[A] Starbow - Page 122

- A Queen ability that makes a building morph and be built faster for X seconds.

Why? No other race speeds up buildings. It feels very Zerg and it fits the Queen. The ability is easy to create in the editor. very easy to understand and execute. The strength lies in the decision making. It can be used to make any Zerg building being built faster AND you can use it on a building that morphs. (Lair, Hive, Lurker den, Spire)


But what is the point of this spell?!

When I play as Zerg, I don´t feel like I have that much stuff to do, especially not with the weaker inject. I spread creep and I select all hatcheries and build units. I am rarely doing anything in my base. This small spell would give more decisions for the Queen and more reasons for a Zerg player to focus on his base. A skilled Zerg player can pay attention to the building phase of his structures. If he chooses, he can use his energy from the Queen and his focus to make certain buildings being built faster. It would Zerg a little bit more unpredictable and can be a fun addition in ZvZ.

- A modified version of Inject. I will try to explain it clearly.

It makes larvas spawn X% faster from a hatchery.

On top of that, you can not upgrade, morph into lair/hive or train Queens from the hatchery while it is being injected.

You can not use inject on a hatchery that is already busy morphing, training or researching.

You CAN still produce units from larvas. As normal.

Why? The reason it shuts down the other functions of the hatchery is mainly due to the editor. The new Inject gives the hatchery a buff that manipulates the Time Scale. All time related things is faster on the hatchery, including spawning larvas. Hence, researches and morphs would be built faster too, just as if it were chrono boosted.

One way to overcome this problem is to simply make it unusable on a hatchery that is busy with other stuff. It also adds a small decision making to Inject. The best thing is NOT to always use it as soon as you can.

Why is it a good thing that larvas are spawned faster? I think this will have a positive effect on the gameplay. In SC2 I do not like the fact that Zerg can save huge amount of larvas, store up resources and within 30 seconds build 50-75 units when needed. Just like that. I prefer if Zerg builds units in smaller ways more often. It would force a stream of flooding Zerg units roaming across the map to the rally point, rather than big blobs. Don't get me wrong. Zergs ability to spawn many units at the same time is important and unique. It will still be possible. Just not to the absurd extent we see in SC2.

It also forces Inject to be used at appropriate times. If you have 3 larvas in a hatchery and no resources to use them, there is no reason to Inject. This will add another small type of decision making to the spell. It would also mean that Zerg would probably be the race that macros the most, since larvas can pop quite fast and often. Right now in Starbow, I don´t feel I have to macro that much due to the ability to create large waves of units when needed. I can look at the enemy army attacking and just "Ok he has that shit. Now I make X units of this type and I kill his army." If the macro is divided into smaller steps, each step requires its own decision.

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On top of all this, I will maybe make it usable on Zerg units that morph. So you can target a morphing lurker, baneling, overseer, broodlord or corruptor and it will morph faster. This would add a bit more versatility to the spell. (even though it feels a bit like Chrono boost)

But it all comes down to how I manage to create this in the editor. I am working on it now and there are some restrictions I need to overcome. But the result will probably be something like this.

What is wrong with SmileZergs cloud idea?

Nothing is wrong with it. Its a solid idea: Queen cast a cloud on the ground that speeds up the production of eggs, morphing units and build time for buildings. (And maybe adds some kind of protective effect)

- I have contacted some more experienced mapmakers. Its very hard to get the spell to do all this. I have been suggested to "chop" up the spell in smaller spells.

- I need a model for the "cloud" and the editor seems to have nothing that fits.

- I don´t think it changes that much with Zerg macro. The main effect is to cast it on the morphing eggs at the hatchery to speed up unit production. It feels kinda like Chrono boost and is more of a Protoss thing: speed up individual units.
A more Zergy thing would be: speed up the rate at which units can be produced.


If I create the new "Inject" that makes a hatchery spawn larvas faster it will lead to some positive aspects on gameplay - smaller waves of Zerg units more often rather than big blobs of Zerg units more seldom. And Zerg gets more to do with his macro.

The other Queen spell speeds up a building being built. This is a part of the cloud idea and this would give Zerg some more stuff to do in the base. Its just an individual target instead of an area of effect spell.

Maybe I can make Inject speed up a lurker, banelings, oversseer etc being morphed too, which would still be a part of the cloud idea, but now with an individual target.

So I just don´t think its necessay to speed up the build time of the eggs from hatcheries, if the larva spawn rate instead is increased-