Antagonists like nightmare, space dragons, morphs, etc. Should be adjusted in the following ways:
Remove any crew language from them, add a “Predator Language” that is only spoken by them and their carps.
The “Predator Aura” automatically mutes all players around them, including emotes. It also highlights the antagonist in bright red and blares sirens at the player at all times.
I am undecided on implementing a form of subliminal messaging into the game that would flash phrases at the players while one of these antagonists is within 20 tiles. Things like “Monstrosities don’t need to ask you for consent” or “It’s a fucking horror of darkness, run away or kill it.”
I have created a mockup of the ideal state of the game:
I do think this would work well for space dragons, they are essentially just there to kill after all. But I’m really questioning the thought process behind morphs and nightmares.
Morphs can transform into other people and disguise as things. If they were to have this aura, then ambushing kinda goes right out the window, since it mutes everything. Not to mention the bright red and sirens. Nightmares are in the same sort of boat, being able to ambush players in the dark. Both have the ability to either go through vents or use shadows to get across the station, so randomly going mute and having sirens go off suddenly because they happen to pass you by would be a bit weird.
Feel like they would need something else entirely.
We could try having operatives in every player’s house holding a gun to the back of their heads maybe. Every time someone uses “wordlessly” in relation to a deadly monster, one less thing to worry about.
The price might be too much. I am unsure how much money the average hitman takes these days.
This collection of statuses could be added to Changelings as well, especially when they’re going ‘loud’ with an armblade or other obvious alien traits, but also as an optional toggle that the player can enable at any time while the Changeling is still disguised. This works especially well when the Changeling character is disguised as a trustworthy other character, such as a Command, Security, or Medical member, because when the recipient of this ‘aura’ from an otherwise normal crewmember experiences it, it simulates the sheer panic the character would feel from knowing something is innately ‘wrong’ just from the sheer aura of the Changeling. This works especially well if the Changeling were to toggle their aura in a group setting, as it would likely cause a volatile reaction and hysteria from everyone involved just from the sheer aura present. This effect could also be attributed to a chemical ability within the Changeling that they could unlockstrengthen like other similar chemical effects.
