Kouji_SanSr. Hινε UÏкεεÏεг - EUPT DeputyThe NetherlandsJoin Date: 2003-05-13Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
edited January 2011
They seem to play an animation when hitting a wall in RtCW.
Happy ascii marine with flamer vs wall/object :P
 O /|-->************<b>*</b>| / \
The bold one disappears upon contact with the wall/object and places a stationary (none-velocity) sprite/particle in it's place, which could play a fadeout or explode/splat animation with a lifespan of said animation... Would also get rid of the flame sword effect NS2 currently has. Not sure how much more server power would be needed though (compared to let's say the Lerk spikes or Hydra' lag, I mean spikes?)
would it be too expensive to fix the flamer this way?
1) add 5 raytrace elements to the flamer that fire with each pulse - one midway from the top, bottom, left, and right edges of the firing cone, and one in the middle.
2) If a ray clips against a physics object, that portion of the flame animation stops there, replaced by an "on hit" animation, maybe some radially dispersing flame sprites that are given some momentum based on the angle of incidence with the wall.
<!--quoteo(post=1823693:date=Jan 12 2011, 05:05 PM:name=Varathar)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Varathar @ Jan 12 2011, 05:05 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1823693"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->This error code comes if I try to start NS2 from launcher. If I try to start the game directly on steam it just crashes and no error message. <i> "the procedure entry point ?GetBuildNumber@M4@@YAIXZ could not be located in the dynamic link library Engine.dll"</i>
I'll try to re-install it.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well.. I unistalled the game, I tried to download it trought steam but it stuck to 96% and after that game refused to download it. After 17 hour wait for nothing, I unistalled it but same problem. What I should do to get this game downloaded? (tried differend dowload regions like sweden and finland)
And when I just wrote this message game was downloaded 205MB and stopped there..
just remove flamethrower, replace it with HMG. honestly this weapon damn killing ns2 experience its causing nothing but problems. ANd its destroying the little of balance this game has currently. In the endgame fight, once marines have flamethrowers its losing fight no matter what.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->what is the point for marines to capture second command center? to get second tier weapons, flamethrowers - correct? what if aliens capture marines this second command center? nothing, that's the problem capturing an arena doesn't make marines lose any upgrades, this is the problem.
lets say marines have flamethrowers, but aliens capture that second command center, now marines shouldn't have access to flamethrowers - they failed to defend.
all marines do now, rush capture second command center, lose that but get flamethrowers. Get turrets in base, and go hunting with flamethrowers.
Just like in ns1, losing armory means you lose access to higher tier weapons, so losing command centers means losing access to higher tiers. (idea should apply to aliens as well)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
other problems: alien abilities are weak. skulk leap broken/problems sticking to walls gorges heals are weak fade blink totally slow/blinding (can't catch moving targets/each blink you're blinded for split of second/you end up chasing marines on foot more than blink/constantly have to select an area to blink to, this is WHILE fighting - end up blinking into everything)
one of the biggest complains i've had is the trashy blink is, which should indeed counter flamethrowers but because he can't catch moving targets, and everything else I listed with blink above he simply can't do anything. As marine I can kite fade, and I fought many of them, any skilled marine can kite fade now - all they do is chase you on foot pushing melee attack. All you have to do is keep moving because he simply can't blink at you, because he can't catch moving targets, lol. This would NEVER work in ns1, that's why i've said before give fade two forms of blinks - keep current and add ns1 blink
New blink is the only real <i>blink</i>. It has all the issues people keep mentioning though and agree bringing the old blink back as well might not be a bad idea but it needs a different name (dash, boost, warp, etc...) and maybe executed similar to how a marine would run. Maybe fades should just <i>have run</i>...
Mr. EpicJoin Date: 2003-08-01Member: 18660Members, Constellation
Wait for the game to be filled out more fully and then see the if the flamethrower needs a re-assessment. It could be that it moves to the upper end of the tech tree, it could become a lot more utilitarian and less of an offensive weapon (eg: reduced damage to aliens if they get some sort of heat resistant carapace armor upgrade or some other mechanic), it could be a com-drop and limited number only thing. Just wait :)
Concerning build 161, there have been a lot of great things: -Commander UI and performance improvements have been really something. -Infestation looks awesome in rockdown, really atmospheric. -Many sound effects greatly improved or added -Many improvements in maps in the beta maps -general feel improved through lots of little adjustments -steam integration is a nice addition
There have also been some issues: -Server performance has reverted to pre-159 levels, the tick rate drops really quickly and then jumps around a lot. -Sometimes the game breaks and you can't join teams and the game doesn't start -Aliens on fire at end of round end up as marines on fire in the ready room -client performance has deteriorated due in part to the server performance, banding has returned and the framerate gains of the past few releases have been wiped out by the stuttering.
