The diversion camera

[Spekkio]

Diversion cams have been discussed before, I believe.  I think what would be more interesting to add to the game would be an alternative to sticky cams called network cams.  You could set up 5 cams at a time and switch between them but they wouldn't have gas.  But that's been discussed also.

But the spies already have plenty of recon available to them through the HBS and spy bullets. The usefulness of taking the time to set up a "cam network" for spies is questionable at best. Time is limited, and if you're playing stealthy, you can't really waste it by setting up something that two other gadgets do instantly.

[InvisibleMan999]

Maybe you should be able to control your alarm snares rather than cams. Kind of like a remote controlled alarm snare. If not, then there shouldn't really be anything else.

The purpose is still largely different. The idea of a diversion cam is to create a diversion. Basically to make the merc think your'e in one spot and then be actually in another. That may mean a quick reticule ping and then the cam never goes off for awhile. So unliek a snare, the diversion cam isnt' obvious. It'd also be nice if the diver cam could duplicate a lot of sounds. A SS shot, launching a grenade + grenade explosion, spy walking, camo active, and so on.

Again, snares create "noise" that you use to cover when you're running around. Diversion cam create realistic sounds that the merc may mistake for a spy.

That's not any overlap at all, in fact it's two completely different functions.

[Gawain]

uhm, this would be heavy function overlapping, both with cams and snares. if you want to use cams for recon, try it out. you will find out that it's not worth the time setting up the cam(s) unless in some big open room you have to cross anyways (factory main hall and maybe digger). it's also a very bad idea to have the cams make a single realistic noise as the mercs should be able to determine if it's fake or not, otherwise it results in a total new guessing game.

[InvisibleMan999]

it's also a very bad idea to have the cams make a single realistic noise as the mercs should be able to determine if it's fake or not, otherwise it results in a total new guessing game.

You may be right. I don't know what kind of balance ramifications it will have. I do however know that the distraction sound function doesn't overlap snares. It may be imbalanced, but it's not an overlap.

[Farley4Fan]

we already had this discussion.
there's too much gadget overlapping like spekkio said.
besides, how many times do you actually use stickies for recon in ct? (the only maps i make use of this is factory and river mall but one cam is sufficient)

It would always be nice to have a second cam down, but one does the job just fine. Since cams are overpowered already, I don't think it should be upped at all.

It wouldn't be upping sticky cams at all since it would be a whole new gadget. 

How is a new gadget with a new function overlapping?  You may be right though that it would be useless at times.  Hopefully maps are designed more like factory and river mall anyways.  The only maps I use stickies for recon would be Museum, Factory, River Mall, and 1 outside of deftech.  The reason I don't use it for recon that often is because you can only have 1 at a time, and 1 sticky cam is pretty precious on most maps.  Wouldn't want to waste it.

If I make my way through the map I'd prefer to have a security system than not have one, wouldn't you?  It wouldn't take that much time, but it depends on if you can stay alive long enough to make it to each vital room.  Having 5 cameras in key rooms/hallways/chokepoints would so beat having a limited ranged hearbeat sensor. 

But whatever, I don't love the idea of security cams but I'd like to have them on some maps.

[Spekkio]

How is a new gadget with a new function overlapping?

Because it's not a new function. There's nothing that a "diversion cam" can do that can't be done already.

[Farley4Fan]

Network cam =/= diversion cam  :P

[Gawain]

besides having a different name, of course XD

[Spekkio]

Network cam =/= diversion cam  :P

Okay...and the point of the "network cam" would be to get recon on the merc, right? Well, spy bullets will tell you where a merc is on your radar, and they take much less time to set up. HBS will tell you where the merc is on the radar, and it takes little to know time to employ. Meanwhile, walking around and setting up 5 cams in spots where the mercs won't shoot them out immediately but they can still see a good vantage point (which sounds impossible on the surface, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt) would take at least a minute or two.

[Gawain]

pwned.

