Can I just ask.. If the human commander drops a resource node by players, can the players still build it or must they wait for a MAC to arrive and build?
Regardless of how the official NS2 gameplay turns out, I think there are many of us who are interested and capable of implementing the old NS and combat gameplays in the form of mods.
I think largely an alien comm may jump in and out. When I played yesterday I had a shot at Marine comm but didnt have a go at alien comm (not sure if it was even implemented yet). In NS1 I was the gorge that did the selfless thing and dropped 2-3 nodes at the start of each game, and pushed up behind the fades assalts to heal closer than the nearest hive.
To be honest, apart from maybe 1-2 others dropping a node and skulking it was quite rare to have someone run around and drop the required towers as they lost the res in the morph and many in pugs are selfish and want to do their own thing which they enjoy (which is fair enough really) but often this individual enjoyment doesnt benefit the team as a whole.
Having a knowledgeable person drop a couple of res nodes, special towers and hives doesnt seem like a fulltime job and something that you can do and jump out of before attacking while not wasting your personal resources. That would mean you could effectively do what was done in the past, however if someone wanted to stay and try to help direct traffic and resources then that could also benefit the teams. I see this as an oppurtunity to increase the number of strategies and also allow a more enjoyable group experience as everyone can do their own thing while also having something to ensure the whole team gets what is required.
This has been gone over quite a few times like most of things in this forum. Alien is not necessery (opinion here), more of a solution to make balancing easier for different number of players. To quickly explain it, 2v2 aliens are in favor in ns1, 6v6 is pretty much balanced (only map issues), 20v20 is in marines favor. Unified res system is (hopefully) a solution for these types of imbalance.
Surely adding commander and few kewl extra things to upgrade sounds cool, but ultimately it is going to be extremely boring for the alien side commander.
I'll admit it. I don't like the idea of an Alien Commander. Just like everyone else, I think the distinct difference between the teams in NS1 is what made it so awesome. I'll be sad to see that not carried over to NS2. But at the same time, I'm willing to try it. Perhaps the Alien Commander will be what makes NS2 a better game. We'll see. I won't say no to something I haven't seen fail.
Well the way its working right now is very nice and I wouldn't be disappointing if it continued to be such. However I would be delighted to see more differences in the commanding logistics for the two sides. We shall see, my suspicion is that the two commanders are so similar right now just because they needed to get them working for the alpha.
<!--quoteo(post=1787484:date=Jul 28 2010, 09:20 AM:name=Decipher)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Decipher @ Jul 28 2010, 09:20 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1787484"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I think everyones looking over the role too much.
I think largely an alien comm may jump in and out. When I played yesterday I had a shot at Marine comm but didnt have a go at alien comm (not sure if it was even implemented yet). In NS1 I was the gorge that did the selfless thing and dropped 2-3 nodes at the start of each game, and pushed up behind the fades assalts to heal closer than the nearest hive.
To be honest, apart from maybe 1-2 others dropping a node and skulking it was quite rare to have someone run around and drop the required towers as they lost the res in the morph and many in pugs are selfish and want to do their own thing which they enjoy (which is fair enough really) but often this individual enjoyment doesnt benefit the team as a whole.
Having a knowledgeable person drop a couple of res nodes, special towers and hives doesnt seem like a fulltime job and something that you can do and jump out of before attacking while not wasting your personal resources. That would mean you could effectively do what was done in the past, however if someone wanted to stay and try to help direct traffic and resources then that could also benefit the teams. I see this as an oppurtunity to increase the number of strategies and also allow a more enjoyable group experience as everyone can do their own thing while also having something to ensure the whole team gets what is required.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
QFT The alien commander is mostly just a temporary job. So the general dynamic of NS1 still applies, because the human commander definitely has to stay in his role fulltime to be effective.
Even with the Alien Commander the two factions still vary a lot. I believe adding the Alien Commander was to:
1.) Make the Balance better 2.) Increase the Influence of the unique aspect of NS, which is the RTS mode. Now both sides can enjoy this, which I see as an improvement
At this point I'm indifferent about it, if anything I lean SLIGHTLY more towards not having it only out of familiarity but without all the features added in yet it is very hard to judge. Al though I am always in agreement for anything that creates more diversity between races, but it all depends on how the alien com will play out which we have yet to see.
