Chamber Upgrades

PheusPheus Join Date: 2003-01-30 Member: 12924Members
edited September 2004 in NS General Discussion
<div class="IPBDescription">Making them viable for skulks</div> NS is lacking viable, cost effective chamber upgrades for skulks, skulks suck in their base form, are way overpowered by base marines. The chamber upgrades improve on this, however in most games (specifically clan games), I never see people using these upgrades. Atm, I seem to spend all game saving, for fade, for a hive, for DC's, or for res. The 2 res cost just isnt worth the delay to getting those goals (fade/dc/etc...), especially since if you die, the upgrade must then be re-upgraded. And the upgrades aren't so effective that they give you enough advantage to make kills you wouldn't normally be able to, on a consistant enough basis to make the upgrades worthwhile. It's kind of stupid to have the upgrades in the game, because atm, its more of a overall (in terms of the team) disadvantage for a skulk to upgrade then not to.

I'd really like to see chambers add permament persistant upgrades to the entire team. E.g, MC's speed the whole team up, DC's slightly raise the teams hp/ap. Maybe this would be at the cost of more expensive chambers? More chambers could add larger benifits to the team?

Anyone else got any ideas about this?

Comments

  • TastyTasty Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18988Members, Constellation
    I don't know about clan games but, in pub games silence, celerity, focus are all viable. Even carapace can help you get in close enough and last longe enough to get that extra kill. I'm thinking about NS classic here, I don't always get all of the upgrades available to me but I will get celerity atleast. I also always ask the team if we can go movement chamber first, but no body ever wants to : (.
  • AlignAlign Remain Calm Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5216Forum Moderators, Constellation
    I always get an upgrade, regardless of species.
  • SewlekSewlek The programmer previously known as Schimmel Join Date: 2003-05-13 Member: 16247Members, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Gold, Subnautica Developer
    I always evolve regen as skulk when I get wounded and retreated somewhere in a vent
  • ZekZek Join Date: 2002-11-10 Member: 7962Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    There are plenty of upgrades that are good for skulks. People don't take them because of the res cost, especially if they aren't confident about their lifespan. Making upgrades free would work wonders in improving skulks.
  • CombatJoeCombatJoe Join Date: 2003-09-11 Member: 20768Members
    i concur with pheus... early in the game it isn't worth it for skulks to get upgrades. pheus put it down exactly when he stated that the res is better put toward the next hive, the crucial first fade, or to drop chambers. i also prefer to save for more "insured" purchases.

    one thing that makes pheus' suggestion different from all the other threads about this topic is his idea to make chambers give out free upgrades to the whole team, that's one i haven't heard before. Just like he said, DCs should boost max hp/armor, MCs might boost speed/energy/rof. As for sensory, i can't think of anything that obviously fits so i'll go with slightly increased damage for all aliens, for all attacks that focus normaly effects.

    these universal team boosts would be in addition to the current upgrades that are available. don't panic yet, when i think of these universal boosts i'm thinking of numbers such as 2% per chamber, with a cap at 16%. Nothing game crushing, but they give more incentive to drop extra chambers and give aliens a small boost that may help balance out the early game.

    In addition to these universal boosts, i'd like to see upgrade costs reduced to 1 or 0, because 2 is entirely too much. This change would give skulks a big help early on which they need desperately. The universal boosts would be felt more amongst the higher lifeforms like the onos which many feel needs to be strengthend as well.

    More value will be placed on the second hive and this may also break up the stale DMS pattern.
  • PheusPheus Join Date: 2003-01-30 Member: 12924Members
    <!--QuoteBegin-Zek+Sep 3 2004, 03:00 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Zek @ Sep 3 2004, 03:00 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> There are plenty of upgrades that are good for skulks. People don't take them because of the res cost, especially if they aren't confident about their lifespan. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Thats exactly what I meant, The upgrades do improve the skulk. However, The cost of the upgrade isnt worth the cost to the overal team goals. Chances are, in a fight against a decent marine, the skulk is still at a disadvantage.

    The arms lab provides global upgrades for the marines, and this is a big factor of the reason why marines are so powerful, they spawn in with full upgrades at no additional cost. Adding a similar system to aliens would, in my opinion, go a fair way in making early game skulks more effective.
  • TastyTasty Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18988Members, Constellation
    Making upgrades free sounds like a great idea, I think this would go a long way to improving the fun/balance of the game.
  • PheusPheus Join Date: 2003-01-30 Member: 12924Members
    man they totally stole this idea off of me and wickedly put it in the game
Sign In or Register to comment.