Alien start + Commander hearing
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Join Date: 2007-09-04 Member: 62162Members, Constellation
Join Date: 2007-09-04 Member: 62162Members, Constellation
<div class="IPBDescription">Another idea</div>Greets.
I've read through the other Alien start topic about the Gorgonaut, and liking the overall idea, I still find that there is something missing.
IMO, aliens need a starting hive fully built, else this give the marines too big an advantage. Aliens wouldn't/couldn't have any type of chambers available, and would still have to wait for the first hive to be built before they get one. During that time, a commander could have dropped the Armory, and it could be well on the way to being upgraded.
Here's what I'm proposing:
Instead of the giant gorge, there is one hive location that is active already on a possibility of 5, say. Aliens spawn in at game start from any of the hive locations, being active or not. Should there be a skulk rush on MS, marines wouldn't know for sure which hive is active because aliens would be coming in from multiple directions. I love the sound of having more than 3 hive locations though. I think it would greatly add to the game.
Another thing I think would improve gameplay, is that the commander would not hear anything simply by going over an area. Logic implies that there is no 2way intercom systems that are active all the time. The suggestion I have to make to this would be to allow a commander to hear what is going on in a specific area, but only if a marine is at this location. Marines carry microphones. So if a commander is trying to pick up hive sound or skulks running around, well, too bad. If no marines are around this area, he can't hear any of it. Scans come in handy at this point.
It might not be all that clear, but I'm at work, and slightly in a rush...
I've read through the other Alien start topic about the Gorgonaut, and liking the overall idea, I still find that there is something missing.
IMO, aliens need a starting hive fully built, else this give the marines too big an advantage. Aliens wouldn't/couldn't have any type of chambers available, and would still have to wait for the first hive to be built before they get one. During that time, a commander could have dropped the Armory, and it could be well on the way to being upgraded.
Here's what I'm proposing:
Instead of the giant gorge, there is one hive location that is active already on a possibility of 5, say. Aliens spawn in at game start from any of the hive locations, being active or not. Should there be a skulk rush on MS, marines wouldn't know for sure which hive is active because aliens would be coming in from multiple directions. I love the sound of having more than 3 hive locations though. I think it would greatly add to the game.
Another thing I think would improve gameplay, is that the commander would not hear anything simply by going over an area. Logic implies that there is no 2way intercom systems that are active all the time. The suggestion I have to make to this would be to allow a commander to hear what is going on in a specific area, but only if a marine is at this location. Marines carry microphones. So if a commander is trying to pick up hive sound or skulks running around, well, too bad. If no marines are around this area, he can't hear any of it. Scans come in handy at this point.
It might not be all that clear, but I'm at work, and slightly in a rush...
Comments
Was cross referencing the other alien start thread's suggestion. Replying to the other thread probably woulda been better.
Was cross referencing the other alien start thread's suggestion. Replying to the other thread probably woulda been better.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
agreed.
but he does bring up another interesting point about marine michrophones and the commander's sound. the comm should only really be able to hear sounds if they are within a certain radius of a marine.
but he does bring up another interesting point about marine michrophones and the commander's sound. the comm should only really be able to hear sounds if they are within a certain radius of a marine.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Agreed. I like the idea of marine searching for the hive rather than immediately knowing where the hive is. It's more atmospheric if I take a path outside Marine Start unsure of what's ahead rather than saying "oh, hive is there, I'm going the other way". This, combined with each alien starting at a random hive would add a nice fun factor to the opening minutes of the game. (Mind you I don't know how that idea would work, unless aliens started with all the hives, just in some form of an infant stage).
And I like the reverse for the Kharaa as well. The Marines need at the very least 2 (even more would be ideal) different starting points to "breach" the map to fight the Kharaa infection war machine.
I just bring it up because the reason we all want to have more hive spots than total numbers we can place of the hives and want The Commander to not immediately know the starting position, holds just as true for the Marines: It stagnates the game-play to a surreal limited number of strategic (and atmospheric) choices.
I also like the idea of a Commander needing the Marine's hearing radius to detect sounds, especially in a place where the Dynamic Infestation potentially shuts down the grid in rooms, turning off lights, work stations (and their viewing monitors) and who knows what else.
I think the spookiest thing the Kharaa could have is if anywhere there is Dynamic Infestation (DI), the mini map gets a bad case of "Fog Of War" and no longer sees the blueprints for that area - nothing more spooky than the unknown! I also would like the DI to accomplish other signature "moves" that demonstrate territory superiority but on the flip side, I also want Marine territory to be evident and advantageous for that side too.