Hopefully the server performance issues are the result of the work being done on the server physics, and that in the next build those changes eliminate the problem.
A bit dissappointing that the fs isn't tweaked, that means it's still über easy for rines to win in big maps. Apart from the blinding it also does massive damage to allien structures (crag, whip & hydra), and has huge range.. It can blind & kill a skulk in a matter of seconds, and a fade on fire reminds me more of a dumb bird that keeps flying against the window, then a sneaky killing machine.
I stopped playing the beta because for both sides there was only one way to win the game, and it was decided in the first 5 minutes, kinda boring if your a half decent player..
I'll probably get ingame this weekend to test the new com layout, but I beg you nerf the ft because the game is very very very boring withouth it..
<!--quoteo(post=1824147:date=Jan 13 2011, 03:51 PM:name=GeneralBowser)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (GeneralBowser @ Jan 13 2011, 03:51 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1824147"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I'll probably get ingame this weekend to test the new com layout, but I beg you nerf the ft because the game is very very very boring withouth it..<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I was thinking more long the lines of tech 3 for ft until DI gets in but even at tech 3 it is still a bit much. Maybe if they could somehow nerf the second ft so if to flamers are attacking the same alien/structure the second one only does 30%-40% damage. Or make it so there is a cap of max damage per second taken from flame for each entity or structure. From my experience a skulk can give a single rine a dance off for a few seconds to inflict damage if he is alone but 2 flames in the face equals instant BBQ and no chance of escape....well...slim chance of escape if lady luck is in your corner. At the moment all you can do is hope the flamethrower wielding marine lags out pointed to the rafters.
you must understand that when you are asking for FT nerfs, you are basically demanding that UW balance the FT now, and then balance it again later when teams are complete, making twice as much work for them to do just so you're happy.
<!--quoteo(post=1824158:date=Jan 14 2011, 01:05 AM:name=zex)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (zex @ Jan 14 2011, 01:05 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1824158"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->you must understand that when you are asking for FT nerfs, you are basically demanding that UW balance the FT now, and then balance it again later when teams are complete, making twice as much work for them to do just so you're happy.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
read my post carefully, you notice that flamethrowers one of the biggest problems only. And the only thing at this point I want to demand is to remove flamethrowers, and replace them with HMG's. And add flamethrower back whenever it was fixed. More importantly fix fade's blink so they actually counter marines higher tiers, and not just chase marines on foot.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->New blink is the only real blink. It has all the issues people keep mentioning though and agree bringing the old blink back as well might not be a bad idea but it needs a different name (dash, boost, warp, etc...) and maybe executed similar to how a marine would run. Maybe fades should just have run...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
agreed. I wouldn't mind if they renamed ns1 fade's blink, so long they added it back. Which should give the fade better flexibility at catching moving targets - which is one of the problems among others and I listed.
well, that depends if they plan to increase skulk HP. I think what everyone including myself is pointing out is that the flamethrower should not even be in at all at this point. No DI....No Onos. ....no flamethrower.
I understand they want to make a visual impact for sales but at the same time it is killing a loyal fan-base.
Everyone seems to have a different opinion on the ft but seems like the gameplay tests revolve around getting flame thrower so they can get back to the rr and do it again on the marine side of the coin and the alien side of the coin is to just keep marines from getting tech 2 and if they do....rush base to get back to the rr and do it again.
So as it seems know the flamethrower is just a weapon to get to the end of the round faster instead of actually using the strategy element to it's full potential even if it's a closed beta, Beta means beta no mater how you slice it.
Or i could be wrong about it all and the intentional design of the game was to get back to the rr as fast as you can.
Just remember these words: "DI may not be in the game when it ships".
<!--quoteo(post=1824166:date=Jan 14 2011, 01:22 AM:name=SN.Wolf)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SN.Wolf @ Jan 14 2011, 01:22 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1824166"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I think what everyone including myself is pointing out is that the flamethrower should not even be in at all at this point.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
that's a fair point but that's not at all what you said in the post I quoted.
that is true. i did in fact offer my opinion on balance.
