I think I've read about someone who found a solution to this problem; it might have been for The Matrix Online. From what I remember, I think when someone used "slow motion", it only affected a local area around the player, and everything else ran on normal time. I think they might have also accelerated time afterwards in order to get the clocks back into sync (although I'm not sure about that; I'm can't remember whether that would have been important).

Personally, I don't think there would be any acceptable method of removing reaction bonuses from a human player who is sucked into slow motion, when that reaction bonus is only due to the fact that time has slowed down.

If I have real-human super reaction time compared to another player, I recieve much more of a penalty by the added time delays to my commands. And if another player has very slow real-human reaction time, the slow motion may give that player an actual bonus when he and his opponent are pulled into slow motion. IE, he performs better with your penalty.

edit: Oops. I guess you touched on that. Sorry for reading through too fast.

Also, I believe only physics were kept in check in Max Payne. I believe you could actually move slightly faster with his ability. But diving into the air would result in having to wait for gravity to push you down. I can't be positive, though. It's been a long time.

cap the turn speed of the enemy player so he cant aim as quickly.

F.E.A.R. has slomo in multiplayer. Basically, they had everyone go ito slomo, but gave the instigator boosted rate-of-fire and improved movement speed. I know it's not what your'e looking for, but it approximates the effect. Basically, you take the time dilation effect, and then you modify the common denominator until everyone is playing in "real-time" or greater, because you can't actually adjust the relative timestreams in which your players play.

Localizing it is okay, and I remember a counterstrike mod that did this, but it's far from ideal. You have to bend all your map design and gameplay pacing to accomodate the "time bubbles" and that's a bit of a hassle down the road, I'd guess.

Aiming speed caps are good, but all that really does is change your mouse sensitivity, and some players keep it slow anyway. No sense going into slomo if it'll just help that sniper plug you.

Enough pessimism. Here's my suggestion: Put everyone in slomo, but let the slomo player see bullet trails so he can dodge.

I know, it sounds crappy, but there's more to it. Here we go:

Normally, bullets are instant-impact, so there's no getting out of the way. That's still true in slomo; bullets hit right where they're aimed right when you pull the trigger, with two differences:

First difference: After a bullet is fired, a rippling "bullet trail" traces its trajectory, giving cool visuals and showing where they're coming from. Bullets hit at the moment they're fired, not when the bullet trail gets there.

Second difference: Bullets don't hit the slomo player, but bullet trails do. The actual instant-impact bullet that puts holes in scenery and players doesn't actually hit the slomo player. However, the bullet trail that follows in at a visible pace is like the bullet to him.

So, in slomo, non-slomo players can't see bullet trails and are hit instantly when they're in the path of a bullet, while the slomo player can see bullet trails and can avoid damage by avoiding the trails.

That way, you can put your crosshairs on the slomo guy and pull the trigger, but he'll "dodge" it, but if he sights you in and drops the hammer, you're immediately pegged.

Non-slomo guys get a little benefit from the slomo for aiming purposes, maybe, but they're also slower and easier to hit, so they derive no net profit or loss unless the slomo guy is in the room with them, in which case he's got the upper hand immediately.

Well if person a enter slomo person b should see person a moving at a faster rate, and person b's actions should be slowed down small bit, since you cant truely dilate person b playing in real time.

Also you could allow players to have various slomo speeds by using a speed modifier or some kind, such that players can improve their speeds over time.

Quote:Original post by Iron Chef Carnage
So, in slomo, non-slomo players can't see bullet trails and are hit instantly when they're in the path of a bullet, while the slomo player can see bullet trails and can avoid damage by avoiding the trails.

I know I'm just being a punk, but wouldn't this have some strange results? Such as players being shot behind the slomo character, then the slomo character being hit, afterwards, by the same bullet? IE, the same bullet that might not have hit the player in back since the slomo character's body slowed it down? The same would be true for scenery damage, bullet holes, and whatnot.

So you give everyone else lag? Too cruel.

Although, reading the rest of your post...

How about giving lag on everyone else's shots? Like my half-baked bullet trail idea, but backwards. Player A (the slomo guy) has normal gameplay, but it's slower, so he can aim more carefully, etc. Player B (his opponent)also has slowed gameplay, but when he pulls the trigger on his gun, there's a brief--maybe 1/4 second depending on balance and whatnot--delay.

During this delay, Player A can see a little red line or something from Player B's gun to player B's point of aim. This gives him a chance to anticipate the shot and not be there. Less zany than actually dodging bullets, and it solves that whole "misplaced shots" thing that Kest so punkily described.

It would amount to a premonition of the other guy's shot. Does that jive with your idea?