Denied Rework/Improve SCP-035 Mechanics - Pick-and-Mix of Ideas

This suggestion has been denied and will not receive development.
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What does this suggestion change/add/remove:
This seeks to add at least one of a series of changes to SCP-035's mechanics. Any one of these sections below can be done independently of the others, so if CT wants they can throw out all but the bits they like, though they all are based around improving 035 in various ways.

The changes in section 2, I feel are unlikely and I'm not too fussed if they aren't accepted - it is highly likely that they would cause major balance issues, but I wanted to include them just to get some ideas out there that could be used/adapted. Sections 1 and 2, though, mostly add to immersion and improve certain mechanics, and shouldn't affect balance too much, and I really like the ideas - those are the main focus of this suggestion.

  • When players are being influenced by 035, they can move around and work against 035. This isn't allowed under the server rules, but this also would be trivial to prevent in the first place by just cancelling out the player's inputs with a hook or something - do this.
  • Even when somebody isn't struggling against 035, controlling the player in this state is often incredibly fucked and makes the player basically uncontrollable. Look into why this is and improve it.
  • You can't just switch between items normally when possessing people in this state - you can only push G to switch to whichever random item the code has picked out for you. Please replace this with something more controllable - if not able to make it work using the regular weapon switch mechanics, then using e.g. the radial menu or things like that from the reality bending SWEPs.
Whenever a player is close to the mask itself (not the disembodied 035 player, and not the static location of the containment box - see other sections for why), the 035 player should be given a prompt similar to 106's teleport prompt to do the same thing and appear next to players nearby the mask. Similar cooldown, and only for people within a short range of the mask (e.g. from the box out into the LHCZ corridor outside the containment).
Until the mask is put on, the player being "possessed" is essentially considered to be under 035's influence, rather than straight-up possessed. In RP, this should mean that they go to the mask under their own "free-will" to put it on, they're just being influenced by 035 to do so - a key thing here is that they are still themselves in this state.

The current full-possession state is essentially to make things easier and to prevent people from just ignoring the influence and calling it out (failRP/metagaming). This may still commonly happen, so I propose that the 035 player be given the option (possibly via a radial menu like reality bending) to allow the influenced player to interact as normal via comms, voice/text chat, movement, etc. (each being a different option 035 can make available). In other words, 035 would be able to optionally either fully control the player as they do now, or to allow a player they trust to RP properly to engage in roleplay around this influence.

With trustworthy players, this should make breaches using these options much more RP-based and interesting, while also possibly allowing the 035 player to not be so easily detected when in this state (the influenced player acts mostly as-normal, but are still required to go and put on the mask - rather than the influenced player moving weirdly and silently to the 035 containment).

Even when given freedoms with this, the influenced player would still "feel like they should put the mask on" (would be FailRP not to work towards this goal).

In this state, 035 would also be able to talk to the influenced player but not be heard by other players nearby.
When 035 has been breached, but hasn't had a host for a while, surfaces near the mask should start to turn black, and possibly gain writings/drawings of a disturbing and/or mysterious nature. After even longer, black tentacles should start to manifest in the same area that should attack other players (using the tentacle SFX already present in the files).

At the same time, players near the mask should hear one of the following SFX, transitioning between each other where appropriate:
  • whispers1.mp3
  • whispers2.mp3
  • helpme.mp3
  • tentacleidle.mp3
  • tentaclespawn.mp3
Having tentacles may be more work than wanted as it may require modelling and animating (if none already exist that can be used e.g. from CB), but changes like making dark sludge appear on surfaces nearby (especially if it only happens in its containment, not wherever the 035 mask is), writings, and playing ambient sounds would all be possible programmatically.
When the host's body is killed, the 035 player should have the option to abandon the host or not (only if it's the first time the host has died under its control, and only if the death didn't severely damage the body [crushing, explosion, etc.]).

