Coil, are you being serious, or just telling me to shut my pie-hole?
If you're being serious, then I guess we're not feature complete then, are we? <!--emo&:(--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':('><!--endemo-->
coilAmateur pirate. Professional monkey. All pance.Join Date: 2002-04-12Member: 424Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
<!--QuoteBegin--f3rret+July 30 2002,09:49--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (f3rret @ July 30 2002,09:49)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->Coil, are you being serious, or just telling me to shut my pie-hole?
If you're being serious, then I guess we're not feature complete then, are we? <!--emo&:(--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':('><!--endemo--><!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Yes, and yes. (: Basically, I'm saying "this weekend's build was just like every other build. We're a little closer to release. Stop asking." It's really not an interesting question to ask... we aren't *allowed* to tell you the details of what went on - that's for MonsE and Flay to decide.
As for features... I meant artwork, and fixed my post to reflect as such.
It's just that a lot of this stuff probably wouldn't be interesting for you guys. Well, I'll leave that for you to decide. Here's a combined changelog for the past week or so. Some of this stuff may be boring, unexplained, or both, but you asked for it:
O Linux build created! Testing with Joev. O Wallclimbing changed to jump key for consistency (yes, he can still jump normally) O New marine texture and model, with jetpack (known bug: it always displays) O New welder model and anims (texture is rainbow right now) O Added text messages for when you receive health, ammo, when you do damage, and when a resource tower harvests resources for your team O New ammo model, new health model (thanks Merkaba!) O New level 1 animations (thanks Mojo!) O New level 2 and animations (thanks Guy and Def One!) O New version of tanith (thanks TommyD!) O New level 5 view model, and many animations! (thanks Cory and Def One!) O Level 5 melee attack ROF increased O Siege don't fire at babblers O Resource towers slowed down, take 10 mins to fully harvest for both sides (though marines can speed this up via tower upgrades) O Save state of alien vision mode during gestations O Fixed bug where vision mode sometimes persisted in ready room or after switching teams O Networking changes. We may see more overflow, less HUD lag, or neither. O New ns_nothing (thanks Ken!) O Balance changes from Sunday (resource towers can't be upgraded) O Reduced how many sounds are played, this should cut down on the " > 16 sounds playing" error, let me know if it's better now. O Improved waypoints: O "Move to location", range, location O "Build sentry turret", range, location O Correct artwork now O Make them go away automatically O Build orders go away when target built O Attack orders go away when target is killed O Help for every weapon and building (and made text fade in and out nicely) O Fix players getting stuck when using phase gates O Turned off damage drawing by default O Overflow stuff (tried reducing overflows at end of level) O Make "your hive is under attack" play a lot less often, and allow alerts to be tracked on a per-entity basis O Alien turrets more powerful (shoot faster, more damage) O Wall-running is back to crouch (!) O New builder artwork, not sunk into floor anymore O Fix level 5 redemption bug, "fixed" by disabling redemption for him at least temporarily O Text repositioning and typos fixed. You'll need to redownload this if you haven't already
Flayra, this is great!! Thanks sooooooo much!!! This is exactly what I was talking about!
This may sound cheezy, but this gives me a reason to visit the forums. This is stuff that isn't on any website, and is more or less 'exclusive'! It's detailed, it's honest!
w00t!
*starts reading*
EDITED:
*finishes reading*
Man, that's all good stuff! Since you were soooo nice to post this, I'm not even going to ASK what "Redemption" is. <!--emo&;)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'><!--endemo-->
ANOTHER EDIT:
How can you say that people won't find this interesting?? That much info would have taken me 4 weeks and ~100 posts to get out of the PT's!
LAST EDIT, I PROMISE:
And don't worry, I realize that all this is still STC. <!--emo&:D--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'><!--endemo-->
BTW, just in case anyone missed it (and I'm sure there will be questions):
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->O Wallclimbing changed to jump key for consistency (yes, he can still jump normally) O Wall-running is back to crouch (!)<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->Babbler is the name of a large, varied group of birds found mainly in the forests of Africa, southern Asia, and Australia. One species, the wrentit, lives along the Pacific Coast of North America. Babblers get their name from the loud, repeated calls they make.
Asian babbler There are about 250 species of babblers. Most are small- to medium- sized birds with short wings and strong, sturdy legs and large feet. They are weak fliers. The color of babblers varies widely. Most species, such as the white-crested laughing thrush, are a combination of brown, black, gray, chestnut, or white. But some babblers have bright green, yellow, or red feathers.
Babblers eat chiefly insects and other small animals without backbones. Most species find their prey by scratching and probing among the leaves and plants on the forest floor. However, some species look for food in shrubs and trees. Most babblers nest in low bushes or small trees. They generally build open, cup-shaped nests of twigs and stems, but some species cover their nests with a dome of grass and moss. Female babblers lay from two to four eggs. Among some species of babblers, the young remain with their parents for one or two years.
