Predators - Hellspawn Hunters [Working on the v0.4a]

[jdredalert]

The biggest problem is that i can't choose what to stand out more. The first pic uses a variant of the PowerLightAmp with modified color and alpha. The second is made purely using colormaps, and they color everything. I wish i could use the better of both worlds, but i have no clue so far if it is possible to modify the color of the inverted b&w PowerLightAmp pallete effect.

[seedzhao]

in my humble opnion, the second one looks better!

is very nice!

[jdredalert]

I'll keep the second one for now then. If you guys find it bad to play, i'll revert back to the first. I would reccomend to use a 0.0 brightness setting or lower for a better experience.

[-Ghost-]

So will you be updating this again once the Aliens 7.0 beta is finished? What else do you have planned for the next Hunters version?

[jdredalert]

Yes, once the Aliens got updated i will focus more on here. Basically, i'll finish what i started before, adding death animations for some enemies, making the netgun more useful than just holding zombiemen and applying the environmental weaknesses of the Predator, like cloaking vanishing on water and vision modes bing messed up by some attacks. If i made it all, than this will probably be the last Alpha build to be released.

[patrik]

I prefer second variant of blue vision mode too. Maybe with few tweaks to pallete, eye strain could be prevented by making those bright blue accents maybe bit more desaturated?

Also, have you considered tying auto targeting of specific monster groups with different vision modes? I think it would make gameplay more complex, interesting and motivate players to cycle more often between them. Maybe that "whirling, bobbling" idle sound could be played when vision modes are used (if it wouldnt be found too annoying)?

[jdredalert]

I actually considered it, yes, but since i'm too busy about the Aliens mod i couldn't look into it. And about the vision modes, as i said, i'll give the second vision mode a try. But, based on feedback, i will keep it or not. I promise i'll do my best with this.

[Endless123]

I prefer second variant of blue vision mode too. Maybe with few tweaks to pallete, eye strain could be prevented by making those bright blue accents maybe bit more desaturated?

Also, have you considered tying auto targeting of specific monster groups with different vision modes? I think it would make gameplay more complex, interesting and motivate players to cycle more often between them. Maybe that "whirling, bobbling" idle sound could be played when vision modes are used (if it wouldnt be found too annoying)?

I think jd is already working on a way to make each vision modes more useful by making them highlight a specific type of enemies. The problem is "how" because there is not much in the wikis to help him achieve that.

The only way i could think of is to identified each type of enemies with a special tag and tell the HUD to show only the tagged enemies according to the vision mode in use. But again the "how" to make sure only the specific type of enemies is only showing on a specific vision modes is the hard part. Once again the wikis give no clue about how to do that. However if it's just the targeting lock-on that is using that type of discrimination

For example : If red-thermal vision is in use and there is an xynomorph-type enemy with Imps the lock-on could automatically go to the xyno ignoring the Imps and once the xyno is dead the lock-on don't target the Imps and the player would have to switch vision mode to use the one detecting the Imps. That could be achieved, hard to do, but still doable.

I'm sure jd is working on a similar system lets just give him the time to accomplish his job with KK's Aliens UDTC. he is a really busy guy these days

EDIT : Damn, JD you beat me on the comments I though you were busy

[jdredalert]

I already did my research. It's impossible to highlight specific enemies only, unless we modified the GZDoom source code itself.

http://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=29563

EDIT : I'm not busy now, but only because i'm in lunch-time

[Endless123]

I already did my research. It's impossible to highlight specific enemies only, unless we modified the GZDoom source code itself.

http://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=29563

EDIT : I'm not busy now, but only because i'm in lunch-time

Then you are still busy ... eating

Kidding aside i'll run some tests with my own Predator mod to see if the lock-on could react only to a specific type of enemies like i said in the previous post and i think i could work. If it's conclusive i'll do the same with your own Predator mod to see how it could be added to some weapons. It won't prevent the player from using the weapon but as i see it it could make some kind of "priority target" lock-on system without having to tweak the vision modes too deeply.

I'll keep you informed via pm.

[jdredalert]

Isn't that how it worked in TheMightyHeracross version of your Predator mod? I think i might take a look at that mod again.

[TheMightyHeracross]

In my mod, I give all enemies unique thing IDs in their spawn states. The weapons do a script in the Ready state to find a target. Then I make a separate script which gets their ID by making them activators using SetActivatorToTarget. They use this in the script for HudMessageOnActor, which stops if a CheckSight script returns false or if they die, or if vision mode is changed. The vision mode script sets a variable, and also checks the monster's inventory. If the AND scripts return false, it is cancelled.
That's the best I can do from memory. I'm on a train right now.

[jdredalert]

After a long absence, i'm working on this again. Actually, i've been working on this again for more than a week now, and i would only bump this thread when i got everything done, but i couldn't help myself. I'll try keep this thread running with news, but i won't give any release date for the new version yet. Why? Well... i realized that since this was my first project and i didn't had all the experience i have now, i made some ugly things like a whole hell of a mess inside the main file and the use of deprecated techniques to achieve certain results (like the use of KEYCONF to set new classes and weapon slots - a heated debate between Ed the Bat and Phantombeta a few days ago made me realize that i was using these methods; thank you both for that), and i decided to clean up my mess first and only then start to think about releasing new updates. After that, i had to play a lot to remember exactly were i did stopped, what wasn't working right, what i liked and disliked about my work so far. Now, i'm working. Fixing stuff, adding new stuff, replacing some old stuff. I made some advances, but i'm still far from what i want achieve here, so yeah, i really can't give a new release date for now because i want give something nice to the community.

However, i can release some screenshots of what i've done so far. It's not much, but i hope i can turn on the hype again.

---

As always, the Predators will use their augmented vision modes to hunt, but this time i want them to be fully functional as enemy trackers, more than just aesthetic stuff. The blue one is the classic thermal vision, used to hunt humans. The green one will be used to track cyborg enemies: Mancubus, Arachnotrons, Cyberdemons and so on. The golden/yellow vision mode replaces the old red one, and will be used to track demons - from lost souls to Barons of Hell. Yeah, sure, it's true that i can't just pick which kind of enemies the vision modes will highlight, but the correct video mode will enable the iconic triangular aim to appear on screen. Also, expect something cool from the sound department: each vision mode will come with it's own background sound. Remember the constant heart beat sounds from the Predator's POV scenes in the movies? They're already here, and working.


This one looks too much blurred. Blame the thumbnails! It's not like that in game.





I remember that some weapons were missing. I didn't had neither the resources nor the patience/free time to finish those back in the last year, but now things are different. I even made a new weapon exclusive weapon for the Assault class: the Plasma Flechette Cannon, replicating the one from the AvP 2: Primal Hunt expansion. Nothing fancy, i even reused the same sprites from the mini-missile launcher, but what was only an experiment became an official weapon to the Predators arsenal. Also, i've recently learned a new trick to make the light projectiles look more -- how can i say, alive? Anyway, added a glow to them and i think the results are nice so far.





Also, in regards of the blood and gore effects, i made a few changes as well. Got rid of the Ketchup Mod, replacing it with a modified version of the Nashgore. Nashgore proved to be more clean and smooth than the Ketchup, so i've picked it up. I think the results are nicer than before.

Well, that's all for now folks. I hope you like the news. Preds are back in town.

[-Ghost-]

Looking good, more news is always good!

[Vostyok]

Have you managed to get a player sprite yet? I didn't think there were many Predator sprites, and this could be fun in multiplayer. Want me to whip something up? I am free after next week.