We already know there are going to be prefabs/models (there are currently around 40 in the NS2TR) in NS2. I was just wondering what prefabs/models people what to see in NS2?

My list is:

Obvious things like, Hive, Resource Nodes etc.
Basic things like pipes and creates, lights, breakable creates.
Exploding barrels (cause they are good in any game )
Some cool doors.
A few landing craft to explain how the marines got there: one like the one in Aliens, and some others.
A drop pod/escape pod, one like the Warhammer 40,000 ones.
Walkways (cause I love um ) Like the bridges you get in HL2.
Some cool energy cores or generator models.

I was also wondering, because the guys at UW have bought the rights from Valve, does that mean we can use textures and models from HL2 and Ep1? That is if the sizes aren’t too far off.

Let’s hear those ideas!

Simply put, if a prefab is what I think it is, I want mudane items, especially ones that break.

Cups
Chairs/Benchs
Desks/Tables
Beds
Couchs

Anything else that, well, no matter how far into the future, people even in space are going to do. Eat, sleep, rest, socialize, and so on.

Personally, most maps we play on in NS1 only feel vaguely human, I want to see humanity in NS2 ... so as the Kharaa I can tear it to shreds or as a Marine have fun with it building an impromtu barricade - that with any luck will get destroyed by an Onos charging.



If there is anything else "basic" to the human existence, please bring it up, I wouldn't want anything to take away from that feel.

Of course, if HL2 stuff is allowed, then there is alot of it already taken care of, right?

If there were 0 crates, that would be great. Not just great, but ######ING GREAT! [pardon my language]

Wish List 2008:

Textures [some of which i would think would be already included in SDK (using and utilizing CS/DoD textures)]:
Ceiling tiles, ceiling lights, ceiling beams, ceiling glass, lava/molten ore, grass, sand/soil variations, smooth floor textures, grate floor textures, bumpy floor textures, broken-up floor textures (like if concrete bits and sand/soil were mixed), different types of smooth metal textures (iron, steel, aluminum, copper, and various colors of probably the same texture which may just be simply created by changing it's hue maybe? Dunno??), oil, medical/hospital textures, 3d steam textures??, different types of rock textures, computer panel textures, water textures (maybe they are included in the basic texture set?), door textures, throbbing energy?? textures, a futuristic landing pad texture, and one solar panel texture. .

Models:
Girney, a shoot/funnel, different sizes/shapes of container tanks (cylindrical thingy's to hold gas, oil, liquid, whatever), one of those little red lights on ze ceiling that you see going round and round in space installations that mean 'danger, danger'..., maybe 2-3 railings?, and a few ships maybe........eh.

CanadianWolverine: Eat; some kind of food dispenser/vending machine (like HL2, Star Trek, Tokyo... was gonna put a nice little link in here to show what I mean about Tokyo, but the link button isn’t working. So you’ll just have to do with the silly fact about Tokyo apparently having a vending machine on every (other) corner), things to make a kitchen...? Sink, knives, forks, spoons, plates and bowels... Would they still have kitchens or just a machine?

MasterPTG: Destructible container tanks?

corpsman: Why no crates? What about cargo?

Seriously. If there were no crates or barrels or sewer textures I'd be ecstatic. I think I've crawled through enough sewers in games to be a certified plumber.

Without sewers, where would Mario be?

In a van, down by the river.

Ooo, I like that. What kind of food dispenser would a world with access to nanites be like? I think System Shock 2 had a good dispenser, especially since it could even be hacked to give you ammo! Imagine if the Commander was like "Head for the nearest VM guys! I'm going to reprogram its nanites to hand out some goodies!"



I think the future would have anything that a cave man would have, only it would be built by the nanites the TSA use. Hmm, I think the very least would be a bowl, spoon, chop sticks, and a cup. That would pretty much take care of getting the food from the dispenser into your mouth, right? Next, you would want to get comfortable while you eat, so I am thinking chairs, benches, tables, and couches.

