Individuality

ijustpwnedu96ijustpwnedu96 Join Date: 2013-01-27 Member: 182320Members
edited May 2013 in Ideas and Suggestions
Hello. Before I receive any criticism about my idea, this is only a suggestion I thought hard and long to benefit Natural Selection 2. Please refrain from posting any harsh comments. Now on to the main topic...

Right now as we speak, the number of players playing NS2 is slowly decreasing unfortunately. As a huge fan of NS2 with tons of hours played, I don't want NS2 to shrink anymore. I want it to expand, gain lots of new players, and let it become one of the most popular games in history. Recently we just had a huge sale and a free weekend however, the number of players playing NS2 after the sale did not increase. I was a bit disappointed after seeing the player count graph after the sales. I believe the most urgent problem right now is performance issues. Many people have reported that their computers have very low FPS when playing NS2. However, I will trust UWE is working very hard on solving this problem day and night. The second problem is replay value. I know NS2 already has tons of replay value but after a few/tons of hours of playing, you can start to see a vicious cycle repeating itself on pub servers. For example, Marines will grab 2 tech points and 4 extractors while Aliens will have 3 tech points and about 5 extractors which doesn't happen often OR sadly we just see one team stomping the other team the whole game, especially on pub servers. 

Now lets take a look at popular games such as Team Fortress 2 and League of Legends. Why are they so popular? Well, they both run very well even on older computers. Okay well, UWE is working on that as I type this. What is another reason why they are so popular? They both have "Individuality". By that I mean customization options for your character in-game. Personally, I love both of those games because of this. I keep wanting to play those games because I want to have that "hat or skin" that I want to earn and or buy. This keeps me motivated to play both of those games as well enjoy the game. My desire for that skin or hat is so strong that it makes me want to play the game for countless hours. 

HAHA, why does NS2 need something like skins? Well for starters everyone looks the same, especially on Aliens since Marines already have the Pre-order and Deluxe Edition armor skins. People want to have individuality, to stand out from other players, look different, and look good. If there is a skin they want so bad, they will play countless hours trying to buy that skin. Such as a Marine with battle scars and a headband or a skulk with red eyes and with a hint of blood on its feet. Or maybe even a LMG rifle skin. However, we do not want anything too flashy such as a Marine with pink armor or a skulk wearing a fedora.

So what I propose here, is a system where you earn points after each game. You gain a lot of "Resource Points" if you win or you gain only a little "Resource Points" if you lose. Certain skins will be cheap and certain ones will be more expensive. With this system, people will be more motivated to play and buy those skins as well as have fun playing the game. UWE can also decide whether or not you can buy those skins with real money so UWE can make some money to keep supporting NS2 with free updates. New players and veteran players will also work harder as a team to win games.

Just a reminder, this is nothing like the K/D ratio suggestion. There are no kill streaks whatsoever and no leveling system. As I have stated before, people will work harder as a Team  to win and earn "Resource Points".

What do you think? Please give me your honest opinions on this matter. Any suggestions to improve this idea would be appreciated. Thank you very much for reading and taking my idea into consideration. 
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Comments

  • MkollMkoll Join Date: 2013-02-11 Member: 182996Members
    you mean like "Scar", from BSG?  An ace Cylon raider that had a visually distinguishing battle scar on its hull?  The Galactica pilots would break down in fear if they recognised him.  

    Cool!
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  • Samus1111111Samus1111111 Join Date: 2012-08-07 Member: 154930Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Mod it and see how it works. IMHO, not of enough value to warrant dev time atm.
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  • ezekelezekel Join Date: 2012-11-29 Member: 173589Members, NS2 Map Tester
    edited May 2013
    Uh maybe this is what you want? I actually prefer everything to look the same for visual reasons, if I saw a red or brown marine turn a corner I'd probably reaction shotgun them, same thing for counter-strike or quake, all my models are forced the same for team mates and forced different for enemies, so my team is a dark color, and my enemies are neon

