hummingbats with scythes
Wurmspawn
Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 19Members
Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 19Members
<div class="IPBDescription">air support/suppresion bots</div><i>the first time we encountered them was deep within a flooded enviro control sector. it was marsh-like in there, trees of infestation with hanging moss vines, the air moist and rancid.
we noticed a bloated gorge carcass in the water, which was odd, cause infestation usually reclaims it faster than that stage of decay. before we could get close enough to examine it, they had buzzed in from all directions.
it sounded like a giant pack of killer bees, or rabid hummingbirds. we saw flashes of something darting through the air but didn't get a good look until the first one swooped in for the attack. a tiny, bat-like thing, mostly claws, bones and membranes embedded it's two hind legs in Aruja's chest, snapped at his face and then exploded as our rounds slammed into them. we were down to four, but they were down one too.
they were quick enough to fall with leading gunfire, but they served to distract us till the skulks heard the racket.
when the hive was cleaned the gorge's body remained, still alive but exhausted. the medical scans and the samples we took of it suggested that it had mutated the transmorgification process to produce twisted copies of itself.
this was the first, not soon after we began to see individuals who could hatch these things as easy as off a toad's back. The things were like a cross between a micronised lerk and skulk, mostly teeth and nasty. pesky little things and they've cost us many lives to their distractions.</i>
-small, bot-controlled helpers that can be produced to harass your enemy.
-they fly around quickly and semi-erratically doing melee attacks, no collision with friendlies
-they can be set to follow and will attack anyone you do.
-they can be set to patrol a marked area, structure or model and will attack within range.
-there could be different numbers supported
Is this workable or useful?
we noticed a bloated gorge carcass in the water, which was odd, cause infestation usually reclaims it faster than that stage of decay. before we could get close enough to examine it, they had buzzed in from all directions.
it sounded like a giant pack of killer bees, or rabid hummingbirds. we saw flashes of something darting through the air but didn't get a good look until the first one swooped in for the attack. a tiny, bat-like thing, mostly claws, bones and membranes embedded it's two hind legs in Aruja's chest, snapped at his face and then exploded as our rounds slammed into them. we were down to four, but they were down one too.
they were quick enough to fall with leading gunfire, but they served to distract us till the skulks heard the racket.
when the hive was cleaned the gorge's body remained, still alive but exhausted. the medical scans and the samples we took of it suggested that it had mutated the transmorgification process to produce twisted copies of itself.
this was the first, not soon after we began to see individuals who could hatch these things as easy as off a toad's back. The things were like a cross between a micronised lerk and skulk, mostly teeth and nasty. pesky little things and they've cost us many lives to their distractions.</i>
-small, bot-controlled helpers that can be produced to harass your enemy.
-they fly around quickly and semi-erratically doing melee attacks, no collision with friendlies
-they can be set to follow and will attack anyone you do.
-they can be set to patrol a marked area, structure or model and will attack within range.
-there could be different numbers supported
Is this workable or useful?
Comments
sounds like a new and improved babbler...
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omg i totally forgot about babblers ! they were so awesome <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" /> except for the whole server crashing thing when you had 8 gorges producing a total of 32 babblers <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
I cant imagine a half-life AI trying to fly around not getting stuck in walls and whatnot.
Explain more, is it a new gorge attack? Something you build? Are they killable or limited to time? Do they stack? Can all classes get em?
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originally i was just thinking about them as a <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/pudgy.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::gorge::" border="0" alt="pudgy.gif" /> weapon since they're my fav, but i don't see why all classes couldn't get them. or perhaps purchase them from a special structure, hive, etc. how do you see them fitting in and complementing the current arsenal svenpå?
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those bugs in HL2 had a decent AI, as far as swarm tactics go. they had limited flight capabilities too, but it was more of a controlled fall. it would need a balance, but sounds like it could be cool.
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what about those circular saw patrol bot things in the single player? they didn't get stuck in things as much as bounce off of them. perhaps the code could be adapted from them. were they path-guided or free-flying?
those bugs in HL2 had a decent AI, as far as swarm tactics go. they had limited flight capabilities too, but it was more of a controlled fall. it would need a balance, but sounds like it could be cool.
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What bugs? Do you mean as Wurmspawn said the manhacks?
Well, sure you could implent their code (I guess) but NS weapons is alot more accurate then HL2 and has much greater RoF on the guns, the hummingbats would be far to easely killed and avoided. Though they would fill their purpose off annoing the marines and keeping them occupied for a while.
