Predator Suggestions and Discussion

[x31stOverlord]

Alright. So. I messaged Jamie with a couple of ideas and concerns with how I felt personally we could improve ourselves in game with a few suggestions in renovation of the Pred role. A few of the ideas are unlikely as they require dev implementation so don't rip me too hard for those ones. But read over and discuss what changes and ideas you have for us.

Putting this here so that it is easier to locate responses and because I'm at work with no access to discord:


Alright, so, following discussions in deadchat (not the usual salt infusion caused by preds) and on the forums that is literal and articulate discussion on what makes a Pred round so annoying for marines. There have been comments made by the Predators (myself included) on the forum post discussing our own gripes and restrictions that we feel inhibit our ability to make more compelling and interesting RP scenarios within the game rounds we exist in. I believe that part of the problem with Pred rounds having degraded and stagnated is the fact that at the moment there is no clear leadership and driving force for Predators. I do not mean development and new toys, but simple guidance and leadership on what can be done, the predator guidelines and rules are ancient and outdated at the moment, having been mostly untouched since before I joined the server and the Predator ship revamp and update! Some of the problem stems from the fact that most of the elder preds that existed once on the server have since retired/left/dissipated for one reason or another and this is no fault of anyones in particular. And since their departure, Pred players in general have been unable to really do anything beyond *roar *click from cloak and play stabby with a sharp object, this causes rounds that we exist in to get tiresome and repetitive quickly, we exist purely to cause annoyance for the marines and xenos who try to go out of their way to ignore us or zerg rush us down to get rid of us so they dont have to deal with us or so they can try to loot our sweet toys to use against the xenos.

To address the stagnation and disappointment many players feel when they see it is a Pred round I have come up with a few simple ideas that require minimal (I think) developer involvement and can mostly be policed by the admin/head team.

The first, is to appoint Elders from the existing and longer lasting or more mature Pred players so that they can start discussions with the headstaff and admin team to re-make or update the predator code of honour and guidelines. It will also be good to see some life being brought back into the Pred community, we have some excellent and responsible Pred players that would be trustworthy in this position. This would come with responsibilities of ensuring that the Pred code is kept up to date and to discuss anything that relates to Preds and reports involving Pred players.

The second - New styles of play for the Preds. Now in my initial paragraph I went into the surface thoughts of Pred rounds and how they are perceived from an Observer point of view and as a Pred player. Now, since I already went over the fact that the pred guidelines were made before the ship update etc. I think it may be time to discuss the ship and its use within a round, we have containment areas for gladiators and I believe at current it is a wasted section of the ship due to old rules about not allowing it to be used/taking humans to the ship. I believe we should take a look at this rule at the moment as it is a potential route for RP experiences, my suggested rules that restrict the usage of the ship in this matter are as follows:

Gladiators:

- Predators may take marines captive from the planet to pit them against each other in gladiatorial combat. In order to do this however, there must be a minimum of 3 Predators actively involved in the process.
- Before a Human is brought to the ship as a gladiator, they must be stripped of all weaponry and handcuffed/legcuffed to avoid escape attempts.
- As long as there are humans aboard the hunting ship a Predator must stand guard over them at all times to prevent escape attempts.
- The Predators may heal/provide surgical treatment to their captives to make the fights more entertaining and honourable.
- Victors of a gladiator fight or series of fights must be rewarded a trophy (Armour/Weapon) etc. and returned to the FOB unharmed.
- Marines who refuse to engage other marines in gladiatorial combat may be infected using the onboard egg facility, giving them the choice to fight their fellow marines to survive and have the embryo removed or to die creating a new Serpent for the Preds to hunt. (Any marine who is infected and survives the gladiator ring will have the embryo removed from them by the preds before being returned to the FOB)

The Onboard Eggs:

Another potentially interesting avenue for the Preds is to have the eggs that spawn on the ship be of a different hive than the regular eggs (Zeta/Alpha/Beta etc). To be used to breed a smaller xeno hive from captured marines that can pose a threat to both the Humans and Xenos and provide additional game for the Preds to hunt if they feel it. Whilst this avenue would be restricted to either Elder Pred allowance or Admin go ahead. It may also be a fun mini-event or midround event if things on the surface seem to be stagnating with either side unwilling to push against the other without having to blow up sides if they truly don't want to fight the other. This is an idea that would require a little bit of dev time in order to get the eggs on the pred ship updated or changed to be of different hive status.

Lodges:

Whilst currently it is an unwritten/written rule that all preds must construct a lodge on the planet where they hunt and keep their trophies/spare equipment in. I believe it would be better to merely remove this requirement and have it as an optional rule. Not all preds like creating large and grandeur lodges like Sky. They are a point of contention given that when a pred lodge is discovered it is either A) Bumrushed by the side that finds it (usually marines) leading to an utter massacre and most of the marines dead or B) Ignored and avoided completely or used as a weapon/deterrent against the opposing side to block their attacks or force them to fight near the pred lodge in an attempt to get them into conflict with the preds.

