Vortex should knock out lights if done on a power node
Plunkies
Join Date: 2012-10-31 Member: 165217Members
Join Date: 2012-10-31 Member: 165217Members
First of all, rooms should at least be in the red emergency lighting if a power node isn't built yet. I think everyone pretty much agrees on that.
Since it's been decided that keeping rooms pitch black isn't going to happen, I think fades should be able to place a vortex on any power node to make the lights go out fully in any room for the duration of the vortex. This would give a way for aliens to strategically use darkness, it would give a use for the underused vortex ability, and it would go well with the fade's whole hit and run while causing chaos feel.
Another possible idea is to allow the gorge to build something that shuts down lights in a room. I just want some way to make darkness fights happen occasionally because they're awesome and scary.
Since it's been decided that keeping rooms pitch black isn't going to happen, I think fades should be able to place a vortex on any power node to make the lights go out fully in any room for the duration of the vortex. This would give a way for aliens to strategically use darkness, it would give a use for the underused vortex ability, and it would go well with the fade's whole hit and run while causing chaos feel.
Another possible idea is to allow the gorge to build something that shuts down lights in a room. I just want some way to make darkness fights happen occasionally because they're awesome and scary.
Comments
I never use Vortex because it's just so useless compared to blink.
I never use Vortex because it's just so useless compared to blink.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Vortexing a powernode and thus allowing aliens to assualt a base for 3 seconds whilst phase gates, obs and armouries dont work would be very useful... Honestly though I would rather not see a one trick pony ability... Vortex is utterly useless, even if this is implemented it will have ONE USE and ONE USE ONLY... I would rather see the ability replaced with something useful.
I believe the devs mentioned at one point that they wanted Stomp to disrupt Beacon from obs and cause the Commanders vision to shake...
Perhaps it could in someway be linked to this... it wouldnt be as epic as vortex working this way but oh well...
Maybe Fades will get a new ability that is actually useful... Perhaps it can be just called "Disable" and when used disables buildings and jams marines weapons within a small radius for a short period of time?
I think the OP is suggesting lights go out, not the entire marine base. If everything went out, there is no reason to vortex anything but the powernode.
or it should teleport a marine to a random location on the map lol
Right. I just want the room to go pitch black, not the buildings to be disabled.
In terms of functional purpose, the lights going out does two things:
<ul><li>conveys a short period of substantial combat advantage to aliens (because marines can't see but aliens can use their vision mode in the dark)</li><li>informs marines that the power node needs repair</li></ul>
Vortex is already extremely powerful, I use it on infantry portals, armouries and choke points. To add to that an ability which could instantly turn the lights out would be pretty huge. Have another look at just how dark it gets when the lights first go out, and for how long it stays pitch black before the emergency lights start to fade in. So I'm against it for game balance reasons.
I'm against it for game play reasons because it would send a confused message to marines about the state of power in that room.
I'm also against it for realism reasons because it doesn't make sense that a giant fuse box which powers everything in the room could be sent to another dimension and somehow that only affects the lights.
Not sure if this is relevant, but I think vortex is underutilized at the moment, probably because of the influx of new players who inherently aren't as familiar with late game stuff like vortex.
It would certainly fit the fades niche as an assassin.
In terms of functional purpose, the lights going out does two things:
<ul><li>conveys a short period of substantial combat advantage to aliens (because marines can't see but aliens can use their vision mode in the dark)</li><li>informs marines that the power node needs repair</li></ul>
Vortex is already extremely powerful, I use it on infantry portals, armouries and choke points. To add to that an ability which could instantly turn the lights out would be pretty huge. Have another look at just how dark it gets when the lights first go out, and for how long it stays pitch black before the emergency lights start to fade in. So I'm against it for game balance reasons.
I'm against it for game play reasons because it would send a confused message to marines about the state of power in that room.
I'm also against it for realism reasons because it doesn't make sense that a giant fuse box which powers everything in the room could be sent to another dimension and somehow that only affects the lights.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Vortex is not extremely powerful. It's not even mediocre. Best case scenario you spend half of your energy to disable a single spawn for 4 seconds. If you're in a situation where that's useful then you've probably already won and you're just mopping up the last marine base.
The fact that it goes pitch black is the entire point. It's a great gameplay feature and aliens should have some practical way of utilizing it. Even though this is an improvement to aliens I'm actually thinking about this from a marine perspective because it's so cool to fight in the dark with your flashlight. The Exo suit flashlights are even cooler. If it proves too powerful then it could be balanced by improving the flashlight or adding a cooldown to repeatedly using vortex on the node.
It doesn't send a confusing message about power because buildings already signal when they have no power. It could also be accompanied by a sound, or a flicker, or any number of things to distinguish it from the power node being destroyed. Players aren't stupid. If the lights go out and and they didn't hear the sound of an alien snacking on a power node then they can easily come to the conclusion that a fade is in the room.
Realism is a silly reason. You think vortex doing nothing to the power node is more realistic than it knocking out the lights?
