Marine Appearance
Belgarion
Join Date: 2002-07-19 Member: 973Members
Join Date: 2002-07-19 Member: 973Members
Earlier tonight I was play NS, and I wanted to get to a phasegate location. We'd had three pg's, but one was destroyed. So on my second jump, I wound up back at MS. At this point I began to think "how do they know that I just went there and came back? We all look the same."
So my idea is this: make a marine customization option. Allow marines to chose different colors or styles of armor with individual peices for helmet, chest, thighs, shins, maybe feet and under-garment. Being able to put an assortment of decals on armor would help greatly, maybe even custom decals. This would make it MUCH easier to differenciate between marines and give players a chance to customize NS2 and make it more their own. You'd be able to recognize your friend from across the room.
It would could possibly make the com's life easier as well, as you would be able to associate names with appearances, so saying "everyone follow Jim" wouldn't end up being "run around in circles", or "weld Jim, he's wearing black and green".
I don't see why this couldn't apply to aliens as well. Just as two leapards do not have the same configuration of spots, why should to skulks or fades be completely identical? Decals could be scar marks or streaks of color, splotches of discoloration where they've been burned, just about anything really.
I suppose some might say that it will put undue stress on the game and raise requirements, but I doubt it would be too great. And besides, NS2 is upgrading to source for a reason. Source has a lot to offer and we shouldn't be afraid to exploit the resources.
:edit: oops.. I think I put this in the wrong forum. would a mod be so kind as to move this to Ideas and Suggestions please? thanks
So my idea is this: make a marine customization option. Allow marines to chose different colors or styles of armor with individual peices for helmet, chest, thighs, shins, maybe feet and under-garment. Being able to put an assortment of decals on armor would help greatly, maybe even custom decals. This would make it MUCH easier to differenciate between marines and give players a chance to customize NS2 and make it more their own. You'd be able to recognize your friend from across the room.
It would could possibly make the com's life easier as well, as you would be able to associate names with appearances, so saying "everyone follow Jim" wouldn't end up being "run around in circles", or "weld Jim, he's wearing black and green".
I don't see why this couldn't apply to aliens as well. Just as two leapards do not have the same configuration of spots, why should to skulks or fades be completely identical? Decals could be scar marks or streaks of color, splotches of discoloration where they've been burned, just about anything really.
I suppose some might say that it will put undue stress on the game and raise requirements, but I doubt it would be too great. And besides, NS2 is upgrading to source for a reason. Source has a lot to offer and we shouldn't be afraid to exploit the resources.
:edit: oops.. I think I put this in the wrong forum. would a mod be so kind as to move this to Ideas and Suggestions please? thanks
Comments
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I suppose some might say that it will put undue stress on the game and raise requirements, but I doubt it would be too great. And besides, NS2 is upgrading to source for a reason. Source has a lot to offer and we shouldn't be afraid to exploit the resources.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's not the engine that restricts what you're asking, it's the amount of free time the modelers have. We could definately do this in NS1. (Sven-coop offers customizable models, for instance)
It's not the engine that restricts what you're asking, it's the amount of free time the modelers have. We could definately do this in NS1. (Sven-coop offers customizable models, for instance)
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The world war 1 mod for HL1 "the trenches" is a better example, it actually has a rpg like "schoose your face" list where you can combine diffrent hair with diffrent mouchtace for example.
And how could the comm recodnize you better when all he sees is your head from the top-down view? and why cant he just read your nametag to know who you are?
Right on top of my mind is the green armor, it seems to be a army standard to wear a green armor like every armor has its uniqe colours and atributes to distinguish them. So it seems strange if some guy walks in with pink armor, i would personally choose yellow <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> but yeah a army is usually seen with 1 colour
Secondly, the ninja armor meant that most will pick black armor so they would be harder to see. Sad but true...
Thirdly, i would like to see this idea implented too but there on a tight budget and every unneccecary corner will be cut down.
I usually stick to a small set of servers when playing online, so it would be easy to get used to a particular person always using skulk skin number 12 <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
<!--quoteo(post=1587189:date=Dec 11 2006, 10:46 PM:name=exoity)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(exoity @ Dec 11 2006, 10:46 PM) [snapback]1587189[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
I do not really think this is a good idea, you do not see the army or marines going around in different colors. <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You haven't seen Aliens? OK, they weren't really wearing different colors, but there were differences, if I recall correctly. Some were wearing helmets, some not. One female marine had a bandanna etc etc. Also, in Aliens vs Predator 2 I think they at least had different coloured shoulder pads etc etc.
So obviously restrictions would have to be made, but I think, for the marines, the following should be possible and permitted to be changed through menus without it adversely affecting gameplay:
- sex
- face/head (eye color?)
- hair
- facial hair
- possibility of drawing a small decoration or symbol on certain pre-defined places such as arms or chest.
OK, so you might be thinking that all of the modelling work on the head and hair types would go to waste with the marine helmets covering them. Soooooo...
- headgear type
For example, different selectable headgear parts could be:
* original NS style
* a mod of the above helmet, with the actual helmet part missing and therefore just having the visor
* no helmet - however with a little headgear and a translucent screen over the other eye to keep realism in the sense of marines getting the HUD visuals from their headgear
It would be fun to modify your own marine even down to basic body type, but unfortunately that would start affecting gameplay - it would obviously be smartest to pick the smallest model. Of course you could do different size models and then simply use identical hitboxes but that might seem strange, gorge spit making impact where it looks like it shouldn't, or passing through where it looks like it should hit. However, being able to choose your sex and then having fairly same the models about the same height and width, should be pretty good.