novous - Developer Application (Coder)

[novous]

Developer Application

Byond ID?

novous

Age?

32

Gender?

Male

How would you define yourself? (Coder, Mapper, Spriter):

Coder

If Coder, what languages?

C, C++, C#, D, BYOND, Lua, JS, SQL, more

Any previous experience developing with SS13?

I've tested my own code modifications before, including a hardsuit that is faster than normal speed but requires a battery to function. So it requires people to periodically return to engineering, removing the "all hardsuits magically disappear" problem from SS13, and giving another reason for engineers to keep the station powered (to keep their suits running). Tried giving it to TG station but they weren't interested--fair enough.

Proof of any previous or current work:

well, there's my job, writing C# for a living.


I've been a professional software (non-gaming) developer for years, and hobbyist game developer for 12+ years.

I've worked on my own attempt at SS13 BYOND replacement. But health problems have prevented me from working full time anymore.

Modifying an open source game's code for larger resolution:

https://i.imgur.com/RTQctpJ.png

Also for the fun of it, Boxstation recreated in Half-Life 2 engine:

https://i.imgur.com/NQVuivL.png
https://i.imgur.com/0k4TioM.png

LONG time ago before space engineers, I was working on "minecraft in space"

https://i.imgur.com/SmhHeQv.jpg

working on a ray caster engine:

https://i.imgur.com/KVudkQj.png
https://i.imgur.com/a1lLMlp.png

working on a 2-D version of KSP

https://i.imgur.com/lvydQgR.png

working on fluid simulation for a SS13 game:

https://i.imgur.com/e8Q4rt9.png

a project that converts graphics to ASCII:

https://i.imgur.com/FpYc4vF.png

I wrote a tesselation shader for Dolphin project that adds curved polygons into crude graphics to smooth them over on graphics cards with extra shaders lying around:

https://i.imgur.com/F6k4Lc6.png

Working on fire spreading on my SS13 clone codebase (forever ago). Supported multiple, rotating "maps".

https://i.imgur.com/LAoUSPH.png

How well do you know Git?

just fine.

Your primary job is server development, not policing the server. You may be given Moderator-level of access but you should *not* be invoking any administrative actions unless there are no moderators or Admins online. Do you understand?

Yes

Anything else you'd like to add?

I'm not looking for some kind of high-stakes, full-time "I make the decisions" kind of thing. Just, hey, I know how to code and I'd like to contribute back. I like solving problems, and I really enjoy CM-13. I've got health problems, so sometimes it takes me awhile to reply.

If that sounds useful to you, I'd love to give it a shot.

Also, as far as admin/mod access, I've never been known to abuse that kind of stuff. I'm just in it for everyone to have a good time.

Thanks,
--Chris

[Ranged66]

Hey there,

This is a rather promising app, and the team is watching with great interest. A meeting will most likely be held next saturday in which yours will be discussed along with the others, so until then here's a few extra questions.


Why do you want to code for CM? What are your motivations behind this app?

Do you have any issues with the current game balance that you want to see changed?

Do you prefer working on backend code, or writing new features for players to toy with?

Have you ever used a different BYOND account/ckey to join CM? Have you ever been banned from the server, forum or discord for any infractions?

Do you have any neat ideas you really want to implement if you were to be accepted? It's fine if you prefer to keep this a secret from public

[awan]

Hey,

Just a notice.
If you reply before this saturday we can discuss your app during the meeting.

[novous]

OOOF. It didn't show any forum / e-mail notification. I just got ping'd on Discord.

---------------

- Why do you want to code for CM? What are your motivations behind this app?

I've always wanted to contribute to an active open-source project. I play a ton of space station 13 and never tried CM till a month ago. I was blown away. I would often remark "one of the worst parts of SS13 is the combat [omg I can click on you while you shuffle around], so the idea of CM13, a SS13-mod that focuses on combat would probably be a terrible idea." But then I tried it and I was so blown away.

It's not "aliens + ss13" at all. I mean, the influence is there, surely. But the game mechanics work together so beautifully. The game mechanics have almost nothing to do with the source material. The different castes of xenos. The grouping of marines. The large command structure of people working together and yet somehow, it all works.

When you play humans, xenos are terrifying. Yet when you play xeno, the humans are terrifying and you only ambush from safety. It's amazing to me that you can have two sides seeing completely different perspectives, both afraid of each other. Most games with "aliens"/"mutants" it's very "one-side is the bullet-sponge badasses". Being a solo marine is genuinely terrifying in the dark. Being a solo alien is worrisome about being ambushed / pinned / having no escape.

I'd like to contribute this project somehow. I'd like to see if I could help push it further.

- Do you have any issues with the current game balance that you want to see changed?

I feel like the armor-piercing / high-velocity ammo, flaming, fletchette ammo types... they're not quite balanced. It might be a case of "less is more". I guess at this point AP is just "rarer, more expensive, more damage ammo" because I've never heard someone say "Oh, we're fighting X, we should equip non-AP ammo". You just kind of use whatever is in your gun and hope you planned accordingly. I don't have a strong clear-cut case for this yet, as it's a game mechanic that touches almost everything.

