UFO:Alien Invasion
Technical support => Feature Requests => Topic started by: Zorlen on February 05, 2008, 08:39:03 pm
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While looking at proposed weapons and equipmet on Wiki I've got a few ideas of my own. I wonder, if suggestions are accepted yet? If yes, maybe there's a sort of template for proposals to make implementation easier? Or there's already much to do, and I better keep them to myself, unless I have extensive description, stats and textured model for them?
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Feel free to put down any ideas you have.
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Okay, so:
Small Rocket-Propelled Munition Weapon (http://ufoai.ninex.info/wiki/index.php/Equipment/Proposed/SRPMW) (or come with a better name).
Further advance of Gyrojet and similar projects. The weapon fires miniature self contained rocket projectiles of two types: explosive, comprising of solid-propellant rocket engine and tiny amount of high-yield explosive, and kinetic, carrying no explosive charge, but having the core made of tunsten alloy. Micro-rockets are fed from [revolver?] magazine, initiated via electrical ignition and stabilized through a smooth-bore barrel. Angled jets spin the projectiles as they propel toward target. Smaller in comparison to RPG rockets projectiles allow the weapon to be handled in the same manner as support or even assault counterparts, and naturally allow quicker rate of fire than that of RPG, even limited auto-fire ability. Practical lack of recoil allows generally better accuracy than most ballistic projectile firearms, however lightweight dumb munitions with relaively small initial impulse are more prone to deviate from target than heavy RPG rocket or high-velocity sniper rifle bullet. Small warheads of explosive projectiles have little to no splash damage, requiring direct hit in order to inflict any significant damage, but at the same time allows, though not advises, using the weapon at close to medium range. Kinetic bolts velocity may be considered relatively low, especially at the initial part of the trajectory. But taking its larger mass into acount, the hit impulse is high enough to provide a punch even to armored target. Due to miniaturization, ammo production is a complex and expensive process utilizing latest technologies, including nanotech, to maintain high precision requirements.
Resume: support/suppressive weapon for medium to large range. Presumably researched in the same manner as Bolter rifle.
Holographic decoy (http://ufoai.ninex.info/wiki/index.php/Equipment/Proposed/Holographic_decoy)
This is a throwable device that first stabilizes itself on the ground, then creates a hologram of its owner above itself with a set of miniature laser emitters. The same emitters also create an area of heated air in the same spot, mimicking a soldier's heat signature. Alongside, appropiate pheromons are being released from the built-in container. Due to device's small size, its operation time is restricted to _____ The main purpose is to mislead the enemy about personnel location and to lure enemy fire, revealing their positions.
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Two recent proposals of my own (wiki):
Kerrdisk Thrower (http://ufoai.ninex.info/wiki/index.php/Equipment/Proposed/Kerrdisk_Thrower) - a human designed weapon that launches Kerrdisks (you need to research the Kerrblade 1st). The disk will spin and cut through victims (huge damage), but will be ineffective at long range.
IR marking darts (http://ufoai.ninex.info/wiki/index.php/Equipment/Proposed/IR_marking_darts) - A rifle that shots marking darts that do no damage, but make the target visible on the map after glueing on the alien's armor.
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I like the Kerrdisc idea :D
Reminds me of predator games. You need to research kerrblades and bolter rifle and will receive a heavy kinetic weapon of bolter style. Upgrade could be the bloodspider weapon for even more damage and range.
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I already discussed a similar idea with Winter a long time ago, and we agreed not to have a weapon like that.
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oh noes... but why?
it doesn't have to be the SF disk from Predator... just a thing that hurls disks and cuts aliens in half...
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Because they aren't realistic and would come off as a ripoff of Predator.
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While I can fully understand the concerns about similarities to other game universes I doubt the realism argument. ;D
Such a weapon would be exactly as realistic as the bolter weapon and come on...
"plasma guns", "particle beam weapons" are realistic enough but a blade accelerated by an electromagnetic field... pfff sci-fi fantasy... ? :D ::)
But nevermind, when the other heavy weapons are finally balanced and accurate we won't need it anyway. It was just an idea.
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While I can fully understand the concerns about similarities to other game universes I doubt the realism argument. ;D
Such a weapon would be exactly as realistic as the bolter weapon and come on...
"plasma guns", "particle beam weapons" are realistic enough but a blade accelerated by an electromagnetic field... pfff sci-fi fantasy... ? :D ::)
Projectile guns are known as a practical weapon. Spinning razor disks are not.
Off the cuff: The energy required to make the disk spin very rapidly would be more profitably (i.e. fatally) spent launching a less awkward projectile faster.
But of course the "it looks like a rip off from Predator, or Xena" is the more important and sufficient argument.
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Now, if you want to create some sort of ranged weapon from the Kerrblade, it would probably be some sort of Kerr-fragmentation-grenade. Since the monomolecular blade does not easily translate into straight projectile (no monomolecular bullets) it may be better put to use developing tiny, monomolecular shrapnel to fill a regular or canister-style frag grenade.
And anyways, there are already discblade guns in stuff like UT, and exploding disc guns in the Tribes series, movies aside (and from my Tribes experience, disc launchers are very unwieldy without jetpacks).
Personally, I'd rather see something like a coil handgun (along the same research line as the Bolter), especially since, if I recall correctly, there are already some working models in real life.
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Because they aren't realistic and would come off as a ripoff of Predator.
Just because Xena and the Predator use a similar disk, it doesn't mean it can't be implemented as a different concept in an other game. Well... have it your way anyhow... but the realism speech is quite a weak argument when declining a weapon proposal such this one, because:
- it does fit the setting (disks based on the kerrblades)
- it's a merger between the bolter rifle and kerrblades
- you can make MM knives later on
- the weapon doesn't shoot any exotic particles nor does it shrink aliens
- it isn't more unrealistic than the bolter rifle
Besides.. there is an other issue - the arsenal is quite limited to several types of weapons, all upgrades of the same basic things:
you have knives, pistols, rifles and launchers, and all the weapons are an upgrade of the same thing.. so the arsenal is quite plain until now.
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But of course the "it looks like a rip off from Predator, or Xena" is the more important and sufficient argument.
That is not what I said. No weapon besides the standard gear is today known as a practical weapon (neither a bolter rifle nor a laser gun not to speak of any other weapon out there).
I already said that I can agree to the concerns that this weapon could become too much of a clone from other universes.
Even though the idea reminds me of the predator weapon I did not think of it being the same concept at all. And I do not understand why you imply I wanted it to look like a Xena weapon. You can't have the slightest idea what I had in mind.
