Just a quick update so I can look busy...

Krdax is tweaking particle effects between classes.

I am tweaking abilities between work projects.

And still another person is slowly tweaking rigging and textures between his classes as well.

I have solved my pirate problem (in theory).  If I am correct, I can make the pirates work quite differently.

Film at 11.

UPDATE:

I've updated some of the above old posts and here's the latest aside from them...

I've actually got a functioning mesh with crude textures and rigging into the game and have tested varying  loadouts for the Yggdrasil and lectoids. 

The Yggdrasil mothership will essentially be a titan-esque capital ship, primary lectoids are starbases and lesser lectoids will be capital ships as well.  All lectoids will have the same mesh and description in game.  You'll have to engage them to find out what they really are.

Thanks for the feedback.

• Microing and paying attention will allow you to see some of their abilities. 
• Each unit has a custom ambient sound so if you zoom in, you can listen to it to I.D. it.
• The mothership will have a "little lectoid" swarm but not the swarming masses I experimented with.
• Lectoid fighters have 4x weapons firing in all directions and do not require focus fire.
• Lectoid ships are practically stationary--though they can microphase within a gravity well.
• Lectoid weapons fire looks & sounds identical (all use the same primary weapons) but different lectoids will utilize different weapons--antimodule, siege, antilight, antiheavy, etc.  Taking damage (or not) will be the primary indicator of what type they are.  They're multi-phased with each lectoid adapting to a specific frequency on creation.
• Lectoid armor is similar to weapons--same values but differing types.
• Lectoid abilities are the area I am still playing with.  At present, I'm leaning towards lesser lectoids having the same abilities and only the greater lectoids having potentially different ones.

The Yggdrasil mothership is heavily dependent on lectoids.  She'll require them as phase nodes to jump anywhere other than her HW.  They also serve as antimatter accumulators which the Yggdrasil can create only very slowly for herself. The mothership drains antimatter from nearby vessels or from her lectoids--which in turn get theirs from other vessels as well.  One lectoid ship type will replenish antimatter but it will do so by self-destructing.

To create lectoids requires that the mothership obtain resources which she can only do by destroying enemy vessels or draining planets.  Lectoids are generally quite costly for the Yggdrasil. 

Every lectoid has the ability to micro-drain nearby planets and they have a stackable ability similar to the Advent's "synergy" that allows them to increase the effectiveness at resource draining as more become present in the gravity well.

Lectoids also multiply armor, shields and firepower as more are present in a gravity well.

So lectoids are essentially "planetary parasites" that grow in strength as they feed and eventually de-populate planets.

It's pretty intricate in how it all plays together and I am stiull deciding how to balance abilities. 

As a summary:

• The mothership needs lectoids for full movement and antimatter supply plus resources.
• The lectoids must first be spread to a system by the mothership.
• The Yggdrasil must also protect their HW at all times. 

Not necessarily an easy faction to play.  Balance will be the challenge for me.  Also, when i say ships will be titans and starbases--that doesn't mean with the same sort of stats and firepower.  It's necessary for the abilities I need for the different units. A scout frigate equivalent will be a capital ship.  BTW, the scout is the only "free roaming" lectoid ship but it has offensive weapons.

If the mothership dies, it automatically respawns at it's HW.  There is never more than a single mothership on the Yggdrasil side.

The Yggdrasil mothership can jump--but it needs a greater lectoid to act as a phase gate if it wants to bypass lanes--which is important when your primary fleet is one ship. It can still use wormhole and phase lanes.

The greater lectoids can't leave the system where they are spawned--but lesser lectoids they have spawned can phase to any system with a greater lectoid..and the HW always acts as a phase gate.

Lectoids are very hard to kill.  They are "turtle defense platforms" with mostly defensive and support capabilities.  All Yggdrasil have much faster hull and shield regeneration than standard Sins ships.

The mothership has an AoE antimatter drain effect on enemy ships near it.  It can run through a system and steal antimatter then phase out.  Yggdrasil are jump inhibitor immune but only the mothership and scout lectoids can phase jump

So Yggdrasil are almost like chess pieces--they have to be placed and when placed by the mothership become a "square" that other friendly pieces can jump to.  Yggdrasil from every system can change positions in any combinations they want.  So at any moment, the entire makeup of a system's defense can be shifted or changed.

Lectoids do utilize long range weaponry and can microphase in combat. 

Until I have most things finalized, I won't know for sure but it may turn out to be a good npc race too.

Thanks--"unique" is what I was shooting for. 

The "every piece a queen" analogy is well stated. I'm hoping the implementation will be as fun as the concept and am planning a lot of work on atmospheric sounds to give it that Lovecraftian air--hopefully I can get across the sinister feel.

They are designed to be a greater and greater threat if they are allowed to grow uncontested.  Eventually they'll choke out life on every colonized world where they are present.  the only way for them to win is to destroy all the enemy--they don't trade, colonize or do diplomacy.  The homeworld has a permanent infrastructure level to suck any credits away (things they would pick up from bounties, etc.) so they'll have no income either.

In the ultimate sense, the pinnacle of their evolution would be each of the lectoids develop into motherships (that would be the end of the horror movie).  That would be a bit overpowered though. Sort of like the movie, "The Mist" where when the fog clears instead of the army there are more and bigger monsters.

At present, the greater lectoids can have a self-destruct ability that opens a black hole in the system where they were present--which affects friend and foe alike.  They are designed to be defeatable.  The idea was not to make an unstoppable faction--just to make an alien and unique one.

The sessile (non-moving) concept is working on my next lectoid prototype now.  They can "warp to" friend foe or any constructed structure, planet, star, etc. but are incapable of movement other than that of a normal turret.

So a scout or greater lectoid can be present in the system and another scout/greater lectoid or mothership can act as a phase node at a distant  gravity well allowing them to warp there.

To reach the phase point from the gravity well they are in, they warp to any object just past the borderline of the system and then can jump from there.  Ideally, you place units at the borders to act as beacons and in fact there will be a beacon unit which is a big "turtle" that can soak up attacks and move very slowly but has no offense or jump capability itself.

So it's sort of like a flock of sheep with shepherd dogs to manage their movement.

Warping to friendly units has no ill effect but warping to enemy ones performs the same function as the Subverter's ability.

Next I'll be working on the antimatter balances--lectoids need antimatter for most of each type's unique abilities--and warping--but also act as reservoirs of antimatter for the mothership and one another.  Lectoids have extremely low antimatter regeneration rates (0.1 typically) and gain antimatter primarily by leeching it from  enemy vessels and structures.  One specialized lectoid type generates antimatter but it has a limited lifespan. Antimatter destabilizes lectoid existence in normal space--in essence, it's toxic to them--but like stomach acid, it serves a purpose in their physical functionality on our plane. 

Basically, lectoids are antimatter deficient and need it from an external source like a vitamin supplement.

They have brains...they just exist in another dimension.  Lectoids are also zombie proof.

Admit it though--those are cool screen shots.

I think Zombie was referring to them eating brains, but meh.

 Hmm, the lack of weapons on the mothership seems like it might slow them down a little, thus making antimatter and stuff FAR more important.

Also seems like you could 'turtle' a bit, by 'feeding' the Mothership ships and such that lack anti-matter. 

It worked!

And it looks good, I think!

now for the rest

Yesyesyes

I'm going to dedicate today to this mod.

Take all of the blood that you need

I have no need for it

Describe it!