Infantry Portal Starting.
StarClaws
Join Date: 2002-11-26 Member: 9974Members
Join Date: 2002-11-26 Member: 9974Members
Come on Charlie...
"We're still having lots of confusion and early game endings due to no starting Infantry Portal. Putting it back in...again!"
Just because the commander fails and doesn't know how to build the two starting buildings doesn't mean you need to give them help. If he/she doesn't remember to build an infantry portal, that person needs to be ejected. This should be something that the commander needs to build that way the team knows if the commander is going to help or hinder the team. And then we can eject if need be. A test so-to-speak. Or else you might as well place every building for them. Oh and drop med-packs for them somehow. Oh and scratch their ass for them.
Thanks,
SC
"We're still having lots of confusion and early game endings due to no starting Infantry Portal. Putting it back in...again!"
Just because the commander fails and doesn't know how to build the two starting buildings doesn't mean you need to give them help. If he/she doesn't remember to build an infantry portal, that person needs to be ejected. This should be something that the commander needs to build that way the team knows if the commander is going to help or hinder the team. And then we can eject if need be. A test so-to-speak. Or else you might as well place every building for them. Oh and drop med-packs for them somehow. Oh and scratch their ass for them.
Thanks,
SC
Comments
At least until 60 seconds in the game. If there's no com by that time, something's wrong anyway.
"We're still having lots of confusion and early game endings due to no starting Infantry Portal. Putting it back in...again!"
Just because the commander fails and doesn't know how to build the two starting buildings doesn't mean you need to give them help. If he/she doesn't remember to build an infantry portal, that person needs to be ejected. This should be something that the commander needs to build that way the team knows if the commander is going to help or hinder the team. And then we can eject if need be. A test so-to-speak. Or else you might as well place every building for them. Oh and drop med-packs for them somehow. Oh and scratch their ass for them.
Thanks,
SC<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You have to start with the infantry portal, anything else is just stupid.
You don't know how frustrating it is, to join a new game, then you might get interrupted by something for a few seconds and then you can't join anymore until someone builds a portal.
You are wondering what stupid commander doesn't build a portal, until you realize that your team doesn't even have one. The few players who managed to get in the game in time have gone off rambo style towards the alien base and died within a few seconds.
There should be <u><b>nothing</b></u> preventing a player from spawning at the start of the game.
So UWE´s thoughts on this are completely right.
You don't know how frustrating it is, to join a new game, then you might get interrupted by something for a few seconds and then you can't join anymore until someone builds a portal.
You are wondering what stupid commander doesn't build a portal, until you realize that your team doesn't even have one. The few players who managed to get in the game in time have gone off rambo style towards the alien base and died within a few seconds.
There should be <u><b>nothing</b></u> preventing a player from spawning at the start of the game.
So UWE´s thoughts on this are completely right.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's far more complicated than you make it sound. You're completely forgetting base layouts, early game marine spreads and such. We know so little about NS2 strategy that it might even be viable to not build the IP within the first minute, many RTS games have far more crazy tricks than that.
I want to avoid any unnecessary restrictions to the gameplay. Newbie guidance shouldn't shut down creativity from more advanced players.
The early game respawn issue can be fixed by a dozen ways that don't force players to take any certain approach. For example, extending the game entering period further to the round already ensures that most people don't join dead to an IPless team.
Edit: Wrote some <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=105038&view=findpost&p=1802643" target="_blank">extra thoughts</a> on twitter thread
The waygate would act like an infantry portal for a short time (one minute?), and then close. This would allow for marines to join in and respawn during this time, after which an infantry portal would be required.
The waygate could show itself "going out" for the last 15 seconds, and a warning could be broadcast to the entire team if the waygate is about to expire.
The waygate would act like an infantry portal for a short time (one minute?), and then close. This would allow for marines to join in and respawn during this time, after which an infantry portal would be required.
The waygate could show itself "going out" for the last 15 seconds, and a warning could be broadcast to the entire team if the waygate is about to expire.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think learning curve wise it's just easiest just to have the IP right away as the safe standard approach. That way newbies have a solid starting routine that gets the base running for the rest of the game, but anyone can still get creative if necessary. Strategically way gates might offer some extra flexibility if implemented right, but that's all guessing at this point.
You don't know how frustrating it is, to join a new game, then you might get interrupted by something for a few seconds and then you can't join anymore until someone builds a portal.
You are wondering what stupid commander doesn't build a portal, until you realize that your team doesn't even have one. The few players who managed to get in the game in time have gone off rambo style towards the alien base and died within a few seconds.
There should be <u><b>nothing</b></u> preventing a player from spawning at the start of the game.
So UWE´s thoughts on this are completely right.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You're not at the start of the game. You're a few seconds into the game. Probably quite a few if someone's already died. There's a difference.
Well, you see, NS usually has a beginning round freeze time. It allows you to call out commanders, plan strategies, and wait for slow joiners. Even after the game starts, you usually spawn for a little while in marine start when joining the team. All of this can be altered by the server of course. But really why deny a successful push for the aliens by giving free respawn ability after a death 0 seconds into the game? The rush is sometimes a great tactic knowing that most of the marines went out into the field and left base.
But really... they are testing NS2 with a smaller than normal map and an even faster Skulk than before. It is a new game. Marines just have to secure a starting point before pushing out as a group now. How hard is it to have patience in base and defend your entrances while someone builds an infantry portal? If there's no teamwork 5 seconds into the game then there is a problem. And... You can't rambo as much anymore anyways.
And then there is, as mentioned, building placement strategy... Preferably far away from command chair and alien starting hive. More important now with leap so commander has a bit more time to react.
When the commander builds an IP, the warning goes away.
It's a freaggin testmap, not something carefully engineered with every feature in mind.
And last but not least, the mapper should be responsible to decide if there's an IP for start.
if theres an ip at start, people can rush out. if theres not they have to defend long enough for the trashcan to build it.
on the alienside, if there's an ip for marines, they have to be more defensive, if theres none they can spread out more thinly.
thats the most basic strategy layout of course, I never was a top-level competive player so I don't even know what crazy they will breed for ns2.
It's a freaggin testmap, not something carefully engineered with every feature in mind.
And last but not least, the mapper should be responsible to decide if there's an IP for start.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It shouldn't be the mapper's choice. Its a gameplay element that shouldn't vary map to map.
But it's already random within the cc radius, afaik.