Dynamic Infestation & Corpses

Ahnteis · December 2006

I'd really love to see some of the new dynamic infestation effect on corpses.

Marine dies, ragdolls, and then disappears into a mound of infestation that rapidly devours the marine and then evaporates or otherwise disappears. (Also gives a visual for RFK.)

You could do an alien death version too -- perhaps a gray swarm of nanites that cloud around the body and then disperse leaving nothing behind.

Neither of these needs to be bloody or graphic to create a wonderful and immersive effect -- so that shouldn't be a worry.

DumbMarine · December 2006

<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />

Same with marine weapons that idle on the floor for too long IMO

Cxwf · December 2006

On that same line of thought:

You could get a higher RFK when an alien kills a marine over the creep, or when a marine kills an alien on clear ground, and less RFK when aliens die on creep or marines die on clear ground.

Dropped items could idle longer on clear ground, and disappear faster in the creep.

Etcetera. Dynamic Infestation is such an awesome idea. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />

BOZO · December 2006

So the DI "creeps" over the dead player? That would look pretty sick and give an explanation for RFK..at least for the alien team.

404NotFound · December 2006

While this idea might conflict a little with the idea of no excessive blood or gore, i actually like it.

For maximum creepiness, have the marine freeze in place as soon as he dies, then slowly enveloped by the DI.

For actual gameplay, i'd say have him fall to the ground and be pulled into the already established DI.

Ahnteis · December 2006

No blood or gore.

*Marine is killed
*model ragdolls, falls to floor
*creep quickly envelops marine (can't see body, just lump of creep)
*for fun, make the creep pulse a few times
*creep sinks into floor or evaporates or whatever effect you want. body gone.

Same for alien deaths. Use a dark cloud of gray nanites instead.

I like the idea of dropped marine items being eaten too -- maybe by nanites? (Auto recycle if they aren't picked up? Would help solve another gripe...)

Hyperion · December 2006

Dead/unused things being eaten by nanites would be cool, maybe you could even get some minimal rez back from it <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />

TheOriginal10Round · December 2006

If nanites were to consume un-used or discarded items, i'm guessing they would have eaten the ships long before the rescue.................and then maybe become an entity on their own and soon were eating passing ships..........then planets................omg...............STOP THEM NOW!!!!!!!!!!

Cheese · December 2006

well i dont't think this idea includes much more gore than we already have if an onos digests a player.

*thumbs up*

scaryface · December 2006

I like this idea too. I kinda posted something like this in response to the blog entry.
I would like to see old corpses (marine and alien) being disposed of creatively instead of just vanishing like they do now. Remember the way things died in doom 3? s
It would be awesome for aliens to get rfk by DI growing over bodies. Also, Flayra was hinting at something like a gorge "painting" infestation. Maybe a gorge spraying a marine corpse could be how aliens get rfk out of range of self-growing creep. It would also be nice to see aliens dissolve (by nanite) with some pretty particle effect.

This would give a explanation for RFK that fits the NS world.

korzec · December 2006

ok, so creep can handle corpses and items that falls onto it, but what about uninfested areas, corpses there vanish like in ns1 ? maybe make it consistent and organize some cleaning method so everything looks smoothly. the first idea i got in this context is to have small maintenance robots patroling the halls and drag all unnecessery stuff to some trashing system ( trashing body hm... ) i know its an radical idea but still it's purpose is to make things consistent. few robots here and there wouldn't hurt so much i think <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />. ( i remember that spy-robots from Minority Report were quite nice <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" />) additionally the maintenance droids could deal with too expansive creep or better: remove the creep that hasn't any strong connection to main "unit" (hive?) e.g. left after killing a chamber. how about that ?

Cheese · December 2006

working machines now and then would be great. But i think that idea should get its own thread <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />

Pheer · December 2006

Excellent idea, I think this would help polish game play nicely. My suggestion is aliens animate as if they were melting into a puddle of the DI which disappears in opposite to how the DI appears in the video. As far as marines dying, I have the concept of teleporting out like doom3's monsters, but blue and not doom3 of course. Same idea for 'spawning' buildings, but the way the d3 monsters enter. Just seems like marines would use teleportation to bring equipment onto the battlefield since they already use it for transportation. Why not go ahead and make it look nice.

Svenpa · December 2006

With nanites I'd say it should instead have the same effect as when u get hit by a energy ball in HL2, the corpse evaporates. I dont feel its in nanites nature to swarm like goo and consume bodies.

Maybe it counts as gore?

Moto42 · December 2006

Why make the corpse disposal team specific? Make it depend upon whether or not your suddenly useless meat lands on an area that is infested.

If you die in an area that is under the influence of the Infestation, you are consumed by it, if you land on clear ground the nanites swarm you.

If you want to take it a step further, you can rule that whoever's microbes tear you apart will get the res.

--------------------
<span style="color:#CCCCCC"><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%">"The corpses turned to rapidly vanishing puddles of gray goo as the com dropped in much needed medpacks. As I watched the gash in my chest knit itself back together I wondered how much of Jones, Mink and Chance was now a part of me. I tried to vomit, but the medical nanites killed the urge instantly.
-Personal Log of Herman "Tow-it" Stands</span></span>

N_3 · December 2006

would make skulks want to ambush on thier own territory alot more in the early game if thats how rfk worked.

Moto42 · December 2006

Is a reason not to skulk-rush EVERY TIME such a bad thing? It's more predictable than my pulse.

