Sirlordington's Predator App - Dhi'rauta Halkrath

[Sir Lordington]

Byond ID: Sirlordington

Marine Name (so we know who you are; if you play alien mostly, state that here):Reginald Dempsey. Formerly Luke Compton.

Name of the character you want whitelisted (The name your predator will use. This must match your in-game predator name): Dhi'rauta Halkrath

Are you familiar with the Predator Code Of Honor? I am.

Character background (An ADEQUATE description and story of your predators background):

The Hunt for cunning prey

► Show Spoiler

The sleek Yautja vessel orbited high above the wet world of TLO-871, cloaked to hide itself from the human ship stationed above the planet. Dhi'rauta observed the blocky, gunmetal grey vessel with interest. Its design was very indicative of their makers. The humans were a very utilitarian people. Their lives short, they could not understand the importance of ceremony, the very necessity of the Hunt. And yet they prospered through a mix of brutal efficiency, efficient brutality and a craftiness unseen in other races. That's why, despite their technological disadvantage with regards to the Yautja and their physical inferiority when compared to the serpents, they were still his favourite prey.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dhi'rauta observed from a tree, uncloaked. His natural coloration and the dense canopy ensured that he would be somewhat camouflaged while still being noticeable by a keen eye. The small squad moved through the jungle. The man taking point wore a bulkier armour and distinctive helmet, and was issuing orders and directing movement. Something in the way he carried himself distinguished him from the rest, he was both somehow calmer and more alert, his eyes scanning the canopy.
Staff Sergeant, why are we moving so slowly? Tracker isn't picking up any movement, everything larger than a dog has been cleared out.
Because the scanner has blindspots, Jones, especially at our six and anything three meters above our heads. And you never know what might be lurking in the trees...
This "Staff Sergeant" had caught his attention. It was time to put him to the test.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dhi'rauta had made his grand entrance by leaping down from the tree, immediately gutting one of the humans at the back. They reacted quickly, opening fire on his position, but he had been faster. He had lunged at the one with the large weapon and eviscerated him before making his getaway using the chaos. One of the other humans fled during the battle. A cowardly and unintelligent move, as he was now alone and being stalked by Dhi'rauta . He would use this unworthy human to attract the rest. Dhi'rauta leapt out of the foliage and unceremoniously killed the deserter, before using his biomask to mimic the human's voice to scream for help. The humans didn't take long to arrive. Dhi'rauta emitted another cry for help, and the humans approached. Then, their leader raised a hand and they all stopped. He heard the Staff Sergeant talk into his radio. He could hear what was being said through the dead man's headset.
Roberts, do you read. Confirm position.
Dhi'rauta observed the human with curiosity. He had expected them to rush to their comrade's help cries, but the Staff Sergeant had kept his cool. Had he been smart enough to wonder why the cowardly human had not used his radio?
Confirm your position to assist.
A few seconds of silence passed before, the foliage cover exploded as a hail of bullets tore apart the area. That was his confirmation. He used the dead human's body for cover, but they kept firing. There was that ruthlessness. Exposed, he dove to the side and activated his cloak, once again getting out of sight. One of the three surviving humans went to chase after him before being stopped by their leader.
Do not pursue! We're at a disadvantage here.* He pointed towards Roberts' corpse. *Whatever that thing is, it's using close quarters weapons. We need to get to open terrain fast. There's a clearing about 1 klick north of here, and a swamp a bit further than that. Close formation and move.
Another sound decision. This human had proven himself worthy. It was time to isolate him. He would ambush the group at the clearing and remove the leader from his companions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dhi'rauta arrived at the clearing scant minutes before the humans did. He waited, cloaked on a sturdy tree branch. The humans arrived in close formation, doing their best to cover all flanks. They were looking towards the trees but they would be unable to see him while he was cloaked. Their leader scanned the area he was in twice, but had not spotted him. Dhi'rauta was ready to use the first mistake by the humans to separate the Staff Sergeant from his subordinates. Then, the leader spoke into their headset. He couldn't make out everything, but his biomask picked up enough to translate one word.
*...birds...*
It took a moment for Dhi'rauta to process this information. Then, he looked at the tree he was at and noticed there were no birds on it. It was the only tree without any birds. They had vacated the tree when he leapt onto it a minute prior.
His eyes widened in surprise and he spoke a curse as the tree started to disintegrate under gunfire, a stray bullet hitting him close to the shoulder. He roared loudly, launching his smartdisk at the human furthest from him while producing his combistick and assaulting the other subordinate. The human struggled for a few moments before being impaled and thrown towards the one that was attempting to evade the smartdisk. The impact knocked the flailing man down, allowing the smartdisk to easily tear him to shreds. Dhi'rauta retrieved his weapons and looked up. The Staff Sergeant was gone. He scanned the area, some broken branches indicated the direction the human had gone. North, towards the cover provided by the swamp.
His prey was now isolated and fleeing. Now the Hunt could truly begin.

