Medpack drop range limit
RejZoR
Slovenia Join Date: 2013-09-24 Member: 188450Members, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow
Slovenia Join Date: 2013-09-24 Member: 188450Members, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow
I've noticed (some time ago) that marines are using a trick with medpack drops to "spy" on where the hive is positioned right after the game starts by dropping medpacks on tech points.
I think i just think of an easy solution to avoid this. Limit the medpack dropping only to a certain range from marines and buildings. This way you can't just drop medpacks all over the map wherever you want but only nearby your structures and players. Meaning all players would still be able to get healed, you'll still be able to drop medpacks on a phasegate to prepare marines for healing when phased, basically it won't change anything to the way how players get healed, but you won't be able to exploit it for hive search.
It could either be range specified relative to the marines and structures or simply a per room option. If there is at least 1 marine or at least one marine structure in the room, you are able to drop medpacks in that room. If there aren't any of either, you can't at all. I know game already checks rooms for turret placement so you can't have 2 turret sets in one room, they could apply the same for medpacks.
This way marines get all the healing they deserve with medpacks, but can't exploit or abuse that to take advantage over aliens on game start. I know there was a change for spawn positions not long ago so spawns are now a bit more predictable but still.
I think i just think of an easy solution to avoid this. Limit the medpack dropping only to a certain range from marines and buildings. This way you can't just drop medpacks all over the map wherever you want but only nearby your structures and players. Meaning all players would still be able to get healed, you'll still be able to drop medpacks on a phasegate to prepare marines for healing when phased, basically it won't change anything to the way how players get healed, but you won't be able to exploit it for hive search.
It could either be range specified relative to the marines and structures or simply a per room option. If there is at least 1 marine or at least one marine structure in the room, you are able to drop medpacks in that room. If there aren't any of either, you can't at all. I know game already checks rooms for turret placement so you can't have 2 turret sets in one room, they could apply the same for medpacks.
This way marines get all the healing they deserve with medpacks, but can't exploit or abuse that to take advantage over aliens on game start. I know there was a change for spawn positions not long ago so spawns are now a bit more predictable but still.
Comments
Aside from that (Which might be the case, but I doubt it), I can think of a few tiny situations that may be slightly annoying for a commander:
If done on a by-room basis, medding a Phase gate to stop marines dying instantly becomes irritable if said gate is placed at the end of a room.
If done on proximity, which could be really really buggy, jetpackers could be even harder to med. Maybe.
My main point is I don't really see it as that much of an issue. If a com spends 1 res on finding out a hive location, might they deserve it?
Lastly: NEVER! My marines want upgrades? They can win their own battles! :P
EDIT: Let it be known that if people think this is an issue that doesn't take much effort to fix I have no problems. Also, any commander change is good because it may eventually lead to a U.I I can use. Why can't we queue Macs and Arcs yet???
It feels hack-ish. Tt feels like an exploit because it is. You're exploiting the fact that medpacks collide with alien structures.
Additionally you're only going to be aware of this technique if someone's told you- otherwise you'd assume the only way to tell where an alien hive is with 100% certainty without marine LOS is to use scan- the ability specifically designed for such a thing.
However there's a much easier fix than the one you suggested, and that's to make it so medpacks dont collide with alien hives or harvesters. Simple. I'd support that change.
Unless they make it a timed feature, don't collide medpacks with alien structures for first 1 or 2 minutes of the game. After that time marines would probably figure out where aliens are anyway. Should solve the issue reasonably easily and effectively.
I think @mendasp made it so medpacks and ammo ignore the y-axis. Meaning, if a medpack is stuck on the ceiling and marine walks under it, he still picks it up and similarly if a jetpacker flies over a medpack, he picks it up.
Anyway, I'm completely apathetic to this as well. I don't think it's an issue at all.
EG You can't see the medpack/ammopack collide with anything you don't see, but it will collide.
you'll see it fall through, alien commander (and aliens) will see it fall ontop of the hive. Making the exploit effectively a "thanks for the heals, com" situation, where marine team gains nothing, and alien team gains a giggle or two.
Edit: It would require some new logic though, i think.
Hmmm, because of the medpack drop
I posit that by the time most players have reached a level where misdirecting the rines as towhat hive they started at is something they could do, most know that marines can med a hive anyway and thusly dont bother.
Secondly there are plenty of games where skulks are smart enough to keep quiet and not go bounding in right at the start, so I'd say it's more just 'uncommon' for you to not know where it is based on things other than the medpack exploit.
No, because that's an explicitly programmed feature, and one you'd notice after just a couple of games. See previous post detailing why i'd consider it an exploit.
I suppose all of this is moot anyway given that alien spawns are as good as fixed now anyway. Pfft