Mature "Status" on lifeforms and/or A persistant evolution?

MaximumSquidMaximumSquid Join Date: 2010-07-20 Member: 72593Members
edited November 2012 in NS2 General Discussion
I just realized that Aliens have mature structures, but nothing for the actual lifeforms that can stay alive for long periods of time

What if lifeforms could mature or if there was an evolution you could pickup that improved your character the longer you had it?

I know Crag Hive doesn't' have a 3rd one yet
Maybe something that ups your max health everytime you get injured and then full heal <i>(amount increased based on how injured you got)</i>

This way it would feel unique and not just a copy of carapace

Mature Lerks and Fades could also give alien commander a reason to drop those eggs

Think about it. . .
Eggs could mature twice as fast in hives so now a fast Lerk egg <i>(or fade egg if allowed with 1 hive)</i> instead of dropping fast hive could be a real thing

The time to mature could scale based on what tier the lifeform is and/or how many hives are available
<i>(maybe make it so top tier lifeforms won't even be able to mature until you get that 3rd hive and a 4th just speeds it up further)</i>

A 5 minute Onos egg then could be balanced by having a non-mature Onos be less of a shock on marine team when it hits the floor

Mature lifeforms could also get access to abilities without the need for a second hive
<i>(likewise upgrades could speed up maturity rate "first upgraded ability" and the second could have them start off mature "2nd upgraded ability")</i>

I think it's <b>a very realistic direction the Devs should take the game to help improve balance and give NS:2 the push beyond the original</b> that some of the community is still looking for

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Comments

  • RabidWeaselRabidWeasel Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5337Members
    I like this conceptually, but there would have to be limits on it and there should be some cost. To keep it simple I'd go for something like adding 'mature' as an option to the evolve screen, requires you to have been alive as your current lifeform for X seconds (maybe make this dependent on which lifeform it is), costs Y% of the life form's base resource cost to evolve and gives Z% more hp/armour per maturation, limit of 1 maturation per hive. It would be really nice to let people stick as their preferred lifeform lategame instead of going 'well I have 75 res time to go onos / make a suicidal attack somewhere because who cares if I die'.

    Yes this is a transparent attempt to give aliens something to compare to arms lab upgrades...
  • NikolaiLevNikolaiLev Join Date: 2012-11-01 Member: 165658Members
    This is pretty good. I like it. It incentivizes staying alive, rewarding good play (always a good thing) and gives aliens lategame scaling (something they desperately need).

    And yes, it would be different for each lifeform; Onii wouldn't get a very significant bonus, because it's easy for them to stay alive. But skulks and such would.

    One thing to think about is what if you're a skulk, max out maturation, and then evolve? I'd think you'd still keep your % of maturation, even of the lifeform you evolve to doesn't gain as much for maturation time.

    That is, it takes, say, 10 minutes to reach full maturation as any given lifeform. Skulks gain +30% damage from reaching 10 minutes, but Onii only get 10% damage. Something like that.
  • IndustryIndustry Esteemed Gentleman Join Date: 2010-07-13 Member: 72344Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
    The biggest problem with this is the same argument against no res while dead. People will avoid fighting to avoid dying so they can get higher tech quicker. This leads to stale matches and a lot of cowardly unfun play.
  • enmokuenmoku Join Date: 2012-11-09 Member: 168645Members
    But that cowardice can lose a game, so it's not really efficient even if you "hopefully" get better later on. Losing games just because you don't want to lose chance of maturity is immature from the players themselves.
  • IndustryIndustry Esteemed Gentleman Join Date: 2010-07-13 Member: 72344Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
    <!--quoteo(post=2017313:date=Nov 9 2012, 11:49 AM:name=enmoku)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (enmoku @ Nov 9 2012, 11:49 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2017313"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->But that cowardice can lose a game, so it's not really efficient even if you "hopefully" get better later on. Losing games just because you don't want to lose chance of maturity is immature from the players themselves.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    I agree, but maybe I am cynical in that I still would expect to see this kind of thing even more so with lifeform maturity than I do with RFD.
  • statikgstatikg Join Date: 2012-09-19 Member: 159978Members
    Pretty sure this thread was written with you largely in mind
    <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showtopic=124004" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/in...howtopic=124004</a>
  • StubbsStubbs Join Date: 2005-01-27 Member: 38622Members
    This would probably be better implemented if your lifeform improving was based on damage dealt (including to structures) rather than time spent alive. This way, you wouldn't be giving people any more incentive to be cowardly. If it then improved your damage output rather than your health, it wouldn't be overlapping other upgrades and would help alleviate the occasionally-gruelling siege of the final marine base.
  • SpaceJewSpaceJew Join Date: 2012-09-03 Member: 157584Members
    Bonus points for creative thinking in trying to buff an already redonkulously OP lifeform.

