Now for the marauder.

Concept: Khaos
Model: Osiris
Animation: gavlig
Status: complete

Marauders are the intermediate form of the alien morphological sequence, between the more insectoid features of the dretch and basilisk, and the more reptilian traits of the dragoon and tyrant. Alarmingly agile, the marauder is capable of building up great speed by leaping off walls, allowing for it to rapidly climb up narrow vertical shafts and corridors with high ceilings. The rapid pace of the marauder’s movement is matched by its attacks, with its claws capable doing a great deal of damage in a matter of seconds. In addition, the marauder is capable of emitting a bolt of electricity, damaging chains of humans and their base structures. Thus, the marauder works particularly well against isolated humans and in groups against bases, although the form has some trouble with the heavier human weapons.

Our marauder hasn’t changed gameplay-wise from its Tremulous counterpart, due to us considering the form to be one of the better designed aliens. There aren’t any glaring weaknesses with the marauder, and it is particularly fun to play as, not to mention that it doesn’t have a particularly steep learning curve, unlike the basilisk before it. However, there are other considerations now. For instance, humans have access to a heavier armor class before the battlesuit, which may pose some additional difficulty for marauder players in the mid-game. We have yet to see how the marauder would interact with rocket pods, as well as any other base defenses or weapons that we end up adding.

How do you feel about the marauder? Is it overpowered or underpowered? What would you suggest to change, if anything?