Alien Gamemode bugfixing/problemsolving

[Wintermote]

 

From what I've seen of the last alien round, it's actually pretty well balanced.

 

The big trouble is that the alien win-scenario is "kill all humans", which is actually pretty difficult and drawn out. You could have one guy sitting in a random locker the entire round preventing the game from ending.

 

[MarkvA]

 

Yea, that's something that concerns me as well, but I'm not sure how to solve it. If you have any solutions or suggestions for alternative Xeno objectives perhaps, then I'll gladly implement them (if it's do-able).

 

On a side note, I'm adding a destination to the research outpost for the Xenos shuttle (so it's no longer a safe haven, although I doubt Xenos will frequent it). I haven't changed the Xeno victory condition though - if there's no (living) humans left on z-level 1, they'll win. I'm also adding decay to weeds when their node is destroyed (they'll die after about 25 seconds).

 

Additionally, if the Xeno:human ratio is 3:1, Gamma alert level will be activated and the nuclear bomb code will be provided to the crew. At that point it's probably too late anyway, but it'll give the remaining humans a bit of a fighting chance (and the Xenos will have to make sure no-one can reach the nuclear bomb).

 

[SpaceTimeNow]

 

Many other games have a win condition to destroy a core of some sort to counter one team just hideing away. Basicly makes one team to go to a certain location and starting a counter, the other team has x minutes to attack the one who started the counter. If the counter reaches 0 the "attackers" have won. This either forced around end if the timer is over or the other team has to arrive and fight.

 

What we could do is that maybe every mature xeno (or only queens?) would have the abillity to "infest the bridge". So the xeno must reach the bridge where he could activate a verb that transforms him into some sort of nasty looking structure (think a starcraft zerg drone morphing into a building) that grows in like 5 or 10 minutes and spreads weeds for good measure. The Birdge shouts out a global alarm that its systems are beeing infected and starts the counter and the crew has to attack the structure.

 

A few hits would abort the structure or the xeno that is morphing into the structure could abort building it willingly to fight or run. Infesting the bridge would disable the coms to call the shuttle.

 

[Fj45]

 

One issue I have with xenos:

 

They metagame to hell often by doing things like destroying APCs and consoles. I've had a single xeno tear into cargo, destroy the cargo console and then just run out again. Or in the middle of combat they destroy an APC.

 

Please just ditch xenos being able destroy consoles and APCs.

 

[Wintermote]

 

It does make it a bit of a pain for security - your lasers run out of ammo so quick and you also quickly run out of places to charge them.

 

And once your lasers are out, you're toast.

 

[Spacemanspark]

Maybe if we added in swapping power cells again...

[Fox McCloud]

 

There's some tuning that needs to be done to the mode that I'll look into.

 

Currently a lot of classes have abilities they shouldn't, primarily because they're leftovers from Ponies' version of Xenos.

 

[Plotron]

 

One issue I have with xenos:

 

They metagame to hell often by doing things like destroying APCs and consoles. I've had a single xeno tear into cargo, destroy the cargo console and then just run out again. Or in the middle of combat they destroy an APC.

 

Please just ditch xenos being able destroy consoles and APCs.

 

A Xeno just destroys APCs in the bridge so that alert/ERT/CC can not be called. It happened a few times in a row already, I hate it.

 

And even if you let them destroy APCs, make it a multi-step process.

 

[Wintermote]

 

Playing as a hunter, one of the things I felt was really needed was a way to get through doors. Only the sentinels spit acid.

 

Changes I'd make:

Aliens immune to falling over due to gravity changes or rushing air

Remove sentinels, divide up and combine some of their effects into drones and hunters

Buff up drones so that they're not weaklings - make them the new defenders of the hive

Only allow one queen at a time, but any drone can evolve into a queen

Increase hunter speed a little more

Remove neurotoxin spit

Give aliens nightvision AND thermal vision, with a toggle. (I believe only hunters have this right now)

Shock aliens to the floor when they bust an APC and make it more time consuming for them to do it

Instead of acid spitting, allow aliens to force open powered and unpowered doors, but not bolted doors, welded doors, or blast doors (possibly function like an emag, damaging a door and keeping it permanently open?)