Furthermore we cannot know what energy we would need to make the disc rotate or what damage gain it would give us (higher velocity is not always the best method, because energy for acceleration needs to be over proportional with higher speed since the frictional resistance raises over proportional with speed, tank armour and anti-tank weapon engineers had to learn that lession) as we do not even have a concept.
Since it will not be implemented I don't want to make this too deep of an concept analysis. It might have less armour penetration (as kerrblades have in comparision to other weapons) but it might have been a specialised weapon (as the kerrblade is). Low range, huge damage, but can be easily countered by heavy armour later on (that's where particle beam cannons become more important). Normal projectiles are also rotating -much energy is wasted inside the barrel- to keep them on track instead of rotating chaotic. A disc has a self-stabilizing effect. It's far more complicated than "energy is wasted".
Anyway I agree to your basic argument. I just don't like the way words are put into my mouth to let ideas look ridiculous. >:(
If you don't like it you can point that out with or without arguments. It's appreciated. But I do not try to interpret your thoughts as if they were at best stupid, either.
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What about a crossbow with kerrblade bolts? Crossbows are sometimes used by SpecOps, so there would be no excessive weirdness in its use. Though the crossbow main advantage over conventional firearms - stealth - doesn't play any role in UFO, since stealth stuff is not implemened afaik.
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The crossbow is almost identical to the Bolter Rifle, but ofc, many many times more weaker in terms of power. Crossbows/harpoons are best used underwater, but otherwise they are projectile weapons like guns.
The whole idea was to have a ranged weapon that would make use of the kerrblade cutting power, hurling a spining disk to the target, creating a new things to research after researching the bolter rifle and the kerrblade+bloodspider.
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Bolter rifle throws projectiles at very high speed, but the projectiles are very light themselves, otherwise recoil would render the weapon unusable. Any massive-blade-thrower would probably use lower muzzle velocities. Crossbow or harpoon are technically the same kerr-throwing weapons as a disc-thrower with the same limitations, just in more mundane implementation. Unless kerr-discs are ultra-thin and hence ultra-light, thus allowing being shot at bolter velocities. Though I am unsure if monomolecular technology allows film-thin blades.
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Yes, but it's quite similar to the bolter rifle
When I'm thinking of a new weapon my 1st concerns would be:
- it has to be fun to have and use, besides typical weapons (pistols, rifles, etc)
- it isn't an upgrade of a basic type of weapon, ie - same rifle but with more firepower
- it's original*
- it has to make the arsenal more diverse and complex
- it isn't unrealistic or stupid
* I think it's very hard to come up with an original idea, as most weapon types have already been imagined in previous entertainment, movies or games, so I'm not saying we should copy stuff, but take what's good and use it
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Orginal weapons look cool, but soldiers would probably need to accomodate for their effective usage. Bolter, laser and plazma rifles act much more like a conventinal rifle than 10-inch spinning disc thrower. I think it could be an acceptable weapon for aliens to use in their terror missions - it slices unprotected targets into parts, ready to be packed and transported for research.
Meanwhile I added my proposals to Wiki and here's a new one for your constructive criticism :-)
Pyrogel torch (http://ufoai.ninex.info/wiki/index.php/Equipment/Proposed/Pyrogel_Torch) (deprecatable by plasma blade)
Originally designed for use by government special agents when the situation required destruction of evidences. Military use was quite limited, including only several operations against drug cartels, when it was used in rapid raids for burning down drug deposits. This device follows pretty simplistic design and represents a flashlight-sized airtight plastic cylinder containing fast-burning binary pyrogel and expulsion charge. It is activated much like a grenade, but after removing the pin it is not thrown, but rather pointed at the target and fired by pressing the lever. Suspended pyrogel is ejected towards target and ignites upon release. Due to the nature of the burning agent, it burns out within a second. The area within direct proximity is exposed to extremely high temperatures, churning or igniting everything that burns. Pyrogel torches were not specifically meant to be used against personnel due to their close range where more convenient close-combat weapons could be used, and excessive damaging capacity, rendering them to be an overkill. However, nothing is too powerful against new alien threat, and with the minor modifications the design was adopted as PHALANX backup one-shot weapon for melee range.
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sounds funny :)
But I want to see something like an imobilising net, or a stun effect weapon that would disable the target for a turn or two :)
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The flashbang does that, sort of.
I want that to change slightly, though. I think the flashbang should not take away TUs for the next turn, but instead disable weapons fire and double all movement cost. The result is still a disabled soldier, but at least he won't be a sitting duck, as is the case now.
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Good idea about the flashbang. If it is not to difficult maybe the walking path should be a bit randomized to let the soldier tumble around. :D
Will the flashbang or some branch be usable in the grenade thrower?
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No plans for that.
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I want that to change slightly, though. I think the flashbang should not take away TUs for the next turn, but instead disable weapons fire and double all movement cost. The result is still a disabled soldier, but at least he won't be a sitting duck, as is the case now.
What about putting a strong malus on "accuracy"? In other words, he could fire a weapon, but would be unlikely to hit anything, unless the alien was very easy to hit. It could feel less contrived than a simply disabling fire.
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That's what the flashbang is for, though. A counter to RF.
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I prefer the idea of a strong temporary penalty to accuracy rather than having the use of firearms outright disabled. Movement while under the effect of the flashbang should also be partially randomized, with a 1 in X chance the victim staggers off course to one of the adjacent tiles immediately ahead if he has the TUs and ability to do so, where X is = to the number of these tiles he can potentially move into. The field of view of the affected unit should also be totally disabled once the underlying line of sight system is implimented.
Back to the subject of new weaponry, I'd like to see a tactical mortar weapon, at least in singleplayer. In multiplayer such a weapon would evoke balance issues assuming its range were virtually unlimited as it should be, given that most maps feature open starting positions and the first team to play on such maps would always win. Perhaps this issue could be partially negated by some sort of 'deployment' phase which would require a full turn.
As for the specifics, the mortar would be slow to fire and reload, and highly inaccurate, but extremely powerful, featuring terminal damage, a huge splash radius, and virtually unlimited range. It could also be loaded with serveral ammo types, ranging from incendiary, to fragmentation, to plasma and antimatter once the appropriate technologies have been researched. The mortar is large, taking up perhaps a 2x5 space, with each shell occupying 1x2 or even 1x3 tiles. It would essentially be *the* long range indirect artillery weapon of the PHALANX arsenal; one of the few tactical niches that are so far unfilled by it.