Is it practical to try and balance it at this point in time? Absolutely not. Is it logical to at the very least investigate moving it to tech 3 Until other game mechanics are in place to properly test/balance it? Absolutely.
<!--quoteo(post=1824193:date=Jan 14 2011, 03:08 AM:name=SN.Wolf)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SN.Wolf @ Jan 14 2011, 03:08 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1824193"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Is it logical to at the very least investigate moving it to tech 3 Until other game mechanics are in place to properly test/balance it? Absolutely.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think it's more logical for UW to do what they are doing, which is to implement their game design incrementally and balance it when it is complete (if needed). Rather than attempting to maintain balance for each incremental change by temporarily deviating from their plan to make beta testers happy. That's a sure recipe for a total mess of a game when all the content is complete.
I partially agree with zex here, the bulk of the balancing should occur when the game is more feature-complete; but some things are just <b>so</b> broken it destroys any enthusiasm for unpaid beta testing.
I see four issues with flamethrower, most of which have been discussed: 1) The blinding effect - if it weren't for this, most aliens would have a much easier time 2) Going through walls - easily destroys base defenses 3) Random burn duration (where you're much more likely to die before it goes out) - the actual damage is not that high, 10 dps - but for some reason it can't be outhealed (probably because alien heal is a % of maxhp, rather than a hard value). 4) The relatively large "cone of fire" and relatively large ammunition (10 seconds of continuous fire, at 50 dps), which basically means you don't have to aim or use any skill, like you would with all of the other marine weapons
I don't think 4 has been touched upon much by anyone, but it is easily one of the biggest issues. Using the flamethrower doesn't really require much skill, you just hold down the mouse button and aim in the general vicinity of the aliens and you'll set them on fire. Every other weapon does require some skill.
Pros: Games play a bit smoother. Steam Join Game, now the friends I convinced are checking this out. Overall FPS improvement. Marine Commander UI much better. RED disabled buttons are awesome. Rifle much better weapon against skulks and lerks. Vanilla Skulk vs. Vanilla Marine a little tighter...I hope they don't touch this for awhile.
Cons: Fade teleport into walls. Server crash. Tram still too laggy to play. We are still not playing on full size maps, most of the good games are still rockdown.
On the flamethrower, implement more features and keep chipping away at the optimization task. Then nerf, tweak, twist whatever.
<!--quoteo(post=1824235:date=Jan 14 2011, 04:34 AM:name=kingmob)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (kingmob @ Jan 14 2011, 04:34 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1824235"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Vanilla Skulk vs. Vanilla Marine a little tighter...I hope they don't touch this for awhile.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Are you nuts? Skulks can't seem to do ###### now. It isn't the 3 bites to kill, since that makes sense and I wholeheartedly agree with it. It's just I used to be able to get the two bites in three or four tries. So three bites should take like 4 or five. Hell, even six. But atm it seems I can't hit ######, and me and a marine will be running around a room trying to bite/hack each other for far too long. It feels like something is off.
On the flip side, the LMG is MUCH better, killing Skulks is much more skillful now. Which kind of pushes my point about Skulks; if a marine runs out of ammo when fighting a Skulk close range, he should be dead. End of.
I think as tough as things are atm i'm just staying hopeful that there will be another fabled 159 style patch. where everything becomes right with the world and my bites no longer are just tickling the marines ankles.
I check the progress chart thing at the beginning and end of my day, somewhat sad but i am really interested in the development and from looking at the rate that things are being done, i don't have any concerns.
Example, today when i knew the guys would be signing on, 7 new elements were added and listed as "Started" now they are all finished. Granted they may be varying in complexity/innovation but at the same time the whole team won't be working on one thing.
I would like to be able to go "Oh i'm sure Max is fixing X and Cory is doing Y (And thinking up new jokes)" but until the meet the team video is released i don't really know the roles *hint*.
S'all good, lets see what 162 and 163 bring, which realistically is potentially < 3 weeks away.
<!--quoteo(post=1824260:date=Jan 14 2011, 01:46 AM:name=Wheeee)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Wheeee @ Jan 14 2011, 01:46 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1824260"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->drop 5 crags, flamethrower residual damage isn't a problem.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> I don't think residual damage is the source of most people's concerns. That's a unique strength of the flamethrower and it makes sense, but it's a very strong direct combat weapon as well, unreasonably so in a low-performance environment.