Allow hunters to ventcrawl (maybe they still can? I tried but it didn't seem to work)

Allow aliens to take apart barricades and deployable barriers

 

Possibly make:

Decrease drone speed a little to go with their buffs and defensive nature

Change spit acid so that it involves the alien clawing itself to apply acid blood to the door/wall/whatever instead, assuming it's not just removed

Buff fire/flamethrowers against aliens somehow, without also buffing lasers

Instead of a destroyed APC removing power, have it just sever the connection to the grid so the battery can't recharge

 

Edited December 17, 2014 by Guest

[Fox McCloud]

A few of the above changed have been implemented (not all of course); check on the PR for exactly what was changed.

[Fj45]

 

Oh god, please nerf xeno speed, its impossible to do much with even a bit of lag.

 

And please don't give xenos more ways to destroy barricades, THEY DO NOT NEED TO BE MORE MOBILE.

 

[Fox McCloud]

 

Oh god, please nerf xeno speed, its impossible to do much with even a bit of lag.

 

And please don't give xenos more ways to destroy barricades, THEY DO NOT NEED TO BE MORE MOBILE.

 

They've received no further ways to destroy barricades than they currently have; the only thing they've received, mobility wise, is a 1 stage increase in their speed---for queens, sentinals, and drones, it's largely meaningless--still slower than a human. Hunters, however, are 1 stage faster than humans (same speed as someone on hyperzine).

 

It's been a very very very long time since people have played against this style of Xenomorph; they're currently fairly used to the AI+Borg+facehug spam style since that's what we've had for...well, about 8-9 months now.

 

Just like the nuke ops rework, people will have to adjust and develop new strategies to deal with them; the last round there were Xenos, the crew made some major major errors (not arming up+not welding vents as soon as Xenos were found); they let the Xeno threat come to them first before attempting to deal with them (despite the Xenos getting discovered 5 minutes in).

 

This would be akin to someone saying "redsuits" 5 minutes in, then refusing to arm up, secure the disk, and keep on the lookout.

 

That said, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on them; my concern is that our custom health crit threshold of -50 (normally 0) may be skewing things, in combat, towards Xenos as they have to hit a higher health thresh-hold before getting knocked unconscious.

 

quick tip: Xenos take 2x the damage from all forms of fire, meaning lasers do 40 and welders do 30, also xeno weeds get slaughtered pretty easily by Plant-B-Gone.

 

[SpaceTimeNow]

 

When facehuggers are dumb again, xenos got a way harder job than before. The facehuggers basicly took one crew out of the game (either temporary and completely) and added a new member to the xenos. This happend all over the station, arrivals, bar, hallways, basicly everywhere where you could hug unprotected grey tide.

 

Xeno will have a much harder time increasing their numbers now, so you can expect them to be badly outnumbered most of time. Every dead xeno will make a big difference, so it only makes sense that they should be at an advantage in a 1 vs 1 against a decently armed crewmember.

 

I agree with Fox that people need to change their thought process and accept the fact that xenos are actually dangerous and group up to deal with them.

 

[Fox McCloud]

 

Fox that people need to change their thought process and accept the fact that xenos are actually dangerous and group up to deal with them.

 

This, to an absolute T. People can't treat Xenos like they can taking down a changeling or vampire--that is to say, if you're really good/robust, you can beat them.

 

People should treat Xenos more like Malf AI, Blob, or Nukes Ops; something to work together on to push against and not to delegate purely to one department to handle.

 

Also, it's a game mode where you'll have to accept that you WILL die during it, eventually--even the most robust of the robust and tenacious of players who almost NEVER die will die during this game-mode, because Xenos have a natural 1v1 advantage.

