Auto-babblers

Mortos

<div class="IPBDescription">Keeping the need to micromanage to a minimum</div>With the dual goals of allowing the alien commander to micromanage less (targeted attacks now?) and giving a use to an underused ability (parasite) I suggest a mechanic for crags.

It's pretty simple; instead of having the alien commander have to manually spawn Babblers from crags to attack a nearby marine, Babblers will come out on their own when a parasited marine passes by. Since crags have so much health, marines in a hurry may be tempted to just pass them by, but a parasited marine couldn't risk it and would have to find another way around. Also, a clever skulk could wait for a marine to be passing by a few Crags, then parasite him and laugh as he gets swarmed under.

Thoughts?

Dank McShwagger

i still think the commander should have an active role with structures but i do like the idea of parasited marines being auto attacked by crags.

Align

They already have a automatically active ability, no need to give the commander even less to do.

Bacillus

I think UWE is trying to have less obligatory micromanagement (NS1 medpacks and ammo) and more optional micromanagement. The babblers could be considered to be in the latter category, I think. Of course it depends on the implementation too.

Harimau

If you consider it like a Tower in any RTS, it doesn't really seem like much micromanagement at all. Just select Crag, target Marine.
On the other hand, because you're considering it like a Tower in any RTS, maybe it should have auto-attack.

Bacillus

<!--quoteo(post=1797098:date=Sep 1 2010, 02:26 PM:name=Harimau)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Harimau @ Sep 1 2010, 02:26 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1797098"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->If you consider it like a Tower in any RTS, it doesn't really seem like much micromanagement at all. Just select Crag, target Marine.
On the other hand, because you're considering it like a Tower in any RTS, maybe it should have auto-attack.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I was thinking it as more of a momentarily spell that burns out the crag's mana or something. Infinite flood of autobabblers doesn't sound much more than a weird OC variation. Meanwhile as a commander triggered burst it could serve as a decoy or support for a well timed skulk attack.

Harimau

Well, okay, yeah. No auto-attack then. Just make crag-babblers as simple as controlling a tower in an RTS and everyone's happy.

Mortos

Let's keep in mind crags already have commander activated ability (umbra); and maybe it's just me, but I like the idea of skulks on the ground being able to affect the chamber's defenses (through parasite) rather than having a dedicated alien commander manually running every chamber. I'll grant that we don't want crags to auto-attack, as it's not their purpose, but do we really want to necessitate a perma-commander for the aliens who plays tower-defense?

spellman23

So we're going with the idea that the Alien Commander is going to be a more full-time position to mirror it's Marine counterpart? Or are we still coming at this from the viewpoint we want the Alien Commander to be a kind of pop-in-for-a-time job?

With the variety of abilities, it might be the Alien Commander is supposed to be a more dedicated role? Dunno what goes on in the UWE game designing minds.

Allowing the players on the ground to affect how chambers respond would be really cool, imo. And tying something like the Babblers to parasite would be a way to do that.

Bacillus

<!--quoteo(post=1797177:date=Sep 2 2010, 12:02 AM:name=spellman23)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (spellman23 @ Sep 2 2010, 12:02 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1797177"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->So we're going with the idea that the Alien Commander is going to be a more full-time position to mirror it's Marine counterpart? Or are we still coming at this from the viewpoint we want the Alien Commander to be a kind of pop-in-for-a-time job?

With the variety of abilities, it might be the Alien Commander is supposed to be a more dedicated role? Dunno what goes on in the UWE game designing minds.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think part alien commander is going to have some big trouble fixing the issues it was needed for in the first place. Aliens would still lack the leader and multiple people investing on one focused res pool is a huge mess on almost any tech tree. If they somehow pull it off with a part time commander, it's all good, but I think they need to go all the way to get the gain.

Harimau

The alien commander is part-time? There's all sorts of wrong with that. I was under the impression that the Alien commander was a dedicated role.
But yes the implementation should be: point and click Crag, point and right-click Marine. Too easy.

AlmightyNu

I was under the impression that the alien commander came in to place buildings, adjust mutations, then get back to the action. If, on the other hand, the alien commander is intended to act just like the marine commander... well, I'd be disappointed, but sure, go ahead and give them point-and-click tasks to keep em occupied.

Harimau

Are you a bot?

AlmightyNu

Um... no, are you?

[[Edit: Oh, thanks Align, that makes more sense]]

Align

There was another post there (deleted now), with an ad for something in the signature and nonsense in the post body.

1stToast

Turrets fire automatically, why not crags?

Align

Because that would be like making observatories auto-scan, not like making turrets fire. Hydras are turrets, the other chambers are not.

LUSITANER

if they made command for alien, then the commander must be keep busy on his job, like are for marines. i agree alien and marines must have diff strategies, but they already invented alien commander...

Kisle

ehm i thought the players on the field spawn the babblers when they "use" the craig.
yeah?

Harimau

Nope.