Updates discussion thread

[Chowder McArthor]

Adds a delay to humans when they exit a locker. If you've ever been a marine trying to escape from a xeno nest and getting that delay from breaking out, you know the pain this causes.

[James_ii]

Yep. I know the pain...Still if I'm robost enough/quick enough I can maybe catch a beno with my buckshot shotty.

[TehSpoderman]

New update: https://i.imgur.com/d8MklWw.png

I think giving Queens many offensive caste abilities is a bad idea. Queens are supposedly a support caste and a caste mostly not meant to be on the front-lines. They are supposed to be in the hive making eggs and commanding the xenos from afar. This update encourages Queens to shed their ovipositor and head directly to the enemy.

[Surrealistik]

I'm pretty mystified by the change that has screech stop the queen's charge; drive-by charge screeches were bad, but the real abuse was queens just pulling an RKO out of nowhere Randy Orton style by charging into a bunch of marines from off screen, screeching, and hacking a bunch apart while the rest of the beanos followed; I can only see this getting even worse now that she's a Beano megazord.

On the flipside I'm glad to see that there will be no more abusive heal spam due to the addition of a sorely needed hard cooldown, but what this seems to suggest in aggregate with the other buffs, is that the new meta will be frontline queens ASAP until egg queen sees significant buffs.

[HKO20006]

There is little reason not to go to the front once Queen hits Elite Empress and the hive has enough T3 with Queen being this formidable.

[Sulaboy]

I always felt that the queen should be very strong but not very mobile, they should be within their massive hives at all times. It should be a bloody battle to break into a hive fighting the queen with here guard of praetorians and sentinels.

[LocalizedDownpour]

This seems...excessive

[thatguyfromlife]

All the queen needs now is boiler globs to be every T3 xeno.

I think its a little much.

[TheDonkified]

Queen with warding + explosive immunity + neuro + screech + offensive T3 abilities + front-facing armor. I haven't witnessed queen in combat yet, but how are marines expected to have a chance against xenos after the 1:30-2 hour mark given the number of xenos from late join larva + captures AND this powerful of a queen?

Now that I think about it too, with the damage nerf to resin structures, especially hivelord structures, how are marines really expected to push into the hive effectively given that queen can both screech and neuro stun? Bullets were an effective counter to resin structures, but now mazes of resin structures, especially hivelord structures, are going to kill the momentum of most if not all pushes towards the hive. So far, I've only played in low pop rounds where I haven't seen marines push into the hive, but I want to see how this affects high pop gameplay.

[LocalizedDownpour]

Only option now is to shoot it really.

Screech
Giant HP pool
Charge
Crest
Fire immunity
Explosive immunity
Spit
Heal [Ovi only]
Rav delimb

Am I missing anything from that? Mind you this is ONE xeno. I get the queen is supposed to be tough but...come on. Xenos aren't even losing at all really anymore I thought the Larva solution fixed the balance but this is seriously overkill. The queen is just a crusher Ravager after two hours and even misplays getting caught out...she's nigh unstoppable now, and she was already a tough fight before.

[Cry of Wolves]

unless they make screech Ovi only. this is just never gonna be killed.

But will all updates like these, there is always the second part. Something else is gonna be added, so it's just a wait and see at this point. I really really hope there is a second part or every marine that kills the queen deserves a medal for it everytime.

[thatguyfromlife]

I get making the queen the strongest beno, she is the queen after all, but having all these abilities is over the top. I feel the Queen shouldn't have the delimb and spit, just make her a tank.

[Surrealistik]

Now that I think about it too, with the damage nerf to resin structures, especially hivelord structures, how are marines really expected to push into the hive effectively given that queen can both screech and neuro stun? Bullets were an effective counter to resin structures, but now mazes of resin structures, especially hivelord structures, are going to kill the momentum of most if not all pushes towards the hive. So far, I've only played in low pop rounds where I haven't seen marines push into the hive, but I want to see how this affects high pop gameplay.

Yeah, definitely a concern for me as well, especially given how effective resin wall spam already is.

[completelynewguy]

Nice, it appears that the Queen's been balanced by Rian Johnson. She's just a nobody xeno, yet she's somehow capable of all these things.

[Sulaboy]

Nice, it appears that the Queen's been balanced by Rian Johnson. She's just a nobody xeno, yet she's somehow capable of all these things.

Queen Mary Sue ruler of the hive

[Rio]

Queen Mary Sue ruler of the hive

All she has left to gain is the ability to crawl in vents, turn invisible, and be able to dig holes.

