Checkout Dystopia, see the possibilities

turtlehturtleh Join Date: 2003-09-26 Member: 21222Members
Well the HL2 mod Dystopia was released a couple days ago. I've been playing it. Alot of problems but overall very nice gameplay and the models look sweet!

This just shows the possibilites of NS2... I mean when Ns came out it was a breath of fresh air, and amazing gameplay. But with the source now, I say keep the gameplay pretty much the same, but update ALL the models (weapons, players, structures)

Comments

  • J!J! NS2 Artist Join Date: 2004-11-14 Member: 32788Members, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester
    I'm sorry... I don't understand your post. You say Dystopia shows the "possibilities of NS2" but then suggest that we "keep the gameplay pretty much the same, but update ALL the models".

    Why?
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
    And frankly, Dystopia isn't that pretty. Plenty of Source engine-based mos and games desmonstrate the technology just as well or better.
  • Axel_StoneAxel_Stone Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18993Members, Constellation
    Its not bad. Has some need for improvement. Alot of "source mods" arent that great. Most dont feel like wading through them all. So dont sound so disparaging on his post Tycho.

    That mod is something that is worth looking at. Even if there is "better".
  • SpaceJesusSpaceJesus Join Date: 2004-07-02 Member: 29683Banned
    Dystopia is very impressive from a developers point of view, the artwork is good, the game is clean it works well, very few bugs, there's very little you can say is bad about it.

    From a players point of view though, imo it just isn't fun to play - that's why I never really played it that much.
  • James1coolJames1cool Join Date: 2005-03-06 Member: 43883Members, Constellation
    dystopia is bad ok, the game play is different in every, your basicly saying make ns 2 combat.

    gj
  • HeymanHeyman Join Date: 2005-03-29 Member: 46895Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1611550:date=Mar 5 2007, 03:16 PM:name=James1cool)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(James1cool @ Mar 5 2007, 03:16 PM) [snapback]1611550[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    dystopia is bad ok, the game play is different in every, your basicly saying make ns 2 combat.

    gj
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    ZOMG U.

    ----------------------------------------------

    Anyways, I don't want NS 2 to be combat. Preferably, I'd rather have NS 2 without any sort of combat option whatsoever.
  • glimmermanglimmerman Join Date: 2004-04-29 Member: 28300Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1611211:date=Mar 4 2007, 10:18 AM:name=turtleh)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(turtleh @ Mar 4 2007, 10:18 AM) [snapback]1611211[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    Well the HL2 mod Dystopia was released a couple days ago. I've been playing it. Alot of problems but overall very nice gameplay and the models look sweet!

    This just shows the possibilites of NS2... I mean when Ns came out it was a breath of fresh air, and amazing gameplay. But with the source now, I say keep the gameplay pretty much the same, but update ALL the models (weapons, players, structures)
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    FYI

    Dystopia has been around for a long.... looooonnnggg time.
  • MystiqqMystiqq Join Date: 2003-01-03 Member: 11755Members
    edited March 2007
    Ive actually played tons of Dystopia in the past weeks. Its "nice" but it offers very little new in gameplay. Im pretty surprised how fast it got "bland" but that might be because ive been playing (fps) games for so long. As a mod, i think its definitely high quality.

    However, i dont really see what "possibilities" we should be looking for here...
  • Lt_PatchLt_Patch Join Date: 2005-02-07 Member: 40286Members
    The main idea that I got from Dystopia that could be worked into NS2, is the TAC Scan.
    Basically, it would be a motion tracking kind of thing, but a localised radar ping. Not as powerful as a obs ping, as in it wouldn't full decloak enemies, maybe to 70-80% translucency, but then kicker would be, that it would only work in local radar range of the player who used it, and would ONLY display on the minimap. It wouldn't track them, just show their position when the scan was initiated.
  • BallistoBallisto Join Date: 2003-05-19 Member: 16503Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1611776:date=Mar 6 2007, 07:06 AM:name=Lt_Patch)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lt_Patch @ Mar 6 2007, 07:06 AM) [snapback]1611776[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    The main idea that I got from Dystopia that could be worked into NS2, is the TAC Scan.
    Basically, it would be a motion tracking kind of thing, but a localised radar ping. Not as powerful as a obs ping, as in it wouldn't full decloak enemies, maybe to 70-80% translucency, but then kicker would be, that it would only work in local radar range of the player who used it, and would ONLY display on the minimap. It wouldn't track them, just show their position when the scan was initiated.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    The reminds me of the scene in Aliens where he's looking at the motion sensor and it shows the aliens are 5 meters away but the they don't see them! And then the aliens come through the ceiling!

