Remove alien armor
Anti94
Join Date: 2013-07-31 Member: 186489Members, Reinforced - Shadow
Join Date: 2013-07-31 Member: 186489Members, Reinforced - Shadow
I was recently wondering about the purpose of alien armor. Let me explain.
Aliens have attacks that only target marine armor (bile bomb, whip bombard, gorge tunnels) and attacks that only target marine HP (lerk spores). In addition, the marine armor needs welders or macs to be repaired whilst HP requires an armory or medpacks to be restored. It is thus logical to have the HP/armor duo on the marine side.
On the alien side, correct me if I am wrong, any marine attack targets both HP and armor. Plus, anything that can heal HP can also heal armor in a very similar way. Why don't just remove the alien armor and increase the HP to compensate ? I believe that alien armor is just the same as alien HP.
For instance: change the skulk from 70/10 to 90/0. Do the same for the other lifeforms and buildings. The carapace trait would just give you more HP instead of more armor.
I know you are thinking about the damage types 'light damage', 'normal damage' and 'heavy damage'. I think that the light and heavy type should simply be removed and replaced with normal type. This light/normal/heavy system is counter-intuitive and just makes the game more complicated for no real reason. With more than 350 hours I am still not sure which weapons make normal, light or heavy damage. I think the minigun is heavy and the pistol is light but I am not sure. Plus, I don't understand why the pistol should be light dmg or the minigun be heavy dmg. It is still very confusing for me.
I read somewhere that:
1 armor = 3 HP against light damage.
1 armor = 2 HP against normal damage
1 armor = 1 HP against heavy.
Okay.... so, as every alien lifeform or building has both armor and HP, I suggest to change light damage to normal damage but reduce the damage. For instance change the pistol from 25 'light' dmg to 20-ish 'normal' dmg. I also suggest to change heavy dmg to normal dmg and increase dmg. For instance change the minigun from 20 heavy dmg to about 25 normal dmg.
It would basically change nothing to balance but It would be easier to understand.
The simpler the better. Less is more.
What do you think ?
Aliens have attacks that only target marine armor (bile bomb, whip bombard, gorge tunnels) and attacks that only target marine HP (lerk spores). In addition, the marine armor needs welders or macs to be repaired whilst HP requires an armory or medpacks to be restored. It is thus logical to have the HP/armor duo on the marine side.
On the alien side, correct me if I am wrong, any marine attack targets both HP and armor. Plus, anything that can heal HP can also heal armor in a very similar way. Why don't just remove the alien armor and increase the HP to compensate ? I believe that alien armor is just the same as alien HP.
For instance: change the skulk from 70/10 to 90/0. Do the same for the other lifeforms and buildings. The carapace trait would just give you more HP instead of more armor.
I know you are thinking about the damage types 'light damage', 'normal damage' and 'heavy damage'. I think that the light and heavy type should simply be removed and replaced with normal type. This light/normal/heavy system is counter-intuitive and just makes the game more complicated for no real reason. With more than 350 hours I am still not sure which weapons make normal, light or heavy damage. I think the minigun is heavy and the pistol is light but I am not sure. Plus, I don't understand why the pistol should be light dmg or the minigun be heavy dmg. It is still very confusing for me.
I read somewhere that:
1 armor = 3 HP against light damage.
1 armor = 2 HP against normal damage
1 armor = 1 HP against heavy.
Okay.... so, as every alien lifeform or building has both armor and HP, I suggest to change light damage to normal damage but reduce the damage. For instance change the pistol from 25 'light' dmg to 20-ish 'normal' dmg. I also suggest to change heavy dmg to normal dmg and increase dmg. For instance change the minigun from 20 heavy dmg to about 25 normal dmg.
It would basically change nothing to balance but It would be easier to understand.
The simpler the better. Less is more.
What do you think ?
Comments
Ah so there is something in game which relies on the present system and in future who knows what else, so it probably isn't worth changing.
A mildly damaged alien will heal up armour faster and hence their effective hp faster. So hit n run aliens will benefit greatly from regen or a forward healing base.more.
Like I said, I could be mistaken, but I know I saw a couple of people talking like this was the case at one point.
It's because of light, normal and heavy damage values on marine weaponry. Making it possible to adjust values which only affect certain weapons and influencing certain techpaths. That's why armour is in the game, because it opens up much more ways to balance things. Things like armour only healing, armour being faster to repair then HP and certain weapons that ignore armour or can only damage health (spores), EXO vs Bile Bombs/Whip Balls :P And so on...