Another specimen Idea: The Hydra

[-[SiN]-bswearer]

^ yes excellent ideas.

also it would be nice to have the hydra be less resistant to flamethrowers so the firebug would now have something to really do some major damage. going with the myth, fire is a key ingrediant for killing the creature, so fire would really need to be a key factor for the game, should this idea actually get added.

i like the idea that the heads have to do with health/renerating etc... for one thing, it perfectly replicates the myth and ties the whole thing together, and while it still would be kinda "unrealistic" it's a lot more realistic and less complex than a specimen carrying a tank with some healing agent in it....that seems to be a little too much of a stretch for my taste

seriously though, this is the BEST specimen thread, if not the best SUGGESTION thread i've seen or took part in throughout the entire forum. thank you to Fedorov for the epicness to kick off this idea

 

[HodlPu]

It

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Great idea! I hope TWI uses your idea!

Now here is my ideas just for the sake of putting them out!

1)Make the Hydra SLOW and VERY HARD to kill.

REASON?: I envision the hydra as a ZED that stays alive throughout most of the a wave. It will be something horrifying yet slow. Something that players see and are like, Oh CRAP IT'S COMING! The hydra would have a massive amount of life and because of that, the hydra would most likely get close to your group and force you to move to a new area. Then when you move, you'll see it again eventually and say "OH CRAP IT'S BACK!" You must deal damage to it every time you see it, and eventually killing it sometime around the end of the wave. Or save it for last as some sort of miniboss fight.

2) MEAT SHIELD

REASON?: Since specimens tend to walk in a line, how about making it a meat shield? I think It should be big enough to block your vision of any specimens behind it. So what players would have to do it is try to spread out the ZEDs, get to high elevation to shoot behnd it, run, or try to take it down if you have enough firepower.
Otherwise, if the Hydra reaches you with 15 ZED's behind it, you'll be engulfed.

SUMMARY: I see the hydra as a bullet eating ZED that's meant to protect it's fellow specimens and scare the heck out of players. It should still have strong damage to keep berserkers from standing in front of it (they would need to run around rather than stay still). The hydra being slow makes it a slightly disadvantaged killer but adds a "omg it's almost here!" factor. And maybe it could have some sort of acid which it spits every so often, but doesn't matter. Also it should have a slow enough turn rate, forcing players to back up or try to get behind it.

 

[Zerethon]

SUMMARY: I see the hydra as a bullet eating ZED that's meant to protect it's fellow specimens and scare the heck out of players. It should still have strong damage to keep berserkers from standing in front of it (they would need to run around rather than stay still). The hydra being slow makes it a slightly disadvantaged killer but adds a "omg it's almost here!" factor. And maybe it could have some sort of acid which it spits every so often, but doesn't matter. Also it should have a slow enough turn rate, forcing players to back up or try to get behind it.

i'm actually in the process of hacking my version of it together by modifying the existing patriarch code

this isnt meant to be "hard" by wasting everyones ammo, that doesnt force teamwork, just worsens the current spam situation, Mine ruins that by only being vulnerable to flanking and burst damage, you CAN spam it to death like anything else, but we're talking 6+ pipes, 12 nade launcher rounds, a LAW rocket, a Scar clip, M14 clip, and a firebug canister + chainsaw hold simulteneously, it just doesnt work

The idea of this spec is tactics, the usual spam/headshot/etc tactics should not work here, i remedy this by making it's "headshot" the tanks on it, which arent shootable from the front with anything other than splash damage or fire

Weaponry wise, mines got a chaingun to keep it's danger level up, if you accidentally anger this thing, you're going to be ventilated if you cant hide from it quick enough, and he can knock you around with ease up close, but these hits are slow and the minigun has an arming time of sorts

i agree on the slow turn rate, i'm using the FP's as a base, it's supposed to be flankable

now i just need a model for it, i doubt the FP Chaingunner one will work at all for my needs

 

[Fedorov]

Great idea! I hope TWI uses your idea!