How do you intend to play your predator (as in, describe HOW you will act/play your predator)?
First off, I intend to make roleplay the focus of my interactions, as opposed to just straight up combat. Combat for combat's sake makes no sense to me and should be either the result of an interaction or used to setup a future one.
Dhi'rauta Halkrath is interested in testing the mental acumen of his prey, not just their physical skills. He'll make deliberate mistakes or expose his prey to situations to gauge their reactions in order to separate those with sharper minds from the rest of the group and test them himself, as well as lay traps to test them and target those who can avoid or escape them.

Overall, to him the Hunt's essence lies in the clashing of two minds in the midst of chaos, trying to outdo each other as the situation unravels around them. To this purpose, he is likely to attempt to create chaos and distress in order to force his potential prey to concentrate if they are to be able to effectively engage in battle with him. He may also provoke potentially interesting prey into games of cat and mouse and other types of tests of wit or quick thinking.

Why should we whitelist you?
Many of my favourite and most memorable moments in Colonial Marines involved predators. My fistfight with Symbiosis, the firefight against Feweh and Stripetail, and my honour duel in the basketball court with Ghostdex stand out as one of the best moments I've had on the server and I think I can provide many great moments from the others too.

Like I said, I intend to RP first and foremost and only use combat as a tool to further RP or as a logical conclusion to it. I think I've proven I can roleplay and I can do it well. I've played extensively as a Commander and I like to think I've made a few rounds more interesting for people through my actions as two rather different characters. The Predator whitelist would provide more ways to shake up rounds and make things more interesting.


Have you been banned from CM in the last month for any reason (we will check, and lies may result in immediate denial)? No.


Are you currently banned from any other servers and if so, why? No.


Do you understand that any player - donor or otherwise - can have their whitelist status revoked should they break our rules or disobey the Predator Code of Honor? Absolutely.

[edda]

Only two real criticisms is the story is meh and the deep red section headings are hard to look at.

But what else can I say. Luke was one of the better COs by far and you're a great staff member. +1 all the way.

[Kerek]

In my opinion, the story wasn’t too impressive, you didn’t really show a character and you didn’t really say too much about how you want to play your pred other than I will RP and then kill for RP. I would’ve liked to see more.

What would you do if marines were assaulting your lodge shortly after they land?

[Jakkkk]

There have been shorter stories before and they have been quite alright, you are a great roleplayer and outstanding member of the community. +1.

[zoboomafoo]

Personally, I liked your story, although I really wanted it to keep going from where you ended! You also don't have a lot of background fluff like clan history, upbringing, etc.

However even though I haven't had many personal interactions with you in game, I have on many occasions witnessed some pretty great RP from you as the commander. Hopefully you RP a lot as a predator as well, I'd love to have some cool experiences like you've had with predators. You also have a great standing in the community and as a staff member.

+1

[Sir Lordington]

Personally, I liked your story, although I really wanted it to keep going from where you ended! You also don't have a lot of background fluff like clan history, upbringing, etc.

However even though I haven't had many personal interactions with you in game, I have on many occasions witnessed some pretty great RP from you as the commander. Hopefully you RP a lot as a predator as well, I'd love to have some cool experiences like you've had with predators. You also have a great standing in the community and as a staff member.

+1

Only two real criticisms is the story is meh and the deep red section headings are hard to look at.

But what else can I say. Luke was one of the better COs by far and you're a great staff member. +1 all the way.

The headings look relatively decent to me, but that might just be my monitor. You should've seen the original blue ones. As for the story, I did think of adding fluff about his life, but I decided to keep it short due to my mediocre writing skills and the belief it did not add much.

