The State of Predators

**solidfury7** · 08-29-2019, 01:57 AM

The state of predators

Over the years, the gameplay has changed drastically, we have seen the gameplay change, the rules change and the playerbase change, however, I have found that the Predators have largely been untouched for the last few years, beyond "stat" changes.
As it stands (and has stood for the last few years), Predators have been ignored by both factions, the cost of engaging with them has always been high and reward for all parties is usually zero (Predators need to let the aliens infect them 90% of the time and even then, they can usual SD. The marines have no benefit)
As such, both sides are usually ordered to ignore them, only interacted by a few token RP roles, like synthetics, or to be a the sprite version of a carnaval game reading "TEST YOUR ROBUSTNESS".

This does not mean I have been without good experiences, I can remember some great experiences with predators over the years, however when you put these together GOOD VS BAD experiences, nearly everyone who isn't a predator, usually finds that the bad experiences vastly outweigh

I believe we need to have this conversation, just as we had with the OLD tank which the majority of the xenos found an unfun mechanic, (Being instantly stunned or gibbed of screen by something which was usually unkillable), however the removal of the said item pending its rework was somewhat difficult, as many marines, more specifically TC mains swore by it and justified it. Eventually when it was removed and revamped, everyone agreed that the past rendition was far from great and the new one actually complicates the flow of gameplay much better.

Now, this thread will be for people to suggest ideas, here are some examples.

Give Predators value (eg, easier to capture as Xeno/Bodies + Tech give LOTs of intel)
Removal of CC based gameplay (stunlock and kill)
Rework Honour-Code
Remove Predators pending Rework
Make Predators an Exclusive low chance ERT for endgame
Give Predators Objectives
Allow predators to fight each other
Give both sides boosts during predator rounds (Extra Xenos/Dutches dozen)

These were some examples I came up with on the go. I am sure you can all do better.

Please keep comments constructive.

**dauntasa** · 08-29-2019, 02:44 AM

Sure, here's a suggestion:

1: Make abominations easier to get by making it so that predators are permanently unconscious while infected(so it falls on other predators to deny them)
2: Make pred gear grant boatloads of DEFCON and/or Req points
3: Allow researchers to modify pred weapons to be human-usable
These give predators value, and encourage humans and aliens to engage them.

4: Give Predators a hunting log or something similar. Objectives for them to complete which will encourage them to actively hunt. Can either result in rewards or even just a standard SS13 greentext, but something to encourage them.
5: Ease up on the honour code a bit. They shouldn't be throwing out HPCs all the time or gutting people while cloaked, because those just aren't fun, but it's very restrictive currently which leads to both very samey interactions and also people being afraid of actually doing anything interesting lest they end up reported.
These would make predators more inclined to engage and actually hunt and do predator things.

Now, implementing these may seem like it would cause the problem of making Predators too prominent and too important. This is a game about Aliens and Marines, predators are a sideshow. People don't want the game to be the Predator Show. So, finally:
6: Either make predator rounds rarer, or make predators weaker. The current situation is that predators are very strong, but actively avoid influencing rounds. In order for them to be a good addition to the game, they have to be able to have an impact, but as it stands they would have TOO MUCH of an impact if they weren't constrained. So, they either have to be weakened so that even active attempts to sway the round wouldn't necessarily be successful, or they have to be made less common so that even if they do dictate rounds they don't actually appear in them that often.

**starmute** · 08-29-2019, 03:03 AM

I just have one thing I can really add to this. I've always stated that the current preds were a bit overpowered and they can't hunt because of this. The way I propose to fix this is with the idea of "youngbloods"

In the AVP universe they are definied as

"Young Blood is a Yautja rank, mainly composed of adolescent Yautja that have just completed their basic training regimen. "

Pred gear would be GIVEN based on honorable kills to youngbloods. Youngblood preds would have less gear and less stuff overall to start with. However they would be given the ability to target marines and xenos on the planet from the get go as long as it is deemed worthy of the hunt by a huntmaster or a form of high command/hunting computer/ to be determined (basicly mods).

