Infestation Vesicle

DarkOmen

<div class="IPBDescription">Change in Infestation System</div><b>The way it works now:</b>

Right now, infestation linearly expands out from wherever hives are located via a chain of commander-placed cysts. Whenever a chain of cysts gets broken, the cysts that cannot connect to a nearby hive begin taking damage until they die.

<b>The idea:</b>

To make infestation spreading more dynamic, and to give aliens more power to solidify their infestation and ninja expand, I propose giving the alien commander the ability to create a new structure which can sustain cyst chains. This structure is built from a Drifter and does not need to be placed on infestation. It would look something like a large glowing bulb, somewhere around the size of an arms lab. This would put it between a cyst and a hive in terms of size.

I'll bet this would make infestation spreading much less of a chore, having more places for infestation to recede to. Also, with the Marines losing power packs, I don't think there would be much overlap between the two races with infestation paths becoming less linear.

<img src="http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-87AwTwdlea8/TstLC9i5qiI/AAAAAAAAABA/kv2YDdvyS1o/w320-h300-k/vesicle.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>Cyst concept #5, with a bunch of #1's for size comparison to a current in-game cyst</i>

Kalabalana

So your proposing something that is essentially a cyst, but does not require chaining to a hive?

That defeats the purpose of cyst chaining doesn't it? I guess you could increase cost, but again, kind of breaks the chain mechanic.

Chris0132

The chain mechanic is really annoying though, it makes every other structure more or less useless because why would you bother attacking them? Just kill a cyst and the entire chain collapses.

BarerRudeROC

It'd make the game too complicated IMO

Chris0132

It makes it less complicated, because rather than relying on networks all the time, you have more standalone infestation patches which you can expand with cysts.

Heroman117

Frankly i'd think this would make spreading infestation too easy.

Lets say you were putting a hive up in Data Core, the come could just drop a vesicle in Data core and then let your gorges go to town placing hydras very early in the game.
You could also just place a vesicle in Reactor and Crevice to skip the connection between the hive and the resource tower early on. Unless you make them cost a ungodly amount of resources or implement some sort of gimmicky restriction, i don't see how you could prevent this.

swalk

nvm, thought this was the official idea

Chris0132

<!--quoteo(post=1886216:date=Nov 23 2011, 12:29 AM:name=Heroman117)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Heroman117 @ Nov 23 2011, 12:29 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1886216"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Frankly i'd think this would make spreading infestation too easy.

Lets say you were putting a hive up in Data Core, the come could just drop a vesicle in Data core and then let your gorges go to town placing hydras very early in the game.
You could also just place a vesicle in Reactor and Crevice to skip the connection between the hive and the resource tower early on. Unless you make them cost a ungodly amount of resources or implement some sort of gimmicky restriction, i don't see how you could prevent this.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

30 res seems reasonable for a cost, it's expensive but not prohibitively so, and would be well worth it in specific locations.

I don't generally think balancing by cost is a good idea but this really is something you can balance by cost, it doesn't work much better if you spam it.

ZycaR

we got hives, which can sustain cyst chains :) and cost is also horrible (50res now), and building of hive takes long time ... and it suits game very well :)

.. don't forget incoming feature: Random start location :)