Comm alerts

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Comments

  • xen32xen32 Join Date: 2012-10-18 Member: 162676Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    If you don't see it going down, you deserve it.
  • XaoXao Join Date: 2012-12-12 Member: 174840Members
    I assume what you mean by shift selecting is grouping all available units in a room, you can do that by double click, say for macs or arcs, double click one, ctrl + # and it's now a control group with all of them selected.

    That obs bug has to be fixed, red dots disappearing on rine structures or having to scan to know what's hitting your base is stupid, why would there be a difference between the passive or active scan of an obs.
  • amoralamoral Join Date: 2013-01-03 Member: 177250Members
    you know I don't comm, so my opinion is just that, but I have a compulsive need to watch the map. so much so that I'm fairly aggravated by the difference between opening the map while alive vs while dead. that being said, I am usually, I'd say conservative estimate, 60 percent of the time, the first person to scream about the power node or phase gate. and it's not my job. so, my point being, the comm should be able to keep an eye on things pretty well, but he's not the only one who should be looking out for these things either.
  • amoralamoral Join Date: 2013-01-03 Member: 177250Members
    also, you should be able to tell what the red dot is based on movement patterns
  • LocklearLocklear [nexzil]kerrigan Join Date: 2012-05-01 Member: 151403Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Map Tester, WC 2013 - Shadow
    Improving the UI so that you can actually select things is great.

    I actually made a huge thread several times about why the Commander UI is severely lacking. I was just posting to give people a way to work around the issue.

    Mr. 180 APM.. I have about 120 APM playing T in US Masters but all I can say is.. if you have that much APM you shouldn't have to worry about not noticing attack alerts. Everything under attack on the map blinks, and there are maybe 2-3 main locations you need to look at during matches. It's really not that hard for one as skilled as yourself.

    I was not giving excuse for terrible UI, I was merely providing a way for others to work around it.
  • SquishpokePOOPFACESquishpokePOOPFACE -21,248 posts (ignore below) Join Date: 2012-10-31 Member: 165262Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    delta78 wrote: »
    Today had a game, where three times my power went down in a room with a chair. No alarm, no noting. Alright, I tried to be more careful but literally just for a few seconds I was not looking at main and BAM! 2 onos, gorges and other stuff destroyed power node and bye bye main base. No alarm, no "We are under attack, Captain!", no "Set phasers on their engines!", no "Set vector of attack!" :( just no power and of course GG.

    This happens occasionally for some reason! I've now started doing basesitting once I get jetpacks instead of attacking at the front lines like I usually do for this reason alone. I can't tell you how many times I managed to save a "silent" node from getting destroyed.

    I think it's a bug, sometimes I get a notification, a voice, and a blinking red light on my map. Sometimes I get nothing at all, and I'm sure the commander probably doesn't as well. Is this intentional? Maybe this happens only when there is no observatory covering the node?

  • MestaritonttuMestaritonttu Join Date: 2004-07-29 Member: 30229Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Gold
    Are you kidding me?

    Some people are saying it's SKILL to see a tiny blip blinking instead of a big one? SERIOUSLY?

    Oh God. It's the "custom crosshairs are cheating" thread all over again. Can't believe the things people derive their skill factors from. I have no problem seeing my powers go down as comm, because I'm used to keeping an eye out for it, but there's no reason for it to be so hard to spot.

    Lets just make it simple: Did the devs intend power alert to be hard to spot? No, they did not, since marines can see it as a big announcement while the comm can not. Therefore, it is a missing feature.

    /end thread

    Gods...
  • MikiesoxMikiesox Join Date: 2013-02-10 Member: 182964Members
    edited February 2013
    Why not just take a page out of the Starcraft 2 book? This game is already heavily using many of the same system mechanics as most RTS games anyway. The commander has a minimap, if a location (Like your base) is under attack, then beyond the audible warning of "Structure under attack"... Provide a red circle blip on the minimap of where the attack is happening. I think this should also be expanded to the soldiers map as well. Blinking structures are not the easiest to always see, and I think they should be COLORED (RED?) as well as blinking for quicker identification.

    This is how Starcraft does it, and it works nicely.

