Pony Zerg! · 4:22pm Aug 10th, 2014
So, I need Zerg. Roach/Hydra is all well and good, but the swarm needs to be diversified. So... I pose this challenge to all of you.
If you can create a new kind of Zerg using MLP as an inspiration, I may use it in the story later down the line. However, I must set some criteria:
- I need some art of it. It doesn't have to be good art, but I want to know what I'm describing.
- I need to know its size, attack type, attack strength (no numbers), cost, health, etc.
- It cannot be all powerful. It must be "balanced"; usable, but beatable (by Starcraft 2 standards).
- It cannot simply be an infested pony.
This is not a contest, but if you can give me something I like, then I don't see any reason NOT to use it. After all, seeing Zerglings doing Zergling things all the time will get boring quickly, I'd imagine. This thing will go on for as long as the story is. I realize this is basically me telling you guys to make more monsters for me, but... actually, I can't justify this...
... Oh well.
1 big problem with "new" zerg is that it does not really fit the canon, They have evolved to the best forms available and thats sort of just it.
To have it working the way you want is to present new threats to the zerg so they have to evolve new forms, Magic defense or something like that.
So if you bring in new lifeforms just have some way of explaining it, but at the same time I know what you mean with zerglings gonna zerg.
2358599
Except the Zerg are always looking for ways to improve themselves, whether by developing new abilities with "natural" selection or adopting existing attributes from any new creatures they happen to find.
And a world as diverse as Equestria is bound to have some interesting, even -dare I say- "magical" strains to aid this budding new Swarm.
2358736 Except the brood needs to be in contact with Abathur or at least a broodmother for that to happen.
The primal zerg may be able to improve themselves, yet the swarm delegated all that to Abathur in the name of efficiency. Some broodmothers can do it too, but they're unskilled and the results tend to be sub-par (like the aberrations).
I would like to do something like that, but I can't for various reason's.
Most importmant reason is, i have never played Starcraft 2. I loved Starcraft 1, but never get the 2. So I don't know, about the balancing and so on......
I would truly like it to do something.
Etri, you got the right guy for the job.
Give me about 3-4 days and I give you a zerg that Blizzard could put in the game.
And if you want I could give you a "lore", biological information, how they were made and if you want some special features on them just say it(I am a bit of a zerg fanboy so I know kind of everything about them).
FOR THE SWARM
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2359023 You, good Zerg, have my attention. I look forward to what you come up with!
2359039 Do you have any wishes?
2359098 Well, nothing in parti- Wait... if you can come up with a flier of some sort, that'd be good. Otherwise.... well, go nuts!
Well, here's a thought. What if devouring a flying capable creature restored some of the atrophe'd dna paths like mutalisks or scourge? Kinda similar to how the Lurkers got re-attained.
2359877 Wut? buddy we got the lurkers back because we found one lost lurker hive on a volcano planet!
2365015 lol You obviously didn't pay attention to what I said, cause that was what I was referring to. XD
2365210 I did, otherwise I would not have responded.
And your point is? Every strand of DNA is different Kerrigan lost every unit not because it was locked away, IT WAS GONE the Xel'naga artifact wiped her off clean(her and nearly all that of Char), only a few bits stayed the same that where so mixed up that the artifact thought it was human, they did not reopen the possibilities they added them completely from the base on the idea you had was nice but kills every prospect of a somewhat scientifically legit story
2365332 From KERRIGAN, yes. But, Niadra was created after Kerrigan already rejoined another section of the swarm. And Abathur stated that the Lurker was an atrophied, not completely lost, path. In other words, the dna had degraded, and with the proper sequences, can be renewed.
Sorry, my scanner is broken. So I can't draw arts. I can, however, describe some zergified Equestrians.
Cragilisk: Assimilated for their rock-based physiology, cragadiles have been morphed into fast and deadly strikers. The swarm uses them to get behind the line of fire and deal devastating blows to enemies. Cragalisks have high endurance, but it comes at the cost of some musculature; their attacks are not all that powerful.
Volteyes: The Cockatrice's singluar ability has been studied, refined, and perfected in the volteye. A swift and sneaky sniper, the Volteye barely resmebles its genetic origin, as its eyes are not the only part of its head and its wings have become groundsails. The Volteye is capable of converting any organic being into usable minerals (!), usually half the cost of whatever the unit originally cost. However, this attack requires a lot of energy, so the Volteye is not normally fielded except in specialized cases.
I'll spend some time today brainstorming(can't personally provide pictures, I have no artistic skill, but I may have a friend who could do it). I can provide some advice to other designers though as well as some advice on how to implement it in the story.
When your making a Zerg creature based on the creatures on an environment, you need to be take into account how the swarm can get their hands on the essence of a creature. As DNA decays some after a body begins to rot, the Zerg can't just scavenge DNA from a rotting corpse or run the risk of loosing some of the precious code that differentiates normal DNA and essence. Essentially, essence is the general phenotypes of an organism focused on adaptations to an enviroment. In order to harvest the essence of a creature, the Zerg have to have freshly killed the creature in question, so what creatures you use has to be something that Zerglings and roaches can kill and should be organic so that there is essence to gather in the first place(so no timber wolves). And by no means should the Zerg that is created from that essence look like the creature they got it from, the Zerg only care about the essence, not the general code(for example, the Hydralisks were a bovine(cow-esque) species before assimilation) and can have the essence more than one creature in it(like the specialized Zerglings).
However, make a new strain does require a leader intelligence, so the Zerg will most likely stockpile essences until they get their leader, so the first breeds could be creatures familiar to the Queen in question(for example, Twilight trying to recreate Spike after he's eaten by a Zergling).
