Vent protection!

Stripetail

One of the most difficult things for marines to deal with are vent attacks, mainly from gorges who can easily hold up groups of marines early and into mid game simply by bile bombing a few times before retreating behind a corner. There are very few options for Marines when it comes to dealing with vents, true they can sneak into some of the vents using what some consider exploits, but when these are eventually fixed they'd have no way to defend themselves short of putting buildings in front of vents to prevent direct attacks out of them. (This strategy is not viable for most vents.)

So what if marine commanders could research an upgrade that, at the cost of say 3-5 CRes would allow them to drop Grates over vent entrances in rooms that have working power nodes in them. (Grates having to be built by marines, able to be welded.)

Just for example, grates could have 300 health and 200 armor, would still be affected by bile bomb, take around ten seconds to build (without welder) and when they fall below 50% health (lower if the attacker has silence.) alert the Marine Commander, which would allow a few more precious seconds for Marines to respond and save vital structures. This would also allow Marines to hold vital areas with more ease in some maps. (Such as Skylights in Veil!)

Anyone else interested in discussing the idea? Coming up with possible problems or even good points to go along with this? :D

Stripetail

Also adding this structure could be added as a research-able, either available upon the completion of an armory, or if it's considered too powerful, when the Marines capture a second CC, etc.

whoppaXXL

I like it. Take 5 res and place that on a vent entrance in a powered room. Takes a skulk half a extractors time to munch down. Don't let the comm know, though. It can blink on minimap as the other structures but not more.

(would also add vent-welding with ease)

[AwE]Sentinel

What about the good old mine ladders/stairs/climbing? It was an art, made you get into the vent, aliens could destroy it in a second and right now it would cost the rines 15 res. What I think is a good price for letting rines into vents that should be alien territory :P

Mindstorm

There is allready something in the code called welding. With welding you can shut vents and doors, ofcourse the welds can be broken again.

Not sure if they are planning to introduce this in the upcomming jan/early feb content patch.

neighbs

I like vents because its the equivalent to walling off and it give the MAC a job if nothing else is going on or needs building, to guard the vent and repair it if attacked from the inside. I think the vent doors should give off notification to Marines if attacked and able to be opened with the Use key by Marines.

meatmachine

I think an actual notification when a vent is getting attacked would be a bit much- should just flash on the map silently like any normal structure, and make a really loud echoey vent-grate-getting-smashed noise each time it's hit.

AurOn2

This is not the comment you are looking for, move along.