Evolution Mechanic Change
Champlo0
Join Date: 2012-04-17 Member: 150617Members
Join Date: 2012-04-17 Member: 150617Members
<div class="IPBDescription">An incentive for actually living</div>Currently a skulk does not really have much of a reason to live aside to kill more marines or chomp more structures. Why not require skulks to have lived a certain length of time they must live that could be lowered by hives to be able to evolve into higher evolutions? Here's my initial time suggestions and rates:
Skulk Evolution: Instant
Gorge Evolution: Instant
Lerk Evolution: 1 minute
Fade Evolution: 2 minutes
Onos Evolution: 2 1/2 minutes
Mutation Evolutions (carapace, etc.): 10 seconds per evolution
Each Additional Hive: -30 Seconds
Obviously the times could be modified but the game would introduce a new incentive for skulks to live, as opposed to the popular idea of suiciding into a marine. Instead of thinking, "Oh I'm going to go onos as soon as the hive matures" the player must be thinking about his survival in his encounters and assess his ability to live through confrontation so that he may evolve into a higher life form, or go for the immediate benefit of attacking the 3 marines building the RT by himself in main in hopes of killing them.
The mechanic also creates more decisions for marines, there would be more of an incentive to finish off any skulks they might see retreating in an attempt to reset their timer.
The strategic effects of this, if implemented, would be a lessening in the overwhelming force of early alien dominance and a lowered mass of higher life forms in the form of rushes. Rushes and other tactics would still be possible, however, the commander and the alien team would both have to collaborate to ensure that they would have enough available aliens to perform the rush with the proper evolutions. It also increases the value of having a second hive.
Skulk Evolution: Instant
Gorge Evolution: Instant
Lerk Evolution: 1 minute
Fade Evolution: 2 minutes
Onos Evolution: 2 1/2 minutes
Mutation Evolutions (carapace, etc.): 10 seconds per evolution
Each Additional Hive: -30 Seconds
Obviously the times could be modified but the game would introduce a new incentive for skulks to live, as opposed to the popular idea of suiciding into a marine. Instead of thinking, "Oh I'm going to go onos as soon as the hive matures" the player must be thinking about his survival in his encounters and assess his ability to live through confrontation so that he may evolve into a higher life form, or go for the immediate benefit of attacking the 3 marines building the RT by himself in main in hopes of killing them.
The mechanic also creates more decisions for marines, there would be more of an incentive to finish off any skulks they might see retreating in an attempt to reset their timer.
The strategic effects of this, if implemented, would be a lessening in the overwhelming force of early alien dominance and a lowered mass of higher life forms in the form of rushes. Rushes and other tactics would still be possible, however, the commander and the alien team would both have to collaborate to ensure that they would have enough available aliens to perform the rush with the proper evolutions. It also increases the value of having a second hive.
Comments
Spawn, run around and die as much as I do now.
When I get 50 res, sit in my hive room doing nothing for 2 minutes.
Evolve fade.
Not too attractive gameplay wise in my opinion.
Spawn, run around and die as much as I do now.
When I get 50 res, sit in my hive room doing nothing for 2 minutes.
Evolve fade.
Not too attractive gameplay wise in my opinion.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Or you could be more cautious in gameplay if you wanted to evolve, or evolve into a gorge or something so you could have something to do, or spend your time focusing on destroying buildings and avoiding conflict. If you're feeling more gutsy you could fight battles along with dedicated skulks.
Also, I clearly stated the times weren't concrete; the times are just in the order and ratios I think would be balanced: onos take the longest, fade's take a bit less time, lerks take a bit, and gorge and skulk are instant, and more hives reduce the timers by a significant amount. If you have a suggestion for the times, go for it. Maybe something like 30-60-90-15-5 would be more appropriate timers (lerk-fade-onos-hivereduction-mutations). Maybe you should judge the concept and not the numbers behind it when I specifically stated the numbers could change but the concept would remain and that was the main focus of the idea - rather than your devil's idiot argument.
More important for Marines is it often feels like you are fighting wave after wave of higher life forms.
A more workable idea might be to extend the "Maturing" mechanic to life forms, so a fade takes 1-2 mins to mature so it can use blink - in this time he uses shadow-step and the Marines have a chance to take him out. Nutrient mist speeds this up. I still think this should require a hive evolution though.
I am worried this might slow down the game a bit, and prevent Aliens from closing down the game. Especially as Aliens can't quickly change strategy eg. sudden bile bomb rush.