Xenocide

Vladimir Van Vodka · November 2012

<div class="IPBDescription">ways to make it useful, but not frustrating</div><span style="color:#FFFF00">*Keep Xenocide's triggerable ability very similar to the way it is now.</span>

<span style="color:#00FF00">+Add another ability:</span>
<span style="color:#00FF00">+Cause it to automatically trigger when the skulk dies, whether or not it's manually triggered.</span>
<span style="color:#FF0000">-Make it deal only 45 <b> corrode</b> damage over the span of a few seconds.</span>
<span style="color:#FF0000">-Has a smaller radius <span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%">(slightly more then melee range radius around skulk)</span></span>
<span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"> <b> Corrode</b>
* Deals damage to structures only and <i>double damage to armor.</i>
* Ex: Bombard, Bile Bomb </span>

This makes it so if a skulk dies in close proximity of a marine or exo, his corrosive acidic gore will chew through the armor of the units, and damage structures<i> ever so slightly.</i> it's <i>incapable</i> of killing marines, as the damage only affects armor, <span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%">(90 damage)</span> and structures<span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"> (45 damage)</span> this would make skulks with Xenocide effective at crippling marines, and far more effective in supporting other lifeforms if a skulk dies in a swarm.

Why?
1. It only affects armor, and does negligible damage to structures <span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%">(marines don't get directly killed by it, shouldn't be frustrating. not nearly as effective as chewing a structure.)</span>
2. Not that effective against exo, as it does damage over time that can easily be countered by welding.
3. It's a third hive ability, it might as well be useful or powerful. <span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%">(Aliens have map dominance.)</span>
4. Suicide may still be useful <span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%">(triggerable ability is far more potent in conjunction with automatic version.)</span>
5. Promotes effectiveness of skulks in group support late game.
6. Makes Xenocide sought after when third hive is dropped <span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%">(hopefully.)</span>

Temphage · November 2012

I would focus more on not punishing Xenociding skulks by stopping them from earning res while volunteering to dump themselves back into the spawn queue.

Xenocide worked in NS1 because it was immensely powerful and you earned R4K. Now it's weak and you earn nothing. If you're short on pres, your only real choice against marines in the late game is to xenocide, which is about as fun as drinking sour milk, and when you respawn, you probably earned maybe two pres in your short lifetime. Because skulks are unable to really compete against heavy weapons and armor, this makes a vicious circle of boring.

I do like your idea though, but honestly I don't even see why that should be a Hive 3 ability.

PsympleJester · November 2012

OP I honestly think this would just be an unintended nerf.
Your idea makes it easier to time the xeno, but also removes damage not to mention due to it being unable
to actually kill marines it stops wave tactics of xeno being used to decimate marines...

Go to KKG watch Master Blaster command aliens (he has a serious Xenocide fetish) but on a 13 vs 13 match I have seen 3 xenos in a row... first gets no kills, second gets 6 kills and 3rd gets 7 kills... This is how xeno is used. This is how xeno works... Add back biting and it means each skulk is GUARANTEED a kill instead of the first person to xeno having to sacrifice any of the glory.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Temphage @ Nov 4 2012, 02:52 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2009629"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>Xenocide worked in NS1 because it was immensely powerful and you earned R4K. Now it's weak and you earn nothing. If you're short on pres, your only real choice against marines in the late game is to xenocide, which is about as fun as drinking sour milk, and when you respawn, you probably earned maybe two pres in your short lifetime. Because skulks are unable to really compete against heavy weapons and armor, this makes a vicious circle of boring.</div>

Yep, they should just return Xeno to how it was in NS1... Xeno should remove No Res For Death after using it (Or we could just remove it all together huh?)and you should be allowed to bite whilst using it. ALSO if you die by xeno you should spawn at the closest egg to a Marine Techpoint.

Currently Xeno works really well in busting turtles, 3 xenos at once will decimate marines in a turtle, but it has NO use unless marines are packed together... Not being able to bite whilst xenoing turns the entire ability into a roll of the dice as to whether you get kills and no res whilst dead stops you earning to get higher life forms.

Vladimir Van Vodka · November 2012

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PsympleJester @ Nov 4 2012, 06:34 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2009638"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>OP I honestly think this would just be an <span style="color:#FFFF00">unintended nerf.</span>
Your idea makes it easier to time the xeno, but also <span style="color:#FFFF00">removes damage not to mention due to it being unable
to actually kill marines it stops wave tactics of xeno being used to decimate marines...</span>
[...]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Vladimir Van Vodka @ Nov 4 2012, 06:19 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2009627"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><span style="color:#FFFF00"><b>*Keep Xenocide's triggerable ability very similar to the way it is now.</b></span>

<span style="color:#00FF00"><b>+Add another ability:</b></span>

[...]

Why?
4. Suicide may still be useful <b>(triggerable ability is far more potent in conjunction with automatic version.)</b></div>

PsympleJester · November 2012

Yes, but adding extra means the original intended use will be used less.
Your idea of adding a on-death worse xeno allows skulks to bite to the bitter end and then xeno?
NS1 Xeno allowed aliens to bite to the bitter end and then xeno, but without the damage nerf you are suggesting.

Why add a new worse version if you can just allow the original version to work the way it was intended and the way
it worked during the majority of its implementation in NS1?

I still consider the current Xenocide an oversight of the devs and the reason it is the way it is, is due to it not being
used in competitive NS2 and thus hasn't been voiced by them and the fact the devs do not read the forums.
Hopefully once they realise/are made aware that NS2 Xenocide is not working the same as NS1 Xenocide and the
implications of the minor yet crucial difference between the two it will be fixed.

Temphage · November 2012

EDIT: Nevermind, you figured it out :P

OutlawDr · November 2012

FackinA...how about we just try to make it interesting and skill based. I don't want to play a lame scratch off lottery with xeno anymore.

The way I see it, the lost res while dead is the price of use. So if its going to cost res, it better be good... it better allow me to kill gd marines...it better mess up bases by a decent amount.

I want to control when it goes off, but not so easy that it resembles a bomb vest. So yes keep it a triggered ability, and add some other ability for it while you are counting down to your death. However this other ability should simply support the main one: blowing up.

Hows this...Xenocide turns the skulk into a steroid raging hulk: shulk. His energry fills up, but slowly goes down to zero which triggers the explosion. In the meantime, he can't switch abilities, but his bite does heavy damage, and pressing xeno again performs a long leap. However, biting and using xeno uses up energy...lets say double that of their normal counterparts. Like this, it supports the main ability by giving the player control of hastening when the explosion happens....but its not instant control. It also introduces some skill into the equation by timing bites and leaps and might even make xeno interesting and fun to use (bonus).

EDIT: if marines kill the skulk before it goes off, then as a consolation price have skulks spray Vlad's corrode DOT idea instead.

Xenocide

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