DI ideas

Lazarus

Here's how I'd like the DI to work:

i) Infestation spreads automatically but slowly in unpowered rooms
ii) RTs generate their own tiny patch of infestation but can support (prevent from receding) a larger radius of infestation created by gorges
iii) The commander can only expand infestation already connected to a hive
iv) Gorges can place infestation anywhere
v) Infestation outside unpowered rooms recedes if it isn't connected to a hive and also if it's outside the supported radius of a RT
vi) Infestation is more vulnerable in powered rooms and easier to burn away

- The automatic spread in unpowered rooms would be thematically consistent with the gridlock concept and would reduce micromanagement
- RTs' independence would make expansion less restricted
- Having commanders and gorges work together to connect vulnerable RT outposts to the main infestation would encourage interaction without making them too dependent on each other

I haven't had a chance to play latest build very much, although I've read quite a bit about it, so maybe what I'm suggesting isn't very relevant. What are your thoughts on this and DI in general?

l3lessed

I agree for the most part. However, I would say completely remove the commanders ability to create infestation and instead allow him to direct which way infestation grows using some sort of way point system that also shows up for the gorge. Here's my ideas.

I agree partially. I think there should be three ways to generate DI.

The first is the hive: The hive has the largest and quickest DI generation. One Hive can easily cover the room it's in along with any adjacent hallways or rooms. Right now the Hives DI area is to small I feel for being the kind of central organism/building for aliens.

The second would be RTs: Resource towers are special in their DI generation ability. Since they harvest resources, the have evolved over time to use those resources to create their own self sustaining infestation. However since they also share that resource with other Kharaa life forms, the amount of DI they generate is smaller and slower than the hive. A RT can cover about a 4th of a normal sized room. Maybe 20 ft at most.

The third and last way is the Gorge: The gorge having evolved to help support, maintain, and nurture the bacteria and Kharaa has naturally evolved the ability to infest areas. The gorge spits out small DI generating structures. They appear as small orange glowing puss bubbles like the ones on the whip, but embedded in DI instead. The structure will start to use all its energy to grow DI around it. If it doesn't find any DI to link to before it has used all its energy it dies. However, the gorge can continually dump energy into it to help it grow faster and also to maintain it if it runs out of energy. Without the gorges help, it grows at a slow to medium pace. With the gorge it grows medium to fast pace. Being the only way to link DI and res nodes, the area of cover is medium about 10 to 15 feet.

The commanders role in this isn't to create infestation, but it is instead to direct where infestation is going to go first by way of way points that both tell the gorge where he needs to grow and to also make the DI automatically grow that way faster.

Also resource towers can be used the support gorges DI. So the commander can drop a res node in a room, and then the gorge can come in and start to put down DI nodes and infest the whole room. However if one marine gets in and kills the harvester, all the DI it is supporting dies slowly.

This to me would seem to be a much more natural and organic feel and way of handling DI.

Papayas

I have an idea. Dynamic Infestation grows faster in dark areas. It seems more realistic and also allows destroying power nodes to benefit the Alien Commander.

slowJusko

* Visible range of spread for commander, similar to gorge, so you can tell where to place infestation for fast spread.
* Gorge infestation permanent if connected to hive.

KuBaN

+1 to the first two posts. This is sort of how I thought it would work anyways. Anything but the current infest-juggle you have to perform would be welcomed.

IronHorse

YES! you just gave power nodes a purpose finally!

besides, this is how i always thought it would be from hearing charlie talk about it, DI grows where aliens have taken over /inhabited. this whole "chasing the receding vague patches" is kinda silly..

measles

The point about 'harvester' DI radius confuzzles me somewhat.
The Extraction Point must be 'infested' in order for for the drifter to morph (to harvester), does it not?
In anycase, I do think that DI should be directly connected to the performance of the team;

More frags for aliens = greater rate of DI.

Lazarus

<!--quoteo(post=1836535:date=Mar 9 2011, 08:32 AM:name=measles)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (measles @ Mar 9 2011, 08:32 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1836535"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The point about 'harvester' DI radius confuzzles me somewhat.
The Extraction Point must be 'infested' in order for for the drifter to morph (to harvester), does it not?
In anycase, I do think that DI should be directly connected to the performance of the team;

More frags for aliens = greater rate of DI.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

What I mean is that gorges would be able to infest an area around the RT of roughly the same size as the room, even if the infestation isn't connected to a hive, and the infestation wouldn't recede as long as the RT is alive. I think it would be overpowered if RTs could support infestation in the same way as hives do, hence the maximum radius.

Ironsoul

Also make MACs have the ability to automatically burn away infestation.

Papayas

<!--quoteo(post=1836947:date=Mar 13 2011, 03:03 AM:name=Ironsoul)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ironsoul @ Mar 13 2011, 03:03 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1836947"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Also make MACs have the ability to automatically burn away infestation.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I think they are making another bot that burns away infestation. There is going to be a building called the 'Robot Factory' (?) that will allow you to get: Jetpacks, ARCs, H.E.X.O, and maybe other bots that burn away infestation.

There has been a thread about other bots and also ideas for the 'Robot Factory'. I can't find the thread though but some of the other ideas (Besides, bots burning infestation) is like a 'Light Bot' and also a 'Camera Bot'.

Align

Robot Factory is only for ARC, Prototype lab is for jp and exo.

Rainseeker

I like the idea that infestation would slowly recede if power was restored. However, if the infestation was allowed to get bad enough it should cover the power node and require a bot, flamethrower or hatchet to remove before the node can be fixed. Flamethrowers should be fastest.

Perhaps marines can research a fungicide of some sort that only is active in powered rooms?

measles

I would like an audio indicator that 'dings' or something to commander(s) in hive confirming that structures built are <i>now</i> connected the hive, and a 'dong' to say that stuctures are in jeaprody.. Furthermore, an icon to select 'nearest gorge'.