Kharaa Communication?

EvenFlow · March 2003

<div class="IPBDescription">Do you use it?</div> I was wondering if anyone here uses the Kharaa comms. ( other than chuckle ) i.e. the " attack " or " need backup comm ". It's neat having it there and would be mucher better if it was a bit more practical, especially the " need backup ". The only way to actually see if someone needs backup is if you happen to move over them with the hive sight.

It is obviously different for the marines as they are usually together in groups and can hear what is being said, but with the aliens being loners it does'nt help much.

Anyone know if they will be expanding on this in 1.1?

Link · March 2003

I would love to use it if it was effective, but as you say, no-one ever sees what you have said, making it quite pointless. Still, maybe there is somthing in the works for 1.1, who knows?

Ryse_Slade · March 2003

I have "Incoming" and "Need Backup" bound to keys and use it much. If nobody can see it I should think about binding something else to these keys <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'>

dearth · March 2003

when using the different alien comms, your sig on hivesight changes temporarily (next time you are playing kharaan, watch your team blobs on the screen for "so and so chuckles"). the main reason that these are not that useful is that the damned sigs onscreen tend to obscure your view of the immediate action. the number of times that I've had problems chasing a marine through a hallway because someone named "hewhosenameissoincrediblylongthatonhivesightitfillsupmywholescreen^&!#%*" is skulking nearby and appears on my hivesight. still, the idea behind this structure is neat: you could almost go without ever needing to type or voice comm as an alien if the visual interface were a little nicer.

along with the 1.1 improvements to the comm/hud, I'd love to see an improved alien hud that made easier both fighting and reading the nonverbal comms of alien comrades...maybe a queue at the corner of the screen or something...if something was done to lessen the impact of "THE ENEMY AAPPRRRROOOOOOACHEZZZ" on the concentration of an alien player, I'm sure that the slack could be taken up by something along other lines...maybe a little icon for each type of comm to appear on the screen when in use. the "i'm building here" comm would be especially useful for a gorge, that way a guy wouldn't have to voice comm repeatedly "i'm in the red room now/i'm in friggin' processing so keep the marines the $*^ out!"...just a thought.

TheHornet · March 2003

i have my scripts set up so when i press a button it will for example use the "Heal Me" in game function and also say "I need healing." in team_say at the same time so i can get the full effect. But the only alien comm that i know by memory is the heal me and chuckle.

civman2 · March 2003

I have Chuckle bound to G and need healing bound to H.
Convieniantly they are Follow Me and I'm Covering You as marines.

goorooloo · March 2003

Since the HUD flashes red when a friendly is attacked wouldn't it be feasable to make the aliens 'blob' who says 'need backup' flash a different colour? (Even yellow) You'd need some kind of small popup on you're hud to alert you to stop and look for the teammate calling out, but I think it would actually make it a USEFUL menu command.

Alternately, mabey shouting 'need healing' should popup you're health-ring so the Gorg can actually see it, (still seems buggy), and be alerted on his hud that friendlys in the immediate area need healspray.

I can't use a headset most of the time, so I've been the victim of many a type-kill just trying to alert my team to incomming enemies. Don't get me wrong hivesight is great but you have to be looking at the marine which means he can be looking at you through his crosshairs. If I know marines are inbound it would be nice to tell the hive with a small grunt or hiss and without having to needlessly risk my hide. Making noise for the marines to possibly hear is a fair trade for telling my team where they are quickly and visually on hivesight, is it not?

Every time I actually stop to look for somones name on the hivesight, the blobs never seem to have names, then there are the other times when the names obscure everything I am trying to look at it. It seems of little use to rely on the in-game menu-bound communications system, except to taunt marines.

Mabey this should be in the suggestions forum.

EvenFlow · March 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (dearth @ Mar 4 2003, 10:54 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> ...maybe a little icon for each type of comm to appear on the screen when in use.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
I like this idea, just something to alert you that one of your teammates is 'saying' something.

