Make everyone who is absorbed by the blob become part of the blob's mind

[Berrik]

And able to assist it in multitasking. This made changeling fun and it'll probably also help with one of the blob's biggest weaknesses at the moment: multiple attackers.

[mbc]

I feel the reason changeling 'works' is that the absorbed players are made into a sort-of-shitty role, where they don't have the full freedom of a normal antagonist. (otherwise people may intentionally allow themselves to be absorbed, if it meant being another changeling or a blob)

in light of this, maybe design some sort of weak blob-support mob that is limited to movement on blob tiles only.

[New525]

In light of this, maybe design some sort of weak blob-support mob that is limited to movement on blob tiles only.

This would be really cool.

[Xeram]

I think a good way to go about it is giving the blob an ability that lets it manifest a player as the aforementioned mob that is given one of the blob's abilities as decided by the blob, with option to repurpose them later. So you could drop someone deep inside you with the ability to create lipids to build up a storage for you while you deal with more pressing matters, or leave a few on a less intense front with the spread ability to keep pushing back against the tide of spacemen attacking there or to expand faster and make 500 tiles less of a pipe dream, or to support you on an active front at risk of them being destroyed.

Would also probably help deal with the fact that past the first minutes of being a blob, I never feel particularly constrained by the amount of Bio points I have even when dropping special tiles like mad with slime launchers going. By the first absorb on some hapless spaceman I've usually forgotten they exist entirely.

Edit: I just realised I don't actually remember if bio-points are the upgradey ones or the one's you spend when actively using abilities. I mean the actual resource you use to use abilities like creating tiles.

[Berrik]

Bio points are the blob's energy things, evo points are what it spends on upgrades.

Honestly just being able to use Spread, Attack, and Absorb Jerk would be sufficient probably. Mabye absorb item too if the blob has it unlocked.

[MrMagolor]

Bio points are the blob's energy things, evo points are what it spends on upgrades.

Honestly just being able to use Spread, Attack, and Absorb Jerk would be sufficient probably. Mabye absorb item too if the blob has it unlocked.

This seems good

---

It could also work like flock partitions, where the blob can choose to have ghosts of people who were absorbed become mini-minds with the ability of spreading and attacking (sharing cooldown with blob, although this is probably infeasible to code), with the blob of course having the ability to delete those that are being counter-productive to the blob.

[Triacontakai]

Potential Big Issue: not very good blob players (i.e. me) using abilities suboptimally and activating the cooldown, ruining the main blob's strategy and possibly round

[Recusor]

I like that idea alot MrMagolor. I feel like some other balance changes would need to be made somehow as well. A good blob can be devastating on their own, but with multiple people helping it could be too strong possibly? maybe it means we would care more about the bio points at that point and need coordination:

"Stop spreading towards EVA, focus on Escape."
"OK, focus on defense near test chamber!"

[MrMagolor]

I like that idea alot MrMagolor. I feel like some other balance changes would need to be made somehow as well. A good blob can be devastating on their own, but with multiple people helping it could be too strong possibly? maybe it means we would care more about the bio points at that point and need coordination:

"Stop spreading towards EVA, focus on Escape."
"OK, focus on defense near test chamber!"

Maybe you'll need to spend one of your "spare nuclei points" to be able to summon a helper or two?

[Firebarrage]

I actually see this working in a different way. Blobs can already be very strong with a single player controlling them, and adding helpers would probably make them way too unbalanced. The way I imagine this happening is that absorbed players turn into some goopy blob-humanoid shaped thing that can freely run around on blob tiles only but cant really do much. I would imagine that they can talk freely to each other no matter the distance (much like hivechat for lings) and can hear the overmind as well. They can also chat with living crewmembers, but can't effectively interact with them beyond that.

I see blobmen as a chance to have some RP fun without changing the round that much. Form a blob cult with the blobmen as your priests. Try to convince others to join by flinging themselves into the blob. Have the blobmen taunt the crew if their overmind is agressive. Have the crew work together to separate a blobman from the rest of the blob, trapping him in a little blobby island.

Also blobmen should be able to fart on crewmembers lying in blob tiles. Obviously.

[MrMagolor]

I actually see this working in a different way. Blobs can already be very strong with a single player controlling them, and adding helpers would probably make them way too unbalanced. The way I imagine this happening is that absorbed players turn into some goopy blob-humanoid shaped thing that can freely run around on blob tiles only but cant really do much. I would imagine that they can talk freely to each other no matter the distance (much like hivechat for lings) and can hear the overmind as well. They can also chat with living crewmembers, but can't effectively interact with them beyond that.

I see blobmen as a chance to have some RP fun without changing the round that much. Form a blob cult with the blobmen as your priests. Try to convince others to join by flinging themselves into the blob. Have the blobmen taunt the crew if their overmind is agressive. Have the crew work together to separate a blobman from the rest of the blob, trapping him in a little blobby island.

Also blobmen should be able to fart on crewmembers lying in blob tiles. Obviously.

I know repeating posts is sort of bad, but my idea of having to spend a spare nucleus to get a helper would be ideal.

That or, you need to do something like the flock cage when they're on blob tile, which is long and obvious and can be interrupted.

[New525]

I actually see this working in a different way. Blobs can already be very strong with a single player controlling them, and adding helpers would probably make them way too unbalanced. The way I imagine this happening is that absorbed players turn into some goopy blob-humanoid shaped thing that can freely run around on blob tiles only but cant really do much. I would imagine that they can talk freely to each other no matter the distance (much like hivechat for lings) and can hear the overmind as well. They can also chat with living crewmembers, but can't effectively interact with them beyond that.

I see blobmen as a chance to have some RP fun without changing the round that much. Form a blob cult with the blobmen as your priests. Try to convince others to join by flinging themselves into the blob. Have the blobmen taunt the crew if their overmind is agressive. Have the crew work together to separate a blobman from the rest of the blob, trapping him in a little blobby island.

Also blobmen should be able to fart on crewmembers lying in blob tiles. Obviously.

I like this concept the most, with the caveat they be able to do something helpful for the blob no matter how weak.