[Farley4Fan]

Network cam =/= diversion cam  :P

Okay...and the point of the "network cam" would be to get recon on the merc, right? Well, spy bullets will tell you where a merc is on your radar, and they take much less time to set up. HBS will tell you where the merc is on the radar, and it takes little to know time to employ. Meanwhile, walking around and setting up 5 cams in spots where the mercs won't shoot them out immediately but they can still see a good vantage point (which sounds impossible on the surface, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt) would take at least a minute or two.

Pwned?  Damn give me a chance to respond. sheesh.

The point of the network cam would be to check large areas or key hallways all in a chain of sticky cams you can have at once.  Can 1 or 2 spy bullets watch the entire garden/red room in club house?  How about the vault in bank?  Nope, it's got a small range.  With a cam you can watch the whole entire room, and not the 5 meters or so radius that the spy bullets work for.  And even if the spy bullet's range was bigger you wouldn't be able to see what the merc was doing.  However, with 1 cam you can see if a merc is planting mines/traps and where he actually is.  And you get 5 cams all with an unlimited range of view.  Bullets take just as long to set up as stickies, so that point doesn't have the slightest matter.

Think of a camnet that the spies themselves get to set up.  You are basically saying to me that presence detectors for mercs serve as better recon/search tools than the camnet.  That argument is heavily flawed.

[InvisibleMan999]

There's nothing that a "diversion cam" can do that can't be done already.

what gadget creates realistic distraction sounds that can draw a merc to a point? I'm not talking about just spamming noise, I'm talking about a realistic sound that can be triggered remotely, at any time. Snares don't even come close to doing that.

The whole network camera thing won't be useful in practice, but the distraction aspect could be.  In fact, I would probably have the same 1 camera limit as stickies for the diversion cam, because the sound producing aspects would be very potent in game.

As far as the recon cam, It's unfeasable for spies to place recon cams each life and have them mean much. Most of the time, the places you want to see are the ones in front of you, not the places you've already been. And by definition because you have to shoot the cam, you can only see places you've already been. And really, what good does that do? I can see if the merc is coming behind me? About the onyl use I can think for a recon cam is if it were completely silent and you could fire into a room real quick to see which side of the room the poison/spytraps were on, so you know where to shoot your chaff. And if people want something for that, I say just make an OCP cam. Basically a perfectly silent (but slower) way of disabling mines around corners. Dont' know if it'd be useful but it's an idea.

As far as recon cams: why not just give spies a way to tap into camnet? That'd serve the function everyone seems to want. It's slower than HBS and spybullets, but can possibly scan the whole map. Don't know if it's useful or not in play, but it should be easy enough to code and try out.

[Farley4Fan]

Good point.  But what way would there be to hack into a camnet without making it take too much time for spies?  Lol imagine a spy using a knocked out merc to look into his camnet  :D

Diversion cams, eh, why not just give snares a little boost or change?  Like being able to choose if you want to remotely trigger realistic sounds or allow it to keep scrambling the merc's reticule?

[InvisibleMan999]

Good point.  But what way would there be to hack into a camnet without making it take too much time for spies?  Lol imagine a spy using a knocked out merc to look into his camnet  :D

It's the merc camnet tool, only a spy uses it.

Diversion cams, eh, why not just give snares a little boost or change?  Like being able to choose if you want to remotely trigger realistic sounds or allow it to keep scrambling the merc's reticule?

Possibly but I think snares are already a potent gadget, I'm not if I want to boost them.

[Gawain]

papa, bullets work through walls and are really effective placed on mercs. stop thinking that a recon cam chain would work in practice.
the diversion noise ability isn't really that strong but does really suck for gameplay reasons. please stop advocating this bs gadget, we had this discussion a long time ago anyways.

why not just give spies a way to tap into camnet?

this sounds like an idea worth to look into deeper. however, there would be complications if the spy can move the cam, and if he couldn't the mercs would simply have all their cams look in a boring spot.