5 replies to this topic

[Silicoln]

This probably isn't going to be taken very well, or perhaps just brushed off. Whichever the case may be, I don't feel like the Flood from the initial release are being used very well, and I hope that they are not going to be staying the same. From a lore perspective it makes no sense whatsoever that they start with ships, especially Forerunner ones. Now if they were event-based, as in they only appear say after you've colonized a certain planet or even a randomized one further into the system that allows them to instantly take over your planet/structures/whatever in that particular system, I wouldn't have an issue with that. I'm not like you folks so I don't know what issues you've run into or what is capable with a game engine that is truthfully out of date, but I hope that you don't intend to just use the Flood as some Borg-esque knock off. They're supposed to be the mistake you unleash and run from, not the instantly flight-ready third unstoppable faction.

Moved over from Moddb, I figured it would be easier than just referencing it.

[베이클라이트]

Think of it like this the flood planet was actually a forerunner planet. Then the flood took over all there shit. So there you go an easy explanation of why the flood start with cool ships. 

 

But still i like your idea.

[Silicoln]

My only issue with the Flood starting with a ship building planet, a Forerunner planet in this case, at the get go is that it doesn't make any sense why they wouldn't just start taking things over immediately. That was the whole point behind the Forerunners locking them up since the Flood would immediately try and take to the stars and seek out food. Past that, the Flood should not be able to control Forerunner ships that haven't been activated by either the Forerunners or even Forerunner-approved species (read Humans).

Now if we go with lore, there are/were still active Forerunner cells so it's entirely possible to see a Forerunner controlled planet as a neutral faction. And I definitely wouldn't mind seeing the Flood as an event-based species, since whichever species has their starting planet would explain why the Forerunner are using those particular ships/buildings.

[Unikraken]

First of all, thanks for coming to the forums. We hope you stay around as things are going to liven up here soon.

Unfortunately with a limited game like SoaSE we have to bend lore to enhance gameplay on occasion. Just about any buff we'd throw on a planet that would produce Flood you'd be able to see before it happens and that would kind of ruin the effect you're wanting. But more importantly, we want the Flood infection to be something that you know you're activating when you start a match. This is why we spend so much time reminding people that they can be turned off in the game options before you start a match. Making them a random event, with how strong they are, ensures that inevitably every game becomes a Flood infection match, which is not what we want. Our primary focus with Sins of the Prophets is the competitive play between UNSC and Covenant forces. Our plan with the random event system is to add flair and fluff to the experience, while not drastically affecting competitive play. Random events will include things like having hero ships jump in under your control or mild insurrectionist raids, aside from various environmental events. The Flood ruin every party they show up to.

We've put a lot of thought into what mechanic should have the Flood built into it. Using the pirate system is the only viable option if we want to ensure players choose to have it present. For most of the Human-Covenant War the Flood were not seen and many players want to reenact those earlier events. Many users role-play and those kinds of experiences are only viable when you can ensure the Flood are not going to show up.

Now, regarding the Forerunner ships that the Flood have. They were originally given to the Flood because we didn't have the pureform ships created yet. I'll be completely honest in that I've since recommended they be removed and there is strong resistance by the team on the front. The Forerunner ships add a level of difficulty that ensures when Flood are activated in the game options they have ample time to wreak havoc on your galaxy, which is the ENTIRE point of having them active, from our perspective as the game's creators.

The Flood are not meant to be active for normal gameplay. They are intended as a horde mode/survival gametype wherein your primary focus is defending against Flood attacks, eventually pushing them back and ultimately defeating them.

 

If you have any more questions or concerns feel free to voice them. We are a community effort at heart and I'll try to get VDNKh, the Flood coder in here for the more technical stuff.

[VDNKh]

My only issue with the Flood starting with a ship building planet, a Forerunner planet in this case, at the get go is that it doesn't make any sense why they wouldn't just start taking things over immediately. That was the whole point behind the Forerunners locking them up since the Flood would immediately try and take to the stars and seek out food. Past that, the Flood should not be able to control Forerunner ships that haven't been activated by either the Forerunners or even Forerunner-approved species (read Humans).

Now if we go with lore, there are/were still active Forerunner cells so it's entirely possible to see a Forerunner controlled planet as a neutral faction. And I definitely wouldn't mind seeing the Flood as an event-based species, since whichever species has their starting planet would explain why the Forerunner are using those particular ships/buildings.

To tack on what Unikraken said, the 45 minute wait before the Flood start taking planets is purely a balance decision. Otherwise they would immediately over run all the players. As for them controlling Guardians, the explanation for that is those are ancient ships taken from the Forerunner-Flood war. At some point in the Forerunner-Flood war they infected a shield world. After the rings fired it consolidated some defenses around the planet to protect itself and the food inside the shield installation, which was unharmed by the Halo array. After thousands of years of fighting the shield world's defense systems and slowly gaining biomass, it finally hatches a Flood Carrier Form and begins looking for food elsewhere.

[Idio]

I think the Flood should spawn immediately, with at least seven Infinities at start-- Because clearly, they're too weak. Who wouldn't want to get rekt within the starting minutes of a match, amiright?

 

No, but seriously, it's an interesting idea, but I believe it would interfere with the internal team's gameplay decisions too much.