Kharaa Organic Tunnels

<div class="IPBDescription">A feature to help alien mobility</div>The Kharaa Organic Tunnels is a feature that I would like to suggest be implemented in the game as a means to resolving many of the Alien's mobility problems. Maps such as Veil have their resource nodes spread out too far and are very difficult to acquire without a competent marine team shutting them down faster than the aliens can respond. Not only for Veil but some similar situations arise in other maps as well where the Aliens cannot compete against an organized Marine team thanks to their insane mobility with the Phase Gate that allows them to move back and forth from bases. There are so many problems that I could go into detail but for now, I have a proposed solution to many of these mobility issues that will make more matches interesting, fun, and less binary. It is in essence a Zerg Nydus Canal in NS2 but the benefits it provides could drastically help the Aliens.


<u>What is the Kharaa Organic Tunnel</u>

A new structure will be added to the game with an opening that aliens can enter and move through a biological tunnel that can be used to move from one point of the map to another. How does one simply conjure a tunnel that the aliens can move through in real-time without the use of teleportation? The idea is simple in nature, the tunnel goes beneath the map itself and is connected to another opening where the aliens can climb out of.

The way the tunnel is shaped is in the form of an arch. Think of it this way. You have a slinky in the form of an arch like this rainbow: <a href="http://christianity.about.com/od/symbolspictures/ig/Christian-Symbols-Glossary/Christian-Rainbow.htm" target="_blank">http://christianity.about.com/od/symbolspi...ian-Rainbow.htm</a>


Now take that image and turn it upside-down and you have the shape that the tunnel can be, except perhaps a little more straighter. The openings of the tunnels should resemble a gaping maw with fangs lining it slightly and have some appendages to support itself or simply bone if that is what the developers prefer.



<u>Mechanics</u>

The commander will build the main structure for a sum of resources and the structure comes with an ability to set an exit point. The exit point will build on its own for some time and when completed, will allow the tunnel to be used. Aliens can traverse the tunnels to the exit point as often as they please but cannot be used to completely hide from the enemy however, for if any point of the tunnel openings are destroyed, the tunnel collapses and everything inside it dies. Should the commander wish to re-position the tunnel then he/she may choose to create another entry point with the main building's ability. After some time, the former exit point will die and another exit point will emerge somewhere else. The process takes time and an indicator should be placed on the tunnel buildings to warn players that the tunnels will be dismantled and if they linger in the tunnels then they die as a result if they cannot exit in time. Marines can enter the tunnel but will be slowed and lose health over time. Marines dying in the tunnel will be digested into resources for the alien team.


- Only one tunnel can exist at any point not just for balance reasons but for technical reasons as well

- All aliens except the Onos may traverse the tunnels

- The entry and exist points have very high health (more than a Harvester, less than a Hive)

- The size of the building should be large

- Has some terrain restrictions

- Can only be built on Infestation

- The tunnel is two-way

<u>How Can the Developers do This?</u>


I am by means no expert modder or coder at all but here is how I think they can do it. On one map, particularly the one with the Onos Bar, there is one vent that has a breach in the map leading straight into the void that is commonly referred to as a "hole". Now I assume they can somehow create those breaches in the map at will connected to a tunnel system and then seal it back up should one of the entry or exit points be destroyed. While an entry point exists, there is a breach in the map that leads into to the tunnel and the same goes for the exit point as well.


As for positioning the tunnel exit point, think of the upside-down slinky again with the arch-like shape and imagine taking one end of it and rotating it around the other point while the other end remains in the same place. Placing the exit point should work in a similar fashion to that.


I am VERY confident that the developers can do this as if they can manage the vents (as it getting the models to fit in them without a hassle), clog geometry and perhaps the dynamic infestation geometry then they should be able to do this. If you want me to expand on this idea some more, feel free to post. What do you think of this idea? Too complex or an absolutely wonderful feature?

EDIT: This feature will of course never make it into 1.0 but if it is worth repairing many of the problems or adding an extra large feature like Dynamic Infestation then they may add it on a later date. It is entirely up to the developers.