Harvester creature

SuperJoe · Commander **Joined**: 03 Sep 2009

Was playing around with the idea of Forgotten having living harvester creatures instead of ordinary harvester vehicles. So I grabbed the alligator from RA2 and turned it into one:

This was just a quick test, if I ever decided to use this I would add some tiberium to its body, etc. But the question is, would this be fitting for Forgotten? Or simply too whacked out? Have to admit it looks funny when they crawl to the refinery, then carefully turn their rear end to the refinery to deposit the tiberium. Not sure I'd want to know the specifics of what goes on there Laughing

Few unique things that this creature could have. For one, it could heal on tiberium fields. If they ever came under attack, you could try to move them on tiberium so they can heal and hopefully buy enough time for help to arrive. Could also give them a bite weapon that could be used in a pinch. With so short range and NoAutoFire=yes it shouldn't go after enemies unless it was retaliating. Since they would be somewhat heavily armored, you could use them in attacks as well. Being a living creature it would be immune to hijacking and EMP too.

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ApolloTD · Commander **Joined**: 19 Nov 2003

I think you are pushing it, would be fine for say a side of entirely tiberium critters akin to zerg but even fiend was basicly lucky thing that forgotten managed to tame in few cases and else forgotten despite having tiberium in their skins have no control over visceroids, floaters and what not other tiberian lifeforms.

It would undermine the danger of the world if forgotten had so much control over these "critters"

so I think it is a little unrealistic, WW was fairly conservative on that count luckily and your idea makes me think if fremen controlled sandworms to mine the spice in dune Very Happy

gufu · Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 8:20 am Post subject:

I don't see a point to strictly adhere to Westwood's design choices. It's an interesting idea on it's own, and creation of tiberium lifeform that perhaps feeds on tiberium, may be not such a bad idea.

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Orac · Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 9:27 am Post subject:

As a rule I don't like non-mechanical harvesters... They don't make sense, among other things. There's no material gain for the organism in harvesting and depositing Tiberium. Biologically it doesn't seem to me like a function which would reasonably be retained by a creature for that reason, it helps with neither survival nor reproduction.

A creature which ate Tiberium might be more believable, but that'd be of no use as a harvester. It'd explode pretty well, though Twisted Evil

gufu · Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 10:33 am Post subject:

It might as well be a giant hamster, that tends to store tiberium rather than consume it. For some reason or another (natural protection, green glow).

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Lin Kuei Ominae · Seth **Joined**: 16 Aug 2006 **Location**: Germany

If done right and explained well i think this would be a good idea.
Especially considering the new tactical possibilities and the more unique balance and difference to the other sides, such a unit would give the game.

A creature harvester could collect the tiberium for a hive in which other small creatures convert the tiberium into usable parts (this wouldn't be visible as this happens inside the "organic" hive/refinery). The Forgotten might have found a way to control these creatures (via technology or taming) and gain the spare minerals like beekeepers collect the honey.
There might be even a symbiotic relationship between the forgotten and the harvester-creatures. e.g. the creatures give minerals, the forgotten protect them and guide them to tiberium fields, as the creatures might be unable to find tiberium themselves.

So imo it all depends on how you explain it and then this can be a really good feature/idea, which still fits well into the TS universe.

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blubb · General **Joined**: 31 Jul 2005

earth = pandora?

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Team Black · Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 3:36 pm Post subject:

I think this is kind of funny Smile

I'd picture it as a parent tiberium creature going to collect food for her young. The "refinery" would be a nest-building that could also build creatures that attack, if a refinery can also function as a war factory.
You're a pretty creative person SuperJoe, I'm curious to see what more you can do with this idea

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Regulus · Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:00 pm Post subject:

Maybe it's like a bee? Collects crystals like bees collect pollen. It's not exactly far fetched...

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blubb · General **Joined**: 31 Jul 2005

this is what i would imagine for cabal, having mechanical drones collecting smaller amounts of tuiberium, but are cheaper to have a lot more of them at the same time working for the robot hive

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gufu · Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 10:15 pm Post subject:

blubb wrote:

this is what i would imagine for cabal, having mechanical drones collecting smaller amounts of tuiberium, but are cheaper to have a lot more of them at the same time working for the robot hive

Except, unless you will spam refineries left and right, it'll be inefficent due to TS' harvesting logic.