One thing I do know that is in a game called Savage which is also a fps/rts game with two races, both teams HAVE to have coms, and the problem is, if one of the com's is bad or even ok, they will get slaughtered by an experienced com. They have to much of an impact, at least in that game. Another problem it spurs up is the lack of desire to actually even com, since most people prefer playing on the field, which leads to many.. many games of sitting around for sometimes up to 30 minutes begging someone to com. Then.. you get the new player who has no idea how to com, and that leads to a 4 minute game with aggravated players yelling and screaming.
Those are the only real issues I can see arising from 2 commanders, and of course the less amount of diversity. It does however make sense for them to have a commander, I mean the hive does in fact dictate everything they do and governs the whole of every alien around it so it makes sense and it's to early to tell how well it will work in game.
remiremedy [blu.knight]Join Date: 2003-11-18Member: 23112Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester
<!--quoteo(post=1787529:date=Jul 28 2010, 12:51 AM:name=Arrowhead)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Arrowhead @ Jul 28 2010, 12:51 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1787529"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Seems some of you just want a port of NS1 to a new engine. I'm pretty sure that's not what this is going to be.
Anyways, we'll find out what works and what doesn't through the course of the alpha. Certainly nothing is absolutely set in stone.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> That is an inaccurate allegation to make. I don't think anyone just wants a port of NS1. It's old and needs updating. But I don't think any of us would be here if we didn't want it to retain its roots. We are here because we were fans of NS1. We want NS2 to be a sequel, not an entirely new IP. Some aspects, like the team hierachies, seem so essential to the original experience that I think it is making some of us uneasy to have it changed. We feel like NS2 might be straying too far from its roots and as a result the new experience will not be able to measure up to our memories.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->We want NS2 to be a sequel, not an entirely new IP<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> To be an entirely new IP they'd have to make a completely different game without marines vs aliens (gorge,fade,onos) etc. This isn't happening, it's an upgrade on NS1 like a multiplayer sequel should be. From what I've played of it so far I enjoy it, but mostly I'm waiting for it to be more or less feature complete and the actual balancing to start before passing judgement.
this alien commander will split the NS community, in 3 years half the players still won't agree with it.
like in nature you have animals living in groups with a leader and others don't. me and my turles live in group but they don't want me for leader :p in my case when I go alien I don't want an alien commander, a leader yes, but I want to spent my res to things I like.
it should be server decided, it gives some extra work for UWE but it keeps both sides happy.
<!--quoteo(post=1787615:date=Jul 28 2010, 06:28 AM:name=mayer)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mayer @ Jul 28 2010, 06:28 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1787615"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->this alien commander will split the NS community, in 3 years half the players still won't agree with it.
like in nature you have animals living in groups with a leader and others don't. me and my turles live in group but they don't want me for leader :p in my case when I go alien I don't want an alien commander, a leader yes, but I want to spent my res to things I like.
it should be server decided, it gives some extra work for UWE but it keeps both sides happy.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Am I turtly enough for the turtle club?? Turtle turtle..
For four of the five classes nothing changes, you run around and kill people, nothing says you have to listen to the commander.
For the remaining class, the only thing that changes is they can't build res towers, they still build turrets and have a big support role, with the dynamic infestation and toowers meaning solidifying control of an area still being a big part.
In fact the alien commander is almost entirely an addition, with new structures doing new things, it only replaces a small part of one class.
I would rather a game that plays well rather than one that is simply a good idea. NS1 took years to balance, and even at it's final iteration the game just simply was not <i>accessible</i>. Alien game play focused far too much on the individual skill of each player and was utterly merciless to new players. NS2 provides a great opportunity, by having a fresh start, the game can be built form the ground up and ultimately create a superior product. Simply rebuilding the game will only cause the exact same downfalls which plagued NS1. For the layperson, whom is not used to the dogged and unforgiving NS1, having an (hopefully) helping hand in the form of a commander can only be a boon. As for asymmetry, I really think that at their core the two sides are very distinct from one another and this would not totally effect their uniqueness in the long run.
