NS2 has seen too much use of energy on the Alien side. I'm all for energy as a mechanic in the game, but I definitely feel like it's been used wrong where Tres should be used instead. Energy should only be used on temporary effects, not tangible things that stick around like Cysts and Drifters.
As long as Hives must be built on tech points, like harvesters must be built on res nodes, then hive energy and Tres/Pres are more or less acquired proportionately to the amount of territory occupied across the map. Only, Tres/Pres is a little more dynamic than hive energy as it comes from many more sources than hive energy.
I think we should stop designing the aliens around energy as a third fundamental resource.
-
If UWE is making Cysts cost energy because Blizzard did that in StarCraft 2, then they have fundamentally missed the mark. Creep spread was an aspect of playing Zerg that fell secondary to setting up base infrastructure: you don't spread creep to increase the area in which you build your buildings - you spread it to increase your area of vision in front of your base. To gain that ability, you had to build expensive (in the early game) Queens. Cysts in NS2 are much more central to the alien infrastructure and should instead be compared in value to Overlords.
Drifters are like Queens and Cysts like Overlords. Both units are necessary to the steady growth of the race and as such cost Tres to produce.
<!--quoteo(post=1938480:date=May 23 2012, 07:06 PM:name=Yuuki)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Yuuki @ May 23 2012, 07:06 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1938480"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Power-nodes should cost t-res obviously.
The main problem is that it would give the skulks a good reason to bite them, which is not the most exiting activity. I prefer like it is now; everybody ignoring power-nodes once built, so they are a minimal nuisance to the gameplay.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I like the idea of certain purchases requiring energy and T-res. This would mostly be for cysts and PNs, but other energy abilities could have a small T-res cost on activation (beacon, nano-shield, nano-build, nutrient mist, drifter mist). Including a small T-res cost would be effective in limiting repeated usage when turtling. This also creates more trade-offs between tactical abilities and strategic functions like tech and units.
Comments
As long as Hives must be built on tech points, like harvesters must be built on res nodes, then hive energy and Tres/Pres are more or less acquired proportionately to the amount of territory occupied across the map. Only, Tres/Pres is a little more dynamic than hive energy as it comes from many more sources than hive energy.
I think we should stop designing the aliens around energy as a third fundamental resource.
-
If UWE is making Cysts cost energy because Blizzard did that in StarCraft 2, then they have fundamentally missed the mark. Creep spread was an aspect of playing Zerg that fell secondary to setting up base infrastructure: you don't spread creep to increase the area in which you build your buildings - you spread it to increase your area of vision in front of your base. To gain that ability, you had to build expensive (in the early game) Queens. Cysts in NS2 are much more central to the alien infrastructure and should instead be compared in value to Overlords.
Drifters are like Queens and Cysts like Overlords. Both units are necessary to the steady growth of the race and as such cost Tres to produce.
Make power nodes cost 5-10 tres each time you want to add one or repair a destroyed one.
<!--quoteo(post=1938480:date=May 23 2012, 07:06 PM:name=Yuuki)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Yuuki @ May 23 2012, 07:06 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1938480"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Power-nodes should cost t-res obviously.
The main problem is that it would give the skulks a good reason to bite them, which is not the most exiting activity. I prefer like it is now; everybody ignoring power-nodes once built, so they are a minimal nuisance to the gameplay.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->