Turtle Ants + Level Suggestion

I really liked the turtle ants shown in the Early Access builds (partially because I live where they are found) and really hope they show up in the game. Here is my imagination of what my happen:

(Note to Devs: I really like imagining things as how they would be in story, and your narrations are awesome).

Narrator: This Cephalotes rohweri queen has just established her nest. For the moment, she has this tree to herself, but that may soon change - other creatures are already on the prowl, and some have a particular craving for ant flesh.

Basic idea of the missions:

First One:
Eliminate the rival colony
Kill all scorpions

Turtle Ant Diet: Turtle ants primary feed upon the pollen of Parkisonia florida, the palo verde tree. Workers move hastily to gather the pollen before bees, moths, and butterflies begin pollinating the flowers, lest the blossoms close before the ants can get their fill. Despite their primarily herbivorous diet, though, the ants still retain carnivorous adaptations, and if they find suitable prey, they will not hesitate to strike.

Enemies:

Crab Spider:The ants have uncovered a flower already occupied by a crab spider. Normally a predator of butterflies and other pollinators, they will not turn down ants, given the opportunity.

(Once the spider dies): The ants may have taken down one spider, but more are likely hidden in other flowers. They'll need to be watchful.

Bark scorpion baby: The ants' harvesting operations have led them into the path of a juvenile Hadrurus arizonensis - a desert hairy scorpion. This monstrous creature is one of the top predators of the undergrowth, and can easily overwhelm gargantuan prey. Fortunately, this one is still small.

(Once scorpion is dead): Though easily overwhelmed by the ants, the juvenile scorpion is an ill omen - young this small usually ride atop the backs of their mothers, and she is unlikely to take the loss of one of her brood without issue.

Adult Bark Scorpion: The ants have stumbled upon a fully grown Hairy Scorpion - likely the mother of the various juveniles they have slaughtered. At almost fourteen centimeters in length, she towers over the ants, and worse still, she is covered in her offspring. Defeating her will prove difficult, but so long as she and her brood occupy the area, it will be unsafe to harvest the flowers for food.

Scorpion is slain: The mother scorpion has been slain, as have her offspring. With their deaths, a great danger to the ant's harvesting operation is now eliminated. Until the rival colony is gone, however, this area will not be secure.

Rival Colony: A second colony has also established itself in the area, and unless they are taken out swiftly, they will soon overwhelm the new arrivals. The ants must react quickly, before they find themselves evicted, or worse still, slaughtered.

Other enemy critters: Tarantulas, some kind of beetle (don't know any rove beetles form the area)

Mission 2: The Desert Titan

Narrator: This Cephalotes nest has fought off many threats, from beetles to other colonies and even a small bird, but now, a new threat is fast approaching. One unlike any other they have yet faced.

Narraor: Emerging from the shadows is a colossal Scolopendra heros, the desert giant centipede. A true titan of the undergrowth, it will devour anything in its path. Even giant scorpions and tarantulas are no match for this massive predator.

Narrator: The ants would normally be of not interest to the centipede, but the myriapod's acute sense of smell has alerted it to the presence of the nest, and with it, the larva within. Such a bounty is more than worth the titan's time, meaning an assault on the nest is inevitable. If the ants hope to survive, they must either repel or slay this titan

Objective: Kill the centipede

Will post more when I'm not half asleep.
 
Bring on more legends of the undergrowth for the ants to overcome :) centipedes would be cool.
I know!

Anyway, the overall idea of the turtle ants is to be the ‘Agile’ character amongst the playable ants - they use their ability to glide (plus a fictitious ability to jump, since I don’t know if these genus can jump) to bypass the frontlines and strike at the rear. Think of them as the hard counter for wood ants.

Also, I’d like to imagine them being able to mount large enemies and bite them, similar to what was down in the early access videos - they leap onto an enemy and slowly tear them apart, though this will eventually kill them (they take Damage Over Time while mounted on a foe. The net damag ethey inflict is still higher than their health, though, so they always hurt the opponent more).