Regardless, I appreciate the criticism and the support.

In my opinion, the story wasn’t too impressive, you didn’t really show a character and you didn’t really say too much about how you want to play your pred other than I will RP and then kill for RP. I would’ve liked to see more.

What would you do if marines were assaulting your lodge shortly after they land?

Perhaps I didn't make it clear enough in the application, but the idea is to play a predator more focused on the psychological aspect of the hunt. It's not a test of strength, or a hunt for the strongest prey. I want to play a more cerebral predator who focuses on mindgames, trickery and tactics over combat skill per se.

As for the question about the lodge, I would try to take a different approach from what I've seen from most predators, fitting my character. Oftentimes ,predators will stay in their lodge or its vicinity, firing at marines who approach in something resembling trench warfare or a FOB defence. This generally ends with either a destroyed lodge and dead predators or a heavily damaged marine team retreating. This is not what I'd be looking for.

The objective is to get them out of there, and to do that you need to give them another target. If you stay at the lodge, defending it, marines will keep assaulting it until they can't go any further. Instead I would try for a distraction. There are generally a couple of marines leading the charge who the rest follow. The idea would be to provoke them and lead them away. I'd first try to identify these pointmen and then get a few shots into them before moving in a different direction to lead them away from the lodge. If I can manage it, since xenos are sometimes known to avoid predators like the plague, I would also attempt to provoke them and lead the marines and the xenos on a collision course. The way I'd go about provoking the xenos would be to feign a mistake and put myself at a clear numbers disadvantage to coerce the xenos into trying to take me down for that sweet predalien, then move them towards the bulk of the marines. That way I get to interact with and observe both sides, the pressure stops being on me, the marines stop attacking the lodge, and the round moves forwards.

[Kerek]

I don't think that SirLordington should recieve this role at the moment, I don't like either of his characters and I think that he can't handle this role at the moment and I don't really trust him with the role. -1

Edit: See below, I was going to edit after the round.

[Ghostdex]

While your application is fine, somewhat generic even, I feel as if I cannot +1 this is any way. The reason for this is the way you go around as commander and every time I see you BE a marine it's never for an amazing reason or for RP, especially with the one that happened recently, you BE'd a marine with two MPs around you when that marine hit you with a lighter a single time. I'd also like to mention that there was an entire squad around you, I believe you weren't even thinking about your safety or RP, only about ending that marines life and round.

In no way do I feel as if you can handle being the kind of predator that the community needs or wants.

-1.

[Sir Lordington]

I don't think Battlefield Executions are applicable to the case, especially that last one. For several reasons. Battlefield Executions serve several purposes, and one of them is stopping shitlery, furthermore, Battlefield executions are used to make a point. When that happened it was in the middle of an arrest, the entire squad was interfering with the arrest of the Delta medic and one of them walked up to me and assaulted me. Not only were the MPs fully preoccupied, but a point had to be made that Delta's actions and shitlery would not be tolerated.

You may not agree with the decision, but to say that there was no RP to it is simply false, it's an action that made sense in context. I get that I have played controversial characters and made controversial decisions, but those characters are not this character. Furthermore, I believe that judging my ability to roleplay for one action is simply unfair. If you want to talk about battlfield executions I can assure you I've had quite a few where the people on the receiving end of it were quite happy to be executed and showed as much in OOC afterwards, not to mention the times I've gone with completely different paths like nonviolently dismantling a mutiny.

I can see why I would receive -1s from members of this community, but I do not feel that receiving them for a single action in a single round is fair or justified, much less to imply that I play one-dimensional characters who simply shoot people for the hell of it.

That said, if you have any further criticism beyond that single action, I would be quite happy to receive and address it.

[Omicega]

The fact that Kneez couldn't even wait until after the round in question ended to come here and throw a -1 on makes me annoyed. For that reason alone, I'm tempted to +1 just on principle - but of course, that's the kind of bullshit that would make the whole +1/-1 system useless, so let me actually give good reasons for the +1 I'm giving.

The story is the bulk of pred and synth apps, and honestly this one isn't too bad. It could read better and do with a bit less tense switching, but on the whole the quality is above the standard set by the majority of apps. I liked the bit about the missing birds giving away his position, that's a cute way of portraying the SSGT as a smart cookie. The other questions and such I frankly couldn't care less about - like with every other app type, they're basically just there to prove you know how to jump through hoops and fill out a form.

