Vocifer
La Chupacabra
Join Date: 2008-02-25 Member: 63729Members
Join Date: 2008-02-25 Member: 63729Members
<div class="IPBDescription">idea for a Kharaa life fom...</div>I know that posting an idea for a additional alien lifeform is like begging to be flamed and even providing flamethrowers... I'm not even sure myself If I would like to see more aliens in NS2... but what the heck, here it goes:
The idea is to make an additional alien life form which would have a support role (that could use his abilities for both his and the teams benefit at the same time like Lerks can), rather than another damage dealer. In 'evolutionary' terms I would be an alternative path for gorge: of similar mass (maybe a bit bigger), but not as vulnerable since he has not lost all his skulk-like feats and gained new ones. His abilities would be based upon producing / receiving sound at any possible frequency. To accomodate such abilities it would develope sound organs - sth similar to the collar-like-organ of the dino pic I've attached. Doesn't have to look the same and be in the same place of course, it's just an example.
[attachment=35815:dino.jpg]
<b>Name:</b>
Vocifer
from
vo•cif•er•ate
–verb (used without object), verb (used with object), -at•ed, -at•ing.
to speak or cry out loudly or noisily; shout; bawl.
[Origin: 1590–1600; < L vÅciferÄtus (ptp. of vÅciferÄri to shout), equiv. to vÅci-, s. of vÅx voice + fer(re) to bear1 + -Ätus -ate1]
I believe it follows the general NS way of giving names to aliens (Gorge(ous), Fade, Lerk=Lurk, etc.) and doesn't sound too bad... gives a bit unholy impression to me (vo-,lu- -cifer)
More words that could relate to his function: ro(o?)ar, groan, howl, clamo(o?)r, holler etc.
(since it would have to be seriously play-tested and balanced all numbers etc. are only to give an idea, not sth that I really cared about when writing this)
<b>Cost:</b> 20-25 res
<b>HP:</b> 100
<b>Armor:</b> 50
<b>Passive abilities:</b>
- build around good old bunny hopping and crouch-jumping (more precisely - jump-crouching):
> jump faster and higher/bigger jump length than skulk (Not leap, somwhere between skulk jump and leap)
> able to attach to a surface when pressing crouch. Would allow to get to places where other aliens can (apart from onos)
> when attached to a wall, player would not be angle-limited when it comes to the direction of his next jump (so he could for example jump up and attach to the same wall but higher), but if bouncing off a wall the player would have a "bounce-off" angle-limit so he can't jump along one long wall (because that would be almost wall-running)
> would allow wall-attaching for a good ambush spot, but would not be as good as skulk wall-running.
> the idea is to allow players proficient in such movement to approach marine by jumping from wall to wall a'la aliens style.
<b>
Hive 1 abilities:</b>
- Bite, lerk-like damage, self-explanatory
- Echolocation:
> the same way as bats use it to navigate and identify objects. Alien would use this ability as any other energy-dependent attack by "shooting" it (would involve animations of the "sound-organ" in 3d view / world model, no projectile of course). Marines which happen to be in the place where alien was directing (65* FOV?) become visible for a short duration of time (2-3 seconds?).
> how visible is "visible"? - aliens see them as if they were parasited, the alien commander see them completely from above
> two ways of doing it: both marines and structures are visible or only marine models
> duration: as I said, very short
> range: medium/long
> energy cost: small/medium
<b>Hive 2:</b>
- Primal scream!
> Yes! Such a great ability, it's sad to see one of those unique atmosphere-building aspects of NS that was condemned to become a third hive ability, taking it out from the main game i.e. 1 and 2 hive gameplay which is more or less 3/4 of the whole round. Add the fact that when marines are winning 3rd hive is an unlikely scenario to see, which makes primal scream used more or less at the end of 1 round out of 4 (assuming ideal aliens - marine winning ratio of 1:1).
<u><b>> Decrease the positive effects to the level of a 2nd hive ability.</b></u>
> Collar / sound-organ animation.
> Just imagine: Marine, strolling down a dark corridor as marines do, playing with his LMG, when suddenly, an alien jumps at him, screams with anger, some strange collar around his neck / collar-like-organs stretch giving the impression of being much bigger than it really is... you have probably seen this many times, e.g. when the fat guy gets killed in Jurassic Park I.
> What to do with the Lerk 3rd hive ability then? Give him his spikes back! Most people loved them, but they were too powerful - ideal for a 3rd hive ability IMO (maybe a lesser rof?).
<b>Hive 3:</b>
Jamming scream (Jamming: To interfere with or prevent the clear reception of (broadcast signals) by electronic means)
> it could use a better name, I agree
> 3rd hive need sth uber... so here it goes: a scream (doesn't have to be audible) which interferes with signals between marine structures, e.g: CC need to "communicate" wirelessly between structures like sensory, armoury etc. to use them, turrets need to maintain a signal from turret factories to be active, IP's and PG's need to teleport marines by some sort of "transmission", similar things apply to every marine structure, so: when the jamming scream would be used, marine structures would become deactivated for a short amount of time (2,3 seconds?) - would make a turret spam in base useless and finish off rounds which are already lost by marines ('3rd hive' games).
