Parasite enemies

[Alpino_WILL_STEAL_ oats!]

So, you might be wondering, what exactly would be the point of parasitic enemies, in a game where basically any creation can tear creatures to shreds, how would the get close, and when they do, how would they even stay in for long without being shredded? Well I don’t exactly know, but we have a comment section.(horay) Parasitic enemies would come in two verities, the fuel tick and the energy leech. As there names suggest, they they such away fuel and energy respectively. They would either come at in a swarm or semi-invisibly, (not sure witch one would be better) and then would attach them selves to a block and then start draining, they start with a big burst (you’ll see why) and then go at a steady pace. I think the should be able to defend themselves by exploding when attacked, or creating an energy barrier. They activate these abilities as soon as they sense weapon fire in any direction, and are latched, otherwise there screwed. The energy sheild although hard to best in raw strength can be broken. On the backs of booth enemies lay a display, a large-fuel-tank like abdomen for the tick, and a medium battery-like bar on the back of the leech. This will show how much of each resource the leach has drained, maximum capacity being 7 large batteries/large fuel tanks. When they are full they will detach and scamper off, (to who knows where) and de spawn. They will also detach when you run out of energy/fuel. Thus creating a multitude of ways of dealing with them. The special abilities make players deal with them more carefully then just, shooty shooty. Tell me what you think in the comments, and how you would tweak my idea to be more balanced/better fit the game. And with that I bid you Adou.

[Alpino_WILL_STEAL_ oats!]

There could also be a shocker part that stuns and fries anything that touches your drone within range at the cost of a small amount of energy and some space.

[Lurkily]

I say make them cool or heat nearby things when destroyed. A few you can shoot, a swarm may disable or destroy you - just feed them and let green move on. 

[MrFaul]

Actually I would think of them as a particle swarm, invincible to weapon fire and not colidable.

They should half your generation rate.

The only way to defend against them would be shields that continuely get drained or to use the heater / cooler to chase them away.

You may survive one swarm with enough energy/fuel rate or saved reserve but you don't want to be in more swarms since each of those should half the rate separately.

A interesting variant could also be one that feeds of your mining containers.

[Lurkily]

 Half generation rate would be too much.  Invulnerable is also pretty severe. 

I would say leave them vulnerable in space, but invulnerable while attached.   Have them take 5 energy each - a small battery worth - and kill them with sub-fire heat only, providing a reason to use heaters. Have them make an approach from unusual directions, perhaps generated in and passing through terrain, to make them hard to keep them off.

Oh, yes, and fuel eating variants. 

[MrFaul]

No no I think you misunderstood me, I'm talking about a swarm like thing, like a flock/swarm of Moskitos near water.
Not a actual creep that attaches to you.
So technically they are harmless but are annoying as heck. So you would have to make being by your side rather un-hospital.

[Lurkily]

Huh. We do Have particle -like enemies, though, that can be shot.  I think we might want to avoid training players in the idea that weapons can attack that kind of enemy, them betraying the expectation.

That's largely the only part of that model I object to. 

[MrFaul]

what enemies do you talk about?

[Lurkily]

The magma motes; they might convince a player that a swarm could be and should be shot at.

[MrFaul]

What magma motes? do you mean those "firefly" particles emitted from those small hammer heads?

[Lurkily]

Whatever they're called, yes, those.  They're the only particle enemy in the game, that I'm aware of. 

[MrFaul]

Those are not an enemy those are a weapon projectile and they are not what I would call a particle system I have something like this in mind:

Well this is clearly overkill but it looks nice and unity has support for particle systems so it would be possible that they stick to surfaces.

[Lurkily]

Given its similarity to enemies, and it's difference from every projectile, I've always considered them symbiotic life forms.  They really don't share a lot with projectiles, beyond originating with an enemy, and moving toward you. 

Regardless, I just don't want players having to browse the web to find a solution, wondering if they need to use a special weapon. There is no other intangible enemy and the solution isn't obvious.

In fact, they should probably cool your drone, while they're at it, to increase the chances of a player discovering the heat countermeasure by accident.