Destructible container tanks? I sure hope they would have liquid in them that would come pouring out in a flood.

Would crates be okay as long as they didn't look like the were made of wood? Or if they had round corners and digital lock mechanism on them, built to look like it is meant to withstand the rigors of space and protect its cargo?

You're my new favourite poster.


Personally I want to see room detail models of medium size. Examples would be nicely detailed escape pod hatches that are closed; plunk a few of them against a wall with even spacing, and you have the basis for a fantastic Escape Pods room. Chairs, some consoles, random higher-def things that can stick out of walls, all those kinds of things. We need a lot of them, too. I'm learning to model right now, so hopefully i'll be able to contribute.

Crates would be fine if they were not used in every single room on every single map. Maybe one map had many [cargo], and of course one or here in storage type rooms on other maps, but as far as a placeholder for people to take cover behind, crates are out! I don't want to see anymore. Even the latest games like Crysis have crates! When will crates go away?

Ahh, I get where you are coming from now. I agree, I don't want to play "Endless Storage Warehouse" anymore. Is it just me or does it seem like the populace of NS1 were super lazy at times, just stacking boxes where ever the hell they felt like? ######s probably got ticketed by the officers for blocking hallways in the case of a fire or other emergency ... which just happens to come along in the form of the Kharaa. Didn't anyone teach them to have a tidy space ship?

Hehe, just our luck, they probably got jumped by a skulk as they were taking the box to where it should be.

I don't remember there being THAT many misplaced crates in ns1. only in cargo holds of docking bays, where you'd naturally see crates.

I for one LOVE crates But yes, many games over use them, like Counter-Strike ! Play CS_Office and look at all the conveniently placed crates that allow you to climb up to all the windows, no wonder they got taken over by frikkin terrorists with such easy access !

oh yeah, suggestions for models...

crates
bars, like jail bars, that can be used for fences, doors made of bars, lots of cool doors

lights, but the ones in the current NS2TRA are really big, can't you give us some smaller ones, maybe just a fluorescent tube bulb so we can place those wherever we like.

computers, like solid computers, not just screens.
computer terminals
hanging cables and junk.
loads of stuff that can just be shot around and generally make a mess. stuff you might find in a futuristic mess hall. all the stuff that's on the dinner table when that alien bursts through that John Hurt's chest in Alien
chairs would be cool

Got any more?

A projector or large hologram unit that displays like a fake plan of attack that aliens and humans can blow up.

Fans!!!! Large and small fans that you can shoot and the blades break and stop spinning.

** Just a note, one concern with moving to source and all the dynamic objects being blown up and moved around, the floor can be very crowded. With large moving animals like the Onos I really don't want it to end up, "Lets mess the floor up so the Onos has trouble walking around". Even if you made objects break the Onos walked on the delay of its ability to move around hurts a lot. Perhaps the shockwave attack forward could help break and clear his path?

I'll throw one in here which hasn't been posted yet I see. Oh, ya might want to take cover!

*hurls a few big meteorites and asteroids into the thread*

y'know for exterior views into space and onto the ships external hull.


And of course leftover stuff and equipment, from the crew who escaped/got overrun like

I'm working on props for the 2TR, and this thread has given me an idea. I have a task for you guys. I'm going to open a brainstorming session in this thread for a specific group of props (for example, office equipment) when I start working on them. All you have to do is give me your ideas, and I'll try my hardest to include the best of them. I'll leave this thread pinned so it keeps going up until the 2TR release (if this idea works).

Right now I'm starting work on a group of props that will litter the floors of the NS2 universe. This doesn't specifically mean it's going to be trash - just any object that is likely to litter the floor. What ideas do you have? If they have space for text or images (such as a book cover, piece of paper, candy bar wrapper, etc.) try and think of something humorous to include in that space.

So... Let's hear those ideas!

- A flat panel LCD book, like a touch screen. Futuristic Basic Book, basicly.