  • XaoXao Join Date: 2012-12-12 Member: 174840Members
    Silence removes attack alerts to comm and marines, you might get a flashing red structure sometimes but 9/10 you'll have to go by sounds (bile still makes noise, structure being bitten makes noise), scan or suspicion that something is being attacked.
  • amoralamoral Join Date: 2013-01-03 Member: 177250Members
    Xao wrote: »
    Silence removes attack alerts to comm and marines, you might get a flashing red structure sometimes but 9/10 you'll have to go by sounds (bile still makes noise, structure being bitten makes noise), scan or suspicion that something is being attacked.

    i didn't know that, and now i love silence all the more.

  • SquishpokePOOPFACESquishpokePOOPFACE -21,248 posts (ignore below) Join Date: 2012-10-31 Member: 165262Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Xao wrote: »
    Silence removes attack alerts to comm and marines, you might get a flashing red structure sometimes but 9/10 you'll have to go by sounds (bile still makes noise, structure being bitten makes noise), scan or suspicion that something is being attacked.

    Wow, no wonder! Now there really is no reason to not pick silence over camo. Most underrated upgrade ever.

    I like this mechanic, keeps people on their toes. Problem is, not everyone knows about it and may think it's a bug, like I did.

  • deathshrouddeathshroud Join Date: 2010-04-10 Member: 71291Members
    when a power node is attacked the whole room should flash red on the minimap
  • MikiesoxMikiesox Join Date: 2013-02-10 Member: 182964Members
    edited February 2013
    Xao wrote: »
    Silence removes attack alerts to comm and marines, you might get a flashing red structure sometimes but 9/10 you'll have to go by sounds (bile still makes noise, structure being bitten makes noise), scan or suspicion that something is being attacked.

    Is this working as intended? That seems quite over powered if you ask me... If you're going to have power nodes I think that is a little cheap. Sure if you lost a building or two because you didn't have your attention at your base periodically that's understandable (and still really sucks) but you're telling me two or three skulks with silence basically have a guaranteed chance of taking down a base because comm gets no notification, and it's therefore up to the happenstance of a soldier coming across the room in question before it's lights out.... I don't like that one bit.
  • MikiesoxMikiesox Join Date: 2013-02-10 Member: 182964Members
    Xao wrote: »
    I assume what you mean by shift selecting is grouping all available units in a room, you can do that by double click, say for macs or arcs, double click one, ctrl + # and it's now a control group with all of them selected.

    That obs bug has to be fixed, red dots disappearing on rine structures or having to scan to know what's hitting your base is stupid, why would there be a difference between the passive or active scan of an obs.

    Omg. Yes. Why oh why is there any difference? I like the idea that I can infest 15 res, or simply scan. It's a tactical decision. Just like the one about dropping ammo and health packs or build an armory... The observatory needs to function like a permanent active scan in it's radius. Damn them for changing this at all.
  • briatxbriatx Join Date: 2013-01-18 Member: 180352Members
    Ok you jokers.

    If you want to make the argument that there should be no major notification for base power nodes being attacked, then you need to also argue against the SERVER WIDE alerts + health bar of CC and Hives being attacked.

    Why? Because as you all know power out in the marine main base is usually game over for marines and it goes down much quicker.
  • Not SureNot Sure Join Date: 2013-01-06 Member: 177758Members
    Yeah, either give a notification for power nodes or remove the one for hives. Or let the commander hear what's going on in the room he's in while he's in the chair. Since, you know, he's standing right the $#%& there.
  • MestaritonttuMestaritonttu Join Date: 2004-07-29 Member: 30229Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Gold
    "What? You say an Onos is attacking my CC? Nonsense! Surely I would notice-hey did that horn use to be there-AARGHH"
  • RippsyRippsy Join Date: 2013-01-16 Member: 179921Members
    I was testing this last night, the first time a powernode is attacked after it is built you get "Powernode under attack" announcement, after that - until it is destroyed and rebuilt you only get "A structure is under attack" which when you are fighting across a whole map - is useless as you press space and the chance of getting to to the relevant announcement, and not a medkit/armour/other building under attack is essentially zero

    <bitter> Literally lost a a sure thing due to the obs/powernode issues listed in this thread last night. No red dots showing up in base as the skulks were hiding under/over the powernode no announcement that powernode was under attack as it'd been bitten once in a hit and run earlier in the game. </bitter>

    Really is massively frustraiting given the massive amounts of micro-management that the marine commander is also doing, that the notification system and made awareness tools that have been given to them are basically useless since you cannot rely on them.