<!--quoteo(post=1787641:date=Jul 28 2010, 01:28 PM:name=mayer)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mayer @ Jul 28 2010, 01:28 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1787641"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->so what's left for the gorges is healing and dropping hydra's?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
And any other weapons they get.
In NS1 they dropped a few different chambers that all did basically the same thing, they developed the area to solidify alien control, but the precise structures are largely irrelevant. They also heal and can shoot a few utility powers.
In NS2 they drop hydras, which develop the area and solidify alien control, and I assume hydras also spread DI a bit which does the same. They can presumably heal and will also presumably get a couple of utlility powers.
<!--quoteo(post=1787465:date=Jul 28 2010, 07:52 AM:name=Ratheart)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ratheart @ Jul 28 2010, 07:52 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1787465"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Can I just ask.. If the human commander drops a resource node by players, can the players still build it or must they wait for a MAC to arrive and build?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Only the MAC can build structures.
I've played around with Alien Commander, and I don't like it. I think so far it's just an idea which isn't even realised. But even so, the Gorge seems to have less of a role now, the Gorge did what the Commander did in NS1, the Aliens don't need a commander, it needed it's Gorges, and that worked very well in NS1, not sure why they'd change that formula in NS2. Heals and Hydras aren't really gonna make playing a Gorge worthwhile.
It's sort of assumed gorges will get more stuff to do.
Skulks can currently only jump and bite as far as I know, but nobody is complaining that skulks have been totally nerfed and suck now. It's an alpha, the abilities are not in yet.
So at first I was put off by the alien commander, but then with I think about it, it makes sense. How many pub games have you been in and nobody will drop res tower/chambers. This way its a commanders role and does not need to be defined, that alone shows its value. Sure you say, have some teamwork and dictate someone to do it. This does not always work in pub play, so I would always have to end up gorging to drop some res towers. When you break down games to their most basic levels (alpha), is where there symmetry seems most apparent. What is interesting is if you really think about it, even now, barebones ns2 is still quite asymmetrical as far as these types of games go. I mean most RTS or FPS games are the same thing on different side with different colors/names. Change is good, lets let them develop the commander role for a few months and then we should re-discuss this topic. Just being able to build res nodes etc. in alpha as a commander is not enough to say NS2 is leaving its roots.
NS2 has some big boots to fill, might as well give some time and let it grow into them.
Chris0132 stating the obvious there. But the Drifters now build what Gorges could build in NS1, I'm not sure what they will allow the Gorge to build (apart from Hydras) in future updates, but I sure preferred the role of the Gorge in NS1, NS2 makes its role smaller it seems. The Aliens simply didn't need a commander, the Gorge more than filled that role for the Aliens and it's worked very well even to this day, now in games, you're gonna need at least two decent commanders in the server, with most games in NS1, getting one decent commander was a stroke of luck.
I have to voice my agreement; I think the alien commander will ruin the function of the Gorges.
I almost always play as aliens in NS1 and I usually always play as a Gorge because I love building stuff and holding corridors. My favourite tactic would be to build up my resources then go to a "dangerous" location which was strategically important (like a junction) then drop offence towers and a defence tower. The defence tower would keep me and the offence towers alive long enough for other aliens to notice I was under attack and come to help. It worked because you had the defence towers. It worked because you could effectively block a corridor with offence towers. I would play entire matches just as a Gorge. I fear with less to do they will be boring to play as and ultimately less people will chose to play as them... thus again ruining the gameplay for people who attack as aliens because they can't get defence towers up front.
I sincerely hope NS2 reverts back to how it was in NS1 for these two very important aspects (being able to build defence towers and the offence towers being big enough to block corridors, but still leave enough room for the marines to "crouch" over them).
