A treatise on the blob. (not really a treatise)

[Index]

 

So I have noticed a lot of people seem upset with the blob round-type. I think that while the blobs current implementation is a little out of whack and hard to balance the idea is a cool solid premise. That being said I have a few changes in mind, that I think could make the blob more interesting as a game-type, while maintaining the blob feeling. I could potentially code this myself, but before I do I'd like to know the communities opinion's on it, to see if the change would even be wanted by the people who would be playing this game-type.

 

The primary idea is that a blob round would now be split into two phases.

 

First Phase

Starts at the round start, player(s) are assigned to be a blob and must find a place to blob as per normal, however the time it takes to transform into a blob is greatly increased, but the station is informed, either via global announcement or the Centcom Summary Sheet, that an unknown crewman, or crewmen, is/are infected with a blob parasite and that the station is under quarantine and the crewman/crewmen must be found and cremated. This happens when blue alert is announced.

 

During this time the infected feel compelled by their blob parasite to eat as much as possible (including people if they can, any type of organic matter really) and they also feel a compulsion to avoid letting others know they are infected.

 

Second Phase

Starts after a set amount of time that varies from round to round by a little to keep spawn time a little unpredictable, any infected that have not been cremated now transform into the blob as per normal (NO announcement is made to the crew), but the blob players gain bonus starting resources proportional to how much they were able to eat during the first phase.

 

        

 

I feel these changes would really help to fix the issues with blob rounds, where it's just: 'OMG BLOB MUST FIND AND KILL' as soon as blob is announced. This also gives the coders and developers more levers to tweak to keep the game balanced (e.g. how many extra resources are gained per food unit, how long the crew has to find the blobs BEFORE they transform, etc.)

 

Please leave a vote on the poll and comment about anything specific you have a question/concern/suggestion about. I will takes votes for one week before I decide to start working on this or not. (Depending on how many people voted, and how they voted)

 

Edited August 3, 2014 by Guest

[Streaky Haddock]

I like it.

[Bone White]

 

How to fix blob round:

 

Make fireaxe head's dissolve when they strike the blob.

 

[Streaky Haddock]

 

yeah sure, take away one of the most useful tools for dealing one of the three blobs on the station.

 

nice one bone

 

nice one

 

[Fj45]

 

How to fix blob round:

 

Make fireaxe head's dissolve when they strike the blob.

 

I don't get this at all. The fireaxe was already nerfed and worse then a welder! Why does it ever need a nerf?

 

 

I have talked about that change before and it would make blob rounds much more interesting.

Imagine all the tactics that blob players could do. (Don't eat much but sabotage or fortify everything.)

Also solves the problem of "gear up properly and have the blob grow huge or rush in unprepared to get it when its weak" now people can either hunt for the infected or prepare to fight it.

 

[Index]

While the yes votes outweigh the no votes, I'd like to hear why you voted no if you did so. So please, if you disagree with the proposed changes, let me know why.

[Taaketa]

As long as the food to resource rate is not overly excess that's cool.

[Fj45]

 

Few other assorted problems I have with the blob:

 

Fireaxe was needlessly nerfed. Now it is utterly useless against it.

 

Blob minion things are no fun, lead to friendly fire, they get spammed, cause lag, large blobs can amass so many that even looking at it funny is suicide. Either nerf their speed, remove the ability to call them to a certain place and remove them being able to take over dead bodies. That or just scrap them all together.

 

The "with a cry of pain drops what their holding" is broken and unfun. Seems like any amount of damage causes it to happen. It means that medbay is so much more vital and any damage you take turn into "spin the wheel to see if you become utterly useless!"

 

Single blob lines. IE: How to meta as blob. I have seen this used to destroy the nuke. I have seen this used to destroy the AI. Needs to be changed.

 

[mkenner]

 

Single blob lines. IE: How to meta as blob. I have seen this used to destroy the nuke. I have seen this used to destroy the AI. Needs to be changed.

 

Personally, I like the idea of a 'game of life' style system for the blob, where any blob square that doesn't have X number of blob squares nearby is 'unsupported' and dies. This should probably only apply once it's a certain distance from the blob core, or have the blob core count as multiple blobs for purposes of this calculation to stop it being too easy to reach the core.

 

[mkenner]

 

Just to explain my reasons for voting no.

 

When I'm selecting events manually for rounds, I attempt to create a contrast with the previous rounds to keep things fresh and new. After lengthy rounds with multiple antags, I like to switch to blob round to give the players a shorter, more action filled round where they get to work together as a team. It's a bit of a palate cleanser and helps remind people that their fellow crew are sometimes their allies and not just syndicate changeling-vampire-wizards out to eat their souls.

