Terror Spiders!

[Kyet]

 

We've been getting scattered reports of new kinds of space spiders terrorizing NT and Syndicate outposts.

These spiders are thought to be the result of a Syndicate bioweapons project involving crossbreeding space spiders with xenomorphs.

The experiment went horribly wrong, the Terrors breached containment, and are now loose, with an instinct and ability to kill far beyond that of normal spiders.

 

From the scattered reports, we have been able to identify five types, henceforth classified the "Terror Spiders" due to their effects on NT crew.

 

They are, in ascending order of lethality:

 

1) The Red Terror Spider

Also known as the "Crimson Terror" and "Bloody Butcher" spider, this is a juggernaut of a spider. A weaponized version of the familiar red-eyed guard spider, this monstrosity has nasty, big, pointy fangs, and a vicious streak a mile wide. It moves slowly, but don't be fooled - its bite rends through flesh, bone, even armor as if it were paper. No humanoid has ever survived melee combat with it. It is not the smartest of the terror spiders, and it moves slowly, but woe to anyone who gets within reach of its jaws.

 

2) The Giant Black Widow Spider

Also known as the "Black Devil" and "Shadow Terror" spider, this is a tricky spider. Thought to be the results of experiments to weaponize hunter spiders by endowing them with venom derived from syndicate scientists, and intelligence from captured xenomorphs, these spiders produce an incredibly deadly neurotoxin that has effects similar to Tabun. Unlike Tabun, however, it scales with the amount of venom in you, thus multiple bites lead to fatality in under a minute. This spider is sly, moving quickly to strike and inject its venom, then retreating, relying on its potent venom to finish off its prey. It is also known to hunt aggressively - using vents to travel throughout the station to seek vulnerable targets. It is known to switch targets mid-fight, to hide in dark areas where its black coloring gives it a natural advantage, and to generally display tactical awareness.

 

3) The White Death Spider

Also known as the "White Terror" and "Ghostly Nightmare" spider, this creature is perhaps the most deadly of the three basic types. Its speed is unknown. Its size is unknown. Its appearance is unknown - though it is rumored to be deceptive. It is the unholy offspring of spiders, xenomorphs and nightmares. Never engage this spider in melee. Your only chance, if you cannot shoot it from afar, is to hide and pray it does not find you. Just one of these spiders is believed to have resulted in the death of the entire crew aboard Syndicate Weapons Research Outpost Gamma-4.

The only thing known about it for certain from the fragments of Syndicate data we have recovered, is the fact its attack is absolutely horrific. Worse even than the Black Widow's, it was termed "the most evil, insidious, downright horrifying way to go I've ever seen" by a leading Syndicate chemical researcher, shortly before contact with their outpost was lost. The only records we did recover revealed that its attack is very difficult to treat, medically.

In addition to being the most deadly, it is also known to be the smartest of the three standard types, being known to adapt its attack based on its target, to flee when tactically appropriate, and to influence the behavior of the other types. Any sightings of this beast should be reported to your command staff immediately.

 

4) The Praetorian Spider

Also known as the "Violet Terror", this spider is believed to be an offshoot of the Red Terror, specifically adjusted to serve as a guard for spider nests. While Red Terrors will wander far and wide in search of prey, this spider will not. It stays close to the nest it was born in, protecting the spiderlings until they grow and are ready to hunt for themselves. This kind of spider is very rare - no more than two have ever been seen on the same station, and even then, only in the presence of a Queen Spider.

 

5) The Terror Queen Spider

Undeniably the most deadly of all the five types, this spider is classified as a level 5 biohazard by NT, similar to a blob or xenomorphs in terms of threat level. Initially, it is harmless, avoiding people and seeking a quiet, isolated area to build its nest. Once it finds such an area, however, it behaves much like a queen xenomorph, fortifying the area, and laying eggs. These eggs hatch into Terror Spiders. The newly hatched spiders' first instinct is to hunt for food - which they do by using vents to track down and kill isolated crew members. Once enough eggs have hatched that the queen is confident of her brood's strength, she deploys a pheromone throughout the ventilation systems, one which causes all other spiders to become incredibly aggressive, actively seeking out any non-spider life on the station in order to exterminate it. She is dedicated to egg-laying rather than combat, but she is always accompanied by at least one Praetorian to act as a guard for her nests.

