Well, it seems Zunni forgot to create a changes to skulk sticky. So, I'm making a thread here.

Post your ideas about changes to skulk here, you can change anything, if you feel the skulk needs a cannon mounted on it's back that spits out babblers 5/second using 1% energy, post it. However, don't expect anything.

I think that the skulk just needs a little more speed and health. Just change it's health to 65/20. That's an extra 15 health, and hives give skulks more of a benefit.

Then, raise speed to 325 units/second. This is slightly faster than a level 1 celerity skulk, it shouldn't be too advantageous, but would definitely help the skulk.

Then lower parasite energy use to 22%.

Finally, raise Xenoside damage to 250, and give xenoside blast damage again. This allows 1 hit kills on level 0, 1 and 2 armor. Level 3 armor doesn't allows 1 hit kills, unless xeno has been primal screamed (which would raise damage to like 333, and would do 666 to structures).

This makes the skulk good, IMO.

I think the skulk needs a cannon mounted on its back that spits out babblers at a rate of 5/second using 1% energy. (No, not really)

Personally, I think the skulk is fine the way it is.

Personally, I'd like to see the skulk health and armor actually decreased while damage is increased. In addition, aliens would spawn much quicker than they do now.

This would put skulks into a purely ambushing/defensive roll, while at the same time, magnifying how dangerous things like reloading are.

Of course, then I'd like to have maps developed that actually let the skulk use it's normal abilities to any great extent, or failing that, the change to wall-climbing and jumping that was brought forward in another thread.

I'm still glad the Skulk's abilities haven't changed in so long, because they are perfectyl fine as is.

Well, I tend to think less health/more damage skulk has a place for change, but keep in mind how that translates to the game.

a non upgraded marine dies in 2 bites, or 1 focus bite.

a level 1 armour marine gets 3 bites or 2 focus bites.


How would these changes affect the number of bites needed to kill a marine? I mean seriously, we could just let marines have 2 health and 1 armour points, and just make skulk bite do 2 damage points for the same result.

the reason there is a larger scale is for smaller damage attacks, like spores and sentry turrets. skulks already get owned by turrets making seige rushes difficult to crack... how would you get around that?

What about focus still kills level 1 armour marines but needs 2 bites for lvl2 and lvl 3 armour.

I think the skulk is fine the way it is in terms of damage, speed and heath/armour. But just as a suggestion, maybe you could change the head of the skulk to a differed shape because when a player is an alien he looks through its open teeth, where as on the skulk skin it has eyes on its head (i think) and has its mouth closed when not biting. Also it would look really sweet if its whole head was teeth (hav a look at the attached image, it is pretty lame but it gives you and idea of what I mean).
Keep up the good work NS team
From Spangers AKA [ThE] HuNtEr!

I think the weapon V model for the skulk should be the part of its head that it would see through its little eyes. and have the tip of the skulk's snout be where the crosshairs would be, in this the camera for the skulk should be slightly farther up.

Nope, level 1 armour can take 2 focus bites. As does level 2, and level 3.

Good for NS, but bad for CO.

Is it just me? or is the reason the skulk hasn't been changed is becuase it's the most balanaced alien?
Leave the skulks as they are!

Skulks are a little weak. However, if we see more MDS or SDM, etc., then I think the useful upgrades early in the game will counter its weakness. In addition, I think skulk upgrades should be free (they should be removed if you gestate to another lifeform of course).

What he said , skulks aren't weak at all with Unchained Chambers

Skulks are perfect. If there were a change make redemption much more effective like possibly becoming active ocne the skulk losses all its armor. It is a completely worthless upgrade.

Redemption with a skulk is more rare than parasite kills ... tell you anything?

Skulks parasite should be improved.

It should have more effects on the rine.

A rine when successfully infested with a parasite (5 damage) should suffer more
penalties like these:

1. He is still "trackable" by it.

2. The parasite grows inside the marine. He receives another 20 damage over 5 seconds (4 per second) only to health (no armour). Effect does not stack, but when parasited again timer is set back to 5 seconds.

3. The parasite sets free some stunning venoms inside it´s host. The marines movement speed is decreased by 15%. Effect stacks with HA and heavy weapons, but not with itself (more than one parasite).

you made a thread about that idea, and it got locked

I can see why it got locked

i think xeno is overpowered.. even for a hive3 ability.. thus i suggest that you lower the attack of 125 to 75-100 damage.. this will force the skulks to organize together and xeno at the same time (promotes teamwork) also increase the blast radius.. and you'll weaken the entire marine base at the same time.

I know this has been mentioned many times but I still think the skulk needs more increased sidespeed and backspeed so at least skilled skulks can maneuver around level 3 HMG marines.

I know its a little bit past topic, but I agree with Nol on the issue that parasite shouldnt take so much energy. If you think about it the amount it takes right now is a bit to much to spit a "tracking device" if you will.

Place a skulk near 8 MCs.

Start parasiting. It's a chaingun I tell you! Newage spikes!

Skulks are fine. My only thing though, is that when you hold forward and a strafe direction at the same time, more emphasis should be on the strafe than the forward.

The skulk is almost perfect but i think its wallwalk as mentioned needs to be like AvP and i think as mentioned its strafe speed needs increase .

i like the avp wall walk but i would like the view stays the same as it does in ns. the view on walls in avp was awful.

i would also like to see skulks less reliant on bunny hopping.

make xenocide more powerful. after all the skeleton of a dog-sized animal is shattering and flying all over the place! i mean a small frag grenade can kill several people in a wide area but the skulk needs to be right next to a marine to even do damage? thats kind of a bad idea. its not realistic and its not really that good for gameplay. also i loved the view change in AVP2! but like RobB said, its not going to be in HL1

We meet again, Sama. A topic on Xenocide and Hand Grenade shrapnel like in The Specialists.

I think that NS would benefit from skulks having a form of takedown attack.

What I mean is, right now a skulk can walk up to a marine, hurt him (possibly killing him), and leave. In real life however, skulks can knock a marine to the ground, grab his lmg and wrestle it from his hands, or simply pounce on him keeping him pinned (which is useful when two skulks want to overtake a heavy armor).

Just some notes on realism. =)