Goonhub
03-28-2019, 11:04 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-28-2019, 09:50 PM by TheMaskedMan2. Edited 1 time in total.)
I originally was thinking about this a lot in another Changeling related idea thread. I figured it would be a better idea to put it in it's own thread instead of hijacking the other concept. I have a lot of changeling ideas, but baby steps. This should be relatively simple to code I believe. Currently Changeling is my favorite antagonist, and it has a lot of potential, but also a lot of problems.
Currently I understand the need for neurotoxin, but I also think it's role as a Lings "Main/Basic" ability is flawed, and just results in the Ling haphazardly stinging anyone they walk past if it's off cooldown. Rounds may result in good Lings never even being known to the station at all, and interaction with it being a stun -> succ.
Primary Suggestion
(What this is all about in the first place.)
-> Neurotoxin now costs DNA points. I'm thinking 4-6. Otherwise it's unchanged. This will require lings to save Neurotoxin for strategic targets, instead of just spamming it everytime its off cooldown on anyone within range. Neurotoxin will still exist, it will still be used, it should just no longer be spammed on every baldie in the hallway just for walking past them. They'll have to think before they act.
-> In exchange, Arm Claw (Not the tendril) is now free, this is now the Lings "Basic" self defense ability instead of sting. A claw arm+acid spit is more than enough to solo someone you lured into maintenance, but not robust enough to take on the rest of the crew, obviously. Changelings will have to be clever still. It also is a bit more engaging for the victim to actually fight someone, and gives some body horror spooks. This will result in Ling encounters occasionally being more "Loud" which I think is a good thing, they will still be stealthy, but the crew may be engaged a bit more, the Ling will be forced to wash clothes/change identities more.
-> Tldr: Neurotoxin gets a cost. Arm Claw is free. Swap.
EDIT ADJUSTMENT
Alternative Neurotoxin Adjustment
(Incase you think the first option is stinky.)
-> Have neurotoxin inject less than usual. 30u instead of 50u, but change acid spit so that it covers your mouth and causes some suffocation damage instead. Now for a Ling to fully stun someone for long enough, they'll have to combine it with acid spit. Ideally this would result in moving some of Neurotoxins power and redistributing it into Acid spit, which is argurably slightly weak at the moment. Either way it means Changelings can combo the two to properly keep someone down.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Potential Suggestions?
(This needs more thought put into it, and this might not be the best way to implement it.)
-> Give Lings a way to gather DNA points besides perma-kill succ'ing. A way to get (Less) DNA points, but it doesn't require a full kill. With the other changes, Changeling will be "Slightly" more loud, (Which is a good thing, they're still stealthy, but there's room for being smart about it.) They may not always be able to get a full succ off, and with a bit of body horror spookage, could add another small ability. I had a few ideas for how it could work.
Option A: I'm thinking an ability as a chomp to the neck. "Bob Jones' face splits open into a serrated jaw and bites down on Sally Smithers neck!" A quick little ability that does damage, silences their voice so they can't use a radio for 30 seconds (It restricted airflow), and gives them 2-3 DNA. You can't harvest DNA points from the same victim more than once every 5 minutes, to prevent "Farming". You can only use this ability if you have at least an aggressive grab.
Option B: Absorbing someone no longer gives a full 10 DNA points for finishing it, but instead slowly gathers the points. Same amount of time for a full suck, but perhaps make the proboscis stab a little earlier, and tweak it so it does damage over time as the ling does some juicy sucking. So they can get some partial DNA suckage.
Option C: You know how handspider can gnaw on people for a little bit of DNA points? Let's just have that with the normal claw arm. I don't favor this idea as much since it might be "too easy" to get DNA points and you'll result in Changelings with 100 points in permanent shambler form.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ideal Result due to Change:
Changeling is now slightly more loud and has to be clever about it's targets and what it does, less it be caught early. Changeling is slightly more robust in single combat now, a single claw won't allow them to take on many people, but should result in more interesting engagements. Neurotoxin still exists, it will still be used, it should just be used with more thought behind it, and not on anyone all the time. Peoples experience with Changeling should be less about "I didn't know there was a ling all round until I got stung". and more "We're dealing with some spooky monster that keeps changing forms, we don't know who it is."
The goal of Antagonists is to create a fun round, at the moment, a good Changeling will be unknown to 90% of the crew besides "There is a changeling around." Any individual interactions with it are being stung because someone walked past you, and then sucked. I think these changes are simple enough little tweaks, but will have a resounding effect on the feel of the gamemode as a whole. Ideally for the better. I already feel this would work well as some of my most fun changeling rounds are ones in which I nerf myself by not using Neurotoxin, and going into a point for being slightly more loud.
Tl;dr - Make arm claw free, give neuro a dna cost = lings have to be slightly more clever + less salt + cool points for body horror
Feedback and Critique is welcome, thanks for your time. If this is accepted, I do not expect every single one of these little ideas to be implimented perfectly exactly. The main core of this suggestion that I want is the simple swap of Claw/Neuro. The rest is just other relatively simple tweaks.
