Pustule Abilities
PsiWarp
Gifted GorgeRichmond, B.C., Canada Join Date: 2010-08-28 Member: 73810Members
Gifted GorgeRichmond, B.C., Canada Join Date: 2010-08-28 Member: 73810Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Ala Design Log</div>Seeing as the pustule has some ways to go before implementation, let's brainstorm some abilities that makes it less "sole-purpose" and more versatile.
<b>What we know</b>:
<ul><li>Pustules spread infestation, as well as the tendrils connecting them.</li><li>The Hive makes Pustules, and pustules can produce other pustules.</li><li>The Gorge can create pustules for 3 PRes each (as mentioned in <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/139ySUrBsO0m0Z4ilq0YsDEHJLQhBa6RrIjJIsckL2kE/edit?hl=en&authkey=CLCo8Z0J&pli=1#" target="_blank">design log</a>)</li><li>Pustules must be connected via tendril when created (range limit)</li><li>Pustule will likely have 400 - 500 health.</li></ul>
<b>Forementioned design ideas of pustule abilities</b>:
<ul><li>Pustule explodes/bursts when killed, potential area damage to Marines (and structures?)</li><li>Pustules can act as a way to sustain permanent Gorge infestation and Commander infestation (Thanks OutlawDr!)</li><li>Pustule evolves into a "sentry", which acts as a siren when enemies approach.</li></ul>
I'll begin with this suggestion:
<b>Haze</b> (Target): Unleashes a stream of gas on the casting pustule's own patch of infestation. This haze blocks line-of-sight and causes grenades (if decelerating/rolling on ground) and flames to fly along the stream's direction (usually upward, but can cast on infestaton on walls). Flames have nearly no effect when shooting at max range that flames can reach, but close up the gas has no effect on flames.
What do you guys have in mind?
<b>What we know</b>:
<ul><li>Pustules spread infestation, as well as the tendrils connecting them.</li><li>The Hive makes Pustules, and pustules can produce other pustules.</li><li>The Gorge can create pustules for 3 PRes each (as mentioned in <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/139ySUrBsO0m0Z4ilq0YsDEHJLQhBa6RrIjJIsckL2kE/edit?hl=en&authkey=CLCo8Z0J&pli=1#" target="_blank">design log</a>)</li><li>Pustules must be connected via tendril when created (range limit)</li><li>Pustule will likely have 400 - 500 health.</li></ul>
<b>Forementioned design ideas of pustule abilities</b>:
<ul><li>Pustule explodes/bursts when killed, potential area damage to Marines (and structures?)</li><li>Pustules can act as a way to sustain permanent Gorge infestation and Commander infestation (Thanks OutlawDr!)</li><li>Pustule evolves into a "sentry", which acts as a siren when enemies approach.</li></ul>
I'll begin with this suggestion:
<b>Haze</b> (Target): Unleashes a stream of gas on the casting pustule's own patch of infestation. This haze blocks line-of-sight and causes grenades (if decelerating/rolling on ground) and flames to fly along the stream's direction (usually upward, but can cast on infestaton on walls). Flames have nearly no effect when shooting at max range that flames can reach, but close up the gas has no effect on flames.
What do you guys have in mind?
Comments
Pustules spread infestation on their own up to a certain radius. However, they can also support more '3rd party' infestation further out in larger radius around them. In here, a gorge can spread infestation and keep it permanent if connected to the pustule infestation. An alien comm can also place comm growth, but it can only be placed within the pustule's larger radius. No longer can alien comm spread infestation right into marine start ...at least without first laying down a pustule track.
<b>This serves as a way to tie gorge infestation and comm infestation with pustules...something the devs were looking for. </b>
<!--quoteo(post=0:date=:name=NS2 Design Log)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (NS2 Design Log)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Gorge infestation (growth) and how it fits in with comm growth and pustules
Gorge infestation should behave no differently than commander infestation. It could have a different lifetime or size, but fundamentally it should be the same stuff.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If you place a mature structure in range of a pustule, it grows a tendril to it, which boosts the structure's health a little, then that pustule and all pustules connected directly to that pustule (so basically in a range of 1 pustule from the source) will trigger the active ability of the connected structure when you trigger it.
So triggering a mature crag causes the umbra to emit from several nearby pustules, triggering fury on a whip creates a big damage boost aura, babblers should probably be on the crag only, same with bombard, but the first tier active abilities would make upgrading to a mature structure very interesting, and also make triggering active abilities easier because you can cover a wide area with one click.
This!
It should have travel time, like you press the button and it makes your view fly over the DI to get to the other shift.
A more upgraded form could have full opacity, and an even more advanced form could create toxic clouds with similar effect as the lerk's spore gas.
(damn I just read your haze suggestion, its very similar, I misread it originally, I thought it was some form of jet stream that pushed off objects only.)
@Chris: That's interesting, Shifts can be connected via Hive or Pustule tendrils, and the player goes thirdperson and rapidly hop between pustules (after initial +use on the Shift) until he ends up at the next Shift in the system. Maybe pustules can even pulsate when a player passes through via Shift system, as an indicator for Marines.
Probably on a tiered system, so
+ by range
1-3 pustules within radius X = 350 health
4-7 = 500 health
8+ = 650 health
Possibly add a research item that becomes available at Hive2 that increases the radius X above, based on hive numbers (maybe +10% per additional hive)
<i>or</i>
+ by connections
1 connected pustule 350 health
2 connected = 500 health
4 connected = 650 health
- by connections is probably the easiest to manage as each pustule would already know how many connections it has, whereas radius would have to constantly ping for info (more server update tasks... boo.) but would feel more ... organic
This means that heavily entrenched DI is harder to shift, while the edges are easier to remove (and removing them weakens the next set) - this forces marines to do an advancing cleanse (although a surgical strike to a vulnerable connecting section of DI is still possible, it is harder the deeper into Kharaa territory you go)
Also:
Pustules should NOT be considered structures for the purposes of ARC fire. as that would make clearing it too easy, and with the Splash Damage upgrade, turn the ARC into an obscene AoE weapon when in alien territory.
And finally...
Perhaps (in addition/ alternatively) add a DI specific upgrade to each of the upgrade structures:
Crag: Increases/grants armour to pustules, or increases the rate of on-DI regen for lifeforms
Shift: Increases Lifeform Energy regen while on DI
Shade: Improves the information granted by the hive-sight by DI (eg, make the parasite marker pulse, faster the more damaged a marine is - kind of like a heartbeat sensor)
Edit: Updated OP with Gorge pustule making
Currently health/armor regen from infestation is a bit of a joke. Its so slow you'll just end up running all the way back to the hive (or a crag) anyway.
What if the closer you are to a pustule the faster infestation heals you. Close up to a pustule the heal rate is equal to that of a crag, however it only heals you up to 50% of health/armor...then reverts back to the slower regen. In a way they act as mini-crags with a longer range but less total heal. If a crag hive wasn't their first hive, they give aliens a viable option to heal on the field. Crags look like armored pustules anyway.
As a commander, if you want to setup a strong point/minibase of whips/shades/etc, building around a pustule to start off with would be ideal....and makes the PITA of guarding them a lot more bearable. As a gorge, next to a pustule would be a naturally choice to set up your hydra shop, if crags are not around.
Usually its just alien infestation EVERYWHERE.
Usually its just alien infestation EVERYWHERE.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Also gives sentries the additional function of stopping DI growth.