens know that you're coming. When a room is powered, the flashlight would over-saturate the area, avoiding being able to keep the flashlight on at all times.

Giving marines thermal vision is too similar to the aliens' dark vision, though, like Techercizer mentioned. Making motion tracking permanent like in NS1 may be <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=97768" target="_blank">overpowered</a> compared to hive sight.

And I heard that lerk gas is going to become translucent later on when the modelling system supports such features.

Wolpertinger

Mh, I think it would a nice touch if aliens develope heat only when they move and are unrecognizable when they are still.

Or at least give them a motion-tracking device. Could provide some cool visuals.

I will never get over the fact that hundreds of years into the future, the only thing we can give our soldier is a crappy flashlight.

Techercizer

We have a motion tracking device. It's called an Observatory.

Raven_XI

I would really like to see the marine flashlight be much more focused on a smaller area and be more powerful. Ive seen a mock up of it done by someone in the suggestions before.

ÒŗăNģё

Would love to see something like this in game, down side could possibly be a energy bar such as the JP has or make some loud noise when activated. Thermal would be fairly OP if it didn't have downsides.

zastels

When you make a suggestion, you have to provide a core reason as to what you are targeting specifically in gameplay to change.

So what exactly does thermal vision do besides make it easier for marines to see? What is the core reason for doing this?!

Have you even played Natural-Selection 1? Natural-Selection is not exactly a "futuristic" game. Sure it takes place in the future and in space, but it's still very down to Earth. The game wasn't fun to play because of how it portrayed the future, but because of the gameplay that existed within it.

<i>Oh it's the future, marines should have auto-aim and cloaking, because it's the future. How is this game futuristic if marines have guns that need to be reloaded? Come on.</i>

Imbalanxd

<!--quoteo(post=1922700:date=Apr 7 2012, 04:19 AM:name=zastels)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (zastels @ Apr 7 2012, 04:19 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1922700"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><i>Oh it's the future, marines should have auto-aim and cloaking, because it's the future. How is this game futuristic if marines have guns that need to be reloaded? Come on.</i><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
but... aliens...

Insane

Moved to I&S.

dalleck

I would like to speak up on this topic if I may. I am a newbie to to NS2, but something like this occurred to me in discussions with a friend about the game.

Marine technology SHOULD allow for them to have more sophisticated relaying of information about other marines on their HUD, just like information is relayed relating to infrastructure health, research, etc.

HOWEVER, I am not suggesting (as the OP has), that marines are given a heat-sight to ALIENS, only other marines, allowing them to see a HUD item for teammates through walls, etc. in their local vicinity (similar to aliens).

This feature could also be tied into power nodes, giving them more importance in the gameplay. Rooms would require power for other marines to see them as a HUD icon.

Will this clog up the display even more? Likely, but I think it would also foster greater teamwork.

Janos

<!--quoteo(post=1922768:date=Apr 7 2012, 12:26 PM:name=dalleck)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (dalleck @ Apr 7 2012, 12:26 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1922768"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->This feature could also be tied into power nodes, giving them more importance in the gameplay. Rooms would require power for other marines to see them as a HUD icon.

Will this clog up the display even more? Likely, but I think it would also foster greater teamwork.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

That would raise even stranger questions about our technology in the future, for instance what happened to batteries?

dalleck

Yes, yes batteries. :)

I am not trying to argue logic in the game, just extending the gameplay mechanics. I do think seeing a clue to your fellow marines whereabouts on the HUD is beneficial to teamwork, and I also think tying this into power nodes gives them a further purpose (which is a common complaint amongst players).

If I must argue the logic of the powered vs. batteries thing, I suppose I could say marines in powered rooms are 'on the grid' for all intents and purposes and their locations are being relayed on the HUD.

But to be honest, the power-connected thing doesn't matter, just so long as marines have greater visibility to one another through levels. You will see that teammate getting whacked in the next room and can rush to his aid without having to simply rely on the red blip on your minimap. Aliens have this ability, and I cannot see a good reason marines should not (apart from the asymmetric argument).

Janos

<!--quoteo(post=1923030:date=Apr 8 2012, 02:46 AM:name=dalleck)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (dalleck @ Apr 8 2012, 02:46 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1923030"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->But to be honest, the power-connected thing doesn't matter, just so long as marines have greater visibility to one another through levels. You will see that teammate getting whacked in the next room and can rush to his aid without having to simply rely on the red blip on your minimap. Aliens have this ability, and I cannot see a good reason marines should not (apart from the asymmetric argument).<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Hmm perhaps have it similar to left 4 dead's ability to track team mates when you are out of visual range, but only extended to something like 50 feet, so really into the next room/corridor but no further, since you always get those rambo idiots who run off thinking they can John McClane the entire alien team dying half way across the map, you don't really want to be seeing that all the time.