Rooms and Territory Control
thefonz
Join Date: 2011-06-22 Member: 105847Members
Join Date: 2011-06-22 Member: 105847Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Reposted from discussion about room lighting states</div>This is my idea to improve the room/territory aspects of NS2. Please discuss, criticize, comment, and most importantly improve!
I feel that rooms should have 3 basic states:
(1) Marine Controlled
(2) Alien Controlled
(3) Neutral
All rooms would start in the neutral state, excluding starting bases of course.
(*) Furthermore, I don't think hallways and connecting passages should be treated as "true rooms" with power nodes. Explanation to follow.
Basic Descriptions.
(1) Marine Controlled.
Marine Controlled rooms have socketed power nodes.
They are well lit with few to no dark areas to hide in.
Basically, just as it is now.
(2) Alien Controlled.
The power node is not simply un-socketed. It is infested. Think something like a "mega cyst" where the power node normally is.
It is very dark. Only a few emergency lights should be lit. Other sources of light will be the mild glow emitted by the infestation and alien structures. (The glow is in, or at least stilled planned, right?)
The "mega cyst" would be created by a Gorge. IMO this would be a nice way to bring back some more importance to the Gorge. Alternatively, the Alien commander could do it with drifters.
I'm partial to the Gorge method, but either way would work. Whichever fits the plans for the Alien commander and Gorge best I suppose.
Infested rooms would grow infestation (with pre-placed cyst locations by mappers, like with the random start location cysts) on ALL surfaces (A. (Dunno how that may mess with the commander view. Perhaps if a surface is invisible to the commander, the infestation on that surface would inherit the trait. Does it work like that now with Gorges putting cysts on ceilings?)
To bring more importance to infesting rooms, Gorges would still be able to place cysts on walls and ceilings, but they CANNOT connect to the cyst network unless the power node is infested with a mega cyst. Ground based cysts would of course work normally.
(3) Neutral
This applies to unsocketed, uninfested, and destroyed nodes.
Think of a shopping center at night with all the stores closed. There are lights on the sidewalks and places people would walk. There are plenty of dark corners and unlit areas too. The overall idea of a Neutral room is to give neither team a complete advantage, but to still provide some mild advantages if you are clever/smart enough to stay in lit areas (as a Marine per say) or to use the shadowy areas (as an Alien per say).
(*) Hallways and Connecting Passages
These are not rooms. They do not have power nodes.
However, the same 3 basic states still apply. Instead of the state of a power node deciding the state of the Hallway/Passage, the state of the adjoining rooms would decide the state of the Hallway/Passage.
That is to say:
If all adjoining rooms are Marine Controlled. Then the Hallway/Passage is Marine Controlled. Ditto for Aliens.
If the adjoining rooms are not entirely controlled by one team, then the Hallway/Passage defaults to a Neutral state.
Hallways/Passages, should contain some type of state indicator like a dumbed down power node. More important for marines I suppose so they know if structures will have power.
Of course, ground based cysts can still be built through a Hallway/Passage like normal despite whatever state it is in.
One flaw that I haven't quite got a good idea for is the following situation. Let's say the Marines have control of all the adjoining rooms to a Hallway/Passage and then build structures in said Hallway/Passage. The Marines then lose control of one adjoining room and the Hallway/Passage becomes Neutral and the structures lose power. The Marines get screwed out of using their structures, even though they may still be able to keep the aliens from attacking the Hallway/Passage. Unfortunately it doesn't work the same way for Aliens, who can keep their structures alive with their cyst network. The obvious and simple solution is Power Packs. However I get the feeling that those are never coming back. Unless someone else or I can think of something, this would make Hallways/Passages a dangerous place for Marines to build structures.
TL;DR? ----> GTFO :)
I feel that rooms should have 3 basic states:
(1) Marine Controlled
(2) Alien Controlled
(3) Neutral
All rooms would start in the neutral state, excluding starting bases of course.
(*) Furthermore, I don't think hallways and connecting passages should be treated as "true rooms" with power nodes. Explanation to follow.
Basic Descriptions.
(1) Marine Controlled.
Marine Controlled rooms have socketed power nodes.
They are well lit with few to no dark areas to hide in.
Basically, just as it is now.
(2) Alien Controlled.
The power node is not simply un-socketed. It is infested. Think something like a "mega cyst" where the power node normally is.
It is very dark. Only a few emergency lights should be lit. Other sources of light will be the mild glow emitted by the infestation and alien structures. (The glow is in, or at least stilled planned, right?)
The "mega cyst" would be created by a Gorge. IMO this would be a nice way to bring back some more importance to the Gorge. Alternatively, the Alien commander could do it with drifters.
I'm partial to the Gorge method, but either way would work. Whichever fits the plans for the Alien commander and Gorge best I suppose.
