New Spy: Leopard (WIP)

[Vega]

Project Stealth: Leopard

Hey guys, I've been working on this idea for a while (on and off) and decided to post it and see if any of you have anything to say.  I'm pasting this from my word.doc so it may look a little weird.  As mentioned below, this project is merely for fun and I have no inclinations of the dev team taking this seriously.  This is a work in progress and I was tired of seeing it sit in my document folder untouched, so I'm finally posting it now.  Also, I'm fully aware that many of these ideas are not fleshed out.  I don't even like half of them, a lot of them need to be seriously reworked in order to fill the goal I desire.  For now, they're just on paper for the time being.  They are not balanced, they are not entirely useful, hell this whole project could be scraped simply because it's trying to create an alternative that isn't really needed.  Anyways, enough ramble, read and comment if you like.


What is ââ,¬Å"Leopard?ââ,¬Â
Leopard is the code name given to Mirageââ,¬â,,¢s newest, bio-engineered soldiers.

Mirage Background
Mirage is a high-tech, private military corporation (PMC) that focuses on the development of combat enhancing drugs and composite materials.  Through finite element analysis, advanced hybrid composite topologies using nanomatricies were pioneered to allow for the first time maximum flexibility while simultaneously optimizing structural rigidity under impact loading conditions; meaning, during regular movement the suit remains elastic but when subject to a projectile it hardens acting as body armor.

What does it have to do with Project Stealth?
I wanted to create my own, unique version of a spy using the Project Stealth universe.  My objective was to create a play style that was different to the currently chosen CT-template spy.  I did this by giving the ââ,¬Å"Leopardââ,¬Â a completely new set of gadgets, different innate abilities, and a substitute for the sticky shocker.  My intent is to have this spy theoretically be a formidable and alternative counterpart to the mercenary.  

Creation Notes
I tried to make this spy so it could effectively take on the current chosen design for a mercenary; but more importantly, to do it in a balanced environment.  With that being said, I created this purely out of fun.  I have no intention of trying to push this creation for implementation, but maybe it will spark ideas or create discussion ââ,¬â€œ Iââ,¬â,,¢m posting this simply because I have the desire to.  The images here are the ones I feel fit nicely, have the highest resolution, and look pretty damn cool.  They arenââ,¬â,,¢t perfect, but they work well enough.  

The gadget substitutes and sticky shocker substitute will appear similar to the current sticky shocker and current set of gadgets we already have because they were designed to function the same but to do so in a different way.  They fulfill needed aspects of a spy, such as stealth, reconnaissance, and aggression.  The main problem was coming up with ideas that were different than the current gadgets, but could still accomplish corresponding roles.  Think TF2 with their unlocks: different weapons, but (usually) perform a similar task to the default weapon.

Also, for now on, I'm going to refer to the Project Stealth spy as Shadownet since it'll be easier.  I'm also using some of the stock CT items for reference (such as Spy Trap instead of RF Detector).  I'll change them to their appropriate names at another time.

Vision Modes

One of the big difficulties was coming up with different vision modes for the Leopard.  Probably the best solution is to use the same thermal/night-vision modes as the Shadownet spy.  I feel the spy must have night vision or some other form of illuminating darkness and I find there is no perceivable way to go about this other than simply giving the Leopard night-vision.  I propose the following vision to give the Leopard a different tactical approach to discovering mercenary devices as the thermal vision is used in Chaos Theory.  

Night Vision ââ,¬â€œ As used by the Shadownet spy.

Electromagnetic Wave Vision (EMW) ââ,¬â€œ When using this vision, mines, spy traps, and presence detectors give off a bluish aura.  This vision recognizes these auras when the Leopard is near them (about 4 meters). The size of the aura is debatable; the point is that this vision greatly warns the Leopard of their presence before itââ,¬â,,¢s too late.  This draws heavily upon the userââ,¬â,,¢s energy when in use.
Differences to Thermal Vision: EMW can only be used for a limited time as it draws the userââ,¬â,,¢s energy.  It is not effective at illuminating the map as thermal is (you can easily navigate the entire map with thermal on) besides for mercenary devices ââ,¬â€œ it should be hard to navigate with this vision on.  Thermal is overall more versatile, but EMW is better suited for finding mercenary devices as they give off the aura that is easily recognizable if within 4 meters, regardless of how well placed they are.  Also, 4 meters is relatively close, and one should realize that thermal can pick up mercenary devices from quite a distant if the spy has line-of-sight.Lastly, thermal is better used for identifying mercenaries in darkness or through smoke.

Iââ,¬â,,¢m fully aware of how this is essentially a broken vision mode, most likely too powerful, and too direct in its purpose because it essentially is a ââ,¬Å"hard counterââ,¬Â to mercenary devices ââ,¬â€œ even well placed ones.  However, in the heat of battle, EMW vision is dangerous to use because of the energy drain.  