- Single pieces of paper, with the Top Secret stamp on it and a TSA logo.

- A poster of a beautiful lady or guy, Pin Up Art.

- A drink cup, sippy cup, or can, something that could conceivably be easy to drink in low or zero gravity.

- A bed sheet or blanket, pillow too. Something that fell there when you get out of bed quickly.

- A sock? Or other discarded clothes, something a messy crew man or woman might leave on the floor.

- A toy, like a GI Joe or a Doll, that a little kid left behind. They are the biggest leavers of stuff on the floor that I can think of.

- Slippers, Shoes, or boots, those are fairly common floor items, right?

Good start, those are great ideas!

Remember, you can be very specific if you want. If I were to create the touch screen prop, what would you have on the screen?

Nice idea, my suggestions from props_statics:

- A Power Loader as seen in "Aliens"
- A futuristic Forklift.
- Boxes, small containers ( metal and plastic, no wood!!! )
- Industrial electric vehicle for personnel, similar as used in aircraft carriers.

and a Dropship, anyway Ill will try make one myself.

- Backpack or Briefcase that might have been dropped when fleeing from the Kharaa

- Flashlight

- A left behind Toolbox and some separate tools, like a Wrench, Screwdriver, Pliers, etc.


As for candy bar wrappers, they could say "Skulk Bites"

-edit-
Maybe someone knocked over a box of breakfast serial in the dining facility, which would ofcourse be named "Gorge-O's".

-Pens

-Detached rifle scope or barrel

-Shoes, blankets, quilts (especially one w/ a speared onos image(we're talking about a HFS [huge #$%#'ing spear shot out of mega-gun LOL] plz), pants, shirts, a cowboy hat (bigger the better), cowboy boots w/ big shiny spurs, combs, etc

-a portable reticle identifier,

-clear plastic refillable water packet (to stuff in any standard pocket!)(water pwnz),

-someone said 'basic book'--I say a 'depowered basic book'(ie, black screen w/ a little red light somewhere on the side showing the batteries have run out), etc...lol

-sketch book (turned open) w/ something cool sketched the page showing (and if the peep manages to flip it over, there's another image on the back woohoo!)--preferably something amateurish yet stylish and original (I'm you've got lots of that stuff J...just choose one to sacrifice for the team//publicize it LOL)

-Babe Ruth replica signed baseball

-a US flag

-a few US coins

-a hookah pipe please

-maybe a few trophies or ribbons

-model pirate ship ARRRR (lol...that'd be pain in the butt, unless it was kinda simple :x, but ANY pirate ship > no pirate ship [I'm talking about ship meaning..cannons..17th century, etc])

-chess board

-a cool looking food gelatin mold please

-game pieces from: chess, checkers, connect four, backgammon, sorry, monopoly (car token ftw LOL...or battleship or shoe or cannon or top hat or whatever), etc

-a uber Conan the Barbarian Sword!!!!!

-a Star Wars Light Saber

-Digital Plushies!!!!!!!!: Gorge, Fade, Onos, marine, Obs, Skulk, Hive, and....finally...Grrr from Invader Zim please.

I could go on...but....seriously...

The blank screen and indication of battery dead is ok, but I was kind of thinking it could be whatever two pages of whatever kind of book you want to show the people just dropped when the crap hit the fan. That could be a Natural Selection Comic Book or Porno or Moby ###### and so on and so forth.



A Canadian Flag

if its added, make it flammable.

i'm not anti-american, its just that i dont think any object should be added that specifically draws reference to any nation, political party, race, or religious belief. you'll only be opening a can of worms, and smart-$#%es like my self will defile them at any opportunity. i'm as patriotic and proud of my country and heritage as the next guy, but if i saw an australian flag in an NS map, i'd be wishing there was some way i could digitally urinate on it - IT JUST DOESNT BELONG THERE.

cmon, the game is set waaaay in the future, the US of A would have fallen much like rome a long time ago. if you want to add new futuristic flags (TSA etc), or new made up religions (getting a mental image of a budha-like golden gorge statue), then go for it. even the idea of a base ball is a bit silly, surely there'd be an evolved version of the game that the marines would be playing.

