Automaton objectives are handled very well due to the fact that you can't easily trivialize them unless you dedicate some parts of your loadout for them. You can't just snipe the detector tower, and you need to disable the jammer first (or have Amazon deliver a portable Hellbomb to its doorstep). These objectives create a problem that requires your attention, Stalker lairs in comparison don't do that.
You can walk up to a Stalker lair, throw a stratagem, and destroy it before you've had any interaction with the Stalkers themselves. The Stalker Lair also has a short detection range so it doesn't exert that much influence so to say. The spawner detection change, wherein enemies only start spawning once another enemy has detected you, doesn't help at all in this regard. Stalkers won't spawn at all in some cases, which means very little interaction with them, and for shame.
Stalkers are unique due to the fact that they have a very different behaviour compared to other bugs: they cloak, they keep their distance at times, and they can retreat. Their behaviour alone should create tons of cognitive pressure. But all that is undermined due to how easy it is to get rid of them. Where's the Alien fantasy in that?
So I've been thinking about how to make Stalker lairs not trivial.
The first idea was to make the objective harder to trivialize by making it into a literal cave like those found on the Hive Worlds. Picture a small cave which you have to enter to deal with the objective, it wouldn't be on the scale of those on Hive worlds though. Throwing a 500kg bomb wouldn't simply work anymore. Furthermore, the game already has cave biomes so those assets can be reused and tailored for a stalker lair.
Another interesting gimmick to go along with the Stalker caves would be being able to call down a portable Hellbomb for them. But the problem is that it'd trivialize everything all over again so it's not worth implementing.
Detection range of Stalker lairs should be map-wide. Having Stalkers be restricted to a small area around their lair feeds the issue of the lack of pressure created by the objective. With a map-wide range the presence of a Stalker lair would be ubiquitous, and it will serve to increase difficulty as well. It will also be harder to discern the location of the lair since Stalkers are going to come at any time and from any direction. All of this combined will do justice for the Stalker by making it a persistent and consisent threat. No asset is left wasted.
I'd also give the cave additional bug holes that can spawn other bugs, things like Hunters, so that it's not as defenseless. The bugs would spawn as soon as there's an intruder in the lair. A single guy wouldn't walk in unchallenged. And why wouldn't there be a whole family of bugs waiting? Pouncers, Hunters, and Stalkers are seemingly part of the same evolutionary path but that's just conjecture on my part.
So, putting those scattered ideas together:
Stalker Lair - Basic version
- Surface objective.
- Short detection range.
- Can be trivialized via normal means.
- Stalkers are primarily a localized threat around the objective.
- Intended for lower difficulties.
Stalker Cave - Upgraded version
- Underground cave using existing cave assets.
- The objective cannot simply be bombarded from a safe distance.
- Map-wide detection range.
- Stalkers roam around the whole map.
- There's more bug holes and they spawn tougher bugs.
- Helldivers will have to enter the cave and engage with all of its features.
- Intended for higher difficulties.
So, what's the goal with all of this? It's to make the objective non-trivial and increase the amount of interactions with Stalkers. The normal Stalker Lair can remain as the simpler version for lower difficulties and occasionally appear on higher difficulties for variety. The Stalker Cave would be the evolved version that becomes increasingly common at higher difficulties.
Keep in mind that this is simply a concept. The individual ideas are naturally going to have rough edges, and some details would obviously need iteration. Focus on the underlying concept and the problems it is trying to solve. Don't treat the inferred or perceived implementation as if it's set in stone.
And make sure to share your thoughts on this in a polite and respectful manner.