Most babblers gather in large flocks except when nesting. The birds call loudly to each other unless danger threatens. To escape danger, babblers often use their strong legs to run and hide rather than fly away.
Scientific Classification. Most biologists classify the babblers as forming the subfamily Timaliinae of the family Muscicapidae.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If I'm not incorrect, redemption is an alien ability that teleports the user to a nearby hive once health falls below a certain point, this is meant to save them from death.
that would be <!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->Seige towers don't fire at blinkys<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->. not good.
SAVE THE BABBLERS! Please sign my <a href="http://www.claancy.net/lunacy/random/youare.swf" target="_blank">Save the Babblers guestbook</a> and protect these species from extinction.
Flayra, that was in no way boring, I loved it. It's amazing to see how much work you guys get done in a week without us even knowing it.
Well, I guess we can't make them tell us everything, now can we? <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo-->
Sooo... coil. What do you know about "blabbers"? Huh? TALK!
If I wanted surprises, I would stay away from here, and just go download it when GameSpyDaily announces that it's done.
Now, time for some random conjecture:
My guess is that a blabber is a noisemaker, a distraction of some kind. Maybe a decoy laid out by the marines, maybe a small creature that the aliens let loose, kinda like those little bug-things you throw in HL DM.
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->Don't you want any suprises for when the game is released?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
No.
I am annoyed by all the secrecy and the "let's not ruin the surprise" stuff. I want to know as much as possible about the game. The more I know, the more I can look forward to.
Perhaps I'm just a control freak, but surprises make me uneasy.
If you're going to conjecture wildly, at least say the name right: it's babbler, not "blabber". We don't need another "bob" situation on our hands... <!--emo&;)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'><!--endemo-->
Hey wake up you guys, Flayra went out on a limb releasing this kind of info, and all you are doing is bugging about it just like he said not to. Do you expect him to do this again if all he gets in return are more questions? Take his post for what its worth and dont try to extract more info. If he chooses to release another similar list after next PT then he will, and you will learn more, and i will be eternally grateful. Thank you that was my rant. P.S. I didn't even see that post above, see told you you p'd him off.
I have followed many games throughout their betas (and been in quite a few). It is really a fun thing to do as a gamer and as a fan. Part of being a (gamer) fan is speculating and hypothesizing about all the bits and pieces of the gameplay. As we get the "scraps", we can disect them and speculate on how they all fit together. It's fun. It's what fans do. Having too few "scraps" hurts more than having too many scraps, in my humble opinion.
Starcraft had a really fun beta, even for those of us who were not testers.
Thanks for the changelog. I really dig those. <!--emo&:tiny:--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tiny.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':tiny:'><!--endemo-->
I can't see calling anything in NS a "blabber". <!--emo&:p--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'><!--endemo-->
Thank you, that was very informative and helped satiate some of our hunger for knowledge. Us forumites need a steady IV drip of knowledge, but not enough that we know everything. Give us a bit at a time and we'll survive till release.
Comments
<!--EDIT|coil|July 30 2002,09:52-->
If you're being serious, then I guess we're not feature complete then, are we? <!--emo&:(--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':('><!--endemo-->
If you're being serious, then I guess we're not feature complete then, are we? <!--emo&:(--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':('><!--endemo--><!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yes, and yes. (: Basically, I'm saying "this weekend's build was just like every other build. We're a little closer to release. Stop asking." It's really not an interesting question to ask... we aren't *allowed* to tell you the details of what went on - that's for MonsE and Flay to decide.
As for features... I meant artwork, and fixed my post to reflect as such.
I'm not trying to be pushy or anything. I'm usually a very patient person. Sorry if it gets irritating. I'm just bored at work.
O Linux build created! Testing with Joev.
O Wallclimbing changed to jump key for consistency (yes, he can still jump normally)
O New marine texture and model, with jetpack (known bug: it always displays)
O New welder model and anims (texture is rainbow right now)
O Added text messages for when you receive health, ammo, when you do damage, and when a resource tower harvests resources for your team
O New ammo model, new health model (thanks Merkaba!)
O New level 1 animations (thanks Mojo!)
O New level 2 and animations (thanks Guy and Def One!)
O New version of tanith (thanks TommyD!)
O New level 5 view model, and many animations! (thanks Cory and Def One!)
O Level 5 melee attack ROF increased
O Siege don't fire at babblers
O Resource towers slowed down, take 10 mins to fully harvest for both sides (though marines can speed this up via tower upgrades)
O Save state of alien vision mode during gestations
O Fixed bug where vision mode sometimes persisted in ready room or after switching teams
O Networking changes. We may see more overflow, less HUD lag, or neither.