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While this mortar would fit into a weak spot of the current arsenal I actually can only think of one map that I would find it useful for (but in this case VERY useful): convoy! :D
The civs far away down the road are lost anyway and I would be able to counter the alien range advantage.
For other maps I cannot imagine its usefulness right now. If I do not see anything I will probably hit civs instead of enemies and if it is that inaccurate I do not dare to send a scout into the line of fire of that beast.
My proposals (stolen from UFO: Aftermath):
- Alien rocket launcher with various powerful though versatile ammo types. Lightweight in comparison to the human barrel and smaller rockets. Disadvantage: Very expensive ammo.
- Guns to mount on the power suit (any plans for that?). Gatling gun, grenade thrower and heavy cannon would be nice.
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Vibro Blades
Glue Guns and Grenades, perhaps render an area unpassable or use a whole heep of time units to get through it.
Recon Drones
More traps, smart mines, sensor to detect enemy movements.
I for one would like to see an open source weapon ad on ability, so everyone can make a add on weapon, similar to total analation. i feel every weapon needs a weakness, more powerfull the gun, the less ammo it has, the more advanced the more prone to failure. everything needs to ballance out.
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While this mortar would fit into a weak spot of the current arsenal I actually can only think of one map that I would find it useful for (but in this case VERY useful): convoy!
The civs far away down the road are lost anyway and I would be able to counter the alien range advantage.
For other maps I cannot imagine its usefulness right now. If I do not see anything I will probably hit civs instead of enemies and if it is that inaccurate I do not dare to send a scout into the line of fire of that beast.
I can easily. Rivertown, the desert map with the crashed ufo and railway, the gas station, the map with the lumber mill, the crashed supply ship maps, the dam, corrupt city, japanese terror site, revelstone (farm map), etc... Basically any relatively open map where the bulk of civvies aren't too close to the alien inital spawn. There are plenty, and likely will be more.
Also, if balanced for multiplayer, it will be indisputably useful there.
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I think artillery support, if any, could be UGW-mounted. Maybe even a sort of multiple launch rocket system (MLRS).
Though I suspect that next thing to be requested would be an airstrike :)
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I prefer the idea of a strong temporary penalty to accuracy rather than having the use of firearms outright disabled. Movement while under the effect of the flashbang should also be partially randomized, with a 1 in X chance the victim staggers off course to one of the adjacent tiles immediately ahead if he has the TUs and ability to do so, where X is = to the number of these tiles he can potentially move into. The field of view of the affected unit should also be totally disabled once the underlying line of sight system is implimented.
Sorry, offtopic again. The accuracy penalty sounds okay to me. Not sure what you meant with the random movement - this should be in the enemy's turn when flashbanged, using reserved TUs, yes? As I said earlier, I intend to alleviate the frustration of having a soldier sit around doing nothing, so I'd like for a player to at least move the soldier, but at an increased cost. If the soldier moved randomly during the player's turn, that would be worse than what we have now.
I must insist that flashbangs disable weapons fire during the enemy's turn, though. That's what they're FOR.
On topic: A real mortar would never get past Winter, so you should probably forget about that for the stock version of the game, but maybe something like that on an UGV would work. Seriously though, at this point I'd rather focus on filling out the alien arsenal than the human one. We've got more than enough human weapons as it is.
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A real mortar would never get past Winter, so you should probably forget about that for the stock version of the game
why? I think a mortar weapon would be a big advantage, but still I don't see why it doesn't fit the setting or something like that. I have never understood Winter's guidelines, or what those might be.
The truth is that I really want and expect to see more weapons in the future. What is wrong with having lots of weapons types, each with pros and cons? Most games have a wide array of weapons, even though you'll use just a fraction of them, but it's fun to have. Any military organization, not to speak of a crime organization, has access to much more weapons than available in this game.
Having alien weapons at one time is fine and makes sense, but I think it's reasonable that PHALANX scientists would develop manmade weapons based on alien tech, rather than saying well, this weapons isn't designed for human hands, but you'll have to live with it.
I really want to see a high end armor covering all the body, maybe something like the powerarmor from Fallout, which would enable the soldiers to use heavy weapons like the minigun.
Vibroblade is something that I would like to see too
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What is wrong with having lots of weapons types, each with pros and cons?
Speaking for myself here, but what's wrong with it is that it's impossible to have more than a certain number of weapons before they start being dead weight. Take Aftermath. It had tons of weapons, but I only ever used a small selection, with the rest beaing worse versions of the ones I was using. I hated that, and I don't want to see UFO:AI make the same mistake. I'd rather have a small arsenal where each weapon is truly unique and useful in its own right than 500 versions of the same weapon.
More practically, the reason why we (most likely) won't have many more weapons is that it takes a lot of time to make them. We need models, sounds, particle effects, etc. It's easy to demand loads of content, but I don't see YOU contributing, and the people who do contribute have many other things to make, almost all of which take priority.
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The fact that I'm acting on this forum is a form of contribution, because I don't have the skills required for modeling weapons, programming, or composing music... so, the least I can do is came with ideas and test your game...
I'm pretty disappointed by your atitude.
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And regarding weapons - until you came up with a final release, it's ok to test lots of weapons and ideas to see how they work, instead of dismissing everything from the start. You can play with alot of ideas and in the end lose everything you think it doesn't fit or is redundant to the game, but let the community test it also and see what is the input on that... in the end it's your call anyway, but you'll never know if you won't play with ideas and concepts.
Who said anything about new models and stuff.. you can have some test weapons using the same models with a different name, because it's a game under development, but it's more important to see how the gameplay would be affected by a certain weapon or concept.. that's all really.
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I'm pretty disappointed by your atitude.
That's an amazing coincidence, because I don't care much for yours either. You act like you own the place and that we should be ashamed of ourselves for not doing everything you say. You're not contributing. You're just making demands.
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That's an amazing coincidence, because I don't care much for yours either. You act like you own the place and that we should be ashamed of ourselves for not doing everything you say. You're not contributing. You're just making demands.
You've just reminded me why I left this forum one year ago and moved my attention to other projects.
I was just making some suggestions and I'm not demanding anything, because I can't. You missed the posts where I said how much I appreciate the work being done...
However, if this is a forum open to suggestions, and the section is called Bugs & Feature Requests, it's logical to make some requests. It is also logical that people will disagree and argue about some issues.. that's the purpose of any forum. I have nothing to be sorry about, I was just trying to be helpful, comming up with ideas...
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However, if this is a forum open to suggestions, and the section is called Bugs & Feature Requests, it's logical to make some requests. It is also logical that people will disagree and argue about some issues.. that's the purpose of any forum. I have nothing to be sorry about, I was just trying to be helpful, comming up with ideas...
