Phase gates and teleporting to scenario...

MegaMick · June 2002

<div class="IPBDescription">A small quastion about gameplay.</div>I watched some videos of the game, showing some features of the game, and I noticed that the commander, at a certain point, was able to teleport something near a marine... I think it was ammo... Because the marine happily fetch it.

In the same video, the commander teleported something in a room so a marine could go there and build something (sentry-gun?)

So, this teleporting works in the same way as I read in your "world" section, right? the phase gate technology. So, in this world, you can teleport ships using HUGE and expensive gates. But in-game, you can teleport ammo using this, but you can't build a senty-gun <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/turret.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':turret:'> and then teleport it somewhere else already built, ready to kill <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/bob.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':bob:'> ? Why do you have to teleport something there, and then the Marine approaches and builds the sentry-gun? Also, in the "world" section I also read about Marines getting teleported through personal gates to a room, shouting "Area Clear!", can you do That in-game?

Is the "realism" (coherency? damn I can't spell it... lol) beeing sacrificed so the gameplay is more even and fair? Will that make the game less surrounding?
I mean, there is a diffrence between a cheap movie when you leave thinking like "that could have done that anytime, but the guy who wrote it didn't want them to do so the movie could, exist..." and between those movies that you leave thinkin "woah! I wish I was a Jedi like those 1337 guys!" and you would dream about the movie and stuff <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>
The same goes with computer games!

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I couldn't find anything answering my questions!
And sorry if I didn't gave my point out correctly, but I'm from Portugal and sometimes I manage to make my English so #$~£^§% <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>

So someone make an effort, read my post, and clarify us fans!

have a nice day! [[]]

Ramses · June 2002

I think it's the gamplay-reason:
If you could teleport a ready-to-fire turret, the commander could place turrets in the heat of a combat and the aliens would be helpless. I think it's more fair that a turret must be build, the aliens have to build their structures also...

Fam · June 2002

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">But in-game, you can teleport ammo using this, but you can't build a senty-gun <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/turret.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':turret:'> and then teleport it somewhere else already built, ready to kill <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/bob.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':bob:'> ?</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

Yes, total realism is sacrificied to provide better in game experiences and dynamics. Just teleporting in pre-built setries all over the place wouldnt make for a very good commander-player relationship or a good game in my opinion.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Will that make the game less surrounding?</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Not really, as the whole purpose of a game is to surround you with events and experiences, rather than prebuilt set pieces and total cinematics as in a movie. Building a turret to help the team will make you feel <b>more</b> integrated with the game rather than feeling that things are a bit out.

NS is not a total realism mod, we all know how those end up, but rather a mod bringing gameplay via a shared world and experience.

coil · June 2002

The building/phasing aspect of Natural Selection plays like an RTS, a la Starcraft or Command & Conquer. The build time is definitely a gameplay element.

As for phasing actual marines... yep, that works. Played a game recently where the marines built phase gates into every single hive and nearly wiped us out. The catch, though, is that the gates work both ways... so you'd better have some pretty good base defense before you open a gate to the aliens' home turf.

The developers' primary objective in creating Natural Selection is that it is FUN. Yes, that means some realism elements are sacrificed. But the final result is a very playable and very FUN game.

MegaMick · June 2002

Thanks! Looks great! <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>
You're right, it is worth doing it the way you're doing it.

Oh, and I liked the way you teleport marines!

Man, that's cool!
Can't wait to try the game!

Seeking the hives and trying to get a team alive till there so they can crush the aliens for once, woah! sweeet!

Flayra · June 2002

Heya MegaMick,

That video is SO old it's actually embarassing. I should proabably take it down.

Requiring equipment to be built before it's active is definitely a gameplay requirement. Jeff (the write) and I have talked at length and tried to allow each other to be influenced about each other's ideas. This is one area where he had to bend to my will though. <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'> In a new installment (coming soon), he integrates his story even more with the gameplay, and actually explains more about commander mode, resources, and all that.

It's interesting you mention the "all clear!" sound effect as marines come through a phase gate. I was reading through these docs again about a week ago and thought the same thing. I think it's a great idea and hope to do it.

