More ability synergy!
ChickenOfWar
Join Date: 2003-04-09 Member: 15352Members
Join Date: 2003-04-09 Member: 15352Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Increasing the originality and fun of the lerk and maybe other classes</div>The lerk as it is now is unfortunately little more than a flying skulk with some spike shooters on it pre-spores. Bite does some up front damage, though less than the skulk's bite, and might do a tiny bit of poison damage but I'm not sure since it doesn't show up on damage numbers (having a skulk-like bite is something UWE stated they wanted to avoid mind you). Spikes as they are now are only effective if either 1: You're really freaking good or 2: Your target is really freaking bad. LMG dps is just too high to sit still as a lerk and if you're trying to hit a moving target with spikes while you yourself are moving you're not gonna do enough damage to make it worth your time.
What I propose is simple in concept: Change spikes and bite to do decent damage if used seperately, but much more damage if used together. Make the abilities synergize with eachother! Skulk bite and parasite synergize in a genius way. It's either three solid bites to kill an A0 marine OR 2 solid bites and a parasite! BUT you'll never kill someone with parasite alone, so if you want the full benefit from your abilities you need to use them together.
The amount of ways to accomplish such a thing with lerk spikes and bite are only limited by imagination, but I've come up with a few examples already.
1. Lower the rate of fire on spikes, lower their initial damage, make them almost parasite accurate and add a stacking DoT effect to the spikes. Lower the initial damage of bite and bring back the old DoT poison effect. Make it so both of these DoTs can stack together as well. Bam. This would add a whole new dimension of playability to the lerk. Do you apply the bite first then get a few spikes in as you're flying away or spike first and then bite? And then once you get spores it will become a real master's challenge to efficiently combine all your DoT effects. This idea could be taken even further by making it so the lerk bite 'detonates' the stacks of spike poison. All of these options available to players and they still haven't even gotten spores? Sounds good to me.
2. A simpler approach would be to make it so spikes have an exo-esque auto aim for a few seconds on anyone you've bitten. Just another example of how these two abilities can synergize.
Really the synergy philosophy should be applied to every single alien lifeform. The fade is so good because all of it's movement abilities synergize and can be combined in so many ways.
Perhaps we can brainstorm in this thread about ways to make certain alien lifeforms better/more interesting through ability synergy.
What I propose is simple in concept: Change spikes and bite to do decent damage if used seperately, but much more damage if used together. Make the abilities synergize with eachother! Skulk bite and parasite synergize in a genius way. It's either three solid bites to kill an A0 marine OR 2 solid bites and a parasite! BUT you'll never kill someone with parasite alone, so if you want the full benefit from your abilities you need to use them together.
The amount of ways to accomplish such a thing with lerk spikes and bite are only limited by imagination, but I've come up with a few examples already.
1. Lower the rate of fire on spikes, lower their initial damage, make them almost parasite accurate and add a stacking DoT effect to the spikes. Lower the initial damage of bite and bring back the old DoT poison effect. Make it so both of these DoTs can stack together as well. Bam. This would add a whole new dimension of playability to the lerk. Do you apply the bite first then get a few spikes in as you're flying away or spike first and then bite? And then once you get spores it will become a real master's challenge to efficiently combine all your DoT effects. This idea could be taken even further by making it so the lerk bite 'detonates' the stacks of spike poison. All of these options available to players and they still haven't even gotten spores? Sounds good to me.
2. A simpler approach would be to make it so spikes have an exo-esque auto aim for a few seconds on anyone you've bitten. Just another example of how these two abilities can synergize.
Really the synergy philosophy should be applied to every single alien lifeform. The fade is so good because all of it's movement abilities synergize and can be combined in so many ways.
Perhaps we can brainstorm in this thread about ways to make certain alien lifeforms better/more interesting through ability synergy.
Comments
This would make them even less usefull against exos and structures.
plus a DoT effect means the marine has more time to live -> more time to get reinforcements, med-packs, run back to an armory
or you would have to hang around even longer
to 2)
exos do not have auto aim. It's a motion scanner (or lifeform scanner)
and no. just no
no mouse acceleration, no aim assist
it's not a flipping 360 or PS3
As it is now. You bite...little poison effect is applied and you finish him off with spikes. it's effective.
or get them down to low HP with spores and than you do not even have to penetrate their armor when you finish them off with spikes.
The aim assist was just an idea, since like I said its incredibly difficult to be effective with just spikes alone. The aim assist would also strictly be encouragement to use both bite and spikes, not a compensation for crappy controls (a la console controllers).
As it is now, if you've been playing, you either fly up to someone and bite until they're dead or you try to spike someone down until they're dead. Why risk getting in close enough to bite someone once if you're not just gonna keep biting them until they're dead? There is literally no incentive to bite someone once and then fly off to spike them as you say. With the poison spike idea lerks would not only be effective at area denial and deterance but they'd also be able to get kills with the poison bite detonation if the marines are foolish enough to close distance on the lerk.
Actually my ultimate goal is to raise the skill ceiling of the lerk. If you read my entire post you'd know this is a brainstorming thread and that my two little suggestions were just that, suggestions. What I want to do is (like i said if you had read my post) simple in concept: Make bite and spikes do a certain amount of damage if used alone, but do extra damage if used together. I want the use of spikes to buff bite and the use of bite to buff spikes.
This would add layers of depth to lerk gameplay, making it more interesting to play. It would also make the lerk more effective pre-spores without the lerk being a better flying skulk with spike shooters.
This would add layers of depth to lerk gameplay, making it more interesting to play. It would also make the lerk more effective pre-spores without the lerk being a better flying skulk with spike shooters.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I did read your whole post actually. When you put it like that just now, it sounds good.
Cool, sorry if i sounded acidic. Yeah if anyone comes up with anything better than my suggestions dont be afraid to post em! Just have it follow the synergy philosophy.