 

These changes risk adding suspicion to blob rounds and bad security spacing folk for "eating too much" under blob meta-suspicion. While it sounds like on its own merits a good idea, I don't think it fits within our roster of rounds.

 

[Fj45]

 

Single blob lines. IE: How to meta as blob. I have seen this used to destroy the nuke. I have seen this used to destroy the AI. Needs to be changed.

 

Personally, I like the idea of a 'game of life' style system for the blob, where any blob square that doesn't have X number of blob squares nearby is 'unsupported' and dies. This should probably only apply once it's a certain distance from the blob core, or have the blob core count as multiple blobs for purposes of this calculation to stop it being too easy to reach the core.

 

That would be perfect.

 

[Qinetix]

 

That or it requires a blob node nearby to expand in a medium radius. Or core.

 

I'm fairly sure katanas(not the replicas) and claymores are still good against the blob.

 

[Index]

 

Just to explain my reasons for voting no.

 

When I'm selecting events manually for rounds, I attempt to create a contrast with the previous rounds to keep things fresh and new. After lengthy rounds with multiple antags, I like to switch to blob round to give the players a shorter, more action filled round where they get to work together as a team. It's a bit of a palate cleanser and helps remind people that their fellow crew are sometimes their allies and not just syndicate changeling-vampire-wizards out to eat their souls.

 

These changes risk adding suspicion to blob rounds and bad security spacing folk for "eating too much" under blob meta-suspicion. While it sounds like on its own merits a good idea, I don't think it fits within our roster of rounds.

 

I think you make a fair point, but I think it's moot if people don't enjoy the round-type, and I see a lot of complaints about blob. I actually don't mind blob as it is, but it seems to me every time we play a blob round people are saying how much they hate it, hence my offer to help change it without eliminating the feeling of blob, because I actually do like the feeling of blob rounds.

 

As far as spacing those who eat too much, a fix is make it possible to test a person for blob.

 

[Daniel Me]

 

My vote is yes.

 

Reason: I am pro almost anything that focus on role-playing, especially when finding interesting and creative ways. Even though I agree with Mkenner that it's good for the players having shorter and more action filled rounds, I believe this could be solved in numerous other ways.

 

Blob-lines: I really like the idea about a form of game-mechanik that forces the blob to be carefull making singe (meta) lines. That sounds really cool. :!:

 

NB: Currently don't mind blob rounds, as it makes me feel both usefull helping out, and angry when others do stupid thing with the welding tank. :lol:

 

[uc_guy]

 

I voted no, mostly for the reasons mkenner stated. We already have enough rounds with human antags.

 

Also I don't see eating mechanics working out too well. Nobody is hungry at round start, so its cremation time whenever somebody is seen at the snack machine.

 

[Fj45]

 

Wouldn't it be more them eating toolboxes and whatnot?

Could just make a few people hungry randomly.

 

It needs to be possible to destroy the blob host by arming a nade and force-feeding it to them. That would be hilarious.

 

[Eldrin-Kanthos]

 

Wouldn't it be more them eating toolboxes and whatnot?

Could just make a few people hungry randomly.

 

It needs to be possible to destroy the blob host by arming a nade and force-feeding it to them. That would be hilarious.

I... want to do this now.

 

[Sheakhan]

 

I've always hated blob rounds, and I likely always will. It's far too ingrained in me now.

That being said, Mkenner makes a valid point, perhaps more valid now than it was a few months ago.

 

Last I was around, blob rounds meant guaranteed crew defeat almost invariably, either due to the blob being woefully overpowered, or the crew being skull-fuck retarded. I've played three blob rounds since returning, one as Captain, one as some pudgy little nerd, and one as Chaplain. In the first we won without a hitch, the crew was mobilized and ERT was called before the quarantine was officially instated. The second was a total loss. The third, I died beating the blob core with my Null Rod, but the crew won.

 

Obviously something has already been done about blob rounds to make them winnable, and I agree that actually being able to win makes me personally feel much more trusting of my fellow players, but that does not make it a fun round. I still feel dread, and wonder if I should just go do something else until the next round everytime I hear that telltale quarantine called.

 

I'm not sure if we've done it before but perhaps we should take a server population poll about blob rounds. If this has been done before, either the population majority enjoys them or the admins have no desire to remove the game type regardless. Either way it'd give a good jumping off point in regards to the necessity (or not) of a change.

 

[Index]

 

Forgot I posted this within the rollback's timeframe:

 

"Idea withdrawn despite voting favor due to valid admin concerns."