Borg module to grant ships slow assimilation effect.
Post ideas and suggestions on new features or improvements here.
posted on October 3rd, 2010, 5:55 am
As part of my foray into Assim borg tactics, I've taken a good look at their incubation chambers. In short, I love them.
When you use a blue-beam assimilator, it only takes the ship down to 0 crew. In the early game you can hover your mouse and start boarding the moment it goes derelict, but when things start to get chaotic it's not easy to do. What I love doing (yes, most of my tests are vs AI, I need to try humans) is putting an incubation chamber near my forward expansion. It creates "friendly ground" the same way a singularity transmitter works: blue beam assimilators automatically capture inside the effect of an incubation chamber because 3 dudes will board every few seconds. Also, ships with damaged life support will not go derelict inside the effect so they can repair themselves properly. Since the Assim avatar has to build a freaking TON of incubation chambers to get supply, it works to build them in aggressive locations and push forward with them. Also makes your space immune to non-cloaky scouts and talon refits. A wall of incubation chambers can even defeat something like a bug fleet, since they have to take multiple trips home when their crew gets low.
What I want to suggest is a module that does this same thing, for the cube and maybe the pyramid or diamond that grants this ability. Right now Assim borg fleets are assimilators and nothing else, other ships just can't add as much value as the cumulative effect of blue beams. If the "assimilate" cube could fit into an assimilating strategy better, it would be more fun and more widely used, without really being overpowered. It would simplify trying to assimilate targets in large fleet conflicts, when assimilation strategies fall apart simply because you CAN'T CLICK THAT FAST lol.
When you use a blue-beam assimilator, it only takes the ship down to 0 crew. In the early game you can hover your mouse and start boarding the moment it goes derelict, but when things start to get chaotic it's not easy to do. What I love doing (yes, most of my tests are vs AI, I need to try humans) is putting an incubation chamber near my forward expansion. It creates "friendly ground" the same way a singularity transmitter works: blue beam assimilators automatically capture inside the effect of an incubation chamber because 3 dudes will board every few seconds. Also, ships with damaged life support will not go derelict inside the effect so they can repair themselves properly. Since the Assim avatar has to build a freaking TON of incubation chambers to get supply, it works to build them in aggressive locations and push forward with them. Also makes your space immune to non-cloaky scouts and talon refits. A wall of incubation chambers can even defeat something like a bug fleet, since they have to take multiple trips home when their crew gets low.
What I want to suggest is a module that does this same thing, for the cube and maybe the pyramid or diamond that grants this ability. Right now Assim borg fleets are assimilators and nothing else, other ships just can't add as much value as the cumulative effect of blue beams. If the "assimilate" cube could fit into an assimilating strategy better, it would be more fun and more widely used, without really being overpowered. It would simplify trying to assimilate targets in large fleet conflicts, when assimilation strategies fall apart simply because you CAN'T CLICK THAT FAST lol.
posted on October 3rd, 2010, 7:36 am
Maybe auto-boarding can be activated, if shields are down. The borg have enough crew to do so. A module for this is a nice idea, but wont help you much in human vs. human, because nobody will stay long enough in range so that it would get dirty, you need a massive amount of ships with that ability and IF you have such a fleet, your could have engaged the enemy with brute force.
The boarding ability is way better I think. You can transfer a lot of drones into a ship without using too much special energy. Spheres are perfect for it. Take 3 or 4 and instantly take over an enemy small ship, fire on the next and let you captured ship be front-fodder or backbone support.
Try to build some spheres and go on assimilation-curse with it.
No hull damage, fast take-over and you dont need special assim-ships - so now you can play opti with lesser resource costs. You dont get the pyramid, and you assim got lesser defense, but as opti, you play spheres, cubes and diamonds. Also the dodecs can support your frontlines.
The boarding ability is way better I think. You can transfer a lot of drones into a ship without using too much special energy. Spheres are perfect for it. Take 3 or 4 and instantly take over an enemy small ship, fire on the next and let you captured ship be front-fodder or backbone support.
Try to build some spheres and go on assimilation-curse with it.
No hull damage, fast take-over and you dont need special assim-ships - so now you can play opti with lesser resource costs. You dont get the pyramid, and you assim got lesser defense, but as opti, you play spheres, cubes and diamonds. Also the dodecs can support your frontlines.
posted on October 3rd, 2010, 12:15 pm
perhaps give all borg ships above the size of a dodec the ability to transporter attack, like the b8 of the dominion? this would make it easier to capture ships, since the borg ships have such high crew values.
posted on October 3rd, 2010, 12:19 pm
The existing Boarding special is much better than the Transporter attack. Don't need to beat down the shields and it sends crew much faster.
posted on October 3rd, 2010, 12:43 pm
Tyler wrote:The existing Boarding special is much better than the Transporter attack. Don't need to beat down the shields and it sends crew much faster.
true however for early game, and mid game, when you might not have researched boarding yet, it might be a good alternative, if theres a ship you want to capture, say a constructor, but only have scubes or such, it might help
posted on October 3rd, 2010, 4:49 pm
I've also toyed with the idea of transporter assault, but I want that to stay a separate discussion. Yes I love boarding, the only problem with it is the lack of a cooldown indicator >.>
For this, though, I don't want it to actually change the balance of the game. Having cubes assimilate 3 crewmen every 2-4 seconds or whatever won't really make them stronger. It will simply make blue-beam assimilation easier to use in a big fight when you have a cube. If you want the captured ship to actually fight, you're going to need more crew on it anyway, but the initial boarding of derelict ships happens automatically.
For this, though, I don't want it to actually change the balance of the game. Having cubes assimilate 3 crewmen every 2-4 seconds or whatever won't really make them stronger. It will simply make blue-beam assimilation easier to use in a big fight when you have a cube. If you want the captured ship to actually fight, you're going to need more crew on it anyway, but the initial boarding of derelict ships happens automatically.
posted on October 3rd, 2010, 4:56 pm
i like this idea.
the module would have to grant nothing else though. so that a cube with assim tech has less other stuff.
maybe make it so that the assim module prevents armour modules, as the armour would get in the way of the assim tech.
the module would have to grant nothing else though. so that a cube with assim tech has less other stuff.
maybe make it so that the assim module prevents armour modules, as the armour would get in the way of the assim tech.
posted on October 3rd, 2010, 8:23 pm
O.Q ouch, that hurts. Can't it just be linked to the holding beam module? Or maybe require 2 holding beam modules, that still makes the requirements steep but not TOO steep.
posted on October 3rd, 2010, 8:32 pm
Wouldn't this be mostfitting on the maximised auto-assimilator module? Sounds more like an Assimilator weapon than a Cube one.
posted on October 3rd, 2010, 9:24 pm
yes tyler that would work too.
maybe assim avatar can install 3 auto assim modules, with the first two behaving as now, and the third granting this ability. so the assim would get no regen/nanite factory.
maybe assim avatar can install 3 auto assim modules, with the first two behaving as now, and the third granting this ability. so the assim would get no regen/nanite factory.
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