Ya, i agree, except for the baseball and stuff. Baseballs will still be around, and surely there'd be more than a few up in space . Especially when they can be so easily thrown in 0G.

I would leave anything that represented current nations out of the game.

My few additions:

- A painting, which fell off the wall.
* Could contain anything really, an earthly or off-world landscape; a nebula; a portrait of a fine looking woman, etc.
- Photo frames
* Can be either digital or just glass, pictures of family, mother, father, children, partners, perhaps even pets.
- TSA Standard equipment
* Helmets, suits, boots, perhaps even weapons. These can ofcourse be broken or intact, or covered in infestation goo.
- Wires
* Even in the future, many things will require wires; which are prone to falling on the ground. Many variations possible.

I wouldn't include too many items that fit well in this age; like cowboy clothes or baseball gear. That would certainly obliterate my Sci-fi feeling inside the game. Actually, I would even really hate it if there was too much of that. If anything, think of sci-fi counterparts of existing sports, that would be ok. Sports won't be a thing of the past, ever.

I agree with the "Don't include too many contemporary items", but I disagree w/ anyone that pushed it so far as the "don't put in any 'contemporary' items" logic. People in the future will still have artifacts and items from the past, just as they have them today. Except in the far past, many of the items decayed with age. A lot contemporary items now are made from plastics that don’t deteriorate. Think 'Star Trek' w/ Shatner having different memorabilia from different eras of human history, except for a much more subdued, common approach.

I don't think having priceless artifacts is logical, but sheesh, a baseball or football or a cowboy hat or cultural contemporary/historical hat is bad? Ridiculous if you think about it.

Sure societies change, but I don't think entire sports (or fashion trends, b/c they often rotate and come back :x) will disappear. Maybe become less popular, but not disappear (especially in a futuristic digital age which records everything w/ billions of people and millions of different cliques). Especially in space, which is lonely, boring, stark and bare. People would need forms of entertainment, and surely they'd have some random game balls of some sort and perhaps some video games, movies, and stuff like that. They don't have places to go or explore. They only have things to do and manipulate. When so much of the world would be confined to digital 1's and 0's, I think it'd be comforting to know that you can always throw a baseball or football around w/ a friend on the ship or station.

Trying to 'make-up' futuristic sports is difficult at best. I don't see too many new sports being created that could be confined to a space vessel except maybe rollerblades or skateboarding. I don't think that the devs should try to make to make up fictional sports memorabilia . And I certainly don't think map makers are going to be so naive as to include entire rooms filled w/ baseballs or cowboy hat racks :x. .

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

On a separate topic, I don't think that having a lot of things cluttering the floors is good at all. I'd hope that these future props (if made and implemented/included) would be stuck down (ie, perma-glued/not dynamically moving) onto the counters or floors or random shelves or out of sight through protective glass or whatever. (Having things perma-stuck onto the ground > things rolling all over) in terms of gameplay. Shooting items across the alleys in CS:S got boring really fast...

I think it would be better to focus on more items that would be more universally useful to map makers (and more likely to be encountered in the environments) than some vanity items like mementos from the past. Any vanity items can be up to the individual map authors to come up with.

Always thought it was a great idea to have commercials looping on video screns somewhere in the game. Just like a couple movies I can think of, it adds to the sense of an actual place. A monitor could have scratchy sound, but every 2 minutes a video would play that was a commercial to join the "Marine Elite Fighting 17th" or something. Could just show old concept work off, like diagrams of aliens and robotic enemies, then maybe a soldier being rewarded, or showing them all run down a ramp attacknig an alien with shotguns, whatever.