 

NT intelligence reminds its employees that these things are called TERROR spiders for a reason. If you attempt to greytide them, you will die, and serve as a cautionary tale for others. An armed response by station security, preferably with laser rifles, is required to deal with these monsters.

 

Report any sightings immediately, and remember, stay vigilant!

 

Edited February 15, 2016 by Guest

[Tauka Usanake]

Spider xenos? Hmmmm, no arguments here but I don't want rehashed xenomorphs

[Kyet]

 

The above is all IC.

 

The OOC version is:

 

I've long been disappointed with current space spiders for being both unrobust and not particularly spider-like.

 

So, I'm coding new kinds of spiders, called Terror Spiders, which have the following attributes:

 

• Much more dangerous than regular spiders.

• Designed in such a way that they reward thinking, tactics, strategy, and appropriate gear selection - but will wreck anyone who decides to try to take them on in melee. (realistically, its a giant, venomous, 8-legged bioweapon, wtf are you thinking trying to melee it?)

Cannot be ignored - if you ignore these they will breed, and ultimately take over the station.

Open up new gameplay options, such as extracting the Black Widow venom for traitor use, or providing new ways to use existing items.

Ideally, I'd like to make them playable, either as mini-antags (the first three) or a full blown game mode (with the queen infesting the station rather like a blob or xeno queen does).

AI that is worth a damn. They should choose their attacks and targets tactically, flee when necessary, remember friends and foes and treat them accordingly, etc.

 

 

Right now, I'm testing them locally (yes, I've written most of the code for them already).

I'll probably put up the code soon so others can test them.

 

In the meantime, I am looking for ideas.

 

What cool ideas do you have for spider types, or spider-related things?

 

What sort of questions would you ask if these things were added?

 

I want these things to be fun to play as, and with, but I also want them to be challenging. They're an infestation, like blob or xenos, which could be a random event and/or its own round type. Getting them to be both is going to be tricky, but that's what I am shooting for.

 

[Kyet]

 

Spider xenos? Hmmmm, no arguments here but I don't want rehashed xenomorphs

 

What is it about xenos you don't like?

 

What is it about xenos you like?

 

Or are you just saying they need to be different from xenos?

 

These things have many differences from xenos:

 

• They have a variety of attacks. Some, like the red, simply bite you to death. Some, like the black, want to poison you and watch you die from a distance. Some, like the white, have other things in mind for you. Some, like the queen, don't want to fight you at all. Some, like the praetorian, just want you out of the nest. Unlike xenos, whose attack pattern is always disarm-facehug-drag, each of these types has its own thing.

• Right now, they're all ai-controlled. If I enable player control of them, I am only going to do so for some classes (probably the attack classes) - because nobody wants the queen to do a suicidal attack in the first 60 seconds, or the guards to leave the nest and not be there when needed. Basically: enable player control only of the interesting roles, and leave the boring ones to AI.

They don't have a "creep" mechanic, the xeno flooring, which buffs them in certain territory. Instead they spawn eggs, webs, etc, which hurt others rather than buff themselves.

They don't use ranged attacks, like the xeno spit. I might add a range spitting spider in future, but it will be only one class - the rest don't use ranged attacks.

They don't acid walls, though they do break glass. They spread out of vents, rather than from room to room.

They're not designed to abduct crew. They'll bite, yes, but managing prisoners is not something they do. They're much more get-out-there-and-hunt then that.

Their reproduction isn't based on killing people. It is possible for them to reproduce without serious harm to anyone.

Their young don't "evolve" between classes like xenos do. Instead, spiderlings have a defined type when they're created (usually from queen's eggs) and they grow into that type. Sure, the queen can lay eggs of one type rather than another (and will, according to what the nest needs), but once a spiderling is born a red spiderling, it will always grow into a red spider.

 

 

[Dinarzad]

 

I kinda like it.

I think if they got fleshed out enough, I'd almost prefer these to the Xenomorphs as a replacement, given how fucky Xenomorph infestations go (Either they lol destroy or they just get asploded at the start.)

