"Gas Mask" upgrade for marines
Chris0132
Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68262Members
Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68262Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Early game solution to spores</div>I read on the design log that lerks might be getting an even more annoying spore attack. While spores are an effective and important tool for aliens, I think marines need some sort of counter to them other than the exosuit.
So, I propose the gas mask.
It would be a researchable upgrade from the armory, and once researched, it adds an option to the armory buy menu for marines to spend about 5 res to unlock a new ability.
When the marine enters a spore cloud, his helmet closes up to protect him from the spores, this prevents the spores from damaging him but also restricts his view around the edges, making it harder to see aliens flanking him.
It would be purchaseable because some people may prefer having visibility and also to prevent everyone from buying one. Spores would still be useful as marines using gas masks would still be hampered by spores, because it would be harder to see in them both from the particle effect and the restricted view, but it would generally be better than being damaged by the spores.
Visibility wise, aliens should be able to see a change on the marine model indicating that they are using this ability. If animating an actual metal cover going over the marine is too fiddly, you could just project a stronger version of the blue hud hologram over the entire face of the marine, and represent the view disruption in first person as a strong blue <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vignetting" target="_blank">vignetting</a> in the corners of the screen, that should be easy to implement.
I think this would help address spores being incredibly annoying as marines, while keeping them effective against non-exosuit marines.
I did consider having the ability be button activated, but that might be annoying to have to turn on and off, automating it would be more helpful to the user I think.
So, I propose the gas mask.
It would be a researchable upgrade from the armory, and once researched, it adds an option to the armory buy menu for marines to spend about 5 res to unlock a new ability.
When the marine enters a spore cloud, his helmet closes up to protect him from the spores, this prevents the spores from damaging him but also restricts his view around the edges, making it harder to see aliens flanking him.
It would be purchaseable because some people may prefer having visibility and also to prevent everyone from buying one. Spores would still be useful as marines using gas masks would still be hampered by spores, because it would be harder to see in them both from the particle effect and the restricted view, but it would generally be better than being damaged by the spores.
Visibility wise, aliens should be able to see a change on the marine model indicating that they are using this ability. If animating an actual metal cover going over the marine is too fiddly, you could just project a stronger version of the blue hud hologram over the entire face of the marine, and represent the view disruption in first person as a strong blue <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vignetting" target="_blank">vignetting</a> in the corners of the screen, that should be easy to implement.
I think this would help address spores being incredibly annoying as marines, while keeping them effective against non-exosuit marines.
I did consider having the ability be button activated, but that might be annoying to have to turn on and off, automating it would be more helpful to the user I think.
Comments
At that point the marine can stay in the spore cloud for a brief while and avoid the damage if he wants, but he's still forced to reposition or take damage after the battery runs out. This gives the game pretty nice dynamics where you have to cycle the most spore heavy duties between the masked marines to keep the damage minimal and batteries charging.
The idea is that it allows marines to fight through the spores rather than retreat, currently fighting through them to kill the lerk isn't very effective, and lerks can spam spores quite happily, safe in the knowledge they'll eventually kill or force marines to retreat. By changing spores from a damage inducing effect to a debuff, it forces lerks to use their other abilities and encourages marines to push forward, something they have real difficulty doing at the moment.
If you give them another reason to run away they'll do it just as much. Further you really can't expect marines to be that coordinated that they can keep track of the health and energy of every member of the squad while trying to fight aliens at the same time.
I agree with Peregrinus here.
There needs to be more things before the Gas Masks will have a proper use.
What I always thought would be a neat way to counter spores, was if you'd be able to use a flame thrower, to destroy the spores. Somewhat like how the flamethrower gets rid of infestation. Lerk spores, you've upgraded enough to have flamethrowers, you're ahead of your team, destroying all the spores around and you make your way through.
Would be neat, that's what i'd like to see.
Flamethrower would be kinda difficult as you'd have to keep spamming it and the lerk could just re-spore right after you kill it.
Clearly a sustainable strategy.
Similar to mustard gas, which causes terrible burns everywhere around the body.
Make the Gorge heal spray a gas attack. Make Umbra a gas attack (though a bit weaker than spore). Make damaged Cyst release spore cloud type attack. Hell... maybe even make all burning alien structure release a small AOE gas damage (making gas masks a good choice with flamethrowers).
Then add something like below. Notice I simply got the black marine head gear, painted it green and added a black visor. This could also act as a helmet for extra armor..so even if you are not intending to go after lerks/gorges/cysts.. it still has use.
<img src="http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz40/OutlawD1/GasMaskMarine65.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Similar to mustard gas, which causes terrible burns everywhere around the body.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Lorewise, that's how it is. It eats at the armour as it can detect the flesh underneath (HA is too thick), and thus structures are unaffected.
Make the Gorge heal spray a gas attack. Make Umbra a gas attack (though a bit weaker than spore). Make damaged Cyst release spore cloud type attack. Hell... maybe even make all burning alien structure release a small AOE gas damage (making gas masks a good choice with flamethrowers).
Then add something like below. Notice I simply got the black marine head gear, painted it green and added a black visor. This could also act as a helmet for extra armor..so even if you are not intending to go after lerks/gorges/cysts.. it still has use.
<img src="http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz40/OutlawD1/GasMaskMarine65.png" border="0" class="linked-image" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It should work on gorge heal spray certainly, although the point is to make gas attacks less annoying, not to make them more prevalent and thus even more annoying.
Well that brings up a good point, if something is so annoying that we shutter at the prospect of adding more of it, why is it even in the game to begin with?
What makes the lerk spore gas so annoying is that it obstructs your vision and the lerk can shoot it from range. Its difficult/annoying to counter since you either have just run away or run through gas taking damage....all the while the lerk simply has to shoot in your general direction..not even directly at you. To put it simply it feels a bit on the cheap side.
However if we really want gasmasks in the game we really need more reasons to use them, and they shouldn't be a complete hard counter to spore gas.
Now just imagine that cysts and burning alien buildings dealt gas damage when damaged. You the player would know exactly what you were getting yourself into. Its a choice you made. Plus the source of that damage is right in front of you. There is no blind running around trying to find the source. It almost acts like a hydra at this point, but a hydra that only attacks when you attack it. Its not going to be anywhere near as annoying.
There is purpose to these suggestions I made. I have been thinking about gas masks for some time. I made that image a while ago..playing around with it seeing how it could look in game. I wanted to wait until cysts were released to see how they fair, but one thing I fear is that Cysts will be easily taken down by shotguns. Cysts releasing a gas damage had the purpose of countering point blank shotgun damage.
With burning aliens structures releasing gas, I wanted flamethrowers to have a more defined role, but at a price. Right now they act as a way to slow down fades. For everything else the shotgun or GL does better. Ohh yea, it can take out infestation, but thats being changed to be focused around cysts structures. Again I wanted to wait until cysts were released to see how flamethrowers fared. The idea was that ft could have a defined role in sieges, but at price of taking gas damage. FTs wouldn't be the main damage dealing siege weapon, but structure on fire could effectively stop functioning (or at least function a lot less efficiently). That means hydras would stop shooting (or shoot less), whips stop hitting (hit less), harvesters stop res production (produce less)..and so on. The price was that players would start taking an AoE gas damage. However, if players were wearing gas masks, they would mitigate some (or all) of the damage...and flamethrowers would have a unique part to play in sieges.
oh this idea i like. the main purpose of the FT is anyway to cripple the enemy, so it would make perfect sense. In addition to what you wrote:
Hives produce less eggs