shouldnt there be a new alien class

sasuke2490sasuke2490 Join Date: 2010-06-12 Member: 72034Members
since from what i heard some virus mutated the aliens into the khara wouldnt a human have become infected by now or something
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  • AlignAlign Remain Calm Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5216Forum Moderators, Constellation
    If I remember the lore correctly... Like the Zerg, the Kharaa seems to take a species and twist it to suit their uses. Humans bring nothing to the table that the Fade and other classes don't already have.
  • EyelessEyeless Join Date: 2010-02-01 Member: 70391Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1774568:date=Jun 12 2010, 12:31 PM:name=Align)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Align @ Jun 12 2010, 12:31 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1774568"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->If I remember the lore correctly... Like the Zerg, the Kharaa seems to take a species and twist it to suit their uses. Humans bring nothing to the table that the Fade and other classes don't already have.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    But if its a virus its not going to discriminate between a human and an alien. Plus the human can use weapons and technology so they would bring plenty to the table.
  • darktimesdarktimes Join Date: 2007-12-24 Member: 63247Members
    edited June 2010
    nanites.

    the Khara also aren't parasites like the zerg. they are one sentient hivemind of connected alien bacteria, which forms complexer bodies if the colony is endangered or needs to spread. the hive is the brain, and all the 'creatures' are just its arms and legs.
  • sasuke2490sasuke2490 Join Date: 2010-06-12 Member: 72034Members
    cause a virus is a virus you would think it would even transform them into skulks or something idk.
  • darktimesdarktimes Join Date: 2007-12-24 Member: 63247Members
    no virus ever known to man changed the hosts DNA or physical appearance. a virus takes over cells, and reprograms them to produce more virus strands. during that process the cell is destroyed. you get sick and die.

    and like any natural thing the cells left behind are salvaged as food or resources for bacteria or other animals. but that isn't special.
  • JimydJimyd Join Date: 2003-02-08 Member: 13289Members
    I might be wrong, but isn't the Fade to be one of the True Species of the Kharaa, where all the others are mutations/adaptions?

    Or that it was the first one adopted and is deemed the perfect or most deadly species?
  • IeptBarakatIeptBarakat The most difficult name to speak ingame. Join Date: 2009-07-10 Member: 68107Members, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Diamond, Reinforced - Shadow
    <!--quoteo(post=1774599:date=Jun 12 2010, 06:36 PM:name=Jimyd)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jimyd @ Jun 12 2010, 06:36 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1774599"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I might be wrong, but isn't the Fade to be one of the True Species of the Kharaa, where all the others are mutations/adaptions?

    Or that it was the first one adopted and is deemed the perfect or most deadly species?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    First "adopted" species to join the kharaa.

    Would be interesting if there was another adopted since ns1 but only the devs would know.
  • sasuke2490sasuke2490 Join Date: 2010-06-12 Member: 72034Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1774603:date=Jun 13 2010, 12:18 AM:name=IeptBarakat)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (IeptBarakat @ Jun 13 2010, 12:18 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1774603"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->First "adopted" species to join the kharaa.

    Would be interesting if there was another adopted since ns1 but only the devs would know.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    ya the humans must have some type of use to the Khaara. it would be cooler to see the humans turn into skulks or fades or sumthing idk but still its a virus and it should do something to humans after killing or infecting them or something.
  • RulgrokRulgrok Join Date: 2007-04-04 Member: 60559Members
    edited June 2010
    <!--quoteo(post=1774579:date=Jun 12 2010, 10:17 PM:name=darktimes)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (darktimes @ Jun 12 2010, 10:17 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1774579"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->no virus ever known to man changed the hosts DNA or physical appearance. a virus takes over cells, and reprograms them to produce more virus strands. during that process the cell is destroyed. you get sick and die.

    and like any natural thing the cells left behind are salvaged as food or resources for bacteria or other animals. but that isn't special..<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Well actually there are two different life cycles a virus can take. One is the lytic cycle which is when it takes over the cells reproductive functions and builds it's DNA/RNA and proteins and then lyses(burts the cell) and releases new cells. The other cycle, lysogenic, the viral DNA gets built into the host's DNA and this is how retroviruses work like HIV and herpes. How they can be latent for years then appear at the right point. A trigger, usually unknown to us, will cause the viral DNA to be transcribed and then enter a lytic cycle. There are parasitic bacteria out there that are known to change the hosts body and even cause zombie-like stasis of the host. You can look up the fungus in South America that makes ants suicide.
    <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuKjBIBBAL8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuKjBIBBAL8</a>

    With the introduction of new genetic material to a cell and letting it be expressed can cause direct outside cellular expression, etc. As a genetical biochemist we do this all the time in lab time to study how our genes work. Fun stuff.
  • Chris0132Chris0132 Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68262Members
    edited June 2010
    Not really sure there is any room for a new alien class. The existing classes are getting some modifications but you can't introduce a new one without having a need for it, otherwise it becomes superfluous.

