Alien Vision sucks.
Ansom
Join Date: 2012-11-03 Member: 166364Members
Join Date: 2012-11-03 Member: 166364Members
Seriously. I find that when I play Aliens, I don't pick up a new map as fast as on Marines. Why is that? Because it's just as much about the color, lighting, and overall theme of an area than it is about free and occupied space. On maps I can easily navigate as Marines, I still have to toggle in and out of Alien Vision or bring up the map to find out where I am and where I need to be heading as Aliens. That's really bad design that works against beginners.
Why make such a visually pleasing game but make an almost mandatory vision mode turn everything except organic targets an unappealing, solid puke green color? Also, why can't I see my spit and bile bombs as Gorge with Alien Vision activated? I can't see marines at all with it off, and yet I can't correct my spit or bile bombs with it on. It's lose-lose as Gorge. Can you guys make this once useful Alien class even more useless compared to the original?
Alien Vision needs to be reworked so that the terrain remains unaffected or <i>LESS AFFECTED</i> and only organic lifeforms glow. I know there's a mod in the workshop that does just this, but it really should be an inherent feature and not a mod that has a small chance of being whitelisted on the servers you join.
Why make such a visually pleasing game but make an almost mandatory vision mode turn everything except organic targets an unappealing, solid puke green color? Also, why can't I see my spit and bile bombs as Gorge with Alien Vision activated? I can't see marines at all with it off, and yet I can't correct my spit or bile bombs with it on. It's lose-lose as Gorge. Can you guys make this once useful Alien class even more useless compared to the original?
Alien Vision needs to be reworked so that the terrain remains unaffected or <i>LESS AFFECTED</i> and only organic lifeforms glow. I know there's a mod in the workshop that does just this, but it really should be an inherent feature and not a mod that has a small chance of being whitelisted on the servers you join.
Comments
Try this mod out. I personally like this over the "normal" vision mode. The vision has been constantly changing for a year though and I think they are still working on it.
Only issue with the mod is that not all server support it.
Oh look, it's <i>this advice </i>again. I dislike it for reasons you failed to address.
<!--quoteo(post=2009239:date=Nov 3 2012, 10:08 PM:name=XIIGage)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (XIIGage @ Nov 3 2012, 10:08 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2009239"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><a href="http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=98879398" target="_blank">http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/file...ls/?id=98879398</a>
Try this mod out. I personally like this over the "normal" vision mode. The vision has been constantly changing for a year though and I think they are still working on it.
Only issue with the mod is that not all server support it.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I have that mod. I have yet to use it because none of the servers I've played on have whitelisted it.
Sorry, but that's terrible advice. It's like saying frag grenades are there to help you in Counter-Strike but you don't need them to play. In NS2 I generally want to win, so I use the ugly alien vision to track marines both in the heat of battle and from a distance since they're not instantly orange outlined "L4Ded" the second they show up on my screen.
Love the minimal alien vision mod (if/when servers have it whitelisted), though.
Edit: +1 to the OP for reasons I completely agree with.
I don't follow you with why you see just fine with a marine, but have a difficult time seeing with alien w/o vision enabled. But if you do, that's the whole purpose of alien vision: It's supposed to make important things stand out and other, less important things like spit and bile bomb be obscured so you can focus on the threat at hand.
Perhaps you should learn all the maps first as a Marine, then give Aliens a shot once you've learned the layout. Also, checking your map is something even veterans do -- it can be extremely handy in locating threats without the need of your teammates calling it out. You'll hear "use your map" a lot on Aliens.
NS2 has a steep learning curve and learning the maps is just one part of it -- just stick with it and once you've got it, things like Alien Vision will become a great tool for you to use at the right time. Either that or you'll figure out it's not for you (a lot of folks don't use it).
I use the above minimal alien vision mod as well, if its blocked I go completely without alien vision over the default green screen.
Its currently the same thing except worse. Its another one of UWE awesome decisions to make everything have a downside to it.
No. I guarantee if made play Marines but forced to use a vision mode that voided many of the maps visual features, I would be just as crippled even with the waypointing and following people around. Some areas of maps are pretty distinct even with the Alien Vision on. For example, I can obviously tell the difference between Cafeteria, Landing Pad, and Terminal in Docking. But, get further upward on the map above and to the right of the Bar where it's nothing but an endless maze of corridors and shafts, and it becomes a nightmare.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I don't follow you with why you see just fine with a marine, but have a difficult time seeing with alien w/o vision enabled. But if you do, that's the whole purpose of alien vision: It's supposed to make important things stand out and other, less important things like spit and bile bomb be obscured so you can focus on the threat at hand.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Did you read my original post? People commit things to memory better when there are more key features to memorize. It's easier to commit an area to memory when you're committing its free and occupied space, static lighting, color, and overall theme to memory instead of merely its free and occupied space.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Perhaps you should learn all the maps first as a Marine, then give Aliens a shot once you've learned the layout. Also, checking your map is something even veterans do -- it can be extremely handy in locating threats without the need of your teammates calling it out. You'll hear "use your map" a lot on Aliens.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Again, did you read? You wouldn't be giving me this advice otherwise. Maps I can navigate without a visual aid as Marines are still occasionally difficult to navigate under Alien Vision because most of what I have committed to memory is void in Alien Vision. I can toggle Alien Vision off in a room that I can't distinguish and immediately think "Oh. It's <i>this</i> room!"