 

Though, I doubt that'd ever happen since most the server based likes Xenos so much.

Still it'd be a neat alternate infestation alongside Cortical Borers and Xenos.

 

[Kyet]

 

I kinda like it.

I think if they got fleshed out enough, I'd almost prefer these to the Xenomorphs as a replacement, given how fucky Xenomorph infestations go (Either they lol destroy or they just get asploded at the start.)

 

Though, I doubt that'd ever happen since most the server based likes Xenos so much.

Still it'd be a neat alternate infestation alongside Cortical Borers and Xenos.

 

As written currently, there are two different types of terror spider infestation.

 

The first kind is a major event, like blob/xenos/etc that can happen late in the round. Here, some of the spawned spiders can generate new spiders by interacting with crew. However, they can't grow unless they can interact with crew.

 

The second is queen-based. Basically the queen spawns, finds a nest spot, makes a nest and starts spawning spiders at regular intervals, until she is killed or the station is evacuated. This is intended to be more of its own game mode than a random event, because if left alone the queen's brood will definitely overrun the station.

 

Either one has the potential to whelp, loldestroy, or everything in between, just as any random event does.

That said:

1) In the first case, this isn't such an issue, because its a major event that happens at the end of a round. Shuttle was going to arrive soon anyway. Also, the spread of the spiders is directly determined by how the crew interacts with them - a crew which behaves stupidly is going to have a much shorter life expectancy than a smart crew.

2) In the second case, there are actually several mechanisms built into the queen's AI specifically to stop her being zerg rushed and killed 30 seconds into the round, as wizards and blobs often are. She will destroy lights and cameras nearby when she starts nesting, so AI can't track her and crew can't normally see her since she lives in the dark. She will put up defensive webs, to stop people scouting her area. The first spider eggs she lays are always praetorian guard spiders, so she has some defense early on against a quick zerg rush by the crew. I am debating giving her AI which means she will only nest in out-of-the-way places - crew should really never find her nest early on, crew should have to look for it, and when they do find it, it should have defenses. It will still be possible to single her out and kill her... but I am trying to prevent her dying in 60 seconds because she spawned in the middle of medbay, as happens to blobs who spawn in the science server room.

 

Also, important note: I love xenos too. These terror spiders are intended to be their own thing, NOT a replacement for xenos.

They're intended to be different enough to xenos that they can stand as their own thing.

I just wanted a lore explanation for their origins, their use of combat tactics, and a way to explain them by referencing what players already know and I can compare/contrast against.

A lot of how they act was drawn from various kinds of real-life spider. The black spider, for example, isn't just called the giant black widow because I thought it would be cool (though, it is cool . She has a red hourglass on her abdomen, her bite causes vomiting, pain, trouble thinking/moving due to headache, muscle cramps, etc. The previous version of the Queen spider had her carrying her young on her back, like the Wolf spider does in RL.

 

[Kyet]

 

Updates:

 

• Added new spider type: green terrors. Think weaponized nurse spiders. In normal spider infestations, they're the primary method for spiders to breed. In games with a queen, they function as early nest guards - and decorators.

• Adjusted balance for reds and purples. Reds are no longer guards, they are now the generic terror spider attack class. Much more dangerous than regular spiders, but without any special AI or abilities from the other terror spiders. Their stats have also been reduced, since they'll be more common. Purples, on the other hand are most definitely guards for nests - they're only created at nest sites, and have AI that makes them serve as bodyguards. This includes returning to the nest if someone tries to kite them away to strike at the queen. Yes, they detect some common player strategies and adapt to them.

Made new sprites. They're still bad, but at least they're getting better. I really need a spriter to volunteer to help me with this project.

Added in two somewhat-hard counters to the terror spiders. One is a science item that, when used on a spider, deals huge damage to them and turns their regeneration into degeneration, ensuring the death of that spider once enough time has passed. I'm not sure exactly how to balance this, but suffice it to say the laser cannon will NOT be the best way to fight these things with maxed R&D - there will be another item which is substantially more effective against them. The other method is medical-based. Yes, there is actually a counter to white spider venom now. No, it isn't charcoal, calomel, or surgery. None of those work against white spider venom. The solution is both more creative and more powerful. Used right, it becomes not just a treatment, but also a defense - and even a weapon. Yes, this opens the door to the possibility of farming whites for their venom to weaponize it... but bear in mind this is exactly what the syndicates were doing when they breached containment and killed the whole crew. Good luck if you go down this road, xenobiologists!