Oh shit, I should stop talking before anyone gets any ideas.

[thatguyfromlife]

Queen Mary Sue ruler of the hive

Maybe the queen will demote herself to runner so she can fight the marines.

Oh wait she doesn't need to she's already a runner, and spitter and crusher and...

[Surrealistik]

I for one look forward to the update where she gains the ability to fly and toss the burning wreckage of the CAS she singlehandedly annihilated into FOB

[Rio]

I for one look forward to the update where she gains the ability to fly and toss the burning wreckage of the CAS she singlehandedly annihilated into FOB

No no no. She HIJACKS CAS and then uses it on the marines. Get it together!

[Simo94]

In my irrelevant opinion, I think devs should strive towards distributing the power among all the hive, making every caste viable, and not pouring all of it on single or an elite few, T3s and Queen should be a bonus, not a necessity for the hive to function, we always feel useless without a crusher or queen for example, even according to 'muh lore' we never see any T3 caste in the movies and the hive still works. I personally only really have fun playing xeno if I make it to said T3.


also did I mention Queen is the most overpowered character in this winter anime season 2018?

[Heckenshutze]

Usually when this kind of updates happens there's always a 2nd part so we wait.

[thatguyfromlife]

Usually when this kind of updates happens there's always a 2nd part so we wait.

The second part is the queen can now call in OB's of ancient hunters

[Heckenshutze]

Alien traps nerfed at the exchange of higher tackle resistance: This is false, now traps are useless since there's no slowdown (the logic behind a LEG trap) and you still get tackled at first try with ease, and later on, tackle spammed until SD or death.

And I'm damn angry about it.

Even predators are getting steamrolled wew

[misto]

the free larva thing causes heavy swings. at peak hours when lots of people are willing to play xeno, ha ha, well you can see for yourself what can happen. at lowpop hours it merely gives extra lives to the few people online willing to play xeno, and those extra lives start over from young t1 of course, unless the marines have forced their way into the braindead larva chamber and slaughtered them all. this is an inconsistent solution reliant on ooc factors, and undermines the usefulness of capture-centric classes such as the carrier.

hey, there's an idea. how about you just buff the carrier to make it better at its job instead of handing out free larva from nowhere? or, if not the carrier, then the thrown facehuggers? they have a bad habit of just sitting there until they get shot

[Kesserline]

As a Xeno, I'll tell you frankly why you're losing. You don't flank, you don't push, and Marines build a giant autism FOB that's 7 layers or metal and mines (with a completely open flank)... while leaving the rest of the map open.

Last stands are more enjoyable than 5 hour snoozefests. Marines are better than Xenos at adapting. So adapt!

Symbiosis, we are humans, we are roleplayers and players. It's a videogame.

A few months ago, one single player could change the tide of battle if he did a true miracle. Now, you need a full squad of heroes-holy-saints blessed by RNJesus to have a chance to win.

I can adapt myself, with a certain margin. The fact that this game has lost the "Challenge" and became just nearly impossible, makes me lose interest in it.

Losing against a challenge is interesting. Getting steamrolled isn't. There is a way of setting the winrate. Having a 30/70 USCM-Xenos winrate is possible, without being 70% steamrolled and 30% exhausted to win a round.

I am no drama bitch blackmailing : IF YOU DUN DO WHAT I WANT : I LEAVE

But I seek, after 7 to 10 hours of work, enjoyment, RP and the challenge that CM used to offer just several months ago.

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You cannot expect marines to see Xenos 40+ on ARES Bioscan keeping faith and morale. When you know that Xenos worth (at a very minimum) 3 marines for each Xeno. But most of the time, a Xeno worths 5 to 7 marines.

Good marines tend to die early or mid-round at max, pushing, flanking. And the rest of the round is dedicated to cowards or unorganized marines staying in FOB and making rounds going 4 or 5 hours.

Shall I stay at FOB for 4 hours, just to have a chance to stay in the round playing ? Shall I only join support roles to wait for the Xenos to crash onto the Almayer to die ?

The Queen Update made it virtually impossible to counter. You can only rely on Queen's mistake for her to get killed (or overwhelming her with 20+ marines, cornering her).

The larva update made the Hive not willing to capture. Just observe the rounds and see the number of captured hosts. Hunters, runners, spitters, you can even see boilers clawing downed/dragged marines.

There is no RP in being steamrolled, because there is no enjoyment. Enjoyment gives the will to share and interact with others.

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Just two notions : Roleplay and Gameplay.
If one is fucked, the other is weakened on CM.