Alien commander's abilty to send Marines to another part of the map for about 5 res.

TinCan

I have been arguing with some people about this and I thought maybe I could get some feedback from smart people like you. The question is how much should a commander cyst (around mid game). Specifically, should they wait until a res node area is clear or pre-cyst.

My argument is: There are many situations in mid game where an Alien commander should cyst to a Marine held resource tower on the weak side of a map. My theory is the blinking RT forces (a) Marine(s) to break off from whatever the plan was and go deal with it. That alone seems like enough justification for the res spent but I think infestation still reduces the armor of the structure which is an added benefit. Also I notice when I cyst more the team can have an easier time tracking where the Marines are by watching the Cysts die if they shoot them.

- Route disruption
- Structure armor damage
- Location info
- Faster RT drop if Marines loose the area and cysts live.
- Is Rupture still a thing?

Seems like a smart investment generally.

So, how much do you cyst?

pSyk0mAn

As aggressive and as much as possible, if I have the res in mid/lategame for all the reasons you mentioned, plus bonewall and faster echoing of support structures.
Obviously you shouldn't cyst right into a marines face and try to place each cyst manually at spots that are harder to locate or shoot.

IronHorse

TinCan wrote: »

. My theory is the blinking RT forces (a) Marine(s) to break off from whatever the plan was and go deal with it.

I always ask if its infestation or lifeform, and if I am commanding, I will notify the team regarding which it is.
Meaning, if its just infestation it can be ignored 9/10 times imo.

TinCan

IronHorse wrote: »

if its just infestation it can be ignored 9/10 times imo.

As alien commander I count on that because 10 seconds later a skulk can show up and solo the rt. Even a fade can do some damage when there is no armor.

IronHorse

That produces a different alert IIRC?
Not to mention actual in game attacking sound you can hear as the commander.

*shrug* I know what you mean but most of the time that's just not the case in my own experience.. commanders just cyst in because they can and it can easily tie up marines as you suggest, so I always try to guide marines to ignore it and it usually works out for the best.

SquishpokePOOPFACE

Blinking buildings trigger OCD even though it's probably harmless. I hate babysitting RT's but I'm often compelled to do so.

maD_maX_

I love mid-late game harvester or echoing... I'll echo a harvester to a marine natural every time! Ties up the marine but more importantly its the only way to convert T-res into P-res, it doesn't have to pay for itself.

By mid game I have spent a few minutes outside the hive and have enough p-res to gorge. Gorge commander + drifter means I can rebuild base RT before rines can kill the RT I just echoed.

Get those Fades/onos their upgrades! Once the onos bubble pops its back to enzym and mucus support...