Well, I wouldn't really say this. Reapers were super strong (yes, some would say too strong) and the mothership (even though expensive and down the least chosen tech path) serves a purpose and can be a gamechanger - honestly for good or worse - it will most likely be THE game changer.

Broodlings are the exact opposite. Where motherships are rarely seen but once created gamechangers - broodlings are often seen - with little to nothing achieved.

Ghost-z

United States1291 Posts

March 15 2011 01:17 GMT

#104

Broodlings are just a cool feature for zerg to have. They serve only the purpose to be visually appeasing, nothing more. I don't rely on them for anything as a zerg player but I would never vote to have them removed.

A cool thought came to mind: What if the number of broodlings spawned from destroyed buildings increased when zerg teched to lair and hive? Or what if Zerg had a cheap upgrade that increased the number of broodlings spawned or lengthen their lifespan, or both? Brood lord would need to be considered for balance with these implementations. Just a cool thought I had.

Excalibur_Z

United States12240 Posts

March 15 2011 01:18 GMT

#105

In some cases, Broodlings make a difference. They prevent you from haphazardly a-moving into a Zerg base, even if only slightly. When I'm attacking a Zerg base, I take great care not to kill two tech buildings at the same time, especially in the early game (say with stimmed marines). If I have Marines that have been stimmed down to red health, it's too easy to lose a few Marines to the sheer number of Broodlings that are produced, and that makes my remaining Marines that much easier for the Zerg to clean up, potentially impacting the additional Drone or other kills I could have. I imagine there are some situations like MorroW described where it's possible to use them as cannon fodder, giving cover to your units when you know you're going to lose a tech building anyway.

MooMOo

180 Posts

March 15 2011 01:22 GMT

#106

Didnt really read many responses, so dont no if this has been said.

Blizzard does a good job trying to keep the races different. If we just look at worker battles (as a general show of how the races are different)

SCV's gain no health BUT can be repaired fully at an extremly fast rate.
Drones can regain all there health, but do it slow and metholidically
Probes can regain some of there health relativly quickly.

The same is true for the buildings.

Terran - Can be repaired and lifted off.
Zerg - spawn broodlings /slow FULL regen
Protoss - Regen half health relativly quickly.

You may argue you would prefer a different races skill set / a diff race skill set is better but w.e there different and it would be hard to make them to much different.

EDIT:

A cool thought came to mind: What if the number of broodlings spawned from destroyed buildings increased when zerg teched to lair and hive? Or what if Zerg had a cheap upgrade that increased the number of broodlings spawned or lengthen their lifespan, or both? Brood lord would need to be considered for balance with these implementations. Just a cool thought I had.

I like this.

DarthXX

Australia998 Posts

March 15 2011 01:23 GMT

#107

The problem with broodlings IMO is that they are obviously for a defensive purpose, but only come out of tech buildings. If in the early game you lose something that spawns broodlings, chances are you're fucked. Eg. you lose a spawning pool to an early rush.

Think about how many buildings you are going to have that will spawn broodlings as zerg, at most 1 of each tech building and a few hatches, its not very many, it would be way more useful if say, zerg had to build supply depots and ur base was littered lots of supply buildings that can't be quickly sniped by 1 stim drop or something, but this isn't the case.

They really need to make spore/spine crawlers spawn broodlings, and increase the amount of broodlings spawned from tech structures, the 6 or 8 (can't remember) that come out of a spire are hardly any deterant to killing said spire but if it was like 25 or something, it might be a different story, forces armies to retreat a bit after killing zerg buildings which is fair imo as zerg simply don't have as many buildings as the other races and hence their bases get rolled over extremely fast. Increasing broodling spawns would help this situation a little. Just my $0.02

ZidaneTribal

United States2800 Posts

March 15 2011 01:26 GMT

#108

blizzard probably felt like it fit in with zerg lore so just included it. broodlings from building deaths are pretty much close to useless except vs zerglings(wtf) and vs sieged tanks

Subversion

South Africa3627 Posts

March 15 2011 01:27 GMT

#109

there's no real purpose, its just a little gimmick that feels "Zergy"

DImported

Australia149 Posts

March 15 2011 01:32 GMT

#110

Dustin Browder said it was cool.