If anything the only part of NS1 mechanics I would change for the aliens would be to allow them to transfer resources to other players... say every 10 seconds or so. The beauty of the aliens was/is that all the aliens seemed to be completely individual... BUT, resulted in very very good team playing.
All it can do now is build the drones which are bugged and not fully realised. That's a small fraction of the overall abilities and when they're all there we can really see if it is similar or not to the marine commander. I want it to have a more passive role. An alien commander giving direct specific orders to drones and whatnot feels wrong to me. I'd like to see it have a role in controlling the dynamic infestation and upgrading structures and abilities. Please give the gorge more things to do. Building OCs is not enough why not let them build the other structures too? The drones could carry the 'seed' of a res tower or whatever but it needs the gorges to grow them.
<!--quoteo(post=1787638:date=Jul 28 2010, 02:17 PM:name=Chris0132)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chris0132 @ Jul 28 2010, 02:17 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1787638"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->What confuses me is why it matters.
For four of the five classes nothing changes, you run around and kill people, nothing says you have to listen to the commander.
For the remaining class, the only thing that changes is they can't build res towers, they still build turrets and have a big support role, with the dynamic infestation and toowers meaning solidifying control of an area still being a big part.
In fact the alien commander is almost entirely an addition, with new structures doing new things, it only replaces a small part of one class.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This! Most people will not notice any difference. It's not like Skulks could build RTs anyway. The only one who's got anything 'taken away' from him is the Gorge, and even at this early stage I would say he's got compensated for that. Everyone else isn't really affected at all.
And I too think this is closer to the single Gorge model of NS 1.0x, along with other changes that I have heard about. Which is a good thing imho. So despite all that is different it might turn out that at its essence NS2 is closer to its roots than NS1 3.x
If the mechanic of Alien commander was fundamentally different. I think more people would get on board...
If there was a way that it seemed to be linked to hive mind - you can only see parts of the map where players are - and, I don't know, you could slip into first person view with the little builders.
Perhaps, give the gorges back some of their building power? (defense towers) and make the Alien commander kind of like the big brother...the spirit of the aliens.. he/she can help with the offensive/defensive effort... building structures as well but CO-ORDINATING the alien forces..
If Alien commander was more of a co-ordinator and helper..that would be great.. but another Marine commander without the metal..hmm.. don't know..
Comments
If the human commander drops a resource node by players, can the players still build it or must they wait for a MAC to arrive and build?
Personally I have a lot of faith in UWE.
I think largely an alien comm may jump in and out. When I played yesterday I had a shot at Marine comm but didnt have a go at alien comm (not sure if it was even implemented yet). In NS1 I was the gorge that did the selfless thing and dropped 2-3 nodes at the start of each game, and pushed up behind the fades assalts to heal closer than the nearest hive.
To be honest, apart from maybe 1-2 others dropping a node and skulking it was quite rare to have someone run around and drop the required towers as they lost the res in the morph and many in pugs are selfish and want to do their own thing which they enjoy (which is fair enough really) but often this individual enjoyment doesnt benefit the team as a whole.
Having a knowledgeable person drop a couple of res nodes, special towers and hives doesnt seem like a fulltime job and something that you can do and jump out of before attacking while not wasting your personal resources. That would mean you could effectively do what was done in the past, however if someone wanted to stay and try to help direct traffic and resources then that could also benefit the teams. I see this as an oppurtunity to increase the number of strategies and also allow a more enjoyable group experience as everyone can do their own thing while also having something to ensure the whole team gets what is required.
Surely adding commander and few kewl extra things to upgrade sounds cool, but ultimately it is going to be extremely boring for the alien side commander.
I think largely an alien comm may jump in and out. When I played yesterday I had a shot at Marine comm but didnt have a go at alien comm (not sure if it was even implemented yet). In NS1 I was the gorge that did the selfless thing and dropped 2-3 nodes at the start of each game, and pushed up behind the fades assalts to heal closer than the nearest hive.
To be honest, apart from maybe 1-2 others dropping a node and skulking it was quite rare to have someone run around and drop the required towers as they lost the res in the morph and many in pugs are selfish and want to do their own thing which they enjoy (which is fair enough really) but often this individual enjoyment doesnt benefit the team as a whole.