Of course. I don't mean to tell you to shut up or kiss up to us. Criticism is allowed, as is asking for new stuff.
What gets to me is that you don't put it as a suggestion, you put it as an order, and then when I explain why we probably won't do that, you tell me I don't know what I'm talking about (basically) because I haven't tried it. Maybe you didn't intend it like that, but it comes off as very arrogant.
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What gets to me is that you don't put it as a suggestion, you put it as an order, and then when I explain why we probably won't do that, you tell me I don't know what I'm talking about (basically) because I haven't tried it. Maybe you didn't intend it like that, but it comes off as very arrogant.
I appologise, but you got the wrong impression here... and maybe that's because I'm quite passionate about this kind of game, being a great fan of all related games. I got really sad when I saw that the old URL was broken and I thought the project was canceled, then after months I have found the new address.. and I was really glad to see how much progress has been done since 2.0...
I have never tried to tell you what the devs should do, like an order or demand, like you said, instead it was just a personal opinion or desire - "I want to see that, X item should be great to have" and so on... I was even thinking about learning how to model things in 3D, in order to help with some weapon models or simple objects.
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Sorry, offtopic again. The accuracy penalty sounds okay to me. Not sure what you meant with the random movement - this should be in the enemy's turn when flashbanged, using reserved TUs, yes? As I said earlier, I intend to alleviate the frustration of having a soldier sit around doing nothing, so I'd like for a player to at least move the soldier, but at an increased cost. If the soldier moved randomly during the player's turn, that would be worse than what we have now.
I must insist that flashbangs disable weapons fire during the enemy's turn, though. That's what they're FOR.
No movement during the flashbang user's turn. What I mean, is that when a flashbanged soldier tries to move during its controller's turn, it has a X in Y chance of staggering off course to an adjacent tile in front other than the one selected. X = # of viable adjacent tiles in front of it other than the desired tile. Y = the # of viable adjacent tiles in total. Here is an ASCII diagram to help clarify:
1 2 3 Tile #
[][][] Adjacent Tile
\|/ Direction
O Soldier
If all tiles are clear, and the fbed soldier has the TUs to move into any of them, while the player tells him to move into tile 2, he has a 1 in 3 chance of doing so, and a 2 in 3 chance of moving into the other adjacent tiles immediately ahead. If tile 1 is blocked, it's a coin flip. He has a 1 in 2 chance of moving into tile 2 or 3. This is a crude but functional simulation of staggering while a flashbang victim is blinded, dazed and unbalanced.
RF is effectively blocked, even though an affected soldier can technically fire because affected soldiers have no LoS. No line of sight, no reaction fire.
On topic: A real mortar would never get past Winter, so you should probably forget about that for the stock version of the game, but maybe something like that on an UGV would work. Seriously though, at this point I'd rather focus on filling out the alien arsenal than the human one. We've got more than enough human weapons as it is.
I don't care how it's implimented, but it should be. Yes, the human arsenal is expansive, but long range indirect fire is an extremely valuable niche, and it's simply not covered. That alone is reason enough to introduce a mortar like weapon, which I, and many others certainly would use. Such a weapon would be far from dead weight. As for the alien arsenal, giving it a new family of monomolecular ranged weapons, and antimatter explosives would solve its issues. The main problems it suffers from are a lack of viable sniper/long/extreme-range weapons (this makes lasers extremely effective against them), and direct/indirect aoe fire support.
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Ok, now that the cat fight is over (;D) I think we all can agree that no one is giving commands here and if it's just for one reason, no one is taking them. No one wants to offend any else, we all want to stay constructive, even though we might sometimes be passionate or "harsh".
Some decisions will be made in the end that one will like while another might find stupid.
My point is the more input -no matter if passionate or not (just don't take everything that personal, it's a marketplace of ideas)- the better. Throwing ideas away is not cost intensive.
Back to topic:
Any comments on the power suit weapons/alien rocket launcher?
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A powerarmour (having best armor and enhancing strength) would be a great addition to the campaign.
Why - because from what I read in the UFOpedia, some of the alien weapons are so heavy that can't be even carried by a normal human, and operating them would require alot of strength. This would open up the posibilities for more heavy weapons, including the minigun, or a .50 cal machinegun, which are to heavy and recoil intensive to be fired by a human. I like projectile weapons same as energy weapons... and I would hate to see them made obsolete by plasma and particle weapons...
I think that by adapting a medium armor or at least salvaging some of it's servomotors etc, the techies in PHALANX labs could make a powerarmor :)
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No movement during the flashbang user's turn. What I mean, is that when a flashbanged soldier tries to move during its controller's turn, it has a X in Y chance of staggering off course to an adjacent tile in front other than the one selected.
Ah, I see. That's what I wanted to model with the TU penalty, actually. The soldier having to "grope" his way along. I think the staggering thing would be hard to do, because it severely complicates pathfinding, which is calculated before the animation starts, and currently has no random factors. It also can not be interrupted manually yet. If anything, I think that should be remedied before anything like this comes into the picture.
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A powerarmour (having best armor and enhancing strength) would be a great addition to the campaign.
We actually have one. In trunk, not 2.2, that is. It doesn't adjust any stats though, nor are there plans for stat-altering armour. That area is going to be taken care of by implants.
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On mortar/artillery - this kind of thing would certanly be widely used, though I am worried about balance issues. Aside from that, UFO games were about careful moving through an area and thrilling gunfights rather then raining the area with firepower from safety and finishing survivors. Though sometimes I do want such sort of the thing, just because those freaking alien bastards keep killing my squad!
I agree that weapons like minigun or heavy machine-gun can only be used in powerarmor. Some alien weaponry could too, like particle cannon. I think something on the subject was hinted in their description.
On alien launcher - I think it would deprecate standard launcher if you can salvage enough ammo for it. Maybe add othe disadvantages, like smaller range?
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Oh, about the minigun: it's a multiplayer-only weapon.
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I do not think that alien weapons need to be in balance with human weapons at all. The alien rocket launcher could be a middle- to lategame substitute for the human launcher. It needs research and is more expensive thus is not that easy to get (maybe the market for alien weapons will be reduced or cut which will make the workshop more valuable). It would be fair for me to let it be better in every respect.
I just had a thought about that mortar weapon. What if it is only mountable on some vehicle which might get implemented in the far future? Needs some balancing but sounds better to me.
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Oh, about the minigun: it's a multiplayer-only weapon.
