Update Discussion Thread (October 2018)

[Sargeantmuffinman]

• Added phase 1 of the gameplay overhaul, objectives.

• Objectives are quest-like goals that players can complete during a round, currently the only reward is bragging rights on marines getting a higher score at round end.

• Currently there are 4 main types of objectives, finding and reading documents, retrieving disks for upload, uploading data from terminals, retrieving items.

• Added a new computer lab to the Almayer, next to the AI room, where you can upload disks and store retrieved items.

• Additionally there are 'meta' objectives like "Minimise marine losses", "Retrieve KIA marines", "Rescue the survivors", "Recover colonist bodies".

• There is a new IC tab verb called "View-objectives-clues" which will show any clues you personally have gathered, such as passwords or locations of objectives. I recommend checking it often as it will automatically hide objectives that have been completed by you, or more importantly, by others.

• During Phase 1 objectives will not affect win/loss or round ending earlier/later as players try them out on a large scale and additional objective types are added. Phase 2 or 3 will be to transition from wipe out the other side completely to achieving a set value or key objectives.

• Future phases will also begin layering in Research update elements as well as rewards for completing objectives and penalties for failing important ones.

This gonna be dah start of something BIG I tella yeah.

[Sora9567]

I really think the optional objectives is a great step forward into improving gameplay. It'll give FOB marines something to look for, and the scouting teams will actually have something to scout for, rather than the "wander until we find a xeno then we go for the kill."

[WinterClould]

Ain't no one gonna ever complete the save survivors objective

[MattAtlas]

Ain't no one gonna ever complete the save survivors objective

we did last round HOO HAH

[edgardo]

maybe adding the "nightmare project" to thise would be good, so all objectives spawn ramdonly and not on the same spot

[RobBrown4PM]

Last round we had an 18% retrieval rate of fallen Marines.

Get your act together, yah Jarheads!

[Survivor]

This actually seems pretty damn cool. Please, more.



Edit: Perhaps this system can be used to create a cure on Infection rounds. Just a thought

[Exodus]

So, out of curiosity, will the End-of-Round type objectives have any sort of consequence on the game, or will they merely be things to aspire to accomplish in the same vein as Xeno minors/majors and Marine Majors.

Sidenote, but you mentioned retrieve KIA Marines as being one of the "meta" objectives. Would that have anything to do with the system currently in place to retrieve dog-tags and place them on the Memorial?

[Snypehunter007]

So, objectives that do nothing? Okay.

[WinterClould]

Are they only for the marines? Xenos need these more then marines do.

[Mister Jeether]

• Future phases will also begin layering in Research update elements as well as rewards for completing objectives and penalties for failing important ones.

research.

RESEARCH.

yes.

YES, PLEASE.

[Renomaki]

Are they only for the marines? Xenos need these more then marines do.

But what would xeno objectives be?

Have a certain number of xenos? Reach Level-3 queen? infect a certain number of marines before round end?

... You know, those could work, but at the same time, they don't really change it up too much, compared to the marines and their collection of items and assets.

[Gnorse]

Infect a specific target ?
Kill all squad leaders ?

[CABAL]

It's not that hard to came up with objectives for xenos:

Destroy planetside research on your species. On Big Red and Prison station we already have fluff containers with larvaes and facehuggers.
On LV: Destroy Headhunters Sarcophagus
They both need a little bit of work to make them a little bit harder, like podlocks that lift few minutes after first dropship arrives. Make that it require additional time to "spawn" acid, or that they need few stages of destruction by acid. Thanks to that one single sentinel, or drone will be unable to achieve it fast. Boiler acid would be faster, but that would mean that he is absent from the battlefield.

Objective to capture a specific marine that appears to have "best genes".

It all might not look like something that xenos would want to do, but Queen Mother is supposed to watch Rick and Morty, so her High IQ is the answer.
Failure to do so would result in punishment from her. Like if some xeno kills marine that was supposed to be captured and infected, then he would be forcefully de-evolved, or even killed if it was T1. Paint this marine in some colour so that nobody would say that he "didn't know".

[Grubstank]

Making carrier a T3 seems to have made captures even less desirable/frequent than they normally are. To get a carrier you have to go through the almost-totally-useless burrower class first, which turns the caste into nothing more than an evo-tax and makes hive planning more difficult.
I don't mind carrier being a T3, but it shouldn't be done for the sole purpose of FORCING people to pick burrower.