Having a knowledgeable person drop a couple of res nodes, special towers and hives doesnt seem like a fulltime job and something that you can do and jump out of before attacking while not wasting your personal resources. That would mean you could effectively do what was done in the past, however if someone wanted to stay and try to help direct traffic and resources then that could also benefit the teams. I see this as an oppurtunity to increase the number of strategies and also allow a more enjoyable group experience as everyone can do their own thing while also having something to ensure the whole team gets what is required.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
QFT
The alien commander is mostly just a temporary job.
So the general dynamic of NS1 still applies, because the human commander definitely has to stay in his role fulltime to be effective.
Even with the Alien Commander the two factions still vary a lot. I believe adding the Alien Commander was to:
1.) Make the Balance better
2.) Increase the Influence of the unique aspect of NS, which is the RTS mode. Now both sides can enjoy this, which I see as an improvement
Anyways, we'll find out what works and what doesn't through the course of the alpha. Certainly nothing is absolutely set in stone.
One thing I do know that is in a game called Savage which is also a fps/rts game with two races, both teams HAVE to have coms, and the problem is, if one of the com's is bad or even ok, they will get slaughtered by an experienced com. They have to much of an impact, at least in that game. Another problem it spurs up is the lack of desire to actually even com, since most people prefer playing on the field, which leads to many.. many games of sitting around for sometimes up to 30 minutes begging someone to com. Then.. you get the new player who has no idea how to com, and that leads to a 4 minute game with aggravated players yelling and screaming.
Those are the only real issues I can see arising from 2 commanders, and of course the less amount of diversity. It does however make sense for them to have a commander, I mean the hive does in fact dictate everything they do and governs the whole of every alien around it so it makes sense and it's to early to tell how well it will work in game.
Anyways, we'll find out what works and what doesn't through the course of the alpha. Certainly nothing is absolutely set in stone.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That is an inaccurate allegation to make. I don't think anyone just wants a port of NS1. It's old and needs updating. But I don't think any of us would be here if we didn't want it to retain its roots. We are here because we were fans of NS1. We want NS2 to be a sequel, not an entirely new IP. Some aspects, like the team hierachies, seem so essential to the original experience that I think it is making some of us uneasy to have it changed. We feel like NS2 might be straying too far from its roots and as a result the new experience will not be able to measure up to our memories.
To be an entirely new IP they'd have to make a completely different game without marines vs aliens (gorge,fade,onos) etc. This isn't happening, it's an upgrade on NS1 like a multiplayer sequel should be. From what I've played of it so far I enjoy it, but mostly I'm waiting for it to be more or less feature complete and the actual balancing to start before passing judgement.
like in nature you have animals living in groups with a leader and others don't.
me and my turles live in group but they don't want me for leader :p
in my case when I go alien I don't want an alien commander, a leader yes, but I
want to spent my res to things I like.
it should be server decided, it gives some extra work for UWE but it keeps both sides happy.
like in nature you have animals living in groups with a leader and others don't.
me and my turles live in group but they don't want me for leader :p
in my case when I go alien I don't want an alien commander, a leader yes, but I
want to spent my res to things I like.
it should be server decided, it gives some extra work for UWE but it keeps both sides happy.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Am I turtly enough for the turtle club?? Turtle turtle..
and we don't have a comm, just this strange dark figure giving us food
The thing i have always liked the most about NS was how completely different both teams where now they are becoming to similar.
Ditch Alien commander!
For four of the five classes nothing changes, you run around and kill people, nothing says you have to listen to the commander.
For the remaining class, the only thing that changes is they can't build res towers, they still build turrets and have a big support role, with the dynamic infestation and toowers meaning solidifying control of an area still being a big part.
In fact the alien commander is almost entirely an addition, with new structures doing new things, it only replaces a small part of one class.
Simply rebuilding the game will only cause the exact same downfalls which plagued NS1. For the layperson, whom is not used to the dogged and unforgiving NS1, having an (hopefully) helping hand in the form of a commander can only be a boon.