Now here is my ideas just for the sake of putting them out!

1)Make the Hydra SLOW and VERY HARD to kill.

REASON?: I envision the hydra as a ZED that stays alive throughout most of the a wave. It will be something horrifying yet slow. Something that players see and are like, Oh CRAP IT'S COMING! The hydra would have a massive amount of life and because of that, the hydra would most likely get close to your group and force you to move to a new area. Then when you move, you'll see it again eventually and say "OH CRAP IT'S BACK!" You must deal damage to it every time you see it, and eventually killing it sometime around the end of the wave. Or save it for last as some sort of miniboss fight.

2) MEAT SHIELD

REASON?: Since specimens tend to walk in a line, how about making it a meat shield? I think It should be big enough to block your vision of any specimens behind it. So what players would have to do it is try to spread out the ZEDs, get to high elevation to shoot behnd it, run, or try to take it down if you have enough firepower.
Otherwise, if the Hydra reaches you with 15 ZED's behind it, you'll be engulfed.

SUMMARY: I see the hydra as a bullet eating ZED that's meant to protect it's fellow specimens and scare the heck out of players. It should still have strong damage to keep berserkers from standing in front of it (they would need to run around rather than stay still). The hydra being slow makes it a slightly disadvantaged killer but adds a "omg it's almost here!" factor. And maybe it could have some sort of acid which it spits every so often, but doesn't matter. Also it should have a slow enough turn rate, forcing players to back up or try to get behind it.

While I think its more possible that it would be just a hard specimen, I really like your idea of the slow doom (no more camping in the same spot) I wouldn't really mind much if that version was also heard by TWI...
I don't like however it being a meat shield (if the specimens are hidden behind it, then they would all be equally slow...)

@SiN: thanks

 

[anthracy]

The Husk was designed to stop people from camping and kiting, but it really didn't. I believe that something huge and ominous that you can't possible drop by the time you see it and it reaches you could help this game a ton.

Suppose it needs at least three kinds of damage(as already mentioned

Melee
Fire/Explosives
Bullets/Bolts

This would definitely stop the current sharp/commando spam on servers and enforce the multi-role function of the game.

 

[HaTeMe]

"OH CRAP IT'S BACK!"

LOOL!

Yeah, imo it could have even more HP than the Fleshpound has, but just make it slow so it cant outrun you. Would definately cause the group to move away from their camping spots. Then just add this weak spot behind its back, which, when destroyed, will cause it to lose health over time. So basically, there would be NO way of insta-killing it.

To balance it out, I still think it needs a melee weapon instead of ranged weapon. I mean come on, if it has a ridiculous amount of health, cant be headshotted, it has a strong ranged attack and strong enough melee attack to keep berserkers from standing in front of it... its like another patriarch lol.

 

[omarfw]

2) MEAT SHIELD

REASON?: Since specimens tend to walk in a line, how about making it a meat shield? I think It should be big enough to block your vision of any specimens behind it. So what players would have to do it is try to spread out the ZEDs, get to high elevation to shoot behnd it, run, or try to take it down if you have enough firepower.
Otherwise, if the Hydra reaches you with 15 ZED's behind it, you'll be engulfed.

If a hyrda were to make it pretty close to you before you gunned it down, it could potentially have 3 fleshpounds behind it. Then you're screwed.

 

[Fedorov]

LOOL!

Yeah, imo it could have even more HP than the Fleshpound has, but just make it slow so it cant outrun you. Would definately cause the group to move away from their camping spots. Then just add this weak spot behind its back, which, when destroyed, will cause it to lose health over time. So basically, there would be NO way of insta-killing it.

To balance it out, I still think it needs a melee weapon instead of ranged weapon. I mean come on, if it has a ridiculous amount of health, cant be headshotted, it has a strong ranged attack and strong enough melee attack to keep berserkers from standing in front of it... its like another patriarch lol.

a weak spot in the back is quite a good idea

 

[ANTHEM]

Honestly, the berserker's job should be to de-leg the beast.