Infested rooms would grow infestation (with pre-placed cyst locations by mappers, like with the random start location cysts) on ALL surfaces (A. (Dunno how that may mess with the commander view. Perhaps if a surface is invisible to the commander, the infestation on that surface would inherit the trait. Does it work like that now with Gorges putting cysts on ceilings?)
To bring more importance to infesting rooms, Gorges would still be able to place cysts on walls and ceilings, but they CANNOT connect to the cyst network unless the power node is infested with a mega cyst. Ground based cysts would of course work normally.
(3) Neutral
This applies to unsocketed, uninfested, and destroyed nodes.
Think of a shopping center at night with all the stores closed. There are lights on the sidewalks and places people would walk. There are plenty of dark corners and unlit areas too. The overall idea of a Neutral room is to give neither team a complete advantage, but to still provide some mild advantages if you are clever/smart enough to stay in lit areas (as a Marine per say) or to use the shadowy areas (as an Alien per say).
(*) Hallways and Connecting Passages
These are not rooms. They do not have power nodes.
However, the same 3 basic states still apply. Instead of the state of a power node deciding the state of the Hallway/Passage, the state of the adjoining rooms would decide the state of the Hallway/Passage.
That is to say:
If all adjoining rooms are Marine Controlled. Then the Hallway/Passage is Marine Controlled. Ditto for Aliens.
If the adjoining rooms are not entirely controlled by one team, then the Hallway/Passage defaults to a Neutral state.
Hallways/Passages, should contain some type of state indicator like a dumbed down power node. More important for marines I suppose so they know if structures will have power.
Of course, ground based cysts can still be built through a Hallway/Passage like normal despite whatever state it is in.
One flaw that I haven't quite got a good idea for is the following situation. Let's say the Marines have control of all the adjoining rooms to a Hallway/Passage and then build structures in said Hallway/Passage. The Marines then lose control of one adjoining room and the Hallway/Passage becomes Neutral and the structures lose power. The Marines get screwed out of using their structures, even though they may still be able to keep the aliens from attacking the Hallway/Passage. Unfortunately it doesn't work the same way for Aliens, who can keep their structures alive with their cyst network. The obvious and simple solution is Power Packs. However I get the feeling that those are never coming back. Unless someone else or I can think of something, this would make Hallways/Passages a dangerous place for Marines to build structures.
TL;DR? ----> GTFO :)
Comments
My idea for area control/powernodes would be something like it is now, but adding a few things to the purpose of powernodes:
<ul><li>Tie motiontracking to powered areas, to non-believers: <a href="http://www.yfrog.com/z/gy3mofkj" target="_blank">http://www.yfrog.com/z/gy3mofkj</a></li><li>Have powernodes be damageable by infestation</li></ul>
This would give a good reason to bite the powernode before the extractor, and you will need intel on marines to make the right decision.
Take out motiontracking/powernode(good if you have marines coming soon), or get the extractor down?
And it would prevent having to bite all locations down, your commander could take over an area for you.
Infesting it and slowly destroying the powernode.
I read your post but I don't quite have a feel for the context you're proposing it in. Sorry if I missed something!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
My idea address a few things.
(1) how maps all start with fully lit rooms. the neutral state addresses that.
(2) Gives power nodes a function for the alien team. Make the more than simply chew toys. Make them a way for commanders to reinforce their networks. "mega cysts" on power node would have significantly more health than regular cysts, forgot to mention that in the OP.
(3) This idea also greatly increases the visual cues about which team is in control of an area, reinforcing the importance of taking territory. Also, IMO adding nicely to the general feel of the game. neutral territory would often be contested, something like no-mans's-land in between the trenches in WW1 (with less mud and more alien goo :) )
The current way in which the map is fully lit a lot of the time make me as a marine feel in control of the map. simply slightly darkening the map a bit for neutral rooms would make the game feel like more of a contest to see who could dominate the map and get in under Alien/Marine control.
<!--quoteo(post=1895840:date=Jan 19 2012, 01:47 PM:name=swalk)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (swalk @ Jan 19 2012, 01:47 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1895840"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I wouldn't like to have alien structures glowing in the dark, that defeats the purpose of hiding them out of sight.
My idea for area control/powernodes would be something like it is now, but adding a few things to the purpose of powernodes:
<ul><li>Tie motiontracking to powered areas, to non-believers: <a href="http://www.yfrog.com/z/gy3mofkj" target="_blank">http://www.yfrog.com/z/gy3mofkj</a></li><li>Have powernodes be damageable by infestation</li></ul>
This would give a good reason to bite the powernode before the extractor, and you will need intel on marines to make the right decision.
Take out motiontracking/powernode(good if you have marines coming soon), or get the extractor down?
And it would prevent having to bite all locations down, your commander could take over an area for you.
Infesting it and slowly destroying the powernode.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I am pretty sure the glowing eggs and structures are in the game already. I at least remember an NS2HD video where I saw glowing eggs.