On the subject of hard counters, I am trying to design the terror spiders so that no department is useless in fighting them. Sec is obviously the most important right away, because they have the ranged weapons which can actually kill the terror spiders without their wielder dying (melee weapons generally can't). Cargo is vital too, because, like in a blob, running gun crates through cargo during a spider infestation can save the crew. Medical and Science have new counter options being programmed in which take time/resources to develop but are very effective once you do develop them. Engineering, of course, has perhaps the most powerful ability - welding the vents, which limits spider movement greatly - but it is risky and requires manpower to execute.

The queen's AI and survival chances continue to improve. She's not as skittish as she was before, now uses nurse spiders, makes less noise when setting up the nest, deals with cameras properly, no longer creates breaches to space, and has better handling for her ultimate attack.

 

 

What I'm considering now:

 

• Just as purples are tier 2 reds, and whites are tier 2 greens, I am considering adding a tier 2 black spider. Tier 2 spiders are not straight upgrades of tier 1, they have specialized roles that are filled by small numbers of dangerous but specialized AI spiders. The tier 2 black would be the infiltrator, and its function would be to go around the map breaking open welded vents. It would be the sort of spider which is spawned only once, in queen mode, late in the game. I'm still unsure if I want to add this. I don't want it to be OP.

• Where I can find a sprite-maker who can make decent sprites for these spiders.

How I'm going to balance all their stats so they're killable if you approach them the right way, but very hard to kill if you do it wrong - yet still feel like a fair fight in either case.

The various ways they can get into the round. Currently I'm thinking I might have the normal spider event have a small chance to spawn a red/black/green trio, a new major spider event (rare) that spawns 3 whites (when it happens, again, this would be a rare event) and the queen be in the code, but never spawned except via admin spawning her in. Assuming this is finished at some point and included, I can then ask the admins to run an extended round, spawn the queen, and have it run while I watch. This would give me insight into how players approach them, and let me do more balance tweaking before I finalized the various events. Dunno if the admins will go for it, but I figure something like that where I watch some rounds with my spiders in them would be a very quick way of checking they work in reality.

 

 

[Kyet]

 

Here's the code thus far:

https://github.com/Kyep/Paradise/tree/spiders

 

To look at the changes from base:

https://github.com/Kyep/Paradise/compar ... ep:spiders

 

Please note that none of this code is final - there are many things I still want to change/add.

I am definitely looking for people to help playtest it with me, though.

Ideally I'd like to get these spiders into a state where I could submit a PR for them and get them added.

 

BUT I realize that doing that will require:

1) Finalizing the design of the different spider classes and how they interact

2) Doing at least one, if not two, balance passes on everything (requires playtesting everything again)

3) Adding some specific anti-abuse features, like checking ghosts to make sure they're not antagbanned before allowing them to control a spider

4) Doing code cleanup - I realize there are places where it needs to be improved, obsolete stuff removed, etc - this is the dev branch

5) Getting an actual spriter to make sprites for them

6) Probably several more things I discover along the way.

 

[Ace_McLazer]

 

Suggestion! how about, like aliens Resin floors spiders can make "webs" that increase their speed while moving, slow foreign mobs etc. maybe even give them a bit of stealth.

 

Just a suggestion. I play too much brood mother in dota2

 

[Kyet]

 

Suggestion! how about, like aliens Resin floors spiders can make "webs" that increase their speed while moving, slow foreign mobs etc. maybe even give them a bit of stealth.

 

Just a suggestion. I play too much brood mother in dota2

Both greens and queens will automatically create sticky webs on the floor.

These have a decent chance of slowing people down, too.

They won't increase the spider's movement speed, though, or give stealth.

 

Grays will use stealth - they will hide in vents and ambush anyone who approaches the vent.

They're invisible until they're about to attack. They won't make noise or give away their presence until they're almost on top of their prey.

 

The issue with the stealth/invisibility is that it requires lots of playtesting/balance, especially if I want to let players control this spider class.