    Honestly though, that is a neat idea. I think it won't gain much traction just because it will result in <i>even more</i> downtime between lifeforms. You're already punished <i>hard</i> for dying as an alien. This would just result in your deaths being even more painful, which at this stage of the game would probably result in a rage quit since you won't be effective again for two to five minutes. That's <i>a stupid long time</i> in natural selection 2.

    You're trying to slow the effectiveness of Onos, but in effect that slows the effectiveness of the entire aliens team. Probably a bad idea at the end of the day.
  • NikolaiLevNikolaiLev Join Date: 2012-11-01 Member: 165658Members
    <!--quoteo(post=2017358:date=Nov 9 2012, 01:22 PM:name=SpaceJew)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SpaceJew @ Nov 9 2012, 01:22 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2017358"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Bonus points for creative thinking in trying to buff an already redonkulously OP lifeform.

    Honestly though, that is a neat idea. I think it won't gain much traction just because it will result in <i>even more</i> downtime between lifeforms. You're already punished <i>hard</i> for dying as an alien. This would just result in your deaths being even more painful, which at this stage of the game would probably result in a rage quit since you won't be effective again for two to five minutes. That's <i>a stupid long time</i> in natural selection 2.

    You're trying to slow the effectiveness of Onos, but in effect that slows the effectiveness of the entire aliens team. Probably a bad idea at the end of the day.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    You're making the assumption that we nerf the base values to lower than what they are right now. This is not the case; the base values would be current; maturation would simply add a bonus onto what we have right now.

    You also forgot the part where we mentioned giving lifeforms, like the Onos, less of a bonus than others, like the skulk. Finally, this change would likely be one of the many possible changes following a 3 hive onos requirement.
  • RoboRobo Join Date: 2012-10-18 Member: 162637Members
    I recommend you read through <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showtopic=123462" target="_blank">this</a> thread that I have been working on for a while. I am exploring a lot of the ideas you have just brought up and would like some more criticism to help make them as balanced as possible.
  • ZekZek Join Date: 2002-11-10 Member: 7962Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited November 2012
    Dying is already very bad, I don't think you need to be punished any further for losing your lifeform. The problem is TRes drops.
  • beyond.wudgebeyond.wudge Join Date: 2012-10-19 Member: 162731Members
    edited November 2012
    Wow Robo those upgrade ideas are so fricking cool.

    The gliding after leap one is especially awesome.

    Keep it up.
  • RoboRobo Join Date: 2012-10-18 Member: 162637Members
    edited November 2012
    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Wow Robo those upgrade ideas are so fricking cool.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Thanks, still working on it :)

    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->As for lifeform loss, some kind of res recovery mechanic/mutation/global upgrade is a better way of resolving that than gimping the coolness of the lifeforms themselves.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    The only thing that I could think up for res recovery is when you die on infestation you would recover a % of the res spent on the life form that died. Perhaps I need to think harder, its a good idea to explore.
  • RMJRMJ Join Date: 2012-08-09 Member: 155190Members
    So basically we get the option to buy a high level lifeform at a say "50% reduced cost", but then it would be weaker, and then mature over time?.

    That sounds pretty awesome. It gives aliens more options of playing higher yet weaker version and cheaper version, but it rewards you if you can stay alive. 10 min might be over kill but maybe 5 min to mature.
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