Lerk Bite
CheesyPeteza
Join Date: 2002-11-24 Member: 9784Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
<div class="IPBDescription">What are your views on it now?</div> First of all I cannot believe I am making this topic as I am just asking for flaming. But here goes anyway.
When Flayra did the poll asking whether lerks should keep their bite I voted against it. The reason being I was really annoyed with all the moaners and whiners on these forums who were not willing to try anything new. Insisting that Mother was called noname and saying that gorges can't have bile bomb and all sorts of other stuff I can't remember. Anyway I'm willing to try something new so thats why I put trust in Flayra and the testers to have bite removed.
Well we have all tried it and I'd like to know your views now. I personally don't find lerk as much fun anymore. Flying was a skill that had to be mastered to fly into and area of marines, umbra, bite and the leave. Now it is just a method to get from one place to another and is rarely used in combat. <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo-->
It would be good if someone could do a poll on one of the ns fan sites too see what the results would be now that we have all tried it out.
(Yes I know there is a plugin that enables it)
When Flayra did the poll asking whether lerks should keep their bite I voted against it. The reason being I was really annoyed with all the moaners and whiners on these forums who were not willing to try anything new. Insisting that Mother was called noname and saying that gorges can't have bile bomb and all sorts of other stuff I can't remember. Anyway I'm willing to try something new so thats why I put trust in Flayra and the testers to have bite removed.
Well we have all tried it and I'd like to know your views now. I personally don't find lerk as much fun anymore. Flying was a skill that had to be mastered to fly into and area of marines, umbra, bite and the leave. Now it is just a method to get from one place to another and is rarely used in combat. <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo-->
It would be good if someone could do a poll on one of the ns fan sites too see what the results would be now that we have all tried it out.
(Yes I know there is a plugin that enables it)
Comments
I would like lerks HP and armour back how they were, and bite replacing spores as 1 hive ability, spikes seem weaker now also <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo-->
<!--emo&::lerk::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/lerk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='lerk.gif'><!--endemo--> - destroyed
I now fade, as fade now takes the skill the lerks of old took, I dont understand why lerk was nubbed so badly <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo-->
*edit* - How many people who voted for the new lerk, were lerk players, i mean the kind who had lerked since the first day they played (yes even thro all that 1k ping <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->), Those of us who did, know that we supported the team better in 1.0 than lerks can ever hope to do now.
I know myself, cheezy, that you were not a fan of one hive lerks, but we stopped JP/HMG rush, Lerks were the balance, Those JPers intent on taking the hive were easy pickings as we could fly easier and packed a puch...
/me goes into a daydream, remembering saving viaduct hive from a 5 man squad of JP/HMG.. as a tear rolls down his face.
IMO the perfect change to lerks would be to make the hive 1 abilities bite and spore, replacing spike with bite (provided spore does damage to HA). I've never been a fan of spikes and enjoyed fighting good lerks in 1.04, (I didn't generally lerk as I wasn't good enough) and I think that lerks are too defenceless if pressured. Such a change would also cement the gorge as the only ranged base attacker and stop those extremely annoying vent lerks who spend hours spiking phase gates from afar.
the spike is a weak offensive attack, but stacked with spores you can kill a marine amasingly fast
the spore is good against light marines, and give the skulks the advantage to only bite twice if the marines have level 1+ armor.
the umbra is extreamly helpfull in all areas, gives good cover for skulks/fades/onos that are engaging heavy armors.
the primal scream... 2x attack is always nice in close combat for skulks/fades/onos.
its health and armor makes it somewhat weak, and its also somewhat hard to controle the lerk in flight, and on the ground its somewhat slow. defently a support class, it should not be made an offensive unit.
Bringing lerks bite back would really make my day, but, i believe it shouldnt be the same bite, it should be the older 50 damage bite, so not to get tagged "the flying skulk" again, because.. well.. its not, nor is fade a "super skulk"!
Edit: "Unbra" LOL
For those of you who are defending the purpose of the Lerk, I'm just curious to know whether or not you actually play them on a regular basis, and if not, why? It's easy to say that they're useful but very few are willing to actually play them.
I think lerks are way to underused. One or 2 can have a huge impact on the game, especially early. You just have to change your way of playing. They aren't close combat fighters, they are standoff fighters and room clearers.
Also, the lerk dies way too easily for 30 res in my oppinion.
I know a few individuals who love the lerk and pratically never miss a spike, they really enjoy playing as lerk.
However, I do have to say, I never had fun with the new lerk, nor the old lerk. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
<i>You can please every person some of the time, or you can please some of the people all the time.</i>
I miss bite, but I like the lerk the way it is now. It is more useful as a whole IMO, 1st hive to 3rd hive. Primal scream is useful, but its in no way something that would be lame not to have at 1st or second hive (spore or umbra).
Bingo, this is by design. Look, part of what makes NS so interesting is that the two teams are so dissimilar -- marines are squad-based jacks-of-all-trades, aliens are class-based with specific roles. The role of the Lerk was always meant to be support, the Fade was always meant to be a skirmisher. In 1.04, the Lerk excelled at both skirmish AND support while the Fade was an all-around tank. This has been fixed in 2.0, giving each of these classes a more specific role. Since the 2.0 Fade is one of the most potent units in the game, the aliens have clearly benefited from it.
You enjoy being a skirmisher. That is why you liked playing 1.04 Lerk, and playing 2.0 Fade. You haven't lost anything.
