Discussing Mac Improvements
NousWanderer
Join Date: 2010-05-07 Member: 71646Members
Join Date: 2010-05-07 Member: 71646Members
People have been discussing ways to improve Macs on Discord. It's clear that drifters are better in many respects, and Macs are almost never used. When they are used, they often wig out and don't behave as expected.
Some of the suggestions are thus obvious and easy to understand. They include things like:
I don't want to discuss those here. Some of them are necessary, but none of them introduce any major new functionality to the Mac.
To spitball for a second: what if Macs could be issued special, temporary commands to provide the marine team with semi-unique mobile-versions of existing structure functions? These would work like drifter abilities but last longer and have a different cost/balance approach. These options would be tied to existing structures and make use of existing mechanics, but with a new spin. Examples:
-Sweep (6 res):
-Nanoheal (6 res):
...you get the idea. The overall goal would be to have different structures synergize with macs - not unlike how different hive types synergize with drifters to provide effects (enzyme, mucous membrane, hallucinations). Importantly, while drifter abilities are low cost but have a multiplying and usually pro-offensive effect scaling with the number of aliens in combat, mac effects would be longer-lasting but costlier. For example, rather than spamming scans, maybe a commander would set the Mac to follow a player to take advantage of sweep's mobility + duration.
These abilities would have a fairly high res cost and offer effects that are contextually beneficial. If the additional research requirements only serve to add undue complexity, they could just be ignored so that access to these abilities is only dependent on 1) having a Mac and 2) having the corresponding structure (e.g., observatory = sweep, armory = nanoheal, etc.).
All values are placeholders - I'm just trying to illustrate the concept.
Some of the suggestions are thus obvious and easy to understand. They include things like:
- Cost adjustments
- Speed adjustments
- Armor / survivability adjustments
- Build speed adjustments
- AI and pathing improvements
I don't want to discuss those here. Some of them are necessary, but none of them introduce any major new functionality to the Mac.
To spitball for a second: what if Macs could be issued special, temporary commands to provide the marine team with semi-unique mobile-versions of existing structure functions? These would work like drifter abilities but last longer and have a different cost/balance approach. These options would be tied to existing structures and make use of existing mechanics, but with a new spin. Examples:
-Sweep (6 res):
- All enemies are detected in a radius around the Mac. This radius is equivalent to half of that of a normal scan.
- The Mac can continue to weld/move for duration of effect.
- The Mac gives audible and visual cues for the duration of the effect.
- Lasts for 20 seconds.
- Prerequisites: Must have an observatory, must have researched 'MAC: Sweep' (low cost) tech on observatory
-Nanoheal (6 res):
- A healing aura (something like Nin's mod) appears around the Mac in a small radius.
- The Mac can continue to weld/move for duration of effect.
- Players standing in this aura receive steady healing for the duration of the effect. Ability has no effect on exos.
- The Mac gives audible and visual cues for the duration of the effect.
- Lasts for 15 seconds.
- Prerequisites: Must have an armory, must have researched 'MAC: Nanoheal' (low cost) tech on armory.
...you get the idea. The overall goal would be to have different structures synergize with macs - not unlike how different hive types synergize with drifters to provide effects (enzyme, mucous membrane, hallucinations). Importantly, while drifter abilities are low cost but have a multiplying and usually pro-offensive effect scaling with the number of aliens in combat, mac effects would be longer-lasting but costlier. For example, rather than spamming scans, maybe a commander would set the Mac to follow a player to take advantage of sweep's mobility + duration.
These abilities would have a fairly high res cost and offer effects that are contextually beneficial. If the additional research requirements only serve to add undue complexity, they could just be ignored so that access to these abilities is only dependent on 1) having a Mac and 2) having the corresponding structure (e.g., observatory = sweep, armory = nanoheal, etc.).
All values are placeholders - I'm just trying to illustrate the concept.
Comments
To the points you mentioned: It reminds me a bit of when MACs used to have an EMP ability which drained alien energy IIRC. Pretty sure it got removed for a good reason.
If you were to transform macs into kind of buildings I'd suggest that they can't move or weld while they act as observatory or armory.
I think this is an important point. Tech tree is already extremely simple and has almost zero strategic choices. I think it is nice to have more content to play with in general and I think it is also important to give those strategic choices. If you have requirements for this tech and need to research it, there is more of a strategic choice you have to make as comm. "undue complexity" is really kind of a joke when you look at how simple the tech tree already is.
I don't know how this should work in detail but I like the general concept as long as you don't try to copy drifters.
@Mephilles : MAC EMP was way different. The suggested abilities in this thread are supporting abilites, EMP was an ability that damaged the aliens energy pool. Comm abilites should never have that power (hence why the new vanilla power surge is absolute cancer).
100% this. MACs shouldn't be a super useful replacement for Marines, but easier to keep alive, when they on their own. I made plenty suggestions about that already to keep them alive longer.
Also I agree that it would maybe be better to have some kind of transformer MAC, instead of adding structure abilities on top of regular MAC functions.
Could even transform it into a single turret, when necessary in an upcoming engagement.
In general I like the idea very much that MACs get more abilities similar to Drifters.