Also, the centipede would be smilie to the various super dragons from the monster hunter games, being a huge boss that needs to be repelled or slain, though in this case, it will ALWAYS return if repelled - it must die to end the mission.

Periodically, it will slam into a horde of other bugs, who it will slaughter, though not without taking some damage. Unfortunately, the centipede will be able to feast on its kills, allowing it self healing - and it will always be back to full health if it only has to fight those groups of bugs. To win, you’re supposed to attack it whilst it is fighting the other bugs - the centipede is so dangerous it will ALWAYS take priority over any other enemy.

Finally, for challenge mode, the enemy would be Black Widow Spiders, whose webs act like a funnel web spiders, but unlike with the funnel web, you don’t become vulnerable when attacking your warriors - instead, they need to be jumped on and grappled by turtle ants, otherwise they will not be killable. Wood ants can kill them in free play, for balancing reasons.
 
And now some information on both our heroes and their enemy

Turtle Ant Info:
  • Ants have three castes, just like with the other, non-fusca ants: workers, basic warriors (meant to act as tanks, but more damaging than tank wood ants) and finally, gliding warriors that act can be absorbed by gene-stealers.
  • Gliding warriors are, as statd, the 'agile' member of the ereptor morphs - they are meant to flank the enemy and exploit holes in their defenses so that the regular warriors can turn the enemy into paste.
  • Gliding ants can jump (which I'm pretty sure they cannot do in real life) so as the actually use their gliding abilities in combat. Not going to go into their special abilities because I already mentioned them and am too lazy to repeat myself.
  • Gliding warriors can also use their gliding ability to cross gaps and move up to elevated areas without using ramps
  • Turtle ants primarily eat flower pollen - flowers will be open during the day, during which they give a set amount of food before being exhausted. At night the flowers close, and in the morning, they open again and are 'restocked'.
  • Unlike leaf cutters, turtle ants can still eat other bugs - but no seeds.
Now onto the giant centipede:
  • The centipede has so much health that his health bar is, functionally, the sa,e as the progress bar from Mission 3.1 that represents the progress of the army ant horde.
  • In addition to a powerful bite, the centipede inflicts venom Damage Over Time with his claws - which will shred through even the strongest ants in a short amount of time. Other bugs are also easily killed by his claws.
  • The centipede moves VERY FAST - he's only going to slow down if he is fighting.
  • Any non-ant/baby wolf spider sized critter killed by the centipede will be devoured for health - and he will be able to heal back up to full using this. Eating takes priority over attacking the ants, though, so attacking him while he's eating will make things easier for you. Killing large bugs takes priority over eating, so you might also want to try attacking him whilst he slaughters other bugs.
  • The centipede's biggest weakness is that he can't turn very fast - ants that attack his rear will be able to get in a few attacks unimpeded whilst he tries to turn. After a few attacks, though, the centipede will INSTANTLY FOCUS priority on whatever bit his tail.
  • His tail is his weak-spot - it is treated as a separate target from the rest of his body, and hitting it will do a lot of damage. Gliding turtle ants will automatically jump and grapple onto it for maximum damage. He can clean them off by rubbing it with his tail feelers, though.
And that is all for now!
 
Onto the next enemies: The hairy scorpion and black widow

Hairy Scorpion is a titan of the undergrowth - it is HUGE compared to the ants.

Juveniles act as beetle larvae during the first Turtle Ant mission - however, they inflict more damage than beetle larvae, because stingers. Juvenile scorpions are meant as a hint to the presence of an adult, because baby scorpion usually ride on their mother's backs.

All attacks of the adult scorpion except for bites inflict AOE damage. Pincer swipes inflict knockback, whilst stinger attacks inflict poison and stun. Surrounding that scorpion is the key to minimizing how many ants get hit with each attack.

Adult female hairy scorpion carries her young on her back - she can release them to act as reinforcements during her battle. Killing her causes her remaining young (about 10-15 scorpionlings) to fall off her back, as a final screw you, while the rest die.

Adult female scorpions can be harvested by five ants for a total of 500 food. Each scorpionling is worth the same as a beetle larva. Assume they are really small.

