Should Marines Go 1 Team In An 14 Player Game?
Immacolata
Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 2140Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 2140Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
<div class="IPBDescription">Tell me, gurus</div> I have played and won with kharaa many times, I haven't won that many times as marine. I know the key is to STICK TOGETHER. But how much is that?
Let's say we have a 14 player server with 7 on each team. That gives 6 marines to command. Should the commander ask all 6 to stick to gether, then work their way towards a node, fortify it, go to hive, fortify it, then proceed etc.?
Or should some be relegated to Guard duty at HQ? How? What is the good way of utilizing your marines - when is a team too small or too large?
All this assumes that marines are in their cooperative mode that day. I cant count the number of times I have feasted on a lone ranger with my skulk. It is so obvious from the aliens POV that solo marines are dinner waiting to happen. Unless they are manning some well turreted outpost. Is it smart to have, say, 2 marines on "Node duty" and 4 of them on "fortify hive" duty?
Let's say we have a 14 player server with 7 on each team. That gives 6 marines to command. Should the commander ask all 6 to stick to gether, then work their way towards a node, fortify it, go to hive, fortify it, then proceed etc.?
Or should some be relegated to Guard duty at HQ? How? What is the good way of utilizing your marines - when is a team too small or too large?
All this assumes that marines are in their cooperative mode that day. I cant count the number of times I have feasted on a lone ranger with my skulk. It is so obvious from the aliens POV that solo marines are dinner waiting to happen. Unless they are manning some well turreted outpost. Is it smart to have, say, 2 marines on "Node duty" and 4 of them on "fortify hive" duty?
Comments
The remaining 4 guys (5 once the secondary bases are secure, and 6 once you have total map domination) is your offensive force and should stick together at all costs.
The trick to making this work is having the 'patrolman' never go off and do something else. This takes a lot of patience, which not many marines are good at yet. I give this guy first pick at weapons and HA/jetpacks if he sticks with it the whole game. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> The patrolman should also be able to handle one-on-one combat.
Your strike force should constantly be on the move, building up your secondary bases and turret bases. Once these guys get HA, welders, and HMGs, they can pretty much take care of themselves.
I try to do this in all my games, and it works just about 100% of the time as long as your 'patrolman' and 'security guard' stick with their orders.
Well, most of the time they don't have the chance to get Fades. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
The motion tracking upgrade (which I *always* get before an Arms Lab or weapon/armor upgrades) will let your know if you're about to be attacked, so you can get your offensive squad there before they reach the base.
But if they do launch a massive assault on the main base that you didn't see coming, try and get your offensive squad (and 'security guard') to a phase gate ASAP and take them out. Between the 5 troops and turrets, you should be able to hold them off.
If you can't, or your offensive squad is too far away from a phase gate, let the main base go. Don't send your 'security guard' in there by himself, he'll get slaughtered. That's the point of having secondary bases. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> If the main gets wiped out, you've got a place to retreat to with a backup CC. From there, you can build more infantry portals in your secondary base.
If your base is going under, and you haven't planted a backup CC yet, stop putting out weapons and throw one down - your 'security guard' can build it up for you.
At this point, with your main base gone, your offensive squad should be sent to the secondary base closest to your old main base - this is *probably* where they're going to attack next.
<EDIT>
Remember the old saying - the best defense is a good offense. With your offensive squad keeping the aliens on their toes/taking out resource towers/etc, from my experience, the aliens will worry more about regaining the ground that they've lost.
</EDIT>
I say keepem together wehn the game starts, but when you can produce Heavy Amour and HMG without going bankrupt, then i say let them be big boys on there own.
Welder + Me= pwnage <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
You're an example of a perfect 'patrolman' in my strategy. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
I suppose I've had good luck in most of my games, as I'm almost always commanding a group of very competant marines. They know the maps, don't bug me for ammo too much, and do what I ask of them.
Of course, the few games I've played which my team consisted almost entirely of Rambos... try as I might to "trick" them into working together (constantly dropping health/ammo for only the guys that work together, telling them they can have armor if they guard something, etc), I usually can't pull it off. <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo-->
Funny, cause I just played with someone <i>named</i> MeltedSnowman and we kicked some butt. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
I'm pretty sure it was the Iowa City Spider Gaming server - and if I remember correctly, I gave you a welder and you got right on doing some repairs.
We didn't really need a patrolman in that game, you guys did a good job of securing the Holoroom.
This also makes me feel like writing an article about tactics... maybe I'll post it here when I'm done.