Move Spores to hive 1 and Umbra to hive 2
Broseidon
Join Date: 2011-07-18 Member: 110935Members
Join Date: 2011-07-18 Member: 110935Members
<div class="IPBDescription">And why</div>I feel that Spores and Umbra are very underutilized ability's. Well the Lerk in general feels that way I think. So here are my suggestions to try and change that a bit short.
<b>Spores</b>
Suggestion: Spores will be moved to Hive 1 as a researched ability. Same T-res cost as before.
Why: Spores only damage health so it scales through the entire game, until EXO's and FT's in the endgame. So it only makes sense I think to make this ability available for research at the start of the game. This also would make aliens not as helpless on Hive 1 which has always been a problem. It would on the marine side discourage sentry usage early on in the game even more due to the spores ability to <i>confuse</i> sentry targeting. Spores requires you to get close to the marines in order to be effective with them so it gets harder and harder to use it the longer into the game you get. Because when the marines get better weapons and weapon upgrades you can get killed much easier when going for a spore crop dusting run.
<b>Umbra</b>
Suggestion: Umbra will be moved to Hive 2 as a researched ability. Same T-res cost a before.
Why: ARC's, GL's and FT's all ignore the Umbras effect, FT's even counters it. And all 3 of them come out before or soon after the third hive. Usually even if the marines are on the losing front. This makes it so that Umbra is rarely researched which is a bit sad since it's a teamwork promoting ability (and I don't need to tell you that Ns2 is all about teamwork). So moving Umbra to Hive 2 when rarely even one of these 3 marine weapons are out on the field would give the aliens a reason to exploit the lack of them and promote the usage of Umbra.
So what do you think? Good or bad? Change that, change this?
<b>Spores</b>
Suggestion: Spores will be moved to Hive 1 as a researched ability. Same T-res cost as before.
Why: Spores only damage health so it scales through the entire game, until EXO's and FT's in the endgame. So it only makes sense I think to make this ability available for research at the start of the game. This also would make aliens not as helpless on Hive 1 which has always been a problem. It would on the marine side discourage sentry usage early on in the game even more due to the spores ability to <i>confuse</i> sentry targeting. Spores requires you to get close to the marines in order to be effective with them so it gets harder and harder to use it the longer into the game you get. Because when the marines get better weapons and weapon upgrades you can get killed much easier when going for a spore crop dusting run.
<b>Umbra</b>
Suggestion: Umbra will be moved to Hive 2 as a researched ability. Same T-res cost a before.
Why: ARC's, GL's and FT's all ignore the Umbras effect, FT's even counters it. And all 3 of them come out before or soon after the third hive. Usually even if the marines are on the losing front. This makes it so that Umbra is rarely researched which is a bit sad since it's a teamwork promoting ability (and I don't need to tell you that Ns2 is all about teamwork). So moving Umbra to Hive 2 when rarely even one of these 3 marine weapons are out on the field would give the aliens a reason to exploit the lack of them and promote the usage of Umbra.
So what do you think? Good or bad? Change that, change this?
Comments
to me, lerk certainly feels in a good place. more than anything else because it's a lot easier to play than fade and skulk, with no melee limitation or difficult movement mechanic.
I'm not disagreeing, just saying that UWE seem to want aliens always on a technology deficit to marines.
to me, lerk certainly feels in a good place. more than anything else because it's a lot easier to play than fade and skulk, with no melee limitation or difficult movement mechanic.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well maybe I'm the only one but isn't Leap a more powerful upgrade than Spores? Because it gives the base alien lifeform the ability to jump in and out of engagements much easier. Well anyway, on Pub level I find Spores very powerful but as soon as a competetive player joins and especially if they grab a shotgun I rarely try to get close with a Lerk with spores and just stick with my spikes and maybe Umbra if my commander bothered to research it.
I still think spores on Hive 1 would allow aliens to spice up their Hive 1 play and make it more interesting (aswell as the hive 2 play of course). Alien builds usually consists of getting a few harvesters, maybe an upgrade path with an upgrade and then straight for Hive 2. One of the most popular builds even goes for an instant Hive 2 drop, then for harvesters and upgrades. Well I agree that the lerk <i>feels</i> good but I think it can take a bigger role of how aliens are played with these changes implemented.
<!--quoteo(post=2020067:date=Nov 11 2012, 10:44 PM:name=TimMc)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TimMc @ Nov 11 2012, 10:44 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2020067"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->If you go by this logic, stomp should appear at second hive because exo and jetpack counter it.
I'm not disagreeing, just saying that UWE seem to want aliens always on a technology deficit to marines.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Honestly that wasn't a half-bad idea I think, but I still get your point. Now when I think about it, yeah it kinda seems that way with Alien vs Marine Technology. Shotguns "The bane of skulks" can come out much earlier than leap for example and your EXO n' JP Vs Stomp. Aliens rarely have a way to counter marine tech and they get upgrades not to get better than the marines but to stay on par with them. With the exception of bilebomb I think.
Could this be the reason why alot of players feels like the upgrades for aliens makes them from bad to decenct and upgrades for marines makes them from decent to good? And maybe why the 5 Min Onos is so popular? cause you actually get better not on par. Well anyway, <i>IF</i> this is an actual design decision with alien "technology deficit" I don't agree with it even if it is balanced that way.