    I can't really think of anything the aliens need to do that they can't already. They have the scout and basic unit, which is the skulk, they have the elite unit, which is the fade and does everything the basic one does but better as wel as being the primary damage dealer, they have the support and skirmisher unit in the form of the lerk, they have the healing and utility unit in the form of the gorge, and they have the tank in the form of the onos.

    The four basic elements you need in a game are usually tank, nuker, healer, and utility. In an RPG it's fighter, wizard, cleric, and rogue. In NS it's kinda blurred but you have utility, healing, damage sponge, and damage dealing in all the classes. If you need to add another ability like that just bolt it onto an existing class.

    The marines just add new functions to the class, the welder, jetpack and mines all grant utility powers, the improved weapons grant damage, and the jetpack/HA grant damage resistance. Healing is only done with armories and health kits but the welder can do it a bit too. If anything the most obvious addition to the game would be a marine healer unit. The aliens have pretty much everything covered.
  • RobBRobB TUBES OF THE INTERWEB Join Date: 2003-08-11 Member: 19423Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited June 2010
    Marine healer unit: Weldbot, dunno 'bout health injections, but it'd have to be slow anyway.
    New Alien class: FARD (Flying Area Recon Drove), otherwise known as glowies or floaters.
  • AtoneAtone Join Date: 2009-09-21 Member: 68839Members
    It's *not* a virus. It's a bacterium. It's not something that infects things and turns them into crazy alien zombies (which isn't what a virus would do either). It's a hivemind of bacteria that *forms* these creatures to defend itself. Different species are taken in and used as a model for these creatures. I don't see absorbing in humans accomplishing anything the existing aliens don't already. Humans bodies are not very amazing (excluding thumbs. :p) and the only reason we can even put up a fight is because of our technology and individual intelligence. Neither of which the Kharra can really use.

    And besides that, I don't see UWE having the budget or time to create and balance a new alien class.
  • spellman23spellman23 NS1 Theorycraft Expert Join Date: 2007-05-17 Member: 60920Members
    Are we really trying to argue biological science in a sci-fi game?

    NANITES>
  • AlignAlign Remain Calm Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5216Forum Moderators, Constellation
    Atone said everything I wanted to say.
  • LoeyLoey Join Date: 2009-10-31 Member: 69187Members
    humans are immune to the virus, problem solved
  • CruorCruor Join Date: 2004-11-07 Member: 32677Members
    I've previously suggested a new weaker buff class, that on it's own is an easy target. But it can latch on to any of the other kharaa lifeforms and boost both of you to som degree, additional healing rate, more damage. As well as you the symbiote being able to act as a mounted turret on the host lifeform with a semi-strong ranged attack, something similar to lerk spikes.

    Here's the thread, no need to ressurect it. Just for you to have a look. <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showtopic=108679&hl=" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/in...=108679&hl=</a>
  • darktimesdarktimes Join Date: 2007-12-24 Member: 63247Members
    why evolve into something like that when you can support your team with another skulk or even a fade?
  • 1mannARMEE1mannARMEE Join Date: 2008-09-23 Member: 65064Members
    edited June 2010
    <!--quoteo(post=1774766:date=Jun 14 2010, 10:59 AM:name=Cruor)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Cruor @ Jun 14 2010, 10:59 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1774766"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I've previously suggested a new weaker buff class, that on it's own is an easy target.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Are you talking about the Gorge, because they already did that ... sorry couldn't resist. Well it's hard to do a new life form without knowing what NS2 is like additionally they want every life form fill their own unique role that isn't replaceable so hybrid classes are out by default, it has to be something new.
  • CruorCruor Join Date: 2004-11-07 Member: 32677Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1774827:date=Jun 14 2010, 05:19 PM:name=1mannARMEE)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (1mannARMEE @ Jun 14 2010, 05:19 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1774827"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Are you talking about the Gorge, because they already did that ... sorry couldn't resist. Well it's hard to do a new life form without knowing what NS2 is like additionally they want every life form fill their own unique role that isn't replaceable so hybrid classes are out by default, it has to be something new.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Sure they'd both be support classes but that's where the similarities end. This symbiote could latch on to a gorge and make that gorge an ûber gorge and same for all other alien classes, thus there would be a limit on symbiotes alive at any one time.

