Cut the initial resource rates for Harvesters
Dwavenhobble
Join Date: 2012-12-14 Member: 175044Members
Join Date: 2012-12-14 Member: 175044Members
<div class="IPBDescription">More balance change than anything</div>Ok everyone knows the aliens are winning more often so I have a simple suggestion that could address the balance.
Cut the initial rate of the non matured harvester.
At present due to harvesters (according to the wiki) only gaining more health and armour when they mature their resource gathering rate is the same as extractors.
However unlike extractors they start collecting the moment they are placed (at least I haven't see any indication they aren't collecting till mature)
so they only need to be alive 1 minute (15 seconds after maturing) to cover their own costs and while they have the 12 second set up time of due to needing the power node up too extractors suffer a slightly longer set up.
Now I'm not calling for a drastic change but maybe just 1 second added to the resource turn over time of an immature harvester could make a real difference to the resource rates and as such change the 65% alien win rate a bit.
This way Aliens still get the bonus of not needing their team there to set up the harvester but it gives an incentive to have a Gorge to help set them up or resources come just slightly slower.
Cut the initial rate of the non matured harvester.
At present due to harvesters (according to the wiki) only gaining more health and armour when they mature their resource gathering rate is the same as extractors.
However unlike extractors they start collecting the moment they are placed (at least I haven't see any indication they aren't collecting till mature)
so they only need to be alive 1 minute (15 seconds after maturing) to cover their own costs and while they have the 12 second set up time of due to needing the power node up too extractors suffer a slightly longer set up.
Now I'm not calling for a drastic change but maybe just 1 second added to the resource turn over time of an immature harvester could make a real difference to the resource rates and as such change the 65% alien win rate a bit.
This way Aliens still get the bonus of not needing their team there to set up the harvester but it gives an incentive to have a Gorge to help set them up or resources come just slightly slower.
Comments
AFTER that it starts maturing, which takes an amount of seconds that I am not familiar with.
AFTER that it starts maturing, which takes an amount of seconds that I am not familiar with.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Actually not I just decided to test this in the explore mode.
I ran Marine and destroyed every alien harvester on the map, I then switched to aliens and spent a load of resources on whips. I gained no resources due to the lack of harvesters during this time. So I build one single harvester, 12 seconds later I was generating resources. So as far as I can tell the wiki at present is right saying that the difference between mature and normal harvesters is the health and armour not generating resources.
Edit: Just went and rechecked with more accurate timing and I can confirm the 12 seconds to begin operating as in generating resources while it was still maturing
I ran Marine and destroyed every alien harvester on the map, I then switched to aliens and spent a load of resources on whips. I gained no resources due to the lack of harvesters during this time. So I build one single harvester, 12 seconds later I was generating resources. So as far as I can tell the wiki at present is right saying that the difference between mature and normal harvesters is the health and armour not generating resources.
Edit: Just went and rechecked with more accurate timing and I can confirm the 12 seconds to begin operating as in generating resources while it was still maturing<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Don't all things build faster in explore mode?
True but again in explore mode it was still maturing and collecting resources at the same time meaning after its construction time it begins collecting full speed.
If building extractors and power points are to be used as an example its about 1/2 the time normally required for it to happen in explore mode. If I get a chance to test in a regular speed game then I'll be able to give a better view of this but at present I can say pretty definitely that harvesters are able to collect resources before maturing
If building extractors and power points are to be used as an example its about 1/2 the time normally required for it to happen in explore mode. If I get a chance to test in a regular speed game then I'll be able to give a better view of this but at present I can say pretty definitely that harvesters are able to collect resources before maturing<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Ok yes, you weren't being clear before. The harvester starts collecting at full speed as soon as it's grown (about 45 seconds) and doesn't speed up as it matures (how long does maturation take? a few minutes?). Tying efficiency of buildings to maturation could be a good thing, would slow down the alien early game and make losing structures a bit more painful.
ah my bad there, I should have clarified it a bit better.
Yeah I would rather see this. Aliens need more tres sinks, that is not cysts.
Ideally of course they raise a bunch of costs while at the same time adding some more lower t.res sinks. (This deepens the strategic gameplay, something aliens desperately need)