**CABAL** · 08-29-2019, 03:56 AM

Do this and preds will become piniatas for both faction. You do like Pred RP? You might want it more? Sucks on that, because after the rework, preds will feel like a human in the middle of summer in the swamp, buzzed and sting by mosquitos from all the area.

All that there is really needed for preds is to add three things to Honor Code:
Stabbing/killing stunned "prey", no matter if unworthy, or worthy, is a disgrace for predator and should be avoided at all cost. (With the exeption of Abomination probably, as it's mere existance is even bigger dishonour and it's stronger than pred, so pred has to use all of the tricks to kill him).
Players from both sides can decide to hunt the predator and it shouldn't make them unworthy, if they will somehow state they are about to attack (before attacking).
Here you go.
Preds can use marine weaponry, however they can't hunt with it, only used as defence against swarms of unworthy prey, or against Aboms.

**Lumdor** · 08-29-2019, 04:57 AM

Thinking that devs want to do anything coding related towards predators. Now that�s a classic.

**Bancrose** · 08-29-2019, 05:35 AM

Underrated Meme.

ecksdee.jpg
@Lumdor

**dauntasa** · 08-29-2019, 05:43 AM

Originally Posted by CABAL

Do this and preds will become piniatas for both faction. You do like Pred RP? You might want it more? Sucks on that, because after the rework, preds will feel like a human in the middle of summer in the swamp, buzzed and sting by mosquitos from all the area.

do people generally like the current state of pred RP, where they stand around spamming the creepy laugh sound while absolutely everyone completely ignores them, since they have fighting to do and interacting with the predator will get them nothing except maybe killed? You don't quite seem to get that, in a game like this where there is actual gameplay going on, people often don't have time to engage in RP that is guaranteed to have no gameplay impact. There's a reason the CL spends most rounds bumbling around the ship desperately looking for someone willing to RP with them: they have no gameplay impact and thus people dismiss any RP attempts because they never go anywhere. The mechanical effect needs to be there to act as the carrot on the end of the stick for people to RP. Remember when Ultrazine was super busted for a while and the CL was the only way to get it? If you were so inclined that was the best time for CL RP, because you had something that had an actual effect on the videogame part of this videogame and if you wanted someone to RP with you to get it, you had that incentive. And then it got nerfed, and the CL was back to being largely irrelevant.

**CABAL** · 08-29-2019, 07:20 AM

Originally Posted by dauntasa

do people generally like the current state of pred RP, where they stand around spamming the creepy laugh sound while absolutely everyone completely ignores them, since they have fighting to do and interacting with the predator will get them nothing except maybe killed? You don't quite seem to get that, in a game like this where there is actual gameplay going on, people often don't have time to engage in RP that is guaranteed to have no gameplay impact. There's a reason the CL spends most rounds bumbling around the ship desperately looking for someone willing to RP with them: they have no gameplay impact and thus people dismiss any RP attempts because they never go anywhere. The mechanical effect needs to be there to act as the carrot on the end of the stick for people to RP. Remember when Ultrazine was super busted for a while and the CL was the only way to get it? If you were so inclined that was the best time for CL RP, because you had something that had an actual effect on the videogame part of this videogame and if you wanted someone to RP with you to get it, you had that incentive. And then it got nerfed, and the CL was back to being largely irrelevant.

You RP just because you expect to get a prize at the end? Isn't good RP'ing a prize in itself? People ignore preds, because they don't want to be HPC blasted, those who want to die don't ignore them, those who want RP, RP with them, those who want to be worthy hunted and outrobust predator will do both. I usually don't engage preds if they do their own gig, I don't engage them when marines started the fight, predator caught in the corner will be let go by NOD if pred convinces him that he hunts Scrin as much as he does marines.

**Corocan** · 08-29-2019, 08:06 AM