Black Widow

This is a challenge mode enemy - Black Widows will only spawn during challenge mode for missions 4.1 and 4.2 (assuming the devs actually use this idea, of course).

Black widow webs work similarly to those of the funnel web, but are set up along trails where the turtle ants must jump to get through an otherwise destroyed passage - they're meant to snag ants in flight.

Black widows are immune to attack by non-gliding ants - the ants need to glide into her web in order to draw her out and make her attackable. Obviously, this means she can be targeted by wood ants.

When killed, black widows fall onto one of the ends of the passage that their webs occupied. They are worth a total of 75 food.

In Freeplay, the webs wiould eventually spawn a new spider to block the path, (you'd need to get to 500+ on difficulty, though), so be careful when she shows up!
 

AntBoi

Soldier
I really liked the turtle ants shown in the Early Access builds (partially because I live where they are found) and really hope they show up in the game. Here is my imagination of what my happen:

(Note to Devs: I really like imagining things as how they would be in story, and your narrations are awesome).

Narrator: This Cephalotes rohweri queen has just established her nest. For the moment, she has this tree to herself, but that may soon change - other creatures are already on the prowl, and some have a particular craving for ant flesh.

Basic idea of the missions:

First One:
Eliminate the rival colony
Kill all scorpions

Turtle Ant Diet: Turtle ants primary feed upon the pollen of Parkisonia florida, the palo verde tree. Workers move hastily to gather the pollen before bees, moths, and butterflies begin pollinating the flowers, lest the blossoms close before the ants can get their fill. Despite their primarily herbivorous diet, though, the ants still retain carnivorous adaptations, and if they find suitable prey, they will not hesitate to strike.

Enemies:

Crab Spider:The ants have uncovered a flower already occupied by a crab spider. Normally a predator of butterflies and other pollinators, they will not turn down ants, given the opportunity.

(Once the spider dies): The ants may have taken down one spider, but more are likely hidden in other flowers. They'll need to be watchful.

Bark scorpion baby: The ants' harvesting operations have led them into the path of a juvenile Hadrurus arizonensis - a desert hairy scorpion. This monstrous creature is one of the top predators of the undergrowth, and can easily overwhelm gargantuan prey. Fortunately, this one is still small.

(Once scorpion is dead): Though easily overwhelmed by the ants, the juvenile scorpion is an ill omen - young this small usually ride atop the backs of their mothers, and she is unlikely to take the loss of one of her brood without issue.

Adult Bark Scorpion: The ants have stumbled upon a fully grown Hairy Scorpion - likely the mother of the various juveniles they have slaughtered. At almost fourteen centimeters in length, she towers over the ants, and worse still, she is covered in her offspring. Defeating her will prove difficult, but so long as she and her brood occupy the area, it will be unsafe to harvest the flowers for food.

Scorpion is slain: The mother scorpion has been slain, as have her offspring. With their deaths, a great danger to the ant's harvesting operation is now eliminated. Until the rival colony is gone, however, this area will not be secure.

Rival Colony: A second colony has also established itself in the area, and unless they are taken out swiftly, they will soon overwhelm the new arrivals. The ants must react quickly, before they find themselves evicted, or worse still, slaughtered.

Other enemy critters: Tarantulas, some kind of beetle (don't know any rove beetles form the area)

Mission 2: The Desert Titan

Narrator: This Cephalotes nest has fought off many threats, from beetles to other colonies and even a small bird, but now, a new threat is fast approaching. One unlike any other they have yet faced.

Narraor: Emerging from the shadows is a colossal Scolopendra heros, the desert giant centipede. A true titan of the undergrowth, it will devour anything in its path. Even giant scorpions and tarantulas are no match for this massive predator.

Narrator: The ants would normally be of not interest to the centipede, but the myriapod's acute sense of smell has alerted it to the presence of the nest, and with it, the larva within. Such a bounty is more than worth the titan's time, meaning an assault on the nest is inevitable. If the ants hope to survive, they must either repel or slay this titan

Objective: Kill the centipede

Will post more when I'm not half asleep.
Love the idea...
Good job making the lines!
 

