Sensory tech path
Typhon
Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 1899Members
Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 1899Members
My thoughts for the next alien tech path. The idea here is a tech path that focuses on increasing awareness of enemy movements and using that knowledge to carry out decisive attacks.
Utility structure - Eye
Passive: Permanently cloaked, like Shade. Screeches (audible to aliens and khamm) when it sees marines and makes them visible on minimap/hivesight.
Active: Reveals all marines and structures nearby on hivesight (even through walls), basically a fixed position scanner sweep. (This is the part I'm least happy with, suggestions for an alternate active are welcome)
Matured (passive): Automatically parasites all marines within view and some distance (does not deal damage, but does not uncloak either).
Upgrade structure - Bulb
Hunter: Reveals enemy HP bars and highlights in bright red any enemy that can be killed in one attack with your current primary weapon.
Focus: Doubles primary attack damage and energy consumption, halves attack speed.
With lots of eyes up, you'll know the moment any marines encroach on infested territory, and at maturity even be able to track them after they're initially spotted. The active can be used for offense (gauge defenses before going in for an attack, and knowing where to strike once you get in the room) or defense (evaluate enemy numbers and supporting structures, is this a full-on assault or just some stragglers? Are they bringing arcs? Is a phase up, and where?). Hunter enables aliens to pick the easy targets out of the squad, and focus enables sporadic attacks to be just as effective as getting stuck in.
Utility structure - Eye
Passive: Permanently cloaked, like Shade. Screeches (audible to aliens and khamm) when it sees marines and makes them visible on minimap/hivesight.
Active: Reveals all marines and structures nearby on hivesight (even through walls), basically a fixed position scanner sweep. (This is the part I'm least happy with, suggestions for an alternate active are welcome)
Matured (passive): Automatically parasites all marines within view and some distance (does not deal damage, but does not uncloak either).
Upgrade structure - Bulb
Hunter: Reveals enemy HP bars and highlights in bright red any enemy that can be killed in one attack with your current primary weapon.
Focus: Doubles primary attack damage and energy consumption, halves attack speed.
With lots of eyes up, you'll know the moment any marines encroach on infested territory, and at maturity even be able to track them after they're initially spotted. The active can be used for offense (gauge defenses before going in for an attack, and knowing where to strike once you get in the room) or defense (evaluate enemy numbers and supporting structures, is this a full-on assault or just some stragglers? Are they bringing arcs? Is a phase up, and where?). Hunter enables aliens to pick the easy targets out of the squad, and focus enables sporadic attacks to be just as effective as getting stuck in.
Comments
Not a fan of the idea that you'll be able to see which marine is weak in a group, that's part of the skillset of being able to track marines as a team.
Just a few problems that come to mind:
-Shade tech wouldn't probably get much play if a fourth tech path is implemented.
-Fade might still feel like a gimp in two-hive play, if crag or shift upgrades are dropped in favour of focus
-Overlap with drifters as mentioned
All in all the sensory tech path as you suggested it feels like it would fit in the alien gameplay nicely.