The only other thing which always made me feel like I was always in the same space station, despite the map having a different name was the fact that the props were not map specific. I could see the same monitors used throughout, or the same crate textures or something, but I would think that a minig facility would have pin up posters of hot babes, while a science station would have magazines called "Robo-chix" or something. A medical facility cuold have MD journals laying around, along with toys in the doctors office, like those found on Thinkgeek.com

Basically, I think the props should fit the map. So my question is, what maps are being made so we can give you better feedback? If there is a medical facility I can provide an endledd number of ideas, since I am in real life a Corpsman-

QFT

The focus right now should be more of TSA/futuristic items. Most maps will probably have small living areas compared to the rest of it. Some may not have any at all. Not every NS map is a huge city where people used to live. I.E. it only takes maybe 20 people to run a spaceship as large as ns_bast or ns_nancy, not hundreds. They also dont live in luxury...not much of a need for personal items/food/memorabilia.

I think it would be better to focus on themes, and the kind of things you would find in those themes.

For example, a Sewer theme, and the items you would find in a sewer such as, tools, misc junk/garbage

Computer/Office theme: Chairs, Computers/screens, futuristic keyboards/inputs, papers/schematics

Rec Rooms/Mess Halls Theme: Clothing, basketball or a football, chess boards ( Holo graphic Chess board? ), Cups.

Pinata please. I can just see one as an easter egg in every map. .

Maybe training program for marines (NS1). (if it is on a TSA base)
Alien description. (if it is in a lab, or on a TSA base)
Security cam live image from some corridors.
Sytem diagnostics.
TSA OS desktop. (if it is on a TSA base)
blood
"not connected"
game statistics
story of ns
etc..

GREAT point. So it's not like DOOM 3 where every room had 50 of these and those. Maybe a few offices in the med faciclity with touchpad PDA type displays with blinking neon screens that say "incoming email", and a few xray boards with human xrays on them. [is a morgue room with bodybags too much for this game?] Bottles and glass vials with medicinal labels on them, desks with pills and boxes of nanite-bandaids. Medical credentials on the walls, along with posters for stuff like cancerfighting nanites and bone healing nanites [like the posters we have to plaster our walls with in the hospital].

A mining facility would have pinup posters of hot alien babes, and marine energy nano-fizz cans everywhere. [Maybe tobacco and alcohol isn't a good idea since it will change the rating??]. Tools and energy wires/parts everywhere. Also, what is a mining facitily without an entertainment area? [I can think of only 2 things a miner might want though, hehe, booze and women!]

A science facility where they study aliens would have coffee pots, science magazines and journals, also maybe small desktop sized alien bone structure models. Like the cool dinosaur bone models! Skulk teeth being analized by a small machine, syringes with glowing stuff in it next to a busted cat sized pet cage that maybe held a tiny alien. Oh yeah, and lasers. Gotta have lasers man! heh

We do have themed sets, the litter is a part of the "misc" set, so it should consist of objects that would be scattered almost any place. Like a crumpled up piece of paper, the suggested LCD/PDA device, boxes, etc.

Having said that, there are other ideas here that I would still like to include (in another prop set). For example, if I were to make a set for a living area of some kind, I would include suggestions like the baseball bat, baseball, chess board, etc.

Hi J , I work in the transport industry and have a few ideas for your storage areas ,
A) how about a 2m wide 360deg slippery dip for crates and as an alternate , one way acess to a level/ floor
( I used to use these at TNT for boxes when loading the local and interstate trucks.) that runs you at a fast speed onto either a 1-2m high conveyor or set off rollers running along a wall to a loading bay area. have a few crates follow thru occasionally to stop any belt campers.
B)how about a raw mateerials cargo hold with a nemag grab(http://www.nemag.com/EN/product1.htm?main=2&subm=1#) that you as a marine could swing around and munch on an onos . In their current form they move at high speed and weigh between 16-30 tons without the 40ton of cargo inside they would look impressive dropping from the roof onto an attacking alien and squishing it like a garlic press.

