Builder bot
rsd
Join Date: 2003-02-11 Member: 13405Members
Join Date: 2003-02-11 Member: 13405Members
<div class="IPBDescription">personality</div>In response to the question posed on twitter:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Discussed Cory's concepts for the "builder bot". This little guy works for the marine Comm. How much personality should he have? -Charlie<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I guess it depends what the idea behind it is. If its something the marines need to rally around to protect in some situations, I think a personality will help make it feel "alive" and worth defending. If you want it to just mission around almost invisibly and get stuff done, I'd say personality will only draw attention to it and make it a distraction.
I think the initial reason everyone defended gorges (apart from it being vital to winning) was their vulnerable appearance and squishyness <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Discussed Cory's concepts for the "builder bot". This little guy works for the marine Comm. How much personality should he have? -Charlie<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I guess it depends what the idea behind it is. If its something the marines need to rally around to protect in some situations, I think a personality will help make it feel "alive" and worth defending. If you want it to just mission around almost invisibly and get stuff done, I'd say personality will only draw attention to it and make it a distraction.
I think the initial reason everyone defended gorges (apart from it being vital to winning) was their vulnerable appearance and squishyness <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
Comments
C3PO from Starwars
The Bit from Tron
Marvin ¨The paranoid android¨ from HHGTG
Number Five from Short Circuit
Portals Turrets
Do I recall Charlie saying he was using manhacks as placeholders for these one time? Suggests the concept may be closer to ¨the bit¨ in form that the others. As mass produced equipment for a very serious purpose (in the game universe) I cant see the TSA giving their gear much at all in the way of personality.
[edit]Added a droid with ¨genuine people personality¨ to the list. A repair bot that grumbles and complains the whole time... hmm... could just work.
player : Weld me!
*bot welds players armor*
bot : There, your all fixed up. Be more careful next time.
[/edit]
I'd find it extremely fitting and atmospheric if this little builder bot would resemble something like Wall-E or his companion EVE.
But the main purpose is still him building stuff so that we can rely on him. It would be a waste of ress if he was too lazy to do stuff. Multiple possible personalities come to mind, but I don't think that's a good idea (kind of like luck-based should you get the best working guy)
Give it very little personality I'd say. Let's not jump on that Jar Jar Binks train <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
But I am wary of having bots do the work for you, not because building isn't a chore some of the time, but because AI-controlled players are inherently clumsy-looking and massively prone to pathfinding issues (especially in 3D). In short, they really show up any holes in their design and make the game look poorer than it would otherwise do so.
Manhacks were okay because they could get away with smashing into walls because sparks would fly every time they did so and they also had cutty-things to protect them from being clumsy. They were also supposed to be a little suicidal, so it made sense for them to throwthemselves into battle.
For a repair droid, it will just look crap if they smash themselves against walls or get stuck behind the lips of doors. I don't really see the need for a repair droid as a replacement for welders. If an additional extra, maybe, because that additional extra can always be dropped later on if it's eating up too much time and budget.
I would give it a hint of personality, but still a somewhat low-tech tool and integrate it tightly with the mood of NS2. I can already imagine all the cool mods that would come out for it.
I'm imagining a little floating ball moving slowly down a hallway silently creeping along with infestation, and a
slow but ominous "ping" sound to scan the surroundings. They could develop it to do a lot of dfifferent
roles that the commander could choose.
Things like a welder, mini-flamethrower, remote camera that marines can see or activate in their hud, dynamic spotlight (with a cool bluish hue), and night vision. Or hell, make the robot give motion tracking in a medium
proximity to marines.
You could really do a lot with it.
they made it.... cute...
So wrong on so many levels. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
Rotating warning lights for teh w1n! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
they made it.... cute...
So wrong on so many levels. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
Rotating warning lights for teh w1n! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->So it's in danger of becoming a cheap Companion Cube rip-off?
That or <b>SHODAN</b>, which might be too intimidating/creepy. Imagine losing another RT and hearing, <b>"L-l-l-l-look at you, commander..."</b>
Hahaha that is awesome. This needs to be one of those secret funny voiceovers you get from clicking a unit too much.
"cc: You pathetic slab of meat, I made you what you are!"