JerKy

Korea (South)3013 Posts

March 15 2011 01:34 GMT

#111

I used to wonder about this too, and I eventually settled for:

When battles boil down to low numbers of units, and somehow 1-2 marines or lings manage to take down a building, the broodlings will take down those attacking units as a sort of punishment

As I've watched streams, perhaps broodlings were designed to act as a very brief meatshield for reinforcing units (with proper timing of course)

EggYsc2

620 Posts

March 15 2011 01:36 GMT

#112

there are so many stratagies in mid game, early game even late game that you can use broodlings.
the 72% that answered useless here are some tips
1) slow tank pushes? why lose lings and army value, if they are creeping towards you, with good creep spread you can throw down 2-3+ evo chambers break them, use broodlings to push out at tank taking initial damage while you surround with lings. For 75 Minerals late game, doing damage to tanks/marines and you get to get rid of some supply for some units? If your macro is good why not?
2) as catz showed with his early evo chamber rush with lings it can be quite effective since you can block the cybercore and and the broodlings can kill the zealot, big game hitright there
3) oh snap early push and im running out of larva? You can place down spines yes but depending on the map you can block off areas with evo chambers use them to slow down units.
for 75 minerals gawd so good

even super late game you can plop down 6 evo chambers, which will=36 broodlings(usuall with atleast 2 damage upgrade/2 defence) these can be baller things.

nitdkim

1264 Posts

March 15 2011 02:08 GMT

#113

where is the "Blizzard being a troll" option...

imbecile

563 Posts

March 15 2011 02:12 GMT

#114

On March 15 2011 10:36 MadCatZ wrote:
For 75 Minerals late game, doing damage to tanks/marines and you get to get rid of some supply for some units? If your macro is good why not?

You also lose the drone for 50min.

That said, I usually get 2 very early evo chambers to block ramps and force the enemy into spines. Together with queens this is a very powerful defense and allows you to drone really hard. And I like heavy upgrading with zerg anyway. And it also allows you to quickly throw down spores against any cloak or air play. But I don't get them for the broodlings, just as a wall.

I think the amount of broodlings coming out of the buildings should be proportional to the building cost. Every 25 resource cost means a pair of broodlings. E.g. an evo chamber gets 6 for 3*25. A hatchery gets 24 for 12*25, an ultralisk cavern gets 28 for 6*25+8*25 resource cost. A hive gives you 100. A greater spire 72.

That way a lot of the zerg early pressure problems could be solved, because it gets pretty costly to do real damage to them killing an early hatch. And late game you also have to consider maybe going more air to clean out zerg bases.

Confuse

2238 Posts

March 15 2011 02:13 GMT

#115

On March 14 2011 21:08 dookudooku wrote:
Remember the TT1 vs MasterAsia game?

It can make a difference in a base trade scenario. But that scenario is not the norm; for the most part the broodlings don't change anything.

This. To create such a masterpiece.

EggYsc2

620 Posts

March 15 2011 03:05 GMT

#116

On March 15 2011 11:12 imbecile wrote:

Show nested quote +

You also lose the drone for 50min.

.

late game, when you have 70 drones it wont matter

woowoo

France164 Posts

March 15 2011 03:45 GMT

#117

It would be nice if queens spawn broodlings when killed.

LanTAs

United States1091 Posts

March 15 2011 03:50 GMT

#118

no point except being anoying swarming crap that slows me down a bit?

Dont see the point of it besides it coming out of a Bwood loard -.-, i mean they are annoying as hell whn they suround you and your blink has a bit of cooldown

Ironsights

United States196 Posts

March 15 2011 07:37 GMT

#119

I really think that broodlings are primarily meant to be "cool". You kill a zerg building of any real importance, and you get attacked for it. Cool. Early game it can be really helpful, but as has been aid late game it becomes pretty null. 6 Broodlings mean nothing to 50 marines on stims.

I do believe there is one "functional" purpose throughout the whole game though: to deter tech sniping, if only slightly. Tech sniping can REALLY put the hurt on a zerg, and the knowledge that even if I succeed there is a good shot I'm going to lose units for it forces me to be more cautious. It isn't huge, but its there.