So, I'm trying to avoid giving all the terror spiders this ambush/stealth ability.

 

That said, all of them can ventcrawl.

Yes, when player controlled, this lets them sneak up on people, pick targets, etc.

 

A good player who is controlling a poison-based attack spider (aka: it doesn't stick around, it bites you, injects poison, and leaves) will be truly terrifying as it hops in and out of vents, attacking targets of opportunity.

 

[Crazylemon]

 

Keep in mind we have basically unlimited antag slots, so we SHOULD be able to add another set of antag flags. __DEFINES, in role_preferences.dm, should be where you can add roles (and thus, ban slots) correspondingly. That should streamline the process of antag bans a whole bunch.

 

EDIT: Your black widow venom appears to account that brain damage stacks with other forms of damage - I don't believe that's actually the case.

 

[Kyet]

 

Keep in mind we have basically unlimited antag slots, so we SHOULD be able to add another set of antag flags. __DEFINES, in role_preferences.dm, should be where you can add roles (and thus, ban slots) correspondingly. That should streamline the process of antag bans a whole bunch.

 

For the moment I've made them check for syndicate and alien jobbans. IE: anyone jobbanned from either of those won't be able to play as these.

 

EDIT: Your black widow venom appears to account that brain damage stacks with other forms of damage - I don't believe that's actually the case.

 

Fixed.

The brain damage thing was part of an RP effort of mine to make their effects more similar to real life black widow venom.

After playtesting it, I did not like the results, so I ended up changing it today to remove the brain damage completely. (and update the out-of-date comments)

I may change it further.

 

New update (changelog included, though it doesn't mention the BW venom changes):

https://github.com/Kyep/Paradise/commit ... 55d43a2b89

 

[Crazylemon]

I've been waiting on this... I can't wait to see these in action!

[Kyet]

 

I've been waiting on this... I can't wait to see these in action!

You're welcome to download a copy of my branch and test it locally. It compiles. Sprites are codersprites though

 

The last update added two significant rewards for killing terror spiders: their fangs, and their silk.

Their fangs are a robust melee weapon. Even more so if you get fangs from a red terror.

Their silk is basically cable coil, which you can use for wiring, or make cable restraints from.

 

I have several other ideas I'm considering in terms of potential drops from these spiders:

 

• Spider skins (from slain spiders, or simply from spiders who molt and shed their skin as they age). These can be worn on the torso as armor, and may make spiders not target you.

• Spider feet. Can be worn as shoes, rendering you immune to spider webs. Might also be noslip. (Hey, spiders can't wallclimb, so at least they're noslip)

Spider eyeball. A rare upgrade that, with a bit of dark science could potentially be used to give you permanent thermal vision.

 

 

Main issue is sprites, again. I'm trying to make these spiders fearsome, but have good rewards if you do kill them.

I want naive crew to be tempted to their doom, but capable monster hunters to have useful trophies for their feats.

I may end up binding rewards to types, such that you have to kill multiple types to collect all the rewards.

 

The other major features on my list are potential new spider classes:

 

• T1 Spitter Class: weak spider that spits hallucinogenic toxins from range

• T2 Hairy Monster Class: a tarantula with urticating hair attack that has nasty effects.

T3 Empress Class: an enormous (alien empress size) class which is adminspawn-only and used to either teach queens, or for "lloth-comes-to-town" style RP events.

T3 Mother Wolf Class: weak, but spawns lots of spiderlings on death. Just watch this video

and multiply all the spiders up to giant-spider size....

T1 Stalker Class: sees you, hides, stalks you via vents, and pops up later to attack you when you least expect it. Fear the night!

T1-2 Webmaster Class: creates lots of webs, then hides in them. Reappears with murder on its mind once you're foolish enough to get stuck in its webs.

 

Of these, I'm most likely to make the Wolf spider - probably re-using the queen sprites. It would be neat if not all queens were the same.

 

Lastly, I'm considering making an away mission based on somewhere the spiders have infested. Either the lab they were created in, or perhaps an NT outpost that fell to their wrath. If I do make this, it is not going to be the sort of easily farmed away mission that one scientist solos with autolathe gear. This is going to be like Stargate SG-1 in that your away teams will get themselves into serious trouble. Placement will be randomized, traps will be laid, you will need to keep your wits and supplies about you to survive. If you aggro their nest, the spiders might decide to invade the Cyberiad in return...

