Commander and Gorge
DarkOmen
Join Date: 2002-11-05 Member: 7148Members
Join Date: 2002-11-05 Member: 7148Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Another thread about player roles.</div>TLDR:
Change how infestation works so as to;
- Eliminate Khamm reliance on gorge for building things, making gorges an optional (but cool!) class.
- Give gorges more freedom to build gardens near the front-lines.
- Reduce overlap between these roles.
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Right now, there is way too much overlap between the alien commander and gorge. Both players can extend the creep and build defenses, but the commander is required to build tech structures and the gorge is required to provide effective defense room-by-room. Even then, both players end up waiting for things to do, because the commander has run out of energy and the gorge has run out of Pres.
Right now, the system forces that both these roles be filled, and the alien team is always looking for more forward troops to keep back the Marines. Now, gorges can and should go battle-gorge when they're out of things to do on infestation, but even then, they're forever doomed to running back and forth between many things, and the class' responsibilities are very complex.
On the other hand, the commander ends up waiting for things to do, or waiting on a gorge to expand the infestation so that they can capture Bilge, etc. It is currently a completely normal element of the game where the commander must rally a/some gorges to do their bidding despite having no waypoint controls, because the tools to do what they want are in the hands of another player.
I suggest we restructure the gorge's role so that the commander doesn't absolutely need one, yet bolster the gorge's skill set in a new direction. Just as you don't absolutely need a lerk in the early game, you shouldn't need a gorge either.
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The suggestion:
Give the alien team two types of infestation:
1) Regular infestation, as it exists now, would be spread via Cysts placed by the Khammander. Both the Gorge and Khammander can build on this surface.
2) Gorge infestation has a different colour and can be spread via Mini-Cysts. This infestation can only power hydras, but can be placed anywhere, with adjacent mini-cysts never becoming unconnected.
What this would do is eliminate the gorge's ability to spread infestation for the Khamm to place faster RTs, but not compromise his ability to place defenses in places where the Khamm has expanded. It would also allow the Gorge the ability to set up forward gardens in many places around the map much earlier than they presently can, keeping gorges near the front-lines where other players prefer to have them anyway.
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Regarding the appearance of each infestation type, I was thinking that gorge infestation could look much like the current infestation, perhaps slightly less saturated, and regular infestation could gain bio-luminescent tendrils to help establish ambiance around alien territory. In the following picture, check out how a white haze surrounds the central green cultures. Maybe gorge infestation could even look like webbing?
<img src="http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/67845/67845,1304809930,1/stock-photo-hand-in-violet-glove-holds-petri-dish-with-bacterium-grey-background-76745938.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Change how infestation works so as to;
- Eliminate Khamm reliance on gorge for building things, making gorges an optional (but cool!) class.
- Give gorges more freedom to build gardens near the front-lines.
- Reduce overlap between these roles.
--------------------
Right now, there is way too much overlap between the alien commander and gorge. Both players can extend the creep and build defenses, but the commander is required to build tech structures and the gorge is required to provide effective defense room-by-room. Even then, both players end up waiting for things to do, because the commander has run out of energy and the gorge has run out of Pres.
Right now, the system forces that both these roles be filled, and the alien team is always looking for more forward troops to keep back the Marines. Now, gorges can and should go battle-gorge when they're out of things to do on infestation, but even then, they're forever doomed to running back and forth between many things, and the class' responsibilities are very complex.
On the other hand, the commander ends up waiting for things to do, or waiting on a gorge to expand the infestation so that they can capture Bilge, etc. It is currently a completely normal element of the game where the commander must rally a/some gorges to do their bidding despite having no waypoint controls, because the tools to do what they want are in the hands of another player.
I suggest we restructure the gorge's role so that the commander doesn't absolutely need one, yet bolster the gorge's skill set in a new direction. Just as you don't absolutely need a lerk in the early game, you shouldn't need a gorge either.
---------------------------
The suggestion:
Give the alien team two types of infestation:
1) Regular infestation, as it exists now, would be spread via Cysts placed by the Khammander. Both the Gorge and Khammander can build on this surface.
2) Gorge infestation has a different colour and can be spread via Mini-Cysts. This infestation can only power hydras, but can be placed anywhere, with adjacent mini-cysts never becoming unconnected.
What this would do is eliminate the gorge's ability to spread infestation for the Khamm to place faster RTs, but not compromise his ability to place defenses in places where the Khamm has expanded. It would also allow the Gorge the ability to set up forward gardens in many places around the map much earlier than they presently can, keeping gorges near the front-lines where other players prefer to have them anyway.
--------------------------
Regarding the appearance of each infestation type, I was thinking that gorge infestation could look much like the current infestation, perhaps slightly less saturated, and regular infestation could gain bio-luminescent tendrils to help establish ambiance around alien territory. In the following picture, check out how a white haze surrounds the central green cultures. Maybe gorge infestation could even look like webbing?
<img src="http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/67845/67845,1304809930,1/stock-photo-hand-in-violet-glove-holds-petri-dish-with-bacterium-grey-background-76745938.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Comments
I think that whatever happens to fix this, it would begin to address the real issues concerning alien commander. For one thing, I'd like to see the Khammander's rate of energy acquisition not be tied directly to the number of hives that they own. You already need hives to get higher-tech lifeforms or more upgrades. At least if the Khammander could do something else asynchronously rather than just tech in x or y order, they could opt to build up the rate at which they can drop cysts or spawn drifters.
As a Gorge, I'd like to be able to help the team out whichever way possible. Infestation just happens to be a core mechanic of the team (one that also ties in with Khamm), so whether or not this role becomes overlapped would be fine by me. The idea of more forward bases sound good, since you'd have to lose your healing breath just to keep one up outside of the Cyst network currently.
It's just that most of the Gorge's skills encourages him to be a base/Khamm buddy. So perhaps allow the Gorge to continue supporting the Khamm (if he OR the Khamm so choose) and give him the ability to create forward bases easily.
Suggestion to add to yours:
1) When a Cyst is in range of a Mini-Cyst, that Mini-Cyst becomes a Cyst, therefore connected to the network and can be unconnected.
So the Gorge is able to create independent patches of infestation with Mini-Cysts in the early game. Since in your suggestion, they would not be connected or unconnected to other Mini-Cysts, the Gorge is able to create a sustainable forward base with minimal to moderate attention required of him. With Cysts maturing Mini-Cysts, the Gorge can choose to help the Khamm at his own pace instead of having to wait for the Khamm.
On a side note: to differentiate Khamm infestation from Gorge infestation, I think the current decal-based infestation is perfect for that. It's too thin to support Khamm structures, even Whips cannot root there, and Cyst infestation could be thicker 3D infestation (hopefully).
'Lots of testing for Gorilla around here. Revamping the Gorge on the side too.'
Interested to find out what that second part entails.
(allowing forward hydras disconnected from current cyst network)
not sure about the suggested implementation though
seems a little confusing have two diff infestation layers