ZylonBane on 14/9/2007 at 19:54
What with all the SS2 newbies streaming in thanks to BioShock, I got to wondering if there was anything that could be done to correct the few failings in SS2's design.
It seems one of the most common complaints is that you need a certain minimum skill to even pull the trigger on any of the weapons. This of course is in contrast to games like Deus Ex where if you're unskilled in a weapon you can still use it, just badly.
So I have a question for the gamesys hackers in the SS2 community-- is it possible to rejigger the game so that all weapons have a minimum skill requirement of zero, then rescale the skill multipliers so that the damage inflicted at the original minimum skill level is still the same?
Nameless Voice on 14/9/2007 at 21:15
It would be quite easy to do this.
Some_twerp on 14/9/2007 at 22:18
What ^ said. Anomalies, Discrepancies and Outright Bugs mod by Straylight doesn't do exactly what you want, but it does lower the requirements for many weapons, tweaking the damage accordingly. Also makes other guns more 'fair'. (Ie: all those points for the exotic/heavy/energy weapons pay off)
RocketMan on 15/9/2007 at 00:10
I've always thought the Deus Ex approach should be adopted by ss2 but not for some of the exotic weapons. Its understandable that any idiot knows how to fire a gun which is man-made and has a trigger, or swing a shard but how does one know how to fire a worm launcher? Seems these weapons should have a minimum skill to use at all. Maybe the stasis field generator as well since its a high tech science weapon that may be complicated to operate.
Kolya on 15/9/2007 at 13:59
Quote Posted by RocketMan
but how does one know how to fire a worm launcher?
You have to research the weapon anyway, so this basic question would be answered then I guess.
How does one fire this thing?
*reseaches*
Oh, gotta pull a trigger! Doh.
Lansing on 15/9/2007 at 21:36
You are assuming that operating a worm launcher is purely a physical mechanism, and doesn't imply any mental component. Even 'traditional' weapons such as an assault rifle may require careful examination, maintainance and pre-use testing just to stop them exploding in your face. Look at how fast they degrade even with high skills :).
What about the OSI skills? The PSI-amp has a huge range of skills that require a certain level of training before they're accessible. I don't think anyone would expect them to be available without any knowledge, so maybe the way that the game implements the skills is just fine as it is.
Some_twerp on 17/9/2007 at 08:39
I'd be dubious about the exotics, and possibly even the heavy, weapons, but I do think some things like the shotgun should be weildable no matter your standard levels.
If I knew how (and had the inclination) what I'd end up doing is just making the recoil, reload and degrading really bad, and get better as you increase the relevant (yes, have standardised damage) weapon trait. I never really understood why agility dictated the amount of recoil your gun has. Surely strength, if not the actual weapon stat itself? (Because, you know, you're more experienced with the gun, and have a feel for the gun?)
Kolya on 17/9/2007 at 12:04
The best solution would be if training years would get fleshed out as short playable missions. It would be a nice playground for some small experimental FMs and it could solve the eternal mystery* of why you can or can't wield a pistol.
*Not a real mystery. Never had standard weapon training? Well then you can't use standard weapons!
And don't you weapon freaks on the forum tell me it's so damn easy. You don't give a gun to someone who's inexperienced without instructions either, do you? Because s/he would probably shoot their own face off. So if anything, pistols et al on the VB should jam/explode when used without any training. Which would serve the whining "Why-can't-I-even-use-a-pistol-crowd?!" very well! :ebil:
cosmicnut on 17/9/2007 at 14:43
The only problem with that argument is that you are supposed to be a trained soldier.
No matter what service you join, you would have at very least, pistol and rifle training!
You just make it very inaccurate, very slow reload and breaks easy!
TF on 17/9/2007 at 19:36
Reload speed is a single constant. The rest are subprops that could be changed by a custom script, this might end up in a secmod .gam variant I guess.