Sticky Shocker

I have yet to decide on a replacement of the sticky shocker.  I've tried the no-shocker alternative, giving the Leopard instead special abilities that allowed him to escape easier, but I found then that a fight between a mercenary and spy would be even more of a cat and mouse game than it already is.  Without a sticky shocker, a spy would have to constantly be on the run.  So, right now this topic remains untouched.

Coop Moves

I proposed two coop moves on this forum a while back, and Iââ,¬â,,¢ve decided to put these in here for varietyââ,¬â,,¢s sake.  Theyââ,¬â,,¢re not groundbreaking, but they could prove useful perhaps.  The Leopard knows the following:

Coop Camera Disable - spy stands on the shoulders of the other spy, giving it the needed height to disable a camera, silently.  The camera goes inactive for a period of time, but it is not revealed to the mercenaries that it has happened.  It is disabled silently as the spies are manually hacking the camera instead of violent shocking it with their sticky shocker.
Problem:  Not all cameras within maps are within "2 spy height" distance.


Coop Laser Disable ââ,¬â€œ Each spy holds a square device over the laser, which reflects the laser.  Basically, the spies then switch to the other side of the door, essentially going through the laser field untouched, silently, and without triggering the lasers.  More importantly is that is allows the spies to go through the lasers with no need of rolling.  
Problem:  Rolling is much easier and faster.  But, in some levels (such as factory), rolling through a laser field will often result in being noticed by a camera immediately.  
Solution:  By doing this coop move, you can easily go through a laser field without going the extra distance that is applied from rolling through.

Gadgets

As with the Shadownet spy, the Leopard will choose four of the following gadgets.  I plan on having at least eight created when I'm done.

Chameleon Skin ââ,¬â€œ When the spy is standing still, crouch walking, or moving slowly, his suit will start to imitate and change according to the background.  If standing near a brick wall, the suit will start to blend into the brick wall, ultimately creating a higher degree of camouflage.  When the spy runs, his suit will slowly fade and appear its normal gray color.  This ââ,¬Ëœchameleon skinââ,¬â,,¢ is undetected by EMF, but MT will detect a moving spy as normal.  This gadget is always active, cannot be turned off, and does not drain energy.

Sonic Grenade ââ,¬â€œ The spy may drop this at his feet or throw it for distance.  After it lands, a timer will start to beep quickly.  After 2-3 seconds, it will explode causing all destructible objects to be instantly shattered.  In addition, it will knock any players caught in the radius; just as if they had been bull charged (or elbowed, still deciding).  No physical damage is caused to the affected individuals.  Affects spies and mercenaries alike.

Signal Disrupter ââ,¬â€œ This is a tiny, disruptive device that is shot from the spyââ,¬â,,¢s gun.  It emits signals that disrupt security cameras, laser fields, EMF/MT visions, and causes gun malfunctions, making reloading and sniping difficult.  When shot near a security camera or laser field, they will be disabled until the device is shot off, removed, or until it expires.  If shot at a mercenary, it will stick to him and cause an initial 5 seconds of disruption, and after every 5 seconds thereafter will cause disruption for a short amount of time.  The device lasts for 25 seconds and is capable of being removed by a mercenary teammate.  

Flea ââ,¬â€œ Used for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, the Flea is a tiny robotic camera that is used to watch the mercenariesââ,¬â,,¢ movements.  When shot at a mercenary, the Flea will crawl towards the front of the body, which it will then transmit a live feed directly to the spy ââ,¬â€œ essentially giving a first-person view of all the mercenaryââ,¬â,,¢s actions.  This is useful for determining where the mercenary is, where he has planted mines or traps, and various other bits of information.  If shot at the surrounding terrain, the Flea will act as a standard sticky camera but without the gas-launching properties.  The Flea can be removed (if on the mercenary or a wall/object) or shot off (only if on a wall/object).  I would like to note that a portion of the spyââ,¬â,,¢s screen will be dedicated to this live-feed; meaning, a spy does not have to switch back and forth like the old sticky cam.  However, the spy has the option to maximize this view with a click of a button, or disable the corner video if he so wishes.  *Balancing would require this gadget to be used in the same manner as a sticky camera.  Tiny window most likely provides too much recon with little drawback.  Thanks to lochang for pointing this out.*

EMG (Electromagnetic Grenade) ââ,¬â€œ The electromagnetic grenade may be dropped at the feet or thrown for distance.  Once used, the grenade produces a powerful magnetic field that causes all metal objects to gravitate towards the device.  Because mercenaries are loaded with metal objects, including their armor, the EMG will effectively stop or severely slow a mercenary, although it is not powerful enough to pull him towards the center.  The device lasts 5 seconds.  Spies are unaffected due to a demagnetized suit.

Climbing Gear ââ,¬â€œ The spy is fitted with anti-gravity gloves and footwear, allowing him to scale walls and anything with a flat surface.  When active, this constantly drains energy from the suit.  When the energy bar is completely depleted, the climbing gear will shut off immediately.