    I'd be fine with having something next to players names, sort of like the pax symbol


    on a note to tf2, a lot of people actually quit the game due to these additions (and i mean a lot) it was only when the game went free that these type of players came into the game, I can't remember at any point during my tf2 career that I wanted new weapons or hats, as soon as the soldier got the "faster" rocket launcher I uninstalled, as if the FaN wasn't the worst thing in the world to enter that game
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  • ijustpwnedu96ijustpwnedu96 Join Date: 2013-01-27 Member: 182320Members
    ezekel wrote: »
    Uh maybe this is what you want? I actually prefer everything to look the same for visual reasons, if I saw a red or brown marine turn a corner I'd probably reaction shotgun them, same thing for counter-strike or quake, all my models are forced the same for team mates and forced different for enemies, so my team is a dark color, and my enemies are neon<br />
    <br />
    I'd be fine with having something next to players names, sort of like the pax symbol<br />
    <br />
    <br />
    on a note to tf2, a lot of people actually quit the game due to these additions (and i mean a lot) it was only when the game went free that these type of players came into the game, I can't remember at any point during my tf2 career that I wanted new weapons or hats, as soon as the soldier got the "faster" rocket launcher I uninstalled, as if the FaN wasn't the worst thing in the world to enter that game

    As I have stated before, there will not be pink, red, or brown colored armor for Marines. I am not saying we should add silly top hats and or "faster" LMG, I am saying we should add skins that actually fit the game style. In my TF2 career, I have not seen many people complaining about hats. (Weapons are complained about a lot because of balance, but skins are not complained about.) In TF2, people either love the hats or people just don't care and just enjoy the game. However, I can agree with you that TF2 hats and weapons are sometimes too silly. NS2 will not have silly skins like pink armor. Also, NS2 already has skins for the Pre-Order and Deluxe Edition armor... I dont see anyone complaining
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  • ijustpwnedu96ijustpwnedu96 Join Date: 2013-01-27 Member: 182320Members

    Samus1111111 said:
    Mod it and see how it works. IMHO, not of enough value to warrant dev time atm.
    I do agree with your statement about skins not being the top priority as I have stated above. However, I don't see how I can mod this since it adds "Resource Points" to your own personal account instead of in-game "Player Res". Also, I don't know how I will add a "NS2 Shop" on the main menu.
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  • SherlockSherlock Join Date: 2012-11-09 Member: 168595Members
    If I choose an Alien/Marine skin mod, I would like other people to be able to see ME in it, not me see everyone else in it. This would add variety in to the game, and a little bit of fun, too. And then if I wanted to download a bright pink Skulk mod, or a Marine in a giant sombrero, it would only be disadvantaging myself.

    The only problem I see with this is how you would download other people's skins "on the fly" in-game - unless there was a way for you to be locked to the RR whilst they were downloading before being let to join a team. I'm assuming a skin mod is quite small in file size... less than 1MB?

    Of course, servers that didn't want to allow this would keep their consistency checking strict.
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  • xen32xen32 Join Date: 2012-10-18 Member: 162676Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    Sherlock said:
    If I choose an Alien/Marine skin mod, I would like other people to be able to see ME in it, not me see everyone else in it. This would add variety in to the game, and a little bit of fun, too. And then if I wanted to download a bright pink Skulk mod, or a Marine in a giant sombrero, it would only be disadvantaging myself.

    The only problem I see with this is how you would download other people's skins "on the fly" in-game - unless there was a way for you to be locked to the RR whilst they were downloading before being let to join a team. I'm assuming a skin mod is quite small in file size... less than 1MB?

    Of course, servers that didn't want to allow this would keep their consistency checking strict.
    I think OP means like official skins, which will be already included with the game.
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  • ijustpwnedu96ijustpwnedu96 Join Date: 2013-01-27 Member: 182320Members
    xen32 said:
    Sherlock said:
    If I choose an Alien/Marine skin mod, I would like other people to be able to see ME in it, not me see everyone else in it. This would add variety in to the game, and a little bit of fun, too. And then if I wanted to download a bright pink Skulk mod, or a Marine in a giant sombrero, it would only be disadvantaging myself.

    The only problem I see with this is how you would download other people's skins "on the fly" in-game - unless there was a way for you to be locked to the RR whilst they were downloading before being let to join a team. I'm assuming a skin mod is quite small in file size... less than 1MB?

