A Friendly PSA About Ice to Hive Builders

[FGRSentinel]

As someone who plays both Marine and Xeno, I've seen what I'm about to say from both sides. To all Drones, Hivelords, and Queens: don't build your secure nests in the blasted ice caves. Ever. Why do I say this? because anything outside a building is cold as hell. Marines and humans can't survive without coifs or something similar for very long in the cold. Facehuggers remove headgear and masks, such as coifs, when they jump someone. The moment the hugger gets a marine, they need to be over half or even 75% health or they're most likely going to freeze to death in the nests. Combat castes love slashing hosts as part of the capture process. If you're building a secure nest in the ice caves, you might as well just not nest them in the first place. If you want to grow the hive, make a point to have all the nests inside a building underground. I see this happen every round I play Ice and get captured or play as a Xeno and it's actually getting depressing.

[Build_R_]

Another reason why ice ain't nice. I usually nest people in ice caves because they're typically at high health and are very, very unlikely to escape.

[FGRSentinel]

Honestly Ice is my least favorite map to play as a Xeno because it's practically necessary for me to go Drone just to get a proper nest set up that won't kill hosts (and therefore chances at getting more sisters) even if I want to be a Boiler or Warrior or something.

[TastyCrabLegs]

I dunno why it hasn't been fixed yet or why the recommendation of modifying the nests to act as a small 1 tile heat source for nested marines ever got taken and made a thing.

It changed nothing and fixes the ice issue, along with not causing any real issues on any other map but hey it not like it was purposed like a year ago then ignored

[Grubstank]

I dunno why it hasn't been fixed yet or why the recommendation of modifying the nests to act as a small 1 tile heat source for nested marines ever got taken and made a thing.

It changed nothing and fixes the ice issue, along with not causing any real issues on any other map but hey it not like it was purposed like a year ago then ignored

Ice already heavily favors xenos

I'm not sure why nests should be buffed specifically to give them free choice of hive locations on ice in addition to their existing advantages

[TastyCrabLegs]

Ice already heavily favors xenos

I'm not sure why nests should be buffed specifically to give them free choice of hive locations on ice in addition to their existing advantages

It buffs both sides, it lets the xenos keep the marines alive, it also lets marines have a chance to get up, find a mask and gtfo.

I have also suggested that when hugged the hugger shoots you up with just a little tricord so when you have a fucked up host on ice he doesn't just bleed out / freeze.

its two little things that an make a huge difference for both sides.

Either take the heat and healing and be happy or don't and don't complain

[Dothal]

It buffs both sides, it lets the xenos keep the marines alive, it also lets marines have a chance to get up, find a mask and gtfo.

I have also suggested that when hugged the hugger shoots you up with just a little tricord so when you have a fucked up host on ice he doesn't just bleed out / freeze.

its two little things that an make a huge difference for both sides.

Either take the heat and healing and be happy or don't and don't complain

Heres the thing though, the buff would heavily favour xenos on a map that already heavily favours them. While we do all hear the occasional story of people breaking out of the hive and returning home victorious, its nothing compared to the amount of times someone is just locked down in the hive till they burst. Even on the other 3 maps, the chances of escaping a nest are very low unless something draws the xenos away, so this buff would pretty much only give xenos more surviving hosts while just forcing marines to lay there and die from a chestburst instead of dying quickly from the cold.

[TastyCrabLegs]

Dunno what to do then

[FGRSentinel]

There's a reason my rant was directed at the players making the nests and not the coders: the Xenos, including the drones and hivelords that make the nests, are aware that the cold will kill Marines. Just like with the slashing, they simply don't care enough to go out of their way. Giving them stuff to justify doing it this way ("the huggers give tricord, it's not like me slashing them three more times will cause them to die before they burst"") won't help.