Innate Abilities/Gadgets

Due to the nature of Project Stealth, there will be many similar innate abilities/gadgets between the Leopard and the Shadownet spy.  The following list includes, but is not limited to:
1.   Sticky shocker equivalent.
2.   Adversarial moves: Grab, neck snap, knockout, elbow, drop tech.
3.   Partner moves: Infinite coop health needles, coop jump boost (and human ladder), coop laser disable, coop camera disable.
4.   Movement (list included for reference): Run, silent walk, crouch, jump, dive roll, climb, ledge hang, wall-scale (for added height, I.E. hard to reach vents), wall flip.
5.   Gas, Flash, Chaff/EMG Grenade immunity.
6.   Binoculars (hacking feature included).
7.   Removing of mercenary devices: Spy trap, mine.  This also includes the ability to remove these devices when activated on a spy (such as removing a spy trap from a partner.)
8.     I want the Leopard to have some special hand-to-hand combat move but nothing excessive or flashy.  It would serve a purpose rather than just visual effect.

References

-The images posted are the conceptual art of the ââ,¬Å"Hunterââ,¬Â class for the game Hellgate: London.
-Mirage is a general and fitting term, but I probably would not have thought of it if I didnââ,¬â,,¢t look at Armored Core, the PS2 mech game.
-My engineering friend came up with the bitch of a second sentence under ââ,¬Å"Mirage Background.ââ,¬Â


Checklist (this is here for my own use)
1.   At least eight gadgets.
2.   One-two vision modes (excluding normal vision).
3.   Sticky shocker replacement.


That's all for now.  If you have any criticism, go for it.

[Succubus Dryad Of The Undying Comet]

Sounds good, although with the Chameleon suit, I'd take out the sticky shocker.
Cause if the Shadownet spy is the balanced for all playstyles, this one is for stealth (at least that's what the gadgets suggest).

I want that as a second class for the spy.

[Gawain]

i don't think a second player class is a good idea, though some of the features of this new class could prove fun implemented into the normal spy/merc. for instance, it would be nice to have some new coop moves available (like tomi-nage, disabling laser/cam etc.) or to augment the abilities of the spy nades a little.

[Spark Mandriller]

If you make variant mercs you have to call them crocodiles. This is a rule.

[soldium]

DO IT OR I KILL YOU BUT CREAT THEN MERC Leopard ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
siriously how can i help? i want to have it on project stealth pleas its well be so cool when you creat this that thing is for 100/10

[soldium]

sorry for spam but i have more moves ago i add it later but only when you talk i can 8)
i creat some stick figures presentaiton and for yours movies too

[LoChang]

Hey, way to go, Vega.  Looks good.

On the upside, looks like you have a helper volunteering himself, too.

[element54]

LOL at the stick figure drawings.

[soldium]

tomorow i post an special moves anims today im brefing a spy figure

[Farley4Fan]

Call me lame, but what is the first picture from? 

[soldium]

I end my first vision about the camera shut down


sorry for that not spy stick but the spy stick  of my production is to more compicated to use it
its that-
spy moving to spy hand ledge turning camera buton and jump to the tail :D

[frvge]

Interesting move, but probably overpowered.
If the cameras turn back on after a certain amount of time, it would be ok I think.

But we don't have an extra animator for this, so yeah...

[soldium]

Interesting move, but probably overpowered.
If the cameras turn back on after a certain amount of time, it would be ok I think.

But we don't have an extra animator for this, so yeah...

ye but we stell can find someone i thing we can find someon o some board
i try find somting on gogle all try too pleas
EDIT:i find somting entrested
http://www.3dmd.net/forum/3d-forum-2.html
its forum for 3d animators i thing someone must register and creat topic named ,,project stealth characters animator'' or somthing like that

[Vega]

Papa, the image is of the Hunter class in Hellgate London.

Soldium, as this is just for fun, an animator won't be needed but your animations are cool nonetheless.  The backflip off of the spy is a little excessive but that's your vision  :). 

Frvge, just to argue the coop moves, I wouldn't consider them too overpowered.  First, the cameras would indeed be deactivated for a limited time as you mentioned.  Second, this require a little bit of time to do, nothing drastic, but coop moves always leave you vulnerable.  Third, the act of cooping means both spies are together which has its advantages but also brings forth the disadvantage that they are not spread out, limiting their potential to manipulate the mercenaries lack of speed and rigid travel routes.

I'm thinking of possibly making this spy have three gadgets to choose from the standard list of eight, and then a special fourth slot that is selected from a smaller pool of gadgets.  This smaller pool of gadgets would most likely be associated with enhancing the spy's ability to move or conceal, not their ability to detain mercenaries.  For example, in this fourth gadget pool, I would think that the Chameleon Skin and Climbing Gloves (which could be changed to allow more surreptitious movement such as silently landing from a greater height) would be present.  This means that the spy has only one choice out of probably three or four gadgets (undecided amount at this time) which cannot be intermixed.  This "special" gadget defines the spy in a way, because his play style would be greatly changed due to this gadget. 

Thoughts on this idea, anyone?  It may sound a little confusing, but I could expand this further if need be.  I have the tendency to complicate simple ideas.

[frvge]

Seems to be nice for an alternative version.