sindex

We actually have something planned like this for in the future. Unfortunately, none of us are really voice actors, and we don't have a studio on-hand at the moment, so we'd probably have to take a look around some VA sites.

Well that is fantastic to see you already have the idea planned. I would do this towards the end of your post production and substitute (if technically needed) during an earlier development period with just standard voice fill-ins. A perfect example is Vale’s Portal 2 and what they did with the character Wheatley as they developed their game. So if there is any last minute changes to a fundamental game mechanic you don’t have to ask a VA to come back to reprise their role. When you get to the end you can actually advertise your looking for VA’s and then have them act out their individual parts.

There are plenty of talented VA’s out there that are not officially in the business yet. In fact some of these guys would jump at the opportunity to make a better portfolio for themselves. As a matter of fact Black Mesa still has some of their VA’s they got originally from a few years back. All they did was advertise on Moddb and their website to have people send in their unedited voice reels, of specific dialogue lines from original Half Life. Of course they did have a independent sound designer I think on their team for their selective process.

It would be amazing if you guy’s could get someone who could perfectly imitate Udo Kier voice for your game. Or better yet get the man himself, but that would be insane to pull off.

As for Sindex, now that we have IconofEvi, Martinoz, and a few others *coughmecough* on the writing team, we'll definitely have a more in-depth story for MO3.0. But right now, balance, multiplayer stability, AI, and a little side design are still priority.

Yeah I understand as far as balance issues are concerned; where they have to be nipped in the bud as fast as it can before they get out of control. It’s still good to know you are going to advance the story even further.

I was actually thinking could you guys do voice-overs (no FMV’s) for some of the missions. For instance have a general/scientist/politician/ advisor from either faction speak to player during the game play. I thought it would be an interesting option instead of a player sitting there reading off text dialogue in the heat of a battle. It would also bring in some more personality and give your own unique spin to the mod itself.

As for missions - I'd really like to do a 'choices that affect further objectives/missions' thing but for that I'd need Globals to be restored by Ares and I don't know if/when that happens.

It’s good to hear that you’re really going for more diverse style missions, instead of simple Attack/Defend style. I know that usually when it comes to the campaign it’s supposed to be a tool for people to learn new unit or game play mechanics. I might have a few ideas of mission types but not at the moment.

It looks like you guys are really stepping it up a bit more with some of the heroes. I only have one thing to nitpick about as you guys move forward with the mod.

I wanted to know if you guys are changing the story a little bit more for the ending. As much as I like the idea of Mental Omega being the primary focal point of the mod, there is one thing that bothers me. I really don’t care for the type MacGuffin plot device it becomes in the end. I was thinking you guys would do a little more elaborate narrative leading up to the final conflict. Maybe explore Yuri’s past in order to figure out where his real motivations lie. Just throwing ideas out there not saying that is the direction you wish to go and you probably want to keep things simple. However everything else is perfect.


EDIT: Maybe have a mission called “digging up the past” where there are certain places across the map that needs to be accessed (and dug up) in order accomplish the mission. All the while there is an armed conflict going on around you with two opposing factions. You would have the choice to go stealth to accomplish the mission or destroy both opposing parties. It could have little details of either what the mental omega device can really do; otherwise it could be about something about Yuri’s past successes/failures. It would provide a little more back story in the means of a written message for each artifact you discover.

I wanted to say thanks again for looking over some of my odd concepts. I think these will be my final set of ideas unless, I have another major epiphany. These are two really strange ideas I had the other day; probably got these in way latter then I wanted. Warning I highly doubt these idea are even feasible. I did have another hero unit for epsilon that had rather interesting game play style, but it looks like you’re done with the hero units. It was along the lines of the serial killer character Sylar from the TV show Heroes.

The first one is a new Allied tank:

Whirlwind Tank
Cost: $1800
Prerequisite: Allied War Factory, Allied Tech Center
Weapon: Sonic & Air Density Controller – Artificial Cyclone Device
Armor: Light
Purpose: Anti-Armor

Description:
This light weight tank can create a medium sized twister that can quite literally break down enemy armor and structures to rubble. To get the best results from this tank you need to get as you close as can to your target for maximum amount of carnage. As the twister moves away from the tank it start to loose its momentum and quickly dissipates into thin air. It does little damage to infantry since the sonic technology more in tuned with anti-armor settings. Also it needs to charge up before getting to its full destructive force.

