Hey Rem! This is Black, obviously.
Really love this mod, man, it’s the only one I play now- consistently choosing it over even the Campaign Units and Upgrades mod. What you’ve done here is soooo good.
I’ve been meaning to leave a more in-depth review here for a while, and had some free time tonight. I hope it’s well-received. I play Zerg the most, so I wanted to sort of give my take on the state of the race first, especially with the new Void additions and similar added unit upgrades. I’ll start with those.
Wormhole to the Void
• Interesting addition, I wonder the usefulness of the ability on the drone, beyond the cliff-jumping, which I guess can lead to interesting ZvZ backdoor opportunities. I feel a lot of other upgrades outperform most of what’s provided in this one.
• Summoner - IMO doesn’t fit the faction much. As a late-game stationary defense platform, the Locust spawn doesn’t seem massively effective , since by this point, the enemy has decent crowd clear, DPS and range. Resources and time to acquire the Summoner(tech to lair, nydus network, nydus worm, tech upgrade, cost to transform worm to Summoner, sacrifice life for Summoner energy) are better used to either fully upgrade swarm hosts(map control), fully upgrade vipers(aoe spells), or simply purchase units which I believe do a better job at certain roles than the summonable units(which I get into below). It seems to be somewhat okay at a variety of things instead of good at any particular thing. It is cool that the energy maps to its damage though. In its current form, maybe would fit better as a Protoss Unit IMO?.
• Void matriarch - Feels like having a hero, but the spells all cause AOE friendly damage, so it doesn’t really synergize with the Zerg, having so much melee and short ranged units. Seems to be intended to be a lone-wolf attacker, but it’s kind of squishy as a late game lone unit, since T and P have strong defense structure options. Opens the door to the thought of a late-game queen evolution option? Or a queen hero(see below)
• Manducator - It’s a little bizarre. Feels like it’s supposed to be a high-value unit killer, but it’s a bit short-ranged, considering it’s a late game unit. Makes me wonder why I would not just save myself having to go through all the requirements(above at Summoner. Ditto this for the next two summons) and just use Viper Abduct?
• Bearer - A sort of automatic healer that buffs with the heal. A little awkward too, because why not just take Queen Vital Splat??
• Howler Tower - Why not just use Scourge nest? It has longer range and hits more than one unit.
Abhorrent Species
• Inflicter - Rust feels like a mix between a Viper Parasitic Bomb, Overseer Contaminate, and a SC1 Defiler Plague, while Latent Hive is like SC1 Queen Parasite with damage. Between this and Abomination, it just kind of feels like caster bloat, with no clear role for this one. It’s unfortunate it groups with Vipers in group select, so it’s a bit unwieldly to select quickly.
• Gargantua - Would be cool to have the concept of this unit be a hero. Only have one of them, and expand on its abilities. As it is now, it overlaps with the ultralisk a lot, with none of the tankiness and none of the offensive capability out the gate. The growing effect is cool, but I haven’t seen it really be impactful. Doesn’t hold up against other late game hard-hitting units. I understand, though, because designing viable a melee late game unit seems tough.
• Bane Host - Kind of weird. The range doesn’t seem to be 7. It seems to be like 3 or 4. It runs up on units and drops banelings, which takes a bit of time, and the main unit doesn’t get the kill credit (for the leveling game option, for example). Doesn’t seem as effective or convenient as just buying banelings. Completely overshadowed by upgraded Broodlords. I think giving this unit the Broodlord Broodnelings Escort effect would give it a better role.
• Abomination - it’s interesting but doesn’t really hold up to upgraded Infestor. Abduct and Consume is another high-value unit killer ability maybe? Not sure, as It doesn’t eat large units. Not useful for spellcasters, since High Templar can feedback and ghosts would snipe? Mutative Sludge is an interesting debuff, but just doesn’t feel impactful, especially when compared to upgraded Fungal Growth. Disgusting death is a sick idea. Maybe could be better used on the Hunterbane?