Is the reason for this that it will be to strong against the AI?
Sad to hear this anyway.
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On mortar/artillery - this kind of thing would certanly be widely used, though I am worried about balance issues. Aside from that, UFO games were about careful moving through an area and thrilling gunfights rather then raining the area with firepower from safety and finishing survivors. Though sometimes I do want such sort of the thing, just because those freaking alien bastards keep killing my squad!
Between limited accuracy, ammunition, high TU costs and the threat of collateral damage, I don't think the mortar would prove unbalanced at all. It's not as if you'll have unlimited rounds and time with which to rain explosive death on the aliens. Any balance related issues could ultimately be ironed out with tweaking anyways (and it's not as if existing weapons couldn't stand to benefit from this either, looking at you SMG).
I think the staggering thing would be hard to do, because it severely complicates pathfinding, which is calculated before the animation starts, and currently has no random factors. It also can not be interrupted manually yet. If anything, I think that should be remedied before anything like this comes into the picture.
Yes, pathfinding would have to be improved before this sort of thing becomes possible. At the very least, it should be made interruptable so that, in the event of a misclick or error players can do some damage control, besides the obvious application of permitting the staggering effect (movement would be interrupted whenever an FBed actor moved off course).
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Speaking of alien weapons - I have an obvoius suggestion of antimatter bomb and stereotypical one of sort of corrosive slimy goo thrower. Aside from them, I could suggest some rather weird counterpart to human flamethrower:
Flayer blaster (I am bad at naming weapons!)
The weapon act much like a sandblasting device. It emits a high-velocity stream of heated air mixed with hot grits made of alien memory material. As grits penetrate material or flesh and begin cool down, their shape starts changing due to memory properties, dealing massive additional damage. Skin and flesh are virtually ripped from the bone in seconds from any unprotected body part. Full body cover offer some protection, however any prolonged bombardment by thousands of sharp grits would tear the heaviest of armors into shreds. Fortunately, the range at which grits retain their penetration capacity is limited. Besides, cooled-down and re-shaped particles don't produce such devastating effect. Hence, weapon's range is restricted to 10 meters or so. Flayer blaster and its ammo are too heavy to be effeciently utilized even by strongest of human soldiers. Moreover, firing it is much like trying to hold a jet engine, therefore its use by aliens is restricted only to strongest species, like Ortnoks.
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Remember, that plasma guns have a "spray" firemode, which is very much flamer-like (but it got disabled in 2.2 for no apparent reason?!). If we are going to have yet another "flamer" it would have to offer something new, like exceptional range or effectiveness vs armours which protect against plasma and fire :)
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Remember, that plasma guns have a "spray" firemode, which is very much flamer-like (but it got disabled in 2.2 for no apparent reason?!). If we are going to have yet another "flamer" it would have to offer something new, like exceptional range or effectiveness vs armours which protect against plasma and fire :)
It seems that I missed the spray firemode of plasma weapons! However, if implemented, the flayer should be more powerful, since it is heavier than plasma and less versatile (no longer range firemodes). Besides, it seems to deal normal damage, unlike other alien ranged weapons.
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Actually, an upgraded flamethrower which featured plasma instead of conventional fuel would be pretty sweet. Possible new alien weapon? They happen to be lacking a flamethrower equivalent. Could be a secondary fire mode for the Blaster.
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Meh guys, it`s already there:
weapon_mod plaspistol
{
firedef
{
name "_Snap Shot"
skill close
projtl plasmaMiniPulse
impact plasmaImpactCharged
hitbody plasmaImpactCharged
firesnd weapons/plasma_s
speed 1800
spread "1.1 1.1"
crouch 0.8
range 15
shots 1
ammo 1
delaybetweenshots 6
time 6
damage "45 7"
dmgweight plasma_light
reaction true
}
firedef
{
name "_Burst"
skill close
projtl plasmaMiniPulse
impact plasmaImpactCharged
hitbody plasmaImpactCharged
firesnd weapons/plasma_s
speed 1800
spread "1.4 1.4"
crouch 0.8
range 15
shots 3
ammo 3
delaybetweenshots 6
time 10
damage "45 7"
dmgweight plasma_light
reaction true
}
// firedef
// {
// name "_Spray"
// skill close
// projtl plasmaContinuous
// impact plasmaImpact
// hitbody plasmaImpact
// firesnd weapons/plasma_c
// sndonce true
// speed 0
// spread "1 5"
// crouch 1.0
// range 10
// shots 30
// ammo 6
// delaybetweenshots 32
// time 16
// damage "45 7"
// dmgweight plasma_light
// }
}
}
Look at the last, disalbled firemode,: spray - works just like the flamer. Of course damage values are way off, but all the graphic&sound work was done in earlier versions.
Here is how it looks after my balancing:
weapon_mod plaspistol
{
firedef
{
name "_Ball"
skill close
projtl plasmaMiniPulse
impact plasmaImpactCharged
hitbody plasmaImpactCharged
firesnd weapons/plasma_s
speed 1800
spread "2.1 2.1"
crouch 0.9
range 15
shots 1
ammo 1
delaybetweenshots 6
time 6
damage "45 10"
dmgweight plasma_medium
reaction true
}
firedef
{
name "_Bubbles"
skill close
projtl plasmaMiniPulse
impact plasmaImpactCharged
hitbody plasmaImpactCharged
firesnd weapons/plasma_s
speed 1800
spread "2.4 2.4"
crouch 0.9
range 15
shots 3
ammo 3
delaybetweenshots 6
time 10
damage "45 10"
dmgweight plasma_medium
reaction true
}
firedef
{
name "_Spray"
skill close
projtl plasmaContinuous
impact plasmaImpact
hitbody plasmaImpact
firesnd weapons/plasma_c
sndonce true
speed 0
spread "3 3"
crouch 1.0
range 6
shots 20
ammo 6
delaybetweenshots 32
time 10
damage "10 2"
dmgweight plasma_light
reaction true
}
}
}
I`ve added spray mode to all plasma weapons in similar manner, bigger guns just offer bigger damage for more TU`s.
Such firemode is, I think, easily explainable. In ufopedia one can read, that plasma weapons fire heated hydrogen (in the plasma form) into the plastic film, thus creating a ball, which would travel to the victim and break on impact releasing ultra-hot plasma on target. While "spraying", plasma guns just spit plasma without "packing" it into the plastic. Plasma, without the protective film, loses it`s temperature very fast, so it can`t travel very far (6 meters in my interpretation). However it can be "sprayed" very fast and works just as the flamethrower.
