In the Shadows

[R00k]

hmm neat effect but, please dont put this in game as a default effect. it kinda takes away from the mood.

[talisa]

yeah agrree with rook on the effect.

could mebbe be for during tut or if you pick easy mode you get option to turn it on to help,
but should most def not be a default effect

[MadGypsy]

It destroys the game IMO. It's too "telling".

"If you really want to be sneaky, follow this dotted line, wait for the green light and press fire...."

However, you are a pro and I am not, so...what do I know, maybe it's awesome.

oh, also...I know what brushporn is. I talk/type with color. T&A did not really mean tits and ass. It meant...more brushporn. But I see how what I said could be taken differently and it's pretty funny, which is also awesome.

"Hurr Durr, you should add pornstars and penis guns. Change the name to Sneaky Penis"...LOL! <-not what I meant...not at all, but I like it.

[capnbubs]

A lot of games that have a backstab mechanic show it by having the melee weapon shift into a different position when a backstab can be used. You could have him heft the axe higher or something.

[Spike]

personally I quite like the idea of shifting the weapon position, however I'm not sure it would work - you're not standing behind the enemy for long enough (as it'll notice you standing there if you're not fast).
Something like customizeentityforclient to change the overhead icon could work, but would also be moderatly inefficient and engine-specific (at least if you want coop to ever work with it, otherwise you can just use thinks).

That said, the icon above the head also kinda ruins the feel of it too. Alternatives to that would be to use more relaxed vs more tense idle animations or something, or make them growl under their breath if they think something might be up or something (yay for extra excuses for sounds!). Either way its lots of work.

[MadGypsy]

the icon above the head also kinda ruins the feel of it too

I have agreed with this since the beginning, but I never mentioned it because that icon does more than tell you if you are being stealthy. To separate the icon functions into various other clues would probably be a lot of discouraging work with very little overall gain.

[sock]

That said, the icon above the head also kinda ruins the feel of it too.

The icon above the head is linked to the story (ref books), sadly not many people looked at them

"The blood crystals of Siadena are well known for their visionary ability and the amulet uses this power to show the Eye of Sight above all creatures revealing what they see. With a cloak of darkness and the sight of others the wearer can pass through any location undetected."

The idea was the crystal in the amulet lets its wearer see the inner of eye of others, like a window into their mind. That is why the eye has idles (looking around, blinking, falling asleep etc) and tries to appear like it is an subconscious being of the enemy.

The stealth helper circles I am going to leave as a toggle option (impulse command) for players if they want to see what is happening and don't mind the gamey look to the stealth mechanics. Enough people don't like the idea for it to be bad idea to be a default, best to leave as an optional thing.

A lot of games that have a backstab mechanic show it by having the melee weapon shift into a different position when a backstab can be used

It seems to be the thing of modern stealth games to have the weapon show opportunity. I still like the mechanic of Thief 3 where the weapon is always down and the player is required to time the impact themselves. I thought about having helper icons on the screen when close to enemies but it still feels odd to me. The hardest part is trying to find a system that does not upset enough people and ultimately give people learning the systems a chance to have fun and not constantly die horrible deaths.

I plan to replace the axe/crossbow model with something different, I might try a range check and if close to the player switch to a different idle animation to symbolize chance of attack. The other issues is the melee attack of quake is really instant, there is very little lead time to actual impact. Quake players expect to dive in and hit something within 1-2 frames of animation and then retreat. The narrow window of opportunity to make a good idle animation is difficult.

[gnounc]

i would suggest leaving the circles on in training level for the first few monsters, and on easy. would work great as a togglable ability like you mentioned, im thinking +vision, like you have +run. Anyways, being unfamiliar with their area of sight was a bit frustrating, just seeing it for a short time would have been enough to iron that out, I think the circles are a great idea to introduce the player, but would be good to turn off for people already comfortable with the mechanics. Good work : )

[sock]

Latest Progress

New Location, The Chapel of Saint Corthright



New player weapon model, The Shadow Axe

... with 5 sets of animations, 5 different skins to show amulet status, new swipe/amulet sounds and various blade particle effects.

[talisa]

knights with crossbows? me like

also, neat looking axe! i always love axes <3

[webangel]

Great Axe Socks!

Nice

[Seven]

Hello sock,

You are constantly releasing those amazing SP maps.
And you are also working on your big mod in parallel....

Thank you for your tireless work and great releases!

[sock]

I am glad people like the Axe, it took a long time to work out something that had the Quake vibe but also felt different from the original axe. Been experimenting with transitions lately and here is a quick large to small brick interlude on the way to the crypt ...

[sock]

Latest Progress

New location - Baramous Keep - New start location


Zombie Knights in the Crypt


Front Entrance to the Keep

[talisa]

your maps are looking brilliant as usual sock


also, do i spot zombies with swords? nice idea