The Problem of Atmosphere

Radix

<div class="IPBDescription">Especially In Regard to Replay Value</div>1. The most unpredictable element of a deathmatch mod is the individual players' actions ingame.
2. Utilizing that element to increase atmosphere through that unpredictability is the most efficient way to increase the overall atmosphere of Natural-Selection especially for the marines.
3. Attempting to code atmosphere-inducing elements into the game is futile because even a large table of static events becomes predictable with enough replay value.
4. The more replay value, the better.
5. Because of the above, harvesting player actions to increase atmosphere is the best route if atmosphere is to be achieved in any way, shape, or form, in any game, including this one.

You can influence a player to do virtually anything with advantage-inducing gameplay systems (unless the systems are so unintuitive and difficult to adapt to that many players can't break the barrier to entry). Because if this, I wrote this short post where you can discuss gameplay features that would both (a) increase the aliens' advantage ingame, and (b) cause the alien team to create atmosphere for the marine team by virtue of working to win.

Have at it.

puzl

Nice points, but I think you could develop it with some examples before others do it [innacurately] for you. I do agree that the players should always be in the leading roles but the props can contribute to it. For example, ambient sounds will make it more difficult to predict the behaviour of another player.

Radix

I wasn't really thinking of much of a focus, just the concept in abstract, so that's how I wrote it.

I figure it'll make for good discussion at the very least.

If you want an example, I think the best visualization of this would be the "clever girl" scene from Jurassic Park. The hunter is skilled and not shaken by anything that would come up in the situation (like a Veteran) but he <i>does</i> get the "OH &#*$" response when he sees that he's been overtaken. There has to be a suspension of climax between when the player (i) becomes aware of the threat and (ii) knows that he has been overtaken. That doesn't really exist very much in NS as it is, especially in later levels of play. You're in acidic, shooting the node, 3 skulks cover your team, your shotgun either hits or misses. It isn't in the best interest of the skulks to make themselves known before the attack.

For a gameplay example I'd turn to the concept of a pressure team being slowly killed off, rather than massacred all-at-once. Add some kind of a feature that would reward a skulk for killing one marine and then retreating rather than biting once and leaving, or killing one marine and knowing full-well that staying or leaving doesn't increase his lifespan, so he simply goes for the second kill and probably dies.

kingmob

Given your tiny example...

For the aliens...
...a little bit of health
For completing a kill a skulk gets a little bit of health back.

Marines when wandering the corridors could say "Bloodthirsty Skulks"

For the marines...
...a tick off their respawn time
For completing a kill a marine gets a little bit taken off his respawn time.

Radix

<!--quoteo(post=1640735:date=Jul 26 2007, 06:59 PM:name=kingmob)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kingmob @ Jul 26 2007, 06:59 PM) [snapback]1640735[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->For the aliens...
...a little bit of health
For completing a kill a skulk gets a little bit of health back.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo(post=1640735:date=Jul 26 2007, 06:59 PM:name=kingmob)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kingmob @ Jul 26 2007, 06:59 PM) [snapback]1640735[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->For the marines...
...a tick off their respawn time
For completing a kill a marine gets a little bit taken off his respawn time.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
How do these increase atmosphere?

<!--quoteo(post=1640735:date=Jul 26 2007, 06:59 PM:name=kingmob)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kingmob @ Jul 26 2007, 06:59 PM) [snapback]1640735[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Marines when wandering the corridors could say "Bloodthirsty Skulks"<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Would this be automatic, or function more like a taunt? If it were a taunt, how would the players be encouraged to use it?

In any case, thanks for your reply. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />

CanadianWolverine

Before we know how the gameplay of NS2 is going to go, its really hard to tell what "incentives" could really influence tension in a player's behaviour. Seems rather futile to me actually, as eventually a player always becomes conditioned to "Onos! Run!" and no longer gets jumpy at their keyboards.

I think I know what you are refering to, that feeling of "Dun dun dun..." in say, Jaws, where the tension builds and is released in a satisfying manner, bringing a smile or a groan or even a whoop of joy to the players. I like to call this the "wow factor", a moment in a game that you enjoyed so much you just have to re-tell it to a friend or to the forums in a post.

For myself, the biggest tension builder, whether tsa or kharaa, has always been how "new" the map is for me. When you don't know what is around the next corner, when you don't know what the shadows hide, it is incredible to play.

For this reason, I suggest the more ways in which a map can change do to what players do to it be the best way to build atmosphere. Multiple ways in which to play a map, where no one way is best, where teams much adapt strategies and invent new ones on the fly ... because last time you may have locked that door down, but this time something got shoved in the gears and now it won't close. Because this time that gap meant no one was coming this way but this time they built a bridge. Because this time that hall was bright and peaceful but this time its covered infestation and there are shadows everywhere...

Anything that allows players to change the enviroment, even if it is just to turn lights on and off, introduce a fog, and so on and so forth, that will up the tension and keep the atmosphere constant in that regard.