How to Fix the Lack of Aliens

[Quakes72]

Hello everyone!

Suggestions are closed right now and I know this probably should be in that section, but I seriously need to vent some ideas I have about one of the biggest problems I have heard of here on CM. I will be updating this post (as long as our kind [and rather dashing] staff members will allow it to stay up to reflect the ideas that are in the comments. Furthermore please refrain from commenting any thing other than comments that regard the solution I will outline.

The Problem: Rounds Often Lack Alien Players.

Thoughts on the Issue: I can not argue with the fact that many rounds often lack an incentive to play as an alien, and in rounds that do have the excitement to keep a player logged-on once he/she becomes an alien the extended time waiting for an evolution into tier 3 or 4 cause players to log-off.

The Solution: A New Queen Pheromone.

How That Works:
1.1) Allow the Queen to release a "growth" pheromone to those in her range at the cost of draining plasma.
1.2) The "growth" pheromone has two effects on surrounding players:
1.2.1) Alien players have a doubled jelly progress.
1.2.2) Human and ape hosts take less time to burst.

Immediate Benefits:
1.1) Less time needed to evolve into higher tiers of Xeno results in less players logging-off while playing alien roles.
1.2) Allowing only the Queen to release the new pheromone results in aliens remaining close to her and therefor protecting her from marine threats.
1.3) Less time needed to evolve into higher tiers of Xeno results in earlier combat and reduced round time.
1.4) Less time taken to burst from a host means that Xeno reproduction happens faster and therefor encourages ghosted players from logging out while waiting.

Why it Will Work: The pheromone system is already present in the game so coding in a new pheromone could be more simple than other solutions to the same issue, and this will also work to help end the over extended round times that I have heard so many people in game comment about.

Before you comment please check back to what I mentioned about comments at the top of the post (I want to make this post as tolerable to the staff as possible). Thanks a ton everyone! I would love to hear what you all think about this and what you think could be changed with this solution! Tcshuss!

[bustered1]

I do like the idea of this growth pheromone; however, decreased bursting time? This is the hardest for me to get my head around. It already takes a million years (give or take 999,999.99 years) for humans to burst. I could see where it could cause problems for the hunting caste as they would be behind the defense caste with jelly growth. Maybe a negative disable the ability to drop a jelly for like 3 minutes after the pheromone was deactivated.

[Sargeantmuffinman]

Yeah we know that suggestions are currently closed.

And to the topic at hand.

Well you see the idea is good,I like it but there should also be a draw back other than draining plasma like a cool down of 2 minutes or something so the marines don't moan about how over powered it is and such and such.

For now it's a good enough idea.

[RadiantFlash]

I... honestly don't think it's needed. I've seen spitters, warriors, and even a ravagers out, by the time the marines are landing on the LZ. Instead of attracting people to aliens, it just seems like a bit of a harsh buff towards the aliens, and I play on both sides.



Though, I would like mines to be meltable, but thats a whole differant story.

[Ogard]

More aliens would be nice but yeah don't really know about this, great idea though!

[Quakes72]

@ Bustered1. I have changed the post to make it a bit more clear as to what I was thinking. I hope that is also what you mean.

[apophis775]

If there are ravagers by the time the marines land, the marines are doing it fucking wrong.

Based on the evolve times, and the time to get jelly, if a larva started the game, went runner, and instantly got jelly, he'd still need around 20-30 minutes to become a ravager.

If the marines aren't deploying for 20-30 minutes, they deserve to get ravagers to the face.


but also remember, the aliens have been on the planet for a fair amount of time, to the point that only 2-3 survivors remain.

[Wickedtemp]

I think this is a good idea. It also addresses the long wait-time for evolution, which can set the Xeno's up for failure if the Queen sucks or joins very late.

[TopHatPenguin]

This sounds good on paper ( well internet paper ) but i think we would probably need a couple of days with this introduced to see if it is having a good effect.Overall i like this idea a lot especially with the decrease evolve time, but i'm just not sure how it will affect the balance of play, that is why it may be good to have a trial period with this in.

+1

[Quakes72]

I mean its totally not a perfect idea and English is not my native language so maybe someone other than me could have explained it better (Was my post okay to read?), but I really think if it was tested the results would be overall positive and it could easily be tweaked to make the rates of evolution/chest bursting faster or slower based on how the staff sees it.

[Sadokist]

I've actually never once thought that there was too little aliens. i mean usually they win and usually there are tons. maybe not to begin with but never so little that we need to do something about it.

[Gamerofthegame]

All that would do is greatly encourage aliens to hang out in their base to level up.

[TopHatPenguin]

Possibly have it so the more infected you acquire the faster you're evolution goes up?

Probably could cause anger issues, however but could be a possible fix as it's a incentive to go out of the hive and infect.