Shade Upgrade Ideas
twiliteblue
bug stalker Join Date: 2003-02-04 Member: 13116Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
bug stalker Join Date: 2003-02-04 Member: 13116Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
<div class="IPBDescription">brainstorming discussion</div>The Shade currently only unlocks one personal upgrade, Camouflage. Let's help Charlie out by sharing your ideas for new Shade upgrades!
Here are a few of my ideas:
<ul><li><b>Vanish</b>: Alien becomes invisible for a few seconds when its health drops below a threshold. This invisibility is not removed on damage or movement, but is removed by using attacks and abilities.
Alternatively, an opaque cloud of smoke is automatically released, blocking vision when health is low.
</li><li><b>Ghost</b>: Alien's attacks and movement are silent, and alien makes no sound when hurt.
</li><li><b>Feign</b>: When the alien stops moving (even in midair), it feigns death, falling down and appears to be a corpse on the floor.
</li><li><b>Toxin</b>: Attacks reduce Marine movement speed (less effective from ranged attacks such as Spikes). Can be removed by Med pack.
</li><li><b>Camouflage(Reworked)</b>: Alien is invisible when stationary or walking slowly (at 50% of run speed) <i>to Marines further than x distance</i>.</li></ul>
Let's hear your great ideas!
Here are a few of my ideas:
<ul><li><b>Vanish</b>: Alien becomes invisible for a few seconds when its health drops below a threshold. This invisibility is not removed on damage or movement, but is removed by using attacks and abilities.
Alternatively, an opaque cloud of smoke is automatically released, blocking vision when health is low.
</li><li><b>Ghost</b>: Alien's attacks and movement are silent, and alien makes no sound when hurt.
</li><li><b>Feign</b>: When the alien stops moving (even in midair), it feigns death, falling down and appears to be a corpse on the floor.
</li><li><b>Toxin</b>: Attacks reduce Marine movement speed (less effective from ranged attacks such as Spikes). Can be removed by Med pack.
</li><li><b>Camouflage(Reworked)</b>: Alien is invisible when stationary or walking slowly (at 50% of run speed) <i>to Marines further than x distance</i>.</li></ul>
Let's hear your great ideas!
Comments
Would also be cool if Ghost effects on attack, movement & hurt sounds enabled with # of Veils.
I would use Feign a LOT as Gorge, such a cute mental image :3
Not sure about slow debuff for Toxin, as infestation already has that to promote fighting on alien turf.
Reworked Camou is good. Make the distance shorter w/ Veils and it should stick to Charlie's idea of less combat effect for Cloaking in general (more ambush/stealth)
I might have a few ideas of my own, but that is for another day.
Some cool ideas there, Onos with 'Ghost' would be hilarious lol.
Edit: What happened to Disorient making fake alien attack sounds anyway? That was a pretty good distraction mechanic, IMO.
I've thought about distracting alien attack sounds effect being an upgrade. I'm not sure it would be very fun for either side. The alien does not have to make any extra decisions, and it annoys the marines, who cannot do anything to counter the distraction.
I do agree it was quite a good passive ability on the Shade tho.
One thing I keep in mind when designing new abilities is that, each alien in NS2 will most likely have to choose only a few upgrades from a large pool of available upgrades. Upgrades in the same tech path being mutually exclusive made choosing upgrades in NS1 a very fun experience.
What do you think?
I do agree it was quite a good passive ability on the Shade tho.
One thing I keep in mind when designing new abilities is that, each alien in NS2 will most likely have to choose only a few upgrades from a large pool of available upgrades. Upgrades in the same tech path being mutually exclusive made choosing upgrades in NS1 a very fun experience.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
...They can destroy the Shade?
@Henda: While it's pretty funny and probably works as an infiltration ability, imagine an Onos "slipping inside" a Marine...