I disagree with the marines also having a dynamic start location. Two main reasons. First, everything we give to one, we shouldn't give to the other. NS rocks because the two sides are VERY different. The marines ALREADY have the ability to relocate to any place on the map at any time, they don't need their start location to be dynamic also (though I think beacon should center on the obs that did it, if that's possible). Two is more of a realism concern, the marines would know the best/only place to breach the ship before going in and would always choose that location, not randomly pick somewhere out of a hat. They could potentially have more then one place to breach of equal strategic value, but having more then 1-2 places would start to stretch realism, so I would rather they just stick with the one, and if you want to surprise the aliens with a different base location, relocate.
NEVER!! this be mutiny
No offence N_3, but there is no skill in figuring out what the starting hive is... True you don't hear the hive itself in the first minute or so of the game, but you do hear skulks running out of it and/or around it. Plus, all a comm needs to do to be 100% sure of the starting hive is drop RTs in the locations. There's only 2 skills IMO that make a commander good or bad... the ability to make his troops work as a unit, and being able to think 4 moves ahead before he makes one.
I agree that there is an easier (and less costly) way of knowing what the staring hive is, I was simply giving a example of a way to find said hive.
<!--quoteo(post=1651344:date=Sep 23 2007, 01:34 AM:name=N_3)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(N_3 @ Sep 23 2007, 01:34 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1651344"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->furthermore, listening for res towers and gorges whilst simultaneously taking care of your marines and base etc needs a bit of micromanagement.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yes. But as I say to my wife all the time... if you can't stand the heat, get out the kitchen. As a commander, you will have to split your mind 3 ways and always keep an eye on what's going on in multiple places at once... Being a commander is not meant for everyone...
Being a commander is not meant for everyone...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Which is exactly why the game breaks when there is no Commander in NS1. No Commander = No marines = No opponents for the Kharaa = bad game.
How a game starts off says alot about how it will finish and I really hope for good finishes in NS2.
I love it =D
just dont put HIVE IS HERE COME TAKE A LOOK on the mini map and we are good 2 go!
I also agree that for the love of god please tie a beacon into the specific Obs used. Would add a lot to a game because instead of building a phase in a hive first I would build and obs and just beacon the team in. Would be a hell of a thing to suddenly have a team in like that instead of piece meal.
Sometimes people dont haave a choice on where they start, in a real battle thigns can happine at full random so. Maby a dynamic start location for the marines is good maby not my opinion on that is i agree, i want the marines to have a dynamic start location for purposes of that you dont always start in the expected location makeing it even more interesting. cause 1 you dont know where you are going to start and you dont know where the aliens are going to start.
In a military world, humans would study a structure to have the best strategical breach point advantage possible, I believe that TSA would follow that same logic. I don't say that there wouldn't be a fallback insertion point, but if a different location is needed, I think relocation still remains the best option.
Oh sure... now that I say that, he goes and deletes one of his duplicate posts...
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
I like but this would be cool but too powerful in the early game so it would have to be either a) expensive or b) a cool down time prior to use but I would prefer this:
Two beacon buttons. Once standard MS and one that would have to be researched. Once the OBS is built you click on research alternate location and that OBS only would be upgraded. This would allow you to beacon marines to spots within its radius, possibly even at commander defined points, providing the space is not a pit or occupied by a structure. This would also allow silent beacons for that ONOs attacking the Advance armoury.
To get around the RT drop to work out the hives the COM can only drop structures in the hive locations once a marine has entered the room for the first time.
personally i like the norusioment infestation hive location idea the best, it gives us the ability to choice on spot or 3. Another thing that could be added, would be instead of building 3 seperate hives, mabey upgrading a single hive. Such as if there is enough nourishment for one hive, we could simply advance the one we already have. Mabey increasing its hive sight radius, and if you get it up to a level 3 hive, make it able 2 attack, or imune to small arms fire. This would make it so the aliens would have the choice of a single last ditch effort to deffend, or to spread out, and make the battle last longer.
Personally i would love to see it if other buildings could be upgraded as well, mabey making it so that if a movement chamber is built outside the infestation, and is then overrun, it can be teleported 2? or give it a cool down timer, and as it is used more, or upgraded, its cool down timer will decrease?
Anouther thing i would like to see, to go along with building upgrades, would be an offensive tower upgrading itself, as it kills or injurse mariens, making it deal more damage. Or having things naturally upgrade themselves when there within the infestation (execpt for hive, where the aliens would choice between one upgraded hive, many or a combination, either way, a gorge or something <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" /> (read my nonlinear topic) would need to build it/ upgrade it)
plz feel free to coment!