 

The great thing about this game mode though is it's marvelous for recycling players---Xenos can respawn...likewise, you can do surgery on Xenos to yank out their brains and shove those brains into humanized monkies or MMIs to have more personnel to combat the Xenos.

 

There's a LOT of really potentially creative strategies that can be utilized here, but they're not--and I don't expect them to be; this mode literally just came out.--and, like the Nuke Ops rework, is for all intents and purposes a completely new game-mode.

 

[Fj45]

 

A big issue currently:

 

Xenos can end up going into space....and this breaks everything.

If a xeno is running around the outside of the station and slips off....they can spend the rest of the round just staring at colourful blackness.

If everyone is super robust and kills most of the xenos...one can just jump into space, drawing the round out forever.

 

It makes escaping to T-coms/engie sat/whatever impossible as you will more then likely just have a xeno turn up and wreck everything.

 

Xenos in space is just very, very broken.

 

Would it somehow be possible for xenos (and only xenos) to get teleported to another part of the station Z-level when they try to leave or something?

 

 

 

Also, with the weed changes Fox ported over, they don't seem to decay and are VERY hard to destroy, even with a welding tool. They shouldn't take more then two hits to remove.

 

 

Incendiary crates are also useless, flamethrowers need some major changes (buts that for another topic) and the incendiary nades don't seem to work at all. I need to do more testing...but they don't seem to cause flames..yet still cover the ENTIRE room in something flammable.

 

It would be really good if there were two types:

Normal, would just make a 4x4 or 5x5 area of flames for a few seconds.

Room clearer (kinda what we currently have but less buggy) effectively turns an entire room into an inferno.

 

[Wintermote]

 

Xenos can't slip off into space, they can walk in space.

 

Honestly as broken as it may seem, it actually helps keep xenos from accidentally going the wrong way and slipping off to the wrong z-levels. The only reason a xeno will end up on another z-level is if they literally choose to run off and do that, on purpose.

 

And you're not meant to kill weeds one tile at a time. Destroy the glowing weeds and it'll despawn an entire area.

 

[Fj45]

Oh yeah, forgot about xenos having crazy EVA powers, both points still stand though.

[Fox McCloud]

 

Incendiary crates are also useless, flamethrowers need some major changes (buts that for another topic) and the incendiary nades don't seem to work at all. I need to do more testing...but they don't seem to cause flames..yet still cover the ENTIRE room in something flammable. .

 

Incendiary grenades only work in confined spaces; flamethrowers are similar; both were conceived during a time when FEA was still alive and well and are still meant for an FEA system.

 

Buffing them is problematic too as this just means one incendiary grenade will be able to light the entirety of central primary (and then some) on fire in a super short order; welcome to the lovely ZAS system we have =p

 

[Earthdivine]

 

Incendiary crates are also useless, flamethrowers need some major changes (buts that for another topic) and the incendiary nades don't seem to work at all. I need to do more testing...but they don't seem to cause flames..yet still cover the ENTIRE room in something flammable. .

 

Incendiary grenades only work in confined spaces; flamethrowers are similar; both were conceived during a time when FEA was still alive and well and are still meant for an FEA system.

 

Buffing them is problematic too as this just means one incendiary grenade will be able to light the entirety of central primary (and then some) on fire in a super short order; welcome to the lovely ZAS system we have =p

 

I still remember when I killed the Deathsquad and Xeno Hive all at once just from one Incendiary 'nade. Those things\s are strong.

 

As for contributing, I lost the use of both my hands the other day while playing as the Queen. This was VERY problematic since all I could do was lay eggs and Neurotoxin. It happened while I was trying to strip two security officers I caught of their gear, just suddenly stopped and couldnt use hands anymore.

 

[Fj45]

Wouldn't mind xenos getting a nerf to what they can strip, currently they can do it pretty quickly and do shit like steal radios. Maybe just helmet and bodypiece should be strip-able and it should take a bit longer.