An idea for the Zerg

[DemolitionSquid]

Barring the genetics of it, its still a bad idea. You know what you just reinvented? The Mutant Larva. You know why it got scrapped? It wasn't efficient.

[Nicol Bolas]

Aside from the obvious get mutalisk use and faster harassment

Slightly faster (as they require the same building), less effective, and more easily countered harassment. Hence the uselessness.

the unit would shine when you are going Ultralisk or Brood Lord since it can go heal your units really fast

Notice how this ability doesn't synergize with its morphing in any way. Healing units has nothing to do with Mutalisks.

Contrast that with Mutalisk -> Guardian/Devourer. Guardians are dead against any air unit that can shoot them. Mutalisks thus provide potential defense for them. Thus it makes gameplay sense for Mutalisks to be a step towards Guardians. Devourers and Mutalisks go hand-in-hand. Devourers splash acid spores, which make units take more damage from subsequent attacks. Mutalisks do AoE damage, hitting 3 targets at once. They synergize very well, and together are able to take on mass air.

These things... don't. They don't have any synergy with Mutalisks. What little synergy they do have revolves around them sacrificing themselves to heal other units. Units that aren't Mutalisks.

Because there is no synergy, their Mutalisk morph is basically a gimmick; it has no real gameplay function other than to delay Mutalisks. And that can be done easily enough by making Muta build times longer.

I believe it’s a nice concept even though it might need some stat tweaking.

Stat tweaking can either make it useless or turn it into a Mutalisk-in-everything-but-name. That's the problem when trying to replace massable generalists: you either make a unit that is never used, or you make a unit that is fundamentally better than the previous one.

This is in no way a good reason why not to add abilities to an intermediate evolution form because it is completely subjective.

Talk about missing the point. I was responding to this particular statement: "The problem is, I don't think that if we keep the core units that there is much place for anything else to be useful without overlapping with the role of those core units."

Your particular remedy doesn't work because it doesn't stop those generalist units from being generalists. This intermediate Mutalisk doesn't stop the Mutalisk from being a Mutalisk. It doesn't affect any significant change. An intermediate Hydralisk would not cause the Hydralisk to stop being a GtG/GtA ranged generalist.

If your goal is to make the Zerg less SC1-like, creating random intermediates isn't going to help. You have to address the actual issue: that the essential nature of the Zerg lends itself inevitably along certain design paradigms. And those paradigms include a unit not entirely unlike the Zergling, a unit not entirely unlike the Hydralisk, and a unit not entirely unlike the Mutalisk.

Did you have problems understanding evolution in this context?

Yes. Because that's not evolution. And that's the problem with Hollywood Evolution: it dilutes the actual meaning of the term by using it for something it isn't. It's like the modern predilection using "sick" to mean good, or the less modern predilection of using "bad" to mean good, or other similar linguistic jackassery.

[Norfindel]

Or perhaps in other words: If there was no unit between two in the first game, why would you put one there in the second?

That's an easy answer: the Zerg realized that they needed a unit earlier, even if it's in an earlier step of evolution, but leaved the dormant genes there to mutate it to it's final form. So, i see no problem about a Roach -> Ultralisk mutation. The Roach would be a less "cooked" Ultralisk.

[ArcherofAiur]

I see no problem with Roaches morphing to Ultralisks. Look at all the other mutation mixups in SC2. We even have a mutalisk that doesnt mutate!

[Quirel]

That's an easy answer: the Zerg realized that they needed a unit earlier, even if it's in an earlier step of evolution, but leaved the dormant genes there to mutate it to it's final form. So, i see no problem about a Roach -> Ultralisk mutation. The Roach would be a less "cooked" Ultralisk.

I think that would work on the sole virtue that Ultralisks aren't "Massable" like Zerglings, Hydras, and Mutalisks. If there is a pre-evolution to one of those three, you have to go through an unnecessary step (which you won't use as much) to get a unit you'll use a lot.

It's like this: What if you had to get the Lurker and then morph it into a Hydralisk? You don't need as many lurkers as you need Hydralisks, so it's an APM/Economy sink.

I see no problem with Roaches morphing to Ultralisks. Look at all the other mutation mixups in SC2. We even have a mutalisk that doesnt mutate!

In multiplayer, at least.

[DemolitionSquid]

The problem with morphing an Ultralisk into say, a Zergling, is how do you decide the cost? Do you charge 50 minerals? Do you get back some resources? Would the cost be the same for turning a Lurker back into a Hydra?

I really just hate this whole idea.

[XSOLDIER]

I see no problem with Roaches morphing to Ultralisks. Look at all the other mutation mixups in SC2. We even have a mutalisk that doesnt mutate!

That's the difference between a Siege Tank with no Siege Mode, and requiring a Pilot to be built first every time to drive a Siege Tank. Only moreso because you have to genetic justification for the Zerg's mutations. I don't think this is a good idea/one that makes any sense.


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[ArcherofAiur]

That's the difference between a Siege Tank with no Siege Mode, and requiring a Pilot to be built first every time to drive a Siege Tank. Only moreso because you have to genetic justification for the Zerg's mutations. I don't think this is a good idea/one that makes any sense.


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Whats the difference?

[Quirel]

Whats the difference?

You don't have to upgrade every single siege tank. Just click on a button in the Machine shop.

[XSOLDIER]

Whats the difference?

It's like having a Catepiller that just doesn't turn into a Butterfly (in multiplayer). It's not that it's incapable, it's just not shown to do it. It's completely different than forcing a creature to become a Boar before it's Tusks & Nose grow out, and then becomes an Elephant.

One exists as a natural progression that's just not being used (in one part of the game), and the other in needlessly inserting an additional step into the production of a unit that seems somewhat similiar.


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