Difference between revisions of "Aliens"

Revision as of 21:48, 28 April 2019

Introduction

The Aliens (also known as Kharaa) and the subspecies that make up its hostile presence on various human installations are the product of a previously unknown Bacteria-like growth that rapidly evolves and directly sets in motion the events that lead up to the hostile encounters with humans, and was accordingly termed by TSF scientists as Bacterium. The Bacterium is the basic building block of the Kharaa, and is responsible for the evolution and aggressive behavior of the Kharaa lifeforms. The creatures and structures that the Kharaa have at their disposal were previously not associated with the Bacterium whatsoever, but were separate species that were infested and incorporated into the Kharaa gene pool (including structures such as the Harvester). Once assimilated, these species would be regularly reproduced, albeit re-purposed to better suit their role in the Kharaa, such as carapace and the razor sharp blades that Skulks and Fades evolved.

The terminology for the aliens is still being developed. At the moment, we refer to the aliens, and their whole system of bacteria, lifeforms and growths, as the "Kharaa"; and the pre hive-stage presence as the "bacterium". The first TSF encounter with the aliens occurred aboard the Mongol's Sanjii mining facility. The tattered voice comm logs they extracted from the command network had one word that stood out, used again and again – "Kharaa!" "Kharaa!" Later, it was understood that this means "Watch out!" in Mongolian. By then, it had stuck.

The Kharaa began appearing on ships and bases throughout the Ariadne Arm a decade ago, slaughtering everyone on board. In almost every case the ship then wandered off course, and either destroyed itself by slipping into some gravity well (usually a planet or sun), or was tracked down and destroyed by the owners of the craft. Life support on bases and ships usually fails soon after the Kharaa take over, so even without military response, they don't last very long. However it is still unknown how their appearances on numerous ships and installations can be prevented, and until more conclusive information can be gathered by scientists, humans may never know how or why the Bacterium is capable of setting forth such a destructive onslaught without any early indication or warning.

Initially, the Bacterium only reproduces, slowly forming a mat, visible to the naked eye. All of these bacteria are in contact with one another, sharing data on their environment, and triggering responses to stimuli (like energy sources, or danger). They form a network that links all Kharaa lifeforms and structures, and is responsible for the phenomenon of Hive Sight. It isn't until the presence of larger lifeforms that the next stage of alien growth, the Hive, begins. The hive contains all the information and abilities necessary to set off a cascade of events that rapidly leads to full scale conflict. Like all the other Kharaa structures, TSF scientists speculate that hives are actually creatures that have been evolved into this form over an incredibly long time, and have observed that Kharaa structures in general tend to resemble aquatic forms of life, contrary to the Kharaa lifeforms that clearly originated from mammals and other similar creatures.

The bacterium seems capable of tapping a wide variety of energy sources. Heat and water are diverse enough, but it also finds the rich sludge used for nano-construction highly desirable. Fortunately the same safe guards that prevent marines from automatically accessing these stores thwart the Kharaa too. Unfortunately, the aliens seem quite prepared for this sort of obstacle, building Harvesters atop resource nodes, that draw the sludge up and digest it. These chambers appear to have once been a species, much like the hive. What these resource chambers could have been used for before the Kharaa encountered us is a perplexing mystery. But they convert the sludge into a usable form, just as our resource towers do. As a result, marines and Kharaa end up fighting for the same resources. Defending these resources is vital to the Kharaa, second only to protecting their hives.

To destroy the human presence, the bacterium employs lifeforms of its own. These are the creatures that slaughter the crew of the ship or base, and the same creatures that are waiting for the Frontiersmen when they arrive to take the ship or base back. Kharaa species have natural weaponry and cunning that make them a match for the best equipped and most highly trained forces the TSF can deploy. Hives continue to spawn lifeforms over the course of a conflict, replacing lost aliens. Destroying all hives is the only way to cease the everlasting onslaught.

Lifeforms

The Kharaa life cycle begins with the Egg, which is commonly found in large clusters around a Hive. The basic form of the Kharaa, the Skulk, hatches from an egg by biting through the membrane. It has been observed that when the threat to Kharaa territory becomes formidable, the aliens respond by evolving into different and stronger lifeforms as the situation demands. These lifeforms are classified as the Gorge, Lerk, Fade, and Onos, each with their own unique abilities and roles to fulfill.

Kharaa lifeforms are capable of communication through Hive Sight, an instinctive visual mechanism that allows them to identify friend from foe. The Kharaa also possess enhanced senses, more notably Alien Vision which grant perfect visibility in darkness.

