How often do you guys see the Drifter active abilities on pub servers? Especially the chamber-specific abilities? For me it's almost never. Like literally, I can go dozens of games and never see anything more than the occasional Enzyme Cloud. Seeing them nerfed for competitive play with no effort being made to improve their usability for pub comms is discouraging.
I see it fairly often, but Australia only really has 3 servers with the same people every day so people actually started learning.
I would be one of those that you played against / with using Drifter support. I keep going comm because Aus servers are full of people waiting for someone else to comm :-(
I use mucous membrane all the time, but less now that it got nerfed.
The biggest reason for not using Drifter abilities for me is still the way drifters move. Somehow they always seem to path a little bad, always seem to move one step too far, don't seem to respond that fast.
Yeah, from the other players' perspective at ground level, the Drifter has been improved a bit.
On a slightly different topic, does anyone know what the Drifter's acceleration is? It looks like it's instantaneous, and I think it might round out better for everyone if it would start moving sooner but accelerate more gradually.
Don't get it into a bad position to begin with. Play it safe. I think it's a good change as it stops drifters running circles around marines during combat spamming particle effects.
But I thought that was what they were supposed to do. How else are you going to use those clouds effectively in combat? Like this the drifter will just die instantly so there's no point in bringing it into the fight at all.
Don't get it into a bad position to begin with. Play it safe. I think it's a good change as it stops drifters running circles around marines during combat spamming particle effects.
But I thought that was what they were supposed to do. How else are you going to use those clouds effectively in combat? Like this the drifter will just die instantly so there's no point in bringing it into the fight at all.
The drifter doesn't have to be the first thing in the room. You can enzime/mucous from like half a room away with that crap.
Don't get it into a bad position to begin with. Play it safe. I think it's a good change as it stops drifters running circles around marines during combat spamming particle effects.
But I thought that was what they were supposed to do. How else are you going to use those clouds effectively in combat? Like this the drifter will just die instantly so there's no point in bringing it into the fight at all.
You know the drifter has quite a bit of range right.
I guess what gets me is the continual 2D nature of NS2 for the aliens. Hydras are the ONLY entity now capable of being built off the floor.
With drifters, all they had to do was have the drifter do a VERTICAL turn, such as a flip, taking the same amount of time, and people would have cheered it. it makes tracking it more that a 2D plane, and adds a little style to it. It could still reduce the turning speed, and make it less of a standing target.
But I thought that was what they were supposed to do. How else are you going to use those clouds effectively in combat? Like this the drifter will just die instantly so there's no point in bringing it into the fight at all.
Marines won't target a drifter:
1. until skulks are dead and lifeforms are pushed out
2. unless they already know they are going to die
Moral of the story: Don't faceroll the keyboard. The drifter is still an incredibly useful tool. You don't need the drifter in the marines face to use it effectively.
I always felt the spastic zig zagging drifter was too effective as a distraction causing the aliens to win the battle. In pubs it works amazingly because not only do they prioritize the drifter over the skulks, but they cant even hit the thing anyway when it changes direction so quickly.
Who's the dumb that is distracted by a drifter ? I can admit that it can happen occasionally but not all the time. Crouch and "voila". Move and "voila". Focus on skulks only and f***ing "voila" !
What i see:
Top teams that like crag as first upgrade will have to adapt a little as the drifter will have to stay far away. It stays the same tactic as enzyme IS the one thing that is necessary. Mucous is only giving a few second of lifespan when under fire in an engagement.
What worries me more is :
"Reduced heal wave effectiveness by 15%"
"Reduce drifter armour to 20, from 80 (increased health to compensate)"
So you gonna have to be a sniper with the drifter while any lost bullet could clearly damage the drifter that cost 8 resources... not to mention taking the time to do all the things a commander do.
Problem is ; Drifters
-were already slow (reaction time, strange things happening).
-aren't invisible anymore.
-cost the price of a harvester
-are dumb sometimes when structures are not built instead of executing orders.
And also using drifters for building structures will be like "ninja building". As it still cost 8 resources we gonna have to be more careful on drifters that build. It still take the same time to build a harvester.
I fear the teams would adopt the "all team meat ball" strategy to compensate. Not so elegant.
It can be ok if a little something was given.
Price has been suggested.
It would be also nice to think of other ways of improvements like:
-upgrade drifters for sentry (having eyes is much needed when carapace isn't enough). The drifter has a new function and don't build. It stays invisible and or sentry at slow pace to keep invisibility.
-Upgrade Transport. Ability to go fast from point A to point B with a load like a Gorge. A vehicle for gorge to sum it.
If alien can't stomp with brute force (like it is with crag) to counter the human forces. They have to get there the clever side... and being able to do so. Right now top teams aren't that eager to start "shift hive" first or "shade hive" unless they win 3-0 already.
Comments
I would be one of those that you played against / with using Drifter support. I keep going comm because Aus servers are full of people waiting for someone else to comm :-(
The biggest reason for not using Drifter abilities for me is still the way drifters move. Somehow they always seem to path a little bad, always seem to move one step too far, don't seem to respond that fast.
Enzyme is still awesome tho.
But I thought that was what they were supposed to do. How else are you going to use those clouds effectively in combat? Like this the drifter will just die instantly so there's no point in bringing it into the fight at all.
The drifter doesn't have to be the first thing in the room. You can enzime/mucous from like half a room away with that crap.
You know the drifter has quite a bit of range right.
With drifters, all they had to do was have the drifter do a VERTICAL turn, such as a flip, taking the same amount of time, and people would have cheered it. it makes tracking it more that a 2D plane, and adds a little style to it. It could still reduce the turning speed, and make it less of a standing target.
- make drifters a little bit cheaper to compensate for their "decreased lifetime"
- let drifters heal up at hives, I see no reason why they can't
Marines won't target a drifter:
1. until skulks are dead and lifeforms are pushed out
2. unless they already know they are going to die
Moral of the story: Don't faceroll the keyboard. The drifter is still an incredibly useful tool. You don't need the drifter in the marines face to use it effectively.
What i see:
Top teams that like crag as first upgrade will have to adapt a little as the drifter will have to stay far away. It stays the same tactic as enzyme IS the one thing that is necessary. Mucous is only giving a few second of lifespan when under fire in an engagement.
What worries me more is :
"Reduced heal wave effectiveness by 15%"
"Reduce drifter armour to 20, from 80 (increased health to compensate)"
So you gonna have to be a sniper with the drifter while any lost bullet could clearly damage the drifter that cost 8 resources... not to mention taking the time to do all the things a commander do.
Problem is ; Drifters
-were already slow (reaction time, strange things happening).
-aren't invisible anymore.
-cost the price of a harvester
-are dumb sometimes when structures are not built instead of executing orders.
And also using drifters for building structures will be like "ninja building". As it still cost 8 resources we gonna have to be more careful on drifters that build. It still take the same time to build a harvester.
I fear the teams would adopt the "all team meat ball" strategy to compensate. Not so elegant.
It can be ok if a little something was given.
Price has been suggested.
It would be also nice to think of other ways of improvements like:
-upgrade drifters for sentry (having eyes is much needed when carapace isn't enough). The drifter has a new function and don't build. It stays invisible and or sentry at slow pace to keep invisibility.
-Upgrade Transport. Ability to go fast from point A to point B with a load like a Gorge. A vehicle for gorge to sum it.
If alien can't stomp with brute force (like it is with crag) to counter the human forces. They have to get there the clever side... and being able to do so. Right now top teams aren't that eager to start "shift hive" first or "shade hive" unless they win 3-0 already.
Enough said.
So it's safe isn't it?