Hugger/Egg AI questions

[fatalityfun]

So, I've noticed sometimes eggs will open on their own, with an inactive hugger.
Sometimes, they won't open on their own.
Sometimes, the hugger goes leaping off by itself.

If it isn't considered powergaming to ask, what causes these different situations?

[TehSpoderman]

When the egg opens,there is a cooldown on the hugger. I dont know how long, but its there.
Was the person right next to the egg? If not, thats why.
Huggers have a sort of "AI". They can leap 2-3 tiles before hugging someone.

[Szunti]

There are bug reports. The last one is this. It's not known why it happens. Devs couldn't reproduce it.

[Aracino]

Yeah its odd. Sometimes a marine will trigger like 20 eggs at once, and sometimes they won't trigger any. Hugger AI is...kinda awful

[Supermichael777]

okay the quick and dirty.

Infected marines don't trigger eggs and Huggers; same for hugged marines(though several Huggers may leap at a single marine, make sure to bring fresh hosts to the egg field on a diagonal to avoidf this.).

A marine that is moved by dragging triggers all adjacent eggs.

On maturing eggs sense nearby nested and uninfected hosts with line of sight.

Huggers try to grab anything moved into or out of their tile at all times.

Thrown and dropped Huggers have a short cool-down after which they leap up to two tiles towards marines who move.

Huggers that come out on their own can leap immediately, retrieved Huggers have the delay.

Huggers die in one hit from every marine weapon. Eggs take one assault rifle burst or buckshot blast.

[kooarbiter]

we need a custom animation for huggers that go after nested uninfected marines, showing them slowly crawl to the marine and onto their face for maximum pants ruining goodness

[Mark Wilson]

I feel like when a carrier throws and hugger, it should instantly leap at someone...it just lands and sits there

[Eroszabi]

Yeah feels like huggers thrown by carriers take ages to leap at someone and 90% of the time I just see them sit next to Marines until they shoot it. Don't even make a attempt to leap at them

[kooarbiter]

I feel like when a carrier throws and hugger, it should instantly leap at someone...it just lands and sits there

carrier used to be like that but then they nerfed it and hugger combat to make it less viable

[GoliathTheDespoiler]

carrier used to be like that but then they nerfed it and hugger combat to make it less viable

They also nerfed carrier into the ground with it. Out of all the xenos, carrier probably has the second lowest damage threshold and has the longest upgrade time in the game. His tackle is sad, and his damage is a young drone's at best.

Of course a carrier ISN'T a combat role, their only purpose is to be a walking backpack. And that sucks. Back in hugger combat days, carriers coould be much more independent and dangerous, to the point of being excellent at holding positions.

If they just reduced the time the hugger is stunned (maybe 1 second or so) or make it that direct hits with the hugger cause it to instantly latch onto the human, I'd say carriee could be much, MUCH more useful. That, and reducing his god-damn upgrade time. An ancient carrier is rarer than an ancient empress.