[Discussion] Alien mutations

[Derpislav]

Summary (a quick, 2-3 sentence summary): Allow aliens to mutate when provided with required items, as a response to how many possible loadouts marines have.

Benefits (How this will benefit the server and game as a whole): More customization for alien, allowing for players to specialize their evolutions further.

Details (Description of how you think this would work, the benefits, etc):Queen (perhaps Hivelord too) gets the option to create high-cost "mutagen" with chosen properties. Said mutagen is (if we go with one-use) ingested by a xeno, or "inserted" into a resin nest (if we go with 3 or so uses per item). It requires the xeno to be at full health and to enter a nest for half a minute or so to apply. Said mutations aren't upgrades, they don't give a direct edge in an area - they have strong downsides, serving to specialize in selected fields.

Aliens gain one mutation "slot" per evolution tier - mutagen is tiered too, with lower levels available for use in higher slots. For example.
Runner - one t1 slot
Warrior - one t1 slot, one t1-2 slot
Ravager - one t1 slot, one t1-2 slot, one t1-3 slot.

Tier one is focused mostly on exchanging statistics in favor of other ones, few example ideas. These are horribly unbalanced and just to hint you at what I mean.
Dense flesh: more health and pounce/tackle duration, slower movement.
Shed plating: Faster movement and "reflex-based" RNG rolls, less resistance to damage.
Overgrown chitin: Higher chance to deflect or decrease damage from bullets, but incoming fire gains a + to hit.
Talons: Slight damage buff and higher chance to cause bleeding, slower movement in "run" (stalk is unaffected)

Tier two is about plasma-based mutations or unique abilities. It is the mid tier because if someone wants to become a plasma god or have two unique mutations, he will have to sacrifice his caste specialization.
Enlarged storage sacs: self-explainable. Your regeneration rate is very slightly lowered, but you're able to store more, meaning you can stock up standing on weeds. Damage has a chance to score a "critical hit" on you, stunning you very briefly and draining some of your plasma.
Plasma metabolism: Digesting corpses regenerates your plasma. However, the healing factor is greatly lowered.
Adrenaline storage: You regenerate plasma even when wounded. However, every time you take damage, your health regeneration (even on weeds) is completely halted for ~7 seconds.
Boiling blood: On death, you explode in a 3x3 shower of acid. However, when wounded, your speed decreases and you leave a very visible trail of flesh blood.
Wall leap: When this ability is active, you jump to any walls up to 4 tiles away from you - just by pressing a corresponding direction key. Additionally, when moving next to walls, bullets have a higher chance to miss. This drains plasma like hunter's cloak, and when actually hit, you're stunned for a short moment.

Tier three lets you focus on a certain aspect of your caste.
Hive Builder:You gain the ability to build three normal walls at once - when planting one with this active, two more will appear by your sides. You get the option to build a "spire" that spreads thicker weeds, healing and re-plasming faster. You can also launch normal weed nodes over a distance, planting them from up to 7 tiles away. You however regenerate plasma far slower on your own and slow down considerably.
Hive Lord:You resupply plasma in nearby xenos remotely when an ability is active. Your own plasma regeneration is faster, and can heal aliens. Your resin options, however, have a delay during which you cannot move or building is interrupted.
Something Ravager:Something something slash and additional target something tail attacks launching marines something
Ravager Something:Something buff nearby xenos something something lower accuracy/cause recoil in marines something something
Crusher:Blah better charging blah
2Crusher:blah better tanking blah
I'd like to point out again that mutations listed are placeholders written down in 5 seconds just to inspire proper discussion.

Implementation (Optional, if you have an idea how to implement it): Feed the coders.

[Steelpoint]

Don't quote me on this but I think one of the developers said they had brainstormed/discussed a similar concept, but that they would have to wait further down the line before doing this. In fact I think I took a pic of this.

[Pillow]

feed the coders what sort of insanity is that?

[TopHatPenguin]

>Faster running speed for a runner...

[Pillow]

>Faster running speed for a runner...

gotta go super sanic

[apophis775]

Denied. No mutations.