Well, keeping your 'kill score' and 'class score' separate is a good idea. CS has this to some extent, where certain achievements benefit the team as a whole (winning a round for example), but it's implemented pretty poorly. Elite players gain a lead too easily, so while I'm struggling to afford dual .45's and kevlar because we lost the first round, I find myself with a M4 wedged in unmentionable places. This system shuns newer players, as if they don't have the upper hand from the word go, things are only going to get harder for them, as they're rediculously outgunned as well as outskilled.

A possible 'team balance' option is every few rounds the highest scoring player is forced to swap teams, and the lowest scoring player from the opposite team is swapped also. Not a constant thing, but an option while creating a game. Comments?

Well, I believe the F.E.A.R. discussion has merit, as their stealth assassins use a very cool 'stealth' mechanic. From what I've seen, they are pretty much invisible. Even while moving. BUT, sharp-contrast areas like where light hilights a sharp edge on his armour, or his outline when standing in front of a light, show up as a transparant white line. Essentially this means he can be rediculously easy to spot in some places, but in others is Ten Ninjas. Personally I think it's much more realistic than games like Halo where they just make you 95% transparent.

Is there any way the Source engine can do that?

Well, a smart Space Marine player would have his fist charged before he got close enough to be minced. It would be interesting, if it were powerful to kill just about any 'nid with one hit, but had a very long cooldown period. Essentially he could go kamikaze and bag himself a Carnifex, only to be swamped by the Warrior and gaunts behind him...

I think because it would be a daunting project to make something even remotely as polished and presentable as the original F.E.A.R. The devil is in the fine details, and FEAR is loaded with 'em...

Not to mention all the design variables. When you create an object, you don't just have to skin it, you have to apply a weight property, destruction hp, reaction factors (what kind of debris it will spray when shot), lighting surface type (reflective, matte, etc)... and then to do it to every single object in a map...

Yipe, I can hardly see it. Excellent. I like the idea of being somewhat visible while on the move, but a lot of games that have stealth mechanics are just as easy to spot when you're stationary.

F.E.A.R. was great fun, the Stealth Assassins used some really awesome light distortion technology, and it was SO satisfying letting rip at one with your Assault Rifle (this gun really gives the impression of 'pull the trigger and hang on!') and watching him flicker as the occasional bullet clips him. Never bothered me none that this gun was innaccurate as hell, you just shredded everything around what you're trying to hit Especially in the office missions. Sections of roof tiling, plaster dust and shredded upholstery go flying EVERYWHERE when you loose a salvo. Waste paper baskets will be collected and thrown by a stray bullet, spewing trash everyhwere. Desktops turn into hurricanes of smashed plastic and shredded paper... AND THEN, as if that wasn't enough of a sfx orgasm, you get treated to the dramatic 'settling' bit, where the smoke slowly clears, the wreckage settles, and you get to see wether you bagged another baddie, or wether he's crawling along the cieling about to nail you one... That game was like being in a movie. Sorry to go OT, but I have to tell this story. The part of the office missions where you're in an elevator, and soldiers have called the elevator on all levels, to slow you down and pick you off in a confined space. The first time it happened I activated my Reflexes and charged out, gunning them down in seconds. Second floor, tried the same tactic. The doors open, and in slow-mo, I see a hand grenade come flying through the opening doors, as I'm running out, without thinking, I duck. Grenade sails overhead into the elevator, and I continue on. This time the soldiers are hugging cover, and opened up the moment I cleared the elevator doors. I charge along the walkway right between them, watching my health diminish as I frantically run for cover. Still in slow-mo because of Reflexes, I watch a bullet streak past me and obliterate a pot-plant. Pieces go flying everywhere, in glorious slow-mo. A soldier steps out from the shadows around a corner, shotgun in hand, and I swear he was grinning inside his helmet, point-blank shot, with me running right at him. I've got a moment to think, because it's STILL in slow-mo, so I keep going, and nail him with a flying scissor-kick. He goes flying back, and the second part to the kick SMASHES his head against the wall. He ain't getting back up. This whole time, I can hear and see bullets smashing and ripping into the walls around me, filling the air with dust, as well as puncturing me quite a bit. I belt around the corner, de-activate Slow-Mo, and get into a protracted firefight, leaning around the corner and letting off a few shots before one of them could get a decent shot on me. Every time I stop leaning I see bullets tear apart the corner I was just peeking around, in oh-so-Hollywood style. By the time the gunfight ended, the air was choked with dust, every single thing in the corridor had been destroyed, and there was wreckage everywhere. That particular little battle won the entire game for me.

Now THAT would make a great easter egg weapon for EX. I'd like to see the Company Champion eventually added for the Marines, just for something that can go toe-to-toe with the 'nids.
Then, just for hyuks, we give him an unlockable Wargear item, the Crowbar of Retribution.

