Visual feedback on HUD

[Cronky]

Now this is a stretch on the topic, but here we go.

So in Lakehouse... the Boat Room has Water in it. I assume no one would be able to touch it, but that doesn't change the fact that there will be water in game. (This holds little relevance to what comes next, but I'm just connecting random dots to form this)

Now to the real part. Is there potential to new kind of Environmental "Traps"? Say something like... Fire alarm sprinklers that distort Merc visions (Visual Feedback ;))/default Spies out of Camo. Kind of like the Fire Extinguishers in CT fogging up the Merc screen.

Also will the fire extinguishers be making a comeback?

[Spark Mandriller]

holy shit
cronky has made a suggestion that is not fucking terrible


not sure how to react to this :/

[Farley4Fan]

Yeah that goes back to map interactivity.  Which in my opinion is a great thing.  The more the better as long as it isn't totally gimmicky all around.  Has to have a gameplay purpose, right?  Not saying your suggestions don't Cronky - they do - just making a random point lol

[Cronky]

holy shit
cronky has made a suggestion that is not fucking terrible


not sure how to react to this :/

A (backhanded) compliment from Noop. I'm a little surprised!

Just give me a couple more posts though, I'll go back to being stupid. :P

(Perhaps I can try to do this faster than a couple!)

Yeah that goes back to map interactivity.  Which in my opinion is a great thing.  The more the better as long as it isn't totally gimmicky all around.  Has to have a gameplay purpose, right?  Not saying your suggestions don't Cronky - they do - just making a random point lol

Yeah, I agree. There is potential with it all but definitely should be kept to a minimum. Sprinkler system is all I can really think of now that could work for/against both sides. In my head (this is dangerous territory now) there is a lot of ways that this can implemented.

What do you guys think is better?

-Timed: Much like Fire extinguishers. After a certain period of time they just stop.

-Permanent: Like the explosion room (Forgot the actual name) in... Factory I believe. Once it's activated it never can be stopped. (Sorta bad example, but you get what I mean)

-Toggleable: Like the Steam Room in Aquarius. Able to be shut off, but you have to do it manually.

If Map Interactivity has come up before, what were some other worthwhile ideas that were brought up?

[Farley4Fan]

I like the toggle-able ones the most.  Shutting down a light source with a lever and powering it back on, blocking a path/closing a door or opening it, shutting down a conveyor belt carrying boxes that triggers motion tracking or powering it back on.

But permanent ones also have potential if done in a clever manner by the mapper himself.  I don't know why but I always liked the effects in Aquarius.  The smoke in Tech, sprinklers from disc, and lights from pirates, those effects are also nicely done in that they are only achieved after accomplishing an objective.

Permanent changes to the map should only happen after a spy completes an objective, imo.

Temporary changes would obviously be open to anyone at any time.  It adds a strategic element and could hopefully prevent objective camping by mercs.  These are CT's hacking panels but they don't have to be merely panels.  I say get creative.  Pushing switches, pulling levers, cutting wires to disrupt mercenary communications until a merc repairs the wires, etc...

Now I'm off topic again. 

[Cronky]

Yeah, Aquarius was a well put together level in that sense, and you're right; each duration type holds a purpose. Mappers would have to be creative with what they want to do with it. Sounds like Toggle-able ones fits Sprinklers pretty well.

My next question would be how to set them off...

Should Spies be able to set them off with their SS? Or is it only accessible to them by way of panels?

Would a Merc be able to set it off with a Grenade, Flare, and/or (in range) Mine? (Fire... Sprinkler System)

Would the possibilities of a Lasting Effect Prior to the idea be possible. Such as Puddles on the ground. Leading to perhaps... a slightly higher damage on the Taser, or more open shot to SS people as Spy?

(Just another idea thrown out there for the sake of discussion. Haven't actually put thought into whether it's balanced or not. Or even if it would be fun to add those)

cutting wires to disrupt mercenary communications until a merc repairs the wires

This gives me another idea. Might have already been brought up.

Would it be possible for Spy Bullets to do a similar deal as you mentioned here? (I'm counting this on topic because of Audible Feedback) Such as your Team-Chat becomes Fuzzy, or cuts out (Imagine person on cellphone with bad reception).

Spies would be able to hear them clearly, and get their position. Merc's would get the obvious notification that they have been Spy Bullet-ed. Meaning that the Gadgets functionality on a direct shot becomes more limited, but also more dramatic. Making the indirect shot (Proximity Detection) more unique. Perhaps also giving the indirect shot Team-Chat listening ability (Forget if it already did that). Giving more reason to pick Spy Bullets over HBS.

(Again, just another thought. Not much thinking put into it)

[comicsserg]

cutting wires is cool :D and All that cool stuff that you've(FarleyFan) been saying can add a lot of variety in the game and it's good because it will be not boring to play even the same map over and over

[frvge]

Depends on the wishes of the mapper. In theory, everything is possible (as long as we have an animator and a programmer on it ;) )

[Cronky]

Everything's Possible...

What sounds cool to me is if you had a background story for each side that's told vaguely through the maps!

(What follows is Extremely Off-Topic. I suggest you stop reading and just move along with your day. I took total disregard to anything that is already said about the game's story.)

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Two "Ending" Maps.

Merc Cloning Facility: (Little weird how you can have Merc... Clones... But WHATEVA)

Deep in the snowy depths of the Alaskan Tundra lies a secret base that holds the means of the Mercenary Army. A base located at the... base of a Mountain. A big Armored door is faceted to a dug out wall in the side of said mountain. (Think... Polar Base-like)

Level is a 3 part operation (When playing story mode). Played much like Warehouse. Spies spawn outside of the base.