New idea:
<b>Infiltrator:</b> Sentries and Mines see the alien as an marine. Disguise is temporarily removed by Scan, allowing Sentries and Mines to target the alien. (Possibly overpowered; Can't think of a limitation yet)
<b>Infiltrator:</b> Sentries and Mines see the alien as an marine. Disguise is temporarily removed by Scan, allowing Sentries and Mines to target the alien. (Possibly overpowered; Can't think of a limitation yet)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Dohoho, many laughs will be had if players also see them as Marines (Skulk = Marine with anti-grav boots, Lerk = Marine with Jetpack, Onos = Exo-Suit Marine, etc..)
It's a very powerful upgrade, but I fear it may render static defense useless (unless Obs' presence also removes the disguise)
Maybe a compromise, like make camouflaged aliens 95% transparent, but not show up on motion tracking (assuming the old motion tracking upgrade is planned)?
No clue on Motion Tracking, we still have yet to see passive detection on the Observatory.
This Upgrade is designed gives you a few extra seconds when charging long corridors or chomping a lone marine and his team mates try to snipe you from far away.
A ghost alien form mirrors your every move.
Marines would see 2 aliens at a distance when there is only 1 and may waste bullets on the mirage.
the mirage disapates / vanishes within a certain distance of marines.
If a marines team mates are using him as bait they will see 2 aliens chomping on a marine. while he would at close range only see the 1 and his team mates maybe shooting at the mirage.
Like this. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=TlI8pwlNmjk#t=76s" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe...I8pwlNmjk#t=76s</a>
@Harimau: That sounds fun to try. A good Marine should be able to track a Camou once in sight.
would fit the ambushing skulk mentality perfectly
or a more simpler version would be a skulk that flickers in and out
But the range should be a little bit smaller and it should be dispelled for 30 seconds when a scan is dropped nearby.
A passive ability for a mature shade would be the possebility to drop a free "ghost" shade.
A soon as the shad eis mature, the commander can drop the ghost-shade near the original shade. It wouldn't have any abilities like his parent but he will behave the same as the original when damaged. When destroyed he should dissapear in a cloud of smoke ("poof!")
So the only thing the clone/ghost does, is attracks attacks and keep the original shade safe.
Image that a marine is axing the shade, only to discover it was a ghost, now he wasted precious time on the wrong structure ans needs to locate and destroy it "again".
It was heavily reduced, to the extent it's barely noticeable until you're brushing up against the Shade. :(
<!--quoteo(post=1898049:date=Jan 29 2012, 06:39 AM:name=subshadow)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (subshadow @ Jan 29 2012, 06:39 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1898049"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->A passive ability for a mature shade would be the possebility to drop a free "ghost" shade.
A soon as the shade is mature, the commander can drop the ghost-shade near the original shade. It wouldn't have any abilities like his parent but he will behave the same as the original when damaged. When destroyed he should dissapear in a cloud of smoke ("poof!")
So the only thing the clone/ghost does, is attracts attacks and keep the original shade safe.
Image that a marine is axing the shade, only to discover it was a ghost, now he wasted precious time on the wrong structure ans needs to locate and destroy it "again".<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
What a coincidence! The exact same idea came to me today. I agree Shades are quite vulnerable right now. It is not difficult for Marines to spray bullets into a room and hit the poor Shade, which suffers a quick death by firing squad.
Here's an upgrade idea, food for thought:
<b>Haunt</b>: When damaged on full health, disappear as Hallucination, cloaks lifeform for 3 seconds.
Similar to your Vanish upgrade, but instead of being an escape ability, Haunt is for opening combat with misdirection tactics in mind. Experienced Marines would keep their eyes open, but it makes them that much more paranoid when combined with Phantasm (or renamed to Hallucination?)
Of course, it's not as convincing for Onos as it does for Skulk, Gorge, and Lerk. I'm sure Fade can find some use for this.
While I personally don't like the camouflage idea at all, this suggestion makes the pill a little easier to swallow.