What do people think of a short boost to the merc's speed each time the spy triggers an alarm? I'm thinking like a 2-4 second speed burst where you go maybe 25-50% faster in your base movement speed (though doesn't speed up charges). This would discourage people from just using the run-around hack strategy where they disregard alarms and just go barreling past the merc.
Doing this would give the merc an added chance to catch up everytime you tripped an alarm and basically encourage stealth more so. You could still aggro the merc, but you couldn't just run around the map.
It would be interesting to play with, but I'm obviously more for nerfing the things that allow the spies to make running-and-gunning a viable tactic: get rid of chaff through walls, get rid of partner insta-healing, get rid of auto-regen. After all that, you might not want mercs to be faster.
Call it adrenaline/ rush.
I dont really see a need for this, it could create balance problems.
Quote from: neth on March 16, 2008, 10:56:02 PM
I dont really see a need for this, it could create balance problems.
Yeah, if a merc is REALLY near the spy.
This makes no sense. You hear an alarm, so instantly run 50% faster. But, when chasing a spy with no alarm near, you still run at the base speed? Makes no sense.
Make alarms actually mean something. Lock all doors, light the area up, lock objectives, and make alarms useful.
Maybe he could grow wings
Quote from: Ion.67 on March 16, 2008, 11:40:15 PM
Make alarms actually mean something. Lock all doors, light the area up, lock objectives, and make alarms useful.
affirmative.
Quote from: Gawain on March 17, 2008, 03:53:22 AM
Quote from: Ion.67 on March 16, 2008, 11:40:15 PM
Make alarms actually mean something. Lock all doors, light the area up, lock objectives, and make alarms useful.
affirmative.
I also support that. Invisible, interesting idea, just not totally needed.
it worked kinda well on pt museum, for instance.
Yes, it worked quite well. Hopefully there are some things like that in PS.
having some spot lights come on to help the mercs would be pretty cool
Quote from: FusionSlayer on March 17, 2008, 06:22:27 PM
having some spot lights come on to help the mercs would be pretty cool
Interesting idea. Change in light is original.
Spotlights wouldn't really help. The main problem is catching the spy, not seeing him. In fact, ideally you'd want a spy to go find someplace to hide.
The lockdown worked alright, but my main problem with it is that it puts a lot of pressure on the map designer and really pretty much hoses the spy too much (IMO anyway). I mean some maps it's warranted, but in a lot of cases you're just trapped in a room with nowhere to go, like when you got trapped in museum corridor. A speed boost would be a little bit more of a compromise between the PT fortress and CT.
I was actually thinking something along these lines.
I was thinking of instead of the normal Alarm when a spy steals the disc
Maybe a loud siren EHH EHHHHHH EHHHHHHHHH EHHHHHHHHHHH EHHHHHHHHH, with those flashing lights mentioned above.
Certain doors locking would be cool but could create problems for some unfamiliar with the map.
What if two doors close it leaves two routes to go... the mercs camp... what's a spy to do?
He has to have a way to open those locked doors... no?
or there can be emergency lights that go on if its inside a building.
If there is a hack to cut the power on a certain map, it can trigger emergency lights to go on.
No need for this "adrenaline rush." You would start to have more of a rush if your life were at risk, such as if you were on a spy's ass. If an alarm triggered, that would only catch your attention....not give you power boosters.
well I was gonna say "Emergency Lights" but I was thinking of the Easter Egg Disco Hack
How about each map has its own rules, making the maps feel different?
eh that would steepen the learning curve even further, it's not needed. Let's keep in mind that most of the security should be the mercs themselves, and not the maps.
I don't think the alarm should lock the objectifs... I would say only the doors, vents, get some light on.
Should lock only vents, so spies have a chance to survive, but also fall in mines/ spytraps/ whatever.
Quote from: Papa Skull on March 17, 2008, 11:15:18 PM
eh that would steepen the learning curve even further, it's not needed. Let's keep in mind that most of the security should be the mercs themselves, and not the maps.
Not vastly different, but every map could have something different happen. Like, one map can have objectives lock, doors lock, and lights flash. Another map could have only lights flash. It would all depend on balance.
Well, just thought of this...
What about once a disk is stolen and/or an objective is being hacked maybe all the doors should get Visible Red Lasers (Think UMP Hospital doors).
So Spy steals disk and suddenly all doors now have enabled lasers to detect tresspassers.
Would be good on some maps, and maybe only laser for that room's doors, instead of say the door shutting.