I've got a lot of stuff in life at the moment, but if I happen to think up something I'll be sure to jot it down. Perhaps I'll provide some MS Paint art or something, if something strikes my fancy.
2359023 Speaking of Blizz, how ya liking that buff to your attack speed? Good stuff
2381380 You mean the delay between attacks decreased from .83 to .75, Good stuff? The day it got out I had 3 ppl leave right after game start, that was something.
I have a few units drawn up, but as I am currently working on a tablet, I'm going to wait to put down my fully detailed version until I have an actual keyboard.
Name: ???
Essence: Hummingbird
Role: Scout/ minor anti-caster
Cost: low min, low gas, low time
Armor: None
Speed: high
Health: low
Attack: low strength, high speed, drains small amount of energy and causes minor bleeding damage against biological
General: Queen Fluttershy, noting the vulnerability of her swarm to pegasi and casters as well as lack of small scouts that can maneuver through the dense forests of her nitches in White Wood and the Everfree easily, she decided to take a hummingbird's essence and use it to create a new strain to address both problems. This strain of Zerg is very small and entirely unarmored, but with the majority of its musculature dedicated to flight, it is one of the fastest low-altitude fliers in pony history. When deployed on the offence, it uses a modified, barbed beak to break into the skin of its victims in order to drain them of blood and electrolites, driving its beak in and out repeatedly and taking small sips of blood rather than latch on to prevent being more vulnerable to retaliation. Each time the beak is removed from within the victim, the barbed nature of the beak causes a tear in the skin and muscles the beak passed through, causing further bleeding. The resulting blood loss and drained elecrolites cause the victim to become disoriented, lowering their ability to cast spells
2382368 Ounch. I haven't seen people d/c about it, but I certainly find it funny to scout them rushing mass hydra because they got buffed and counter the hell outta them. As a 'Toss > Zerg >>>>> Terran player I'll admit that widow mine buff had me ready to have around thirty supply in observers at all times.
buggers are scary
For The Swarm!!!
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Normally, I suck at stuff like this, but thankfully, the internet is several steps ahead of me.
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Name: Corrupted/Infected Pony/Changeling
Essence: Equine (varying)
Role: Varying (Close-combat/aerial/caster/suicide unit)
Armament(s) : Varies (hooves, horn, fangs)
Armor: none
Size : varies
Sight range: 25 meter
Cost: None
Evolve from: N/A
Requires: N/A
Attack: low strength, speed varies from high (earth pony/unicorn) to extreme (pegasi), constantly take minor damage
Special Attributes: Varying, explode on death/command
General Description: Pony forces infected with Zerg virus by infestor, resulting in immediate indoctrination into Swarm hive-mind, and are mentally retooled in order to serve the Swarm. Infection causes minor mutation to allow for much greater speed, as well as the reformation the infected teeth into those of a carnivore, for additional offensive capability. Able to attack normally, or can be used as kamikaze units, as the detonate upon death or on command.
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Name: Ponyling
Essence: Earth Pony
Role: (Close Quarters Combat Strain)
Armament(s) :Claws, rear hooves, mandibles
Armor: Light
Size : Luna-sized
Sight range: 25 meter
Cost: 35 Minerals
Evolve from: Ponyling Egg
Requires: Spawning Pool, Earth Pony DNA sequence
Attack: high strength, mid speed, drains small amount of energy and causes minor bleeding damage against biological
Special Attributes: Latent magical ability from Earth Pony DNA causes gradual regeneration when left idle for excess of thirty seconds.
General Description: First of the Pony-Zerg hybrid strains. Created to combine the offensive abilities of a Zergling with the Earth Pony's increased strength, endurance, and durability. Access to Earth Pony's latent magic has been confirmed, and yields unexpected, but positive results.
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Name: Sky Fury
Essence: Pegasus
Role: (Ranged aerial combat Strain)
Armament(s) : Claws, rear hooves, barbed spikes, clouds/lightning
Armor: Light
Size : Luna-sized
Sight range: 25 meter
Cost: 30 Minerals, 10 Vespene Gas
Evolve from: Ponyling
Requires: Spawning Pool, Greater Spire, Pegasus DNA sequence
Attack: low strength, high speed, spikes causes minor bleeding damage against biological, in later stages of evolution, spikes contain corrosive acid, dealing minor corrosion damage against biological and moderate corrosion damage to inorganic/armored units (golems, dragons, craigodiles, hydras)
Special Attributes: Latent magical ability from Pegasi DNA causes increased movement speed outside of combat, minor weather manipulation, and increased attack speed for a short period of time.
General Description: Second of the Pony-Zerg hybrid strains. Created to combine the ranged offensive abilities of a Hydralisk with the Pegasi's flying abilities, which far exceed those of a Brood Lord or Mutalisk. Access to Pegasu's latent magic has been confirmed, and yields expected, but positive results. Best used in tandom with Mutalisk for raids, or as escorts for Brood Lords.
Name: Swarm Queen Lamia/Miasma/Arachne/Ambrosia/Myxine/Nerconia/Vespa/Amanita/Myrrh
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Alternate Image:
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Either a queen of a different Changeling hive, or Chrysalis' daughter and named heir, Changeling Princess Vespa (to just pick a name) was discovered by on of the Overlords sent to scout out Equestria for a source of Vespene Gas. Zerg forces after killing her guard, incapacitated Vespa and took her back to the Zerg main camp, where she was placed in the Spawning Pool and converted into a state that was half-way between a broodmother and the original Queen of Blades.