Size reduction as new alien ability

borsukborsuk Join Date: 2009-06-06 Member: 67717Members
edited November 2009 in Ideas and Suggestions
Hi

The "skulks too big" thread got me thinking.

What if Size Reduction was an ability any alien could choose ? It could belong to Movement chamber. The model and hitbox would be 15-20% smaller, other stats would remain unchanged. I think it would be much more interesting than some other abilties:

- improved combat potential: smaller targets are harder to hit
- better stealth because it's easier to hide
- ability to reach otherwise inaccessible area. Mini-onos would get stuck less. Gorge could run away and hide in a hole on some maps. Skulks could set up ambushes where they would be otherwise noticed.

I'm not 100% sure it should belong to Movement, but I can't think of better alternative. But if it was available from, say, Defence Chamber, things could get quite interesting. Get carapace and take less damage from everything, or get Size Reduction, advantages mentioned above, but suffer comparatively more damage from explosions and turrets ?

Comments

  • innocivinnociv Join Date: 2009-11-05 Member: 69280Members
    edited November 2009
    I don't like it, just because it's silly.
    And not in the cool Gorge belly-slide silly sort of way.

    Also, I don't think Skulks are too big. Marines are maybe half a foot too small. :]
  • BacillusBacillus Join Date: 2006-11-02 Member: 58241Members
    The idea itself sounds off the wall, but I like effects like improved hiding options. It would add quite a bit of headache for the mappers though, as they'd have to make the upgrade viable, but not too favorable.
  • SekerSeker Join Date: 2007-03-06 Member: 60259Members
    We dont know if the abilitys are chamber dependent so this could might be implented :P

    I find this quite funny, but mappers will have a hard way implementig it into the maps.
  • schkorpioschkorpio I can mspaint Join Date: 2003-05-23 Member: 16635Members
    thats a pretty interesting idea actually, a lot of games have let us play with time, physics etc, but none have really allowed the player to grow or shrink

    you could do some really interesting stuff

    shrink yourself to hide in the DI or to fit inside vents


    grow your limbs to increase attack range

    or grow your body to increase your hit points or armour


    or grow so much you block a hallway or knock over something that you can normally do if you are small
  • borsukborsuk Join Date: 2009-06-06 Member: 67717Members
    edited November 2009
    Yes, it would require some extra thought by map maker. That's why I'm suggesting it early, because if it's an integral part of the game from day 1, mapmakers would just get used to it. But if it was added in a mod, there would be a lot of unintended consequences.

    I think aliens in NS2 are particularly well suited for things like size reduction, because I guess it would be very simple to just change two or three variables to scale them down. No new artwork needed. Aliens evolve, right ? NS is not obsessed about both teams playing on a perfectly symmetric tenis court, right ?

    The flip side of this idea could be Carapace, well known upgrade from NS1, increasing player size. Some players could prefer better damage resistance and would take carapace, but they would sacrifice some mobility and stealth. Of course, we don't know if Carapace is still in the game...
  • innocivinnociv Join Date: 2009-11-05 Member: 69280Members
    Grow limbs? That'd be a lot of work for morphing the models, or adding another one and adapting the texture, rigging it up.
    Doesn't seem like it'd add anymore to the game than getting extra abilities from higher tech. It'd be cooler to see procedural animations(semi-ragdoll sort of thing, collision with the enviroment while still alive like the walker in UT3) than that, for me.
  • ryknow69ryknow69 Join Date: 2008-03-24 Member: 63952Members
    I demand a Mini Alien Mod!

    But seriously, for normal play, sad to say, no.
  • brcaswellbrcaswell Join Date: 2009-10-30 Member: 69181Members
    I often wonder how Warcraft 3 resizes their models in-game.
  • TerrTerr Arthritic Skulk Join Date: 2002-11-07 Member: 7486Members
    It's interesting, but I think it's a lot saner for map-makers and programmers if each class had a specific size.
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