Updates discussion thread

[TehSpoderman]

This thread is for people to discuss new updates and give their opinions. Please do not go overboard and get this thread locked. This thread is mainly to help the devs and help them see what players think of new updates.

Here is the changelog from the wiki: changelog/

[Bronimin]

Resting xenos are CUTE!

I will miss feeding the queen my sticky purple stuff.

Xenos are getting pushed very easily because combat recovery pheromone has been nerfed, as well as the Big Red weed changes meaning that hallways cannot be fortified and are much easier to clear of weeds. Crushers in particular get messed up because they lose their deflection while they are resting.

The walls around LZ-2 look gnarly but I do like the walkway leading up to the pad. Where is the button to control those shutters? For the walls, I'd just remove the walls and fill in the tunnel to the west with plain rock.


Crushers produce 'asteroid' turf when they destroy rock on Big Red which can be weeded, not sure if intentional.

[davidofmk771]

I can see this having a serious impact on how rounds play out when marines start getting settled into it. This leaves xenos with a vital choice when it comes to health regeneration, and i'm hoping this whole thing will spur marines into pushing xenos more and sitting in slowly degenerating FOBs less often.

[Zilenan91]

LZ2 sucks still because there's multiple spread out lanes of attack for it and no tcomms, and LZ1 was actually buffed despite what the changelog and devs say. It's stronger than it was before.

[Blade2000Br]

LZ2 sucks still because there's multiple spread out lanes of attack for it and no tcomms, and LZ1 was actually buffed despite what the changelog and devs say. It's stronger than it was before.

that moment an marine nerf actually buff the marines:


still, I liked this new change. Seeing xenos rest over the marines cams are so damn CUTE. IT ALMOST MAKES ME HUG AND THEN POINT BLANK BUCKSHOT HER TEETH~

Well done devs. no golf clap here. only *clap.

[Renomaki]

I think giving the *rest* action more purpose other than simply to allow others to walk over you is a real dandy idea. Xenos often just stand still on weeds anyways, so it doesn't change too much.

The lack of the ability to transfer plasma is a shame, though, but on the bright side, we regen plasma when wounded or not. In a sense, we traded off one thing for something else.

Also, I like how xenos can't just spam weeds everywhere on Big Red anymore, which would give them an absurd advantage compared to other maps. Makes Big Red a bit more bearable now.

[Zilenan91]

I disagree. Big Red seems extremely marine-sided right now. Stuff like CAS and flamethrowers lets marines burn away what few weeds the xenos have and then they're kinda SOL and just automatically lose ground. I hope the dirt change gets reverted because it means that xenos effectively can't use 50% of the map with dirt around it.

[Zilenan91]

I feel like the dirt change was made so as to make Big Red more like LV where xenos can't just bunker down and spread everywhere. This is a good idea because it means that it can break up certain parts of the map, but it just doesn't work because unlike LV the map isn't designed to make this balanced, the places where you can place hives are utterly surrounded by dirt so you can't do anything as a xeno. You just get pinned up inside your hive and then you die because you can't put weeds anywhere.

Like the section of jungle above Hydro on LV is fine because of the coastlines and how open the terrain is. Xenos have a small spot to heal that's not too close to marines to let them just creep up on them, and it's open enough so that if they get flanked or someone just runs at them they can run back over the river where it's safe. There's no part of Big Red that lets them run away because the only spots they can safely put hives are surrounded by dirt, so there's no frontline they can run away from since all they have is their hive.

[Bronimin]

Played a game as a drone, didn't really like it. You spend a lot of time resting when before you'd be running around the battlefield when your plasma runs low. Much less interesting.

[Surrealistik]

I largely like it except for what is a massive indirect nerf for the Hivelord given that one of his primary functions was to serve as a plasma battery; Hivelord should regain the ability to transfer plasma.

Also since he wasn't in a particularly strong place to begin with and clearly has a special affinity with weeds, I think he should retain the old passive plasma regen rate while standing.

Bam, plasma battery niche for the Hivelord.

[solidfury7]

I disagree. Big Red seems extremely marine-sided right now. Stuff like CAS and flamethrowers lets marines burn away what few weeds the xenos have and then they're kinda SOL and just automatically lose ground. I hope the dirt change gets reverted because it means that xenos effectively can't use 50% of the map with dirt around it.

Using a CAS or flamethrowers on weeds is a positive thing for ayy.

They're extremely limited in supply, hell it's an amazing trade off.

[Renomaki]

Honestly, HIvelords already have primary function: Heavy construction.