It's actually a good idea, kharaa somewhat depend on sound and if the hummingbats screech, bounce and damage marines they could succesfully blur out the sound of a incoming Kharaa. Yes do give the gorge this ability. Perhaps you can spawn maximum of 3 hummingbats (per gorge) with 100 hp each and each spawn takes 70% of the adrenaline (they stack up until used, not launched induvidually).
The HBs dont start screaming and recking hell until they attack but should do a distinct "humming" while idle around the gorge. Perhaps even the ability to have them guard a certain point? IE attacking only when marines come in range or if they start shooting at them from distance.
Dunno where to place it tho, many arnt too keen to replace any current ability and a 2nd slot is annoing. Buying is to expensive. Hm help me out here :/
Edit: A new structure which spawns new bugs at a slow rate (20secs for a new, replace all 3 each minute) then anyone can take the idle bugs above the structure by pressing E (all or one at a time, click structure for all or directly at em for one) then when you want to displace them you look where you want them and press E again and they will go and stay there. If you dont press E again they simply follow you around as good as they can, if you get out of sight (vents, blinking away etc) they will stay idle at your last known location.
Hitting the HBs with friendly fire will not damage them BUT will cause them to go into combat mode, causeing noise but without attack you. This will be great if you place the bugs near a marine outpost or chokepoint (vent, under floor, otherside of the wall) as they will still annoy the marines hearing but wont be killed by them easely. Each round of screaming when struck at will be 20 seconds, then you have to repeat.
EDIT EDIT: Did I hi-jack the thread?
Maybe there aren't new breeds, it makes easier to find out what's going to be these HB for.
-it could secure an area, i mean, it's uanble to fight, but it alerts when rines are incoming. It's too big advantage, but if it drains energy from the groge,(or just makes the energy regenerates slower, the effect is the same) that bounded the HBs.
- its a good idea, but it's pretty useless when you have a lerk, or fade, that can patrol as well so its a good thing, but only at the first few minutes.
- if it has an alternate fire, that bounds agressive HBs, these should attack the rines, liek babblers.
- The most interesting thing is, to give an ability to the gorges, like the commander map, where it can navigate the HBs. it could make the gorge a more difficult breed, and 'cuz of this ppl, may invent absolutely new tactics.
- but it's a powerful thing if there are 3 "commander"gorges, rines, wont be able to sneak. so it has to be controlled, like only one gorge can use this map, or it costs res, lots of res. but all in all, it has to be balanced, well and that is the msot difficult thing to do.
this game needs to be more rts and less fps
and while the devs are at it, take out marine bhop and alien bhop
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A new structure which spawns new bugs at a slow rate (20secs for a new, replace all 3 each minute) then anyone can take the idle bugs above the structure by pressing E (all or one at a time, click structure for all or directly at em for one) then when you want to displace them you look where you want them and press E again and they will go and stay there. If you dont press E again they simply follow you around as good as they can, if you get out of sight (vents, blinking away etc) they will stay idle at your last known location.
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what if these structures appear naturally in areas where dynamic infestation is thick enough? they could generate a few hit points per second and spawn new ones when the health was reached; giving initial rush tactics and storing points as the areas are secured. i don't think they should be very powerful, but it depends on when they arrive in the game.
i imagine the kharaa would lob a spit of pheremone when assigning their swarm to a location. the pheremone splat which marks the center of the patrol could be visible to only kharaa. which classes can control these creatures might vary. maybe just gorge and onii? heh, they could even become frenzied by onos' charge pheremone!
another random thought: if having there are resource issues with the amount of HBs in the map, maybe they could go idle after a little while of no interactions, 'hide in the infestation', and then respawn when the radius is within detection distance of marines.
additional questions:
-how does this change the strategy of the game?
-does it fulfil a purpose?
I think the babblers were removed because they had chronic migraines from sticking their heads in the walls. ~; ) but i see the point that they could be making it unfair for early marines. mind you, perhaps it would prompt them to stick together a little more?
2 thumbs up
this game needs to be more rts and less fps
and while the devs are at it, take out marine bhop and alien bhop
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<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wow.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":0" border="0" alt="wow.gif" /> you've probably insulted everyone thats ever played ns by those 2 statements.....
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wow.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":0" border="0" alt="wow.gif" /> you've probably insulted everyone thats ever played ns by those 2 statements.....
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yeeeah.....
