OB Sound Changes

[Pilcrow]

Summary: Adjust the OB Beacon sound so that it's vastly harder to metagame.

Benefits: Vast reduction in OB metagaming, making OBs overall more useful and therefore making them earn their 'one per squad' status.

Details: The first and most basic solution would be to just remove the OB Beacon's sound entirely. That's a little bad though.
Alternatively, if you don't mind fiddling a bit (and finding some appropriate sound files) you can play the sound between one second to half a second before the impact occurs, and instead use a typical 'shell dropping from the sky' sound or generic mortar noise.

Implementation: Pretty simple, and while I can't claim to know how OB code works, I imagine it's a case of either making the sound play first and then spawn()ing the explosion a little after the sound proc, or just worming your sound procs somewhere anyway without changing much about how it functions.

It might be helpful to either give surrounding marines a message on OB activation (which i believe already happens) or to play the current OB beep to any marines in view or range of the beacon.

[Seehund]

+1 for that sharp whistle sound.

[DMAN]

+1 for that sharp whistle sound.

+1, second that.

[LordLoko]

This was suggested some time ago, no idea what happened.

[Stivan34]

GG, Every sane person would metagame if there is a activated OB infront of them. Not just watch it like a idiot.

[Pilcrow]

GG, Every sane person would metagame if there is a activated OB infront of them. Not just watch it like a idiot.

Well, yeah, that's why this suggestion exists - to make it vastly harder to metagame. What's your point?

[Steelpoint]

While its easy to call out people for running away from grenades/orbital beacons/etc, I find it hard to not do so when the game brings a LOT of attention to these items, with the very loud ominous beeping from the OB, and the bright red flashing from the beacon, or from grenades flashing like a police siren.

I would support this suggestion.

[MadSnailDisease]

The real strategy is to not notice it in the first place and end up RPing it flawlessly.

[Jen_Llama]

Recommendation for new sound: https://youtu.be/zAKksqKR3pI

[Fritigern]

+1 If you remove the sound entirely. It's already blinking and I'm (pretty sure) there's a chat message to go along with activating it. Orbitals are not combat effective.

[Arachnidnexus]

Was suggested before here: http://colonial-marines.com/viewtopic.p ... 88&p=47830

Still a pretty reasonable suggestion since as a marine you instinctively GTFO from an orbital and it takes some commitment to RP to sit on that OB as an alien.

[MrGabol100]

From a post of mine that got denied because thread saltiness:

-Beacon Radio:
+Object that takes the same space as an orbital beacon, can only be used once, as they project the laser into space like the beacon does, and use all the unrechargeable battery on them.
+Same use as beacon, but doesn't deploy, meaning it's not in the ground, meaning it only can be visible if you inspect the holder, can't be used in caves, etc.
+Artillery fires on the location of the device WHEN IT WAS "Readied up" as the device is activated, command receives a message from the SL like a megaphone does, but trough command radio, alerting all staff to prepare the orbital cannons, still works as a beacon for the aiming.

Use: Hold radio, activate radio, megaphone text box appears, it is automatically redirected (In a bounced radio fashion) to the command channel,(even if the holder is not a squad leader) the radio deactivates, then command can ready up the strike as if a beacon was activated, again, the position of firing is if a beacon was deployed when the radio sent a message. Command can then mark the position with the coordinates and fire.

[MadSnailDisease]

You could also make it possible for an SL to call in fire support at relayed coordinates, but spaced out due to "reload time" or something of the cannons. For example, you have something along the lines of a laser designator that tells the SL the coordinates at the tile the mouse is on. He then tells command to fire on those coordinates. Things go boom, and the good guys win/die like idiots due to misread coordinates.

[Azmodan412]

And THERES the good guys vs bad guys mentality. Sure it announces an OB coming in, but xenos who survive an OB will be caught like the chumps everyone wants them to be. Announcement is only sent to Marines and leads back to 85-90% of the server playing marine only. I am neutral.

[Egorkor]

+1, additionally:
-remove frag nades ping.
-make it so there's a kind of a message like "You notice a flash in the sky" for the fighters below to know the OB is coming.
-tie the sound effect to the range from ground zero, i.e you hear the whistle if you're for example 3 tiles off from it to compensate for the lack of sound
-rework the OB beacon so it is not seen or somethin' like that, example - coordinate system above.
this way aliens will know an OB is fired (flash) and they know they gotta fuck off (whistle). where to? that's the question one answers oneself.

[Infernus]

Duplicate.