First objective is Neutralization. 3 hack spots. One inside of a building, one near a big armored door, one at an explosive charge near a rocky wall (Separated, but connected to the same wall as the Armored Door).

From there the mode changes to Sabotage (CT or PT Style). Sabotage spots placed on a number of doors within a science-y looking facility located beyond the Armored Door. Clean and Sterile, it contrasts to the rugged, natural scene that you witness outside, but keeps the same color scheme of blankets of white. Most lights knocked out by the explosion you caused with the charge outside (As to create shadows). Other entrances include a secret hatch from the building the hack spot was in the first objective, and the other being the explosive charge that punches a hole directly into the facility. Either Sabotage style, by completing the objective it overrides the doors and gains you access to the final area deep within this facility.

The Cloning area. Very dark with ambient light coming from tubes of liquid with light filtered through it. "Premature" or in some areas "Defective" Merc clones are scattered around this area. You see many in progress Mercs as for the avid looker to understand exactly how they were made, but this is all beside the point.

This last room culminates with a Multi-objective type of gameplay. Each of them baring some kind of significance to finishing the "Story". Extraction is taking the power core from the Merc Cloning Machines main reactor; signs acknowledging a radioactive meltdown if said power core was to be taken. Neutralization is hacking the main servers of this room; this suggests that you then fudge up whatever they're doing there and render everything dead. Sabotage (CT Style) has you planing a bomb on a huge cache of Merc Equipment; this suggests that you set off the equivalent of a A-BOMB in that facility. Two objectives must be done here.

That is the end of the Mercenary Threat....

*Start Round 2 and break any kind of Immersion to a story that was very loosely garnered through this levels concept and design.*

War-torn Spy HQ:

All I really think about this level is that it suggests that the Mercs found the Spy HQ and are takin shit down. Broken down from the initial attack, you see many blood stains, and quite a few bodies lying around from the battle the ensued. Merc's Spawn in random areas around the base (As to assume they are a clean up crew, or something). Spies Spawn either at an Entrance, or on top of a freight elevator area that is the "Backdoor" to getting into the HQ.

Somehow it would incorporate the Training Level(s) (Depending on what style of training level(s) is/are made). Broken down, but anyone who played the Training Level would instantly recognize it. Flesh out the facility a little more from your limited view of it that you got while learning the ropes of the game.

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Yeah, I totally just made up that it's a Government Organization Vs a Secret Science-Oriented PMC Group Plot.

If you wasted your time reading the whole thing.... Well then you wasted some time. ;)

[frvge]

Arcing storylines over multiple maps were one of my personal ideas like 2 years ago, but we decided against it AFAIK.

[Cronky]

Yeah, probably is for the best.

Wouldn't "Limit" creativity when it comes to maps, but would definitely set a Standard.

Like... Could you imagine a CT map that look place on a Space Ship or something? Not sure how you would figure Spies and Mercs onto a Space Ship, but if someone did. I'm bettin that it would have gone against what you expected to come from a CT Map (in a bad way, unless the map was actually good).

Lakehouse is a good one. I just hope someone comes up with something creepy to play through.

Remake Orphanage, but when Mercs hit certain parts of the map their hud goes a little fuzzy. Also every once in a while a whispering is heard by both teams. One tiny notch of health is taken away at random. If someone happens to die then as they watch the deathcam they see ghosts of children all around their body.

I not only want to be scared by Mercs. I want to think something else is out there trying to take both teams down.

;D

[VaNilla]

Some of your ideas are good, but the idea of ghosts taking your health away at random is ridiculous; punishing for players for no reason but theme is pretty silly :P

[CurdyMilk]

Lakehouse is a good one. I just hope someone comes up with something creepy to play through.

Remake Orphanage

Oh don't worry  ;)

[Cronky]

Some of your ideas are good, but the idea of ghosts taking your health away at random is ridiculous; punishing for players for no reason but theme is pretty silly :P

Yeah, I GUESS you're right ;)

You hadn't even heard of my final revision to solve that. Cause if there's something strange, in your neighborhood; who ya gonna call?

_____ _______!

(Nah, you're definitely right. Wasn't intended to be taken seriously past the point of "...Something creepy to play through...".)

[Farley4Fan]

Not sure how you would figure Spies and Mercs onto a Space Ship

April 6th, 2017

An unknown distress beacon is beaming from Mars.  Intelligence suggests that is quite possibly an alien life form due to the mysterious language present in the beacon.  A private party wishes to be the first to capture an alien and so hires mercenaries to either kill/capture an alien.  The party arranges a space voyage for the mercenaries with the Russian space program in exchange for a portion of the findings.

An American intelligence agency discovers the deal made by the Russians and the private party.  Agents are dispatched to stow away onboard the shuttle and recover intelligence linking the Russians and the private party.  Secondary objectives are to discover the source of the distress beacon and recover evidence.  The agents are successfully hidden on the shuttle taking the 2 highly trained mercenaries to Mars.

The Russian shuttle finally lands on Mars and the spies and mercenaries set out to do their mission.  The mercenaries are completely oblivious to the presence of the spies and upon confrontation believe they are hostile aliens trying to sabotage the ship.

Just some cool ideas: If a merc dies you could see him come out of a cryo chamber or something when he respawns.  A spy would be able to walk the surface of Mars freely and a merc would have to use his gas mask to walk outside.  A disc/recovery objective could be in the wreckage of the crashed alien space craft.  Frozen alien bodies would be seen in the cargo area of the shuttle.