Camnet

[Daybreak]

I think Camnet as a given item is a good idea. Only if we do it the way CCTV works.

Camnet as we know it, is basically teleporting a passive merc to the room. You have visions and a laser and a flashlight, the only thing it doesn't have is the ability to kill the spy. Camnet is a camera that finds passive spies.

With CCTV the cameras are exactly like passive defence camera's. No visions, no lasers or flashlights. They have a limited view and can be set off by a spy. The merc can go into the camnet view and see 6-9 cameras' on screen and can then select which ever cam he wants to see in better detail. I have not decided if 'free cam' (ability to control the camera) should be available. If a camera goes into an alarm state, or shot down or chaffed or whatever, the Merc doesn't know about it unless they go see it in CCTV. Exactly like the movies, if the guard is asleep or distracted the spies are free to do as they please. So you can set off cams but you won't have that horrible feeling of "shit the mercs coming." Now you'd get a worse feeling, you wouldn't know if they are coming or not. Now, you can be cautious or careless.

Hell you can have a security system just like in shemerhorn that disables the Cameras. But then again, you wouldn't know it unless you checked it out. Just like a real security guard with cameras.

Of course, seting up the cams is up to the map designers. I'm sure our designers are competent enough to create something that's not ridiculous or over powering.

The only argument that this may bring up is that it may promote aggro spies. If that's the case just increase the detection range. This would not be a gadget but a standard item that ever merc has. They just need to be aware of the CCTVs. Just like patroling, monitoring CCTV would be a great advantage for the Merc. However due to it's limited ability a spy can stealthfully get by no problem.

Being carless as a merc, means the spy can just run around. Being a good spy makes CCTV practically useless. CCTV finds aggresive spies. It's the opposite of Camnet.

[Gawain]

i somehow like the idea of an overview of all cameras with less resolution/detail for each one showing which one got shot out, which one has detected a spy and still locking objectives. if the fov triggering the objective lock is way smaller than what you can see through it (fisheye lense any1?) OR you can move one cam (that are normally moving independently) it could be balanced.
it would take out the guessing game which cam got disabled, but on the other hand i always thought 2 different types of cams are stupid.
anyways, replacing camnet with a drone would work out better.

[InvisibleMan999]

If a camera goes into an alarm state, or shot down or chaffed or whatever, the Merc doesn't know about it unless they go see it in CCTV.

Nah. I don't like this. It doesn't provide any benefit for shooting out a security camera. You might as well just run by it, since the static on the merc's view is just the same as seeing an alert message.

[Daybreak]

Ya but he wouldn't know about it if he didn't look. So instead of like it is now, a spy shoots out a cam a failure pops up instant. With CCTV I can shoot out a camera, and have the chance that the merc isn't aware of what's happening. It's like putting a mine down, walking away then coming back to see it gone. You know the spy was there, you just don't know how far he got.

I think this possibility is more plausible than the droid.

EDIT: Sorry i mis read what you were saying. I understand what you're saying now. Then the alarmed state would show up as a notice, however shooting one out wouldn't. Thus, a benefit from shooting out a cam. No alarm no notice.

[psyichic]

I think Daybreak's idea would certainly add to the suspense. I personally would say that we should add some form of limited observation perhaps. It would give the mercs the ability to look around with the camera and perhaps if a short start-up time was added to the camera that perhaps was indicated by the camera blinking or something you could implement a system where the spies could still avoid a camera if they were careful but if they were not paying attention they could be in an incredibly worse situation then they are now where there are a very limited number of cameras (Or atleast sometimes). Just add in more cameras at certain points but make each one of them very limited in their maximum view area.

Thats just my take on it.

[goodkebab]

With only 4 gadgets,  taking camnet is still a very expensive gadget to take.

I am thinking of the OCP with battery being a good example of disabling security without warnings, which would be a gadget needed for the spy or even freeze the image so mercs dont know it was disabled.

Also,  the ability to hack the main lines to individual cameras as being another way of disabling security warnings.

If we did that, we could still maintain the security warnings when spies rush for the sake of speed rather then stealth.

[Spekkio]

Disabling security without a warning wouldn't be good. While not giving the sound warning would be helpful, not giving any warning whatsoever will make it too hard to guard the maps.

Besides, those changes are quite drastic to the way the game would work. Is that the general direction you're going with this now?

[B1nArY_001]

Depends on the map size and layout. A generic warning with no location would probably be wise on most larger maps though. Leave some guesswork, part of what makes the Merc fun to play, figure out what the spies have planned :P

[Gawain]

for cam design: the ones in resident evil (and the view through them) look really great.

[frvge]

Are you saying something like cutting a line? Or 'temporarily cutting' a line, like hacking some circuit box?

[InvisibleMan999]

If there's a way to disable security warnings it should be like a place where one spy has to stand that's on the other side of the level or something similar where he interrupts a security box. As soon as he leaves cams should go back on.

[goodkebab]

I do agree though that securty warnings are an absolute must.

Clubhouse absolutely relies on the cameras for it to be balanced.  It gives fast and easy access to steam-jacuzzi at the cost of requiring to shoot a camera.

But then maps like Orph (all objectives except dorm) and Factory allow for all security to be bypassed with stealth.  Its hard,  but definately doable,  which is why Stealth spies love those maps so much.

[goodkebab]

and if we do  make OCP,  instead of disabling the camera,  we can just have its movement jammed instead of actually disabling it  -which would make it a logical explanation for not giving a security warning and fooling a dull merc into trusting his security to much.  Also,  the frozen camera would have to give a visible and audio clue to a nearby merc.

The camnet gadget could not locate the disabled camera  (its just frozen in place) and spy should then be able to sneak past camera.  If merc suspected the camera to be frozen,  he could test the movement of the camera.  But that takes diligence of the merc,  and quite often there is not time for that.

If the camera does not pan-rotate  (like in steam-jacuzzi)  it might be because of balance and there is no advantage to use OCP...or we make the camera somehow move to a  reset position that might allow spy sneak past.  Also,  perhaps its reasonable to allow merc controlled movement on the stationary cameras.

But standard gameplay should require security warnings.

[Gawain]

probably the best change for the gameplay is more bypassable passive defenses (pan-rotating cams, motion sensors that don't detect slow mode movement, lasers you  can roll through) + replacing camnet with some kind of drone or leaving it out completely.

[neth]

and cams that dont detect camo