Background:
Einstein never actually could predict his weather control device would work so well out of the theoretical concept it was. It became apparent though that during the soviet occupation that the allies would never get another chance using the said device under their guidelines. Nevertheless he was no fool and knew that the soviets themselves would want technology that would increase their own armaments. Science is an intriguing mistress especially when you can tempt man into foolish endeavors to work against them. Einstein informed the soviets that he would get a highly effective version of his weather control device in their hand A.S.A.P. This ruse however was the forefront for actually helping the allies develop better weaponry.

One of the problems that were noticed during the fight with the soviets was how well their armor stood against the allies in battle. The soviets were supreme in this area, and it seems that cutting back on that utility for them was the professor primary goal. His prism tech which faired well with multiples units converging on single target, but on a one to one basis it did lack any type of dominant show of force.

Tweaking some prism, sonic, and weather tech he previously worked with he created a small air compressing unit that would control certain airstreams in localized area. One day he added another air dampener when something marvelous happened. It was then a small wind vortex appeared from the device that grew exponentially to an average sized cyclone in his laboratory. Smashing through the reinforced steel doors of Einstein’s lab it quickly demolished two Rhino tanks just outside. The soviets weren’t the wiser because they actually thought that the new effect was from an improved weather control device. It also helped that the artificial twister did not eradicate any soviet foot troopers, otherwise things could escalated for stronger soviet supervision over his projects.

The prism tank was dissected and revaluated for this new aspiring tech. One of the cleverest things Einstein had ever created was the way this new tank looked. At first when the soviets caught a glimpse of this new armament they thought it was a joke. You see on the very top of the old prism tank where the new device was implanted was a titanium weathervane. As soon as the weathervane started to spin it meant the device would actually be charging up to its utmost potential. When unleashed a massive twister would tear through enemy armor like tissue paper. However it would not last as the cyclone quickly dwarfed in size the farther it would move away from its initial conception.


The second is a new Epsilon tank:

V.A.M.P. Tank
Cost: $1700
Prerequisite: Epsilon War Factory, Epsilon Research Lab
Weapon: Vampiric Anti-armor Manipulator Photonic Device
Armor: Light
Purpose: Anti-Armor

Description:
This tank can do the unthinkable by breaking down enemy armor and redistribute it to near by friendly armor. It can’t heal itself by this process alone, but it can increase it’s strength in greater numbers. At the current rate it can take out enemy armor at the rate of a soviet rhino tank. However once it leeches onto its victim via a parasitic laser, then it can support all front line heavy hitters that are taking major structural damage. The armor regeneration it provides is equal to that of a max veterancy per unit and the healing range is a small area of effect (about two tank would benefit at a time).

Background:
Yuri was going to win no matter the cost and one of the most bizarre steps he made was going to the very place of his last defeat. At his old castle in Transylvania he removed something that was lost but never forgotten, from the catacombs beneath the castle. It was the complete remain of Vlad Tepes (A.K.A. Vlad the Impaler). Yuri was able to extract some biological residue from the remains to make a fully functional clone. Why would he do this you ask? It seems Yuri needed a tactical advice on how to play the battlefield and Vlad would be a perfect envoy.

Vlad was actually brought up to speed on current events and how the world had changed; thanks to Yuri’s mind meddling. One thing that Vlad noticed about Yuri’s arms division was how weak compared to all other enemy machinery. He suggested to Yuri that he needed to drive fear into his enemies by eliminating their hopes. It was then it was decided that to fix both problems he we need something to revamp his frontline combatants. Vlad looked toward Yuri’s Floating Disk for the right idea and had some initiates devise a new type of tank.

Looking at a sense of twisted irony; it was then a tank was created to leech onto an armored subject (via laser) and drain away all of its material into basic elements. The final touch came from the irradiated energy that would come from these tanks once the process was initiated. This raw energy would actually mend any structural fracture on friendly armor in the area.

Thanks for the overview and I can understand that you’re probably going the whole non-advance technology route. It’s probably something more neo-realistic, and with the use of guerilla warfare like the GLA from Generals. I kind of doubt I have anymore ideas considering the fact I did come in late and you guys probably have an outline for every sub-faction. Sorry for taking up your time.

Well thanks anyhow for letting me know, and good luck with the mod.