Finally, from an IC perspective I think you've improved drastically since you were first zipping around as an XO with that stupid 'PewPew' nickname. Your character is a bit too stiff for my liking when you play CO, but that's not really a reflection on your quality. As far as things like BEs and enjoyment of other players go, neither of those is anything I've ever had an issue with regarding you - speaking as someone who was on the receiving end of one (or did I bleed out before I formally got blasted? I can't remember)

From an OOC one there's not much to say other than that I think you're a very capable and fair moderator/trialmin.

Considering I feel these apps should be judged relative to one another (since there is no sample standard 'good app'), yours is above average enough to merit the +1 on its own regard, and that's before I factor anything else in.

[Sleepy Retard]

The story isn't a google doc with 7 pages alone, almost enough to give it a +1 on its own.

The story is fine, it is just on par or a bit above average for the apps. I'm mixed between the not showing the character, but it having sort of cool writing fluff in it.

the BE thing is actually a reasonable complaint, not knowing the situation I won't comment on it. if they are actually true in the abuse of the be, which I wouldn't know, then that translates HORRIBLY to being a predator, but I won't say you did anything bad on it as I don't know lol. As to why it's horrible, you have many tools that will fucking ruin a round with a single shot or swing. Keep that in mind. A single spike launcher will force someone to evac, a single heavy plasma will do the same.

To be blunt, since I've said this to people I know applying: the play style is generic, you say you will focus on RP. Just like how commanders will almost never use BEs...right, but you can't play predators any different. You'll see what I mean if you get accepted, don't take this as criticism because it's not exactly your fault for putting a low-quality answer

[TheMusician321]

Honestly Sirlordington you're a pretty cool guy, but my interactions with you ICly however aren't exactly the best, the only time I've ever really seen you is when you're BEing someone which isn't exactly very good, I honestly don't think I can trust you with this role as you seem very VERY execution-happy when you're a commander, sorry bud but that alone warrants a -1 in my opinion, along with the generic playstyle and the sub-par story that doesn't really show much of your character and his personality, I have to go with a -1.

[Sir Lordington]

First off, I would like to comprehensively address the general issue of Battlefield Executions, since that seems to be the main criticism leveraged at me.

There is this perception that I am VERY-execution prone. While I admit I have at times played to the meme OOCly so to speak, I truly believe this stems from a clear lack of distinction of the player vs the character. I anticipated this being an issue but not to this extent, so allow me to attempt to dispel this perception. I am not prone to battlefield executions, the character of Luke Compton was. Allow me to present some facts to support this.

I retired the Luke Compton character on the January this year. The character has reappeared on a couple of occasions, but has never performed a Battlefield Execution since its formal retirement. After that, I started to play Reginald Dempsey. Since that character was introduced I have performed a total of 14 battlefield executions. Given that I generally play at least one round per day, often more, I'd say that is not a staggering amount. Now, was every single one of these executions the result of excellent roleplay on my part? No. Was every one of this executions the best decision possible at the time? No. I will be the first one to admit I have, at times, acted rashly and made mistakes, and yes in hindsight I could have taken other options. On the other hand, I also happen to know several of those executions were the climax to complex interactions that provided good closure and I received praise from the people on the receiving end, might as well count the positives if we're counting the negatives, I think.
Furthermore, my last player report concerning a Battlefield Execution was logged on the tenth of December. If I truly was so execution prone and most of my executions were badly roleplayed I believe I would have been subjected to more, regardless of the final ruling, though I understand this last point may be contentious.

Like I said, I will be the first to acknowledge that I have made mistakes and at times may have resorted to Battlefield Executions in non-ideal circumstances. Let whoever is free from sin cast the first stone. I only ask to be judged fairly, by ALL of my actions and by my application, and not just some and to not let overblown memes about my behaviour and a couple of choice actions determine the veredict.

On that note:

Honestly Sirlordington you're a pretty cool guy, but my interactions with you ICly however aren't exactly the best, the only time I've ever really seen you is when you're BEing someone which isn't exactly very good, I honestly don't think I can trust you with this role as you seem very VERY execution-happy when you're a commander, sorry bud but that alone warrants a -1 in my opinion, along with the generic playstyle and the sub-par story that doesn't really show much of your character and his personality, I have to go with a -1.

