3 problems with babblers

Samus1111111Samus1111111 Join Date: 2012-08-07 Member: 154930Members, Reinforced - Shadow
1. They really suck at following the gorge around. When I drop babblers, I dropped them to help me in combat by providing a distraction/armor and some damage. However, when I bellyslide from Datacore to Reactor, turn around, and don't see a single babbler, what's the point? Do I have to toss the bait ball every 5 seconds? Just doesn't seem right...

Also, don't even think of going through a gorge tunnel if you want your babblers. I'm thinking that they need to have better following AI and if the player gets too far away from them, the bait ball will cause them to teleport to the gorge? That way, when a gorge uses a gorge tunnel and pops out the other end, he can have his babblers to help him.

2. Why does my pres investment exploded after ~2mins? That's like telling the marines that their SG is only going to last 2 mins before disappearing. I spent pres on the babblers and thus there shouldn't be a hidden counter (one of NS2's pillars) where they will disappear after x period of time. They should stay until they are killed.

3. Once a gorge has put the babblers on themselves (not sure about others, not able to test it yet), they are not able to remove them until the babblers decide to pop off. Again, the babblers have some hidden timer where they decide to pop off of the gorge. They should stay on the gorge until a bait ball is thrown and then they should return to their normal duties of chasing the thing and biting the ankles of anything near it.

Comments

  • WoollySammothWoollySammoth Join Date: 2013-02-14 Member: 183062Members
    i do agree the time thing is a massive kick in the b**ls to the:
    "No Magic Numbers" -- in other words, hidden modifiers that are not readily apparent to the player shouldn't be in the game.

    It also makes it feel a bit too much like you need micromanage them too much--getting babblers attached to a fade mid-fight is way more hassle than it ought to be.

    I would suggest knocking on the head all this magic number business--don't sell out on the ideas that make this game great now: things should live until they die and do what they're told until they're told to stop.

    I would also suggest (and you may be able to do this already, and i was just failing to do it), that you can attach babbler eggs to people and when they hatch they auto-armour whatever it is they hatched on.
  • DJPenguinDJPenguin Useless Join Date: 2003-07-29 Member: 18538Members
    +1 for timers. It's quite annoying going into a fight after having babblers out for some time and then all of them losing the will to live and explode. Even more annoying when you can't repopulate individually or overwrite babbler "squads" with a fresh batch.
  • TimariusTimarius Join Date: 2012-11-15 Member: 171220Members
    The timer isn't hidden to you, anymore. I placed all of the values in this thread.
  • WoollySammothWoollySammoth Join Date: 2013-02-14 Member: 183062Members
    Perhaps they're no longer hidden, but they're still not "readily apparent to the player". :)
  • tarquinbbtarquinbb Join Date: 2012-11-03 Member: 166314Members
    i guess the timer was intentional.

    amongst other things; everyone can go gorge and drop 3 hydra + 9 babblers and then change lifeform. that would lead to a lot of map clutter.

    the AI needs some tuning, but otherwise it's pretty decent for body armour etc.
  • moultanomoultano Creator of ns_shiva. Join Date: 2002-12-14 Member: 10806Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Gold, NS2 Community Developer, Pistachionauts
    Can babblers go through vents? I haven't been able to get them to. I grew a bunch of them in a vent and they wouldn't follow me through.
  • JektJekt Join Date: 2012-02-05 Member: 143714Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow
    Agree with your points. Hidden timers, hidden timers everywhere. Managing these things is a mess.
  • NammNamm Join Date: 2011-12-08 Member: 137116Members
    Just make it so that the Babblers die a short while after the parent-Gorge have died or re-evolved.
  • current1yoldcurrent1yold Join Date: 2012-09-10 Member: 158911Members
    1) It's known
    2) agreed, i actually suggested increase the time to 3 min..I don't like they die after 2 min either.
    3) There is a cling timer, not sure what the final number was. Originally it was 10, last time i heard though 20 was used.
  • StrikerX3StrikerX3 Join Date: 2012-11-08 Member: 168423Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited March 2013
    *snip*

    This issue is known and being worked on, thanks for the report. I'm snipping it for "reasons" :P -Kouji San
  • WoollySammothWoollySammoth Join Date: 2013-02-14 Member: 183062Members
    tarquinbb wrote: »
    i guess the timer was intentional.

    amongst other things; everyone can go gorge and drop 3 hydra + 9 babblers and then change lifeform. that would lead to a lot of map clutter.


