Infestation spray

Keldorn

<div class="IPBDescription">New ability for gorge</div>There was a topic before about the early economy disadvantages aliens currently have compared to marines. At some point aliens had it too easy with automated RT deployment, but tweaks have been made to change that.

Aliens are currently handicapped by:
- Cyst placement (takes time and res)
- Slow building speed (even with a gorge)
- Low hps on rts, allowing harvesters to be killed not long before they bring in res

I know this is an asymmetrical game, but I don't see the advantages of aliens RTs (aside from the slow automated building) compared to marines.

I think it would be nice to partly solve the problem if gorge gets an ability to spray infestation on surfaces, allowing RTs to be build before cyst reach, avoiding the early cyst placement time and still requiring a builder to do so.

Thoughts, suggestions?

Darkomicron

Although it's a nice idea, usually you won't have a gorge wandering into neutral/marine territory early on. They need cover. That said, I think a gorge being able to place 3-5 cysts is a good idea to allow them to grow a patch of infestation. When the gorge is gone, the cyst will die, but by that time the Kham should have placed his own cyst to make sure the infestation doesn't waver.

The reason I would take a cyst instead of an 'infestation spray' is because the spray will need to use an entire new mechanic, a new way to create/spread and remove infestation. Currently, there is no infestation if there is no cyst. Why not use the current mechanic and deploy it in a different way.

Keldorn

I believe the cyst idea has been tried before and removed after. I don't think the idea of cyst placement was bad, but they should be made easier to differentiate from commander cysts.

Grimfang

I think one of the main problems was that if the gorge died, then the cysts could disappear and the chains would be broken. I would like to see if gorges could add cysts, that would stay on after the gorge dies. With the changes to hydras, so they cost pRes, maybe it would be okay to add cysts with the same system. Have them cost 1pRes maybe, and let them be as normal cysts.

Balancewise it doesn't sound too broken, and since the gorge has to pay for them, they would most likely be limited. However in late game, it could give the gorges something more to do, when they have placed their hydras and clogs.

I'm unsure if there were other reasons behind removing cysts

Keldorn

That would make a nice change I'd say, gorges being able to manage the alien zone control and also fixing broken cyst chains. :)

Cee Colon Slash

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I'm unsure if there were other reasons behind removing cysts<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

IIRC one of the reasons was that gorges could place cysts on the walls and ceiling, which made it difficult to track whether the khammander cysts were actually in the same chain.

I think allowing the gorge to drop cysts would create a scenario where aliens could expand way too quickly.

Grimfang

I guess that more gorges helping build stuff and expand will mean less skulks attacking marines, and less fades later on, since the gorges pays for the hydras and cysts if this was added. So it's sort of a trade off, and the marines can just kill the cysts when they encounter them.

Darkomicron

<!--quoteo(post=1967034:date=Aug 27 2012, 02:55 PM:name=Cee Colon Slash)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Cee Colon Slash @ Aug 27 2012, 02:55 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1967034"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->IIRC one of the reasons was that gorges could place cysts on the walls and ceiling, which made it difficult to track whether the khammander cysts were actually in the same chain.

I think allowing the gorge to drop cysts would create a scenario where aliens could expand way too quickly.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

That's the idea. Currently alien expansion is waaaaaaay slower than marine expansion.