Ideas for new Zerg Mechanics. (Post your theories and ideas)

I think that right there looks pretty good for the most part SirBaron. Again, great idea and I like it.

While that's true most of the time in that stillness or very slow movement go hand in hand with camouflage in nature, but as I've explained before, Zerg Shadow with only Blend and not Chameleon Skin would be redundant and actually far inferior to the existing Zerg burrow. Camouflage for predatory hunters are not alway about absolute stillness either, although you never see an animal being able to actively attack a prey while constantly under "cloak" either. But gameplay and balance always take the front seat over realism for me personally.

If you really wanted it to be closer to nature realistically, one way I can think of is to make the Chameleon Skin an automatic and passive perma-cloak ability once researched, but the Zerg Shadow breaks cloak every time it attacks(and lasting a short moment after, at least greater than its cooldown time, preferably longer). But I like SirBaron's idea enough as is.

I'm also against Blend taking longer to activate. The Blend ability would be a nice alternative for people who choose to tech Shadow Lair and pass up on the burrow research. But it should differentiate from burrow and have instant activation because for folks who also research burrow, Blend would be inferior if it took even longer to activate.

All in all, in my opinion the Zerg Shadow is a justified and worthy addition to the Zerg if and only if it has Chameleon Skin. Having just Blend is nothing new for the Zerg, and it doesn't give you any new options that you didn't have before at a greater efficiency.

 

I understand your point. And I think it's just as valid as my hesitation at giving ourselves such a powerful cloak unit. Not that I'm against using it.

I could easily compromise, simply based on the ability to further balance the units at a later time and my want to see new units.

If that were to be the case, I think you're right about a passive cloak ability (researched?) that doesn't have an activation time.

 

@Remy: I changed blend a little bit. Hopefully it'll look better.

And if i haven't mentioned this already, everyone, just toss criticism at me, i can take it. The more, the better - i am used to this as i write a novel, i am constantly reminded by supportive friends with too little time on their hands, about tiny mistakes i do when writing, and i hope you can do the same in this situation even though it's not exactly the same thing.

No idea is good without criticism and hard struggle, or in another way of speaking: "Rome was not built in one day."

 

actually rome was build in one day, both the walls and the center were created by romulus and remus on the same day

 

@ SirBaron, I think Blend was fine the way you had it, but how you have it now is great too. The way you have it now, I would think the time to remain uncloaked after each attack would have to be about at least 4~5 seconds to prevent cheese.

@ Joneagle_X, not sure if you're referring to Blend or Chameleon Skin by "passive cloak ability." If you're talking about what I came up with, it was just a suggestion to the Chameleon Skin, to make it more like how it is in nature in a more realistic way. Although SirBaron applied it to Blend instead, which is fine. I didn't think it was necessary at all to be honest, but it's just an idea for people who like just a tad more realism.

But if you meant Blend, I don't think it should be researched, but an innate ability of the Zerg Shadow right off the bat, that's how I understood SirBaron's idea as well. Because the Zerg Shadow already require a Shadow Lair to be built, I think additional tech requirement for what's similar to burrow is unnecessary. Tech timing wise, the Zerg Shadow with Chameleon Skin is similar to the lurker, just depending on lurker tech research time vs Shadow Lair build time and ChamSkin research time. Chameleon Skin is also about the same timing as DT tech, don't remember for SC2 though, but that's not accounting for riding hydra tech for AA or just ranged in general.

Another great merit of SirBaron's whole Zerg Shadow idea is that it provides an additional tech option at tier 2 for the Zerg. Tech paths are always good.

 

after thinking a little bit. I had an idea as far as another possible zerg mechanic.

An ability to upgrade once the hatchery was fully upgrade to a hive (possibly before that):

Hive Swarm:
An ability on cooldown which allows the hive to spew out a cloud of broodling like creatures which act as a final defense for the actual hive. This would allow for a defence of the actual hive so that it can be salvaged from an invading army. The broodling like creatures have a fairly high attack rate and damage, but very little HP. Maybe 10-20 of them come out of the hive from this ability which would have a very slow cooldown rate. The broodling like creatures would not be able to survive at all off the creep and would actually die (if not killed) in the same amount of time as the cooldown (preventing the player from just adding and adding to a home protection system.

Just a thought. Your opinions?

