should the ants in fallout games be more powerful?
- Thread starter Juventus
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I presume you're thinking this because of ants being able to lift 10X their own body weight and the carapace and so on right? Well, if we did make them the same but bigger then they'd be terrifyingly impressive for the heartbeat it took their carapace to crush them.
Basically, if you're thinking this because ants are impressive for their size then it just doesn't work, not saying BethSoft are crazy clever with their science (though they do better than many) but if they're being scientifically accurate (as much as one can be with radioactive mutation ultra animals) then the ants are weaker because otherwise they're useless. If not then the ants are weaker because they say so.
Basically, if you're thinking this because ants are impressive for their size then it just doesn't work, not saying BethSoft are crazy clever with their science (though they do better than many) but if they're being scientifically accurate (as much as one can be with radioactive mutation ultra animals) then the ants are weaker because otherwise they're useless. If not then the ants are weaker because they say so.
I for one welcome our new ant overlords.
In all seriousness, I probably wouldn't mind the ants being a little bit stronger, but I don't think they should be the "ultimate enemy".
Besides why ants? Why not the bloatflys? They are also severely underpowered, why not give them a shot to be the most badass mutant critter in the wasteland?
In all seriousness, I probably wouldn't mind the ants being a little bit stronger, but I don't think they should be the "ultimate enemy".
Besides why ants? Why not the bloatflys? They are also severely underpowered, why not give them a shot to be the most badass mutant critter in the wasteland?
Uh, of course they shouldn't be the ultimate enemies. They're just ants. It's not like they're tarantula-hawk-wasps or something.
You've been talking to her, haven't you?
I found them ok as they were. They always creeped me out when I heard there footsteps and they usely made up for their lack in strenght with numbers. So no, not really they were ok.
I found them ok as they were. They always creeped me out when I heard there footsteps and they usely made up for their lack in strenght with numbers. So no, not really they were ok.
Well they traded strength for fire breathing. Seems they're still dangerous, just in a different way.
Well someone has to be a low level chump animal enemy.
Ants work well because they're identifiable, ubiquitous, and can be made "giant" without having to be massive compared to the player.
Maybe it'd be interesting to see the effects of firearms on exoskeletons that have been scaled up like a thousand times.
Ants work well because they're identifiable, ubiquitous, and can be made "giant" without having to be massive compared to the player.
Maybe it'd be interesting to see the effects of firearms on exoskeletons that have been scaled up like a thousand times.
Well then I guess you must have REALLY hated the cazadors. Those things are a nightmare. It's bad enough that they're really fast and tough, but even the tiny ones can poision you...faefrost said:
OT: Making the ants faster isn't a bad idea, but some people have pointed out that these suckers straight up breathe fire. You can't get much cooler than that. Having a silenced sniper rifle pretty much makes most things in the game seem like easy prey though. At least until you go into a cave that is, then you better have a shotgun or an smg or else you're going to have a bad time.
This is what I was thinking..Stinovitch said:You've been talking to her, haven't you?
I found them ok as they were. They always creeped me out when I heard there footsteps and they usely made up for their lack in strenght with numbers. So no, not really they were ok.
When I first ran the game, the fire ants were eating me up. I went too early, ran low on ammo, etc. Needless to say I ran the game again a couple years later, and went to play with the ants later and they weren't so bad.
Hell no! Fire ants are one of the most OP enemy in the vanilla game. I was actually scared whenever I started a new character, because my OCD to finish quest would drive me to do it as soon as I got it. Didn't matter the level.
Now normal ants could improve slightly. Maybe better speed and defense, but that would be it.
Now normal ants could improve slightly. Maybe better speed and defense, but that would be it.
It makes sense that ants - as they grow - lose their proportionate strength but still increase in strength.
An ant 2x the size of a normal ant should be able to lift 1.5x as much as a normal ant. A larger ant will always be a stronger ant but they would receive diminishing returns.
The fire-breathers are double nasty. First, they can take more damage, and second, the fire they breathe actually makes it difficult to see what you're shooting at.
Ants are just fine. I want to see mutated bears, horses and even housecats.
An ant 2x the size of a normal ant should be able to lift 1.5x as much as a normal ant. A larger ant will always be a stronger ant but they would receive diminishing returns.
The fire-breathers are double nasty. First, they can take more damage, and second, the fire they breathe actually makes it difficult to see what you're shooting at.
Ants are just fine. I want to see mutated bears, horses and even housecats.
They're a fine threat for low-level players without much supplies. Grayditch is a real pain if you go through it early on. Just limit them to the early areas and all is well.
Well we already have bears:Abomination said:
Scared the shit out of me when I first encountered one in 3.
Actually, if presented in a scientifically accurate way, they wouldn't be able to breathe properly at that size, and would be far weaker. The square-cube law kinda sucks for giant creatures. King Kong, for example, wouldn't be very scary, because his weight would break his legs, and crush his organs. Something similar applies to giant ants.Juventus said:
it's a question of practicality in terms of game design versus realism. If you want to go for the latter, you run into the issue that from the evolutionary point of view, there's a reason why arthropods are as small as they are - the weight of their outer skeleton would crush them if it grew any larger. As for the game design standpoint, giant mutated ants in a world full of giant mutated everything represent a great "strength in numbers" kind of enemy - the kind that's weak on its own but has a tendency to attack the player in swarms. You know. The annoying kind that every game needs to have by law or something. And it kind of makes sense compared to other mutated arthropods the game throws at you.
You need to understand that an insect bigger than what we have at the moment around us is impossible to exist without either a higher oxygen percentage or a complete change in their physique. Insects dont have lungs but Invertebrate trachea
those are the limiting factors in size for the insects.
My point? those ants are completly fantasy and saying they should be stronger because their small in real life existing conter parts are relativly stronger is not a good argument
those are the limiting factors in size for the insects.
My point? those ants are completly fantasy and saying they should be stronger because their small in real life existing conter parts are relativly stronger is not a good argument