Neural Parasite Change

[Asfastasican]

More reason to add another Zerg caster!!!

[PsiWarp]

More reason to add another Zerg caster!!!

More reason to bring back Spore Cloud!!


-Psi

[Nicol Bolas]

More reason to add another Zerg caster!!!

The Zerg have plenty of casters. They just all currently suck (except the Queen, but she's just a Spawn Larva factory).

[Aldrius]

More reason to add another Zerg caster!!!

Uh... how about they actually put some spells on the spellcasters they already have first...

[Todie]

Something simple then:

Give it Plauge but make it one-target ?

is it a problem that this would be less significant against protoss? or maybe it isnt cuz they ahve so many big units?

low energy cost, high DoT ... preferably based on % of units life, but not necessarily since its hard to use en-mass anyway due to one-target.

Plague AoE overlaps with Fungal Growth in a way that isnt optimal. even if it was made quite weak on small units by basing its damage on targets max-life, it would feel quite iffy.... but hey, if what the infestor needs is to replace FG with some sort of big-unit-focused plague, i could live with that... but with plague, Neural parasite would feel a bit out of place as well. its tricky.

[Aldrius]

Something simple then:

Give it Plauge but make it one-target ?

Fungal Growth is basically already a very weakened plague combined with a very strengthened ensnare as it is... the easy solution here is to replace Siphon Life with something more practical, and make Neural Parasite work on mechanical units and then balance it accordingly.

[Todie]

What if we change siphon life to something a bit cooler and more effective:

used from under ground, but still short range (not too much more than 3?) make the infestor entangle and drag the unit underground and make it targetable by burrowed units whether it should retain its DoT or even energy siphoning capabilities idk, probably not he siphoning.. then it would also require a new name.

[rdragon87]

I have to disagree with making Neural Parasite able to effect Mechanical units. I'd rather not have it in at all, but that's because I hate anything that takes the ability to fight back from me. I hated Lockdown, Maelstorm (?), Mindcontrol, and Stasis Field in SC1. I hated being stunned-locked in WoW, but not Feared because it broke randomly or with damage.

I'm also wary of the Mothership's Black Hole/Time Warp ability, as well as the Pheonix's Anti-Gravity Beam. The Mothership's ability could be justified because of it's unique status, as well as the cost. I'm not sure, but do units that could attack air still attack while under the effect of Anti-Gravity beam? If not, I feel that should be changed.

I'm also not sure how I feel about the Corrupter's ability to shut down buildings. I assume it's as annoying as Frost Breath from the Frost Wyrms (?) in War3, and be that the case I'd rather have Spore Cloud. Although, I never saw Spore Cloud, did it function similarly to Dark Swarm?

I also disagree with Neural Parasite effecting Mechanical units on a realistic level, I don't see how you could possible get to a Siege Tanks driver through the armor. It also bothered me that Broodlings could be spawn from Mechanical units. I do understand that it is a game, but there should be somethings that follow a logical path.

I feel that abilities that impair control, as opposed to removing it, are a much better option. I like Forcefield, Guardian Aura, the Maurader's slow effect and the Personal Defense Drone for this reason. I'm not sure how Fungal Bloom works, but I assume your units will still fight back.

[protoswarrior]

Disabling abilities aren't as bad as you think, rdragon87. Stasis in SC1 was meant as a Tier3 tactic to immobilize troops while the rest of them get pounded, adn its use was subjective to microing correctly, and its small AoE made it harder to use when someone retreats and spreads his units while doing so.

MC was never used in SC1 except as a "pimpest play" tactic; not everyone can practically use it, and Dark Archons had no restrictions to use it. But DAs were costly in terms of gas and the energy requirement and depleting shields was a big cost to use the DA. Annoying as hell to have your 5-6 carriers MCed but then it comes down to scouting correctly and using your units effectively by not putting them in range of the caster and killing it before it uses MC.

The same would apply to infestor, except that a nerf was in order since it was clearly too cheap an ability. I was hoping for maybe a complete depletion of energy at least to use neural parasite, hence reducing the infestor's ability to spam the spell. But right now, MC organic units is just as good for the energy cost.

I agree with you that neural parasite should not be effective on mechanical units and I believe it must stay on organic units to prevent infestors from being OP.

Siphon Life on the other hand is a very stupid ability and I have seen it used like ONCE! I believe they should find another spell or animation to enable the infestor to regain its energy. Bring back CONSUME maybe...

[Krikkitone]

Well I can see 3 ways to balance it

1. Cheap 25 energy,
non-psi,non-massive, non-mechanical... autocastable (making it anti light...problem is overlap in function with FG

2. Medium ~75 energy
non-psi, non-massive
good for siege tanks, Immortals, air units


3. large ~150 energy
non-psi
good for massive units (except Archon+MS)

I think #3 might be the best.. it can work against the single "support" heavy in an army to take out te rest of the army (like in BR ?? with the Colossus)
OR it can just work like an "Insta kill" if there are a large # of unit X... ie cast it on one Immortal out of a dozen, in a few seconds that immortal is dead.


For options #2+3 I'd disable building functions. (so no multiple tech trees)



All the abilities should either be
1. Long Range
2. Castable while burrowed

I slightly prefer the castable while burrowed.


Siphon Life should be on the Queen, and only castable on buildings (Friendly or enemy not neutral... multiple targets at once)

The Infester should get the ability to spawn broodlings out of enemy or friendly buildings Without disabling them.