Like I have shown above, my execution count is not that high so if you truly have only seen me executing people we are either very unlucky or there is confirmation bias in effect. That said, I take note of your criticism regarding my story and character. Like I said above, I tried to portray a Predator more concerned with the psychological and tactical aspects of hunting through both the story and the gameplay sections as well as the response to Kneez's scenario, but I understand that I may have been unable to convey that. Thank you for the frank criticism, but I would appreciate it if you could elaborate on what aspects of the story and character make it feel generic and subpar to you.

To be blunt, since I've said this to people I know applying: the play style is generic, you say you will focus on RP. Just like how commanders will almost never use BEs...right, but you can't play predators any different. You'll see what I mean if you get accepted, don't take this as criticism because it's not exactly your fault for putting a low-quality answer

I partially agree with this, I've always been outspoken in my belief that there are limits as to the character you can play as a Predator (and was never a great fan of that particular question), but in the same way as there are limits to the type of character you can play as a PFC. At the end of the day you have a set objective and a series of mechanics to do so, but I believe there are different ways to go about it and minor things here and there that can make the character unique.

And to Omicega, I appreciate the directness and insightfulness.

[Lukey111]

In my opinion, I am no professional, but 14 sounds like a lot of BEs in about 3 months. There are 2 people I have witness BE, you and Cliff, with you being maybe 2 or 3. The pred application is the highest RP whitelist, and should be extremely sensitive to anything negative. I am going Neutral, you are a very competent player, being a smart CO too. But BEing someone almost every week, most will probably say this is not a lot, is a big deal in my opinion.

[Skysoldier]

I'm thinking people are overreacting to the whole BE business here and personally, I don't think it matters too much, and frankly, I have seen more stupid shit from newly whitelist CO nowadays.

I honestly think he is competent enough to take on this whitelisting and fairly responsible enough as well.

The story is fine, likable even, although it feels different to the playstyle you are trying and a bit lacking somehow.

But on the other hand after my experiences on hand with whole pred thing, as much as I try, 'Only focusing on the RP' is ridiculous and sometimes, downright impossible and the style of what you are trying to do is really hard to implement in the actual game I feel. So in my opinion, this just won't really work out.

So all in all, I think, this is fine but not good, I'm on neutral leaning heavily on +1 for now.

[taketheshot56]

I like the story and I like your characters, I dont know why some are attacking you over the use of BEs but quite frankly it is a tool and is used as such. I feel you will roleplay well regardless of what people think of your characters and will be a good predator.

+1

[Sir Lordington]

I'm thinking people are overreacting to the whole BE business here and personally, I don't think it matters too much, and frankly, I have seen more stupid shit from newly whitelist CO nowadays.

I honestly think he is competent enough to take on this whitelisting and fairly responsible enough as well.

The story is fine, likable even, although it feels different to the playstyle you are trying and a bit lacking somehow.

But on the other hand after my experiences on hand with whole pred thing, as much as I try, 'Only focusing on the RP' is ridiculous and sometimes, downright impossible and the style of what you are trying to do is really hard to implement in the actual game I feel. So in my opinion, this just won't really work out.

So all in all, I think, this is fine but not good, I'm on neutral leaning heavily on +1 for now.

To address your last point, I obviously wouldn't exactly know but I believe I have a feel for what you mean. When under attack by a bunch of people and under heavy stress, mechanics and staying alive tend to take precedence. I've seen roleplay go out of the window when combat starts often enough, and have even partaken in that myself.

That said, reading this and a cinversation I saw the other day on the Bay Discord make me realise I have expressed my intention wrongly. I talk about focusing on RP over combat but I now don't believe combat is necessarily the correct word. I don't think Roleplay ends when combat begins, or at least not necessarily. Obviously you aren't going to be talking as you fight, but there are different combat styles and actions that can be taken that are an extension of that roleplay. It may manifest in different, often subtler ways, but the decisions you take and how you decide to approach combat are in and of themselves roleplay. Mechanics, combat and RP need not be divorced but rather complimentary and, as hard as it is, I would like to try and approach that way. That's why I wouldn't start plasmacasting and firing spikes into a group of marines that assaulted my lodge. Because it's not fitting of my character and while it is obviously impossible to keep those things in mind 100% of the time during stressful in-game situations I believe it is possible and my intent is to try.