As far as playing HL2 on Hard with only the Crowbar; I agree. Not really Divine Retribution, because that just gets you shot. Ninja Retribution, on the other hand...

Well, the Dark Matter secondary fire mode for the AR2 is pretty nasty, considering it destroys any organic material it comes into close proximity with...

Before this becomes a 'who would win' topic, the Combine would have numbers, speed and RoF on to bolster their odds. The AR2 is a lot more powerful than conventional projectile weapons, and several of them unloading into a Space Marine could probably bring him down. In game terms a Combine player would have a LOT more lives, and killing a Space Marine would bag a player a phat loot of points, wheras a SM will have to chop through half a battalion to net a decent score.

A 'bonus' game type might be Combine VS Marines, complete with universe-specific weapons. Overwatch Pulse Rifles VS Bolters... pretty even patch.

Welcome to the H.E.V. Mark MMCCCXIX Protective System. For use in Hazardous Environment conditions...
Yup, that Tyranid bio-plasma is mighty hazardous alright. Wouldn't want that on your hands while you're trying to get the Gene-seed from a mutilated corpse.



Also whacked up Marine versions of the Combine Soldier and Elite.

I've got it! The title for the next WoW expansion!
Dark Burning Crusade-Craft
Just too similar IMO, especially seeing as there is no crusade-related content in Burning Crusade.

Kudos to Blizzard for making games with great gameplay, but WoW is not one of those games. Take your average fantasy RPG. Suck any premise of a plot from it, and give it a rudimentary background story related to the Warcraft universe. Also introduce incredibly repetitive gameplay with poorly uncreative Quests. Now, take it online, and introduce countless server bugs, downed realms, and only a handful of GM's to keep the masses of a$$hole players in check. Now, not only am I going to charge you $60 for this poor attempt at a game, I'm going to charge you money on a monthly basis to continue playing this heap of crap. My beef is not with the Warcraft universe (I actually loved WCII, but the 'cartoony' approach Blizzard took with WCIII and WoW is just too much for me), but with the poor excuse of a game WoW actually is.

And to think, they scrapped Starcraft: Ghost in favour of that...

I was a little annoyed about the copied ideas for SM and Tyranids, but seeing as I never knew it was supposed to be a 40k game first, looking at it from that perspective they're justified. But this Burning Crusade rubbish is too far. The title, and even the design of the logo are far too similar to be coincidence. As I said, there isn't even any Crusade-related content in the bloody thing! Some of the more un-learned members of this forum might now shout "But Khargoth, there wasn't any Crusading in the Dawn of War expansion either!!1!1". At first look it seems that way. Remember that these armies weren't on Kronos at the beginning, only the Necrons and the Tau were there pre-DC, they all went out of their way to come to Kronos to take it as their own, which is pretty Crusade-esque to me.

Yay! Not one but TWO RS servers! Glee.

Biomods sounds like a great idea, but I agree that it's something that could wait until EX version 2. Right now it sounds like each team really has all it needs, what now needs to be done is to get them all working (the poor dev team can't keep up with the suggestions), and working in a manner that's balanced and promotes fun team play. Of course, you could go with the 'Borken' approach (coined by Warmachine players), where everything is so powerful, the unbalanced elements cancel each other out. That would give a fast and furious play speed, but then I suppose it's too much like UT.

I suppose it needs to work that a single player cannot survive on his own very well. Maybe a veteran FPS player could go guerilla and do alright, but without support in an open fight would be mince. The gaunt shield idea works well with this, because 'Nid players will need to team up and combine their minions to present too many targets for the Marines to engage before they close range. Similarily, a group of Marines could easily hold off a swarm of Gaunts, but a lone marine would either not have the ammo or the rate of fire to kill them all before he is swamped. Things like a pair of Heavy Bolter wielding marines could create a no-go corridor, which opens up tactical options for both teams.

The buildings look awesome. I'm sure that big open area will evenually be buried under craters and rubble...

What kind of sound effects were you after Chrome?

Blizzard have picked up a rather distasteful habit for copying GW ideas. They aren't direct enough to be copyright infringement, and a lot of ignorant newbies rag out on GW for 'ripping off' Blizzard. Anyone remember that really promising MMORPG, World of Warhammer? The one that was announced months before World of Warcraft was even in the concept stage? And then copped massive flak from the critics when the project was ressurected, post-WoW. Even this rubbish 'burning crusade' expansion is loaded with knock-off.

"Hey, WoW subscriptions have taken a dip, we need a new way to make sales."
"Well, why don't we take a look at the competition, might give us some ideas."
"Hey look, they're making a Dark Crusade expansion for Dawn of War."
"New races, extra content, new storyline, woah, this is just what we need!"
"Hey, while we're at it, why don't we clone their title and logo?"
"Lord Satan will be pleased!"

You'll probably find it's some kind of radar generator, more than likely used to asess the terrain ahead so that the anti-grav systems don't get any nasty suprises.