That may change with future updates. For example, I’m looking into using capsules/spheres as replacements to some of the buildables’ bboxes. That may make it more difficult to attack those buildables from behind cover. We may change how current offensive buildables attack, maybe finding some way for them to attack players when they are visible instead of only when their origin is visible. We may add more buildables that could change the dynamic, and/or any other number of changes to the buildable system and/or any other system may change the dynamiz significantly.
With that said, could a Kamikaze alien be useful in combat against human players, and not just against human bases?
the original reason I suggested this was because while machinegun humans are still mildly useful at mid-lategame dretches are near useless. This can lead to being able to do nothing if you’re alien with no evos.
Dretches have pounce (for movement purposes, the pounce itself doesn’t do damage, damage is still entirely from the bite).
There is a gradual timed income system, where you constantly get fractional evos (so you don’t have to wait the couple minutes to get any timed evos).
Income is given from team buildables killing enemy players.
Income is given from killing enemy buildables.
Some of the income from killing enemy players is given to the enemy team.
With that said, I still think that a kamikaze alien done the right way could add a lot to the game play, and if someone were to make the assets (the model, etc) for such a new alien class, I would definitely code an implementation for us to try.
No, I don’t recommend it being used against humans either, with a human already dying in 2 hits from nearly every alien (same with aliens → humans) I personally don’t think it would be a good idea. Adding this may result in alien priority, where aliens would win all due to a hit ratio. Humans would then be practically useless in survival, so much that armor and helmets would no longer effect lifespan. If you are going to add something that increases damage dealt, make it only effective against battlesuits, since their already highly armored and a rant can’t kill one regularly.
I think humans do have an advantage that aliens do not have.
humans have a (somewhat) effective nade, which can be used in a kamikaze style
human blaster and rifle can whittle down structures from a distance and take no damage
alien dretch cannot do damage to turrets very well without taking excessive damage
aliens have very few units that can whittle down human structures
The only aliens you can sort of use to whittle down an alien base would be:
advanced marauder, and it still takes some damage and its spark takes awhile to do damage to groups of turrets, while the marauder still takes damage
advanced dragoon, its barbs take a long time to refill, it makes more sense just to pick off lone humans or lone turrets
arguably the spitfire can harass buildings but is pretty weak
one could argue the advanced basilisk could do damage to base structures, but upon de-cloking it will get killed pretty fast by rets
Humans can whittle down tubes and other structures from a distance with blaster and rifle. Humans can run in in groups with nades and or lucy cannons and absolutely decimate an OM. Even if they die in the process they can do massive damage. Humans frequently do run in packs on suicide missions to wreck the alien base. Aliens do not have the same ability to effectively harass the human base without loosing many evos in the process.
In short I think we will want a well done kamikaze alien, one that is balanced. The kamikaze alien does not have to be super powerful. A kamikaze alien does not have to totally wreck the base either.
One example would be an acidic gel ball bug:
The ball bug could cost about 4 evos
The ball bug detonation area has a wide area of effect
Acidic gel blobs spew out in every direction temporarily slowing structures and units that are hit by it or walk through it. (perhaps five to ten seconds)
The acidic gel could do about 100 damage slowly over the ten seconds. Humans with armor or medkits should survive it easily.
Structure repair would reduce the acids damage as its slowly healing during the damage process.
The key advantage for the aliens is that the structures heal back a little less each time, and the humans cant immediately assault because they need to defend, heal, repair, and wait the five or ten seconds for full mobility.
Blobs of acid would mostly effect the feet, so damage modifier favors humans.
This is a rough concept, the damage amount could be adjusted, as could the secondary movement reduction.
We now have an initial Kamikaze attack implemented for the basic marauder. Holding the secondary attack charges up for the explosion. You explode either when you reach max charge, or if and when you dies earlier while still charged. The intensity of the explosion (which effects the overall damage and range) is proportional to how much charge you have. There are some vibration effects and pain effects for indicating feedback for the charge. Currently the explosion is a simple splash damage that aliens are immune to.
This update is available on both the GrangerLab server and on the Unitremia server.
Update: The Basic Marauder’s explosion now gives off an electrical attack. Going above 2/3 of its maximum charge meter now causes the Marauder to take 47 damage per second. Being fully charged does not automatically detonate, but instead detonates through outside sources or the auto-damage. Biting while fully charged is not available at the moment.
This update is available on both the GrangerLab server and on the Unitremia server.
Since the spitfire has it’s flammable gas trail third attack, that can swoop into the alien base doing damage, and have a chance to make it out alive (although not always), that has mostly served the role of a kamikaze alien, and the basic mara kamikaze secondary attack is hardly used anymore, I removed that kamikaze attack from the basic mara. Not to mention it was annoying to new players when they tried that secondary and didn’t expect to immediately die.
I should add that at some point we plan on adding an acid attack to the rant (or add an adv rant with that attack and more hp), which would leave a pool of acid that would do damage over time to enemy players and buildables standing in the pool (the pool would “evaporate” after a period of time).
