Make hive bots always drop a hive variant of any equipment that they would otherwise drop. For instance, if a bot now drops a Neutron Blaster, make it drop a Hive Neutron Blaster. It doesn't necessarily have to have different specifications than a regular neut outside of -/-/-/-/- license requirements. That would let the newbie occasionally get a weapon they might not otherwise have access to, and encourage more experienced players to kill things like Orne Guardians for the Hive Gatling Turrets.

Thoughts?

The Hive equipment is usually scavenged from us, so it would be odd that they have variants.

I wouldn't rule it out for a rare and interesting mission though.

I'm not saying that every time a hive bot is killed it should drop a weapon. I'm saying that if it would have otherwise dropped a weapon make it a Hive weapon.

I have some suggestions I may make for the SF as well, but it revolves more around what they fly then what they drop.

yep, like the blaster. I still think it's a little odd for the reason I mentioned, but there could be several good stories to explain it.

According to one of the loading screen tips, the Hive is capable of adapting human engineering to its own ends (and does), however it is not capable of creating its own equipment/weapons from scratch.

This would mean that in theory a good chunk of equipment dropped by Hive bots would be a "Hive" variant.

I stand corrected.

Curse your loading times.

"AI hive queens are particularly adept at scavenging technology and integrating it into their own designs. Thus, while the queens cannot design new armaments, they've borrowed from 200 years of human innovation."

Last one in SarahAnne's post here.

That's actually a little less definitive, but variants exist already so I will remain corrected.