    This class would be for those of us that like doing full on support, eg supporting our team members souly, like the medic in Team Fortress 2, hes can't get much done on his own but if he teams up with an offensive character they both get a boost.

    anyways enough hijacking this thread :D
  • TemphageTemphage Join Date: 2009-10-28 Member: 69158Members
    edited June 2010
    Speaking from the perspective of NS1, personally I wanted to see something bridge the gap between skulk and fade as far as soldier roles. The Fade became way too much of a game-ending ultimate class, to the extent that an early Fade could and often would decide the game.

    With their upgrades and the like, Aliens are supposed to be a more 'adaptable' side - hell that fits the lore to a T. But honestly in all my years of playing NS I never once was very pleased with the stiff tiered progression the Alien side had. The Marine side felt much more fluid and flexible, with upgrades and the like having a more natural flow. To get from the bottom of the tech tree to the top, you had a few dozen small steps, and the option to branch out. The Alien team was actually extremely limited, and that you go from disposable shock troop and the next logical upgrade is superbeast death######er really underscored that point. The Alien tech tree has extremely few steps in it, and the comparative uselessness of a certain class (Onos) without full upgrades and abilities just crippled them further. Frankly - they were pretty boring and predictable to play.

    Then again, NS took a gradual shift from 1.04 to 3.0, where the aliens moved from a rather soloist class to ones that were founded on tight teamwork, while the exact opposite happened to marines...
  • Dicht3rDicht3r Join Date: 2010-06-06 Member: 71976Members
    edited June 2010
    <!--quoteo(post=1774568:date=Jun 12 2010, 08:31 PM:name=Align)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Align @ Jun 12 2010, 08:31 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1774568"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->If I remember the lore correctly... Like the Zerg, the Kharaa seems to take a species and twist it to suit their uses. Humans bring nothing to the table that the Fade and other classes don't already have.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    The Zerg could only gain the final advantage over the Protoss through the infestation and DNA of the Human Race.Thats why the Humans got involved in the Fight between those both, considered being a weak race and not a threat :P

    - Plan of the Overmind to rule the galaxy
  • Chris0132Chris0132 Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68262Members
    edited June 2010
    <!--quoteo(post=1775050:date=Jun 16 2010, 01:13 PM:name=Temphage)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Temphage @ Jun 16 2010, 01:13 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1775050"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Speaking from the perspective of NS1, personally I wanted to see something bridge the gap between skulk and fade as far as soldier roles. The Fade became way too much of a game-ending ultimate class, to the extent that an early Fade could and often would decide the game.

    With their upgrades and the like, Aliens are supposed to be a more 'adaptable' side - hell that fits the lore to a T. But honestly in all my years of playing NS I never once was very pleased with the stiff tiered progression the Alien side had. The Marine side felt much more fluid and flexible, with upgrades and the like having a more natural flow. To get from the bottom of the tech tree to the top, you had a few dozen small steps, and the option to branch out. The Alien team was actually extremely limited, and that you go from disposable shock troop and the next logical upgrade is superbeast death######er really underscored that point. The Alien tech tree has extremely few steps in it, and the comparative uselessness of a certain class (Onos) without full upgrades and abilities just crippled them further. Frankly - they were pretty boring and predictable to play.

    Then again, NS took a gradual shift from 1.04 to 3.0, where the aliens moved from a rather soloist class to ones that were founded on tight teamwork, while the exact opposite happened to marines...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    You could probably do that by just having more general stat upgrades for the skulk and fewer for the fade, making fades less powerful and skulks more powerful. As the game progresses your skulks remain good light basic units, while the fades can instead focus more on their specialist role of super ambusher, their price would make them less expendable than skulks so you can't throw them at defences, but they stay a bit better than the skulk in most roles and much better in ambush roles due to blink and high melee damage.

    I figure marines don't really have an intermediate unit either, they go straight from basic marine to HA/JP with heavy weapons. The only difference is that marine elite units aren't as strong as alien elite units, so to balance the teams against each other you might want to simply reduce the overall dominance of the alien elite forms and make them more specialist/teamwork based like marines, if only because you need the numbers.
  • BacillusBacillus Join Date: 2006-11-02 Member: 58241Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1775081:date=Jun 16 2010, 04:40 PM:name=Chris0132)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chris0132 @ Jun 16 2010, 04:40 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1775081"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->You could probably do that by just having more general stat upgrades for the skulk and fewer for the fade, making fades less powerful and skulks more powerful. As the game progresses your skulks remain good light basic units, while the fades can instead focus more on their specialist role of super ambusher, their price would make them less expendable than skulks so you can't throw them at defences, but they stay a bit better than the skulk in most roles and much better in ambush roles due to blink and high melee damage.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Probably something along these lines. I really hope they provide skulks with little investments that allow teams to react better and decide when it's time to invest, a bit like the pre 3.0 res costing upgrades. Right now aliens exactly lack that ability to adjust, because everything costs so much res and requires heavy commitment.