 

[Kyet]

 

New update, with detailed changelog:

https://github.com/Kyep/Paradise/commit ... 3613b99c03

This adds a ton of things, including empresses, wolf mother spiders, door opening, proper camera disabling, a large AI code refactor, major bug fixes, etc.

 

To see all code changes from base:

https://github.com/Kyep/Paradise/compar ... ep:spiders

 

Still really need help from a spriter.

 

[Crazylemon]

 

Still really need help from a spriter.

You might want to put a sprite request in the Graphics subforum

 

[Kyet]

 

Still really need help from a spriter.

You might want to put a sprite request in the Graphics subforum

 

Created: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7169

 

 

 

 

[Kyet]

 

New update, mostly centered around balance and bugfixes:

https://github.com/Kyep/Paradise/commit ... ab29f26b6b

 

Here is how to download my code and try it yourself:

 

• On https://github.com/Kyep/Paradise/tree/spiders click 'download zip'

• Save & unzip

Copy default config files from config/example/* to config/* - then edit config/admins.txt and insert "YOURBYONDKEY - Host".

Rename the parent folder to 'paradise'

Open paradise.dme

In Dream Maker (which it should open with automatically), under the "Build" menu, hit "Compile"

Once it is done, under "Build" menu again, hit "Run"

Wait a minute for it to start

Once you're connected, under the "Server" tab, click 'Start Now'

Use Admin -> Game Panel -> Create Mob and search for "/mob/living/simple_animal/hostile/poison/giant_spider/terror/" - you can then spawn any of them you like and try them out - both fighting them (they default to AI) and also playing as them.

 

 

[Kyet]

 

Update 5 completed:

https://github.com/Kyep/Paradise/commit ... 90d2277de6

 

This is another bugfix update.

 

More people volunteering to test, especially as I'm doing bugfixing and balance, would be grand.

 

Notably, this update includes some updated graphics for most spider types.

 

[Kyet]

 

Update #6 completed (with changelog): https://github.com/Kyep/Paradise/commit ... bef8f951f9

 

More general diff: https://github.com/Kyep/Paradise/compar ... ep:spiders

Current main Terror Spiders code (not shown above, it is too large for Git's auto-diff feature): https://github.com/Kyep/Paradise/blob/c ... spiders.dm

 

New wiki page to document stuff: http://nanotrasen.se/wiki/index.php/User:Tzo (temporary home, will make it a proper wiki page after merge, content is still first draft)

 

Important code changes:

- Terror spiders are no longer a subtype of giant spiders ("space spiders"). They are now their own species. Any changes made to giant spiders no longer affect them at all.

- Terror spiders are no longer friendly with giant spiders.

- Terror spiders are now better at responding to attacks. They will now go after turrets.

- Terror spiders no longer gib on death. Death handling was also cleaned up.

- Many bugs fixed.

- Several AI improvements.

- Red terrors now enrage, doing more damage the more hurt they are. This is a nerf overall, but also an attempt to give them their own, unique mechanic, to ensure that every class of terror spider has its own unique mechanics.

 

Still seeking feedback, help with testing, etc

 

[Kyet]

 

Update #7: https://github.com/Kyep/Paradise/commit ... 7e45cde5be

 

Of the 22 changes, here are the major ones:

 

• better coordination between player-controlled spiders (e.g: hivemind chat, notification to all spiders when one dies, queens/empresses can telepathically survey their brood to know their status and issue commands which are shown to all, etc)

• proper incentives (positive and negative) for behavior (e.g: purples have incentive to guard queen as they die if she does, queens/empresses can remove problematic spiders that don't listen to their commands, etc)

better death handling (non-player spiders give tease phrase on death, fixed bugs relating to gibbing, brought back corpse decay, added randomized names to prevent spiders being confused, etc)

changes that enable more defensive play (fixes to defensive AI aggro, propogation of aggro on queens, prevention of most spiders hurting each other, etc)

changes that enable a more RP-oriented play (queen-based abilities that spread fear rather than cause damage, by creating fake spiderlings, hallucinations, breaking lights, etc)

 

 

[Kyet]

 

Update 8: https://github.com/Kyep/Paradise/commit ... 284e4d84a1

 

Minor update.