  • Racer1Racer1 Join Date: 2002-11-22 Member: 9615Members
    While I agree that alerts for specific attacks should be better, I think a louder alert is the wrong way to go. Given the power node has the same effective importance as a comm station, I would prefer it actually show up as a health bar at the bottom of ALL of the team player's screens (just like what happens for a comm station). I would prefer this start happening only after the power node drops below 95% health, to give a little room for error.

    P.S. I also like the flicker ideas people have given very much, as long as it doesn't flicker too much as that gives people headaches.
  • DC_DarklingDC_Darkling Join Date: 2003-07-10 Member: 18068Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue, Squad Five Silver
    must admit I did not know it does not send a warning when a alien uses silence.
    I expected it was like NS1.. hear almost nothing but see it slowly die but with warning.
  • WakeWake Join Date: 2003-03-05 Member: 14351Members, Constellation
    In RTS, you don't have half a dozen teammates that are (should) be able to look at the map and communicate.
    Whe don't need same assistance as an RTS.
  • joederpjoederp Join Date: 2012-11-02 Member: 165992Members
    I agree with the OP, its super annoying when I'm commanding and the game ends because for about 3 seconds I didn't notice a couple gorges rush the power node made of kleenex. . GG in 3-5 seconds. Aliens simply do not have this vulnerability. Its funny how the team with the most mobility gets the most notifications, and does not have any game ending, critical structures with very low HP to rush back to if a couple marines sneak in undetected. Worst things marines can do is attack upgrades which still takes a considerable amount of time to kill and can be rebuilt easily. Power node goes down you might as well F4 right then.
  • WakeWake Join Date: 2003-03-05 Member: 14351Members, Constellation
    Game is not over because a base node gets down. If the aliens are not ready or can't exploit this, it won't change anything, just delay the ending.
    Of course, if the whole team has gone exo, so be it !
  • Not SureNot Sure Join Date: 2013-01-06 Member: 177758Members
    I'm almost positive there's a bug in there because I've had my power nodes killed silently in games where the alien comm said he didn't have a shade hive.

    I've noticed it seems to happen whenever you get health/ammo spam at the same time. It just completely cancels the notification. And since gorges tend to show up while your marines are at a hive spamming requests..
  • MobyMoby Join Date: 2009-08-13 Member: 68450Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    A friend of mine and me tried out shade hive and silent skulk munching on a power node. Still an alarm was to be heard.
    So I state, its only fiction, that a shade hive and silent skulk makes no alarms for eating buildings including the power node.
  • joederpjoederp Join Date: 2012-11-02 Member: 165992Members
    Wake wrote: »
    Game is not over because a base node gets down. If the aliens are not ready or can't exploit this, it won't change anything, just delay the ending.
    Of course, if the whole team has gone exo, so be it !

    Losing the power node in main base and not losing the game is very uncommon. You would need to have a weak push by the alien team with the majority of marines sitting in the base that just lost power. Assuming most marines are not in main, and most aliens rush the base with no power, that base will be destroyed, at which point the marines are usually done.
  • t0fut0fu Join Date: 2012-11-13 Member: 170615Members
    I think they should make a comm hud similar to the spectator mode - has structures and their health next it, make them blinky if they're getting hit, and also shows which upgrades are up.
  • RippsyRippsy Join Date: 2013-01-16 Member: 179921Members
    t0fu, indeed I really do not understand why the Marine comm does not get HP bar's on his buildings?!
  • chibimikechibimike Join Date: 2007-09-09 Member: 62232Members
    I would really love to see some loving to this feature of the comm, maybe they could put medpack/ammo request on space bar and actually like in NS1 show and indicator of request ques on the side of the screen. And some other key could be binded to respond to upgrades or attacks and such, you can have better response and awareness to game with out feeling like you're in the dark because you didn't respond install to something so you have no more indications
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