    We already have something like this in place... there are times when I've noticed movement on my minimap and turned around just in time to shoot a skulk sneaking up on me.
  • Andrew_FirebornAndrew_Fireborn Join Date: 2006-09-21 Member: 58036Members
    I rather enjoy Dystopia. It's a nice middle ground between the fast paced frag fest of games like CS, and the tactical frag fest of NS. Tactical thinking, and teamplay combined with a proper assortment of weapons, lends a good deal to a team, while it's still fun (and not that detrimental) to just pick up a favored weapon and contribute only to the killing side of things.

    Cyber space is a nice diversion from the standard combat, although it has it's share of flaws. The weapons and classes are all fairly balanced in themselves, and since they're mirror teams, there's not a discrepency there that we have here.

    However, the nature of the game lends itself to maps being heavily biased. Some objectives are virtually impossible to take unless the teams are virtually evenly matched. (And even then, some maps like dys_Silo require a bit of luck too...)




    Though, I also fail to see exactly what it illustrates for NS. None of it's major play mechanics could really work for NS. (Although a Cyber Gorge would be interesting... heheheh) Yes, it's pretty, but that's kinda the major upgrade for source. (The pyshics are still rather jokish...)

    On the other hand, it's the first mod to actually -do- anything with the source engine. The game is almost completely original content (The only doubt I have is a couple of meat-space textures) unlike virtually all of the other mods I've seen for source. (OK, so I know of Iron Grip, Insect infestation, Eternal Silence, and Empires... but most of those both look bad & play bad. And for every one of those, there're dozens of "HL2 Daeth Math lolz")
  • EZeroEZero Join Date: 2003-08-12 Member: 19572Members
    Well if nothing else Dystopia does have some nifty end game "utilities".

    Exporting stats to html or xml is pretty neat if you want to keep track of records or whatnot.
  • J!J! NS2 Artist Join Date: 2004-11-14 Member: 32788Members, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester
    edited April 2007
    <!--quoteo(post=1618305:date=Apr 2 2007, 03:41 PM:name=Andrew_Fireborn)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Andrew_Fireborn @ Apr 2 2007, 03:41 PM) [snapback]1618305[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    The weapons and classes are all fairly balanced in themselves, and since they're mirror teams, there's not a discrepency there that we have here.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    I think one of the big reasons Dystopia has failed to hold player numbers is due to weapon and implant mirroring. It may result in a balanced game, but it also makes combat fairly uninteresting. Ever wonder what the gameplay would be like if each team was unique?
  • HazeHaze O RLY? Join Date: 2003-07-07 Member: 18018Members, Constellation
    I liked all the information of the player being displayed when you moused over them. It outlined them in a neat little box with bars of health, armor, etc... - it was pretty cool (the marine's could see health, armor, energy and resources available to that player). I'd like to see subtle features like that in NS2 that <i>really</i> distinguish the marines' hud from the aliens even further. An alien could see a marine's status by hitting the flashlight key, and the marines' health would be displayed by the color of his body via infrared colors ("The aliens have highly attuned and selective eyesight, and are able to interpret even the smallest changes in temperature of an enemy, allowing them to find the weakest of the pack"), and the marine's armor condition displayed in the same fashion, only on the armor plates of the marine - not their actual body.

    Just things like that I think would be pretty awesome to include. =D
  • Andrew_FirebornAndrew_Fireborn Join Date: 2006-09-21 Member: 58036Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1619588:date=Apr 8 2007, 08:44 AM:name=JJJ1)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JJJ1 @ Apr 8 2007, 08:44 AM) [snapback]1619588[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    I think one of the big reasons Dystopia has failed to hold player numbers is due to weapon and implant mirroring. It may result in a balanced game, but it also makes combat fairly uninteresting. Ever wonder what the gameplay would be like if each team was unique?
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    True, mirroring does lead to some blandness, but I find most all of the weapons are fairly fun to use. (Although, spamming kills it, due to little counterability of organized GL spam at a choke point.

    Not to mention, mirroring is not a game-killer. CS is virtually 100% mirrored, (The AUG and it's T counter part are virtually the same. Less so with the AK and M-16, but still very much the same.) and constantly has the highest player count of any HL1/2 game.

    No, it's not holding players for a number of reasons NS2 will have difficulty. It's a more complicated game than basic death match (true, CS does have two game types... but how many games do you think really end without one side wiped out?) and will lead to a number of Newbies having a DL and deciding that the game's not worth their free time to learn.

    Dystopia has complication because on every map, at least some cyberspace contesting is required, and a number of maps require cyber-meat coordination to achieve.



    In that faucet, Dys is more complicated than NS2 likely ever will be. True you'll have to worry about multiple fronts in both, but in NS (and presumeably 2) every last player has the chance to respond to threats on each and every one of those fronts. Cyberspace, being the way it is, effectively cuts the majority of the team off from one (often vital) front.





    Looking deeper, I would have to agree that something like the IFF-HUD from the Dys demo would be interesting, though I would point to the 1.0 IFF-HUD as superior. Less needless information, better visiblity of health status and being less clunky look.
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