Well, if we are getting into some serious weapon talk, there are a couple things that I would like to see.  Weapons should always be subject to damage, degradation, failure, and loss.  One thing that bugs me in most crpgs is that once you get TEH ULTIMATE GAT, it's basically yours forever.  It's never going to get stolen or lost or dropped off the edge of a 30 meter ledge into a vat of boiling metal.  This leads directly into UBER-WEAPON SYNDROME which I can't stand.  No weapon should be able to last forever without care and maintenance, and even then just bad luck or a sneaky NPC shoudl be able to relive you of it for good, forcing you to acquire some other new weapon to replace it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

SS2 had weapon maintenance, IIRC.

 

As long as it doesn't become un-fun, I don't mind at all.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

That's true. Although I thought SS2 overdid it a little. Having 10 rounds take your gun from perfect to broken was a little extreme. Not that it was that bad, but the weapon deterioration was excessive.

 

What I would like to see is just some way to avoid making the game about finally getting the "best" gun. In keeping with survival horror, your best gun should nopt be guaranteed to last or be with you forever.

 

I woudl also like to see an extreme dearth of ammo in the game. Big difference with having to fight some aliens with only 20 10mm caseless rounds rather than 500. Plus if its a non-military setting, then military issue arms and ammuntion should be very hard to come by and realistically placed within the game world.

The timespan of many games doesn't seem to lend itself well to weapon degradation personally.

 

Unless you go with the System Shock 2 insta-crumble.

None of those little attachments increases the velocity of the bullet coming out of the M4, makes it naturally more accurate, or reduces felt recoil except maybe by making it heavier. I didn't mean to say that certain attachments wouldn't obviously have their benefits, but they shouldn't make the basic "stats" of the weapon so common in RPGs magically go up.

Ah, you were referring to ballistics only. Well, then short of changing the caliber, ammunition (gunpowder composition? do these guns even use that as a propellant?), or barrel, there's little that could be done to change the performance of a pulse rifle, I'd say. But yeah, it'd feel pretty lame if changing the handguard suddenly gives you a +1d6 damage.

 

 

It could potentially take up space for other attachments, supposing that all the minor attachments aren't cleverly designed to go in separate places, and I see laser sights as more of a gimmick anyway. A decent red-dot sighting system would be far superior for a trained marine, especially in a shooter game where, firing from the hip, you probably have that convenient crosshair in the middle of your screen anyway.

Well, even if we assume the game will be a shooter, the classic crosshair will only represent where you want to place your shots. Installing laser sights could, say, reduce the crosshair spread when turning around quickly or running, as it would represent the help provided by the device when firing from the hip.

 

As for some upgrades being incompatible with others... I don't know. A slot system could work I guess, maybe like the lightsaber upgrade system they used in K2. They could combine it with a measure of the weapon's overall weight too; I don't suppose a smartgun pimped like mad handles like your stock pulse rifle.

 

 

Well, I think  increasing weapon skill is better than too much focus on weapon upgrades, but thats just me.

I'd like to have a nice balance between both, with a slight prevalence of skills over hardware.

 

 

SS2 had weapon maintenance, IIRC.

 

As long as it doesn't become un-fun, I don't mind at all.

More skills to play with.

Edited January 6, 200719 yr by 213374U

I expect weapons as realistic as monsters and ships capable of time-travel. And equally durable.

 

I would love it, if there wasn't an abundance of guns in the game, but just your "common household items" that you could use to keep yourself alive with. At least for a while (no, not necessarily MacGuyver style, more like explosives, slippery grease, homemade molotov ****tails etc.). Make that pistol/gun that can actually help you kill them at a distance hard to get :cool:

I don't want to play an Alien 3 game At least the guys in Alien had abundant flamethrowers.

 

Weapon deterioration is a bad idea, because as Alanschu mentioned, there's not enough time, and if guns were scarce or valuable you'll want to have some alternative. Under no circumstances is going into a fight with no resources at all a good thing. We don't want this game to be one in which you get to the ending and it's abjectly impossible to complete because you weren't miserly enough with your ammo or didn't take good enough care of your guns (hello Resident Evil) and if you didn't reserve a savegame far back enough in the game to rectify the problem, you've broken the game (hello Dead Rising). Are we going to have an alternative melee combat then, or are we going to have the option to run from fights? Or are we going to be able to talk the aliens down?

Edited January 7, 200719 yr by Pop

I suppose one could always use harsh language ^_^.

 

The only form of weapon degradation I'd go for is like if alien blood got on your gun. SS2 style degradation was a pain in the arse.

I suppose one could always use harsh language ^_^.

Are you going to go away, or do I have to taunt you a second time? :D

I suppose one could always use harsh language ^_^.

 

The only form of weapon degradation I'd go for is like if alien blood got on your gun. SS2 style degradation was a pain in the arse.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Well you better just get used to it! Why don't you put her in charge!!?!?

 

 

Though seriously, I wouldn't mind if close quarters combat with the aliens could result in weapon damage. Perhaps you could salvage some components of it that aren't damaged, and with enough spare parts from disabled guns, assemble another one from the spare parts.

