Contaminate is the alien nuclear bomb

DeskLampDeskLamp Australia Join Date: 2013-02-03 Member: 182783Members
edited August 2013 in NS2 General Discussion
I was all foot the idea of contaminate, something to break turtles. But in practice it is absolutely devastating. Was playing a game with 3 hives vs 2 comm stations. Was pretty close to a stalemate. Until the kham dripped contaminate. Then it was over in less than a minute. Maybe a little overpowered.

Should it be toned down some what?
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Comments

  • VetinariVetinari Join Date: 2013-07-23 Member: 186325Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Silver
    hooves?

    Maybe make it require a fourth hive, or, even better, make it only available when you have at least three hives, the games lasted for at least half an hour, and marines have only one comm station.
  • RuntehRunteh Join Date: 2010-06-26 Member: 72163Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    I have seen some great whip plays with this.
  • VetinariVetinari Join Date: 2013-07-23 Member: 186325Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Silver
    _Necro_ wrote: »
    Higher Res-Cost would fix it, I think. You don't have resource problems as aliens when marines turtle. Make it even 100 res and it will remain useful.

    Good idea. Agree.
  • aeroripperaeroripper Join Date: 2005-02-25 Member: 42471NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation
    ^ This. Aliens needed a boost once they get a third hive to end marine exo turtle, as that was a problem pre-reinforced.
  • delta78delta78 Join Date: 2013-01-08 Member: 178131Members
    Make it so that you can't spam it and up the cost. Problem probably solved.
  • DeskLampDeskLamp Australia Join Date: 2013-02-03 Member: 182783Members
    Agree. There are many traits only available in third hive. If both teams are equally matched they shouldn't have a nuke. That being said I'm not against contaminate, I was an advocate, it just needs adjustment
  • DeskLampDeskLamp Australia Join Date: 2013-02-03 Member: 182783Members
    edited August 2013
    Hate to say it @Idleray but I didn't think of arcs. Boy is my face red. Has anyone used this as a counter? Might do that next time.
  • TheriusTherius Join Date: 2009-03-06 Member: 66642Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
    I don't see the problem with 3-hive aliens having a tech that can end the game. People say that 3 hives against 2 CCs creates a balanced and interesting game, but in my opinion it caters too much to defensive play; "Let them have the rest of the map, we have everything we need". Aliens being extremely powerful at 3 hives forces the marines to play aggressive if the game comes to that, creating more interesting battle over the control of the third tech point.
  • NeokenNeoken Bruges, Belgium Join Date: 2004-03-20 Member: 27447Members, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Silver, Subnautica Playtester
    It's not a nuke, contaminate in it's own doesn't do much. You need to spend a lot of tres on whips, bonewalls, ruptures. Your team still needs higer lifeforms, and they still need to coordinate their attack. And even then, marines still have a chance to fend them off. In any case, when used correctly it can end games quickly, but it's not unfair in any way.
  • alansmilealotalansmilealot Join Date: 2012-11-15 Member: 171301Members
    edited August 2013
    I'm a pretty solid commander, I'm flatbreadfish if anyone recognize that name.... but we had 3 hives and the marines had 1 cc and 1 exo in operations and i did CONTAMINATION and echo some whips over there, the exo raped the whips and the whips did a lil dmg in the base. It took a while for the plan to work. It required my team focusing on the exo.

    I think contamination is fair soo far, its what aliens needed to break marines turtle, after all marines can end a game with just 2 or 1 cc with exos and arcs. Bile bomb was a suicide run that was on a flip of a coin, it may work or it may not. Marines have gain some new advantages in this patch, like beaconing exos, which ruins the aliens plan to force a beacon and leave the exo alone to die. and now they can get out the exos which negates the mistake of a team going all exo and not being able to build.
  • RabidWeaselRabidWeasel Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5337Members
    DeskLamp wrote: »
    Hate to say it @Idleray but I didn't think of arcs. Boy is my face red. Has anyone used this as a counter? Might do that next time.

    It happened in the first game I saw the comm use contaminate, I suggested it because we were winning and we were at the "throw onos at exos until you win" stage but all it did was blow up a load of whips :<
  • PoliniPolini Join Date: 2012-10-30 Member: 164602Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Yesterday i played as alien in Mineshaft a 80 min game, and was the only way to end this.

    Power under a robot factory, turrets, Exos on top of Robot factory and Armory, Gl and Flame spam.
    Solution: Send matured wips and rush at same time.

    We wanted a solution for the turtle and now we have it.

  • tarquinbbtarquinbb Join Date: 2012-11-03 Member: 166314Members
    if you let alien get enough res to spam whips, then you've long past botched up your chances of winning.

    also, doesn't a flamethrower stop the whip from working?
  • sotanahtsotanaht Join Date: 2013-01-12 Member: 179215Members
    edited August 2013
    _Necro_ wrote: »
    Higher Res-Cost would fix it, I think. You don't have resource problems as aliens when marines turtle. Make it even 100 res and it will remain useful.