Maybe these bugs won't damage marines as such but rather alert the alien team by attaching themselves, spraying pheromones on marines or other such. Something annoying that isn't gamebreaking but still reinforces the need to remove infestation.
well, it's a good idea, maybe the AI is going to work better on source than on hl1.As well as, i know, the AI in source is navigated by nodes of different kinds(air, gorund, climb), depending on what npc uses it, like a helicopter, or just a combine, or that rotting thingy in ravenholm. But remember, only one third is going to be the same in NS2.
Maybe there aren't new breeds, it makes easier to find out what's going to be these HB for.
-it could secure an area, i mean, it's uanble to fight, but it alerts when rines are incoming. It's too big advantage, but if it drains energy from the groge,(or just makes the energy regenerates slower, the effect is the same) that bounded the HBs.
- its a good idea, but it's pretty useless when you have a lerk, or fade, that can patrol as well so its a good thing, but only at the first few minutes.
- if it has an alternate fire, that bounds agressive HBs, these should attack the rines, liek babblers.
- The most interesting thing is, to give an ability to the gorges, like the commander map, where it can navigate the HBs. it could make the gorge a more difficult breed, and 'cuz of this ppl, may invent absolutely new tactics.
- but it's a powerful thing if there are 3 "commander"gorges, rines, wont be able to sneak. so it has to be controlled, like only one gorge can use this map, or it costs res, lots of res. but all in all, it has to be balanced, well and that is the msot difficult thing to do.
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I had "use" as alternative mode since there isnt a alt fire in current NS and I doubt they will in NS2. If they did implent alt fire every weapon would need one and thats alot of work.
The idea is not to have the HBs to patrol or alert, they're meant to distract and irritate.
The commander map thingy for gorges seems way to complicated.
I still think it's better to bind the HBs to a structure or infestation instead of the gorge.
"Some really good stuff here. I like the idea of thick infestation spawning small "bugs". Kinda like the roaches in hl1, only flying.
Maybe these bugs won't damage marines as such but rather alert the alien team by attaching themselves, spraying pheromones on marines or other such. Something annoying that isn't gamebreaking but still reinforces the need to remove infestation."
They should do damage (little) to make the marines avoid them, else they would simply be ignored as shooting the bugs would alert the team anyway.
They should have the AI (if possible) of the manhacks in HL2, bouncing of walls and flying randomly around but never actually getting stuck or lost.
"2 thumbs up
this game needs to be more rts and less fps
and while the devs are at it, take out marine bhop and alien bhop"
No, and how does this make things more RTS-ish?
"what if these structures appear naturally in areas where dynamic infestation is thick enough? they could generate a few hit points per second and spawn new ones when the health was reached; giving initial rush tactics and storing points as the areas are secured. i don't think they should be very powerful, but it depends on when they arrive in the game.
i imagine the kharaa would lob a spit of pheremone when assigning their swarm to a location. the pheremone splat which marks the center of the patrol could be visible to only kharaa. which classes can control these creatures might vary. maybe just gorge and onii? heh, they could even become frenzied by onos' charge pheremone!
another random thought: if having there are resource issues with the amount of HBs in the map, maybe they could go idle after a little while of no interactions, 'hide in the infestation', and then respawn when the radius is within detection distance of marines.
additional questions:
-how does this change the strategy of the game?
-does it fulfil a purpose?
I think the babblers were removed because they had chronic migraines from sticking their heads in the walls. ~; ) but i see the point that they could be making it unfair for early marines. mind you, perhaps it would prompt them to stick together a little more?"
We dont know how the infestation works in NS2, maybe you cant combat it. Anyhow, all the hives areas would have heavy infestation and thus alot of places to spawn HBs. A limit could fix this but then they HBs would be pretty useless, when marines have entered the hive they dont really need to rely on hearing and could easely ignore them.
While phermone might be realistic idea to organise the HBs you still need to implent this so the aliens can use it and that takes a weapon slot.
I do like the idea of a frenzy (chargeing) onos to trigger the HBs into combat mode also add increased chaos (HBs fly faster for a short while, but not better).
Makeing them hide in infestation seems hard.
additional questions:
-how does this change the strategy of the game? - Currently there is nothing that impales the marines hearing (except silence but thats induvidually) the HBs could do that and introduce a new element into the game.
-does it fulfil a purpose? - If HBs are active in combat mode so to say they can hide the sound of a approching onos (big clunky steps) makeing the onos get alot closer before the marines can take action against him. Applies to all aliens.