If 035 chooses to abandon the host, or it isn't eligible to choose not to:
  • The mask drops on the floor next to the body
  • The mask, after a delay of X minutes (balance up to CT), goes back into its no-host breach state from that location
  • Each time it enters the no-host state in a single breach, it is less powerful in the state (less time to influence, can't go as far from the mask, etc.)
  • After Y number of times in this state in a single breach, the mask goes dormant for a long time (e.g. 30 minutes) and is easily recontained.
If 035 chooses to keep its current host, and it remains dormant for X amount of time (minimum, can choose to "play dead" for longer), and then the body stands back up, with:
  • Reduced HP
  • Can't sprint
  • Body is visibly decayed
  • Has all the items it previously had
In exchange for this ability to change hosts and revive itself, 035 will have an increased decay rate to the point that it will essentially be forced to change hosts within a decent amount of time. It might also have a reduced amount of HP with a host from the start.

EDIT: Additionally, to fully recontain 035, containment units would need to simply move the mask back into its containment (though watch out for it influencing you).
When 035 has a host, it should be able to influence others in some way. Some ideas I had for this were:
  • 035 can, on a cooldown, and with a risk of failure, target a player and hold G to influence them. This will prompt the target something like "You feel the need to listen to the mask.", and they will be required to follow orders if it succeeds (i.e. it would be failRP not to, with uses of this ability being logged for staff).
  • 035 can, on a cooldown, and with a risk of failure, press G and influence all of the people around it. This might do things like make them unable to hold a weapon ("You feel extremely calm and relaxed."), make them hostile to other humans ("You feel enraged. Kill everyone.", plus maybe they are forced to fire any gun they are holding sporadically), or make them leave ("You feel the need to leave. Right now.", plus maybe they can't look in 035's direction).
Within the content pack, there are various voicelines and SFX for 035 that are unused. These are from SCP: CB, and there's some very interesting potential uses for them. To go through them yourself, simply go to "sound/scp/35/" in the asset browser in the C menu.

Some specific uses I had in mind were:
  • When 035 is being gassed, trigger appropriate options from scp/35/035gas1-6.mp3 to make it more immersive and disturbing.
  • When 035 has a host, allow it to use any of the appropriate voicelines from things like 035idle1-7.mp3, 035out1-3.mp3, and 035_1/2.mp3, using a radial menu or something similar.
  • When you make eye contact with the mask, there should be a small chance to play 035ambient1.mp3 - with a cooldown in between possible plays.
  • When inside the 035 containment area alone, there should be a chance to play 035ambient2.mp3 after ~a minute of being there.
  • When you become possessed/influenced by 035, there should be a chance to play radio1.mp3 or helpme.mp3. radio2.mp3 should also have a chance to play instead if the target is not Foundation staff (D-class, CI, GOC, civilians, etc.).
  • When the possessed player gets near the mask, whispers1.mp3 should start to play.
    • Maybe also for any players that get near the mask when its breached?
  • When the possessed player is extremely close to the mask and looking towards it - or when 035 is about to run out of time possessing them - there should be a small-ish chance to play whispers2.mp3.

To give some background into 1D and 3, here's a recording of me going through them, though it doesn't play them all in full (LOUD ONE NEAR THE END): https://medal.tv/games/garrys-mod/clips/1YJGP85fkrHeIJ/d1337nbWlUYb?invite=cr-MSwyamYsMjAwNzIzMzgwLA

Has something similar been suggested before? If so, why is your suggestion different?:
I don't think so, and I'm pretty sure there's got to be some unique ideas in here given the amount of content even if similar things have been suggested before.

Possible Positives of the suggestion (At least 2):
- Massively increases immersion
- Section 2: Makes 035's abilities much more varied and RP-focused
- 1D & 3: Uses existing assets
- Improve's 035's ability to roleplay

Possible Negatives of the suggestion:
- Section 2: Probably massively unbalanced, and I'd be fine with it not being accepted. Some cool ideas though.
- Dev time - probably a lot of it.

Based on the Positives & Negatives, why should this suggestion be accepted:
I feel like sections 1 and 3 should be accepted as they don't majorly affect the game balance but instead simply make 035 more immersive, improve the ability to RP with/as/around it, and just generally improve on it.

While I would like to see the ideas in section 2 implemented, I recognise they are likely heavily unbalanced, and am fine with them not being accepted. I am more focused on 1 and 3.
 