You might not notice it a whole lot, but hivelords are capable of building reinforced hive structures. Hivelords aren't always present, but when they are, you'll know by the sight of darkened resinwalls, which are a bitch to knife down and take a lot more bullets to take out. They, like praes, also still have the ability to emit buffs, one of them being recovery. You might not get to provide bulk plasma to the queen anymore, but you can still provide them a boost in regeneration.

Also, I don't see what is so bad about the current situation with Big Red. On LV, you could only really fully weed one half of the map, the other half being heavily restrictive in where you could place weeds, yet no one ever complained then. Ice is even more annoying with all the snow that you have to dig just so you can expand, which most xenos didn't bother with anyways and stuck with what was already uncovered with snow. And Big Red? Well, you can't weed dirt anymore, but there is plenty of indoor sections where you can weed, as well as small pathways between the buildings. You still get plenty to weed, it is just that now you can't just overwhelm marines with an insane about of weed-tiles.

Lets be honest, no one had fun having to deal with weeds covering 100% of the map. Xenos may be expected to win 75% of the time, but still... Marines deserve a break sometimes.

Keep in mind, I was a queen that got to play the update first hand, no readjustments. We managed to do pretty well, laying plenty of eggs and expanding from Lambda and all the way to the dorms before assaulting LZ1 and taking it. You just need to adjust your tactics is all.

[Surrealistik]

Honestly, HIvelords already have primary function: Heavy construction.

You might not notice it a whole lot, but hivelords are capable of building reinforced hive structures. Hivelords aren't always present, but when they are, you'll know by the sight of darkened resinwalls, which are a bitch to knife down and take a lot more bullets to take out. They, like praes, also still have the ability to emit buffs, one of them being recovery. You might not get to provide bulk plasma to the queen anymore, but you can still provide them a boost in regeneration.

I know exactly what Hivelords do.

That they lost a key niche while they're already one of the weakest and least essential castes in the game is a problem.

[Tidomann]

With the changes to weeding, and the experimental resting mechanic I think there's going to be some I use of carriers again. Indoor areas are going to become much more contested since there is limited weeding locations AND xenos need to properly retreat and become vulnerable when sitting (crested defenses go down, can't stay offensive when regenerating plasma).

It's a large energy investment to get eggs at the new locations and resting at the resting location can leave the queen vulnerable. Carriers are going to be good to bridge that period between moving the hive into a new location. Even having huggers for the queen or drones to slap on marines overextending to try and harass resting xenos is already good to have. Throw a higher by a drone and watch him slap a marine around a corner.

There is a lot to experiment with in the changes. It's exciting

[Mook476]

This changes up the game play quite a bit for xenos in my opinion. I don't think the xenos can keep up their constant sieges, and skirmishes/battles now due to this new healing mechanic where as before a xeno could just go in and out.

[Snypehunter007]

Just as a note, the reason we changed the Big Red "dirt" tiles is because they are actually a sand. So you actually can't put weeds on them because they have nothing to latch on to. Its also serves to function (gameplay wise) like the grass tiles on LV.

[Surrealistik]

Okay so apparently Hivelords just got acid so they may no longer be in a problematic place.

EDIT: Apparently that's a bug, nevermind they're shit again.

Again, give them the old passive standing recharge rate and make them exclusively able to x-fer plasma.

[Bronimin]

I love tail attacks, but it is too finicky to use them with the new HUD buttons because you can't be charging your tail attack and also be ready to fight at the same time (unless you are a drone, that is-- only one skill active at once out of tail, acid or pounce). Further, once you do stab someone you have to move your mouse all the way to the top left corner of the screen to activate your combat skill afterwards and it's very slow.

Hivelords making resin structures next to them is cool.

[lcass123]

the ui seems bugged, when I click the buttons for tail attack it activates the tail attack and sets it as the hotkey action which I don't want and makes using the tail not worth it as you just die before pouncing away

[Crab_Spider]

I hate the Ui for abilities. Now I can't string together important skills.

[Heckenshutze]

Ravager needed a small buff indeed, young ravagers had the health of a runner, usually when either side gets a buff or a tweak the other party gets something new aswell so I'm eager to see what's next.

[Igloo]

latest update in a shellnut

[Nyeshivuu]

latest update in a shellnut

Holy fucking shit did they remove macros? Guess i'm not playing for a bit.

[TheDonkified]

Holy fucking shit did they remove macros? Guess i'm not playing for a bit.

Don't worry buddy, there are still macros for marines.

[Licon]

The macro system. Why? Got playing yesterday and i suddenly had this akward feeling when i join other servers in ss13: why is here no macro, ah right this isnt CM. I mostly play xenon but now it will be marine only or back to menu. Will the same happen with marine?