It's been said already but I'm all for pictures of people, families, some newspapers, etc.

Oh and some pictures of the dev team scattered around the map would be great too

yeah i was going to point them to the blog that stats about perticular tile like sets, so how mnay bits and peices does this alpha like chunk of the tech realse have 25 props and 50 textures wasnt it?

For living areas:

Games: Holographic games [wouldn't that be easy enough to do by assigning "cloaking" to objects on the board?] These wouldn't work of course, and maybe they could sorta flicker a tiny bit. I say holographic vanilla chess, battle chess [marines vs. aliens?], laptops with looping game videos like "Skulk Attack 6". TSA Marine action figures on a desk would be RAD, just size a guy down to 1/25th the size and line them up on a shelfs, or on a desk. Magazines like "H.M.G.", or "ONOSpro."

Food: Lerky Jerky. Gorge Gummies [man I like these first two alot, I'm gonna make some textures tommorow!]. Fade Fizz, energy drink ["Are you draggin ass? Wish you could move like a fade at work? Then how bout some Fade Fizz!]. Cut up alien body parts [kinda like sushi]. Big stuffed "turkey like" gorge no a table with an apple in it's mouth [now I'm just being mean, I know].

Decorations: Fish tanks/bowls. Small cages with alien pets inside, maybe some of them would appear like the skulks got to em [bloody destroyed cages]. Virtual pets, just like holographic games, could have small holographic pets on a desk, or in a tank. A monitor with fake fish on them. Pictures of families and friends. Would mirrors be a good idea? Plants, cool tropical glowing kind, and maybe a couple mean looking ones with teeth.

Your point is exact and I could not agree more. No propaganda please.

They COULD still have flags, but instead of using an already existing one, make it something that would fit for that particular map. For a mining map use a Association of Galactic Miners flag [A.G.M.]. Or for another map give it a fitting flag that would actually be present on the outside of the building, or something like that. A map of an abandoned terraformers facility could have a flag on the outside, above the entrance door that said "Terraformers 5"....

Idea for a capture the flag kinda map :
How about each team has a "heavy" remote controll to open their own area to space as they are both in a massive cargo area( similar to one of the maps now where you break the crates to get to fixed controlls) .The remote could only be lifted by a heavy or onos and could not be teleported thru a phase gate and would only work when plugged in at opposing teams console with both controllers in the same place. This could be a safety feature that was designed by the cargo transport ships builders as a failsafe even if they did not expect aliens and marines to be in the hold.
Insted of just sucking out into space the personell as it does currently , everything would be pulled into space from the hive /CCdown to any nodes / res towers into the void, say over a black hole or a dwarf star.

This is a thread for brainstorming prop ideas, not gameplay modes... keep it on topic please.

even a bunch of quick-and-gritty bundles of pipes/equipment would be really useful. The kind of models that could be put behind walls or under the floors, semi-covered by grates and whatnot. We need a lot of ambient props, and some such as these would not even require a hitbox.

Other small detail props could be things like:
-details for under catwalks. If a mapper places a one-brush catwalk with a few cables holding it up, it looks like crap. But if every 10 feet or so theres a small detailed prop on the side that is attached underneath (which could maybe be what attaches the cables), it would make it look far better. Do you understand what i mean or do i have to do something quick in photoshop?
-props like the HL2 Combine Door locks; these were much more extravagant and stood out, but perhaps a locked and unlocked door prop could be used. Example: all the locked doors that are just for show (which good maps are supposed to have to make it feel more realistic) could have a visible lock down over the door (attached to the wall beside it), maybe even with a red light on it. Then the unlocked prop would be the same lock, but in the up position, so its only on the wall and not touching the door, with a green light.
-Crates. Sure, everyone hates crates, but space marines need supplies as well, and crate props that actually have detail in them would be fantastic. People mostly hate crates because mappers overuse them in weird places.
-Room-specific props. E.G., mess hall tables and fridges, hive location alien plants (think Biodome) or even infested pillar props, random pillars, chairs, consoles, med-lab tables and whatnot... theres so much to make
-Random details. Again. I'm picturing even something like a foot-by-foot-by-4-foot (so a tall cubish shape) sort of thing that simply has a bit of indented detail, and maybe a colour or light on the inside of the indent. Perhaps add on a base that makes it look like its attached to the floor. Could be used in any number of situations to either affect gameplay or simply add fantastic detail.

