Revision: High Intensity Muscles [Effectiveness: 5]
The Queen cannot yet manipulate foreign cells (which technically include mitochondria, as they are organelles with their own DNA) in the way she can tweak the genetics of drones. What she can do is encourage multiplication of said mitochondria, producing muscle cells that are densely packed with the organelles and capable of sudden explosive power. Tracheation is similarly effective, as the design encourages aeration by muscle movement, allowing the muscles to sustain their explosive bursts for longer.
There is an inherent downside; these muscles tire more quickly because of the energy demands they make; more mitochondria means more power per cube inch of muscle mass, but they are proportionally hungrier as well. This does make them excellent for the one design they are currently used in; the Hunters.
Revision: Reinforced Chitinous Armour [Effectiveness: 5]
Based off the heavy carapace, the light carapace is formed without hardening in the nascent stage. Infant drones therefore have soft, translucent exoskeletons until they reach maturity, wherupon hormones trigger hardening. The resulting carapace is thinner than heavy carapace, but better shaped to allow flexibility and movement for the drone, reducing weight but still providing better protection than worker armour. Indeed, hormonal release is inhibited by frequent movement, so the less flexible parts of the carapace are hardened preferentially during the maturation phase. This results in hard fixed carapace parts, but still softer and more flexible carapace at the joints. At present, only the Hunter uses this carapace type.
After the changes to the Hunter, the new high intensity muscles should correct most of the design's flaws in terms of battlefield effectiveness. They are still not competent combatants in melee, where they lack the open ground to take advantage of their speed, but become that much more dangerous at a charge. That said, the improved lightweight chitin gives them significantly more protection in the melee phase, better than that of workers by comparison, which should improve survivability. They are still vulnerable to ambushes and ranged fire, much as the default worker design is, but that level of protection would require heavy carapace, harming the design's speed.
It is the Strategy Phase. You have no dice, but free actions as usual. Unless voting changes, the last valid vote for the Princess Design will be accepted.
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Topic: Hive Race: The Hive (Read 40130 times)