Power building hives

|strofix||strofix| Join Date: 2012-11-01 Member: 165453Members
Something I've been experimenting with lately is the idea of power building a hive. It typically involve 2 to 3 gorges, a shift, and a drifter. With this, you can typically complete a hive in around 40-50 seconds. I typically try to use this in conjunction with rapid expansion and third tech room lock down. That way you can get three hives up by around the 6th or 7th minute, and hopefully an Onos not long after around 8 and a half minutes.

Something which I realised lately, and which kinda bothers me, is the cost of enzyme cloud. I never thought of it before, but power building a hive with gorges typically takes around 20 enzymes, which actually comes out to 40 resources, which is a ton for such an abstract benefit. Now I know drifters are good, believe me I know, but this res cost is kind of tying the commanders hands behind his back. It also goes against the quite well established trend of paying for the unit, and getting its abilities for the price you paid. Having to then pay for the unit's abilities is very unintuitive and actually inhibits strategy in my opinion.

Anyway, this thread isn't about removing the res cost on enzyme cloud, its about the viability, or even whether or not there is any point, to power building hives.

Comments

  • DaxxDaxx Join Date: 2002-04-16 Member: 460Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    I don't think I've ever played a game where the time difference between a 1-2 gorge built hive with a shift and one supported by enzyme cloud would make any difference.

    Enzyme Cloud to me is an offensive support ability, its cost is offset by strategic use, not just spamming it.
  • bERt0rbERt0r Join Date: 2005-03-23 Member: 46181Members
    Good idea: Make drifters more expensive and enzyme for free.
    -> Taking out drifters yields more value.
    -> Better risk/benefit tradeoff for the aliens map vision throug drifters.
    -> Can use drifters to support more effectively.
  • Brad_RBrad_R pandas | brad Join Date: 2002-11-12 Member: 8273Members, Constellation
    Sounds like you waste a lot of res.
  • MaxAmusMaxAmus UK Join Date: 2003-12-26 Member: 24779Members, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow
    For the 2nd hive hat would seem like a lot of res to kinda spend, on the other hand can be very helpful if you have the res to spend for the 3rd hive.
  • ZekZek Join Date: 2002-11-10 Member: 7962Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    No, I don't think Enzyme Cloud is viable for hive building, for exactly the reason you mentioned.
  • bERt0rbERt0r Join Date: 2005-03-23 Member: 46181Members
    I would like to see hives growing slower but having one ore more gorges speed up the growth more significantly. Right now healing up a hive feels kind of underpowered. Give the gorges more love in helping their team expand instead of fighting marines and leveling bases.
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