Pred rework ideas

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Nubs
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Pred rework ideas

Post by Nubs » 24 Jun 2017, 19:42

Now that marines and xenos have had their new gameplay and extra content, it makes me wonder whether predators might also be in need of an update (rework?) Here are a few ideas:

Combat stances


Predators can now choose between three 'combat stances', Defensive, Grappling and Aggressive. (perhaps instead of having all three, they would have to choose 2?)

Defensive

Under the 'defensive' combat stance, you would:
  • takes less damage
    deal out less damage with melee weapons, but slightly more with ranged weapons
    move slower (you are moving more carefully!)
    small chance to automatically attempt to catch thrown weapons, such as knives, huggers etc.
    small chance to parry (i.e block) slash and melee attacks whilst wielding a melee weapon
    Increased energy regeneration
Grappling

Under the 'grappling' combat stance, you would:
  • be able to use your wrist blades (and only your wrist blades) while on the ground
    be able to throw with a normal grab, and the delay to upgrade to an aggressive grab would be greatly lowered. If you throw someone with an aggressive grab in this stance, they will suffer a short stun.
    if a opponent is on top of you, hitting 'resist' has a chance to kick them off you, stunning them. (lower chance on t3 xenomorphs)
    xenomorph pounces and tackles have a rng chance to be counterattacked, briefly stunning them (only when empty handed)
    Grabbing onto a xenomorph has a chance of stopping them from running away (runner 277 strains against your grip!) T3 have a much higher chance of escaping a grip.
Aggressive

Under the 'Aggressive' combat stance, you would:
  • Deal increased damage in melee, decreased with ranged.
    Move slightly faster
    Take more damage (you are reckless!)
    Melee weapons that have a special effect (whip trip, sword stun etc) have a increased chance to occur
    Ability to perform a 'coup de grace', upon a critical opponent, which gives a 'flavor text' and kills the opponent (takes maybe 10 secs of standing over the opponent?)
    have a slower bracer recharge, and longer cooldown before cloaking on/off
There is a 20 sec cooldown between switching stances.

weaponry changes
  • Hunting sword: no change
    Chain whip: now has a chance to force a xeno to 'stalk' speed, for 10 secs upon attacking in melee (You snare the xenomorphs legs!) human effect unchanged.
    Combi Stick: loses ability to block bullets and melee blows, instead gains two new abilities, magneto harness, which will return the stick to your hand when thrown after 5 secs, provided you're within 5 squares of it, and impaling throw, a effect that can occur if thrown at a target, this effect will deal extra damage, and pin the victim to the spot for 7 seconds. Does not work in melee.
    Glaive: gains the combisticks previous ability to deflect bullets and melee attacks, due to it's size and two handed nature.
    War scythe: Human effect unchanged, has a chance to 'eviscerate' a xenomorph, doing double damage on that attack.
    Plasma caster: medium shots now have a chance to briefly stun t1-2.

    Hunting traps reworked, now trap 'component' spawn on the ship for you to make into custom traps. For example:

    alloy spike + trap mechanism = spike trap (brief stun, but does more damage to t3's)
    power crystal+ mechanism = explosive trap, (essentially a mine, and all that entails)
    Unstable crystal + mechanism: = fire trap (does no damage or stun, but sets the xenomorph on fire)

    Clan amour changed into light, heavy, and medium.

    Light: lesser protection, at the benefit of increased speed and mobility. Uses less plasma when using the plasma caster or cloaking.
    Medium: the same as we currently wear, no change.
    Heavy: Reinforced chest armour, greaves, and armoured gauntlets. noticeable Slowdown, but excellent protection. can deploy smaller healing crystals similar to b18, and has an on board system in tune with your body that allows you to check injuries and effects without a health analyser. Uses more energy to cloak and use the plasma caster.

    (light and medium armours would exist on the ship already, only the heavy needs to be spawned in)

    and so on.
and finally, a new weapon, the shuriken launcher, which fires a large shuriken, which can bounce of walls, hit multiple opponents, or 1 opponent multiple times. You can call it back to the launcher, much like a smart disk. It will not fly around indefinitely and will return to the launcher after 15 secs. only one shuriken can be fired at a time.

