How busy is the commander?

HerrSpitzvogel

<div class="IPBDescription">Creating hackables only operable by cmdr</div>I'm laying out some of the basics for a pretty atypical map, and I was wondering, how busy is the commander? Would it be pointless to include very many commander-only hackable mechanisms, such as a bay door, fire extinguisher system, switchable power in various sections, etc?

What I'm basically asking is, is the commander, during the course of normal play, going to be too busy to operate these systems to inconvenience the aliens?

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Now onto a specific. I'm thinking of having power-operated doors (doors that close when a breaker box is switched off, and are automatically open when the box is on) that the commander could disable by hitting a switch, blocking off one of the avenues of advancement for the aliens  (or even destroying a structure if it's in the way) and then requiring a level 1 to crawl up a shaft to the power room there and hit the switch to reactivate power, and/or destroy the switch so it can't be operated by the commander.

Gwahir

er, confusion, why would the commander operate items to assist the aliens?  I think you mean marines.  But you rarely include commander only actions, you want the marines to be able to move around the map without a commander in case he was killed and they need to run back and repair the cc.

edit: reread it and I think I understand, you want him to operate things TO inconvenience the aliens... eh, just be careful of routing.

Jammer

I'm not sure if this is possible. Check the NSTR2 Faq. It says somewhere in there that you can either make things operable by marines, but not the commanders. It could be the other way around though, but I'm pretty sure that you can't have commander only buttons.

coil

It's fairly simple to do... just make the door triggerable by an entity (button, whatever) that the marines can't access.  The commander can "hack" the door directly by clicking on it; he doesn't have to worry about the button.

Note - this would prevent aliens from using it.  However, perhaps you could put an alien vent past the door, or some door control in the vent itself - wires that can be ripped apart (func_breakable), opening the door, or just a standard button - something like that.  Fun.

Bronto

Ummm, I don't map for NS but I do for HL. Just make it so the marine can't get to it. (Such as out of reach or not even visible to him, like in a separate box of brushes for the commander to activate)

(Edit)
Opps someone answered it...

Sgt_X

This is not his concern, he's worried that the commander might be too busy to bother witht these and thus they'd be rarely used.

coil

I think if it's there, and it's effective, it will be used.  "Effective" is the key, and a careful balance needs to be found.  If it's very effective at denying aliens access to part of the map, the commander will use it frequently, which may end up being unbalancing or unduly frustrating to aliens.  However, if it's easy circumvented (alternate route, another means of opening the blockade, etc), then it won't be useful enough to bother with.

Point #1: I would suggest requiring a marine to weld something before the commander has access to this measure.  It gives the aliens a bit of a chance.

Point #2: I would actually advocate this within a hive.  Generally, welds exist in maps to open an additional route to a hive; in this case, however, the weld would be to partially seal the hive after marines have occupied it, making it more defensible.

Point #3: You might consider placing a function somewhere by which aliens could at least temporarily disable this mechanism.  In my previous example, perhaps some control or breakable within the fortified hive that would open the sealed passage.

HerrSpitzvogel

Thanks for the response coil, I'll take that stuff into account.

There's really not enough specific information pre-release to answer certain balance and flow questions, and it's great that the playtesters and developers are able to take the time to answer so much.

Thanks.

Dragonfly

in answer to 'how busy is the commander'
i think hes pretty damn busy.
i dont think making stuff he can use against the aliens but the marines cant use is a good idea.

HanzGruber

I think the balance that coil is talking about is really important. I also think that the dev team want the commander to have a fair bit of power. From other posts and discussions, it's pretty obvious that the commander role should play a big part in the marines success (or failure) - his ability to control the environment will play a big part in this. Last thing people should do is make the commander feel like his role is just an ammunition dispenser...

Battousaix

The commander is busy, but if this mechanism can give them some kind of advantage, he will surelly use it.....

Troy_Rage

I was a commander once, I guess it would be like starcraft but youd always have to work and if you went AFK your porbly die