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We actually have one. In trunk, not 2.2, that is. It doesn't adjust any stats though, nor are there plans for stat-altering armour. That area is going to be taken care of by implants.
OK, but from what I've read, some of the advanced alien weapons are to heavy to be used by humans, yet, despite the fact that research notes say the particle canon is to heavy to be carried by a human, my people can fire it with great efficiency.
Question - are you going to add some kind of stat requirements, like X strength, Y explosives, Z heavy, for certain weapons? At least the strength requirement would be logical.
Other thing - the alien weapons have penalties when used by humans. Are you considering designing at least one manmade plasma based weapon, basicaly the same thing with the alien weapon, but more accurate, maybe slightly less powerful, so you can trade power for accuracy.
But I think it would be logical for PHALANX to develop their own weapons based on alien tech, like you already implemented the plasma shells.
Why is the minigun out of the campain?
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OK, but from what I've read, some of the advanced alien weapons are to heavy to be used by humans, yet, despite the fact that research notes say the particle canon is to heavy to be carried by a human, my people can fire it with great efficiency.
Question - are you going to add some kind of stat requirements, like X strength, Y explosives, Z heavy, for certain weapons? At least the strength requirement would be logical.
I don't know. We haven't got a definite plan for this as far as I know. However, I can tell you that as far as I am concerned there will not be an "encumbrance" system in the classical sense. Rather, I intend for armour to limit the mobility of the soldier wearing it (translating in a TU penalty). The effect is a tradeoff in armour strength versus mobility. Though it seems like a gross oversight to ignore the weight of the equipment, I feel it would make for a good game mechanic. The tradeoff is fair (if well-balanced, of course), and it's simple, which classic encumbrance tends not to be.
However, I would be open to disallow soldiers from using or even carrying weapons if they did not meet certain requirements, like strength. These requirements could be clearly marked on the weapon description, so it would - again - be simple and straightforward.
I know, it's not exactly the realistic approach, but I tend to think in terms of gameplay. Winter's the realism guy around here, really.
Other thing - the alien weapons have penalties when used by humans. Are you considering designing at least one manmade plasma based weapon, basicaly the same thing with the alien weapon, but more accurate, maybe slightly less powerful, so you can trade power for accuracy.
But I think it would be logical for PHALANX to develop their own weapons based on alien tech, like you already implemented the plasma shells.
No concrete plans, but hey, it could happen. Again, the greatest hurdle is the work involved in making one. If someone showed up and gave us a good model for such a weapon, we'd probably contrive to include it. We can't afford to be (too) picky when it comes to volunteered content.
Why is the minigun out of the campain?
Winter hates it. And when Winter hates something, it ain't happening.
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I don't know. We haven't got a definite plan for this as far as I know. However, I can tell you that as far as I am concerned there will not be an "encumbrance" system in the classical sense. Rather, I intend for armour to limit the mobility of the soldier wearing it (translating in a TU penalty). The effect is a tradeoff in armour strength versus mobility. Though it seems like a gross oversight to ignore the weight of the equipment, I feel it would make for a good game mechanic. The tradeoff is fair (if well-balanced, of course), and it's simple, which classic encumbrance tends not to be.
However, I would be open to disallow soldiers from using or even carrying weapons if they did not meet certain requirements, like strength. These requirements could be clearly marked on the weapon description, so it would - again - be simple and straightforward.
As I said before, I hate the degredation of the importance of the Strength rating, and the elimination of encumberance, but am willing to accept a compromise in the form of minimum requirements. That said, I also think that Strength should be factored into spread/accuracy calculations for high recoil weapons, in addition to throwing distances and melee weapon damage.
Winter hates it. And when Winter hates something, it ain't happening.
This is a problem when the majority of the playerbase likes something by contrast. Miniguns are rad.
Such firemode is, I think, easily explainable. In ufopedia one can read, that plasma weapons fire heated hydrogen (in the plasma form) into the plastic film, thus creating a ball, which would travel to the victim and break on impact releasing ultra-hot plasma on target. While "spraying", plasma guns just spit plasma without "packing" it into the plastic. Plasma, without the protective film, loses it`s temperature very fast, so it can`t travel very far (6 meters in my interpretation). However it can be "sprayed" very fast and works just as the flamethrower.
Yep. A new projectile for the spray firemode is needed however (perhaps this is why it was disabled). The current one resembles a blue laser as opposed to a gaseous type discharge. In all though, a specialized 'plasmathrower' like weapon specifically designed for sustained close range combat would make for an interesting addition to the alien arsenal as it currently fills a niche no other weapon does. Plasma blades while powerful are one shot deals that feature shorter effective ranges, while Kerrblades lack any ranged component, and like most other alien weapons probably wouldn't be as efficient (damage/tu wise) to begin with.
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This is a problem when the majority of the playerbase likes something by contrast. Miniguns are rad.
Heh. What can I say? Winter's more important to the team than the majority of the player base...
It should be fairly easy to script the minigun into the singleplayer game, though. You just wouln't have a UFOpaedia entry for it.
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Heh. What can I say? Winter's more important to the team than the majority of the player base...
Wait. You're openly admitting that the overwhelming opinion of your audience (whom you make the game in large part for ostensibly) is less important than that of a single person on the design team responsible for the storyline? Earnest but highly insulting.
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Earnest but highly insulting.
You must be frequently insulted.
Developers of a free game like this have absolutely no obligation to the players. They choose to produce something and choose to make it available to whoever is interested. A single player or a millions players may of course give feedback and make suggesting. But developers owe nothing to the players. They have given the players something worth dozens or hundreds of hours of their life
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Whoa, hold on there smart guy, where did I say that I was 'owed' anything by the devs first off? Secondly, one of the biggest motivators that factors into the creation of a freeware game, if not the biggest is the enjoyment of its playerbase. Few people intentionally make games and features that aren't appealing to its audience (or that will not garner one in the first place), paid or not. Because this is so, the opinion of that playerbase as an aggregate is usually held in the highest regard, typically valued over what some individual on the dev team finds to be a 'good idea' in contrast (and is shown to be anything but with respect to said playerbase's feedback). That said, to effectively and clearly dismiss not only the opinions, but also the collective importance of so many relative to that of a single member of the development team is obviously beyond insulting. Who is this game being made for? Winter, or the people who actually play (and largely appreciate) it? If the former, the dev team may as well say so, right here and now, so we know exactly where it stands, and can adjust our opinions of it accordingly.