O New ns_nothing (thanks Ken!)
O Balance changes from Sunday (resource towers can't be upgraded)
O Reduced how many sounds are played, this should cut down on the " > 16 sounds playing" error, let me know if it's better now.
O Improved waypoints:
O "Move to location", range, location
O "Build sentry turret", range, location
O Correct artwork now
O Make them go away automatically
O Build orders go away when target built
O Attack orders go away when target is killed
O Help for every weapon and building (and made text fade in and out nicely)
O Fix players getting stuck when using phase gates
O Turned off damage drawing by default
O Overflow stuff (tried reducing overflows at end of level)
O Make "your hive is under attack" play a lot less often, and allow alerts to be tracked on a per-entity basis
O Alien turrets more powerful (shoot faster, more damage)
O Wall-running is back to crouch (!)
O New builder artwork, not sunk into floor anymore
O Fix level 5 redemption bug, "fixed" by disabling redemption for him at least temporarily
O Text repositioning and typos fixed. You'll need to redownload this if you haven't already
Flayra, this is great!! Thanks sooooooo much!!! This is exactly what I was talking about!
This may sound cheezy, but this gives me a reason to visit the forums. This is stuff that isn't on any website, and is more or less 'exclusive'! It's detailed, it's honest!
w00t!
*starts reading*
EDITED:
*finishes reading*
Man, that's all good stuff! Since you were soooo nice to post this, I'm not even going to ASK what "Redemption" is. <!--emo&;)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'><!--endemo-->
ANOTHER EDIT:
How can you say that people won't find this interesting?? That much info would have taken me 4 weeks and ~100 posts to get out of the PT's!
LAST EDIT, I PROMISE:
And don't worry, I realize that all this is still STC. <!--emo&:D--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->O Wallclimbing changed to jump key for consistency (yes, he can still jump normally)
O Wall-running is back to crouch (!)<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So we aren't kidding when we say STC.
<!--EDIT|Moleculor|July 30 2002,10:45-->
What's a babbler?
Asian babbler
There are about 250 species of babblers. Most are small- to medium-
sized birds with short wings and strong, sturdy legs and large feet. They are weak fliers. The color of babblers varies widely. Most species, such as the white-crested laughing thrush, are a combination of brown, black, gray, chestnut, or white. But some babblers have bright green, yellow, or red feathers.
Babblers eat chiefly insects and other small animals without backbones. Most species find their prey by scratching and probing among the leaves and plants on the forest floor. However, some species look for food in shrubs and trees. Most babblers nest in low bushes or small trees. They generally build open, cup-shaped nests of twigs and stems, but some species cover their nests with a dome of grass and moss. Female babblers lay from two to four eggs. Among some species of babblers, the young remain with their parents for one or two years.
Most babblers gather in large flocks except when nesting. The birds call loudly to each other unless danger threatens. To escape danger, babblers often use their strong legs to run and hide rather than fly away.
Scientific Classification. Most biologists classify the babblers as forming the subfamily Timaliinae of the family Muscicapidae.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
*tosses a few birds at some forum-goers*
Look out! Here come the babblers!
Could they be referring to the Level 3 as a babbler?
edit: so i doubt it.
Flayra, that was in no way boring, I loved it. It's amazing to see how much work you guys get done in a week without us even knowing it.
Now keep working, slave! *Cracks whip*
not the bird!!!
Sooo... coil. What do you know about "blabbers"? Huh? TALK!
*shines a light in coil's eyes*
I knew it was a mistake for Flayra to include a reference to babblers in the change list.
Don't you want any suprises for when the game is released?
If I wanted surprises, I would stay away from here, and just go download it when GameSpyDaily announces that it's done.
Now, time for some random conjecture:
My guess is that a blabber is a noisemaker, a distraction of some kind. Maybe a decoy laid out by the marines, maybe a small creature that the aliens let loose, kinda like those little bug-things you throw in HL DM.
Other guesses?
No.
I am annoyed by all the secrecy and the "let's not ruin the surprise" stuff. I want to know as much as possible about the game. The more I know, the more I can look forward to.
Perhaps I'm just a control freak, but surprises make me uneasy.
That'll teach me to give you guys info!
P.S. I didn't even see that post above, see told you you p'd him off.
Yea! I hope u get it going stable soon Flay. <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo-->
Starcraft had a really fun beta, even for those of us who were not testers.
Thanks for the changelog. I really dig those. <!--emo&:tiny:--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tiny.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':tiny:'><!--endemo-->
Thank you, that was very informative and helped satiate some of our hunger for knowledge. Us forumites need a steady IV drip of knowledge, but not enough that we know everything. Give us a bit at a time and we'll survive till release.