<!--quoteo(post=1824248:date=Jan 14 2011, 06:36 AM:name=Skiddywinks)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Skiddywinks @ Jan 14 2011, 06:36 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1824248"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->But atm it seems I can't hit ######, and me and a marine will be running around a room trying to bite/hack each other for far too long. It feels like something is off.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The server update rate DOES seem to be too low for satisfying melee combat, but I don't think that was really changed in the patches, and it feels a lot more difficult to bite people now.
<!--quoteo(post=1824158:date=Jan 14 2011, 01:05 AM:name=zex)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (zex @ Jan 14 2011, 01:05 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1824158"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->you must understand that when you are asking for FT nerfs, you are basically demanding that UW balance the FT now, and then balance it again later when teams are complete, making twice as much work for them to do just so you're happy.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> We can hardly base our comments on what the dev's MIGHT do in the future can we? What we get now is what we see, so thats what I comment on period.
It doesn't exactly take rocket science to cut a few flamethrower numbers in half, or just remove it until it can be balanced.
What purpose does it serve to leave it as is currently? It doesn't do anything other than make the game unenjoyable. Marines with shotguns rifles and grenades vs current aliens would be better than marines with flamethrowers vs current aliens, so just comment out the code which adds it to the armory. Instant solution.
First impressions of new release: not much because I got black screen when joining a server, has the game taken a step back in network performance or is it..me? I did had this previous release, but only occasionally..
I did managed to join an empty server and had normal vission there.
I also noticed when I type disconnect in console during load process it is no longer instant but it waits for the game to fully load to disconnect, thats kinda a bummer..
Definitely a performance downgrade but we had a semi decent game on tram. First time i had properly given Tram a go and i really enjoyed it.
Few things i noticed/did:
- Persistent sounds were being left - had a horrible feeling i was being ambushed by an invisible fade swiping but it was just a p.s. Also happened with my shotgun in the new room/repair room area. - Probably the highlight of my game was watching a fade get trapped in the floor grating in repair room. As you go in from marine side next to first Res node. Was absolutely brilliant, had him trapped like a prisoner. - I used flamethrower and it was just a pray and spray all the time, it was really the only way i could do anything with the performance as it is. - Low FPS i can deal with but for me rubber-banding was the issue and on several occasions the game lagged for a second and then carried on.
Anyway, 7 vs 7 and a gg even with performance as it is.
Comments
Happy ascii marine with flamer vs wall/object :P
 O
/|-->************<b>*</b>|
/ \
The bold one disappears upon contact with the wall/object and places a stationary (none-velocity) sprite/particle in it's place, which could play a fadeout or explode/splat animation with a lifespan of said animation... Would also get rid of the flame sword effect NS2 currently has. Not sure how much more server power would be needed though (compared to let's say the Lerk spikes or Hydra' lag, I mean spikes?)
1) add 5 raytrace elements to the flamer that fire with each pulse - one midway from the top, bottom, left, and right edges of the firing cone, and one in the middle.
2) If a ray clips against a physics object, that portion of the flame animation stops there, replaced by an "on hit" animation, maybe some radially dispersing flame sprites that are given some momentum based on the angle of incidence with the wall.
<img src="http://s2.kimag.es/share/93061141.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
i understand that the way the current flamethrower is, maybe not possible.
<i>
"the procedure entry point ?GetBuildNumber@M4@@YAIXZ could not be located in the dynamic link library Engine.dll"</i>
I'll try to re-install it.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well.. I unistalled the game, I tried to download it trought steam but it stuck to 96% and after that game refused to download it.
After 17 hour wait for nothing, I unistalled it but same problem. What I should do to get this game downloaded?
(tried differend dowload regions like sweden and finland)
And when I just wrote this message game was downloaded 205MB and stopped there..
I'm frustrated! :<
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->what is the point for marines to capture second command center? to get second tier weapons, flamethrowers - correct?
what if aliens capture marines this second command center? nothing, that's the problem
capturing an arena doesn't make marines lose any upgrades, this is the problem.
lets say marines have flamethrowers, but aliens capture that second command center, now marines shouldn't have access to flamethrowers - they failed to defend.
all marines do now, rush capture second command center, lose that but get flamethrowers. Get turrets in base, and go hunting with flamethrowers.
