Our latest gameplay addition is the spiker, a new structure for the alien team. Much like the rocket pod, the spiker is available fairly early on during expansion, unlocked at the same time as the advanced marauder and dragoon. It functions as a living proximity mine, and when carefully placed, can pose a seriously nasty surprise to attacking humans. This makes the spiker ideal for setting up ambush points, closing off corridors with tight turns, or preventing humans from getting through a doorway.

Stats (tentative)

• Health: 150
• Damage: 20 per spike (25 spikes)
• Rate: Every 5 s
• Range: 200 qu
• Cost: 10 build points
• Unlocked: 50 momentum

The spikes are sprayed in all directions when a human approaches, so not all spikes will end up hitting a single human player, although one might find oneself pierced by several at a time. Each spike does considerable damage, and can be very painful to unarmored humans. However, this is offset by a considerable risk for friendly fire, as the projectiles will also damage alien players and other buildings. The spiker will not fire unless it will do more damage to opponents than allies, something that is calculated when a human gets in range. Make sure to put them at the periphery of your base, and don’t cluster them together!

We’ve already featured the spiker in the last few development games, so you’ve had a chance to look at it early on if you’ve attended. If not, don’t worry! The spiker will be in this coming release on Sunday, along with several other cool things, like the repeater and a significant map update.