    If the Babbler's needed their parent Gorge to be alive (and a still a Gorge); thus had a timed life once Gorgie-pops was gone that would make sense to me. As a player i wouldn't be wondering where they'd gone, and why, it would be "readily apparent" why they disappeared--because their parent was gone.
  • TimariusTimarius Join Date: 2012-11-15 Member: 171220Members
    .
    tarquinbb wrote: »
    i guess the timer was intentional.

    amongst other things; everyone can go gorge and drop 3 hydra + 9 babblers and then change lifeform. that would lead to a lot of map clutter.


    If the Babbler's needed their parent Gorge to be alive (and a still a Gorge); thus had a timed life once Gorgie-pops was gone that would make sense to me. As a player i wouldn't be wondering where they'd gone, and why, it would be "readily apparent" why they disappeared--because their parent was gone.
    // mama gorge is too far away, hurry back to the warm glowy belly!
    

    Straight from Babbler.lua. That's MAMA Gorge to YOU!
  • WoollySammothWoollySammoth Join Date: 2013-02-14 Member: 183062Members
    Timarius wrote: »
    .
    tarquinbb wrote: »
    i guess the timer was intentional.

    amongst other things; everyone can go gorge and drop 3 hydra + 9 babblers and then change lifeform. that would lead to a lot of map clutter.


    If the Babbler's needed their parent Gorge to be alive (and a still a Gorge); thus had a timed life once Gorgie-pops was gone that would make sense to me. As a player i wouldn't be wondering where they'd gone, and why, it would be "readily apparent" why they disappeared--because their parent was gone.
    // mama gorge is too far away, hurry back to the warm glowy belly!
    

    Straight from Babbler.lua. That's MAMA Gorge to YOU!


    As i typed "Gorgie-pops" i was wondering about the gender of Gorges. I presumed they were female (what with laying eggs), but i figured Gorgie-pops sounded better than Gorgie-mama.

    Also, are we shure the Khaara share the same binary-gender, sexual reproduction business thing we have?
    Also, is anyone else thinking of a new meaning for term GILF?
  • Snypr18Snypr18 Join Date: 2012-11-09 Member: 168566Members
    I feel like the Babblers should remain attached to a teammate until they die or until the gorge owner tells them to do something else.

    I was messing with them a bit yesterday, they are a cool concept but they are way too hard to manage. Its like they all have seriously debilitating ADHD.
  • ScardyBobScardyBob ScardyBob Join Date: 2009-11-25 Member: 69528Forum Admins, Forum Moderators, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
    moultano wrote: »
    Can babblers go through vents? I haven't been able to get them to. I grew a bunch of them in a vent and they wouldn't follow me through.
    Doubtful. I believe they use the same nav mesh as other NPC units (e.g. drifter, mac, arc), so if you can't put a drifter in the vent, you won't be able to put a babbler in there.
  • current1yoldcurrent1yold Join Date: 2012-09-10 Member: 158911Members
    edited March 2013
    StrikerX3 wrote: »
    *snip*

    This issue is known and being worked on, thanks for the report. I'm snipping it for "reasons" :P -Kouji San

    That is known as well. We discovered this literally as the new build was uploading to the public...:(

    It happens with all life forms though not sure about onos.
  • moultanomoultano Creator of ns_shiva. Join Date: 2002-12-14 Member: 10806Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Gold, NS2 Community Developer, Pistachionauts
    ScardyBob wrote: »
    moultano wrote: »
    Can babblers go through vents? I haven't been able to get them to. I grew a bunch of them in a vent and they wouldn't follow me through.
    Doubtful. I believe they use the same nav mesh as other NPC units (e.g. drifter, mac, arc), so if you can't put a drifter in the vent, you won't be able to put a babbler in there.

