I was playing on Bz, minding my own business, when all of the sudden, some evil tank shot a guided missile at me! I was playing without sound so I wouldn't bother anyone, and I didn't hear the missile warning lock sound. I was shocked to find my windscreen shattered, and pieces of my once complete tank flying into the sky.
So, My question is...
could a visual warning be incorporated into the next release of BZflag? or is there a reason why only the warning 'sound' is present? could a big flashing (Warning! Missile lock!) be incorporated into the players HUD? on radar, a missile shot looks normal at a glance, and I tend to rely on the audio warning.
there is no such thing as a free lunch. this undoubtedly means that you can have all the free breakfasts and dinners you want.
Watch your console... there is already something like a "<callsign>: locked on me" notification. But sure, it wouldn't be hard to make it more noticeable.
I always play with no sound. My advice is watch your radar 95-100% of the time. Ask any good player and that is how they play; the view out the tank is only used for specific situations. I am never surprised by a GM. My caution about relying on a "visual" alert on lock is that a GM does NOT require a lock to kill. I always find it funny when noobs start crying that someone hit them with GM while they were ST. It is still a bullet and still need to be dodged regardless of a lock or not. If you play using primarily your radar there are only one or two rare situations where you didn't know you are in danger from a bullet, the primary one being when I am ST and sneak up right behind you and shoot you in the back (and believe me I will). Being surprised that you died is a sign that you still need to be paying more attention to your surroundings using all available information and not getting tunnel vision out the window. You cannot see over 80% of what is going on out the window so you shouldn't rely on it for your main source of input.
There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg." -- Abraham Lincoln
joevano wrote:My caution about relying on a "visual" alert on lock is that a GM does NOT require a lock to kill.
I think that a 'normal' gm shot would look just like a normal shot on radar, hence no need for an added warning.
But I also think that a Guided missile 'Locking on' is many times more dangerous than a single normal shot. (unless it's geno) Also, the alert sound is only made when a gm is locked on to you, and not if it is just shot in your general vicinity.
there is no such thing as a free lunch. this undoubtedly means that you can have all the free breakfasts and dinners you want.
In my opinion, you are wrong. After over 6 years of playing they are equally dangerous; and both are very easily identifiable on radar. No visual "warning" needed.
There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg." -- Abraham Lincoln
joevano wrote:My caution about relying on a "visual" alert on lock is that a GM does NOT require a lock to kill.
I think that a 'normal' gm shot would look just like a normal shot on radar, hence no need for an added warning.
But I also think that a Guided missile 'Locking on' is many times more dangerous than a single normal shot. (unless it's geno) Also, the alert sound is only made when a gm is locked on to you, and not if it is just shot in your general vicinity.
Expanding on the looking like a normal shot through radar, if you expand the shot size dot to around 4 or 5, you can notice that it is yellow in color, instead of white. (At least on my screen it is.) Just another big hint that while it is curving at you that it is a GM.
Also If you turn off Colored Shots on your radar it makes GM more noticeable on radar. It also helps with dodging, because its not only the enemy tanks you need to dodge, its all shots. I find colored shots more of a distraction.
I think colored shots are very useful. They give you info about what teams are attacking you, if its you own team, you'd be less concerned about more shots following than if its an enemy bullet. Also if multiple teams are attacking you, can you turn them on each other? Normally you can also see the tank shooting the shots, but if hes off radar, colors can help.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned using /highlight, like so: /highlight "locked on me". Extremely useful, but has the slight disadvantage of highlighting "locked on meredith", where me-xxxx is a person's callsign.
--9/12 Taking an extended break from this beloved game to return to RL. Look for me at the starbow's end...
Making a locked GM looking different would be at least nice. Yes, i'm barely ever surprised by a GM. I'm watching radar nearly always and i know which players have GM, and even if i don't i can identify the missile quickly (it's slow by default and it's turning). However sometimes it's not clear if a missile is homing on me or another player near me. Then (though i mostly play without sound) the warning sound tells you that there's a missile homing on you, but often there is more than only one GM player around me, so which one o them locked on me?
Finally from the GM players point of view GM has a high teamkill potential. Highlighting the player you locked on would be great!
My suggestions:
1. GMs homing on me could be shown as flashing bullets on radar.
2. While i'm holding GM flag players i locked on could be shown flashing on radar. A single flash on locktime would do fine probably.
Combined these two additions would meet the requirement to provide an antidot for each flag, it strengthens both, GM offense and defense.
If the GM made a sound like a sonar ping after the initial warning, it would increase the excitement as it approaches (and the relief as it sails harmlessly by).
It would be even better if an automated voice would drone "Target acquired" when locking on someone.
Pimpinella - what you suggest for number 2 can also be done in reverse, where whoever locks on you flashes on the radar until you or they die, or until one tick since the bullet shot has passed. The problem with the number 1 you suggest is that the bullet would have to be pretty large for you to even notice it flash, as it moves against a dark screen.
--9/12 Taking an extended break from this beloved game to return to RL. Look for me at the starbow's end...