> radius: medium
> energy cost: high
> duration: short
So that would it....
[defensive stance ON]
[flame-shield ON]
/EDIT:
Made some things in bold
The idea is to make an additional alien life form which would have a support role (that could use his abilities for both his and the teams benefit at the same time like Lerks can), rather than another damage dealer. In 'evolutionary' terms I would be an alternative path for gorge: of similar mass (maybe a bit bigger), but not as vulnerable since he has not lost all his skulk-like feats and gained new ones. His abilities would be based upon producing / receiving sound at any possible frequency. To accomodate such abilities it would develope sound organs - sth similar to the collar-like-organ of the dino pic I've attached. Doesn't have to look the same and be in the same place of course, it's just an example.
[attachment=35815:dino.jpg]
<b>Name:</b>
Vocifer
from
vo•cif•er•ate
–verb (used without object), verb (used with object), -at•ed, -at•ing.
to speak or cry out loudly or noisily; shout; bawl.
[Origin: 1590–1600; < L vÅciferÄtus (ptp. of vÅciferÄri to shout), equiv. to vÅci-, s. of vÅx voice + fer(re) to bear1 + -Ätus -ate1]
I believe it follows the general NS way of giving names to aliens (Gorge(ous), Fade, Lerk=Lurk, etc.) and doesn't sound too bad... gives a bit unholy impression to me (vo-,lu- -cifer)
More words that could relate to his function: ro(o?)ar, groan, howl, clamo(o?)r, holler etc.
(since it would have to be seriously play-tested and balanced all numbers etc. are only to give an idea, not sth that I really cared about when writing this)
<b>Cost:</b> 20-25 res
<b>HP:</b> 100
<b>Armor:</b> 50
<b>Passive abilities:</b>
- build around good old bunny hopping and crouch-jumping (more precisely - jump-crouching):
> jump faster and higher/bigger jump length than skulk (Not leap, somwhere between skulk jump and leap)
> able to attach to a surface when pressing crouch. Would allow to get to places where other aliens can (apart from onos)
> when attached to a wall, player would not be angle-limited when it comes to the direction of his next jump (so he could for example jump up and attach to the same wall but higher), but if bouncing off a wall the player would have a "bounce-off" angle-limit so he can't jump along one long wall (because that would be almost wall-running)
> would allow wall-attaching for a good ambush spot, but would not be as good as skulk wall-running.
> the idea is to allow players proficient in such movement to approach marine by jumping from wall to wall a'la aliens style.
<b>
Hive 1 abilities:</b>
- Bite, lerk-like damage, self-explanatory
- Echolocation:
> the same way as bats use it to navigate and identify objects. Alien would use this ability as any other energy-dependent attack by "shooting" it (would involve animations of the "sound-organ" in 3d view / world model, no projectile of course). Marines which happen to be in the place where alien was directing (65* FOV?) become visible for a short duration of time (2-3 seconds?).
> how visible is "visible"? - aliens see them as if they were parasited, the alien commander see them completely from above
> two ways of doing it: both marines and structures are visible or only marine models
> duration: as I said, very short
> range: medium/long
> energy cost: small/medium
<b>Hive 2:</b>
- Primal scream!
> Yes! Such a great ability, it's sad to see one of those unique atmosphere-building aspects of NS that was condemned to become a third hive ability, taking it out from the main game i.e. 1 and 2 hive gameplay which is more or less 3/4 of the whole round. Add the fact that when marines are winning 3rd hive is an unlikely scenario to see, which makes primal scream used more or less at the end of 1 round out of 4 (assuming ideal aliens - marine winning ratio of 1:1).
<u><b>> Decrease the positive effects to the level of a 2nd hive ability.</b></u>
> Collar / sound-organ animation.
> Just imagine: Marine, strolling down a dark corridor as marines do, playing with his LMG, when suddenly, an alien jumps at him, screams with anger, some strange collar around his neck / collar-like-organs stretch giving the impression of being much bigger than it really is... you have probably seen this many times, e.g. when the fat guy gets killed in Jurassic Park I.
> What to do with the Lerk 3rd hive ability then? Give him his spikes back! Most people loved them, but they were too powerful - ideal for a 3rd hive ability IMO (maybe a lesser rof?).
<b>Hive 3:</b>
Jamming scream (Jamming: To interfere with or prevent the clear reception of (broadcast signals) by electronic means)
> it could use a better name, I agree
> 3rd hive need sth uber... so here it goes: a scream (doesn't have to be audible) which interferes with signals between marine structures, e.g: CC need to "communicate" wirelessly between structures like sensory, armoury etc. to use them, turrets need to maintain a signal from turret factories to be active, IP's and PG's need to teleport marines by some sort of "transmission", similar things apply to every marine structure, so: when the jamming scream would be used, marine structures would become deactivated for a short amount of time (2,3 seconds?) - would make a turret spam in base useless and finish off rounds which are already lost by marines ('3rd hive' games).