- Sincerely, Someone Obsessed with The Thing. (Prepare for more Changeling suggestions later.)
Bonus Suggestion: Let Changelings use Regenerative Stasis even while stunned so they can fake their death easier, thanks.
Currently I understand the need for neurotoxin, but I also think it's role as a Lings "Main/Basic" ability is flawed, and just results in the Ling haphazardly stinging anyone they walk past if it's off cooldown. Rounds may result in good Lings never even being known to the station at all, and interaction with it being a stun -> succ.
Primary Suggestion
(What this is all about in the first place.)
-> Neurotoxin now costs DNA points. I'm thinking 4-6. Otherwise it's unchanged. This will require lings to save Neurotoxin for strategic targets, instead of just spamming it everytime its off cooldown on anyone within range. Neurotoxin will still exist, it will still be used, it should just no longer be spammed on every baldie in the hallway just for walking past them. They'll have to think before they act.
-> In exchange, Arm Claw (Not the tendril) is now free, this is now the Lings "Basic" self defense ability instead of sting. A claw arm+acid spit is more than enough to solo someone you lured into maintenance, but not robust enough to take on the rest of the crew, obviously. Changelings will have to be clever still. It also is a bit more engaging for the victim to actually fight someone, and gives some body horror spooks. This will result in Ling encounters occasionally being more "Loud" which I think is a good thing, they will still be stealthy, but the crew may be engaged a bit more, the Ling will be forced to wash clothes/change identities more.
-> Tldr: Neurotoxin gets a cost. Arm Claw is free. Swap.
EDIT ADJUSTMENT
Alternative Neurotoxin Adjustment
(Incase you think the first option is stinky.)
-> Have neurotoxin inject less than usual. 30u instead of 50u, but change acid spit so that it covers your mouth and causes some suffocation damage instead. Now for a Ling to fully stun someone for long enough, they'll have to combine it with acid spit. Ideally this would result in moving some of Neurotoxins power and redistributing it into Acid spit, which is argurably slightly weak at the moment. Either way it means Changelings can combo the two to properly keep someone down.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Potential Suggestions?
(This needs more thought put into it, and this might not be the best way to implement it.)
-> Give Lings a way to gather DNA points besides perma-kill succ'ing. A way to get (Less) DNA points, but it doesn't require a full kill. With the other changes, Changeling will be "Slightly" more loud, (Which is a good thing, they're still stealthy, but there's room for being smart about it.) They may not always be able to get a full succ off, and with a bit of body horror spookage, could add another small ability. I had a few ideas for how it could work.
Option A: I'm thinking an ability as a chomp to the neck. "Bob Jones' face splits open into a serrated jaw and bites down on Sally Smithers neck!" A quick little ability that does damage, silences their voice so they can't use a radio for 30 seconds (It restricted airflow), and gives them 2-3 DNA. You can't harvest DNA points from the same victim more than once every 5 minutes, to prevent "Farming". You can only use this ability if you have at least an aggressive grab.
Option B: Absorbing someone no longer gives a full 10 DNA points for finishing it, but instead slowly gathers the points. Same amount of time for a full suck, but perhaps make the proboscis stab a little earlier, and tweak it so it does damage over time as the ling does some juicy sucking. So they can get some partial DNA suckage.
Option C: You know how handspider can gnaw on people for a little bit of DNA points? Let's just have that with the normal claw arm. I don't favor this idea as much since it might be "too easy" to get DNA points and you'll result in Changelings with 100 points in permanent shambler form.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ideal Result due to Change:
Changeling is now slightly more loud and has to be clever about it's targets and what it does, less it be caught early. Changeling is slightly more robust in single combat now, a single claw won't allow them to take on many people, but should result in more interesting engagements. Neurotoxin still exists, it will still be used, it should just be used with more thought behind it, and not on anyone all the time. Peoples experience with Changeling should be less about "I didn't know there was a ling all round until I got stung". and more "We're dealing with some spooky monster that keeps changing forms, we don't know who it is."
The goal of Antagonists is to create a fun round, at the moment, a good Changeling will be unknown to 90% of the crew besides "There is a changeling around." Any individual interactions with it are being stung because someone walked past you, and then sucked. I think these changes are simple enough little tweaks, but will have a resounding effect on the feel of the gamemode as a whole. Ideally for the better. I already feel this would work well as some of my most fun changeling rounds are ones in which I nerf myself by not using Neurotoxin, and going into a point for being slightly more loud.
Tl;dr - Make arm claw free, give neuro a dna cost = lings have to be slightly more clever + less salt + cool points for body horror
Feedback and Critique is welcome, thanks for your time. If this is accepted, I do not expect every single one of these little ideas to be implimented perfectly exactly. The main core of this suggestion that I want is the simple swap of Claw/Neuro. The rest is just other relatively simple tweaks.
- Sincerely, Someone Obsessed with The Thing. (Prepare for more Changeling suggestions later.)
Bonus Suggestion: Let Changelings use Regenerative Stasis even while stunned so they can fake their death easier, thanks.