Skulk Bite Model
MonsieurEvil
Join Date: 2002-01-22 Member: 4Members, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
<div class="IPBDescription">Put up or shutup</div> Ok, I think I've seen my 1000th posting from people who have a problem with how the skulk bite model looks. So, here's where you can post all your ideas on what you would do to replace the model. Once the topic starts rolling, I'll move it into the suggestions area.
Please note that your ideas are going to get shredded just as badly as the NS team's idea was, and for good reason most likely; so don't be a little ****. I am just curious to see what people have as an alternative to the current bite model that wouldn't look ludicrous (an unmoving snout sticking out at the bottom of your screen) to boring (nothing at all).
Also, this is the last post on the matter. Fill in here, because I will be hunting down all further postings on the subject and deleting them with extreme prejudice. Because I'm sick of the armchair quarterbacking.
So - let's have it...
Please note that your ideas are going to get shredded just as badly as the NS team's idea was, and for good reason most likely; so don't be a little ****. I am just curious to see what people have as an alternative to the current bite model that wouldn't look ludicrous (an unmoving snout sticking out at the bottom of your screen) to boring (nothing at all).
Also, this is the last post on the matter. Fill in here, because I will be hunting down all further postings on the subject and deleting them with extreme prejudice. Because I'm sick of the armchair quarterbacking.
So - let's have it...
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Never noticed it working while biting a marine though.
Yes it is silly if you THINK about it, after all the eyes are on its head;
BUT: it's a good atmospheric idea, it looks very very cool.
In lieu of any decent alternatives (and TBH I can't think of anything that would do), my vote is KEEP IT AS IT IS.
<!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
ill cut them
Ego
oh yea my idea.. maybe you can put the viewpoint 3rd person, but that would suck, and i would vote against it, but its an idea, so shut up
That's what's so cool about being Aliens; You can see the teeth <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> . But all the models should you see attack ( Only Fades where you can see that he actually do something to do damage - he hits ), the current anim are just the standard ones when they attack, a LITTLE bit ugly for this overall great mod. I dunno if it's going to be changed in later releases, if so, sorry for this <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> . The Skulk model is cool, more death animations would be a little cooler - so they just don't fall backwards when shot by a fully upgrades shotgun in their head.
Which incidentally, I don't think is a problem as long as you possess a modicum of skill. I've seen people go on about it who are skillful so I guess they just like whinging about stuff <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
complaints pffft.
Ego
Skulks do not "SEE" really good. They are almost blind (except on the color, green).
The way thes "see" is HIVESIGHT !
This way they can kinda collective, see trough each other (khara flashlight rulz) and feel trough walls.
<b>missing features</b>
The 180° "fishbowl" surround view alien Sight of AVP1 (not avp2, this one is boring).
In most OpenGL games (Quake based) with "/cg_FOV 140" and higher numbers (90 is normal).
in NS open a server and type "<b>default_fov 140</b>" in the readyroom. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
I want the rotating alien view from AVP1, too (optional please).
I mean that you always look down to the wall that you are walking on.
when you are hanging on the top the room is upside down (from your view) and such. (once again AVP2 is damn boring here)
The bite model is cool and should stay as it is.
Prohibit "...drawviewmodel 0" !!!
When i first time played this mod i was like holy crap, it is impossible to kill anything, because i cant see while biting.
I have played NS pretty much now and i dont have any difficulties to see what iam biting anymore. It just needs a little practise. And like the others said before me, those teeths are REALLY cool.
Reality? I stand by ken20.
Keep it as is.
In most OpenGL games (Quake based) with "/cg_FOV 140" and higher numbers (90 is normal).
in NS open a server and type "<b>default_fov 140</b>" in the readyroom. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Back in earlier testing, the skulks FOV was set at 120 as the default. It was changed because software wouldn't support it, hehe. Just a little bit of info for ya.
