Flamethrower

[thothkins]

I was just reading about the psychological effect that the use of a flame thrower had on the folks at the wrong end of the nozzle.

Apparently, flamethrower users were rarely taken prisoner. They were just shot, due to the horrendous injuries & mental trauma they inflicted.

Would an additional morale effect be useful in the game when such weapons are used? This simulates the horror of seeing your colleagues die/ be injured in particularly gruesome ways?

today's post has been brought to you by the word Flammenwerferapparaten

[Commissar Pancakes]

For the aliens, right?

It'd be strange to see fellow Xenonauts cowering in fear as their buddy turns aliens to cooked beef.

Unless they get a morale boost from it...

[Betuor]

Possible spoiler. I consider it not to be since I've run into aliens using it in game, but it had no effect.

Well, I do know that the aliens have a plasma varient.

[thothkins]

Terror felt by the aliens was the idea there. But, since I go on about balance, there should be something that works for both sides. Perhaps the flammenwerfer is a small compensation for the terror of having your mind controlled by the aliens.

[Anon_Spartan]

I like it. Besides, the close range you would need for it already makes it a huge liability. That alone should balance making a few aliens crap their space panties.

[thothkins]

the range of the flamethrower in the game may be a little longer than close range, going by the templates shown in this thread.

But there was a thread about a perception of how useful the flamethrowers would be. You know, without actually seeing one in the game. So, I thought it worth mentioning as it came up.

[Commissar Pancakes]

Historically, wartime flamethrowers weren't the stereotypical "inyourfacecookingyourloins" weapons that games have made them out to be (by simply using a gas-fueled variant).

The liquid/jelly based types that were used could reach 40 meters/132ft (the US M-2 man-portable flammenwerfer).

[thothkins]

I read that some of the footage you see with flammerwerfers at closer range was to do with the health & safety of the actors/folks using them.

So, the actual range may not be what you see too often.

[Commissar Pancakes]

True, but I specifically targeted games, not live-action movies...

[Chollirem]

Ya give both sides flam throwers, its a tactical edge any army would use, unless they signed the Geneva convention or something like it...on that mark...any one see aliens at Geneva?

[thothkins]

Ya give both sides flam throwers, its a tactical edge any army would use, unless they signed the Geneva convention or something like it...on that mark...any one see aliens at Geneva?

That's the thing with Alien Infiltration. You're never sure whether they are there or not

darn shapeshifters with their cybenetically controlled ... actually, they wouldn't have to cybernetically control politicians. Not when corruption does just fine as it is.

[Chollirem]

hey Ill give you a chick with 3 breasts who sh!^s gold.... just do what I say ok?

[Tacobandit]

Flamethrowers would not be logical in this game (unless they were used to clear out buildings/structures, not individual aliens) unless A) They were housed inside a vehicle or B) Tethered to a fuel point. Because flamethrowers are basically single use (unless you haul a huge ass backpack) it would be dead weight after its use. Not to mention how dangerous it would be for that unit to get shot (fried rookie(s) anyone?) Although I could see it being used on a vehicle (much more fuel storage/harder to detonate).

A much more logical alternative would be incendiary grenades.

Actually, you know what would be cool? Mortars. Rain down smokes on your allies, or 60mm incendiaries/HE on aliens.

[thothkins]

It would depend on how long you were firing that would determine if it was single use. Yes, you would get a big backpack to use it.

No mortars or support weapons as per here

[Max_Caine]

If people looked at the graphic of the then proposed flamethrower, you can see the design is for a clipped canister rather than a backpack and having looked subsequently on the assets folder, I can confirm the canister is the ammo. Furthermore the game assets say that this is not a one-shot weapon, so it's a purely fictional flamethrower that doesn't have strong ties to Real Life. There was quite an interesting and intriguing design for the flamethrower - it would have been possible to "bounce" flames off walls, but Chris has said that the animator who animated the other flames and explosions has stopped freelancing, and no animator, no flamethrower.