As for everyone who supported this app so far and who I've not directly addressed, thank you.

[Stripetail]

Alrighty, sorry it took me a while to get to this app, but now to get down to it.

I like your story, it's nice short and to the point, but you already knew this.

Your playstyle is going to be hard as fuck to pull off, but what people need to understand is that your playstyle isn't going to be as held in stone as it seems. You have no idea how the rounds will be until you've had your first few rounds under your belt and it may change your style of play after. Something I can say with certainty is that both marines AND aliens make it incredibly hard to roleplay. You have also got to worry about what your fellow preds have done to piss off either side, because inevitably it will come to change your round.

To the concerns to your use of BE, I think this is a non issue, CO's hold the right to BE players. Notorious CO's or reputable ones like yourself have players literally go out of their way to goad you into killing them at times, and lately you've refrained from using BE quite a lot. You've proven yourself responsible enough to reach Admin and that should speak incredible volumes for your attitude on the rules and your efforts to uphold them.

Any other details that could be worked on I believe can be worked out during your first few hunts, and I think you'd be a nice addition to the whitelist.

+1

[spartanbobby]

I like the story it kept me reading even if it wasn't a 5-page google doc that goes into why your predator has an odd craving for blue milk.
you're active but only really as a commander (far as I know), the concerns about your BEs have been talked about to death so I'm not going to bother.
I feel like I can trust you and your avatar gives me a good chuckle so +1

[Sambalu]

The app is solid, and while your BEs are controversial, I believe you can be trusted with whitelist status.
+1

[AverageSpitter]

The BE issue is some serious shit, As it points out you prefer killing over resolving things through RP (At least from my point of view) I'm going with neutral because i had a good read with your pred's history, I'll be watching your CO

[Lumdor]

+1 Lordington knows what he's doing.

Most people that are giving a -1 most likely have some grievance with the way Lordington play's his character.

In my opinion that would in no way tie into him playing a predator.

Good story, good person, and overall knows what is going on.

[DrPng]

I've had some fine experiences with him as CO, neither bad or outstandingly good. He's also a good admin and I feel I can trust him.
Your back story reminds me of the first movie, a group moving through a hostile jungle, alert and tired only to be stalked and hunted by a big ass predator until the smartest one remains. The grammar was okay and the way you executed the back story was great. The idea wasn't very original but I think unoriginal ideas can be good if they are executed properly. The meaning of originality has tanked so far in today's society but you managed to make an uninteresting idea engaging for me at least.

Also to mention: Yeah, the back story didn't really explain your character or his traits, but to be honest, every time I spectate a predator they only say a few words and don't really explore their traits. In fact, almost every predator I've spectated or have RPed with have been the same really. Either extremely aggressive or very chill and willing to RP.

+1

[Karmac]

Everyone knows your kind of a dick but let's be real that's the MO of any good predator, not gonna lie the story's lackluster and tells me more about the Marines you're hunting than your predator, which is kind of the opposite of what that's meant for. Ultimately you prove you've got the writing skills necessary for good RP with it anyway though so that doesn't really matter. I had a good hearty chuckle when I read your playstyle and honestly all I have to say is "good luck", you're going for something better man have tried, and failed, to accomplish. I also enjoy that while you state you'd prefer roleplay over combat 70% of your written story was about you killing marines wordlessly, so there's that to take into consideration. All things considered I don't see enough reason to +1 or -1 this application, it's mediocre at best, but that's better than complete garbage so you've got that going for you.

[DeusMortis]

Lordington's CO rp has been solid whenever I've seen him or played under his command. Although I haven't seen him in other roles all too much, I trust him enough to not be a raging autist as a Pred and deliver some memorable experiences to Marines and Xenos.

The app itself isn't bad at all. The story was short but it was enjoyable. Apart from showing a cunning Squad Leader, it wasn't too different however. I would have liked to see how your Predator handled the actual fight, if they would continue fucking with that SL or gone in for the kill finding him broken enough to finish off.

All things considered, I'm giving Lordington a +1.