Change alien vision

Blarney_StoneBlarney_Stone Join Date: 2013-03-08 Member: 183808Members, Reinforced - Shadow
The current alien vision is pretty awful. Aesthetically it looks horrible, all that ugly green and orange is really an eyesore. It also makes it impossible to see holes in glass which is just annoying. There are a bunch of cool alien vision mods on the workshop but they aren't permitted on most servers. I think one of those mods should be uploaded to the game, it would make alien vision less annoying
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Comments

  • kalakujakalakuja Join Date: 2012-09-11 Member: 159045Members, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter
    Indeed. There is no reason why it should stay as it is.
  • LamboLambo Iceland Join Date: 2012-08-07 Member: 154915Members, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited July 2013
    *Removed potential misinformation* - Ironhorse
  • PandademicPandademic Join Date: 2013-02-26 Member: 183359Members
    I'm sure I'm not telling anyone, including UWE, anything they don't know, but it sure would be swell if alien vision made cloaked units easier to spot.
  • FrozenFrozen New York, NY Join Date: 2010-07-02 Member: 72228Members, Constellation
    Did you know:
    Alien vision makes you miss
    Draw damage makes you miss
    Friendly Fire off makes you miss
  • peregrinusperegrinus Join Date: 2010-07-16 Member: 72445Members
    Download the popular alien vision mod from the workshop it's not an eyesore
  • Blarney_StoneBlarney_Stone Join Date: 2013-03-08 Member: 183808Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    peregrinus wrote: »
    Download the popular alien vision mod from the workshop it's not an eyesore

    The problem is that most servers don't allow custom alien vision mods to function... Even with the mod running it's rare to actually be able to use it.
  • TerranigmaTerranigma Join Date: 2010-04-03 Member: 71158Members
    For good reasons. The problem with the alien vision mod is that it has literally no drawbacks. You can easily see marines, can see glass, and can see whether an areas is lighted or dark - the normal alien vision at least sometines urges you to deactivate it. The alien vision mod however is a jack of all trades, so in fact, I think it's a good thing that it's banned on most servers.

    The alien vision should be a trade-off. You gain an advantage by suffering from a certain disadvantage. Therefore I agree that the offical alien vision should either be reworked or left as it is. The alien vision mod however, is a no go.
  • ZekZek Join Date: 2002-11-10 Member: 7962Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    Terranigma wrote: »
    For good reasons. The problem with the alien vision mod is that it has literally no drawbacks. You can easily see marines, can see glass, and can see whether an areas is lighted or dark - the normal alien vision at least sometines urges you to deactivate it. The alien vision mod however is a jack of all trades, so in fact, I think it's a good thing that it's banned on most servers.

    The alien vision should be a trade-off. You gain an advantage by suffering from a certain disadvantage. Therefore I agree that the offical alien vision should either be reworked or left as it is. The alien vision mod however, is a no go.

    They tried giving it an energy cost and it sucked. Alien vision makes the game more playable, there is no reason to penalize players for using it. It's a necessary feature when you're trying to play a melee class in the middle of all sorts of visual chaos. They need to just embrace leaving alien vision on 100% of the time, and change the effect so it no longer spoils the visuals.
  • HivelordHivelord Join Date: 2003-06-21 Member: 17567Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    I use minimal alien vision, which basically gets rid of all the green so that my game looks normal. I've only seen a few servers that allow it though.
  • DestherDesther Join Date: 2012-10-31 Member: 165195Members
    Biting RTs with alien vision is unpleasant to my eyes after about 5 seconds.
  • BentRingBentRing Join Date: 2003-03-04 Member: 14318Members
    I've always found it odd that although the current alien vision emulates graphics that could have been attained 15 years ago there is no fps boost.

    I'd be ecstatic if the minimal alien vision mod were the norm.
  • soccerguy243soccerguy243 Join Date: 2012-12-22 Member: 175920Members, WC 2013 - Supporter
    i love alien vision.
  • IronHorseIronHorse Developer, QA Manager, Technical Support & contributor Join Date: 2010-05-08 Member: 71669Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Subnautica Playtester, Subnautica PT Lead, Pistachionauts
    IIRC the HUD, view model, as well as AV are by default not checked for consistency, meaning those servers are specifically blocking them.. Just fyi.

    Yeah as long as I'm not forced to see anything other than the pretty textures in the world, I'm game.
    So make things highlighted (but more subtle) all the time and then AV can be used situationally just like a flash light in dark areas. Its a good compromise.
  • YMICrazyYMICrazy Join Date: 2012-11-02 Member: 165986Members
    I just dislike how you can't tell your cloaking level in alien vision when you are using Phantom. Unless I am missing an indicator.
  • DestherDesther Join Date: 2012-10-31 Member: 165195Members
    BentRing wrote: »
    I've always found it odd that although the current alien vision emulates graphics that could have been attained 15 years ago there is no fps boost.

    I'd be ecstatic if the minimal alien vision mod were the norm.

    Because the effect is applied on top of the normal rendering. Turning on alien vision should only ever decrease your fps.
  • WobWob Join Date: 2005-04-08 Member: 47814Members, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
    I like the current iteration.

    As long as alien vision changes the map colours to something other than grey and the marines/weapons/buildings to a colour opposite to the map colour, it's good.

    The grey walls, orange marines doesn't work well for me.
  • DraptorDraptor Join Date: 2013-03-05 Member: 183721Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    I dislike how it's difficult to tell if you're cloaked or currently being scanned plus not able to see glass. But perhaps it's an intentional drawback.
  • AyanomooseAyanomoose Join Date: 2013-05-06 Member: 185153Members
    Walking into a marine base is like swimming in Sunny D.
  • SUPER_SARSSUPER_SARS Join Date: 2013-02-13 Member: 183039Members
    IronHorse wrote: »
    IIRC the HUD, view model, as well as AV are by default not checked for consistency, meaning those servers are specifically blocking them.. Just fyi.


