Need to unlock class before evolving

ScardyBob

Here's my idea for dealing with the aliens getting higher lifeforms too early and being able to mass lifeform spam at a moments notice. Institute a system where before an alien can evolve to a higher lifeform, they need to unlock that lifeform by spending their PRes on it first. As a start, I'd set the unlock value as the current PRes cost for each class, such that it would be

Class - Unlock costs - Evolve costs
Gorge - 10 - 10
Lerk - 30 - 30
Fade - 50 - 50
Onos - 75 - 75

In effect, this would double the time till the first lerk/fade/onos could come out and each alien would have to plan to go that class early on. It would also discourage switching between classes at a moments notice because doing so would be prohibitively expensive. For example, say you unlocked and evolved fade, but your team wants to do a lerk rush. Instead of spending 30 PRes, you'd now have to spend 60 PRes (30 to unlock the lerk and 30 to evolve to lerk), making it still possible to lerk rush, but much more expensive and less likely in practice.

ogz

if I understand their design log correctly, i think they WANT aliens to be flexible and able to switch classes as required. (isn't one of the shift upgrades going to be just that? getting refund when switching from higher lifeform?)

I'm happy with the khaam having to 'unlock' lifeforms, more decisions to be made

you can even make them choose between unlocking 'tier2' augs first, or unlocking fade/ono first.

Xarius

Yea this has been brought up several times before, it makes perfect sense since it's really hard to properly balance the game with aliens getting their p.res sinks without needing tech first (like marines do). Unfortunately UWE doesn't feel the same way, they don't want to take away the player's freedom to choose a lifeform, i.e have games with just lerks or gorges.

I suppose they have a point in that, but then they need to:
- Slow p.res gain/starting p.res
- Nerf augmentation, split it up with tech per ability, fix continuous hive misting and increase cost
- Reinstate p.res costs on upgrades, the higher the lifeform the more you have to pay for its upgrades