Kharaa choose-able respawn mechanic?

Terr · November 2009

<div class="IPBDescription">Like L4D infected?</div>Just tossing this out as a possible game mechanic that could be applied somewhere...

In L4D, they use the map's built-in segmentation (visleaves) to determine volumes of space where zombies are allowed to pop into existence, which is always out of the possible sight of the survivors: Always "around a corner". Player-controlled zombies walk around like a ghost before choosing when and where to spawn within one of these constantly-shifting areas.

Would a similar mechanic for respawning Skulks within a certain radius of the Hive be useful? (In addition to the "normal" respawn locations that work no matter what.)

It would deter being spawn-camped, and it would definitely fit with the theme of aliens boiling out of unexpected locations. If too-powerful, it could be a late-game upgrade...

flying_moose · November 2009

Not a bad idea, would easily circumvent spawn camping (because you can spawn out of sight) and because you can just spawn in an area around the hive, makes it so mappers don't need to place spawns. Only concern I have with it is that if the marines are completely surrounding the area, the aliens wouldn't be able to spawn at all.

Terr · November 2009

Which is why some "normal" mapper-placed spawns (which may also be the early-game spawn strategy, before infestation provides coverage) would still be required. They'd always work, so that marines can't lock anybody out of spawning by simply standing in the right places.

Alternately, the mapper could have some dead-end vents in the ceilings and walls with the right geometry and blockages so that no marines can see into them. Skulks could choose a specific vent and when to spawn within it.

flying_moose · November 2009

True, if implemented correctly this would work fairly well. It's something mappers would have to keep in mind during map design.

JAmazon · November 2009

^^Yeah they'd have to put some kind of vents or over hangs near hive locations that would allow them to spawn in even when the hive proper is over run by marines. I like this idea, solves the spawn camping issue in a unique way. Perhaps the pre-spawned aliens could be the glowies, so you control your glowy until you land and spawn into a skulk.

Terr · November 2009

Implementation detail: Having the pre-spawned Skulk able to <u>run and climb</u> around like an invisible and ineffectual ghost means that you literally can't spawn anywhere you couldn't get to normally.

Proposed:
Hive organization:
<ul><li>Each hive has a special skulk-sized zone in or on it.</li><li>"Ghost" skulks always start at this area. </li><li>"Ghost" skulks can always "reincarnate" at this area</li><li>If aliens have player-collision with their own team, then no living player can enter the area, and anyone reincarnating is immediately ejected out.</li></ul>

Life-cy... er, Death-cycle:
<ul><li>Alien dies.</li><li>Step 1: Spawned as a "ghost Skulk" in the hive nook.</li><li>Can see everything in normal world, but cannot talk to teammates and/or leave radius of current hive.</li><li>Non-solid to all enemies and friendlies.</li><li>Cannot attack or use any special abilities.</li><li>If the hive is destroyed while still a ghost, restart at another hive if one exists.</li><li>Cannot spawn within sight of a marine, except at the nook.</li><li>Cannot spawn inside another alien player.</li><li>Spawn may be prevented by a countdown timer.</li><li>If other criteria are met, the ghost skulk can click-to-reincarnate at their current location, becoming a "real" skulk.</li><li>Has a key that can be pressed to warp back to Step-1 if stuck.</li></ul>

Align · November 2009

Wasn't the plan already to use glowies for player-spawns? So they could fly around and choose a spawn spot on their own.
Though the problem with that is how highly visible glowies are, so marines keeping an eye out can shoot you dead before you're even fully spawned.

blitz_krieg001 · November 2009

One might assume the glowies would only be visible to their teammates...

Terr · November 2009

Why even use a visible effect? If they're spawning outside of Marine's view--by definition--then you can just as easily justify it that they spawned from a spore/whatever that settled in that position a long time ago, or even directly from some pulsating underlying part of the dynamic infestation.

Bacillus · November 2009

Late game at max in my opinion. Cutting away the alien rounds on map is a viable strategy after all, I'd hate to see it go.

Path · November 2009

I like this idea, though I'd be happy with just choosing which hive to spawn at. Searching for hidden movement chambers was always annoying, and every now and then someone put down, gasp, sensory instead.

Anything to cut down on annoying spawn camping. You think aliens would be at their strongest in their own hive, instead of ineffectually plopping to the ground yards away from the nearest cover.

Temphage · November 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Bacillus @ Nov 21 2009, 02:21 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1738507"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>Late game at max in my opinion. Cutting away the alien rounds on map is a viable strategy after all, I'd hate to see it go.</div>
"Cutting away the alien rounds"? You mean spawn camping?

Sirot · November 2009

If I remember correctly, this is the current spawning mechanic:

In the hive room, there are eggs scattered all around. Players when they spawn, choose an egg to spawn from. When a egg is used up, a glowie will fly from the hive and land, to start forming into a new egg. There will be always around 15 to 20 eggs in the hive room at any one given time.

I would like the spontaneous corner function to be a usable ability for the Alien Commander to better help coordinate ambushes.

Jimyd · November 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Sirot @ Nov 21 2009, 02:12 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1738555"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>If I remember correctly, this is the current spawning mechanic:

In the hive room, there are eggs scattered all around. Players when they spawn, choose an egg to spawn from. When a egg is used up, a glowie will fly from the hive and land, to start forming into a new egg. There will be always around 15 to 20 eggs in the hive room at any one given time.

I would like the spontaneous corner function to be a usable ability for the Alien Commander to better help coordinate ambushes.</div>

This, and I assume the Alien Commander will have an ability like the Queen in Starcraft 2, where you spawn extra Larvae from the Hatchery/Hive.

In NS2, this would spawn extra Glowies at the Hive, and then they would probably land after 10/15 seconds. I'd assume it would be like 5-8 Glowies per a cast, with a cooldown of 20-30 seconds. Basically the Alien Commander version of a Emergency Beacon.

Fang_Xianfu · November 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Terr @ Nov 21 2009, 02:48 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1738488"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>Why even use a visible effect? If they're spawning outside of Marine's view--by definition--then you can just as easily justify it that they spawned from a spore/whatever that settled in that position a long time ago, or even directly from some pulsating underlying part of the dynamic infestation.</div>
A much easier justification would just be that the skulk was there all along but the rines hadn't encountered it yet. Perhaps it came out of a vent further down the corridor and just arrived in that part of the map.

Hybridclaw · February 2010

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Sirot @ Nov 21 2009, 08:12 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1738555"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>If I remember correctly, this is the current spawning mechanic:

In the hive room, there are eggs scattered all around. Players when they spawn, choose an egg to spawn from. When a egg is used up, a glowie will fly from the hive and land, to start forming into a new egg. There will be always around 15 to 20 eggs in the hive room at any one given time.

I would like the spontaneous corner function to be a usable ability for the Alien Commander to better help coordinate ambushes.</div>
A bunch of eggs sitting around the hive sounds like it could make a good hive defense mechanism.

When marines rush into the hive all of the eggs could hatch and babblers will pop out. It would almost be like the alien version of beacon.

Kharaa choose-able respawn mechanic?

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