    That's a good bug to report then. You shouldn't be able to build a babbler egg in a place that isn't part of the nav mesh.

  • current1yoldcurrent1yold Join Date: 2012-09-10 Member: 158911Members
    Why not? I should be able to have protection from babblers in a vent if i want it. You can always make em cling to you if you want to move them.
  • moultanomoultano Creator of ns_shiva. Join Date: 2002-12-14 Member: 10806Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Gold, NS2 Community Developer, Pistachionauts
    current1y wrote: »
    Why not? I should be able to have protection from babblers in a vent if i want it. You can always make em cling to you if you want to move them.

    You can't make them cling to you if they are outside of the nav mesh because they can't move.
  • Snypr18Snypr18 Join Date: 2012-11-09 Member: 168566Members
    Babblers are way too messy to use and control right now. -_-
  • Samus1111111Samus1111111 Join Date: 2012-08-07 Member: 154930Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Babblers are actually completely useless in vents. You can hatch them, but when you throw the bait ball, they don't do anything. They wander around a little bit, but not nearly as much as usual.

    I spawned them in the vent outside sub access in atrium right next to the middle where the vent access sub. I threw a bait ball out the entrance at Hugh (:P), but the babblers just chilled out where they spawned. I attempted to attach them to myself with the same result.
  • RainyCaturdayRainyCaturday Join Date: 2013-02-19 Member: 183202Members
    Best Babbler thread ever. +1 to OPs points.

  • VonGerstenbergVonGerstenberg Join Date: 2013-02-15 Member: 183076Members
    Most effective usage I observed last night as a marine: Gorge sent in a babbler swarm with 2 skulks as they were leaping in a narrow space. It was either a well timed effort or a glorious accident, but regardless.. it was visual chaos and the skulks got the best of a few of us.
  • StrikerX3StrikerX3 Join Date: 2012-11-08 Member: 168423Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    current1y wrote: »
    That is known as well. We discovered this literally as the new build was uploading to the public...:(

    It happens with all life forms though not sure about onos.

    Good to know it was already known. Too bad it was too late when you discovered it :(

    I went straight into a 5 marine pack and died after 2 shotgun blasts + dozens of LMG bullets, but didn't kill any of them because of that bug. I swiped the shotgunner like 6 or 7 times but only the last 2 attacks did some damage. If I could get him I'm pretty sure I'd have cleaned up the room :)
  • ZekZek Join Date: 2002-11-10 Member: 7962Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    9 babblers have 360 effective HP I believe, which is four skulks worth and they're not trivial to aim at. Killing them off requires a pretty substantial amount of ammo. I think they should make very potent distractions for skulks, but they might not be dangerous enough right now to actually be a priority target.
  • XariusXarius Join Date: 2003-12-21 Member: 24630Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    edited March 2013
    They should consider just outright buffing them on top of the three points in the OP to be honest, up the cost if you have to, but even if they were less messy to use and wouldn't just randomy die off, they'd still be practically useless. (Particularly on offense, sure I know they're not supposed to deal a lot of damage but in their current shape they're just godawful. They don't even attack half of the time)
  • Samus1111111Samus1111111 Join Date: 2012-08-07 Member: 154930Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Xarius wrote: »
    They should consider just outright buffing them on top of the three points in the OP to be honest, up the cost if you have to, but even if they were less messy to use and wouldn't just randomy die off, they'd still be practically useless. (Particularly on offense, sure I know they're not supposed to deal a lot of damage but in their current shape they're just godawful. They don't even attack half of the time)

    Let's focus on fixing the bugs with their current implementation before asking for buffs that we do not even know whether they need.
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