Traitor Equipment Idea: Makeup Kit

[GrayScare0]

Alright, I've had this idea for a long time but haven't posted it.  If anyone else has, I'm sorry.  I know that others have suggested this be added to the disguiser, but this is a bit less complicated and more balanced.

The makeup kit is a passive traitor equipment--it is destroyed when the traitor dies, and is reported in the corpse checking menu as radar is.  It is to be accessed via the "c"-menu much like the radio and radar are.  You simply set a false health level, from "1" to "100".  This level is tracked as a separate health level entirely--it does not affect your actual health, just the health displayed.  If you're shot, your actual health is still lowered, and your "fake" health is lowered by the same amount.

Someone else recently suggested that your health status be displayed in the UI.  If this is implemented, it would go well with the makeup kit, which would show your basic condition (without accessing the "c"-menu to find your exact false health level).  That is, the UI would show your real health level numerically, and your false one visually or however BKU would implement it.  If he tied the health bar color to your health status, it might be confusing (example: "2" real health but green health bar), but if he displayed it in words, it would be clearer in my opinion (example: "2" real health and "Healthy" in text).

The false health level can be assigned at any time via the "c"-menu.  The time it takes to set the false health level helps balance it, along with continuity--if someone saw you damaged and you set a false health level of "100" and there is no health station down, you're running a risk.  On the other hand, if no one saw you take damage, the risk is much lower and the equipment is much more powerful.

This patches (but does not solve--health level is still fake!) two huge problems traitors commonly experience (at the expense of a credit and the aforementioned risk): taking damage from "untreacherous" sources (examples: falling at the beginning of a round and loathing the "Hey, x, why are you damaged?", or taking prop damage) and taking damage from isolated firefights (example: you aim your deagle at someone's head right after the round starts, you shoot and miss/lag/experience the joys of GMOD hit detection and don't hit.  You kill him eventually and get away, but you get damaged, and everyone suspects you).

Other potential uses include intimidating others by setting a high health level, baiting others by setting a low health level, or faking being shot by setting a reduced health level.

Once the fake health level reaches zero, then your real health level is displayed--and possibly some kind of noise is played to draw attention to this fact.  However, you can still reset the health level at any time, and it could have a deactivate/activate button as well.  I would suggest it start deactivated, but with the slider set at "100".

Comments?  Thoughts?  Suggestions?  I personally think this idea is rather balanced and patches some significant holes in the traitor experience.

[Rectal Exambot]

I think this is just another way to get traitors killed, it would be all too easy to figure out if someones health changed by increasing it. Two major situations would occur.

1. Douches like me would just mark as Suspect if their health was wounded, Avoid if their health was Badly wounded, and if I saw them with more health and no healthstation, I then kill them.

2. Firefight occurs, you see someone walk away with full health or near full health, if it is unlikely that didn't take more damage based on the amount of gunfire heard I would kill them.

[GrayScare0]

Well, all the equipment can get traitors killed it used improperly.  Find someone in an unlikely locations when there's few players left?  Obvious radar.  No name, or not showing on radar?  Obvious disguiser.  Running away from C4 without reporting it?  I think you get the idea.  These are non-issues, risks that you naturally run by using equipment or even by playing traitor.

1. The whole suspecting deal is normal, and that's why this device is needed.  As for the health shift, that's the risk.  Just like the risk you introduce when you burn a body and run away.

2. More risk--but there are plenty of firefights in which a player does not get damaged, and if a player walks away from any firefight and is caught, he is suspicious and needs to either explain or die.

[catbarf]

Wouldn't the de facto traitor checking method be to shoot/crowbar someone to see if the displayed health is fake?

[GrayScare0]

Wouldn't the de facto traitor checking method be to shoot/crowbar someone to see if the displayed health is fake?

No.  Those are both treacherous without justification.  The fake health level is just the displayed health level, and it only fades when it hits zero.  If someone's health normally reaches zero, they die.  The method you described would involve killing innocents--it's really no different than ordering innocents to prove their innocence by entering the traitor doors on lost temple.

I think you were under the impression that it was disabled upon being damaged--I hope I clarified that somewhat; I edited the post.

[catbarf]

No, I mean if their health is set to 100, you crowbar them once, their health is still at 100, you realize the health is fake and you shoot them.

[FBC]

No, I mean if their health is set to 100, you crowbar them once, their health is still at 100, you realize the health is fake and you shoot them.

Displayed health drops simultaneously with real health

[catbarf]

Ah, I see. Hmm. Could be useful, but could just add additional complexity to a game that is complicated enough as it is.

[GrayScare0]

I really don't think it adds much complexity, though--to non-traitors, you're just seeing a different health level.  If the traitor dies seemingly early because he set the false health level higher than his real health, good for you.  If he set it low and it breaks in a firefight, now you know both that he's a traitor and that he's now displaying his true health level.  Quite simple.

The only thing even remotely complex in gameplay should be when continuity is broken, but that's what makes the game exciting.  The same applies to any deception the traitor uses: disguising and not showing on radar, planted weapons with misleading DNA, running past unidentified corpses, flaming dead bodies, not shooting at a confirmed traitor, running past C4...

Traitors need to work diligently to ensure that they cover their tracks, and this really seems like a simple (in terms of gameplay) addition to me that also solves many problems that I have already mentioned for the traitors for which they really have never had any previous way of convincingly defending themselves.  Normally, traitors either lie about their damage if they were doing something treachorous, reveal themselves and fight to the death, ignore the matter and become even more suspicious, tell the truth and risk having no one believe them (in the case of falling damage and prop damage), or have to heal up via health station.  These are not very dependable, and in the case of taking uncalled for damage (falling, prop, random shot, fire, explosion, team damage), this was never fair for the traitors.  For the rest of the round, they would generally be both more suspicious and wounded.

The makeup kit would act as a balanced patch that does not SOLVE the problem (healing would be overpowered), but it does avert suspicion.

[Fuffe]

I think it's a pretty good idea!

[Redcow]

I like this idea, seems like it would be interesting and a good way to lie about getting hurt.

[DemiGod]

No more need for making up cheesy excuses about how you were damaged while jumping on a melon

[GrayScare0]

No more need for making up cheesy excuses about how you were damaged while jumping on a melon

Exactly!  I hate it when my traitor round is ruined by people asking me why I damaged myself pushing barrels around.

[A55hat]

sry for the bump, but i noticed that you would have to screw with the targetid file in order to make this happen, I already have an idea of how to do it and actually messed around with the targetid file, to correspond that idea, but i came across a few problems. The fist one is that i don't know how to make the damn thing! (how i did it is sort of like the radio, you click on the status u want displayed) How do i make the window appear in the traitor menu? How do I make those buttons? How do i do anything with it. A tutorial for coding those types of equipments would be greatly appreciated. Second, I think it will be really, really hard to make the status change along with your health. Again, any tutorials would be awesome, whether its a specific tutorial or a lua for dummies tutorial. thanks in advance