Just like in ns1, losing armory means you lose access to higher tier weapons, so losing command centers means losing access to higher tiers. (idea should apply to aliens as well)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
other problems:
alien abilities are weak.
skulk leap broken/problems sticking to walls
gorges heals are weak
fade blink totally slow/blinding (can't catch moving targets/each blink you're blinded for split of second/you end up chasing marines on foot more than blink/constantly have to select an area to blink to, this is WHILE fighting - end up blinking into everything)
one of the biggest complains i've had is the trashy blink is, which should indeed counter flamethrowers but because he can't catch moving targets, and everything else I listed with blink above he simply can't do anything. As marine I can kite fade, and I fought many of them, any skilled marine can kite fade now - all they do is chase you on foot pushing melee attack. All you have to do is keep moving because he simply can't blink at you, because he can't catch moving targets, lol. This would NEVER work in ns1, that's why i've said before give fade two forms of blinks - keep current and add ns1 blink
Concerning build 161, there have been a lot of great things:
-Commander UI and performance improvements have been really something.
-Infestation looks awesome in rockdown, really atmospheric.
-Many sound effects greatly improved or added
-Many improvements in maps in the beta maps
-general feel improved through lots of little adjustments
-steam integration is a nice addition
There have also been some issues:
-Server performance has reverted to pre-159 levels, the tick rate drops really quickly and then jumps around a lot.
-Sometimes the game breaks and you can't join teams and the game doesn't start
-Aliens on fire at end of round end up as marines on fire in the ready room
-client performance has deteriorated due in part to the server performance, banding has returned and the framerate gains of the past few releases have been wiped out by the stuttering.
Hopefully the server performance issues are the result of the work being done on the server physics, and that in the next build those changes eliminate the problem.
It can blind & kill a skulk in a matter of seconds, and a fade on fire reminds me more of a dumb bird that keeps flying against the window, then a sneaky killing machine.
I stopped playing the beta because for both sides there was only one way to win the game, and it was decided in the first 5 minutes, kinda boring if your a half decent player..
I'll probably get ingame this weekend to test the new com layout, but I beg you nerf the ft because the game is very very very boring withouth it..
I was thinking more long the lines of tech 3 for ft until DI gets in but even at tech 3 it is still a bit much. Maybe if they could somehow nerf the second ft so if to flamers are attacking the same alien/structure the second one only does 30%-40% damage. Or make it so there is a cap of max damage per second taken from flame for each entity or structure. From my experience a skulk can give a single rine a dance off for a few seconds to inflict damage if he is alone but 2 flames in the face equals instant BBQ and no chance of escape....well...slim chance of escape if lady luck is in your corner. At the moment all you can do is hope the flamethrower wielding marine lags out pointed to the rafters.
read my post carefully, you notice that flamethrowers one of the biggest problems only. And the only thing at this point I want to demand is to remove flamethrowers, and replace them with HMG's. And add flamethrower back whenever it was fixed. More importantly fix fade's blink so they actually counter marines higher tiers, and not just chase marines on foot.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->New blink is the only real blink. It has all the issues people keep mentioning though and agree bringing the old blink back as well might not be a bad idea but it needs a different name (dash, boost, warp, etc...) and maybe executed similar to how a marine would run. Maybe fades should just have run...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
agreed. I wouldn't mind if they renamed ns1 fade's blink, so long they added it back. Which should give the fade better flexibility at catching moving targets - which is one of the problems among others and I listed.
I understand they want to make a visual impact for sales but at the same time it is killing a loyal fan-base.
Everyone seems to have a different opinion on the ft but seems like the gameplay tests revolve around getting flame thrower so they can get back to the rr and do it again on the marine side of the coin and the alien side of the coin is to just keep marines from getting tech 2 and if they do....rush base to get back to the rr and do it again.
So as it seems know the flamethrower is just a weapon to get to the end of the round faster instead of actually using the strategy element to it's full potential even if it's a closed beta, Beta means beta no mater how you slice it.
Or i could be wrong about it all and the intentional design of the game was to get back to the rr as fast as you can.
Just remember these words: "DI may not be in the game when it ships".
that's a fair point but that's not at all what you said in the post I quoted.
Is it practical to try and balance it at this point in time? Absolutely not.
Is it logical to at the very least investigate moving it to tech 3 Until other game mechanics are in place to properly test/balance it? Absolutely.
