Drifter & Cyst Changes

PsiWarpPsiWarp Gifted GorgeRichmond, B.C., Canada Join Date: 2010-08-28 Member: 73810Members
edited February 2012 in Ideas and Suggestions
Looks like I went ahead of myself and posted some ideas in the <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showtopic=116453" target="_blank">general forum</a>, but anyway, here it is:

IMO, the Alien Commander can be more fun. It's not fun to have to wait for energy to make Drifters to build, nor is it fun to put Cysts down click-by-click.

<b>Suggested changes</b>:
<ul><li>Limit 3 Drifters to each active Hive, and have them automatically spawn like Eggs (They're just enlarged glowies right? Those are floating around the Hive anyway!)</li><li>Remove Drifter from Hive abilities. Cyst and the soon-to-come ability "Catalyze" become the set of abilities on the Hive.</li></ul>
<b>New Cyst Mechanic</b>:
<ul><li>When creating infestation, show the Commander a ghost outline of the infestation-spreading tentacle (once implemented). It can be extended as far as energy per Cyst allow (if Hive has enough energy)</li><li>When the Khamm confirms the place he wants the tentacle to reach, Cysts are automatically placed along the tentacle at a distance between each other; each Cyst would cost X energy.</li><li>Each Cyst would have a small build time, and the tentacle takes time to generate along the path, so it would not be instantaneous but gradual.</li><li>Let the Alien Commander cancel building Cysts to stop the chain from growing (saves Hive energy which is only spent when a new Cyst is growing/grown along the path)</li><li>If there are existing Cysts near an area the Commander wants infestation to spread, automatically link newly placed tentacle to the closest Cyst (saves Hive energy since tentacle doesn't stretch all the way from the Hive again)</li></ul>
Basically, a single click is all it takes, to spread infestation automatically along a designated path, with Cysts created at a distance from each other over time. It would free up the Khamm from picking and choosing each Cyst location, allowing him to micromanage his Drifters to build, and activate support abilities from Crags, Shades, Shifts, and Whips along the way.

I suppose that if a Marine were to sever the connection by killing a Cyst of a growing tentacle, the entire growth process will halt; same thing happens if the front-most growing Cyst is destroyed, so no energy is wasted (otherwise, the game would continuously attempt to place a Cyst to grow the tentacle, free points for Marines camping there :P)

Less hassle from spawning Drifters (which will be killed either way) and more control over infestation spread ^-^

What do you think? Too newb-friendly?
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