Drifters like Macs

B1ackSmoke · January 2011

<div class="IPBDescription">Drifters</div>I think the drifters should be re-usable like the macs are. Maybe have it where the drifters lay "eggs" to build something. Then once done building or "laying the egg", they are ready to be re-used to lay "eggs" elsewhere. The macs are re-usable and are able to build multiple things. Seems lame that the aliens have to keep buying drifters. Idk what do you guys think?

Asraniel · January 2011

i like the way it is now, works nice in starcraft, its not hard to balance and gives both races a distinc feel.

Price · January 2011

Its ok but the aliens need a sel function or "halfhealth/halfPLASMAback" function...its horrible marines can sell the buidling before its destroyed and aliens lost all their money...even if all rts destroyed they have lost.

B1ackSmoke · January 2011

Wait Marines can sell the structure before it's destroyed???

louis cardinal · January 2011

hives have a capacity of 300 energy, its fair trust me.

DeTeNa · January 2011

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (B1ackSmoke @ Jan 25 2011, 12:32 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1826874"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>Wait Marines can sell the structure before it's destroyed???</div>

sure, a commander can sell every structure before it's destroyed...
but,
drifters can transform in whips, craigs, harvester etc. and they are built very fast...mac's need so much time to build a sentry or something like that. you also have to consider that the mac's have to repair power nodes and everything else....aliens can build craigs and are save....

the next thing is,
try to kill a hive or try to destroy a command station/IP.....
you need so much longer to kill a hive than a CS/IP
i think thats fair enough...

Harimau · January 2011

What the? Does the forum clear your ignore list periodically?

I agree with the OP. It should be enough that a drifter is 'regenerated' from a completed building. It's differentiated from the MAC enough by the fact that: drifters cannot repair, or speed up the building process.

Then you can drop hive max energy down to a balanced level.

Bloodytrailz · January 2011

Eh, i like the difference, they are both relatively fair and neither outshines the other

Drifter:
-Consumed upon building creation (a downside obviously)
-Costs 30 energy (20 less than a MAC)
-Alien buildings build much quicker than what a single mac could do (Builds about as fast as 5 macs or so)
===- However, marines can speed up the construction of human buildings, making on the spot things (ie armorys) a lot more effective
-Has a fair bit of options to morph into other than core buildings (crag, whips... crags are awesome too)
-Not as bad to lose in combat, again because of energy cost, 30 energy vs MAC's 50 energy... Mac takes longer to replace.
===- While you cannot repair your buildings, you can build a crag that would do that automatically

Mac:
-Not consumed upon bulding (obviously a good thing)
-Costs 50 energy (quite a large bit, especially at the start of a game)
-Can repair power nodes (obviously a very important function) as well as buildings
-Hurts to lose even 1 early-mid game because of the energy cost

That's how i see it, i actually like the functionality of the drifters better than the mac personally~~

peregrinus · January 2011

The drifters are going to transform into 'incubators' when they start to build something and the structure will grow inside of the drifter....its all been posted about somewhere...........

I think of it like drifters carry alien structure DNA - they are not mechanical style building units like the MAC

Runteh · January 2011

Selling structures has no clear benefits - at the moment.

It gets recycled as plasma, and whilst that is great for ammo/health you always have plenty anyway.

NurEinMensch · January 2011

I see no glaring imbalance. The differences are a nice way to spice things up.

Feha · January 2011

I like how drifter and macs both serves as builders, but yet are assymetric to eachother.
Also, apart from costing less energy, doesnt hives also regain nrg faster than cc? Not sure but it feels that way.
I agree that letting aliens sell stuff would be cool, but it should not give carbon nor plasma back, instead you should regain your drifter.

Triggerman · January 2011

Also since Drifters are cheaper and works as said before by sacrificing themselves for a building, you automatically enable the Flare ability for Drifters so people actually can and want to use them when your team is fighting off the marines. Compare this with the EMP-Blast that was on the table for MACs, do you really want to sacrifice your expensive MAC so you can create a temporary disrupt against the aliens?

Bloodytrailz · January 2011

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Feha @ Jan 25 2011, 08:16 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1826958"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>Also, apart from costing less energy, doesnt hives also regain nrg faster than cc? Not sure but it feels that way.</div>

I don't *think* so, but i know that upgraded hives get increased energy capacitys (not sure about command centers?)

Drifters like Macs

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