As for asymmetry, I really think that at their core the two sides are very distinct from one another and this would not totally effect their uniqueness in the long run.
And any other weapons they get.
In NS1 they dropped a few different chambers that all did basically the same thing, they developed the area to solidify alien control, but the precise structures are largely irrelevant. They also heal and can shoot a few utility powers.
In NS2 they drop hydras, which develop the area and solidify alien control, and I assume hydras also spread DI a bit which does the same. They can presumably heal and will also presumably get a couple of utlility powers.
So I don't really see the difference.
If the human commander drops a resource node by players, can the players still build it or must they wait for a MAC to arrive and build?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Only the MAC can build structures.
I've played around with Alien Commander, and I don't like it. I think so far it's just an idea which isn't even realised. But even so, the Gorge seems to have less of a role now, the Gorge did what the Commander did in NS1, the Aliens don't need a commander, it needed it's Gorges, and that worked very well in NS1, not sure why they'd change that formula in NS2. Heals and Hydras aren't really gonna make playing a Gorge worthwhile.
Skulks can currently only jump and bite as far as I know, but nobody is complaining that skulks have been totally nerfed and suck now. It's an alpha, the abilities are not in yet.
When you break down games to their most basic levels (alpha), is where there symmetry seems most apparent. What is interesting is if you really think about it, even now, barebones ns2 is still quite asymmetrical as far as these types of games go. I mean most RTS or FPS games are the same thing on different side with different colors/names. Change is good, lets let them develop the commander role for a few months and then we should re-discuss this topic. Just being able to build res nodes etc. in alpha as a commander is not enough to say NS2 is leaving its roots.
NS2 has some big boots to fill, might as well give some time and let it grow into them.
I almost always play as aliens in NS1 and I usually always play as a Gorge because I love building stuff and holding corridors. My favourite tactic would be to build up my resources then go to a "dangerous" location which was strategically important (like a junction) then drop offence towers and a defence tower. The defence tower would keep me and the offence towers alive long enough for other aliens to notice I was under attack and come to help. It worked because you had the defence towers. It worked because you could effectively block a corridor with offence towers. I would play entire matches just as a Gorge. I fear with less to do they will be boring to play as and ultimately less people will chose to play as them... thus again ruining the gameplay for people who attack as aliens because they can't get defence towers up front.
I sincerely hope NS2 reverts back to how it was in NS1 for these two very important aspects (being able to build defence towers and the offence towers being big enough to block corridors, but still leave enough room for the marines to "crouch" over them).
If anything the only part of NS1 mechanics I would change for the aliens would be to allow them to transfer resources to other players... say every 10 seconds or so. The beauty of the aliens was/is that all the aliens seemed to be completely individual... BUT, resulted in very very good team playing.
For four of the five classes nothing changes, you run around and kill people, nothing says you have to listen to the commander.
For the remaining class, the only thing that changes is they can't build res towers, they still build turrets and have a big support role, with the dynamic infestation and toowers meaning solidifying control of an area still being a big part.
In fact the alien commander is almost entirely an addition, with new structures doing new things, it only replaces a small part of one class.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This! Most people will not notice any difference. It's not like Skulks could build RTs anyway. The only one who's got anything 'taken away' from him is the Gorge, and even at this early stage I would say he's got compensated for that. Everyone else isn't really affected at all.
And I too think this is closer to the single Gorge model of NS 1.0x, along with other changes that I have heard about. Which is a good thing imho. So despite all that is different it might turn out that at its essence NS2 is closer to its roots than NS1 3.x
If there was a way that it seemed to be linked to hive mind - you can only see parts of the map where players are - and, I don't know, you could slip into first person view with the little builders.
Perhaps, give the gorges back some of their building power? (defense towers) and make the Alien commander kind of like the big brother...the spirit of the aliens.. he/she can help with the offensive/defensive effort... building structures as well but CO-ORDINATING the alien forces..
If Alien commander was more of a co-ordinator and helper..that would be great.. but another Marine commander without the metal..hmm.. don't know..