8 replies to this topic

[Snakeman]

It was an interview I found while exploring the links section of this forum the other day (I think it had been on the link to Strategy Core's old forum/site not sure), the interviewer talking with Dave Ellis.

What peaked my interest among other things in the article about his days dealing with X-COM's ups and downs, was the bit about Chryssalids planned evolution with the title Genesis that didn't see the light of day (sadly).

Supposedly, besides the stock Chryssalid we all know and love, there was proposed to be an ability in this new variation to make new Zombies, and subsequently, new variations of Chryssalid for every alien as well. The thought here I suppose was that there would be occasion sometimes to have Chryssalids freak out and harm (or I should say modify) their own side.

There are a few pictures in the article too, one showing a Chryssalid-Ethereal hybrid which looked kind of neat.

Scary to think too that not only would you possibly have a creature with its traditional melee attack ability, zombie-making ability, but on top of that psionic ability

All that aside, I can't imagine all the different possible combinations of art assets for every probable zombie offshoot and Chryssalids to go along with. I wonder, for anyone that's seen the latest games, if anything remotely like this was in any of the After X titles.

[sneekysilk]

yup (want some pics i got avp2) on there are many hybrids depending (if the alie life cycles on) what host the facehugger gets.

aye that is a good plan make em so that the orig one can breed (produce zombies) but zombie ones cant

[Snakeman]

Another creature I thought was neat was one that's primary way of getting around it could crawl on any surface. I mean, that's certainly something new I think the game could use.

I think too that your probably right Azrael in that the original Chryssalids should probably only get to create one other zombie/chryssalid offshoot of something.

Now, a cool mod later on might be that they could go even further, to liven up the superhuman game or something. Imagine a Chryssalid had gone bezerk somehow and created a Ethereal/Muton mix (meaning the first Ethereal chryssalid then went on to infect a Muton). Its new traits would be hovering like the Ethereal, psionics like the Ethereal, with some of the toughness associated with the Muton.

I would think that in such a mod, there should be some reasonable restrictions on 'em, such that they couldn't make new chryssalids out of silicoids, celatoids, sectopods, & cyberdisks (they're either all machine or their biology wouldn't support it). Hmm, now Reapers on the other hand...

In the end, I think this idea has a lot of merit depending on how much X-COM can do as far as evening their strengths against the aliens. This would be a refereshing turn around for the aliens, to give you something else to fear even after you've gotten all your nice gadgets.

[NKF]

The Flood - an alien species in the Halo games - has a very basic adaption of what's being mentioned. Or at least, it covers the first step of what's being discussed. Human soldiers that are zombified by the Flood run around and fire guns off at random, but make use of their amazing zombie like strength and an unusual agility to fight. When this same effect is done on the Covenant (the main foe species), they take on the same traits, but they're bigger variants - and as would be expected, are covenant shaped. In Halo 2, the Coveneant zombies are actually much stronger in that they keep their plasma shields on them. Now that I look at it, it's rather a simplistic approach, but one that gives the player some headaches. But they cheated and had infinite spawning zombies - so it doesn't really count.

Game mechanic wise, it shouldn't be too hard for zombies to have added powers. Each zombie could have a token of sorts with stat boost bonuses. This acts like an always-on powerup that adds to the zombie's base stats and also allows the zombie to do things that it normally wouldn't do. It could even control the look of the zombie and resulting chryssalid. Hulking boney shoulder chryssalids - or tall skinny zombies. Etc.

When this zombie hatches into a chryssalid and infects its next host, this token is copied on the new zombie and the stats in the token and the stats of the host are intermingled a bit. Perhaps it combines the stats of both and averages them. So we might have a low ranking Ethereal zombie with 50 psi strength. When it combines with a Reaper, with 0 psi strength, the new zombie will have a psi strength of 25, but with the beefed physical stats from the reaper. Now if this zombie hatches into a chryssalid and takes on another etheral host, everything is added up and averaged again, and so on. Minor cosmetic changes that can give you an idea of what you're up against.

Adding up the stats of the bonus stats and the host stats and averaging it is just an example. Other weird an mystical duck sacrificing rituals can be performed to come up with a set of new stats.

- NKF

Edited by NKF, 25 January 2006 - 03:52 AM.

[Snakeman]

This would probably be the best way to handle some of this, I mean, for each subsequent hybrid, something might get lost or reduced.

i.e. You begin with a normal Chryssalid, it changes one species of something forming a new hybrid. It'd be this first hybrid that would be the strongest mix of traits. Everyting else it converted of a different species would begin to average out or dilute stats as it related to that first hybrid.

Or, mix it up as to how the game would roll the dice in forming what dominant trait would carry over from one to the next and so on.

[Snakeman]

Thought of something else while daydreaming when I probably should have been doing a chore one day or something

Or looking for work...

Seems to me that Supply Ships (perhaps on a higher difficulty as well) ought to probably carry one or two Chryssalids, either loose or in stasis somehow. If they were to be in storage, those tanks on the second level would be cool to stuff 'em in. Then, they could either escape due to proxmity of an X-COM unit, be let out by an alien unit directly, or become animate if you aren't careful with your shots.

Oh well, just another random thought to add for my favorite terror unit. I just think that they would be the perfect alien backup unit on just about any kind of UFO or base map, and it could also further the idea in the other thread as well about applying meaningful roles to alien ranked units in general i.e. Chryssailids in that instance would be perfect "distraction fodder" for ranked aliens when they're busy trying to lift off again or something.

I guess I just like to be as scared as I was when I first saw these things way back in the demo days

[Snakeman]

Thought of something else to add here that I'm not sure was discussed - just going to keep my thoughts on this in one place as much as possible...

On the subject of Terror Sites that have Psi aliens present. In the old games I believe mind control was restricted so the aliens could only psi your troops. I think its probably high time they can also psi civilians. Or, extend this nasty ability to the Psi capable Chryssalid offshoots.

I was imagining that the aliens might employ in this instance, a tug of war of mind control, between your men and the civilians. While you might use it on civilians to dictate their movements to safer parts of the map, the Psi capable Chryssalids' objective would be to control them in order to bring them right to the zombie-making source.

Once a Psi capable Chryssalid is made, the Psi focuses between the aliens are further differentiated, such that Sectoids and Ethereals still intact would be mind focusing on your troops, and the Psi hybrid Chryssalids only the civilians (primary target, secondary might be your men - or whoever is closest).

The resultant Chryssalid spawning from the eggs left into a human or trooper from this Psi Chryssalid before, could have a higher Psi defense averaged out (along with anything else it might have influcenced stat wise).

Just thought this was a neat idea, that aliens might purposely steer people into traps to becoming zombies etc.

[randomagain]

there are a couple of guys planning a UFO clone...
http://www.itchstudi.../rebelsquad.htm

They had the idea of an intelligent Chrysalid.


Aren't Snakemen and Chrysalids suppose to come from the same planet?

(Snakemen reproduce quickly, Chrysalids stay alive by impregnating Snakemen)

Edited by randomagain, 04 September 2008 - 04:13 AM.