Just a few of my half-baked ideas, feel free to comment.
Last edited by Nubs on 30 Jul 2017, 13:14, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Nick123q23 » 24 Jun 2017, 23:06

We should start simple

Give us a LOT more resistance to tackle spam, maybe allow us to be tackled easier with the mask knocked off so predaliens are possible.

Increase damage on our weapons, especially the plasma caster, for an emergency, frowned upon less-honor weapon feared for it's great power, it's more like a peashooter.

also we need super sexy new sprites to go with everyone else, please
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Renomaki » 25 Jun 2017, 01:45

honestly, while I'd love to have a lot of new toys to play with...

The best update for predator would be a reduction on stuns, as well as removing the ability to remove a predator's mask by RNG. That way, predators will be able to hunt serpents with more confidence, instead of being scared of them all of the time.

Even when you slow one down with a trap, it is still risky because if they are smart, they'll push you down and rip your arms off.
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Boltersam » 25 Jun 2017, 04:46

I really like the stance system, it does seem like a fair way to make an overall rework rather than a flat stun reduction. I like the combistick changes, but it should really keep at least a little of its blocking power, because it's a very bad melee weapon and would remain so, being a thrown weapon that would leave you defenceless for five seconds. The Grappling stance seems like it's designed to be the neutral stance, so we're not constantly forced to be slow or to take more damage, which I like. But the part about Xeno pounces being countered, that's already a thing. It's only the tackle counter that isn't implemented.

The Shuriken launcher seems hard to code, but I do know that a similar system has been done, and I've got a direct feed to the dev that did it, it just couldn't hit people multiple times due to being grenade shrapnel.

However, the coup de grace seems like it should just be an ability we always have, like Butcher. The coup de grace could be named "Execute" and could only be used on enemies in critical status, stuff with special actions like breaking their spine, ripping their skull from their shoulders, etc, instantly killing them and rendering them undeffibable.

The most important part of a rework, which we need, is just making us overall more effective against Xenos. And Ravagers not being able to RNG remove our arms so that we can't bracer would be very, very nice.

And the Plasma Caster doing more damage, really, I'd prefer it if the Medium plasma was an "Enhanced stun" that stunned a human for as long as a taser, and could also stun Xenos for the same time as a normal stun on a human. Heavy plasma is really where maybe more damage should be put, or actually an increased AOE. But that's my opinion, because I prefer the caster having utility over damage, but maybe making it more focused on damage could be more useful, especially given the restrictions put on its use when more honourable ranged weapons like the speargun will end up breaking bones in one hit.

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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by doodeeda » 25 Jun 2017, 05:44

I'd rather have a buff to the smart disk than a new shuriken launcher.
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Boltersam » 25 Jun 2017, 07:08

doodeeda wrote:I'd rather have a buff to the smart disk than a new shuriken launcher.
This.
The smart disk is really crappy. Humans can pick it up out of the air, and against Xenos it loses its usefulness and scare factor past T1. I'd like to see it reworked as a throwing weapon that returns to your hand, and a good one at that, not one as crappy as the harpoons. (Which, admittedly, can be good against humans due to embedding)

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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Nubs » 25 Jun 2017, 10:15

Thanks for the feedback all. I agree on the smartdisk thing, i think you should be able to choose a target when you throw it, since it can attack completely the wrong one at present(and it should move faster) I agree that, right now, we've become somewhat of a joke in regards to fighting xenos in melee, where even a measly young runner tackle can keep you down long enough for the rest to slash you to death. With regards to ravagers, Its good that they're more dangerous, but they need to have a greatly reduced chance of slashing off your bracer, as every rav and their mother is specifically aiming for your bracer arm at the moment, and can potentially slash it off in one hit.