    I'm not completely sure how fade will manage itself as an ambusher though. No matter how much HP skulks have, it seems pretty unlikely that they'd do good without some kind of meat shield unit. Maybe onos has been moved closer to fade in costs and it serves as a meat shield or the alien commander/lifeforms provide some kind of more advanced skulk support.

    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I figure marines don't really have an intermediate unit either, they go straight from basic marine to HA/JP with heavy weapons. The only difference is that marine elite units aren't as strong as alien elite units, so to balance the teams against each other you might want to simply reduce the overall dominance of the alien elite forms and make them more specialist/teamwork based like marines, if only because you need the numbers.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    In NS1 marines had more flexible tech tree, guns and medpacks to adjust their tech/combat strength balance. I don't know how it'll work in NS2, but they at least have a long history in midgame options.
  • spellman23spellman23 NS1 Theorycraft Expert Join Date: 2007-05-17 Member: 60920Members
  • rofldinhorofldinho Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68259Members
    Definitely agree with the OP. A new alien class would be fun.

    Going to a different thread on this ideas forum, an alien with the ability to drag a single marine would be fun, and would aid teamwork. Somewhere in between skulk/fade.
  • TemphageTemphage Join Date: 2009-10-28 Member: 69158Members
    edited June 2010
    <!--quoteo(post=1775081:date=Jun 16 2010, 04:40 PM:name=Chris0132)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chris0132 @ Jun 16 2010, 04:40 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1775081"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I figure marines don't really have an intermediate unit either, they go straight from basic marine to HA/JP with heavy weapons.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    That's crazy-talk.

    You can give a squad upgraded weaponry to bolster their firepower - one does not need to be HA to use an HMG after all.
    You can toss them hand grenades to flush aliens out of hidey-holes.
    You have both Weapon *and* Armor levels I/II/III.
    You can get CatPacks to enhance their combat abilities.
    You can upgrade them with Motion Tracking to make them overpowered indescribably unfun alien-killers.

    As an Alien, your choice is almost always "Regen or Carapace?"

    The ideal 'intermediate unit' for the Marines, between standard LMG/LA retard and HA/HMG/Welder/KitchenSink badass is an LA marine with one Level I and one Level II upgrade, with a shotgun (didn't Armor I let a marine survive one more skulk bite than without it? That's a pretty impressive advantage when all you're really facing are skulks). This is why, from my experiences with NS, the Alien team is forced into such a sense of urgency.

    A marine team can afford to waste some time when it comes to upgrades because their upgrades are small steps and fairly non-linear. The aliens rely on massive leaps (lol punz) at a time (in fact, literally, one single big upgrade and two small ones for most games), so every second you delay both Hive 2 *and* Fade is time that these intermediate-strength marines are tearing you apart. The aliens literally have nothing to fit in there except superior skill (which is idiocy for obvious reasons). The intermediary marines roll in, the aliens get pounded, then they get their Fade and the seesaw tips back, as generally speaking, these marines are no match for a Fade. It's really rather poor balance.

    Even if you wanted to keep the liquid nature of marine upgrades intact, an intermediary alien unit would/could at least reduce the seesaw effect's impact. The Fade is like a rock in a pond when it comes to the impact on the game's pace and flow. Marines can go from an advantageous position to INCREDIBLY underpowered- to the extent that I know for a fact we've all seen on occasion marine teams simply go 'Oh great, <player> is early fade. GG'. It's like you start off with a fistfight, escalate to knives, then swords, and then you pull out a missile launcher.
  • darktimesdarktimes Join Date: 2007-12-24 Member: 63247Members
    ehem.. NS2 isn't NS1.

    it has been repeatably stated that the skulk is now the main soldier class. the gorge remains the builder, the Lerk the ranged support, and the Fade now fills the role of an prioritizing assassin that takes out key marines.
    the onos now is actually what it always wanted to be: the tank and endgame unit.
  • TemphageTemphage Join Date: 2009-10-28 Member: 69158Members
    edited June 2010
    <!--quoteo(post=1775168:date=Jun 17 2010, 02:18 PM:name=darktimes)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (darktimes @ Jun 17 2010, 02:18 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1775168"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->ehem.. NS2 isn't NS1.