I think it's more logical for UW to do what they are doing, which is to implement their game design incrementally and balance it when it is complete (if needed). Rather than attempting to maintain balance for each incremental change by temporarily deviating from their plan to make beta testers happy. That's a sure recipe for a total mess of a game when all the content is complete.
I see four issues with flamethrower, most of which have been discussed:
1) The blinding effect - if it weren't for this, most aliens would have a much easier time
2) Going through walls - easily destroys base defenses
3) Random burn duration (where you're much more likely to die before it goes out) - the actual damage is not that high, 10 dps - but for some reason it can't be outhealed (probably because alien heal is a % of maxhp, rather than a hard value).
4) The relatively large "cone of fire" and relatively large ammunition (10 seconds of continuous fire, at 50 dps), which basically means you don't have to aim or use any skill, like you would with all of the other marine weapons
I don't think 4 has been touched upon much by anyone, but it is easily one of the biggest issues. Using the flamethrower doesn't really require much skill, you just hold down the mouse button and aim in the general vicinity of the aliens and you'll set them on fire. Every other weapon does require some skill.
Pros:
Games play a bit smoother.
Steam Join Game, now the friends I convinced are checking this out.
Overall FPS improvement.
Marine Commander UI much better. RED disabled buttons are awesome.
Rifle much better weapon against skulks and lerks.
Vanilla Skulk vs. Vanilla Marine a little tighter...I hope they don't touch this for awhile.
Cons:
Fade teleport into walls.
Server crash.
Tram still too laggy to play.
We are still not playing on full size maps, most of the good games are still rockdown.
On the flamethrower, implement more features and keep chipping away at the optimization task.
Then nerf, tweak, twist whatever.
keep cranking UW
Are you nuts? Skulks can't seem to do ###### now. It isn't the 3 bites to kill, since that makes sense and I wholeheartedly agree with it. It's just I used to be able to get the two bites in three or four tries. So three bites should take like 4 or five. Hell, even six. But atm it seems I can't hit ######, and me and a marine will be running around a room trying to bite/hack each other for far too long. It feels like something is off.
On the flip side, the LMG is MUCH better, killing Skulks is much more skillful now. Which kind of pushes my point about Skulks; if a marine runs out of ammo when fighting a Skulk close range, he should be dead. End of.
I check the progress chart thing at the beginning and end of my day, somewhat sad but i am really interested in the development and from looking at the rate that things are being done, i don't have any concerns.
Example, today when i knew the guys would be signing on, 7 new elements were added and listed as "Started" now they are all finished.
Granted they may be varying in complexity/innovation but at the same time the whole team won't be working on one thing.
I would like to be able to go "Oh i'm sure Max is fixing X and Cory is doing Y (And thinking up new jokes)" but until the meet the team video is released i don't really know the roles *hint*.
S'all good, lets see what 162 and 163 bring, which realistically is potentially < 3 weeks away.
I don't think residual damage is the source of most people's concerns. That's a unique strength of the flamethrower and it makes sense, but it's a very strong direct combat weapon as well, unreasonably so in a low-performance environment.
server tick rate IMHO
I can literally backpedal for 5 seconds before the fade scores enough hits to kill me, even if he's running straight at me.
We can hardly base our comments on what the dev's MIGHT do in the future can we? What we get now is what we see, so thats what I comment on period.
What purpose does it serve to leave it as is currently? It doesn't do anything other than make the game unenjoyable. Marines with shotguns rifles and grenades vs current aliens would be better than marines with flamethrowers vs current aliens, so just comment out the code which adds it to the armory. Instant solution.
I did managed to join an empty server and had normal vission there.
I also noticed when I type disconnect in console during load process it is no longer instant but it waits for the game to fully load to disconnect, thats kinda a bummer..
Definitely a performance downgrade but we had a semi decent game on tram. First time i had properly given Tram a go and i really enjoyed it.
Few things i noticed/did:
- Persistent sounds were being left - had a horrible feeling i was being ambushed by an invisible fade swiping but it was just a p.s. Also happened with my shotgun in the new room/repair room area.
- Probably the highlight of my game was watching a fade get trapped in the floor grating in repair room. As you go in from marine side next to first Res node. Was absolutely brilliant, had him trapped like a prisoner.
- I used flamethrower and it was just a pray and spray all the time, it was really the only way i could do anything with the performance as it is.
- Low FPS i can deal with but for me rubber-banding was the issue and on several occasions the game lagged for a second and then carried on.
Anyway, 7 vs 7 and a gg even with performance as it is.