Creature Contest: The Space Leech

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Creature Contest: The Space Leech - 9/28/2011 1:06:10 AM

Simulation01

Posts: 540
Joined: 5/12/2010
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SPACE LEECH

Beware the space leach! It lurks in the depths of space, amongst the asteroids, and ill traveled sectors waiting for passersbys to tag along with and suck their warp cores dry! The creature will ride along with you wherever you go�even through warp jumps�so you can act as a carrier for this leach.

Once the leach attaches itself to your ship it will suck your core dry unless removed�.. The only way to remove a space leach is by being blasted off by another vessel. This however causes damage to your ship in the process, but it�s either accept an amount of damage proportional to the health and size of the creature or have your ship be destroyed when the core breaches as a result of the leaches ravenous appetite. This can take days or weeks.

Did I mention that the creature can sense when it has damaged the core beyond repair�.when it determines the core is about to blow it will detach and search for more prey, and as it eats it gets bigger. It can get so big that it can even challenge space stations.

The really dangerous thing about space leaches are the juveniles. Juvenile space leaches swarm together and they take on prey as a unit. Like the adult, the swarm will attach itself to the vessel and travel with it as it goes along, but they too will destroy the ship unless removed in the same manner as the adult. Once the swarm grows to a certain size it will break up into single adults prowling the space lanes. Not all those in the swarm will split off into adult-hood. Many of them will be eaten by the larger leaches, so that normally only about three big leaches will emerge from the swarm.

No one knows where the mysterious space leach came from. Some say they are the result of a Shakturi Bio-engineering program�sort of a last gasp if you will. As Ahab would say ��for hates sake I spit at thee�� sort of thinking. The Haakonish say they are a curse from their god. Some actually call them gods, but as I said�no one really knows. What we do know is that they are dangerous and are not to be trifled with.

Edit: I have corrected the spelling of "Leech" from leach in honor of Kayoz. Thank you Kayoz! Good eye!

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< Message edited by Simulation01 -- 9/28/2011 11:20:53 PM >

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RE: Creature Contest: The Space Leach - 9/28/2011 3:27:04 AM

tjhkkr

Posts: 2428
Joined: 6/3/2010
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Oh joy! This sounds like a blast.
I really like it. I like the threat it poses...

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RE: Creature Contest: The Space Leach - 9/28/2011 5:00:51 AM

Facedrop

Posts: 34
Joined: 6/16/2011
Status: offline

These creatures sound great, i can picture what it would be like fighting a space leach that has been feeding from the begging of the game and survived to the late game.

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Post #: 3

RE: Creature Contest: The Space Leach - 9/28/2011 8:03:42 PM

Kayoz

Posts: 1516
Joined: 12/20/2010
From: Timbuktu
Status: offline

Sounds kinda pointless - you shoot it off, and send the ship to the repair yard. I don't see how this adds anything to the game.

Also, you might consider installing a dictionary - "leach"?

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/leech

(in reply to Simulation01)

Post #: 4

RE: Creature Contest: The Space Leach - 9/28/2011 11:18:19 PM

Simulation01

Posts: 540
Joined: 5/12/2010
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kayoz

Sounds kinda pointless - you shoot it off, and send the ship to the repair yard. I don't see how this adds anything to the game.

Also, you might consider installing a dictionary - "leach"?

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/leech

And what if killing the leech also destroys the ship? Damage is proportional to the size and health of the leech. Also, in the early game you won't have a lot of ships and your explorers will be off at a distance from your worlds....maybe they won't make it back in time....

I should also say that my space leech or leach for those like me....dictionary challenged....is not written in stone. The developers are free to take it, leave it, modify it, ignore it...whatever. I am open to modifications. I think though that some sort of energy draining creature would be cool.

My dictionary wouldn't have caught it because Leach is the not spelled incorrectly. It is however not the appropriate concept..though similar.

< Message edited by Simulation01 -- 9/28/2011 11:23:15 PM >

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RE: Creature Contest: The Space Leach - 9/28/2011 11:46:01 PM

Igard

Posts: 2282
Joined: 3/29/2010
From: Scotland
Status: offline

Sounds interesting, Sim. I'd like to see one attack a spaceport, that'd be cool!

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Post #: 6

RE: Creature Contest: The Space Leach - 9/29/2011 12:15:22 AM

Simulation01

Posts: 540
Joined: 5/12/2010
Status: offline

Thanks for the thumbs up Igard, TJ, Facedrop. Also, thanks to Kayoz....I did use Leach inappropriately and now it's fixed.

As for the attack on a station...yes that would be cool. I would leave it to the developers to determine an upper size limit though based on testing and such.

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RE: Creature Contest: The Space Leach - 9/29/2011 12:17:55 AM

Kayoz

Posts: 1516
Joined: 12/20/2010
From: Timbuktu
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Simulation01

And what if killing the leech also destroys the ship? Damage is proportional to the size and health of the leech. Also, in the early game you won't have a lot of ships and your explorers will be off at a distance from your worlds....maybe they won't make it back in time....

Let's look at 3 common potential targets your leech might jump onto:
1. military ship
Almost certainly not alone, and probably not far from a port. So, the fleet kills the leech and ship goes to repair. He's alone? Fine - send him to a port. Port guns blast it off, and the ship repairs.
But let's back up a second...the leech actually has to get ONTO the ship. What's the likelihood that it's going to be able to close the distance all the while being fired on by the ship's armament? Not good.

2. civilian ship
Ship is on it's way to a port or off to get resources. In the former, the port blasts it to smithereens. In the latter, the leech will be destroyed if the ship returns to the port in time (automated reaction to taking damage - so it -WILL- go to a port), or if the ship is destroyed in transit - then we have a leech sitting out in deep space, in which case - who cares?
No matter what happens, the loss of a civilian ship is VERY unlikely to be noticed.

3. explorer
A paltry meal. If it grows, then it's very likely to be growing in the territory of the AI, which should clean them up effectively. If not, then the AI suffers unfairly. Balance issue.
If the leech kills the explorer - well, who cares? Explorers are cheap and quick to replace. Losing one won't make any difference. Unless the explorer dies in a system I care about - not in deep space - again, who cares?

4. port
Let's say that the leech beats the odds and manages to get close enough to a port to attack it. But hold on - ports have GUNS - LOTS AND LOTS OF GUNS. Leech is VERY unlikely to make it through the port's defenses. And if it does - well, it has armour, self-repair and LOADS of internal systems - it can certainly hold out till a fleet is redirected to it. And that's assuming the civilian ships don't make mince of it.

5. Infestation
Let's say the worst has happened - leeches everywhere. No prob - easy to handle. Send in a heavily armoured ship, pick a bunch up, return to port for a plasma-scrub. Rinse and repeat till done. It's annoying to micro-manage, but nothing more.

I'm afraid I don't see how it adds anything to the game.

(in reply to Simulation01)

Post #: 8

RE: Creature Contest: The Space Leach - 9/29/2011 3:58:16 AM

SpectralFremen

Posts: 24
Joined: 9/23/2011
Status: offline

I really like this idea. If you could do it you should make it so every time a ship or another leach is consumed the Leach becomes more powerful. This way a fully adult leach with a few kills to its name can be a serious threat and if you don't send enough ships to kill it all you have done is made it even stronger.

(in reply to Kayoz)

Post #: 9