 

[Zerethon]

a weak spot in the back is quite a good idea

this sounds familiar for some reason

As i mentioned in another thread, i'm in the process of coding mine, the ranged weapon reasons are 2-fold:

1. to prevent snipers wanting to headshot it, it's their counter and it's much more dangerous than a husk - but not more deadly, if it's got a scope-breaking ranged hit, regenerating nearly-invulnerable heads and almost no frontal weakness, a sharp is more inclined to do his ACTUAL job and pick off the weaker adds than just spamming the big guy

2. to give it a weakness, if the back is the weakpoint, and it can chase and melee people at a good clip, and takes heavy, slow, weapons to kill, making it melee is a TERRIBLE idea, because killing it would be too dangerous and situational, at least with the rage-based range attack, you stand a better chance of clearing the area and having it right where you want it before killing it, and directing EXACTLY where you want it's hate to go, thus, making this a teamwork-centered enemy

The idea is thus, it's a big, hulking, FP-like spec with a massive armored fist on one arm and a chaingun on the other (it's right)

it's "Distinctive" sounds are the heads "arguing" with each other and laughing, and it's distinctive look are the 2 long glowing bars on the "tanks" on it's back, and a steampunk-esque armor with spikes and hoses and mis-matched metal plates (ala a more armored FP/FPC) as well as glowing red face-masks with a "Smile" on one head and a "frown" on the other (from the glowing hose openings leading to the head area, the glow is at neck level)

it's purpose is the specimen version of a commando, it aims for the weaker classes against it (sharps, commandos) who engage it at a range and forces them to take cover, potentially being blocked by specimens and killed, and since it's armor has a lot of weakpoints and it's healing serum is heat-sensitive and flammable, Berserkers and firebugs can pick it apart if they can get to it's less-armored back while it's distracted and unable to melee them

Once the healing tank breaks, it acts like a fleshpound enraged, it attempts to chase someone down (but moves slightly slower) and melee them/shoot them, but it bleeds to death like a decap - it just takes twice as long, but the spec is now very susceptible to damage from behind with it's armor provided by the tanks gone and flammable liquid leaking everywhere

To recap, big, nasty, slow, deadly but focused. Weak to melee and fire while firing at things, Cant change targets once it starts firing, cant move while firing, Firing isn't interrupted by the target taking cover. Role = Area Denial/Anti range/Anti Camp

 

[defragen1]

i approve this zed

 

[ANTHEM]

I disapprove of Zerethon's idea. I don't want to fight something that's shooting slugs at me. I want something big and nasty that's roaring and dropping bile on my head while i'm running at it with my chainsaw aroarin'.

No offense to zere, just saying, I'd rather not have them get all techy on us. Let's keep it simple, and scary. Not futuristic.

 

[Fedorov]

I too prefer a true abomination, something that makes everybody go Oooh f*ck!

 

[ANTHEM]

Something dripping in ooze that's oblivious to anything except killing what it wants to eat. Just rampaging down a hall (slowly of course) gettin' all worked up. I'd definitely be the one to scream 'OH ****!' over the microphone.

 

[Fedorov]

and depending on how hard and horrible it is, I'm think it would be good if it appeared only once in 10th wave with 25% chance of appearing

So it would appear once in every 4 games, this would add surprise and OH NOOOOEEESSS!!! factor =P

tho when I thought about this I didn't conceived it that hard (or rare), but I'm just throwing ideas here.

maybe a big brother version of it =P

and I want the three heads to make loud weird sounds with different voices at the same time, bringing some feeling of chaos to the mix

 

[Zerethon]

Something dripping in ooze that's oblivious to anything except killing what it wants to eat. Just rampaging down a hall (slowly of course) gettin' all worked up. I'd definitely be the one to scream 'OH ****!' over the microphone.