    Of course, servers that didn't want to allow this would keep their consistency checking strict.
    I think OP means like official skins, which will be already included with the game.
    Yes, I would like to see official NS2 skins that can be bought at the "NS2 Shop" on the main menu. If the Devs create the "NS2 Shop" they can also sell their merchandise such as the Onos T-shirts, Gorge Plushies, etc. for real money to support NS2's free updates. Skins can also be bought for "Resource Points" you gain after each game at the "NS2 Store". The Devs can decide whether the skins can also be bought for real money to support the person who created the skin and UWE in general.
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  • ijustpwnedu96ijustpwnedu96 Join Date: 2013-01-27 Member: 182320Members
    Sherlock said:
    If I choose an Alien/Marine skin mod, I would like other people to be able to see ME in it, not me see everyone else in it. This would add variety in to the game, and a little bit of fun, too. And then if I wanted to download a bright pink Skulk mod, or a Marine in a giant sombrero, it would only be disadvantaging myself.

    The only problem I see with this is how you would download other people's skins "on the fly" in-game - unless there was a way for you to be locked to the RR whilst they were downloading before being let to join a team. I'm assuming a skin mod is quite small in file size... less than 1MB?

    Of course, servers that didn't want to allow this would keep their consistency checking strict.
    The Devs can add some kind of viewer that lets you see your Marine or Alien while you add skins to it on the main menu/ or "esc" button menu. There will not be flashy skins such as pink armor or skulks with a sombrero. Only subtle skins should be allowed in the game. Of course, people can still have their own skins such as pink armor, but it wouldn't be official and no one else would be able to his/her pink armor. 
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  • ArtfunkelArtfunkel Join Date: 2013-05-10 Member: 185184Members
    edited May 2013
    TF2 and especially LOL might be team games but they both have a big focus on personal performance. Individual players can swing a match, and in both games there are thousands of different equipment combinations which allow you to define your own personal style of play. In TF2 every time you kill someone they are treated to a close-up of your character's grinning/burning/backstabbed face. Both games constantly record stats and make a big deal about them. Their character customisation options are popular because of those features, not the other way round.

    I'm not going to list all of the ways in which NS2 goes in the exact opposite direction. The only players who are likely to swing an NS2 match are the commanders...who are invisible. :)

    Team/clan customisation is a much more sensible goal: if clans could wear custom skins during their matches that would really be something.
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  • WoollySammothWoollySammoth Join Date: 2013-02-14 Member: 183062Members
    I've only played a little TF2, it's ok, but I'm really turned off by all the silly hats and weapons and stuff.  It all seems like an unnecessarily tacked on gimmick, like it's there to make money, not to make the game better.  One thing i like about ns2/uwe is they seem to put improving the game before making shit tonnes o' money. 

    I sort of see your point, in that some people are hooked by these progression award things and they can help with the longevity of games, but most of the people I know who like this stuff are mostly geared towards the weapons--getting a better weapon that enables you to p0wnz newbs easier.  I'm not really shure just reskins will have the same effect, especially as the more subtle and in-keeping with the NS2 theme they are, the less noticeable and meaningful the reskins will be.  


    Besides, i'm worried it'll make it look the TSF are having a dress down Friday, or make them look more like a rag-tag, vigilante mob than an actually effective army  ;p.
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  • ijustpwnedu96ijustpwnedu96 Join Date: 2013-01-27 Member: 182320Members
    Artfunkel said:
    TF2 and especially LOL might be team games but they both have a big focus on personal performance. Individual players can swing a match, and in both games there are thousands of different equipment combinations which allow you to define your own personal style of play. In TF2 every time you kill someone they are treated to a close-up of your character's grinning/burning/backstabbed face. Both games constantly record stats and make a big deal about them. Their character customisation options are popular because of those features, not the other way round.

    I'm not going to list all of the ways in which NS2 goes in the exact opposite direction. The only players who are likely to swing an NS2 match are the commanders...who are invisible. :)

    Team/clan customisation is a much more sensible goal: if clans could wear custom skins during their matches that would really be something.
    True, I agree that TF2 and LOL emphasis the player's hats or skins a lot. Still, the Pre-Order Black armor looks pretty nice and is very noticeable in-game. Perhaps it won't be as noticeable as TF2 and LOL, but it is something nice to have. Thus I mentioned before, it is not the top priority right now to have skins, but it will be like adding a cherry on top.

