Question For Playtesters/vets To Ponder
Big_Chief_Brown_Bottom
Join Date: 2003-01-22 Member: 12584Members
Join Date: 2003-01-22 Member: 12584Members
<div class="IPBDescription">regarding alien comebacks</div> <span style='color:green'>Heart of the problem : hive restriction issue</span>
i'm quite astonished by how the 1.1q build with the new (old) hive restrictions for new lifeforms is being considered a good idea again by many playtesters. i surmise that the reason for the restriction's return (from reading beta threads) is that marines are annoyed at how a (seemingly) losing alien team can muster an onos from a player that saved up res for the entire game and turns the tide of the battle. this was considered an "imbalance" but i do not think so. I think it should be a viable strat to save up for the highest tech in a "all or nothing" gamble, because if that sole onos dies its all over for the aliens. it would be analogous to a marine team that saves up all their res throughout a res-starved the game to outfit a large team of HAs. its all their eggs in one basket and if the welding train falls the marines is sure to lose.
<span style='color:green'>cause for the restriction: rampaging last minute onos</span>
I've also read complaints about how the rest of the alien team rallies around the onos as a better fighting force that is hard to beat. this also happens on the marine side as light marines accompany the heavies into battle to compliment them. I happen to think an onos leading the charge (literally) in one last defiant bid to stave off defeat is a good addition to diversify game outcomes; even though you may have had the upper hand for most of the game, a team that carefully saves up for the "biggest gun" can still muster a comeback. in other words, you haven't won until everyone is back in the readyroom. it adds excitement and suspense right until the last minute, not when you achieve hive lockdown and then just sitback and tech up. instead of complaining about last minute onos standoffs and nixing the system, i think countermeasures and strategies should be developed (or fixed : jp is poor at onos counter). a short playtest time between builds can be attributed to this problem, because not enough time is given for strategies to develop. lack of interest is also a contributor, i suspect is due to marine-loving-jp-hmgers that lose interest when their sure-win strategy is killed off.
<span style='color:green'>my concern: "slippery slope" issue when hives are lost</span>
i again have to bring up the slippery slope issue. this is in my opinion the failing point of the hive-restriction system. the marines have the uncanny ability to come back from losing vital areas because their tech can only go up and never down. there is nothing the aliens can do to permanently deny a technology from the marines. as long as the marines can relocate and stretch out the game they can afford and can build anything within their arsenal. the aliens however, are handicapped by losable abilities. losing a hive room means losing 3 things: a hive level lifeform, a spawn point, as well as a upgrade chamber. the problem is that the handicap is permanent as long as the hive room is lost. i hope that before claiming that a certain 1.1 build is balanced and ready for release that the aliens are given some way of getting back to the game when they lose a vital area. if this issue is not addressed, then NS will become incredibly boring to play. they will only have 1 strategy: mainres lock hives/aliens secure a second hive. why secure res if without a second hive you can't spend it on anything useful? i can't speak for the rest of you but i'm tired of being a skulk 99.99% of the time
i'm quite astonished by how the 1.1q build with the new (old) hive restrictions for new lifeforms is being considered a good idea again by many playtesters. i surmise that the reason for the restriction's return (from reading beta threads) is that marines are annoyed at how a (seemingly) losing alien team can muster an onos from a player that saved up res for the entire game and turns the tide of the battle. this was considered an "imbalance" but i do not think so. I think it should be a viable strat to save up for the highest tech in a "all or nothing" gamble, because if that sole onos dies its all over for the aliens. it would be analogous to a marine team that saves up all their res throughout a res-starved the game to outfit a large team of HAs. its all their eggs in one basket and if the welding train falls the marines is sure to lose.
<span style='color:green'>cause for the restriction: rampaging last minute onos</span>
I've also read complaints about how the rest of the alien team rallies around the onos as a better fighting force that is hard to beat. this also happens on the marine side as light marines accompany the heavies into battle to compliment them. I happen to think an onos leading the charge (literally) in one last defiant bid to stave off defeat is a good addition to diversify game outcomes; even though you may have had the upper hand for most of the game, a team that carefully saves up for the "biggest gun" can still muster a comeback. in other words, you haven't won until everyone is back in the readyroom. it adds excitement and suspense right until the last minute, not when you achieve hive lockdown and then just sitback and tech up. instead of complaining about last minute onos standoffs and nixing the system, i think countermeasures and strategies should be developed (or fixed : jp is poor at onos counter). a short playtest time between builds can be attributed to this problem, because not enough time is given for strategies to develop. lack of interest is also a contributor, i suspect is due to marine-loving-jp-hmgers that lose interest when their sure-win strategy is killed off.
<span style='color:green'>my concern: "slippery slope" issue when hives are lost</span>
i again have to bring up the slippery slope issue. this is in my opinion the failing point of the hive-restriction system. the marines have the uncanny ability to come back from losing vital areas because their tech can only go up and never down. there is nothing the aliens can do to permanently deny a technology from the marines. as long as the marines can relocate and stretch out the game they can afford and can build anything within their arsenal. the aliens however, are handicapped by losable abilities. losing a hive room means losing 3 things: a hive level lifeform, a spawn point, as well as a upgrade chamber. the problem is that the handicap is permanent as long as the hive room is lost. i hope that before claiming that a certain 1.1 build is balanced and ready for release that the aliens are given some way of getting back to the game when they lose a vital area. if this issue is not addressed, then NS will become incredibly boring to play. they will only have 1 strategy: mainres lock hives/aliens secure a second hive. why secure res if without a second hive you can't spend it on anything useful? i can't speak for the rest of you but i'm tired of being a skulk 99.99% of the time
Comments
<i><b>Marines should never win against aliens, unless they team up. If the aliens have only one onos, well, guess what? Marines won the game, IF they play thier cards right. Teamworks is not being emphisized enough on the Marine team, so when aliens have the upper hand, the PT's complain about imballance. The game SHOULD favor aliens, so marines HAVE to play as a team to win!</b></i>