Ideas for Queen Clown/Cluwne Spider progression

[kyle2143]

Queen Clown/Cluwne Spiders are a sort of joke antagonist that admins spawn in to terrorize the station or just clutter up areas with baby spiders. They can be fun for their novelty, but they aren't particularly strong or engaging outside of the aesthetic or antag status. I have a couple ideas I want feedback on and want to get more general ideas too.

 I'd like to try to give em a bit more of a dedicated game-loop or progression without pidgeon-holing them. I don't want to remove anything about their current gameplay, just add some more things on top to give players a bit of direction if they find themselves as a spider.


I think the queens have two main strengths that make them unique and I wanna lean into that: 1. They are creepy in a sort of comedy, 2. They mek tons bebbies, which kinda feeds into the former.

Here are my 2 main ideas:
1. Let you control your babies in some capacity. Maybe something like Pickmin style where you call a few of those nearest to you to follow you or attack something. A few months ago I made a basic change that made your babies defend you when you get attacked near them. Maybe I'd replace that mechanic with this or combine them somehow.
2. Spin webs (or pink/green cotton candy w/e) maybe it can obstruct view and walking if dense enough. But make the queen and all baby spiders generate some web passively that they can shoot out to stick targets or make an area just safer for spiders. Like it slows down non-spiders when in it or something.

My one worry with the latter is it being kinda similar to the kudzu person mechanic and I don't think that's worked out great. But that might not be because of the mechanic and more because of the other issues with kudzumen.


And I'd also like to differentiate Clown and Cluwne queens somehow, but I have no ideas on that score.

[warcrimes]

fuckable clownspiders

[Mouse]

no bad

wait that's a HeadSurgeon quote isn't it

[Rilor]

Do cluwne spiders make the cluwne laughing because if not they should

[Frank_Stein]

Just scoop up your babies in one of your many hands and toss them directly at a crewman. If they hit them they latch on and bite, if they don't they come running back to be thrown again

[Alphaeus]

I think it'd be pretty cool if the web was treated more like how a blob would treat its nucleus area, but mobile-ish.

I'm imagining just running into a giant clownspider web in maint, getting slowed/stuck, and hearing honk, honk, honk before being pounced upon by its children. Webs should be easily destroyed (like foam wall strength) when run through/cut but it should be easy for a Queen spider to quickly lay down another.

Maybe the spiderlings could have an enhanced grab or pounce while in the web?


Basically something like: build web in area -> catch passerbys -> feast/breed -> move web to different locations as prey diminishes or the web gets discovered/attacked -> repeat

[Brixx79]

Keep one of the spider variants as it is. Make the other a ranged variant that spits organic super lube, pies, or such.

Spiderwebs slowing others but enhancing spider speed seems a neat gimmick. Though maybe it doesn't have to be webs; A special ball pit tile for example could work.

To differentiate it from other modes, I'd give the queens an area of control where they can direct spiderlings. You can move your horde with you to be a mobile army. Or grow and feed ones into higher tiers so they can spread and manage other areas.