 

Adds:

- Prince of Terror, T3 type boss mob. Cannot create infestation by itself. Is formidable.

- Improves "control this spider" ghostchat notices.

- Fixes QueenHallucinate

 

[Kyet]

 

Update 9

https://github.com/Kyep/Paradise/commit ... 2d59ad39c9

 

Major changes:

- New awaymission featuring the spiders

- Major balance changes designed to enable crew to use defensive items

- Major AI rewrite/improvements

- New loot items

 

The awaymission may yet see substantial change. It is intended to be a tutorial for fighting the spiders, but also a challenge which is much harder than any existing away mission.

For further info on the away mission added in this update, see here: http://nanotrasen.se/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7449

If you'd like to download the map and test it, you're more than welcome to - I value all feedback!

 

Detailed changelog (copied from the update on Github):

 

- Added UO71, an away mission with terror spiders. See forum thread: http://nanotrasen.se/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7449

- This away mission has its own items, ID cards, etc. Its is hidden from default camera networks, and has code changes to support new mob behaviors. It also has 3 bosses (higher tier spiders), balanced loot, etc. Still a work in progress, but its playable in its current state should you want to playtest it.

- Moved sprites from animal.dmi to new terrorspider.dmi

- Blacklisted ALL types of terror spider so they are no longer spawnable via random reactions in scichem or xenobio.

- Added new chem - green spider pheromone. Reduces spiders' aggro radius for you when it is in you. Obtainable from green spiders.

- Changed spider_ckey_blacklist from a mob-specific var set on every mob to a global var.

- Made all spiders anchored, to prevent people dragging them.

- Fixed bug where spiders could get stuck pathing towards an object forever.

- Fixed bug where green spiders could try to path to a cocoon object and a vent at the same time, resulting in silly movements.

- Added ai_ventcrawls variable which can be turned off on a spider to prevent it ventcrawling at all, ever. Used for away mission mobs and purples.

- Merged all the handle_automated_action AI code (except for Queen) into one big routine. Eliminates duplicate code, prevents conflicts/bugs, and is generally neater by far.

- Added role summaries for all spider classes. You will be given these if you try to inhabit one as a ghost. So you know what you are getting into.

- Added drops-on-death medals as loot for boss spiders.

- Added enforcement check to prevent passive spiders being able to attack anyone, and defensive spiders being able to attack non-enemies, even when player-controlled. This is designed to prevent one bad apple playing a spider from ruining the RP of the round by going ham on sec during a peaceful TS colony.

- Added gun (awaymission_spidergun) which wrecks low-tier spiders in awaymissions.

- Expanded examine system to provide a lot more info about spiders on examine.

- Fixed bugs with notify_ghost system that was advertising spiders as controllable when they weren't, and notifying people too soon.

- Added ClearObstacle routine to break objects while spider is chasing something and AI-controlled.

- Renovated loot system to introduce new loot types for three spiders (green/black/white venom glands).

- Added notice when a hidden spider emerges from a vent (except for grays)

- Added guide & RP suicide option for empresses.

- Made gray spiders player-controllable for the first time. Their cloaking / vent hiding now works for players, too.

- Major balance change: spider bites no longer penetrate THICKMATERIAL, meaning that eng hardsuits offer 100% immunity to spider venom injection and will save your life!

- Major upgrade to AI of white spider - now uses less force against non-resistant targets, but will use lethal force against things it can't seem to poison.

- Dramatically reduced chances of a queen nesting in an area with enemies, a hallway, etc.

- Added wireless AEGs, a new type of AEG that has only a kill setting, only works in awaymission, and is designed for away mission adventures. It does not work on the station or any non-awaymission zlevel.

 

 

[liran424]

 

What? Are we making it a thing? Could the spiders breath in space (they shouldn't)? Should I start a wiki page?

 

So many questions so little time...

 

EDIT: making the wiki page...

 

[SkyPing]

Looking forward to this man, can't wait.