 

I know the thread is kinda old, but I figured the long post count would deter less experienced posters....

I've been thinking of ideas for the Zerg and something keep recurring for me. Everyone thinks the Zerg are poisonous, it kind of goes with their theme, but the only real POISON attack has been plague.

I'm thinking of a mid-ranged unit, similar to the hydralisk or even possibly a mutation of it, that fires a plague like mass that sticks after initial damage and does steady damage for a period of time. Just like plague but a little weaker. Of course, this unit would need to be more expensive than the Hydra, or be a rather expensive mutation.

Bilelisk?

 

I would like to see more advancement with the overlord. I don't know if I was bad but my overlords were usually hiding somewhere in my base unless I needed them for something. Overlords should be more actively helping your swarm as a support unit. Here are some ideas.

Transportation: This isn't as much as an idea to make them more active as it is an idea to make zerg transportation unique. Since the protoss lost their shuttles I don't think zerg should transport units the way they did in the first one to make them different from the terrans.

Make it so a overlord has to be near by to call in a nydus worm. It can give the beacon similar to the ghost nuke and possibly a game wide warning of the nydus worm spawning. When the nydus worm spawns it should be identical to the nydus canal in that zergs can pour through it until it is destroyed. I think this idea would be fun and make the zerg method of transportation unique.

Movement/Attack Speed Aura Speed Aura: Lets say flying over head overlords increase the movement and attack speed for 8 supply amount of zerg by 5%. Some overlords would be at your base to increase the movement speed of your workers and others would be flying about with your swarms.

 

Protoss still has a unit transport, it's just not the shuttle anymore.  The phase prism now transports units just like the shuttle did.

Welcome to the forums btw, pajamasalad.

 

i probably shouldve posted it here... but i started a thread about the way zerg differs in how they theoretically use minerals and gas.

http://www.starcraft2forum.org/forums/index.php?topic=2452.msg62939;topicseen#new

im very curious about my concept and what people might come up with... so id appreciate if anyone might have a look and see if you come up with any ideas? Remy? im curious what your thoughts are ive liked some of your posts ive read

 

about lings, lings can morph into banelings, lings have wing lookin things now, so could they make a flying baneling and call it a scourge?

 

There are plenty of possibilities. The one thing I thought should've been around since the game started because of what was said in the manual was that all zerg units can burrow.

It was pretty silly that Ultralisks and flyers couldn't do the one thing stated to be an innate ability from the zerg larvae they evolved from.

 

yeah, ultralisks should be able to burrow

 

I don't think burrowing will be enough of a change.

The Ultralisk had CERTAINLY better have something completely new and interesting if it is to survive in SC2. It was only barely situationally useful in SC1 as a shock absorber.

 

Mayby it could get a abillity called rampage (took it from another post ) where it gets increased damage and attack speed and running speed at the loss of its armor

 

That's a pretty cool idea, but armor's probably not enough of a drawback. Maybe something like 1 hp loss per second. I just had an idea: a farting Ultralisk. Not exactly farting, but a gas that damages enemy units around it, but while it's active the ultra cannot move or attack.

 

yeh loosing health would be great but then it would be prob 10 health per sec because im thinking of some major boost, then it would be like.. umm i think it was called frenzy that necromancers from wc3 could cast

 

The ultralisks were one dimensional in purpose but they did work and were needed to do the one thing most zerg ground units couldn't do.


Imagine Ultras had a passive ability to step over or on units.


I said it before and I'll say it again. I only wanted two things from ultralisks since SC. THe first is the ability for them to stack with zerg lings. With 2d sprites this wasn't possible but with 3D graphics Ultras can be built to scale so they can step over lings instead of running around them (hated that nonsense).
In fact this could be expanded on to give ultras a little more depth.
Let's say there was an option to click a button to tell ultras to step over units so the ultras could bypass small enemies. If you click the same button to step on units the ultralisk can act like a crappy mammoth tank that can crush small enemy units under its weight with a small chance to accidently crush friendly small units that try to stack in the same spot as it.


The other thing that I wanted them to have is an innate ability to charge. With their massive girth they could easily ram their way through several enemies. I love the cutscene in BW where one crushes a bunker, I think.

 

I´d give Ultralisks Cannibalize, let them eat hurt and recently dead units for health. They took ages to regen.

 

Pretty much all the Zerg units took forever to regen.