Plenty of people play spitter for the merits of playing a spitter -- not just because they want to become a boiler.
The burrower needs to be handled in the same way.

[Blade2000Br]

xenos infecting a specific target seems way too strange. What's the explanation for the xenos wanting to infect one specific target? for then, all tallhosts are that, tallhosts. There's no diference, more so PRE-game, where xenos don't even know about tallhosts coming to the ground.

Be more creative lads, creativity is the limit!

[CABAL]

xenos infecting a specific target seems way too strange. What's the explanation for the xenos wanting to infect one specific target? for then, all tallhosts are that, tallhosts. There's no diference, more so PRE-game, where xenos don't even know about tallhosts coming to the ground.

Be more creative lads, creativity is the limit!

Xenos are created by mixing xeno and host genes. Like I writed before: "The best", or "Perfect" genome that might breed 7 xeno larvaes that are better (not gameplaywise) becouse of that. Only for CM13 it does not matter from what kind of host xeno bursted.

It don't have to be pre-game, just colour one, or two marines is some colour only visible to xenos and send automatic message from Queen Mother that she wishes to capture that kind of specific targets as priorty and that failure caused directly by xenos will be punished.

Don't forget it's all fluff now, it does not matter if you will do objectives, or not. After giving it some meaning, those specific marines would have real chance, or certanity of breeding multiple xenos inside. If you know that this marine will burst two larvaes and that one seven, then you will want to target second option. Not all Tallhost are equal, despite what lefist boilers and Hive Justice Warriors say.

[kastion]

Xenos are created by mixing xeno and host genes. Like I writed before: "The best", or "Perfect" genome that might breed 7 xeno larvaes that are better (not gameplaywise) becouse of that. Only for CM13 it does not matter from what kind of host xeno bursted.

It don't have to be pre-game, just colour one, or two marines is some colour only visible to xenos and send automatic message from Queen Mother that she wishes to capture that kind of specific targets as priorty and that failure caused directly by xenos will be punished.

Don't forget it's all fluff now, it does not matter if you will do objectives, or not. After giving it some meaning, those specific marines would have real chance, or certanity of breeding multiple xenos inside. If you know that this marine will burst two larvaes and that one seven, then you will want to target second option. Not all Tallhost are equal, despite what lefist boilers and Hive Justice Warriors say.

why do xenos get punished for failing objectives. How about if a marine doesnt get the disk in time all funding to req is cut off for the rest of the mission. Sounds fair huh?

[Cry of Wolves]

• Destroy Royal Jelly Containers 0/10 [completion of all objective will grant an immediate passive speed boost for all xenos.]

• Set up a nest in (Location) 0/6 eggs [Completion of objectives will speed up time for larvae to burst]

• Keep (location) unpowered [failure to keep this building unpowered will make pheromones less effective]

• infect the remaining Survivors 0/6 [completion of this objective will make tackles more effective]

Ain't that hard to think of objectives, just play the Alien Campaign in AVP to get some ideas.

[Cry of Wolves]

why do xenos get punished for failing objectives. How about if a marine doesnt get the disk in time all funding to req is cut off for the rest of the mission. Sounds fair huh?

there is already plans for marines to get punished for not completing certain objectives. For now, the objectives are just side ops until phase 2 of Spooky's update comes out.

[Simo94]

I did ask the staff in yesterday's town hall about xeno objectives, others did too, the answer was always: no, xeno's sole objective will always be to wipe out the marines.

[CABAL]

Yeah, better not make xeno side more interesting. Let's keep it as it is, no unecessary confusion. We have to protecc our xenomains, not attacc them with something new.

Before there was xeno bias, now it's time for being a dick for benos era?

[Gnorse]

now that's just gay.

As much as I'd like to shit on xenos as a glorious marine main, they deserve to have fun too. If anything, xenos need these objectives more than marines do.

[blingx3]

I would like to thank you for bringing back the fun to carries, the resin hole was half the joy in that cast. much love.

[kamenkuro]

Yeah, better not make xeno side more interesting. Let's keep it as it is, no unecessary confusion. We have to protecc our xenomains, not attacc them with something new.

Before there was xeno bias, now it's time for being a dick for benos era?

Xeno needs a major overhaul. Adding objectives won't make it fun