Matto · December 2006

Maybe if you 'fed' the DI with a corpse it would grow faster for a short while until the the body is depleted. After that it grows at it's normal rate. Perhaps aliens could grab ragdolls with the use key, and drag them onto the DI. It would be useful if the marine died close to the DI, but not directly on it. Perhaps after 5 or more seconds the nanites kick in, so the marine would have to die relatively close to an infestation.

WorthyRival · December 2006

Gorges could run up to dead bodies and cocoon them where they lay with infestation spray to cap some low res and help speed up the spread infestation, In areas not yet reached by hive infestation.

The commander could quick select dead bodies for nanite recylcing.

First team to cap dead bodies got the small res boost.

Marines could shoot and destroy cocoons/
Aliens could chew on dead bodies to stop nanite recycling.

Moto42 · December 2006

Fighting over the corpses would be hilarious.

President_Shrub · December 2006

How about letting player play with ragdolls as well, so that marines can drag the bodies of dead comrades to safety (for dramatic purposes), or aliens can drag the bodies of dead marines or aliens nearer to the DI so they can watch it devour the bodies faster (also marines will get killed when they see the legs of a comrade disappear behind a corner).

All these ideas in this thread are great for atmospher and immersion (maybe not the nanite thing)

jetalone · December 2006

Hum...i have just watched the video about the dynamic infestation i liked a lot, it looks great, the animation for its growth its incredible, but i think it grows a little too fast. I know, of course is still in progress and development. I think it would be great if when you get into a room full of this infestation the floor could be kind a slippery, like mucus on the floor, and it could have some particles in the air, like some sort of a polluted air. I think i saw something like that in the first half life in the last parts of the game. Anyway, that would even make it hard to see through it, making it more like an environment of the home alien race planet. I thought about something like the marines getting damage like the air was kind a poisonous, and they would have to get an upgrade or a helmet with a gas mask, or something, that would even get little dirt when they cross these areas. Anyway, a liked a lot, it looks beautifil, the growth its really great. Anyway, just adding some ideias, i dont know if anyone said it before, i'm sorry if they did, just wat to improve this game wich i like very much and has great potential such as the first one.

People here are talking about corpses and dcomposing, i loved the idea, it reminds me of Super Metroid or metroid Prime, the corpses lying on the ground and being eated by the bacteria...Great.

frostymoose · December 2006

Team that makes the kill should get the res. end of story. Great idea to get rid of bodies.

Mentar · December 2006

I like it, but i think it should only be a visual thing, not a gameplay thing.

What i mean is: You should always get the rfk for the kill no matter where it was. You getting the res shouldn't be dependent on the kill being on/near creep.

The creep should just take nearby corpses as a visual/immersive thing.

keatonj · December 2006

soo much work over dead bodies... Theres enough stuff going on in the game I'd rather concentrate on other things.

Anything to do with dead bodies should be passive.

Make the alien bacteria left over from whatever killed you eat you from that point out, make aliens decay some weird way.. they are aliens afterall...

waterbuster · December 2006

hmmm.....maybe if a team could reclaim their own dead bodies team mate before the DI/nanobots get him, they could salvage some res?

aeroripper · December 2006

The gameplay itself would have to be significantly slower than it is currently to be able to drag bodies effectively, as that would be a major handicap for marines who are on the move, although I do agree it would add atmosphere, it would heavily depend on how it was implemented. Skulks being able to quickly drag marine corpses into the hive would be interesting. If you had that, let marines have a button for kicking an alien corpse ala duke3d foot, before it disappears.

I could definitely see the infestation creeping over dead marine ragdolls, and some sort of good looking nanite FX for corpses on non-DI. I wouldn't like the doom3 dissolve as I always thought it looked cheesy.

Find a balance where its something noticeable, but nothing your going to sit and stare at after a few times of seeing it. Something about seeing a big battle and a bunch of marines dying and a cloud of nanites eating their bodies instantly seems kind of cheesy, or maybe that's just the way I'm envisioning it. I think if it were a really noticeable and fast effect it would cheapen the death of marines to seeing them as 'throwaway' and take on more of a deathmatch feel to it.

One option or DI corpse removal is have a limit of ragdolls in an area, say 3, and over the course of 30sec have the DI overtake the corpses and bubble a little or something. For non-DI corpse removal, over the course of 30sec you could slowly have nanites creep up and down the corpse slowly until parts of the body are covered with them and those parts would slowly sink into the ground and dissolve until the whole corpse was gone.

An ambient 'nanite dissolving' sound would be a plus, but nothing to intrusive. Imagine walking into a dark room where a few comrades just died and hearing the slight but just audible buzz of their bodies being absorbed by the nanites.

Scratch all that, why not have marine corpses slowly turn into skeletons like in warcraft? lol

Ahnteis · December 2006

I agree with keeping RFK gameplay as-is currently. No need to change that. This is simply a cosmetic effect to explain they WHY of both RFK and disappearing corpses.

HatlabuFarkas · January 2007

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Moto42 @ Dec 11 2006, 05:13 AM) [snapback]1586975[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'>
Fighting over the corpses would be hilarious.
</div>

Thats it. Corpses AND stillfighting in ONE place, 10-20 minutes, and THE palce FILLED with corpses ?!?!?!? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/confused-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="???" border="0" alt="confused-fix.gif" />

Dynamic Infestation & Corpses

Comments