Power Grid and Nodes

Quovatis

<div class="IPBDescription">How are the supposed to work?</div>How are the power grid and nodes supposed to work? Originally power nodes weren't in the plan, and I thought it was just based on whether the rooms had a linked com chair or extractor nearby. Can you explain how power nodes are supposed to work?

From what I can tell, it's either bugged or I don't understand it.

I took down the power node in marine start. Lights dim. Sentries and the armory cease to function, but the IPs and extractor continue to function. Ok, fine.

In another room, I take down the power node. There is also an armory, sentry, and extractor in the same room. No effect. Everything continues to function. ??

So how is it supposed to work? Also, why do aliens get all the power nodes parasited at the start of the game?

SgtBarlow

All those are bugs, some have already been fixed.

aeroripper

I was always envisioned the power grid to work like this for marines (both atmospherically and in gameplay):

1) Marines push out of marine start and drop another comm chair at the secondary tech point. They begin fortifying that second base and pay less attention to home base.

2) Aliens sneak attack marine start, and starting to kill the power node at the undefended base. The lights flicker, alarms start going off when it's near death.

3) Power node is destroyed, lights turn completely off. All affected marine structures power down. Computers/overhead fans/other environment props power down, there is a few seconds of complete silence.

4) Emergency lighting comes online, flooding the room with a red hue. A steam/ventilation pipe breaks, spewing gas. A few computer screens burst and shut down permanently. Alarm lights flash mutely.

5) Alien infestation starts creeping through the doorway and spreads all over the room. A drifter floats in and starts growing a hive, aliens make themselves at home.

----

6) Marines counterattack a few minutes later. A guy with a flamethrower kills off the infestation and the marines kill the hive and aliens. The room is clear but still without power and requires emergency lighting.

7) A MAC makes it's way to the destroyed power node and begins to replace it. Once its finished, the room goes dark again. A surge of electricity is heard, and the lights take a few seconds to dimly flicker back to life. Computers/environment props come back to life, steam flow tapers off to nothing. Fans slowly begin turning again.

8) Everything is back to normal and marines drop a new command center and rebuilt.

9) Rinse and repeat until either team finally destroys the other.

That's the way I envisioned it anyways. It'll have to be tweaked so it doesn't impair players too much from seeing/shooting aliens, or at least try to find a happy medium that works for everybody.

culprit

That's sounds pretty freaking awesome. I had really wondered how all of this would work. Having these node entities seemed like a new thing that no one had really talked about.

So will the attacking of extractors have any environmental effects? These power nodes seems like a parallel system to the nano-grid. Does the status of nearby extractors affect it at all?

RobB

from what i could gather back then when i read the concept layed out by flayra it works like ut3's powerline mode.
the enemy has three rooms, A - B - C. They're connected by "the powergrid". When the grid in room B is disturbed or destroyed, room C has troubles unless there's a techpoint with a functioning cc.

I'm not so sure of it, but it would still be awesome this or the other way around.

:if you cant understand what i typed, i'm awake for to long already:

Runteh

I think the idea is brilliant, and if you take them down in single player lan they actually seem to work... which is odd.

However, the kill time for aliens is ridiculous. Every class literally has to stand next to it for about 2 minutes bashing it until it dies. Impossible given some of the locations, such as the comm room. Maybe they are envisioning a group attack on these structures. Maybe if aliens are about to die you could rush a power node in the comm room?

Not sure if the lighting is still bugged, but after it goes it it pretty much instantly comes back on again. I'd expect them to go off completely, have a darker room with sirens and red lighting for around half a minute or so. Then the back up kicks in.