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bro made 6 suggestions in one :skull:
+support for all suggestions EXCEPT those that use the SCP:CB 035 voicelines, those are absolutely useless and will just be micspammed or never used
i'm also fairly sure i made a suggestion to add the whispers.mp3 voice file like 8 months ago (old enough that the thread has been deleted) which was accepted
As long as there's a cooldown or whatever, I don't see it being an issue. 049 apparently already has voicelines and nobody ever uses them, and they definitely don't get spammed.
 
  • When players are being influenced by 035, they can move around and work against 035. This isn't allowed under the server rules, but this also would be trivial to prevent in the first place by just cancelling out the player's inputs with a hook or something - do this.
  • Even when somebody isn't struggling against 035, controlling the player in this state is often incredibly fucked and makes the player basically uncontrollable. Look into why this is and improve it.
this is planned
If 035 chooses to abandon the host, or it isn't eligible to choose not to:
  • The mask drops on the floor next to the body
  • The mask, after a delay of X minutes (balance up to CT), goes back into its no-host breach state from that location
  • Each time it enters the no-host state in a single breach, it is less powerful in the state (less time to influence, can't go as far from the mask, etc.)
  • After Y number of times in this state in a single breach, the mask goes dormant for a long time (e.g. 30 minutes) and is easily recontained.
so, i did mentally play around with this idea a few months back - i think it fundamentally makes 035 too strong, among other concerns like "what if the mask drops in a tesla gate (highly common 035 death method, as demonstrated here by Auburn)" and then like... like from a technical perspective, how do you anticipate the mask functioning? like it's an entity?

because when i thought about it, i was imagining like, E-11 having to grav gun it and physically take it back to the CC, effectively making it a non-terminable? it'd be functionally very similar in terms of having to return it, which would be kinda fun and interesting. could justify 035 having even lower health, too - incentivise more subterfuge-type gameplay, ala my scrapped ideas for 953.

and of course - how do you anticipate this intersecting with 22415? specifically the helper dimension? because there's already a bajillion extant issues with that already that need to be sorted out before 22415 is implemented (i.e. 096 - 096 will have to de-aggro when targets when they enter helper dimension; sucks and i guess the better idea would be for 096 to have access to the helper dimension to use for when there's a target in there, then stuff like 173 been seen from the helper dimension, 106 TPing to it) - the immediate issue i see here is what happens if you're influencing/possessing someone and they go into the helper dimension. do they just suddenly lose range to 035? and what about the mask itself/what if the 035 host dies in the helper dimension? i can imagine an issue happening where host dies in helper dimension and mask appears in normal

i do otherwise like everything else, although it would significantly buff 035, an already powerful SCP (that being said, HCZ AA moving from LHCZ to E-11 bunks is in itself a massive 035 nerf, so).
+Major Support
 
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+Support

035 Needs some touch ups, it has one of (if not the lowest) HP's out of all of the SCP's excluding zombies and no longer has the benefit of being able to hack out another SCP due to hacking alerts INSTANTLY causing him to be found and easily killed, 035's purpose as of now is to be given a Freedom/Matador from CI or breach 1 SCP with his breach tool and then die, he REALLY needs a good buff to make him a actual viable SCP to play.
 
this is planned

so, i did mentally play around with this idea a few months back - i think it fundamentally makes 035 too strong, among other concerns like "what if the mask drops in a tesla gate (highly common 035 death method, as demonstrated here by Auburn)" and then like... like from a technical perspective, how do you anticipate the mask functioning? like it's an entity?

because when i thought about it, i was imagining like, E-11 having to grav gun it and physically take it back to the CC, effectively making it a non-terminable? it'd be functionally very similar in terms of having to return it, which would be kinda fun and interesting. could justify 035 having even lower health, too - incentivise more subterfuge-type gameplay, ala my scrapped ideas for 953.