It would be a nice touch if the gun jammed once in a blue moon, but no percentages, ei, gun is 84% effective. Thats stupid.

Well, in order to not stray too far from the movie, the impression I get is that if acid hits component, component is wasted. Hopefully that is the case.

I think it would be fairly difficult to represent acid hitting ones weapon in-game very well. Besides, if it were possible to get enough alien goop covering your weapon in a fight to damage it significantly there would probably be enough goop to do a lot of damage to various body parts as well. I for one don't want to be running around the game without any hands .

Edited January 7, 200719 yr by LostStraw

Besides, if it were possible to get enough alien goop covering your weapon in a fight to damage it significantly there would probably be enough goop to do a lot of damage to various body parts as well.

 

You wouldn't necessarily need lots of "alien goop covering your weapon" to damage your weapon significantly. A drop of it burned holes through the Nostromo. On the other hand, Hudson was able to still fight after being burned in the arm when in the APC. But a few drops on your weapon would probably be game over for the weapon, so it's not like you'd need lots of it to splatter in your general direction.

 

Hicks' shotgun was also discarded after shooting one in the mouth, though that one would likely have received a bit more goop on it.

The timespan of many games doesn't seem to lend itself well to weapon degradation personally.

 

Unless you go with the System Shock 2 insta-crumble.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Well, its really just a gameplay mechanic to keep the player from getting too comfortable with what she's got.

 

I remember, I think it was in Darklands, my player character was mugged beaten and robbed. Woke in the middle of a swamp with nothing and was confronted with the task of trying to recover. You don't see stuff like that in crpgs anymore. I think its too bad.

Half-Life had Gordon captured and stripped of all his equipment, then tossed in a (SW hommage?) garbage compactor.

Half-Life had Gordon captured and stripped of all his equipment, then tossed in a (SW hommage?) garbage compactor.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Yep. That was one of my favorite parts of the game. Losing everything and having to re-equip with arms and ammo. Made the game more interesting for a while.

Half-Life had Gordon captured and stripped of all his equipment, then tossed in a (SW hommage?) garbage compactor.

One of the best moments in the game, too.

Max Payne had the same deal, ODing on drugs and then waking up somewhere with nothing but a lead pipe. They could have the same thing in Alien, 'cept instead of ODing on drugs, you've gotten some facehugger lovin ^_^

Max Payne had the same deal, ODing on drugs and then waking up somewhere with nothing but a lead pipe. They could have the same thing in Alien, 'cept instead of ODing on drugs, you've gotten some facehugger lovin ^_^

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

ODing on drugs? Wasn't he kidnapped by the baseball bat boy fan?

Half-Life had Gordon captured and stripped of all his equipment, then tossed in a (SW hommage?) garbage compactor.

One of the best moments in the game, too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'm guessing the point of your av is that Luke's foot is nowhere near that guys face.

Half-Life had Gordon captured and stripped of all his equipment, then tossed in a (SW hommage?) garbage compactor.

One of the best moments in the game, too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'm guessing the point of your av is that Luke's foot is nowhere near that guys face.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Doesn't matter, he is using The Force!

Foot Force FTW!

Max Payne had the same deal, ODing on drugs and then waking up somewhere with nothing but a lead pipe. They could have the same thing in Alien, 'cept instead of ODing on drugs, you've gotten some facehugger lovin ^_^

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

ODing on drugs? Wasn't he kidnapped by the baseball bat boy fan?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, he ODed twice. The first time he killed that crazy black-metal gangster, and then met the mob boss' wife's evil twin, then proceeded to have a glass of whiskey with her, which she spiked with large amounts of V, and he passed out and was then kidnapped by the baseball bat boy guy. The second time was after he kills the mob boss and runs into the evil conglomerate head and her death squad, at which point she injects him with more V, at which point he passes out and wakes up again. Both times Max loses all of his weapons.

 

The game is almost as fun to play as it is to explain. It's sad that the second game wasn't as awesome, and 3D Realms can't keep its **** together. I guess MP is a dead property now?

Why do you say that?

 

I haven't played the first Max Payne, but the sequel was bonza.

 

I'd be surprised if they just let a good franchise die, 3dRealms are probably just waiting for the release of Duke Nukem Forever so that they can concentrate on the third game. "

I thought the sequel was not as good as the first one, mainly because it didn't have as much dark humor and didn't involve rampant drug abuse. I'm betting the same thing is going to happen to another game franchise I love, fairly soon...

 

It also sold rather poorly back in '04. Take-Two did talk about their intent to make a third game (and intent to make a movie, which got scrapped) but I hear Take-Two is doing about as well as 3D Realms, which is to say, probably staying afloat, but not being terribly organized, perhaps on its way down. There hasn't been a lick of MP news in 3 years.

 

Maybe they need a new gimmick. I remember Max Payne being the first game I ever played that utilized the soon-to-be-cliche bullet time feature. But unlike most games to come after it, the bullet time was not an afterthought and was generally excellent and intuitive.

 

Hey, we're way off topic.

Edited January 8, 200719 yr by Pop