[thothkins]

there's a "we'll see what happens." in there, so there's still hope. Hey backpack/cannister. I'm just glad I didn't try and specify the number of shots it would get

[Tacobandit]

If people looked at the graphic of the then proposed flamethrower, you can see the design is for a clipped canister rather than a backpack and having looked subsequently on the assets folder, I can confirm the canister is the ammo. Furthermore the game assets say that this is not a one-shot weapon, so it's a purely fictional flamethrower that doesn't have strong ties to Real Life. There was quite an interesting and intriguing design for the flamethrower - it would have been possible to "bounce" flames off walls, but Chris has said that the animator who animated the other flames and explosions has stopped freelancing, and no animator, no flamethrower.

But that thing's not realistic.

[Max_Caine]

Neither is a plasma gun, or a laser powered by alien space crystals, but what the hey!

[Tacobandit]

Neither is a plasma gun, or a laser powered by alien space crystals, but what the hey!

So all this new fangled technology is A-OK, but holding two guns is way too far out.

[Chollirem]

Well honestly no army has a person using 2 weapons at once, even pistols

that and you would have to make a new sprite sheet for it...and like apoc give both weps a -50 to aim or somthing

as for flame throwers and canisters, the army looked at that, but the cost over ruled the safty factor...and then yes, they put it in tanks until flame throwers became outlawed weapons in war

buuuuuut

when your facing genocide...cost isn't a issue...and aliens aren't human...didn't even show up at Geneva (that we know of)

sooo

(sung to the tune of the Christmas song AKA chestnuts roasting)

Chestnuts roasting on a burning corps

and aliens screaming fills your ear

Xenonauts singing, as the aliens burn

All dressed in tin foil cloths

[Jean-Luc]

Really hope the flemmenwerfers make it in, fingers crossed.

[Tacobandit]

Well honestly no army has a person using 2 weapons at once, even pistols

that and you would have to make a new sprite sheet for it...and like apoc give both weps a -50 to aim or somthing

as for flame throwers and canisters, the army looked at that, but the cost over ruled the safty factor...and then yes, they put it in tanks until flame throwers became outlawed weapons in war

buuuuuut

when your facing genocide...cost isn't a issue...and aliens aren't human...didn't even show up at Geneva (that we know of)

sooo

(sung to the tune of the Christmas song AKA chestnuts roasting)

Chestnuts roasting on a burning corps

and aliens screaming fills your ear

Xenonauts singing, as the aliens burn

All dressed in tin foil cloths

You could just show the active weapon like they did in X-COM. And it would be easier to carry those huge items that you can't all fit in your backpack.

[Gauddlike]

In that case the second hand would just be an extension of the backpack space.

Like having a quick slot to swap weapons in Diablo or Torchlight.

If you are carrying so much gear with you that you need to carry a weapon in each hand you should probably just make a decision on which you want to take with you and give the other to a different soldier.

Reminds me of this (from 0:30)

[Tacobandit]

In that case the second hand would just be an extension of the backpack space.

Like having a quick slot to swap weapons in Diablo or Torchlight.

If you are carrying so much gear with you that you need to carry a weapon in each hand you should probably just make a decision on which you want to take with you and give the other to a different soldier.

Reminds me of this (from 0:30)

The other thing I was going to mention (and I believe I brought this up with ammo, but forgot about items) was that are weapons/gear going to be able to be thrown? If they aren't, oh well. But if they are, what if you need to throw a medikit to an ally, or maybe chunk a pack of C4? You'd have to drop your weapon and pull it out of your inventory.

[Gauddlike]

I would hope it would use the same system as grenades do if it was implemented.

Right click the grenade button, select item, click for destination.

It might not work though, grenades are a weapon that explodes on impact so the button works as a fire mechanism, not a throw command (deja vu, think I might have posted this somewhere previously).

Unrelated thought but there might not be any reason the pistol can't be added to the grenade hotkey...

That would make things easier if you are carrying a heavy weapon and need to get a quick pistol shot into someone.

Bears thinking about.

Drifting well away from the flamethrower topic though.

Might be best to continue this in a thread of it's own or the inventory space thread.