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In a community-driven game like this playerbase suggestions are more likely to be taken into account than in some commercial project. Hovewer, in order to maintain coherent game style (or call it sprirt if you wish) someone must be responsible for plotting general course. And anything that contradicts with his or her vision of how the game is intended to be is mercilessly rejected. That surely hurts democracy ideals, but otherwise we'll end with a weird mix of jedi lightsabers, giant robots and someone's pet puddle (it is so cute, you can't leave it out of the game!)
On the other hand, even rejected ideas can be used later, if a need arises, or serve as inspiration for something more decent. So it won't hurt the developers to have a pool of such. And not intending to teach anyone, but, well, some diplomacy could be used in public relations. Beeing too straightforward can be discouraging to community.
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Here's the thing though. The community as a whole, or by majority consensus hasn't demanded anything ridiculous like you've mentioned. A request for miniguns isn't comparable to one for lightsabres. It's one thing to give direction to the project. It's entirely another to tyrannize it to the detrement of its appeal and enjoyability.
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A request for miniguns isn't comparable to one for lightsabres.
Well, neither lightsabres, nor miniguns are used as the infantry weapons. With current state of affairs, with no cybernetic implants or mechanized battlesuits, it`s not realistic for PHALANX soldiers to use such a heavy weapon as minigun. Besides, how would it differ from machine gun?
On the other hand, UGV with minigun - why not? :)
Anyway, base human weapons already offer a great variety, it`s other game areas, that need serous improvement. Visibility system (currently soldier can see through entire map LoS provided, there is no way to sneak), being able to set something on fire, improved air interceptions and so on...
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Tbh, if someone from the dev team doesn't like an idea that is strongly supported by the community, people have to accept that or develop their own mod. We can't force someone like Winter to include a feature that he doesn't like.
However, we can talk about it, and see if there is any compromise solution, but I think in this case (minigun) there is, because it is included in the multiplayer mode.
I would like to point out that because the game is under development, weapons like the minigun, powerarmor and other items should be included in the campaign, to allow players to test everything. When the game reaches the final stages, then the devs can remove the content they don't like or consider that is out of place. And same goes with models and everything else.. I think it's more important to implement a feature, like a weapon, even if the model doesn't fit the setting or something like that, than not having it at all, because people can test the content and provide feedback. There is no need to work on a fancy complex weapon model, implement it and then find out that it's useless or to powerful so it will be removed.
I remember when the riot shotgun had several models, and one of them had no texture, but I didn't care because I knew it will have some day, and now it looks really cool. But more important, it was in the game.
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@Sirg: You are basically correct, but even though the game is "not finished" and "in development" doesn't mean everything is temporary. There are some very solid design decisions we've made that will never be revoked, because they are exactly what we wanted when we envisioned the "final" game. Examples are the main gist of the storyline (we won't change it around to something else completely) and the inclusion of UGVs (we want them. Easy as that).
That said, a lot of the game's content *is* up for discussion. This thread, for example, has every right to be here. It's just that once we, the devs, have made up our minds, it's time to move on.
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I was reffering only to some weapon ideas and perhaps an armor, maybe some tweaks here and there, but nothing like storyline or research tree.
Question - are you considering equiping some civilians with weapons? At least the military guys from the convoy or maybe some diehard civilians in the future? Maybe you could give them a basic pistol or a smg... weapons which are already in the game
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At least the military guys from the convoy
...and bunker.
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Question - are you considering equiping some civilians with weapons? At least the military guys from the convoy or maybe some diehard civilians in the future? Maybe you could give them a basic pistol or a smg... weapons which are already in the game
We are. But it should be noted that civilian weapons will do no appreciable damage. A civilian killing an alien simply doesn't work for us.
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Yes, or if the civilian kills an alien maybe we could recruit him into PHALANX? LOL
Are you considering implementing some of the weapons proposed on the wiki for civlians?
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Whoa, hold on there smart guy, where did I say that I was 'owed' anything by the devs first off?
I can't imagine why you were offended unless you had a false sense of entitlement. If not, consider it a general statement for those who do believe that the devs work for them.
Secondly, one of the biggest motivators that factors into the creation of a freeware game, if not the biggest is the enjoyment of its playerbase.
Are you just guessing, or have you developed freeware games, and/or asked developers this question?
I don't speak for the devs here, but as a developer on other projects and a contributor to this, my main motivation is that the process is fun. Certainly working on something that will be shared with other players adds to the fun. But if the players (as very unscientifically represented by a few vocal forum users) don't like something which i'm convinced is a way to go, my motivation is not effected. It's simply not possible to make everyone happy, so it's not my goal.
I see no problem weighing the wishes of developers over those of the players. Projects die much more readily from loss of developers than loss of players.
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Are you considering implementing some of the weapons proposed on the wiki for civlians?
Sure. At some point. Lots of other stuff to do.
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Well, neither lightsabres, nor miniguns are used as the infantry weapons. With current state of affairs, with no cybernetic implants or mechanized battlesuits, it`s not realistic for PHALANX soldiers to use such a heavy weapon as minigun. Besides, how would it differ from machine gun?
Because the use of man portable particle cannons with knockback capable of blowing people off their feet without cybernetic implants or mechanized battlesuits is realistic, or plasma blasters so large, heavy and cumbersome that they can only be practically hefted by Ortnoks and UGVs. Further, an advanced design, minaturized infantry level minigun is nowhere near in the same category or league as a lightsabre in terms of implausibility. Some sixty plus years in the future, where humanity is capable of attaining technological singularity, is such a comparitively modest innovation beyond our means to create? The dubiousness of this is compounded by the fact that military technology has historically been, and presently is at the forefront of technological innovation and implimentation.
The minigun at present also differs from the machine gun in a variety of important ways, gameplay wise. It features greater efficiency (damage/tu), greater fire rates, a larger clip size, two handed operation and holding and less accuracy. In short, it is the king of suppression, and is one of the best weapons for close/medium range encounters versus medium and lighter armour. While it could, like most other firearms, use some tweaking, at present it is sufficiently unique to warrant inclusion in the human arsenal.
Anyway, base human weapons already offer a great variety, it`s other game areas, that need serous improvement. Visibility system (currently soldier can see through entire map LoS provided, there is no way to sneak), being able to set something on fire, improved air interceptions and so on...
Actually the human arsenal could use a great deal of work, with respect to both balance and gameplay. There are several unfilled niches that should be addressed and accounted for, and several weapons that are either over or underpowered, and/or have completely unsensible properties.
Are you just guessing, or have you developed freeware games, and/or asked developers this question?