Primal Scream is so god awful, that no one uses it. When I play marine, when I hear it, which is once in a blue moon, I still think there's an onos around the corner. When I'm alien, and a lerk uses primal scream, I receive the effects 15 seconds after the scream itself. And it lasts for two seconds. This is my only beef with the lerk. They need something WAY better than primal scream. Just do away with the abilty. And something else in. Give it bite back, but make it level 3. At least the lerks wouldn't be so useless later in the game.
Now would be a great time to readd lerk bite. The reason why it would not be overpowered, like it once was, is that its armor has greatly been reduced. Carapace is no longer as effective as it once was and mixing it with the new umbra which goes away a lot faster and barely stops bullets, lerks will now be mince meat against marines up close UNLESS they have support.
Another reason it should be readded is for the fact that primal scream is utterly useless. I have almost never seen Primal Scream be used in battle, and even if it was used, there would be no need for it because the Onoses were tearing apart the infantry portals.
All these elements really allow for the lerk bite to make a comeback. You still get to keep your spikes, umbra, and spores, primal scream just goes. I haven't seen anyone advocating the use of Primal Scream in here, so why not put the lerk bite back?
Lerktards are an issue, but isn't every class/tard an issue? I think that's more a "stupid people" problem than a lerk one <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
I would go fade more for practice, but by the time I have 50 res its hive time. As for lerks getting bite back, I just don't know if it fits the lerks new and improved support role in the days of new NS.
When a commander I always tell my team, 'Ignore the lerk as much as you can guys... try and stay out of the spore clouds cause it will waste away our res on medpacks', and IMO, that's what the lerk is most effective for. While they don't get many direct kills, they can stay away from the action and make life so much harder for marines.
Lerks can make ALL the difference in the clan matches we play, and the skill required to be an top level lerk is still immense. A well controled lerk properly upgraded can inflict a serious amount of damage, that's not always reflected in kills.
Primal scream on 3rd hive effects every unit and when it happens every alien thinks, 'good lerky, you rock!', as they all go ape **** with their respective abilities.
Anyways, bottom line, I think the lerk is still uber, it's presence and effect on the game is just not as... obvious.
Seconded.
Speed,armor,bite and umbra.
It was such a kick to dive down, cast umbra and kill the marine before his teammates could even know where i was <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Same as Dark, i gave up on the lerk and started fading alot.
Lerk is like dod 1.0 now. Made for noobs who can't play right.
I used to think a marine dying from a Lerk bite was embarrasing as dying by a parasite. It's such a skilled tactic, fly to marine->bite kill->fly away. Everytime I saw a Lerk bite kill I used to laugh with everyone else. Only person I saw that mastered this, was some geezar on the ^NuT^ clan server.
<!--emo&::lerk::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/lerk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='lerk.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&::marine::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/marine.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='marine.gif'><!--endemo-->
1. Bite [1]
2. Spike [1]
3. Umbra [2] w/ Increased power or increased duration
4. Spore [3] w/ 1/5th damage to HA
This makes Lerk useful at the beginning, and the end of the game
<!--emo&::lerk::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/lerk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='lerk.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&::marine::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/marine.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='marine.gif'><!--endemo-->
Oh no u have me wrong, 2.0 Lerk is increadably easy, you forget, we had spikes in 1.0, anyone who has seen me go lerk recently will know that i take on groups of marines, with only spike, and have come out standing triumphant many times, and this is playing within biting range of them, with no spores.
Being able to use the 2.0 lerk, and having fun using it, are two different things entirely.
That's plain obvious isn't it ^^
Current lerk is fine IMO <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> I personally find it more fun, on the odd occasion I do go lerk. It's just a case of playing with the marines. Oh, and spikes seem to do a LOT more damage that 1.04 (to marines at least). Which is kinda cool <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
As with the third hive, not all games end when that third hive goes up. Marines can last a long time if they are able to take out RTS because most of the aliens are focused on attacking the marine base and not their RTs, thinking that victory is imminent. Having a lerk go to the onos squads, primal squak and then umbra an area and shoot a cloud of spores will make the Onos job a lot easier. They will rush in faster to the umbra cloud and smack anything in there, while the spores knock down the light guys to where the onos just horns em once and that's it. Like said before, it's all about teamwork, the point of the lerk has always been support role. I do miss the bite, but I have more fun now as that I don't have to get in as close to the rines and make myself a target. The closer a <!--emo&::lerk::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/lerk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='lerk.gif'><!--endemo--> is to an <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo--> = a dead lerk. I am glad for a lot of the 2.0 changes, Fades don't mean the end of the game, Onos actually appear now, lerks are easier to stay out of the fray with, gorges are seen enmasse now and are useful, and I can actually get kills with a skulk.
IN all, 2.0 is a mixed bag, early onos pretty much means an end game, and it's possible to get one very quick if one person is the designated res hoarder, and everyone else drops RTs and that guy manages to kill about ten marines within the first two minutes. But marines are actually now able to counter them, even with LMGs. The only thing I'd wish to have changed with the aliens is a kill button for being devoured. The onos still gets res, health and you're out of circulation for the duration, but you don't have to stare at that damned red stomach and could possibley spectate the game while in waiting.
PS - I take no responsibility for any 'n's missing in the above post - the button is messed up on this rubbish school keyboard (too much Coke spilled on it...)