    Doesn't last long enough to work at 100 res. You need to use the ability at least 3 times to get the whips in good.

    Anyway, I've had marines manage to counter contaminate whip plays. The easiest way seems to be to keep a couple arcs deployed in base.
  • KamamuraKamamura Join Date: 2013-03-06 Member: 183736Members, Reinforced - Gold
    edited August 2013
    100 res? ? ???

    No.
    No!
    No!!!

    It's not the contamination that kills, it's the hardware you must teleport in after you use it, AND you have to coordinate with your team. Regarding the whips, a few arcs in the base will counter it at a great loss to the aliens.
  • VetinariVetinari Join Date: 2013-07-23 Member: 186325Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Silver
    Contamination requires level 9 biomass which means aliens have at least 3 hives and are quite certain to win the game.
    I dont see the contamination skill too overpowered. I only see it as a quicker way to end marine turtle prolonging.

    On a five techpoint map a 3 hives vs. 2 CCs situation means both sides can upgrade to their max. => The game is equal. This shouldn't end in an automatic alien win, imo.
  • RuntehRunteh Join Date: 2010-06-26 Member: 72163Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    It isn't an automatic alien win though is it, this whole game is about guessing what the other team is going to do. If things get to a stalemate and you haven't protected your CC with an ARC, then being beaten by a group of echoed whips is your failure.

    You should assume anything can happen once both teams are fully upgraded.
  • Blarney_StoneBlarney_Stone Join Date: 2013-03-08 Member: 183808Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited August 2013
    Marines have ARCs which serve pretty much the same purpose, but they are more expensive and harder to use on account of being slow as molasses and easily countered by bile bomb.

    I don't at all hate the idea of reducing marine turtle but there has to be a way to make contaminate harder to succeed with
  • maD_maX_maD_maX_ Join Date: 2013-04-07 Member: 184678Members
    Sounds like a 2 base turtle, level 9 bio mass means you havent killed a hive 3-5 minutes Which means your turtling for tech, turtling because youve lost, or simply not cordinated enough to push.... In any case you lost...
  • Enhance89Enhance89 Join Date: 2009-11-04 Member: 69261Members
    This doesn't bother me too much. To be honest, I'm a fan of matches lasting no longer than about 30 minutes. In my experience, the turtles and "balanced" matches that last for 45 minutes, an hour or more, typically don't happen because of balanced gameplay. They happen because neither side is communicating or working effectively enough to take the win.

    I would agree contaminate needs a little tweak, but I like it's effectiveness. Aliens needed something to break a turtle. Also, as someone mentioned above, if aliens do get that third hive up then the Marines haven't done their job, and vice versa. At the point, the end game tech needs to start taking over so that matches can end.
  • kalakujakalakuja Join Date: 2012-09-11 Member: 159045Members, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter
    9 mass working as intended
  • VetinariVetinari Join Date: 2013-07-23 Member: 186325Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Silver
    maD_maX_ wrote: »
    Sounds like a 2 base turtle, level 9 bio mass means you havent killed a hive 3-5 minutes Which means your turtling for tech, turtling because youve lost, or simply not cordinated enough to push.... In any case you lost...

    Two base turtle?
    I don't believe in such a thing.
  • DraptorDraptor Join Date: 2013-03-05 Member: 183721Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Every time I've won a match with this it always results in quite a bit complaining.

    However, each time the Marines let me get 3 hives, keep up with the required upgrades for my Aliens, AND build 20 Whips around 2 shifts. That's a lot of res. The Marine team lost by not harassing, by thinking that sitting in their bases would let them eventually win.

    NS2 is a game about Harassment, Denial and Containment. Harass the enemy team on both the front line and rear. Deny them expansions and resources. Contain them in a little section of the map where they starve until you can destroy them.
  • Soli Deo GloriaSoli Deo Gloria Join Date: 2009-06-25 Member: 67926Members
    Contamination requires level 9 biomass which means aliens have at least 3 hives and are quite certain to win the game.
    I dont see the contamination skill too overpowered. I only see it as a quicker way to end marine turtle prolonging.

    On a five techpoint map a 3 hives vs. 2 CCs situation means both sides can upgrade to their max. => The game is equal. This shouldn't end in an automatic alien win, imo.

    Just because two teams are on equal tech doesn't mean they are equal. The game should feel like an arms race, not "oh we will hit max tech and be on equal footing with them so there's no worry". The threat of the late game tech should always be scary. It isn't who has what tech in late game. It's who uses it FIRST. Every extractor should count. It should be TENSE. "Just 10 more res and we can rush exos. Everyone delay their endgame tech! WE JUST NEED 10 MORE RES!"
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