Paroxysm of Evolution
• Hunterbane - How should this be used? One of the big pros of banelings is that there are many and they move fluidly(as opposed to ultras, for example). While the idea of it is super dope, and the huge explosion can be really entertaining, considering it takes time to evolve a baneling, fill it up, and then walk over to the enemy base, I’m just not sure it has a place in a demanding game, especially by mid-game when it can be sniped. Maybe instead, just give it some sort of AOE buff to banelings in its area? It’s reminiscent of the campaign Abberation unit, and could possibly work similarly? Maybe doesn’t let banelings under it die from enemy fire while it’s alive and above them?
• Serket - Venomous Nova causing friendly fire really takes from the unit. Especially considering the cast is local to the unit. Forces it to not be in a weird place? Maybe give it to Gargantua? Decay launcher takes away way too much energy. To autocast it gives it another attack style, but this is overridden by the offensive consume, which is just a bit awkward, as it needs to be targted manually to high-health units really be useful. Losing flight is a huge loss to the unit, as its instrumental to the Viper with the upgrades afforded in the mod.
• Juggernaut - way too slow and short ranged to really be useful. Especially compared to what it’ll be facing late game. The broodling spawn on death is a cool addition, but just not enough to make it viable. This is a unit that requires end game tech, an Ultralisk spawn, evolution time, and can only have 1 at a time, so it should really be a much greater reckoning force. Not much of a backdoor unit, since end game T and P have strong static defense.
• Tentalisk - too slow, low health and short ranged to really be useful. Too little attack damage as well. Upgraded mutas invalidate it.
Regular Unit Upgrades
• Drone – All these upgrades are dope. Spawn Crawler is probably my favorite thing in this entire mod. A zerg siege staple for me.
• Queen - Battle Queen - maybe add some energy regen increase? Roaming Hatcher is cool. Vital Splat and Spreading Tumor are awesome.
• Zergling – Awesome upgrades. Evolved Thorns is a cool early offensive anti air option.
• Baneling - Good where they’re at too. Sow What They Reap is genius.
• Roach - Corrosive Anguish. Not sure if this works? Doesn’t seem very impactful. Maybe a bigger visual to the explosion effect so I can be sure to take note of what’s happening. Scavenger morph is dope. Really impactful.
• Ravager - Amazing. Volcano Strike and Mortar Tender are devastating unquestionable choices to a roach build.
• Hydralisk - Morphing Stacks and Vidralisk really sick for a hydra-ling build.
• Lurker – These upgrades are crazy. Makes them even more formidable for zone control. Love it.
• Infestor - These are so cool. The free Fungal attack ability seems a bit strong, to be fair. Especially when you can stack them, and their range is actually really generous. If same range maybe less damage or vice versa? Or smaller AOE? Give me a bigger reason to actually cast Fungal.
• Swarm Host - Upgrades are amazing. Staple take every game for siege, defense, anything. Especially with the double unit upgrade. Probably the most value on a single unit in the entire mod. Affinity with Wormhole to the Void makes it absolutely bonkers.
• Ultralisk - Upgrades are sick.
• Overlord/Overseer - Upgrades are dope. Regenerator is genius.
• Mutalisk – These are sick. Flesh transfer is genius.
• Corruptor - Caustic fatality, don’t see how useful it can really be. Just don’t see myself taking it often. Same with Viscous Feedback. Not massively useful to take corrupters to attack buildings(even in vanilla) especially when upgraded Mutas do backdoors better. Corruptor Fury is good.
• Broodlord – Staple end game unit. Honestly, a bit too strong with Broodneling Escort. I’ve absolutely monopolized games with that upgrade. Research it, A-move enemy base, walk away. Would probably be better on Bane Host. Lord of Spawns is sick, would love a speed upgrade.
• Viper - A1 all the way. Absolutely amazing upgrades. Parasitic curse is fire. Big Bad Corroding Cloud is cool, and the friendly fire is a good drawback for how good it is. The Launch Force for Onward Evolution is sick, but the Serket evolution isn’t great. Eternal thirst is genius. Corrosive Cloud with Parasitic Curse synchronized is chef’s kiss.
• Nydus - Insane Migrations has really sick affiliation bonuses. Work grounds Nydus Defiler’s create creep effect is cool, but could it coincide with its damaging passive aura? Zerg is a siege race, so since the creep creation isn’t permanent could be a cool low damage long range anti worker/anti building poke. Ie, shoot the creep somewhere and it damages everything in its path that doesn’t move off for the duration of the ability.