> radius: medium
> energy cost: high
> duration: short
So that would it....
[defensive stance ON]
[flame-shield ON]
/EDIT:
Made some things in bold
Comments
Regarding primal scream and spikes I don't agree though.
Spikes weren't really overpowered, but just annoying.
Lerks were sitting at some spot far away and attacking buildings, which is kinda boring for the lerk and just annoying for the marines.
Spores are good enough to deal damage to marines and you don't have to sit at one spot to deal damage like with spikes, while a marine can pistol snipe you.
Instead of primal scream the new alien could maybe have another "mental" weapon to screw with marines.
By firing this weapon you could create multiple fake sounds of aliens in a certain range, thus marines don't know the exact direction the aliens are coming from.
Every good player knows how important sound is and I'm sure this would be a very scary and shocking experience, when you hear multiple aliens nearby or just a fake skulk walking/biting behind your back and turn around to reveal your back to the real alien.
Lerks were sitting at some spot far away and attacking buildings, which is kinda boring for the lerk and just annoying for the marines.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well, that is true. However, if spikes would be introduced with the arrival of 3 hive, when in 90% of situations aliens are about to or already attacking the marines base, hopefully, such situations would be minimized due to a different game play at the end of the round. So no spiking from dodgy vents at RTs, but attacking marines at the base.
I really like the "mental" weapon idea, might cause some marines to be more alert then they were in the first place... but definitely the whole point kicks ass and goes along perfectly with such "sound-oriented" class.
As to your jammer proposition, I would strip it down a lot, having it effect obs tech only. Then I would move it to slot 3 (2nd hive) and make it a "hold to use" effect like blink that upon use (without hold) would create a 3-4 second dampening field that shorts out pg connections and masks against motion tracking copletely. If held, it would create a trail that moved with the Vocifer, allowing him to function like an arbiter against obs tech. It's debatable whether or not this should counter ping, perhaps ping would detect large lifeforms (onos, fade) but gorge lerk and skulk would still remain masked.
As I imagine it how it would work for NS (I couldn't really find any detailed data on how echolocation really works, so my explanation is<b> a pure sci-fi rather than proper scientific fact</b>):
- the path the sound wave travels is not simply BAT -> Perpendicular Wall -> BAT. If that would be the case than bat would fly into (or detect just before he hits) structures that are not flat and perpendicular to the direction of his flight, for instance pyramidal structures. Also, uneven surfaces easily disperse waves, therefore I assume that echolocation allows visualization of the surroundings even if the waves were bouncing off all over the place.
- I am also assuming that vocifer is not producing a single sound wave but a series of waves which bounce around the place, each having a bit different trajectory (or maybe even speed), which causes some of the waves to be received a bit later than others (thus the ability works for a duration of couple seconds).
- also (which is a pure sci-fi) I imagine that velocifer would be able to use the first waves that come back to him to visualize in his head the surrounding environment with such a good "resolution" that he would be able to tell from the waves that came later that for example around the corner a marine was waving his hand.
I'll say it again: I am just assuming things, thinking up a sci-fi theory on top of a real-life mechanism found in nature. It's like with an onos who bends the law of physics when he devours a HA marine with his mouth having 20 cm in diameter <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
So here is my conversion of your idea and reasons why. As far as I have read this alien is super mega amazing uber support role, appsolutely ######s up a marines head while this alien is anywhere near.
My idea is that you should forget the bite, it doesnt need it, waste of time going near marines, too good of an alien to waste almost getting it killed. With this in mind, I think this alien should be the Hivemind.
I dont know wheth NS team has decided whether hive mind will be in the hive as a commander or as a moving being, but I think this alien would really suit hive mind, all its abilities would be VERY useful all through the game and thus It would mean the hive mind wouldnt need to gestate to a better alien.
Another reason for this is If it was hive mind it would be limited to one and I think this would be fair becasue of the fact having two would be overkill (especialy on small maps).
And also if the Hivemind was inside the hive (or the hive itself) then the abilities would almost be like scan and the ability to create sounds could be in an area around the hive. Im pretty sure if the hive created contant "phantom" noises it would be worse than silence, you dont know whether the noise is real or not. This would make a sneaky phase gate builder REALLY on edge!!!
This sounded much better in my head than what ive written, Im sorry I cant express what i mean very well... Im just saying I think this alien should not just be a 5th alien its too different and unique, also its very limited and two would be pointless. I think it would work really well however as a singular being which you can only have one, using its Amazing support all through the game, maybe with 3 hives it generates scarier sounds for example, Onos, xeno, fade blink, webbing sounds...
Thanks for reading.
(Can you imagine like 8 of these all screaming in-game at the same time? <i>Really</i> annoying after awhile...)