Kharaa Lifeforms
Lifeform	Abilities			Description
	Slot	Alternate	Movement
Skulk	Bite	Leap	Sneak	Basic lifeform that climbs walls to disorient and ambush prey.
	Parasite
	Xenocide
Gorge	Spit	Heal Spray	Belly Slide	Support lifeform that acts as healer, builder, and demolisher.
	Build Menu
	Bile Bomb
	Babbler Bait
Lerk	Poison Bite	Spikes	Roost	Flying lifeform that excels at dealing damage over time.
	Umbra
	Spore
Fade	Swipe	Blink		Elusive lifeform that specializes in assassination and escape.
	Metabolize
	Stab
Onos	Gore	Stomp	Charge	Gigantic lifeform that absorbs damage and demolishes structures.
	Bone Shield

Evolutions

Evolutions (or Traits) are purchased upgrades that passively enhance Kharaa lifeforms' defensive, deceptive, or reactive capabilities. The Hive can evolve into different types to unlock evolution structures: Crag Hive (Shell), Shade Hive (Veil), and Shift Hive (Spur). Traits are accessed in the Evolve Menu, and will cost Personal Resources depending on different lifeforms. Only one of two traits from the same evolution structure can be evolved by players, but they may switch traits any time with enough Personal Resources.

If all evolution structures are destroyed, the pair of unlocked traits will lose all effects and become inaccessible to players. However, players that already evolved a trait will retain their purchase and regain the trait's effects when the associated evolution structure is rebuilt.

Evolutions
Prerequisite	Trait	Description	Additional Information
Shell	Carapace	Increases total Armor pool depending on lifeform.	Armor bonus increases with number of existing Shells (maximum 3 levels).
	Regeneration	Increases passive Health/Armor regeneration.	Regen bonus increases with number of existing Shells per 3% (maximum 3 levels = 9%) for maximum 80 HP. It heals every 2 seconds (80HP Max.) It only activates when out of combat (taking damage) for 3 seconds
	Vampirism	Leeches health from enemies when you hit them with your primary attack.	Each lifeform gains a different percentage of maximum amount of health / armor per level for each successful attack. Skulk Bite: 6.67% / 13.34% / 20% of max health / armor Gorge Spit: 2.67% / 5.34% / 8% of max health / armor Lerk Bite: 2.67% / 5.34% / 8% of max health / armor Fade: Swipe: 3.33% / 6.66% / 10% of max health / armor Stab: 6.66% / 13.33% / 20% of max health / armor Onos Gore: 1.83% / 3.66% / 5.5% of max health / armor
Veil	Aura	Reveals nearby Marines and Exosuits' presence and indicates their health by colored icon.	Reveal range increases with number of existing Veils (maximum 3 levels).
	Camouflage	Renders the lifeform almost invisible based on tier level, even while moving.	Each Veil increases the effect of the cloak when standing still and moving (Maximum 3 Levels).
	Focus	Increases attack damage at the cost of attack speed.	Each level increases attack damage and decreases attack rate. Only primary attacks are affected by Focus and consume 33% more energy. Vampirism heals 33% more health if Focus is selected.
Spur	Adrenaline	Increases recharge rate of energy.	recharge rate bonuses increase with number of existing Spurs (maximum 3 levels). recharge rate is tailored for each lifeform.
	Celerity	Increases move speed.	Move speed bonus (0.5) increases with number of existing Spurs (maximum 3 levels = 1.5).
	Crush	Increases damage inflicted on the armor of Marines and Marine structures.	Each level increases the fraction of damage dealt to Marine players' armor by 7% Each level increases the damage dealt to Marine structures and Exos by 7%

Commander

The Alien Commander is a hive mind presence that governs over Kharaa territory and evolution. It aids in coordinating lifeforms, spreading the Kharaa Infestation, and growing various organic structures. Any lifeform can enter an unoccupied Hive to act as Alien Commander, which changes the player's perspective from first-person to an overview of the map. Only one Commander can be active at a time, and he may exit the occupied Hive to become his previous lifeform.

The Commander has a user-interface that includes a Mini-map, commander menu, and resource counter, allowing him to build structures and perform upgrades for the Kharaa. He can also assist his lifeforms using various abilities at his disposal; commander abilities cost Team Resources and are mostly found in the Assist tab, with some requiring the presence of specific units and structures to trigger.

Commander Abilities

See Alien Commander Abilities

Biomass

Biomass is a tech progression system that serves two functions: increase all lifeforms' maximum Health pool and enable unlocked lifeform abilities after research from the Hive. Each Hive can contain up to 3 Biomass levels; 1 level for being an active Hive and 2 additional levels can be upgraded by the Alien Commander.

Infestation

The Infestation is a green moss-like collective mass of billions of microscopic Bacterium. It grows outward from the Cyst, Hive, Gorge Tunnel, and Contamination structures, and is essential to Kharaa territory expansion. The Alien Commander can sprout any Kharaa structure directly from the Infestation itself.

Most Kharaa structures require Infestation to survive, except the source structures which produce the organic substance. Infestation is also sustained by the source structures, as otherwise the Infestation will dissolve rapidly into nothing with its source destroyed. Infestation possess corrosive properties that damage Frontiersmen structures' Armor, along with the sticky mass that slows down blueprint construction when in contact.

Maturation

All Kharaa structures will automatically undergo a growth process known as Maturation. A newly grown structure is low on Health and Armor, but as the structure ages, it will reach its strongest state. The Alien Commander can use Nutrient Mist to rapidly age structures even in their unbuilt state.

Units and Structures

Units and structures are placed by the Gorge and the Hive specifically. Buildings that are placed by the Gorge are taken from the players own Personal Resources and the structures placed by the Alien Commander are taken from the Team Resources.