In most OpenGL games (Quake based) with "/cg_FOV 140" and higher numbers (90 is normal).
in NS open a server and type "<b>default_fov 140</b>" in the readyroom. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Back in earlier testing, the skulks FOV was set at 120 as the default. It was changed because software wouldn't support it, hehe. Just a little bit of info for ya. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'd like to see it put back in, since software mode doesn't work anyway. :b Annoying to have a Marine simply jump over you, and have you lose him when Skulks are supposed to be 90% melee.. but get tunnel-vision. :b
(And I've been playing NS since around an hour after it went public, on my birthday, thenkyouverymuch.)
And as for the eye positioning, it's a freaking alien! Who's to say an alien species which has evolved as a predator that constantly has it's mouth open wouldn't have eyes near it's throat? I know it might not appear consistant with the model, but consider this: The eyes you can see on the model are decoys. They're there, in an easily attacked place, as an evolutionary adaption. Eyes are very vunerable, and can be targeted by prey (The dinosaur species Iguanadon had a thumb spike exactly for this purpose), so why not have skin colourations that look like eyes on the outside, thus eliminating a weak point in the skulk's defense against it's prey. With the eyes safely at the back of it's throat, the skulk can breath a little easier.
There you have it folks, the comprohensive reasoning behind both the skulk bite model and it's external appearance. Composed after a 24 hour lan, 42 hours without sleep, and at 3:35am Australian time <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
Perv...
<!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
As for people who say it should stay cos it needs to balance the big muzzle flash...
The muzzle flash needs to stay to balance the skulks bite thing....
Read that a few time, then switch on your brain and think about what your saying.
3rd person mode could be another option... or maybe even a sensory upgrade (assuming they get rid of carapace at some point).
Blank
(EDIT) argh, Link stole my thunder <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
why not trough myself?
Have you ever played HL in third person?! Its a buggy pile of poop. Its almost impossible to aim, not to mention the fact that people will just use it to look around corners, and scout rooms.
This thread isn't about the muzzle flash; it's about the bite model.
Link, Blank and Paq's idea of the transparent bite model with an upgrade would be good, but if it is on the sensory chamber it would not get too much use without a dramatic change in the Xenos overall stratagy.
Summary: Semi transparent with upgrade = good
I think the skulk bite model should be something similar to the lerks. The lerks isnt NEARLY has blinding as the skulks and it almost seems like it plays faster.
This might also make enhanced sight more useful. I know I never use it at all, but maybe if you changed it so each level makes the bite model more and more translucent it might be more useful. Not to the point where its gone, but so you can gain some of your peripheral vision back.
Maybe it should be an option to turn on or off in the menus. I myself cant play with em at all, but my friend up the street cant play without them! It's hilarious, he comes over my house to hang out and says "dude, how can you bite without the model?" i say "I dunno". So maybe make that a user option.
If you are going to leave the model the way it is, then change the skulk model itself so the eyes are actually inside the mouth, that would make a hayle of a lot more sense.
Now that you know what I would rationally suggest, lemme talk about what other people have said...
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->If skulks could see all the time, even when attacking, with such a deadly bite, marines would start whining that the skulks are too good.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Firstly unupgraded marines > skulks...period. The only way a skulk can really kill a [good] marine is if he sneaks up on him, or catches him off guard. If the marine knows he's coming, the skulk doesnt stand a chance. If the marine knows to hold BACKWARD and a strafe key when fighting a skulk, the skulk doesnt stand a chance.
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Keep it as is.... the only ones really complaining are the people that started playing NS a week or so before they posted their "complaint".<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Totally not the case. I've been playing since day 1 of public release, and i've hated it ever since I first fired. I hate the fact that a model is supposed to cap someone's ability, and not actually the class itself.
And finally, if I had my way, I would leave everything the way it is and give the user the option to turn the model on or off using r_drawview. I know that'll never happen, but hey, I got a lot of strange ideas =)
<img src='http://www.lvcm.com/sobe/score.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
r_drawviewmodel 0, 15 minutes. Down with blinding!
Seems to me a pretty compelling argument for the unbalancing effects of r_drawviewmodel 0.