MegaMick · June 2002

Hmm, just one more question, will buildings appear right when you finish building them? or they will slowly appear while you build them, like unfolding from a box or something? with lots of smoke and stuff? As far as I know, models in the HAlf-Life engine can change their shape with in-game variables (i.e. the % of the building process that has already occured... I remember my surprise when I saw the mouths of the players in counter-strike moving as they speaked)

How will that be in the first release? And what do you plan to do later?

btw... "That video is SO old it's actually embarassing. I should proabably take it down."
Don't you dare doing that without uploading a new, much better, one <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>

Oh! Oh! Will you make marines able to move mouths when speaking to each-others? And will you make it radio-like (the whole team speaks and listens?) or chat like? (everybody listens the commander via radio, but whoever speaks is only heard by mates (and enemies?) near him?)

ups, too much ideas, time to finish the post <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

MonsieurEvil · June 2002

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">will buildings appear right when you finish building them? or they will slowly appear while you build them, like unfolding from a box or something? with lots of smoke and stuff? </td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

A variety of things happens.

1. The structure phases in (in a cloud of phosphourescent particles), and is in it's unbuilt, slighty transluscent state.

2. Then a player comes over and activates it (they aren't really building them, after all - maybe using little local nano devices?).

3. As the player activates it, a progress bar draws around the structure, showing how much longer to go, and the structure solidifies.

4. Finally, a true deploy animation plays and the model is up and running and animated.

Here's a still shot from <a href="http://www.readyroom.org" target="_blank">ReadyRoom.org</a> showing what I'm talking about

<img src="http://www.readyroom.org/ns_ingame/pt04_ns_hera0037_8x6.jpg" border="0">

Maybe I'll do a short movie tonight to show this series of effects off. It's very cool.

MegaMick · June 2002

So it has an animation! Cool!
In that shot, the turret seems to be in a final phase in the animation, the rotation of the top part (the head).

Great! So at this point of development, you do have things sort of "polished" <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

I guess we're going to have something beautiful right in the first release and not just a couple of "cubes" showing how the game works! nice job NS team! <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>

MonsieurEvil · June 2002

Yah. Unpolished could have come out a long time ago. NS is about being as professional looking as time allows.

coil · June 2002

That turret is still offline... once building is complete, the turret will rotate up about 90 degrees (the ammo belt feeds into the back of the turret head), then begin to rotate slowly and beep.

The coming-online animations for some of the larger marine buildings are even cooler than the turret. (:

XTS_Highlander · June 2002

A marine building movie would be cool... heck, lord knows we could use another one! I can tell you right now that placing it on FP again, and maybe alerting the boys at PHL sure as heck wouldn't hurt this mod. g0g0 MonsE! (if you have the spare time that is, you're a busy *cough* man)

As for an automated message played when a marine is off the teleport pad, I think that's a great idea - I've had my share of telefrags.

RhoadsToNowhere · June 2002

You know, I can't recall a single time that there's been a telefrag while using the phase gates. Maybe it's because all the marines are smart enough to know that they gotta get off the phase gate in a jiffy because their squadmate could be right behind them. Whatever the case, they work very well as they are.

MegaMick · June 2002

You guys should upload some in-game videos of the buildings getting built! But let the playtesters do that... dev team should work in the game itself <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>

I wanna play! hurry it!

Sleepy · June 2002

No need to hurry it, looks better and better after each play testing.

SmokeMasta · June 2002

most of the Devs are playtesters

and Each video will delay the release

biobrain · June 2002

first of all whatever was already said the commander doesn't teleport anything. He orders the <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/siege.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':siege:'> to be built there. And the marine builds it, just like in strategy games.
Very similar to Black and White as I see it

Sgt_X · June 2002

u know it's closer to black and white than starcraft on that part, the ppl have a mind there own. Ever try and get villagers in black and white to do somethinng and they keep running off to do something else.

MCThornGristle · June 2002

I think the biggest difference between Black and White and Natural Selection is that the commander can't punish the marines by throwing their babies into the ocean. Maybe we can expect this feature for Release 2?

Sgt_X · June 2002

Oh no, not again. Plz don't let my post push this completly off topic.

Ummm.

Make buildings, yea do that.

Sono · June 2002

<img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'>

omg the turrets have a building animation.. and and the beep

all i was hoping for NS is that the turrets make beep.

He... yeah. i'm an easy person... <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>

Phase gates and teleporting to scenario...

Comments