    it has been repeatably stated that the skulk is now the main soldier class. the gorge remains the builder, the Lerk the ranged support, and the Fade now fills the role of an prioritizing assassin that takes out key marines.
    the onos now is actually what it always wanted to be: the tank and endgame unit.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Rhetoric. "Always wanted to be"? The Onos was supposed to be the tank 'endgame' unit in NS1- at least that's what we kept hearing. Yet in years of patches they never once rectified the fact that the Onos usually showed up too late in the game to make much of a difference and it was nothing more than a big squishy hit-and-run goatse monster. Given that they've absurdly decided that Shotguns are going to (once again) be powerful against heavy armor, and Onos' are big targets, we're probably going to have the same issue of cheap, disposable marines with the cheapest weapon zergrushing the Onos to shove shotguns in its ass and chop off 20% of its health per shot.

    You could say 'NS2 isn't NS1' to any and every thread in this forum, but that doesn't change the fact that it's still a sequel, it's still almost all the same design and core gameplay, and to be perfectly frank, the reason I quit NS1 in the first place is because the developers didn't seem to ever express a desire to actually *fix* the problems with the first game, only to simply change them to different problems.

    tl;dr: I'll believe it when I see it. My vision of "what ifs" is based on the reality we can see. Your vision is based on fantasy, dreams, and what you hope might possibly be true.

    NS1 had a boring, lame, predictable, completely bull###### alien tech progression. Until proven otherwise, so will NS2.
  • darktimesdarktimes Join Date: 2007-12-24 Member: 63247Members
    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I'll believe it when I see it. My vision of "what ifs" is based on the reality we can see. Your vision is based on fantasy, dreams, and what you hope might possibly be true.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    wow. that's allot to interpret from my simple statement of facts as I gathered them from various Dev posts in the forum.
    you simply claim that I do not base my suggestions and statements on fact, without delivering any proof for that claim.

    I admit that my wording in my previous post was rather sluggish, I didn't expect to have to add "I believe so" or "It could be true that." to every sentence I make.

    well, you might have missed the whole point of my Post, and blown a single sentence about the Onos to gigantic proportions, which Info I gathered from this Official newspost here: <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/2009/7/detailed_onos_reveal" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/2009/7/detailed_onos_reveal</a>

    ...I have to retract my previous statement about the Onos being a tank now, It seems that I misread once, and the onos now is the 'disruptor", the alien laxative for marines. and how do know how shotguns will behave to the onos? or how he would be killed in seconds?
    did you put thought into your arguments?

    I respect your opinion on NS1 and the devs, their yours, but I do not find myself agreeing.
    also, did you hear about the Marine power grid system, which should streamline marine gameplay and bring more teamplay into the game by giving clear frontlines?
    <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/2009/4/marine_power_grid_design" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/2009/4/ma...wer_grid_design</a>

    I do not wish to personally offend you, and please be not angered. but realize that you can not see the latest changes and add them to NS1 basic gameplay mechanics while forgetting the earlier updates on NS2.

    :)
    have a nice day.
    (this post is not meant to be sarcastic, or should not open up a discussion or argument. please)
  • Chris0132Chris0132 Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68262Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1775159:date=Jun 17 2010, 01:04 PM:name=Temphage)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Temphage @ Jun 17 2010, 01:04 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1775159"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->That's crazy-talk.

    You can give a squad upgraded weaponry to bolster their firepower - one does not need to be HA to use an HMG after all.
    You can toss them hand grenades to flush aliens out of hidey-holes.
    You have both Weapon *and* Armor levels I/II/III.
    You can get CatPacks to enhance their combat abilities.
    You can upgrade them with Motion Tracking to make them overpowered indescribably unfun alien-killers.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Ok you CAN, but you rather quickly go from LMGs to upgraded kit and weapon.

    You CAN evolve to a fade but not take any upgrades, you just don't because it's more likely to be a waste of money, if someone has a heavy weapon you generally give them a kit upgrade too.

    Aliens get upgrades too (and often better ones I might add than the marines), and their chambers and abilities confer similar advantages to motion tracking and health kits.

    Aliens however plenty of options because their upgrade choices affect the way they play, and they have an extra class in the form of the lerk. If fades and onoses are jetpacks and armors respectively lerks are sort of an upgrade of the skulk in that they can move better, have more attack abilities, and can still go and chomp people in the face.

    Like I said, marines tend to reach the top of their class choices a bit quickly, but their best classes are weaker than the alien best classes. It's not really that aliens have no intermediate units, it's that their good units are REALLY good.
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