I always like the idea of pred being more about tactics and skill, which is why i thought of the stances system, rather than automatically making us more powerful. At the moment, it feels like xenos no longer fear us anymore.
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by ShortTemperedLeprechaun » 25 Jun 2017, 19:12

I can confirm, we're more of a joke to a xeno these days it seems......
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Nick123q23 » 25 Jun 2017, 20:33

Stances could replace the harm grab and disarm intents, maybe.
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Renomaki » 25 Jun 2017, 22:39

ShortTemperedLeprechaun wrote:I can confirm, we're more of a joke to a xeno these days it seems......
Yeah, once the aliens get a gang of ravagers together, it is possible for the queen to decide to send a task force to slaughter all the preds.

You really have to prepare damn good defenses late game in preparation for the ravager swarm. And if you are lacking blasters? It is gonna be painful.
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Nubs » 30 Jul 2017, 13:00

I went through and changed a few things, see what you guys think.
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Nick123q23 » 02 Aug 2017, 19:22

The new update helps greatly, but we're still a laughing stock to ravagers, and it's easy to get overwhelmed if you're an unrobust idiot like me not prepared for the xeno onslaught
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Renomaki » 04 Aug 2017, 21:48

Nick123q23 wrote:The new update helps greatly, but we're still a laughing stock to ravagers, and it's easy to get overwhelmed if you're an unrobust idiot like me not prepared for the xeno onslaught
yeah, hunting ravagers is still some dangerous shit, but at least young hunters aren't so scary now.

It is still possible to get tacklespammed, though, but I'm not sure if it only applies to ravagers, since I been tackled by a ravager and messed up as a result.. Even lost both my arms and had to fight back with bites.

.. Did you know predators can bite xenos? It is quite impressive.
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by apophis775 » 05 Aug 2017, 16:15

Wewlad.

That is WAY too much for us to easily do.
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Nubs » 06 Aug 2017, 19:55

They're just ideas, not a mandate! We all know the coders have much more important things to do than work on this behemoth.
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Nick123q23 » 07 Aug 2017, 03:35

A simple thing(I think, don't lynch me) to change would be how easily our limbs are torn off. As said before, all it takes is a good ravager to defeat any predator
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Steelpoint » 08 Sep 2017, 11:23

One minor idea that I think would be a net positive is a special webbing that Predators spawn with that can only hold Human heads and Alien hides. So Predators can carry their trophies around without taking up important pouch space.
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by spartanbobby » 08 Sep 2017, 11:35

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All the ideas I've ever had since getting accepted.
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Feweh » 08 Sep 2017, 12:27

I can maybe talk to phil about implementing some BASIC CHANGES. Kind of like what Spartan posted above.

Things that dont require huge reworks and unique sprites might be doable.

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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Steelpoint » 08 Sep 2017, 18:58

Perhaps place three Predator Medkits for minor injuries. Give them the Syndicate Red Combat Medkit that has the green/red herbs instead
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Renomaki » 08 Sep 2017, 21:52

I wouldn't mind if predators had the ability to zoom out without having to use a pair of binoculars/plasma rifle. Being able to see what is ahead can mean the difference between continuing your quest for glory and getting swarmed by a gang of angry xenos you accidentally barged into.

Also the ability to place special markers on certain targets we chose to hunt so it is easier to spot them out in a crowd. It isn't as bad with marines, but xenos all look the same, so if you were hunting a hunter and he runs away, being able to easily find him is easier said than done..
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by spartanbobby » 09 Sep 2017, 16:13

Anything you can do about preds getting slowed down by snow on Ice?
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Jay Burns » 09 Sep 2017, 16:22

yeah preds on ice are screwed due to our lack of mobility on snow.

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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Nightwolf901 » 09 Sep 2017, 16:23

spartanbobby wrote:
09 Sep 2017, 16:13
Anything you can do about preds getting slowed down by snow on Ice?
Although being new, I have to agree with this question. The Ice is really a tedious thing for the preds when Xenos freely move over it.
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Re: Pred rework ideas

Post by Nick123q23 » 10 Sep 2017, 07:48

Have to agree with spartans changes. I haven't seen a bracer shield in the lore, but such a thing would be interesting as a gear option.
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