Incinerary bullets against xenos feels way too overpowered. A single shot sets you alight and you are DEAD within ten seconds unless you run as fast as possible, encounter no one else, and scramble to hit the RESIST button on the verbs tab. Correct me if I'm wrong, but resist should be a button on the GUI for xenos when on fire. I would prefer a focus on improving / incentivizing flame throwers [however that is] so we have much more temporary, stationary fire. Like in Diablo 1 when you go crazy with Fire Wall spells. Horizontal and vertical flame nades (say 6x1 tiles) would be an interesting concept (and you can alt-click to change their rotation) as an area-of-denial that reduces xeno melee classes effectiveness while they wait while allowing creation of precision perpendicular walls away from the thrower. That is, instead of a flame guy having to walk outside a wall, and shoot along it, he could be behind it and toss a clear flame wall. [limited by his # of nades of course]

LADDERS. Ladders on Ice Planet (unless it's been updated recently) have been the reason for 4+ hour statements because both sides can easily fortify their side and make it almost impossible to push. Marines can kind of push with grenades, but xenos (IIRC) have nothing to break out unless they risk their queen with a screech.

All these things are plenty debatable. It's just quirks I've noticed. I'm sure I could come up with more [and probably forgot plenty] if I play another round and think about it.

- Do you prefer working on backend code, or writing new features for players to toy with?

I like new features, I've always been a person focused on "what if" scenarios of new ideas. But I'm not opposed to hunting down bugs.

- Have you ever used a different BYOND account/ckey to join CM? Have you ever been banned from the server, forum or discord for any infractions?

Nope. I have a VPN I toggle when I'm doing... VPN stuff... that I've logged into CM with. So I have two common IP's. But only one account. Also my wife has an account (which would come from the same IP) but I haven't been able to get her into CM-13 yet. We used to play together on Yog all the time.

I have not been banned. I did get one strong warning on Discord because I didn't realize the channel I was in and posted an off-topic link.

- Do you have any neat ideas you really want to implement if you were to be accepted? It's fine if you prefer to keep this a secret from public

THE PUBLIC MUST NEVER KNOW.

- [that flame idea above]

- I think the APC / humvee idea is really interesting. (I wonder if there's a way to encourage vehicles, without making them too powerful and desirable, but also make it so different vehicles / mods chosen will encourage different xeno strategies in dealing with them, providing more unique experiences. ala remember the time the jeep went class X, and the xenos countered by their own Y into the line of fire like some crazy russians?)

- Personally, I've been thinking about a new xeno class to fill out the Lurker side of the tech tree. I haven't fleshed it all out yet but I've been thinking about it. An T2 or T3 ambush class where it's influenced by those underwater fish with the fake lightbulb.

e.g. Outlander (film) - 2008
e846bbfdb6012fe3cdc08a760c8d5595[1].jpg

outlander_beast_by_mangrasshopper-d2rd4y5.jpg

You stay hidden and drop a nearby trap (your tongue) that takes the form of either a dead marine that you've seen, or maybe an item... something as bait. And then when they get near, the trap triggers, they get knocked over [possibly restrained] and you gobble them up and drop them into the xeno nest. It would be a very "don't be a solo idiot" ambush type caste. It would be naturally restrained because you can't carry more than one person so you have to keep finding new spots to ambush. Maybe you can balance it so it's even scarier and worse, like a spider xeno, where it grabs people, and very quickly (but not instantly) webs people, and then drags away the web'd people. (Or it just shoots 3 webs in an arc instead of trapping. Lots of room for tweaking here.) But the idea is, it's VERY much a non-lethal/reduced-lethal xeno but it's specialty is, it's a support ambush class, because it's supporting the growth of the hive above raw damage.

- Perhaps as a teamwork method, it can "web" people very quickly if they've already been downed--best achieved after other classes like crusher and rav blast through a group. Then you web, grab, and scoot away.

- Also, spider legs on a xeno would be terrifying.

- [Alternatively: This might work as a STRONG mutation of the Lurker class. AS the lurker I'm told is more about 'bleeding' the enemy than killing them to overwhelm their medics. This is like a less lethal or non-lethal version of that. And this class could still kill, but it's more ADAPTED to less-lethal situations. A queen investing in this is investing in her brood long-term but risking her short-term direct forces.]

- I kinda like the idea of a fake grenade (e.g. training grenades + the normal red indicator) that scare xenos into pulling back (assuming it's a real nade) and you can run in and grab your fallen as some may fall for the ruse. I don't see that as breaking RP because that would be a useful tool against any enemy that is aware of grenades (and marines are RP expected normal troops). The game mechanic benefit would be, one more thing for xenos to train themselves for visually, it would give marines a limited CHANCE [e.g. make the nades one use short-range flashbangs] to use a "nade" to move xenos away yet still recover the bodies without exploding the bodies too. Marines would still get taken as usual, but the thought that a nade might be fake might be just enough time for a xeno to delay too long to get away on a real nade. So it makes a new grenade class, and fairly enhances the effectiveness of the existing grenades.

But that's just me. I like wild ideas (that are still RP acceptable), and specializations. In games, I love playing a specialization wherein I'm weaker in many areas, but STRONG in one specific area, and it takes skill to maximize the chances you're in situations where you're able to exploit those advantages and minimize your weak points. The most obvious is say, a sniper shooting at long range but weak at short range. But say, the Lurker class you want to maximize the time you have around solo or two-man groups and punish them for, but if you get seen you gotta GTFO because you're fairly weak.

[Lumdor]

You have some interesting ideas for the game. Really like that new caste you�re thinking about, it�s pretty much a better burrower. The fake grenade idea is also interesting and would take some teamwork too use properly.

[awan]

Hey Novous,

We would like you to fill in our coder test.
Check your forum inbox.

[novous]

Hey guys, I'm going to withdraw my developer application for now. My health problems have been too much right now, I basically disappeared from the world this last week.

If things improve, I would like to re-apply. But as they are, it wouldn't be the best for either party, as I can't stand being unreliable. (ala "Did you get X changed?" and I can't do anything to my health randomly gives me a good day.)

I appreciate you giving me the time, and I wish you the best of luck in your project.

[Jerkface00]

Application withdrawn; thread closed.