Merc Alarm boost is a bad idea.
If the merc sees a stealthy spy and the spy then had to runaway accidentally tripping an alarm it makes it even easier for the merc to catch the spy.
If people complain about how slowing a spy down is a bad idea, speeding the merc up can't be good either.
The light idea, is a new take. There are typically two ways to do it. One have spot lights that track the spy for the length of the alarm within that room. Or just have all/more/emergency lights turn on making a dark or semi dark room light up.
The spot lights I have an issue with because after triggering an alarm it would be exactly like having automated camnet.
The all lights on option might work best because you could still in theory cloak or jump in a vent to get away. You are just no longer working in the dark.
Lock down in rooms worked well in most cases in PT. It was just freakin' annoying due to all the passive defences. However lockdown would also help decrease the run and gun tactic of spies. You could still do it, you just have to be carefull not to set off alarms or you could get stuck. Locking objectives in my eyes is mandatory. If your don't lock the objective, what's the point of being sneaky other than not alerting the mercs. It renders passive defenses useless.
Events that occur after securing or taking an objective is not new. Those ideas are great ideas as long as it suits the map. The map maker could program that in.
light going on because of alarm is a nice new idea.
i've seen some lights triggerd by motion sensors in rl, so why not have motion sensors that don't create an alarm but just lighten up the area?
alarm has to lock objectives, otherwise it's absolutely useless against full-aggro.
Quote from: Rambo on March 18, 2008, 09:37:04 PM
light going on because of alarm is a nice new idea.
i've seen some lights triggerd by motion sensors in rl, so why not have motion sensors that don't create an alarm but just lighten up the area?
alarm has to lock objectives, otherwise it's absolutely useless against full-aggro.
I would like it if heavily guarded places that are high-tech have red strobe lights that go off when an alarm is triggered. It would give some intensity to setting off alarms. Whoever said that objectives shouldn't be locked when alarms go off, I couldn't agree with you more. Nothing is more annoying than a partner who doesn't talk and just sets alarms off by accident all day long, a newb. Security should really be stressed a lot in the tutorial if you ask me.
I agree, such a light which helps the merc to find the spy easier is a great idea.
What about a switcher that can be turned on / off by the spies / mercs, regarding to river malls ventilation?!
Quote from: voldarant on March 21, 2008, 11:07:32 PM
I agree, such a light which helps the merc to find the spy easier is a great idea.
What about a switcher that can be turned on / off by the spies / mercs, regarding to river malls ventilation?!
Honestly the light idea is kinda dumb. All it does is encourage spies to aggro instead of hide after they've tripped an alarm.
Quote from: InvisibleMan999 on March 22, 2008, 05:48:07 AM
Quote from: voldarant on March 21, 2008, 11:07:32 PM
I agree, such a light which helps the merc to find the spy easier is a great idea.
What about a switcher that can be turned on / off by the spies / mercs, regarding to river malls ventilation?!
Honestly the light idea is kinda dumb. All it does is encourage spies to aggro instead of hide after they've tripped an alarm.
If its 1 spy, then go for it. If its 2 spies, then may the best team win. Just because there is an addition of light doesn't mean that spies go go gadget aggro. Its not too bad of an idea if emergency lights trigger on. Why not? The spy is the tard who triggered the alarm. Doesn't this kind of cause for diversion though in the spy sense? Think a little more on it.
The idea of alarms isn't to make it easier for the merc to detect the spy. I mean, he already know the general proximity of the spy anyway based on what alarm was triggered, so the spy is going full run. In which case, MT + SD are your best ways of detecting a fleeing spy.
The big problem though is catching the spy. Area lockdowns help in that regard and a speed boost would help, but lights really don't do much besides force the spy to go full speed or aggro.
of course, lockdowns are way more effective than lights or lasers going on. but the balance of something like this really depends on many map design factors like size, paths, amount/sort/placement of passive security, lightning, camnet, type of objectives etc.
Quote from: InvisibleMan999 on March 22, 2008, 05:48:07 AM
Quote from: voldarant on March 21, 2008, 11:07:32 PM
I agree, such a light which helps the merc to find the spy easier is a great idea.
What about a switcher that can be turned on / off by the spies / mercs, regarding to river malls ventilation?!
Honestly the light idea is kinda dumb. All it does is encourage spies to aggro instead of hide after they've tripped an alarm.
No. It doesn't do that now. It's basically the same thing but it just freaks you out a little more when you set one off.