Hellhounds:

Currently unused, I believe that with a little tweaking the hellhounds could be used and spawned in at round start with 1-2 being selected at round start (depending on server pop) with the appropriate special candidacy selected (like survivor). They are under the command of the preds and may not leave the ship without a pred ordering them etc. This last point is one that may require the most testing/balancing as though I've never seen a hellhound in game I have heard that they are quite overpowered and unfair as they currently stand.

[Kerek]

I want to make a cloak from xeno or human pelt.

[Skysoldier]

I want more medieval weapons and a anvil & hammer to make them, I'll just sit in my lodge all day, giving out weapons and make people fight.

[Sneakyr]

A few things:
We should focus on reforming non-development related changes before we work on development suggestions. However, I must say that the translator being improved would go a long way between human/pred interaction. Perhaps not perfect, but improved.
I'll say here what I said in Discord: Three new elders, one of the administration team (not necessarily an admin themselves), one of the non-staff predator players, and one that I originally thought could be saved for a developer.
We also need to get Jamie in on this if we want anything actually done, especially as he apparently just finished a semester and should have an acceptable amount of free time. Without his attention, we're going to be stuck talking about it with no actual change like we always are. It would also probably be for the best to get Apop as well.

[x31stOverlord]

A few things:
We should focus on reforming non-development related changes before we work on development suggestions. However, I must say that the translator being improved would go a long way between human/pred interaction. Perhaps not perfect, but improved.
I'll say here what I said in Discord: Three new elders, one of the administration team (not necessarily an admin themselves), one of the non-staff predator players, and one that I originally thought could be saved for a developer.
We also need to get Jamie in on this if we want anything actually done, especially as he apparently just finished a semester and should have an acceptable amount of free time. Without his attention, we're going to be stuck talking about it with no actual change like we always are. It would also probably be for the best to get Apop as well.

I actually messaged this to Jamie a few days ago, no response yet but he is likely still just wrapping things up. I agree that we'll need him onboard. I will likely also message Apop with our suggestions and ideas if we compile them all together here.

Problem is, if people don't want to discuss or put ideas forward we get stuck in a rut like Preds have been for some time now.

[Renomaki]

I think the two best things we could do for predators would be:

1: Improving the translator CONSIDERABLY, so we can have conversations with humans and xeno alike without it just devolving into a guessing game. I'm not saying we have to make it perfect, but at the very least, make it EASIER TO READ so there is less confusion and more engagement.

2: Making lodges more useful by providing more field equipment that could be placed within. Maybe a recharging station for the bracer? A high tech scout camera to help find prey that got away? Hell, something as simple as a predator-style secure safe would be a nice addition to lodges and give hunters more reason to set up camps worth caring about instead of just being a distraction.

[TheMusician321]

I agree with Reno on both things, More field equipment and an improved translator would be awesome, I like the different styles too with the gladiator thing.

[Karmac]

improve translator

do away with lodges and most certainly don't make additional features supporting their existance

big dumb waste of time and doesn't work with the current iteration of CM

[x31stOverlord]

improve translator

do away with lodges and most certainly don't make additional features supporting their existance

big dumb waste of time and doesn't work with the current iteration of CM

Translators been improved very recently, they are a hell of a lot easier to read now

I disagree with getting rid of lodges entirely more make them optional, I enjoy making nice lodges and would like better tool to give them some atmosphere of a hunting lodge but that's personal preference.

[Karmac]

having the option of making lodges isn't something I want gone, just dont be mandatory

apologies for the wording

[x31stOverlord]

Yeah. I agree they shouldn't be mandatory anymore.

Have you tested the translator since it was changed or were you unaware it was changed recently? Spooky put through an update with a couple of neat changes

[Karmac]

haven't had the chance to test it yet, but as long as it's enough to not need people to do /me emotes to talk to marines anymore I'll be fine with it

[x31stOverlord]

Yeah. It's very readable now.

In addition there is a tech tracker that will locate any pred tech that is lost/stolen

Crystals will also slowly repair bones as well over long time.

Pretty good updates overall from Spoopy for us

[x31stOverlord]

Recent updates:

- QOL improvements to translator
- Yautja gear tracker for finding gear not equipped or in bags (would like this to track gear not on preds to find Marines who have looted)
- Reduced? Flame damage and made extinguishing yourself easier.
- Reduced? KO duration/chance
- Combistick can now be used dual handed (missing a Sprite so it looks like you're holding nothing)
- Healing crystals will now repair broken bones very slowly over time.
- Less chance of objects embedding in you (Shrapnel/throwing knives)