Yeah, that's exactly why. Look at maps like de_dust. They couldn't think of anything better to put in such a mindless game, so they put crates everywhere, and they still included them all over the place in CS:S! *sigh*

Crates do belong in maps, especially in certain areas: Loading docks. Rooms where they would have a related texture stamp on the side, fitting that room [a small crate with a red + on the side in a mdeical lab, a gun stamp on the side in a weps supply closet]. So it wouldn't be so bad if they used them very sparingly in the rest of the areas, and change the way they look too. Not every crate has the same logo, or NO logo on it [counter strike style, god I hope were past that].

Some of them will be opened, or wrapped in netting for loading, or in the process of being scanned! There could be a recieving room with a monitor next to one saying "bio hazard detected, recommend immediate quarantine, per mining trade regulation 57.b sub-6", orrrrr maybe just a flashing warning light with a much shorter version like "biohazard detected", hehe.

Another idea for a map like "cargo" [where they are used alot more] would be an area where crates are moved from a huge supply room by a robotic arm [kinda like begining of HL1], then they are put onto a conveyer belt where they are sent who knows where. But again, they dont look like they were "placed in the map for cover." Or, every 15 crates moving along a conveyer belt would make the "scanner" pickup some sort of illegal stuff inside [like an xray machine], and it would be moved by an arm into a small container where it is destroyed somehow [frikin lasers! or incinerated by flame].

These ideas not only change they way "crates" are presented, but also change elements in the game which I think adds to the realism yes, but also variety. The rooms where crates are being moved heavily, could have loud machinery! Now were are playing with the sound a little. A room with a conveyer belt would have a constant "running turning sound", like a very smoothed out tank track noise. The area where the crates are scanned would have intermediate noises. The scanner could make simple beeping sounds when a crate is found to be "ok", then moved along. When a crate is found to be including something "bad" [alien life form, illegal goods, whatever] a red light would start along with a buzzing noise, then the robotic arm comes down [along with it's own robotic noises] and picks up the box, and somehow disposes of it.

Crates can be used, but the thing is they all look the same, and they don't add anything to games except something to stand behind, so yes they do look like crap usually.

I think I like the idea of having either a working [moving] supply belt going on, or maybe just one that was stopped, since obviously the people at this facility either fled, or were all killed, whatever, but you get the point. If stopped then other props would just be drag n drop [the isolation palet in the picture here]. But, if it was still working, then maybe instead of a palet, the supply boxes could be dropped onto a spot on the ground where it opens up and they are "transoprted elsewhere."

crew lockers
status screens "failure, warning bla bla bla..."

rails and tunnels like this
stairs

You can do a lot of the stair stuff with the arch tool. Just fill in the blank to offset each brush.

- more cord types, not just thin black ones..
- computers
- chairs, tables
- bins
- cups, food, dishes etc
- more realistic type water/ waterfalls
- clothing, boots, personal equipment
- dead eggs
- alien plants, failed alien births
- sound boxes, radios, cameras (interactive)
- carcasses or either pets brought onto ships by marines, or even carcasses of aliens
- possibly ai pets, like a cat or dog maybe which can attack aliens
- portable fans
- working doors to cupboards or dorms etc
- fridge/freezers
- ovens, showers


things which give the game more of a realistic feel than just fighting in a prepared battle zone.. give places more life like an unexpected infestation or even an attack on a homeworld alien planet..