EvenFlow · March 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (goorooloo @ Mar 5 2003, 02:12 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Every time I actually stop to look for somones name on the hivesight, the blobs never seem to have names, then there are the other times when the names obscure everything I am trying to look at it. It seems of little use to rely on the in-game menu-bound communications system, except to taunt marines.

Mabey this should be in the suggestions forum.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
I've also noticed this alot lately, I've got a feeling that it only happens to aliens that have evolved.

Maybe this should be in the suggestions forum <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

SoulSkorpion · March 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Link @ Mar 4 2003, 10:57 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> I would love to use it if it was effective, but as you say, no-one ever sees what you have said, making it quite pointless. Still, maybe there is somthing in the works for 1.1, who knows?  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
ditto

I type what I have to say (I type fast) and if it's important I use voicecom.

Mastodon · March 2003

maybe they should just teach the Kharaa to speak English. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'>

Fennec_Fox · March 2003

Hivesight commands = Excellent idea, but poor in practice.

I just love the "I'm Building Here" noise. I use it all the time. It's so cool! *skruuKAAH* And it's In Position for the marines... perfect for spamming the commander when you really need that healthpack.

Mustard · March 2003

I used them quite often when I first started playing. I have fallen out of that habit, but I think I might start to do it again. It certainly adds to the atmosphere of the game, and you do get indicators on the hive sight. The most common ones I use are 'Heal me', 'Need Backup' and 'Chuckle'. The 'Attack' one would just give things away, so I don't touch that one much. Heal me is a good one. Most good gorges hear you coming and spray some alien love on you when you arrive.

SoulSkorpion · March 2003

The silly thing about the comms is that you can only see what they mean if the person saying them is out of your FoV and hivesight kicks in. So if you stand next to a gorge and go "heal me", he'll only heal you if he recongises the sound (well, he'll only know that you said "heal me" if he recognises the sound.)

Commander_Kittens · March 2003

Its called a micophone, time tested #1 way of communicating. Kittens suggest you get one!

Fennec_Fox · March 2003

But some of us can't do that. Know why? Because we play in areas where silence is golden! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wow.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wow.gif'>

Just picture it, if you will:
*silence...*
Me: MARINE INCOMING TO THE HIVE!
Other person: JESUS! Would you STOP DOING THAT?!
Me: ...sorry.
*silence... ...*
Me: DEFEND THE HIVE!
Other person: *jams knife through skull*
Me: ...ow...

lagger · March 2003

I'm posting in response to the 1st post only.

My team has discussed using these chuckles etc. And we decided they could be used for distraction means ie: spamming chuckle and other things ie: heal me to distract marines from true sounds. In clan match's everyone has headphones and can easly detect where ALL movement are coming from sense aliens are so loud. ie: nancy, messhall, we have a guy in messhall spam these chuckles etc and this allows for our kharra skulks to move from ambush location to ambush location without being detected very easly.. thats just one of the uses of the pre fabricated chuckles.

EvenFlow · March 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Commander Kittens @ Mar 6 2003, 09:49 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Its called a micophone, time tested #1 way of communicating. Kittens suggest you get one!  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
This is a given yes, but most of the time it's just not possible for me to use my mic. The only time I can use it is for clannies. My girlfriend will think I've absolutely lost it if she had to hear the kinda stuff going on ingame " FFS, 10 skulks incoming at viaduct, get there ppl <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'> " <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

EvenFlow · March 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (lagger @ Mar 7 2003, 01:41 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> we have a guy in messhall spam these chuckles etc and this allows for our kharra skulks to move from ambush location to ambush location without being detected very easly.. thats just one of the uses of the pre fabricated chuckles.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
LOL...and I thought I was bad with my chuckle spamming, I've gotten into the habit of chuckling everytime I run past a teamie and everytime I kill a 'rine...interesting tactic <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'>

Kharaa Communication?

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