Pherimones
ElectricSheep
Join Date: 2003-04-21 Member: 15716Members
Join Date: 2003-04-21 Member: 15716Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Upgrade</div> Let's face it compared to SOF pherimones suck. A solution I feel could be to have the Pherimones change based on Marine Damge Level and Equipment. IE 100-66 Green 66-33 Yellow 33-1 Red. Also have it be a LINE not puffs and make it always transparent but fade in vibrance (turn paler) So lots of it dont obscure an area. The line idea would be better so puffs dont get mixed up with other marines puffs. HA would have a purple tinge on the border of the line that also fades in vibrance depending on the amount of armor left rather than how old the pherimone is. This could cause a skulk using pheramones and cloak see a HA/HMG marine in full health and armor go past in a train and know not drop on him but instead the HA/ SG who has a red trail and a pale purple tinge (injured and low armor). Jetpacks could also have a tinge of some kind. <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif'><!--endemo-->
Comments
It needs to be replaced with another ability or it needs to somehow be made effective.
I'm gonna quote my grade 7 English teacher on this one "If you don't say it, someone else will. Then you'll be pretty damn **** off, won't you?"
Its so true... <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo-->
PherImones are nice for fades.
PherImones could tell what kind of weapon is incoming.
Or PherImone trails just could be longer and less dense.
Pher[i]mones = Detailed stats on target. Lethality increase for skulks: 350% <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> (with this idea, really!)
this just makes it waaay better. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> no complaining here
[edit] bloody Ollj jumping down our throughts for impropper grammar. heh <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> [/edit]
<b>You have a cloud of alien microbes around you that distort everything. This negates motion tracking and (possibly) blurs you a bit when you move, making you harder to hit.</b>
This would actually make it very valuable in *some* situations (against MT) and at least somewhat valid in general (it would give a small bonus when attacking, unlike the other SC upgrades)
I like <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Stop talking.
But, still, I think it's the least important concern... I often use it simply to amuse myself with little gas clouds coming from oni arses. There are some balance issues to fix first, then I imagine they'll open up S&I for random comments such as this. Waiting is highly recommended.
Dude these beefing would monumentally make [pheramones?] better but would not make it overpowered just at least able to COMPETE with the other upgrades.
No, really, how about somethign like fury or something? Boosts attacks... you know... something like wrath or something..
*sighs*
gotta go, bedtime
only problem is that it would be perfered as soon as marines get MT. and if marines dont have MT you've just wasted a upgrade of 2 res... <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'><!--endemo-->
I propose Advanced Bacterium. Basically, any marine/building in the los of an alien chamber (res, sensory, d, hive, etc) is 'seen' by aliens with Bacterium Communication. This would be slightly more useful than SoF for broader strategy. "Look out guys, they are massing by Cargo door. Everyone get ready to ambush" all thanks to a sensory chamber's vision. It encourages team work, sensory chambers, and a marine tracking option besides SoF.
I propose Advanced Bacterium. Basically, any marine/building in the los of an alien chamber (res, sensory, d, hive, etc) is 'seen' by aliens with Bacterium Communication. This would be slightly more useful than SoF for broader strategy. "Look out guys, they are massing by Cargo door. Everyone get ready to ambush" all thanks to a sensory chamber's vision. It encourages team work, sensory chambers, and a marine tracking option besides SoF. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
That is a more realistic idea. I like it!
I propose Advanced Bacterium. Basically, any marine/building in the los of an alien chamber (res, sensory, d, hive, etc) is 'seen' by aliens with Bacterium Communication. This would be slightly more useful than SoF for broader strategy. "Look out guys, they are massing by Cargo door. Everyone get ready to ambush" all thanks to a sensory chamber's vision. It encourages team work, sensory chambers, and a marine tracking option besides SoF. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
and then someone says that SoF is useless, and thus <i>another</i> upgrade "needs" replacing... <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'><!--endemo-->
That said, I like the MT blocking aspect suggestion. The problem is that if you have a good gorge(s) and go sensory first, chances are that you'll pretty much be able to wander the key spots on the map at leisure without being MTed. Still, the idea of playing a silenced/MT blocked skulk or even fade is a very compelling one <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
<b>Mirror image / Gemini / Duplicate / Hallucinate</b> or whatever sounds best.
Basically, when alien sees a marine, a duplicate of the alien in question appears and charges at the closest marine. It does no damage, doesn't bleed when shot, doesn't show up in MT and can't be killed. Levels would affect the amount of time the duplicate lasts. Aliens would see the duplicates as glowing transparent. The ability would have a recharge time so ?ou couldn't get two duplicates off during a quick fight.
There are some obvious problems with the idea, I grant you that. What about clipping, would the duplicate be no-clip in order to stop it blocking an attack route? Would it require a lot of AI programming? And so on. Like I said, just my 2 cents and not one of my best suggestions. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Edit: Oh yeah, the disable motion tracking thing... I think SoF is simply so powerful and useful in _every_ situation that an ability that _may_ be useful would be picked very rarely over it. I know I would much prefer the ultimate situational awareness over being invisible to motion tracking.
I'm not sure what it could be re-named to, but I think the upgrade should be that it brings electromagnetic infrared radiation into the alien's visible light spectrum (any name suggestions?). Then it would be seen as a sort of heat vision, rather than a scent which somehow travels through walls perfectly, and that the alien can magically detect the source of from a distance. There are many animals on Earth which have infrared as part of their visible light spectrum (like rattlesnakes). Humans do not, and must rely on building their own infrared receptors if they want to do this. That's why I think SOF should should an infrared vision evolution instead.
If this was done, then pheromones could be re-named to <b>'Predator's Instinct'</b> (or some better name, mine sucks <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->), and the idea at the start of this thread could be implemented. The colour of the line given off by the marine could change according his health level. This is perfect when you think about it in terms of predators hunting their prey. As a result of the advantages it gives them, predators have evolved to be very efficient at identifying injured prey. When predators attack a large group of their prey, they pick out just one of the entire group which they interpret to be young or injured, or has some sort of problem. They arn't just going to jump in and try to kill the first big healthy ox they see, when there is a young and injured one that is lost from the group.
If a group of marines were running down a corridor towards a hive, you could quickly evolve this ability and then check which ones are on low health when you go in to attack them. You could wipe out all the injured marines first, and then concentrate on taking down the healthier ones. A marine on 10 hp which gets the phase gate up could have been avoided easily if you'd known he was on so little health. It will also help you decide whether it is best to run or attack at certain situations when you come across a marine/few marines.
Or you could take out the idea of it being a Pheromone type ability and make it more like a 1.04 Scent of Fear ability, just that it isn't detected through walls. Maybe an icon could appear on all marines or something, with a colour indicator as to what health level they are at. Then, if a marine is standing still or even coming straight at you, you could still tell whether he is injured or not. The difference is, you just won't be able to see the icon through walls. This means that you would have to choose between the wallhack type ability (<b>Infrared Radiation</b>) or go with a really good indication of injured marines (<b>Predator's Instinct</b>). You can't have both, like in 1.04.
<b>EDIT:</b> Spelling is good.
<b>EDIT:</b> Grammar is good too.
I like it!! <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> . I mean, I would use phermones, if they were like that. It could make skulks a lot more efficient. If you attack a fully armoured HA-marine with skulk, you are pretty much dead. But if you could know when a marine has low health/armour, HA/no HA just by looking at phermones, it would make lots of easy prey for skulks.