    :((
  • BentRingBentRing Join Date: 2003-03-04 Member: 14318Members
    Desther wrote: »
    BentRing wrote: »
    I've always found it odd that although the current alien vision emulates graphics that could have been attained 15 years ago there is no fps boost.

    I'd be ecstatic if the minimal alien vision mod were the norm.

    Because the effect is applied on top of the normal rendering. Turning on alien vision should only ever decrease your fps.

    Makes perfect sense.
  • Ghosthree3Ghosthree3 Join Date: 2010-02-13 Member: 70557Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    My alien vision mod works on every server I've tried to play on. About 10 different american ones, all the australian ones, 3 euro ones.
  • TerranigmaTerranigma Join Date: 2010-04-03 Member: 71158Members
    edited July 2013
    Zek wrote: »
    It's a necessary feature when you're trying to play a melee class in the middle of all sorts of visual chaos.

    That's not true. NS1 did well without any sort of specific alien vision, which gave marines some chance to hide in dark corners without being seen, which is pretty much impossible with the alien vision. If it's a "necessary" feature than something should be done about the game which requires players to keep on the "flashlight" all the time - to me, it sound's like a broken mechanic if people actually have to keep it on all the time.
    I won't agree that it has anything to do with melee combat. I can't see the necessity for a skulk to toggle alien vision in order to bite a marine that is hopefully standing right in front of him. It is a feature, and so by definition, a can-but-do-not-have-to", as features are in this context usually options you could make use of, just like the flashlight of the marines, obviously have a drawback as aliens can see the cone of light and therefore know where someone's is looking, and where not.

    Alien vision offers a little drawback as well as you cannot tell whether you are cloaked (Phantom) or not, neither can you tell whether an area is dark or bright. That turns the vision into a trade-off and such into a tactical element, as you have to decide whether it helps you in a given situation or not. The alien vision mod however eliminates all drawbacks so that you don't have any reason to ever turn it off. If the alien vision should really be a necessity than I'm wondering why you can turn it on/off. Should it really be necessary to use it in order to play the game, then it should be the deafult vision for alien players. But it isn't. And I think that's for good reason. For a deafult ability, I think alien vision very powerful already. Actually, I wouldn't have been suprised if alien vision had been some kind of researchable upgrade.

    I'm not a fan of the alien vision, however, I'm even less a fan of the mod. If the game requires you to keep the vision on all the time, than the game has some serious issue. I'd rather say it only "appears" to be a necessity because we're used to it. I cannot imaging anyone playing NS1 saying that he needed some kind of umlimited, all-revealing, no-drawback vision because otherwise, he cannot play as a Skulk or Fade for example.
    That given, I'm glad most server do not allow it.
  • FlaterectomyFlaterectomy Netherlandistan Join Date: 2005-02-03 Member: 39643Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Squad Five Silver, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow, Subnautica Playtester, NS2 Community Developer, Pistachionauts
    Terranigma wrote: »
    (...) NS1 did well without any sort of specific alien vision, (...)

    This might be the medication I'm on talking, but I totally remember there being alien vision in NS1.
  • soccerguy243soccerguy243 Join Date: 2012-12-22 Member: 175920Members, WC 2013 - Supporter
    I just dislike how you can't tell your cloaking level in alien vision when you are using Phantom. Unless I am missing an indicator.

    yes! I don't know why my own orange teeth don't disappear/cloak like my normal teeth do.
  • Blarney_StoneBlarney_Stone Join Date: 2013-03-08 Member: 183808Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Terranigma wrote: »
    (...) NS1 did well without any sort of specific alien vision, (...)

    This might be the medication I'm on talking, but I totally remember there being alien vision in NS1.

    There was alien vision in NS1. It highlighted aliens, marines, and structures but wasn't completely obnoxious like the NS2 iteration of it
  • ZekZek Join Date: 2002-11-10 Member: 7962Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    Yep, alien vision in NS1 was simply a player/structure highlight and had no impact on the terrain. No drawbacks, everyone used it 100% of the time and it worked great(though it was a little ugly).
  • countbasiecountbasie Join Date: 2008-12-27 Member: 65884Members
    edited July 2013
    Zek wrote: »
    Yep, alien vision in NS1 was simply a player/structure highlight and had no impact on the terrain. No drawbacks, everyone used it 100% of the time and it worked great(though it was a little ugly).
    Yes, I want this version back as well.
    Seeing the nice graphics + being able to play a melee class in a fast-paced game.
    Maybe make both versions so you can switch through them pressing F...

  • JektJekt Join Date: 2012-02-05 Member: 143714Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited July 2013
    Ryne actually made a version very similar to the NS1 style alien vision. Back when the beta was so awful the competitive community was prepared to jump ship to NS2:C. I'll see if I can find it still. Although the only difference between it and the minimal alien vision mod you can find on the workshop is the white highlighting.

    Found it: http://forums.unknownworlds.com/discussion/comment/1955177/#Comment_1955177
  • NthaoNthao Join Date: 2013-07-22 Member: 186278Members
    It sounds like alien vision was a bit too strong in NS1 and so it may have come with up+downs in NS2. I myself constantly use alien vision since I do like taking out power sometimes and just scaring the bejesus outta someone.
  • BentRingBentRing Join Date: 2003-03-04 Member: 14318Members
    Ghosthree3 wrote: »
    My alien vision mod works on every server I've tried to play on. About 10 different american ones, all the australian ones, 3 euro ones.

    You waiting for someone to ask for you to share more info before you do?

    Cause that's what I'm doing. :)
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