if i was going to code a multi-headed L4D ripoff i would, we already have a puker and to keep this thing even SLIGHTLY balanced with my weakness, it has to be long ranged, you have no time to prepare if you annoy it, not you have a ton of time to set pipebombs for it to run into - this can kill you from way out of range and take quite a bit of withering fire without flinching, you need to flank and gank it, not kite it

And high tech? where do you get that from? it's covered in mismatched armor-esque plates like the flespound with tubes with openings in them showing the glowing healing fluid, as well as the tanks with openings in them and a ghetto minigun/autogun (i'm thinking like the original patty one from the concept art) that looks all cobbled together

it's basically a mutated fleshpound chaingunner, just much much scarier

and depending on how hard and horrible it is, I'm think it would be good if it appeared only once in 10th wave with 25% chance of appearing

So it would appear once in every 4 games, this would add surprise and OH NOOOOEEESSS!!! factor =P

tho when I thought about this I didn't conceived it that hard (or rare), but I'm just throwing ideas here.

maybe a big brother version of it =P

and I want the three heads to make loud weird sounds with different voices at the same time, bringing some feeling of chaos to the mix

i'm going with 2-3 players you get 1, 4-6 you get 2, late wave/waves only and they never appear solo

the 2 heads on my idea "Argue" with each other and laugh in different voices for it's distinct sound and it's walking makes a loud metallic sound because of the heavy armor on it (think a fleshpound with 2 heads, wrapped in heavy armor, with a gorefast-style arm and a chaingun on the other, and you have a good idea of my vision)

As for coding this....Uscript makes me want to hurt things sometimes

 

[HaTeMe]

this sounds familiar for some reason

It wasnt ment to be presented as "my idea", I was just putting together the suggestions everyone were giving in this thread.

Altho, when I made my "headless specimen" topic one of my ideas was to make a weakpoint behind its back, I talked about it with my brother but forgot to put it on my original topic. Doesnt really matter whos idea it was, I just want it to be implemented.

 

[ANTHEM]

Hah, I was totally taking your posts into account until you called my thoughts a 'L4D ripoff'.

Whatever. Look, I just don't think it fits with the other specimen for this mindless blob of biomass to be shooting 50cal bullets at you from a fully automatic, giant, machine gun. But whatever.

 

[Zerethon]

Hah, I was totally taking your posts into account until you called my thoughts a 'L4D ripoff'.

Whatever. Look, I just don't think it fits with the other specimen for this mindless blob of biomass to be shooting 50cal bullets at you from a fully automatic, giant, machine gun. But whatever.

it's decidedly not a mindless blob, the idea is it's an expanded, and "Battle worthy" Chaingunner, the idea of it when the patriarch created it is for it to almost save him the trouble, "Damage control" if you will

it's almost identical in size to a fleshpound, and just as "Built" if you will, i'm not talking a bloat with armor and a minigun

and yours SOUNDED like an L4D Ripoff, a Ranged bloat? it hurls globs of acid at the players? you basically gave a spitter 2 heads, it's just not "Unique" or evil enough, Speci's lack a good, solid, sniping-counter with accuracy, so we're either going a fast, armored but weak spec (Like a shade) that cant be decapped, or a tank-like ranged spec

i mean, apologies if that bothers you, but thats what i got from it, again, we dont need another slow, lumbering, acid-barfing specimen - We have the bloat

i went for a fair medium with a tough ranged spec with an inherent weakness to flanking thats done intentionally to promote teamwork

 

[trilance]

no no. make it MORE powerful with every head you take off.

and technically if it was a hydra the heads would regrow into more heads if you shot them off.

Heck we could even spin it so that it's anti-SS. In the fact that after losing a head the other heads gain more control and thus, less thought processes trading off orders to the body, making it faster/stronger. Since SS is pretty OP right now and assuming they don't fix it by altering weapons/perk abilities, that would be a great way to make their life a living hell.

A regenerating Specimen could be epic trouble for a squad. I say Bring it on.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM! BLAM!BLAM! BLAM!.......BLAM..........GAME CRASH!

One too many heads.