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Orac · Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:55 am Post subject:

I think it'd be possible to strike a balance given a bit of effort tweaking the unloading rate, unit speed, carry capacity and stuff like that.

ApolloTD · Commander **Joined**: 19 Nov 2003

I think tiberium due to crystal like sharpness would just cut up any such creatures belly open unless they grow some super thick belly of fanwank(!?) to store the stuff thus why I think its a bit silly, would make more sense if it didn't have to consume so to speak and was visibly carrying it but not in this game...

Thus I favor mechanical harvester IMO, besides creatures would be unreliable since get fired upon in combat and probably run amok, okay we might as well say forgotten also grow them to replace losses conveniently else logistics might be a problem...

Idea is creative yet silly in practicality in war zone.

gufu · Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 7:38 am Post subject:

Really? Practicality? IN CNC?!

Come on, most of the series runs on Applied Phlembotium, just for the sake of Rule of Cool. I mean, one of the most dangerous things in the field are flying jellyfish and puddles of flesh. I don't think it's that crazy to have a creature that could store tiberium by itself, one way or another.

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blubb · General **Joined**: 31 Jul 2005

RA 2 whackyness is dangerously near.

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Lin Kuei Ominae · Seth **Joined**: 16 Aug 2006 **Location**: Germany

Is a hovering harvester using the fly locomotor possible, which is still seen as a ground unit? (or do we get the invincible aircraft bug again)
Then there could be really some bee like harvester drones, as they can move through and along everywhere due to the fly locomotor, thus they also can't block each other. And if a swarm of 20 of them is working for a single refinery/hive, it would surely look cool ingame and give the whole refinery/harvester concept a new originality and balancing.

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Team Black · Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:44 pm Post subject:

IIRC Jumpjet harvesters harvest fine, but can't dock. They're still vulnerable to railgun fire

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DaRTzO · Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 4:03 pm Post subject:

It's a nice find and I like the idea.

It allows the creation of a unique biological/creature side,
similar to the Zerg and the evolved in kknd.

Bu7loos · Commander **Joined**: 27 Jul 2011

Totally nice idea you could make some tib thingys on it's back and darken it a little bit or moddify it's colours then it would fit...

SuperJoe · Commander **Joined**: 03 Sep 2009

Like LKO mentioned, this could be explained logically. The creature could first turn the tiberium into liquid form, then indigest it. Or the creature could generate tiberium over it's body when it comes into contact with tiberium, kind of a defence mechanism for the creature. Then the Forgotten harvest this tiberium off its body, like wool is taken from lambs. Some Scrin creatures in C&C3 can harvest tiberium and use it. The Scrin are at least partially organic aren't they?

Also the Forgotten in my mod already have a few other tiberium based creatures, some are tamed, some are captured and controlled through other ways (like the Floater). I don't see other logical ways for the Forgotten to go against GDI and Nod forces, other than making use of tiberium based things and creatures. Wasn't the original Westwood plot for Tiberium Twilight to have the Forgotten beat the Scrin invasion, because they had adapted to and exploited tiberium?

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ApolloTD · Commander **Joined**: 19 Nov 2003

Scrin are biomechanical and seem mostly to be machines despite bug like looks as everything shuts down from infantry to airships without tiberium radiation(?)

Anyway liquid tiberium is another EA invention and frankly you need heck of a oven like refinery to go melt crystalline tiberium into liquid so creature is so not doing it as would so burn its own skin too. Attracting tiberium into its fur like a magnet or whatever is far more feasible than digesting it.

Lin Kuei Ominae · Seth **Joined**: 16 Aug 2006 **Location**: Germany

tiberium monster kangaroos Wink

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gufu · Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:58 pm Post subject:

Lin Kuei Ominae wrote:

tiberium monster kangaroos Wink

And thus Australia has been given a reason to be implemented within CnC universe.

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DaRTzO · Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:33 pm Post subject:

CNC 3 much?

blubb · General **Joined**: 31 Jul 2005

scrin harvester = zerg drone

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Death Cultist · Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:18 pm Post subject:

Hmmm well if you don't add it as a primary harvester, it could make some cool map or campaign unit. You could add a nest as someone suggested and it could be triggered in mulitplayer maps to harvest tiberium.

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