    By Team/Clan, do you mean the people who play competitive or people (friends) with their own custom clan? I will agree having skins for specific clans is nice, but the majority of NS2 players (especially new players) are not in a clan unfortunately. In my opinion if we were to create custom skins just for clans, that time can perhaps be better spent on fixing bugs, optimizations, balance, etc. 


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  • ijustpwnedu96ijustpwnedu96 Join Date: 2013-01-27 Member: 182320Members
    WoollySammoth said:
    I've only played a little TF2, it's ok, but I'm really turned off by all the silly hats and weapons and stuff.  It all seems like an unnecessarily tacked on gimmick, like it's there to make money, not to make the game better.  One thing i like about ns2/uwe is they seem to put improving the game before making shit tonnes o' money. 

    I sort of see your point, in that some people are hooked by these progression award things and they can help with the longevity of games, but most of the people I know who like this stuff are mostly geared towards the weapons--getting a better weapon that enables you to p0wnz newbs easier.  I'm not really shure just reskins will have the same effect, especially as the more subtle and in-keeping with the NS2 theme they are, the less noticeable and meaningful the reskins will be.  


    Besides, i'm worried it'll make it look the TSF are having a dress down Friday, or make them look more like a rag-tag, vigilante mob than an actually effective army  ;p.
    I agree on your statement about UWE prioritizing free updates for us instead of focusing on making tons of money. That is why we love UWE. However, players are slowly decreasing and eventually UWE will need to do something in the future. Even if skins will not be implemented right now, UWE can perhaps add the "NS2 Shop" on the main menu as a start so we can support them financially. They can start selling their Onos T-shirts, Gorge Plushies, etc. in the shop so more people notice their merchandise. 

    Of course, buying many copies of NS2 and handing them out to friends is another viable option. But, what if we don't have friends who can run NS2 smoothly or don't have enough money to buy tons of copies? That is where purchasable and affordable skins come in. Skins can either be cheap or expensive depending on the skin. Don't worry about Marines looking like an unorganized inefficient army. You may have convinced me that a Marine with a headband might not look very good, but Marines can still have different armor types. For example, the Pre-Order and Deluxe Edition skins doesn't badly affect how TSF looks. Rather, it makes them look better because they wont seem like they are all clones. A little "Diversity" is like a cherry on top. This is after all Natural Selection... diversity is good. (But too much diversity is not good as well, subtle skins such as flames on the side of the shotgun will suffice.)
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  • ArtfunkelArtfunkel Join Date: 2013-05-10 Member: 185184Members
    ijustpwnedu96 said:

    By Team/Clan, do you mean the people who play competitive or people (friends) with their own custom clan? I will agree having skins for specific clans is nice, but the majority of NS2 players (especially new players) are not in a clan unfortunately. In my opinion if we were to create custom skins just for clans, that time can perhaps be better spent on fixing bugs, optimizations, balance, etc. 


    I meant that the clans would create their own skins for use in organised and/or broadcast matches on private servers (Dota 2 already does this). I don't think the idea would work too well on pubs.
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  • Gergow44Gergow44 Join Date: 2013-05-16 Member: 185255Members
    Just saying, I had to uninstall TF2 beacouse of hats and the like.(Foolish partitioning.)
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  • Ghosthree3Ghosthree3 Join Date: 2010-02-13 Member: 70557Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    Yeah TF2 stopped being fun for me around the time of hats too.
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  • ijustpwnedu96ijustpwnedu96 Join Date: 2013-01-27 Member: 182320Members
    Very well. I have read a lot of opinions and I have concluded that skins should not be implemented in the game.

    However, I still believe UWE should create a "NS2 Shop" on the main menu to sell their wonderful merchandises more. It would support UWE financially as well as give NS2 fans fun items such as Gorge Plushies. In the future, maybe UWE can add badges that can be purchasable in the shop. The idea of badges like the "pax badges" has been talked about before on another thread on the "Ideas and Suggestions" section of the forums.
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  • snozysnozy Join Date: 2013-05-21 Member: 185318Members
    If they add skins and hats to the game, let me disable them and allow me to continue using mods like Red Marines and black aliens.
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