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->NS2 has a steep learning curve and learning the maps is just one part of it -- just stick with it and once you've got it, things like Alien Vision will become a great tool for you to use at the right time. Either that or you'll figure out it's not for you (a lot of folks don't use it).<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'm not arguing against a learning curve. I'm all for learning curves. Alien vision voiding features of the map that make it easy to navigate and/or commit to memory is <b><i>artificial difficulty</i></b>. I don't care for that in my learning curves. There's a difference between learning good design and<i> tolerating </i>poor design.
To combat the troubles you're having with spit and bile bomb, consider practicing with them while alien vision is off. Memorize their speed and trajectories. I find them easy to use even with vision turned on because I can predict where to shoot. To get alien vision to show your own projectiles, you'll likely need to make a post in the <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showforum=84" target="_blank">Ideas and Suggestions</a> forum.
Being able to instantly spot Marines and see through darkness isn't in need of a downside. The intention there is to make Marines less confident solo or in small groups and/or in areas they don't control or have power to. It's not a "bonus". It's a requirement for atmosphere. It's obviously to discourage mindless run and gun by Marines and to facilitate the omniscient, stalking/ambushing play from the Aliens. Whether or not you can see more features of the terrain doesn't affect that ability anyway, so how is it even a downside? I'm speaking about its detriment for beginners <b><i>learning the maps</i></b>.
there's something to be said for <i>improvement</i> - just because something works currently, does not mean that it can't be improved upon. for example, in Dota 2 they recently just added a function so that you could click an item and it would announce to your team that you wanted to use it (imagine if gorges could say "gather for a heal here"). this is just an example of polish that's added to a game that makes it just cleaner and overall more fun to play, instead of these half-quality "features" that are mostly lacking.
I don't even see how it's a downside. The only problem I have with alien vision is that it voids the environment's features which increases the difficulty of learning a map for beginners playing alien. This guy came out of nowhere and said that alien vision needed a downside for its power. I'd argue it doesn't. It's not overpowered. It's fine. It gives Aliens their unique advantage that contributes to the game's atmosphere. But, how would it even be a downside if it were? A non-beginner knows the maps, so making the map featureless does nothing to them. The downside to alien vision exists outside the game. Bad argument is bad.
Otherwise I totally agree with you.
Again, did you read?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I don't know why I bothered responding since you're just going to be a ###### ###### about it. How the ###### do you think I typed up the reply?
Alien vision doesn't disorient me at all, what-so-ever -- so it's not the game, it's personal preference, and yours is that you don't like it because you can't learn with it as easily, so you come here to whine about it.
Welcome to NS.
Maybe, if I was so inclined, I would have attempted to learn the maps in a non combat situation, and thus made it a lot easier on myself. I am not so inclined though, so I definitely agree with OP!
Maybe, if I was so inclined, I would have attempted to learn the maps in a non combat situation, and thus made it a lot easier on myself. I am not so inclined though, so I definitely agree with OP!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
We welcome our newest member to the terrible analogies club.
lol what planet are you on? That's exactly how it is now. I have way too many hours in this game I'm comfortable saying and I've probably used alien vision on only 10-15 occasions, when the lights went out. I've never had to <i>try</i> to find marines, they give themselves away every single time. Why do you feel it's mandatory to use it??
In black rooms marines only have cone vision, but with alien vision you can see everything. Plus it scares the ###### out of them, so that's two bonuses.
I don't see why everyone wants every little thing changed-- Personally I think the game is fine the way it is, I love every aspect of it. But hey that's just me.
Friendly fire would be interesting though..
I will note that I think the best <i>partial</i> solution to this is a reliance on geometry rather than textures/lighting. Take note of all the ways particular rooms look different (hanging wires, a big meshed cage around an enormous hallway in a cave, etc). There's a lot of that in many maps, though I know that doesn't fully solve the issue.
This... I never turn it off, its so much of an advantage :O...
Now you can see grenades in it as well there is no reason to turn it off.
Only thing missing is being able to see umbra whilst inside alien vision.