Resource Realism
Kiopaen
Join Date: 2004-03-06 Member: 27170Members
Join Date: 2004-03-06 Member: 27170Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Do you know what comes out of a res node?</div>I love this game dearly and this is something that has bugged me for a long time:
Aliens and Marines are both after the same resources. These resources are mysteriously pumped like oil from various ports around a space ship. The marines need resources like metal and tapable energy while the aliens only need more biological matter, however both of these things are assumed to be coming out of these vapor holes. Humans apparently designed these ports, but aliens have adapted to them. Can you imagine an alien with a human extension cord to power its entire civilization? And if humans did make these ports, why aren't they rerouting them from the common source on the ship or at least making receptors which look like they're supposed to connect to them. This is their technology, as nebulous as its deffinition seems to be.
I realize that being after the same resources makes both teams clash in those particular zones, but this an opportunity to add diversity to the two groups as well as give both groups areas to hold without gaining anything directly. There's also nothing that would stop a power source from being located near biological matter.
As I see it, humans need energy and possibly metal if we haven't mastered that conversion by this point in time. Being that buildings materialize out of no where, lets assume that problem has been solved. Energy production can happen in a number of ways on a space ship: solar panels, reactors, fuel cells, radiative batteries. All of these could potentially act in different ways. One might need to weld to fix damage incurred by the aliens. This would cause the marines to hunt after these major resources much like the aliens currently cling to the hive locations. Realistically, the marines probably take a portable generator with them (which could emmit exhaust which chokes marines if too many generators are within a tight proximity preventing farming).
Aliens are a much different story. As far as I can tell, all they should need are advanced hydrocarbons, which as far as I'm concerned is most abundantly found wrapped in a nice green uniform. Food supplies, hydroponic labs, or biological experiements could also provide the necessary proteins, but are limited in scope. If aliens found access to the right lighting or windows, they may be advanced enough to somehow farm (personally, I'd like to see this on the back of a gorge; thus they'll find somewhere to sun themselves instead of wandering aimlessly waiting for res).
There are other ways to make these effects, and I'm sure someone out there will probably add some nice alternatives.
The balance issue is always present. But there is some equality in this: each side has rooms which will give them access to the large resources they need and each side has a way to generate resources slowly and steadily in a stalemate as well.
Resource towers were a good gameplay place to start all of this, but they lack any thermodynamic/biological sense. If you plan to comment against this idea, I suggest you start by defending the way the nodes currently work for both teams or explain why any given vent system designed since the 1700s wouldn't have shut-off points on the main lines and branches to disconnect particular outlets.
This change would take a bit of time to implement, which is probably what will hold it back. But it'd be a nice addition for a major overhaul. It also requires a tad more creativity and discipline of the map designers for balance and what things are available.
(Not that anyone wonders, but, I'm a mechanical engineer who designs large-scale thermodynamic factory/plant systems which always extensively use piping and ventilation, so I have a slight concept of what is realistic. Personally, I already get kicks out of a lot of the vents and pipes sitting around maps miscellaneously... especially when some of those large pipes cost about $10k today only to be blanked-off in an end cap, but it makes a good place to sit. Let's not even get into violations of codes which I'm sure will never go away because they keep you safe. Can someone at least add one heat exchanger, check-valve, or pump to a map?)
Aliens and Marines are both after the same resources. These resources are mysteriously pumped like oil from various ports around a space ship. The marines need resources like metal and tapable energy while the aliens only need more biological matter, however both of these things are assumed to be coming out of these vapor holes. Humans apparently designed these ports, but aliens have adapted to them. Can you imagine an alien with a human extension cord to power its entire civilization? And if humans did make these ports, why aren't they rerouting them from the common source on the ship or at least making receptors which look like they're supposed to connect to them. This is their technology, as nebulous as its deffinition seems to be.
I realize that being after the same resources makes both teams clash in those particular zones, but this an opportunity to add diversity to the two groups as well as give both groups areas to hold without gaining anything directly. There's also nothing that would stop a power source from being located near biological matter.
As I see it, humans need energy and possibly metal if we haven't mastered that conversion by this point in time. Being that buildings materialize out of no where, lets assume that problem has been solved. Energy production can happen in a number of ways on a space ship: solar panels, reactors, fuel cells, radiative batteries. All of these could potentially act in different ways. One might need to weld to fix damage incurred by the aliens. This would cause the marines to hunt after these major resources much like the aliens currently cling to the hive locations. Realistically, the marines probably take a portable generator with them (which could emmit exhaust which chokes marines if too many generators are within a tight proximity preventing farming).
Aliens are a much different story. As far as I can tell, all they should need are advanced hydrocarbons, which as far as I'm concerned is most abundantly found wrapped in a nice green uniform. Food supplies, hydroponic labs, or biological experiements could also provide the necessary proteins, but are limited in scope. If aliens found access to the right lighting or windows, they may be advanced enough to somehow farm (personally, I'd like to see this on the back of a gorge; thus they'll find somewhere to sun themselves instead of wandering aimlessly waiting for res).
There are other ways to make these effects, and I'm sure someone out there will probably add some nice alternatives.
The balance issue is always present. But there is some equality in this: each side has rooms which will give them access to the large resources they need and each side has a way to generate resources slowly and steadily in a stalemate as well.
Resource towers were a good gameplay place to start all of this, but they lack any thermodynamic/biological sense. If you plan to comment against this idea, I suggest you start by defending the way the nodes currently work for both teams or explain why any given vent system designed since the 1700s wouldn't have shut-off points on the main lines and branches to disconnect particular outlets.
This change would take a bit of time to implement, which is probably what will hold it back. But it'd be a nice addition for a major overhaul. It also requires a tad more creativity and discipline of the map designers for balance and what things are available.
(Not that anyone wonders, but, I'm a mechanical engineer who designs large-scale thermodynamic factory/plant systems which always extensively use piping and ventilation, so I have a slight concept of what is realistic. Personally, I already get kicks out of a lot of the vents and pipes sitting around maps miscellaneously... especially when some of those large pipes cost about $10k today only to be blanked-off in an end cap, but it makes a good place to sit. Let's not even get into violations of codes which I'm sure will never go away because they keep you safe. Can someone at least add one heat exchanger, check-valve, or pump to a map?)
Comments
Now WHY there is steam energy on a space station--I don't know. It makes sense on the mining maps though. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
I agree with the post above, which agrees with the post before that and my post. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
The aliens bacteria is made of it and thus the bacteria uses it to make more bacteria. This alien bacteria is what forms all the aliens life forms, infestation, and buildings. I'm also sure the aliens came across this substance or some thing to constitute it before they learned to use the human ones.
These aren't steam vents or air vents. They're like oil wells but filled with carbon Sludge that makes the nanite technology that powers every thing of the humans and, to the humans surprise, also every thing of the aliens. The only shut off place is at the nozzle.
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_nanotube" target="_blank">Carbon nanotubes.</a> Have you heard of bucky balls?