Some Concerns I've Noticed In Playing
Arcanux
Join Date: 2004-07-31 Member: 30270Members
Join Date: 2004-07-31 Member: 30270Members
I am rather new to NS but after playing it for only a short while, some initial concerns came to mind. First is the layout. I like the idea of NS, but putting the main bojectives and the spawn area together is not the best idea. One of the largest complaints i've noticed for a FPS is "Spawn Camping". This layout practically promotes one of the most annoying problems in a FPS. Second is respawn time. If the lower level aliens are to at times adequately compete against Marines then the spawn time for them should be decreased. That one is just a suggestion, not necessarily a concern. Finally i've noticed that at times its very hard to compete against the rapid firing Marines with the lesser alien forms, making some of them almost useless. Sorry if this offends anyone, as it did when pointing these out during gameplay. Some people seem to have lost the idea that these games are for fun and not to be taken 100% serious. Anyhow, that just my two cents.
One final thing i forgot. In the lowest alien form, when you bite you lose site of your target....i found this to be very irritating and not truly necessary.
One final thing i forgot. In the lowest alien form, when you bite you lose site of your target....i found this to be very irritating and not truly necessary.
Comments
I'm glad you already recognized that one or more of the things you mentioned is a "suggestion" more than a "concern." For this reason, you may want to check the FAQ in our <a href='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?showforum=5' target='_blank'>Ideas and Suggestions forum</a>, which lists many guidelines of how to present such suggestions. Once you've read that and done a search or few to see if your concepts have been mentioned before, you may want to post in there with your own contributions.
As for the spawn area being so near objectives: this is regularly something debated internally during playtests, particularly for our CO_ gameplay mode, where there is no alternative hive locations or choice of where Infantry Portals can be placed. We do what we can to keep players playing rather than staying frustrated, which is why we've had fairly regular changes between 3.0 betas 1-4.
Several of the things you've noticed about aliens, particularly the basic lifeform (the skulk), are things that you learn to handle through a combination of practice, teamwork, and perhaps a little luck. Yes, it's true that while biting your view is obscured for a time, and you're not the first to notice. Running a search will return numerous threads from other people with the same concerns, and for this reason the 1st-person bite animation was sped up to take an even smaller fraction of a second. Killing marines as a skulk can be difficult, but if you find yourself getting mowed down by machinegun fire constantly, simply outsmart them: use vents to your advantage, avoid long hallways and instead ambush marines where they don't have their range advantage, or go in packs with your buddy skulks. Our <a href='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?showforum=21' target='_blank'>Kharaa strategy</a> forums probably have even more ideas for you to try out.
A hint: Bite once, and then line up your next shot quickly, then bite again. THAT is the PROPER way to eat a marine's ankle. If you bite and hold it down, you blind yourself into not seeing the target.
Be assured that the marine will get a immediate crack-rabit response, though.
<span style='color:orange'>edited for same reason as above quote</span>
i mean, i managed to get used to them (i hardly notice them anymore), so why would you not be able to do the same?
its just a matter or practice and i think the teeth provide a big part of athmosphere and a challenging aspect of the game you have to master
id say the teeth have to stay as they are
Whenever i'm near a marine i can practicly hold mouse2 down (My +attack button) And navigate fine.
i mean, i managed to get used to them (i hardly notice them anymore), so why would you not be able to do the same?
its just a matter or practice and i think the teeth provide a big part of athmosphere and a challenging aspect of the game you have to master
id say the teeth have to stay as they are <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
i dont know why people complain about carrying a ton of bricks on their backs
i mean, i managed to get used to them (i hardly notice them anymore0, so why would you not be able to do the same?
its just a matter of practice and i think the bricks provide a big part of athmosphere and a challenging aspect of life you have to master
id say the bricks have to stay as they are
But then again, why carry them in the first place? Teeth can easily remain in the game as they are, except they could be made transparent enough so that you can see through them when you bite. Right now, however, teeth serve as an annoying, frustrating, and quite ridiculous obstacle for new players to overcome.
As for my bricks analogy - in life, there may be many things that you may think you have to bear. However, do you ever stop and ask why they are there in the first place?
i mean, i managed to get used to them (i hardly notice them anymore), so why would you not be able to do the same?
its just a matter or practice and i think the teeth provide a big part of athmosphere and a challenging aspect of the game you have to master
id say the teeth have to stay as they are <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
i dont know why people complain about carrying a ton of bricks on their backs
i mean, i managed to get used to them (i hardly notice them anymore0, so why would you not be able to do the same?
its just a matter of practice and i think the bricks provide a big part of athmosphere and a challenging aspect of life you have to master
id say the bricks have to stay as they are
But then again, why carry them in the first place? Teeth can easily remain in the game as they are, except they could be made transparent enough so that you can see through them when you bite. Right now, however, teeth serve as an annoying, frustrating, and quite ridiculous obstacle for new players to overcome.
As for my bricks analogy - in life, there may be many things that you may think you have to bear. However, do you ever stop and ask why they are there in the first place? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I don't know why, but every once in a while the animations for all my attacks just cut out in-game. That means if I'm a marine there's no sound and no muzzleflash, and if I'm an alien the bite animation doesn't play. And you know what? The skulk is too frickin accurate with no bite animation. It's not like the developers don't know that the animation is annoying or distracting; it's there for balance. If you could run around spamming bite without hindrance, then there'd be no reason to learn to time your bites.
Finding the right balance between being new player-friendly and having a good learning curve so the best players can show their skill is difficult, and often frustrating for the new players. Then again, once you get used to it you don't want it removed, because that will level the playing field with people you had originally been better than.
A killing machine that goes blind in the middle of battle for a split second at a time doesn't seem likely to survive in combat, does it? No, it does not if the marine has half a brain.
I said i CAN, not that i do <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I'm all for making the view transparent, so you can still see what's going on and still have the bite view.
Same thing with the lork. I've never been fragged by a marine because of my teeth in the way.
(Off topic: Usher's song is no longer the #1 song in America!!! I <3 the radio)