Rt Electrification

kavasa

I think one of the betas should consider making this very cheap and very fast. Say 5 resources and 15 seconds, although I do like keeping it tied to having a TF somewhere.

In order to explain this, I'm going to have to go back a little bit and explain where I'm coming from. 2.0 is unbalanced, especially in clan play. At around 4 to 5 minutes into the scrim or match, the aliens have or should have, at the least:
o three resource nodes
o 2 live hives
o 1 fade
o 1 lerk
Within another two minutes, they should have full level three upgrades from two different chambers, another fade, and one or more Onos, with various combinations of lifeforms depending upon strategy. At this moment, the marines have:
o 3-5 resource nodes
o maybe some basic upgrades, but probably not
The vet clans have gotten proficient at various sneaky delayed shotgun rushes. The idea is that if you get 5 guys with shotguns into a hive, they can take it down before the aliens respond. Sometimes this works, more often (even against mediocre clans, in which category [GoM] should be placed) it does not.

Speaking as a scrim/match commander, a big factor in this is my lack of flexibility with my guys. 2.0 RT electrification isn't really worth it - the extra thirty resource expense for every node means you have <i>no</i> upgrades when the second hive comes online. Even the cheaper 2.01b electrification just doesn't seem to be worth it. For 5 res, though, I could play a different game.

I would split my 5 guys into two different groups, 4/1 or 3/2. The larger group would get a shotgun or two and go out to cause trouble. The other group would go out and cap resources. Right now, I've got to use my whole team to cap and hold resources and/or chokepoints, because otherwise unelectrified nodes disappear even faster than electrified ones do.

Who won the match would then (in theory) come down to superior strategy, teamwork, and deathmatching skills as the teams fought over nodes and hive locations. Even the regular 2.0 upgrade costs should work (although I do like the 2.01b costs). And the idea here isn't necessarily to lock the aliens down to one hive or node - it's to allow the marines the freedom to expand <i>and</i> pressure alien nodes <i>and</i> upgrade, hopefully leading to a much more level playing field in the midgame.

ZiGGY

but nice to have a guy fast capping and electrifying if the aliens are in a tough defensive position and cant spare much to scout and take down enemy rts, surely? But the bugs with it atm make it absolutely useless... apparantly.

Spazmatic

I've always liked the idea of cheap and fast electrification. However, the one concern I've always had (just like most people had when electricity was first announced) is that it might take over the game. At its price now, electrification is a difficult choice. Too expensive, it's worthless, too cheap, it's everywhere. You also don't want marines running across the map (especially on pubs) electrifying every res in sight with no concern for anything else, and praying they can keep the aliens down lifeform wise. In that situation, d would become the only viable first chamber (want to take down electrified rts, get fades with regen).

Now, I can think of many ways something like cheap electrification could be put into action, such as with limiting the number of electrifications per tfac, or allowing the option of slow and cheap versus fast and expensive. You could even make electrificaiton free, but slow down res gather rate! However, my point, by itself, I don't think making extremely cheap electrification will work... It'd be too dominant, remove tactical diversity. However, with proper choices in other areas, this is something I'd love to see tried in one of the beta releases.

Jasp

Hmmm leecy or no leecy RTs till the *bug* is fixed id go for no leecy on RTs on thier own, with a few turrets and a TF its worth it as it zaps the running around skulks or the fade that thinks hes good. 30 seems overpriced as such in 2.01b leccy is only 20 res which is alot better IMO.

Now u say 5 res for something that can kill a skulk in 7-8 hits? now what happens if marines decide screw this and block up thier base with TFs and leecy them all? few 20 res TFs and some 5 res leecy and magic u blocked off a side of your base till they get biles.

IMO leecy is going to be something very hard to get right and will take a few more builds before its even remotely near balanced its just one of these things we have to wait out as of the moment in 2.0 leecy is worthless and useless in 2.01b is has abit more use tho.

Jolt runs 2.01b for all that want to try it btw. Hope they didnt upgrade to 2.01c :///

ahhh forgot my full stops.

SDJason

maybe make it so that you must control a certain room.. the "powerstation room" of the map, for electrification to be enabled. the switch must be on in this rom... if aliens turn it off.. all electrified buildings would go down.

Viable? no

interesting? yes

MrMojo

And then aliens could chew through power cables..bla bla, you know the drill.


One interesting idea I just had ( HEY..SHUT UP) is that marines could electrify an alien rt, killing it, as well. Just explain that they electrify by using the node, and not the rt.

Mythr1l

the only problem being that at 1 hive the aliens dont have a counter for elec nodes, thus leaving the marines free to moove in a big group and cap/elec every node on the map without having to worry about defending them, this would allow marines to rule the early game, and take the offencive to alien res nodes, resulting in aliens being basically pinned in (the only thing stopping marines from raping a hive in a big group is having to defend their rts/base at the moment) even if aliens get to 2 hives it does take some time to kill those elec nodes, bile bombing is great, but thats 1 gorge who is not a fighting class leaving your team at a disadvantage, and also it is time consuming, what if 2-3 of your team are killing marines node who have maint, 2 gorges bile bombing it and a skulk to defend them, any smart marine team will just walk into eclipse with a few shotguns and gg hive.

imo 2.0b is the closest we have come to fair ns, lets try and base around that without making any radical changes.

Spazmatic

<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->the only problem being that at 1 hive the aliens dont have a counter for elec nodes, thus leaving the marines free to moove in a big group and cap/elec every node on the map without having to worry about defending them<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

My point exactly. While I'd like to see cheap electricity, it'd have to be limited in some way... The two effects being preventing res spam, and allowing tactical diversity.

<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->now what happens if marines decide screw this and block up thier base with TFs and leecy them all? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I do believe this idea only applies to res nodes. You could justify it by saying that res nodes are sitting on a pool of nano sludge goop!