Showing Damage = Bad!

XCan · November 2002

<div class="IPBDescription">Turn it off!</div> Lately I've seen that some servers have a certain variable on to show the damage done. Sure, this is a cool feature but it can be abused. A player could shoot an acid rocket and see if anyone's behind the corner because the damage numbers show up through walls, simply it can be used like a simple wallhack. So please server-admins turn this off (I'm sure those of you who has it on know how to turn it off) unless you are using it for debugging purposes.

Catgirl · November 2002

Yeah I love when everybody in the Marine base can see when I've snuck in and am shooting their stuff quietly.

-10 health
-10 health
-10 health
-10 health

...or whatever.

GoleX · November 2002

The server cvar is mp_drawdamage

I hate it, I feel it ruins the entire atmosphere of the game seeing little red damage numbers pop up.

cracker_jackmac · November 2002

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Catgirl @ Nov 15 2002, 07:09 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Yeah I love when everybody in the Marine base can see when I've snuck in and am shooting their stuff quietly.

-10 health
-10 health
-10 health
-10 health

...or whatever.</td></tr></table>
haha, i like it because it does let me know when i hit something. I don't see the exploit because u can hear turrets and marines easy. And as a fade, i try not to give out my position untill i'm close.

I fail to see the exploit in the feature.

As far as atmosphere? I rather enjoy it because it reduces ppl from saying "HEY! I SHOT U!!" which gets rather annoying after a while. (aka, 2hrs of that can get really really really annoying fast)

WarpZone · November 2002

Agreed. This is an RTS/FPS Hybrid, not a RPG/FPS Hybrid. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

MonsieurEvil · November 2002

It's not an exploit, it's a training feature. I believe it's being changed or removed in the 1.02 server patch regardless.

Jasper · November 2002

I like it <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='tounge.gif'>

Taz · November 2002

Please don't remove it I like it. As for those who don't, well last I checked there's 474 servers up. If you find one that has it well there 473 other servers to try. Don't cry about it some people like it some don't, it's that way with everything.

Saturn · November 2002

Hold on guys, the variable has some good points and some bad points. Yes, you can see through walls with it. Yes it can give away your sneaky position. But it's also good to know just how much damage you've dealt.

Another point I've seen nobody touch, is like the muzzle flash for the marines, it can block your view and therefor your shot. Against something like a Fade or an Onos, it doesn't make much difference. But 5 or 10 "X Damage" shots on something small like a Skulk, Lerk, or Gorge, and you can hardly see the little guy.

I think the variable is a good thing in general. A couple improvements maybe could be, add a variable for transparancy (0.00 not transparant at all to 1.00 clear) or make the variable much more transparant. Set it up so that it cannot be seen through walls and does not give away the player's position. For instance, set the sprite? over the player model's chest or hitboxes and limit its rise (bile bombing or grenade launchers to see if there are marines/aliens hidden below).

Also, you could set up the damage indicator as a HUD sprite instead, thereby limiting who could see the damage, but also limit it to LOS. For instance, if you splash damage another player around a corner or behind a wall, you would normally *not* be able to see that player and/or the damage, and therefor should not have any indication on your viewing area or HUD.

Hope these suggestions help. I emphasize the Line of Sight. If you can't see the opponent (or player in tournament mode), you should not be able to see any damage indicator whatsoever.

-Saturn <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='asrifle.gif'>

Teufel_Eldritch · November 2002

hate it

Smellslikefeces · November 2002

I find that it pisses me off more because I shoot that marine in ha with an HMG 6 times doing full damage each hit only to get wasted by him in 2 secs. I got a like misty eyed last night with rage. NS_Bast, three of us as Fades have all of the marines bottled up in their base. One lone marine comes out in HA + HMG and wastes all three of us. To say I was **obscenity** would be an extreme understatement. Mind you the Marines were complaining that Fades are too overpowered!

Talesin · November 2002

Perhaps get the Team to add it as a feature on Scent of Fear? It's handy to be able to see moving blips, less handy (compared to level 3 Cloaking) to sit as a Lerk and gas toward it (considering they can damage through walls with the gas) or bombard the Marine base, but not know if it's doing any good without the damage indicator. Also, would be good to remove the 'scent of fear' colored blips from your teammates, so you don't psyche up to rush around the corner and take down that wounded Marine... only to find out it's one of your teammates sitting there. Perhaps balance it by reducing the damage on the gas from 8 to 6? Four would be a little under-useful, but with six you can just hide out and annoy the living heck out of a troop of HMG/HAs that's steamrollering toward one of your Hives.

Necro · November 2002

i can see it now!


Necro killed NSplayer with bitegun
Necro killed NSplayer with bitegun
Necro killed NSplayer with bitegun
Necro killed NSplayer with bitegun
Necro killed NSplayer with bitegun

 Necro level'd Up!

Showing Damage = Bad!

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