MedinB

Colony
The scorpion thing WOULD BE AWESOME! AGREED! Usually they were planned, but it's the SAME species as the whip spider, although they picked whip spider because its less of a mouthful.
 
I really liked the turtle ants shown in the Early Access builds (partially because I live where they are found) and really hope they show up in the game. Here is my imagination of what my happen:

(Note to Devs: I really like imagining things as how they would be in story, and your narrations are awesome).

Narrator: This Cephalotes rohweri queen has just established her nest. For the moment, she has this tree to herself, but that may soon change - other creatures are already on the prowl, and some have a particular craving for ant flesh.

Basic idea of the missions:

First One:
Eliminate the rival colony
Kill all scorpions

Turtle Ant Diet: Turtle ants primary feed upon the pollen of Parkisonia florida, the palo verde tree. Workers move hastily to gather the pollen before bees, moths, and butterflies begin pollinating the flowers, lest the blossoms close before the ants can get their fill. Despite their primarily herbivorous diet, though, the ants still retain carnivorous adaptations, and if they find suitable prey, they will not hesitate to strike.

Enemies:

Crab Spider:The ants have uncovered a flower already occupied by a crab spider. Normally a predator of butterflies and other pollinators, they will not turn down ants, given the opportunity.

(Once the spider dies): The ants may have taken down one spider, but more are likely hidden in other flowers. They'll need to be watchful.

Bark scorpion baby: The ants' harvesting operations have led them into the path of a juvenile Hadrurus arizonensis - a desert hairy scorpion. This monstrous creature is one of the top predators of the undergrowth, and can easily overwhelm gargantuan prey. Fortunately, this one is still small.

(Once scorpion is dead): Though easily overwhelmed by the ants, the juvenile scorpion is an ill omen - young this small usually ride atop the backs of their mothers, and she is unlikely to take the loss of one of her brood without issue.

Adult Bark Scorpion: The ants have stumbled upon a fully grown Hairy Scorpion - likely the mother of the various juveniles they have slaughtered. At almost fourteen centimeters in length, she towers over the ants, and worse still, she is covered in her offspring. Defeating her will prove difficult, but so long as she and her brood occupy the area, it will be unsafe to harvest the flowers for food.

Scorpion is slain: The mother scorpion has been slain, as have her offspring. With their deaths, a great danger to the ant's harvesting operation is now eliminated. Until the rival colony is gone, however, this area will not be secure.

Rival Colony: A second colony has also established itself in the area, and unless they are taken out swiftly, they will soon overwhelm the new arrivals. The ants must react quickly, before they find themselves evicted, or worse still, slaughtered.

Other enemy critters: Tarantulas, some kind of beetle (don't know any rove beetles form the area)

Mission 2: The Desert Titan

Narrator: This Cephalotes nest has fought off many threats, from beetles to other colonies and even a small bird, but now, a new threat is fast approaching. One unlike any other they have yet faced.

Narraor: Emerging from the shadows is a colossal Scolopendra heros, the desert giant centipede. A true titan of the undergrowth, it will devour anything in its path. Even giant scorpions and tarantulas are no match for this massive predator.

Narrator: The ants would normally be of not interest to the centipede, but the myriapod's acute sense of smell has alerted it to the presence of the nest, and with it, the larva within. Such a bounty is more than worth the titan's time, meaning an assault on the nest is inevitable. If the ants hope to survive, they must either repel or slay this titan

Objective: Kill the centipede

Will post more when I'm not half asleep.
Wait! are you saying that this centipede is bigger than the adult Bark Scorpion ( and possibly the huge Whip spider!?):eek::eek::eek:
 
Wait! are you saying that this centipede is bigger than the adult Bark Scorpion ( and possibly the huge Whip spider!?):eek::eek::eek:
The Centipede is about as long as the whip spider is wide.

The narrator will note this is abnormally large for a wild centipede of this genus. The way that the map is designed, though, would imply it is an escaped pet/zoo animal.
 
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