I just want darkness to be usable in some way. I really don't care how.
Yeah its 4 seconds, and basically depletes the energy of my fade. I seldom use it except in a large group where people can replace me - and by that point we've probably won anyway. What can I accomplish that I couldn't do with my fade via killing anyway?
Another thing I liked was a 'cone of silence'. Get some D&D spells all up in here. Fade uses this, all the marines in the area go deaf for a short time.
... thats what it does already.
You cast it on a marine, he cannot fire, be healed or be damage. Cast it on an obs, the beacon won't work. Cast on an arms lab, and any marine that spawns while its on will have no upgrades. Cast on a phasegate and it stops working.
Problem is its 4 seconds.
Someone huh? :P
<!--quoteo(post=2010480:date=Nov 5 2012, 01:32 AM:name=PsympleJester)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PsympleJester @ Nov 5 2012, 01:32 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2010480"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Perhaps it can be just called "Disable" and when used disables buildings and jams marines weapons within a small radius for a short period of time?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo(post=2009876:date=Nov 4 2012, 06:15 PM:name=PsympleJester)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PsympleJester @ Nov 4 2012, 06:15 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2009876"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><!--sizeo:2--><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->Abilities<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
[size=1]Vortex - Changes to make it more useful: Remove marines/structures being un-kill-able whilst vortex-ed, make vortex disrupt the commander if cast on the CC he is in and turn off the power if cast on a power node (for the duration, 4 seconds).<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This is what I currently have...
Disableing Jetpacks also seems like a fair effect.
<!--quoteo(post=2011051:date=Nov 5 2012, 02:14 PM:name=TimMc)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TimMc @ Nov 5 2012, 02:14 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2011051"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->... thats what it does already.
You cast it on a marine, he cannot fire, be healed or be damage. Cast it on an obs, the beacon won't work. Cast on an arms lab, and any marine that spawns while its on will have no upgrades. Cast on a phasegate and it stops working.
Problem is its 4 seconds.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The current problem is casting it on the obs doesnt *stop* the beacon, they still BEACON when the vortex ends... Beacon is 3 seconds + vortex = 7 seconds... so it only increases beacon time slightly, not to mention in that time the alien team CANNOT destroy the obs and the marines CAN still use the phasegate.
4 seconds is a LOT of time if its a powerful ability.
Disabling the power in an ENTIRE base for 4 seconds is crazy powerful... Disabling a jetpacker + his guns for 4 seconds will make him easy prey for everyone else. Allowing it to be cast on much more vital buildings and have effect would be much more interesting...
Imagine a marine push into the hive, and 1 fade goes to the marine CC and spams it with vortex... Cutting off the commander from supporting his team ... :p
Thinking of its use to shut down energy for 4 seconds: Plz drop that out of your minds! Dropping an entire base for 4 secs with just one mouse-click is like GG and is a way to OP.
Even thought its hard enough to fight in the dark... and when you play with premades this will be a way to take easy battles. Like it isnt easy enough to fight marines with a fade.
I would just agree with that idea if there would be an upgrade for the marines that brings up a temperature-cam like aliens or that you get a passive aura, so the aliens drop lightsparks when they move. So they can still lerk-around and are kinda invis.
Which idea I realy like was useing the Fade more like a caster.
- less melee dmg.
- still blink
- area slow effects (which can be upgraded to + dmg)
- or reduced vision...
- or creating illusions
- etc.
Thinking of its use to shut down energy for 4 seconds: Plz drop that out of your minds! Dropping an entire base for 4 secs with just one mouse-click is like GG and is a way to OP.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
At 3 hives it should be GG...
Three hive abilities in NS should be geared towards breaking marine turtles.
Remember that by the time aliens get 3 hives marines should have their ENTIRE tech tree out.
Stupid idea I know, but would be very useful to fade endgame.
I agree, as a 3-hive ability it would be very useful for breaking a late-game marine turtle, which currently is quite difficult without spamming onoses. At least on public servers, this leads to very drawn-out sieges even though there's no real possibility of the marines breaking out. It would also make base invasions, and ambushes where you're way out from base, much more atmospheric.
Those drawn-out sieges do kind of make me want a PvP horde mode, though, where teams take turns to last as long as possible in a fortified base... :P
Yeah I just tried this. Its stupid. Surely the commander should have to reclick beacon? Its same for everything - I vortex'ed an IP and it only delayed for 4 seconds rather than interrupting and restarting the timer.
Interesting. Beacon feels like it takes forever. I guess vortex making it take an extra 4 seconds is really only useful if you're buying time for someone else to take the power down, in which case 4 seconds is an eternity. As for the IP, yeah, 4 seconds isn't enough to justify the energy cost. I guess the vortex duration was reduced and I haven't noticed? As someone else already said, third hive abilities often come out after the game is already decided. Especially on 4 tech point maps like veil.
In any case, they have to be very careful with vortex. If it becomes possible for 1 fade to perma-vortex 2 marines, say, then it becomes an i-win button.