and of course - how do you anticipate this intersecting with 22415? specifically the helper dimension? because there's already a bajillion extant issues with that already that need to be sorted out before 22415 is implemented (i.e. 096 - 096 will have to de-aggro when targets when helper dimension; sucks and i guess the better idea would be for 096 to have access to the helper dimension to use for when there's a target in there, then stuff like 173 been seen from the helper dimension, 106 TPing to it) - the immediate issue i see here is what happens if you're influencing/possessing someone and they go into the helper dimension. do they just suddenly lose range to 035? and what about the mask itself/what if the 035 host dies in the helper dimension? i can imagine an issue happening where host dies in helper dimension and mask appears in normal

i do otherwise like everything else, although it would significantly buff 035, an already powerful SCP (that being said, HCZ AA moving from LHCZ to E-11 bunks is in itself a massive 035 nerf, so).
+Major Support
Where section 2 is concerned, if any of it was implemented, it would need to be heavily balanced out, e.g. HP reductions, increased decay rate, etc. like I said in that section.
 
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i mean that would be either 079 or 008
035 is definitely strong but not really that up there imo
079 hacks out 2 scps and then it sits in the corner and cries
008 is more the cause of code blacks than the x factor in most cases
035 can:
hack out a bajillion scps (drag out 096)
wield any weapons it comes across (sanctums, freedoms, augers, NERVE GAS)
be completely independent of scps guarding a key location
 
hack out a bajillion scps
035 with a hack tool is subject to the same breaching/hacking restrictions as 079 and GOIs are; have you ever tried to hack out a bunch of SCPs? it's really down to how many multis you can get out at the same time (939s, 9000s) + breach queue
augers, NERVE GAS
yes but 035's access to AA is entirely dependant on it being able to get to AA. as things are, the only AA on the server (at least in UK, ignoring CI and GOC AA) are in E-11 bunks and SS. 035 is not getting into AA anytime soon.
 
035 with a hack tool is subject to the same breaching/hacking restrictions as 079 and GOIs are; have you ever tried to hack out a bunch of SCPs? it's really down to how many multis you can get out at the same time (939s, 9000s) + breach queue
079 hacks 2 out, which can hack another 2 out, making 5
035 breach tools 1, hacks 2 out, which can hack another 2 out, making 6
you know that one scp can make a huge difference. as for CI, they only match the breach potential of 035 (3 out, each breach tools 2), which is busted when we're talking about an entire raiding force versus one player.
yes but 035's access to AA is entirely dependant on it being able to get to AA. as things are, the only AA on the server (at least in UK, ignoring CI and GOC AA) are in E-11 bunks and SS. 035 is not getting into AA anytime soon.
iirc theres one in lhcz near 682s cc, and the lack of aa doesnt discount the one-shot weapons in the eyes of a seasoned scp main
 
079 hacks 2 out, which can hack another 2 out, making 5
035 breach tools 1, hacks 2 out, which can hack another 2 out, making 6
no. 035 can only hack 1 out after breach tooling 1. the server always prevents a 4th SCP from being hacked out if there are 3 breached SCPs. the only exception to this is 096, which doesn't have a containment blocker and can simply be removed from its CC.
iirc theres one in lhcz near 682s cc
not anymore on UK. it's in E-11 bunks now. not sure what it's like on US. i'm not even sure what we're doing with that room anymore. on UK it's completely empty.
he lack of aa doesnt discount the one-shot weapons in the eyes of a seasoned scp main
i agree, but if we were to consider all SCPs as if each one was played optimally by their respective players, then 008 ofc wins handily and 035 still isn't that much of an edge over 079. the strongest SCP would be...

...073?! @Bill Nye The Guy WAS RIGHT THE WHOLE TIME, WE NEED TO NERF 073!!!
 
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035 can only hack 1 out after breach tooling 1
i meant to say hacks 2 out, hitting the hack cap, which each breach tool one, then breach tools the last, making 6 including himself
i was going to include 096 but i thought it'd be ableist to 079's incorporeal form

not anymore on UK. it's in E-11 bunks now. not sure what it's like on US. i'm not even sure what we're doing with that room anymore. on UK it's completely empty.
yeah ill have to concede the aa point, ive only seen it happen once so its an edge case as far as balance is concerned

the strongest SCP would be...

...073?! @Bill Nye The Guy WAS RIGHT THE WHOLE TIME, WE NEED TO NERF 078!!!
this is rather true
 
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