I don't speak for the devs here, but as a developer on other projects and a contributor to this, my main motivation is that the process is fun. Certainly working on something that will be shared with other players adds to the fun. But if the players (as very unscientifically represented by a few vocal forum users) don't like something which i'm convinced is a way to go, my motivation is not effected. It's simply not possible to make everyone happy, so it's not my goal.
I see no problem weighing the wishes of developers over those of the players. Projects die much more readily from loss of developers than loss of players.
I am not guessing. I have done development work for various teams in the past, and have done solitary work (custom maps in warcraft 3, and modules in NWN for example). Personally I have mixed feelings about the actual process, with the main incentives for the work being both my personal enjoyment of the finished product, and the recognition and enjoyment of others who will play it with me. The majority opinion thus, in so far as I have been able to gauge it has been the predominant influence on my work. These sentiments have often been shared by those I have worked with, so I am not making speculations. Of course, there has been the occasional developer who wanted to skew things selfishly for his own personal satisfaction or enjoyment at the expense of the playerbase, and rightfully, his actions were either overturned or he was outright dismissed.
Further, even though you are correct in your assertion that the majority is unscientifically represented by the opinions of forum posters, it should be noted that these posters represent a sample that can usually be extrapolated to gauge the general sentiment of the playerbase at large with reasonable accuracy.
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I am not guessing. I have done development work for various teams in the past, and have done solitary work (custom maps in warcraft 3, and modules in NWN for example). Personally I have mixed feelings about the actual process, with the main incentives for the work being both my personal enjoyment of the finished product, and the recognition and enjoyment of others who will play it with me. The majority opinion thus, in so far as I have been able to gauge it has been the predominant influence on my work. These sentiments have often been shared by those I have worked with, so I am not making speculations.
Ok, for sake of argument, lets assume that the motivation of every freeware developer in the world is 100% altruism
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Let me put things this way. I have never known any developer of a game or mod to ever retain a feature, concept or stricture that the apparent majority of his audience dislikes, with the exception of the hopelessly self-absorbed, and I'm willing to bet that, these people aside, this is more or less a constant.
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Let me put things this way. I have never known any developer of a game or mod to ever retain a feature, concept or stricture that the apparent majority of his audience dislikes, with the exception of the hopelessly self-absorbed, and I'm willing to bet that, these people aside, this is more or less a constant.
Aaron Hall, author of the Space Empires series. Kept the hard-coded limit of one space port per planet until Space Empires V, and only then in a fairly late patch. This was despite repeated requests, including from me. And I wouldn't call Aaron "hopelessly self-absorbed". He did answer to my mail.
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Aaron Hall, author of the Space Empires series. Kept the hard-coded limit of one space port per planet until Space Empires V, and only then in a fairly late patch. This was despite repeated requests, including from me. And I wouldn't call Aaron "hopelessly self-absorbed". He did answer to my mail.
Eventually he made the change though, and perhaps he did, in fact, qualify as self-absorbed at some point prior to it. At any rate, I'm not sure if a response to your mail is in any way de facto proof that he isn't or wasn't.
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... with the exception of the hopelessly self-absorbed, and I'm willing to bet that, these people aside, this is more or less a constant.
I dare-say there's a more accurate description of people who work on volunteer projects for free, but don't do things exactly to other's specifications, than "hopelessly self-absorbed".
However, i think i've made my point clearly enough for anyone who's perspective allows them to understand it.
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Lol. 'Exactly'. Sorry eleazar, but there is a marked difference between doing things to the exact specifications of others, and stubbornly refusing to listen to ones audience for no meaningful reason other than pride, hubris, self-gratification, or perhaps in the best case, ignorance. It is incredible how many developers believe, despite the best of intentions, that they know their game better in terms of balance, funfactor and gameplay as an example, than the people who play it for hours, and understand it intimately, inside and out, from a pragmatic, groundlevel perspective. Sometimes a refusal to listen is legitimately justified, because there are rare, fleeting occasions when that majority of your audience is wrong, but, these instances being exceedingly rare, chances are that such a position isn't righteous. Fortunately in the case of ignorance though, understanding comes eventually. This was possibly the case with Aaron Hall.
That all said, just because you are producing something that others can use and enjoy, does not mean you are doing so for entirely benign and altruistic reasons. Chances are good that you are for the most part (which I have stated earlier), but there's no guarantee.
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There are some very solid design decisions we've made that will never be revoked, because they are exactly what we wanted when we envisioned the "final" game.
BTAxis, is there some kind of mission-statement or roadmap of these? I have some experience working on OS games, and managing OS servers and fora, which leads me to think it would be a very good idea indeed to make the stance of your game clear to any who wish to help. That way, they have an idea in advance of whether their help is wanted or not.
Now, on another note, what do you think of these new weapon ideas:
- Kerrblade throwing blades / "shuriken". Using the same monomo technology as Kerrblades, but small and light, these give the Aliens harvesting bodies a bit of reach. They would also make a good early-game research subject for PhalanX, being simpler to study than plasma weapons. It all depends I guess on the dev team's idea of what the early-game Aliens should be using (would the plasma guns not burn their precious samples?)
I found that I had two types of alien, armour, kerrblades, plaspistols and rifles, and "alien breathing apparatii" to research with my six (!) scientists after just two missions. And that is in addition to Alien Origins, Lasers, and Bolter which were already there :) So, my feeling at the moment is that the early game is playing its hand a little too quickly.
- Non-lethal ammo. As per real-world "baton rounds", these would give you some chance of wounding the target, and some chance of stunning it. I would use the "blast" damage type, and make that do 50/50 stun/real damage (or whatever percentage.) I would also use "blast" for punch/kick attacks too, but its use for flechette ammo then becomes problematic. Possibly the game would need a new damage type, "shrapnel" for use there and in AP grenades/mines.
- 21st century Taser. Unlike the crude wired system we have now, this is a weapon used by law enforcement forces in 2084. The low-velocity rounds contain a small dart which contains both the electrical capacitors which produce the charge, and the control circuitry that allows variable "dosing." The shooter can use the gun to set each shot to Low, Medium, or Full power. The weapon allows Snap and Aimed fire modes only.
On a related note, could I suggest that the Burst fire mode is not needed on the Dolvich pistol? I would let the MP be the one-handed suppression gun :) The Dolvich is much more accurate, and has more stopping power. I don't think it needs the auto-fire mode. But, as a further tweak, I would make it effective against robotic opponents -- it fires one of the largest AP rounds in the game, AFAIK, and it would give this venerable weapon another "unique selling point" :)
My 2p, as usual...
nemchenk