• Duplicative Birth – Auto take as 2nd upgrade every game, no questions asked.
• Global Swarm: Reconstitution - dope.
• Global swarm: Hunger - dope.
• Global Swarm: Morphology - Absolutely critical first take. Especially considering it speeds up EVERYTHING. Egg growth time, unit upgrades, evolution chamber upgrades. Absolutely intstrumental take.
• Global Swarm: Invasion - sick. Maybe add some Queen off-creep speed? Sick affiliation with Swarm Pods.
• Loathsome Spikes - genius.
• Larva Capacity Augment - sick.
• Swarm Pods: Aid - Really really strong. Massively threatening, early-, mid- or late-game, especially as a main base destroyer with overseer Oversight Evolution. The suggestions above to limit it to being only castable on creep seems solid, but really leaves ZvZ exposed, still. The spawning an egg thing sounds solid, but that really removes the edge from the ability. Maybe just make all the dropped units spawn 50% health damaged, and die after 20 seconds? It’s super abusable at ~199/200 supply and casted 4 times. Boom. Now I’m at 350/200 GG. Separately, maybe an affinity with Adaptive Talons and Lurker Variant evolution makes lurkers dropped have burrow autocasted? It’s a bit tough when they’re spawned in and don’t burrow right away.
• Ghastly siphon - Interesting ability, though being that it attacks one unit at a time makes it a bit weak. While it does give the ability to create an offensive Hive in a siege scenario, it’s just not long ranged or wide enough in scope to be effective. Defense is normally against a bunch of flyers, so a 1-unit target at medium range just doesn’t seem like enough.
Suggested Addition Idea:
Primordial Evolutions & Symbiotic Mutualism
I saw the suggestion of heroes above, and wholeheartedly agree with you in your desire to steer the mod away from established campaign heroes and units. I do, though, think you’ve got some good potential for heroes already in the mod. I think an interesting option would be to have exclusive “variant” techs similar to the Protoss races, which provide a hero unit and upgrades to certain existing units. Something like this:
• Void Matriarch – Upgrades Queens to spawn creep naturally, lose ranged attack, can’t be targeted by Feedback, regenerate energy to units in an area(not self) and gives them offensive spells, losing Spawn Larva. Drones warp in buildings instead of being consumed. Hatcheries, Lairs and Hives have increasingly faster Larva spawning rates. Loses access to Infestors.
• Gargantua – Ultralisks reflect ranged damage in an aoe around them and walk over smaller units(like campaign Abberation). Swarm Hosts gain a low damage slowing AOE attack while burrowed. Nydus Worms gain 5 armor in initial unburrowing animation. Loses access to Banelings.
• Bane Host(or Hunterbane) – Roaches gain 2 range and deal more damage at closer range. Banelings explosions buff nearby allied units’ speed and debuff nearby enemies’ speed. Infestors Fungal Growth(not the upgraded basic attack) costs 150 energy, but now causes permanent nuclear fallout debuffs on biological units(from ghost nuke upgrade). Deals friendly damage to all units not Baneling or Roach. Loses access to Ultralisks.
• Tentalisk – Mutalisks are now undetectable by enemy radar. Corruptors cause a miniature Parasitic Bomb cloud on death. Vipers gain 3 speed when above 100 energy and gain 3 armor when below 100 energy. Loses access to Hydralisks.
• Serket – Hydralisks shoot 3 spines, with the two new ones targeting neaby enemies for 25% damage. Zerglings gain frenzy ability when killing an enemy unit, granting AOE strikes for 3 seconds on a 10-second cooldown. Causes friendly damage. Lurkers can move at a rate of 4 while burrowed. Loses access to Corruptors.
• Juggernaut – Upgrades Overlords to provide Nydus Worm’s Insane Migrations Affinity buffs. Overseers silence all(friendly, too) casters in 3 range. All units and structures gain +33% health regen while on creep. Drones can evolve into Howler Towers(with increased range from current, can be built off creep, and spawn up to 8 SC1 Scourge units passively which parol the tower). Loses access to Mutalisks.
Again, this is the best mod out right now, man you’re doing God’s work. Really digging what you’re doing and hope to see the next cool ideas you’re coming out with.