Missile Command
eggmac
Join Date: 2003-03-03 Member: 14246Members
Join Date: 2003-03-03 Member: 14246Members
<div class="IPBDescription">A great experience :)</div> I've recently read a topic about that map, saying it is not balanced etc. That topic got closed. So now I want to report my experience of last night on this map:
The aliens succeeded in pulling back the first JP rush with lots of lerks and well placed ocs and also got the second hive up before marines could afford HMGs. Still, constant marine atacks kept the aliens at bay and the fight went on, with hives going up and down all the time. Webs were welded away in no-time while upgoing marines were crushed by skilled skuls and lerks. At some point the Aliens got 3 Hives up with fades bombarding the marine base, some minutes later the marine team succeeded to get 2 hives down, but still could not kill the final one. So at the very end, the alien team won, but the whole game lasted for over an hour! I never believed Missile Command could last that long.
These constant comebacks of both teams are exactly the reason for me loving NS sooo much! <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> Unfortunately, it is not often the case... (Only once I had a game where the marines had to relocate 3 times but still were able to win)
That custom map can really be enjoyable, if played with skilled players (as every other map is as well).
The aliens succeeded in pulling back the first JP rush with lots of lerks and well placed ocs and also got the second hive up before marines could afford HMGs. Still, constant marine atacks kept the aliens at bay and the fight went on, with hives going up and down all the time. Webs were welded away in no-time while upgoing marines were crushed by skilled skuls and lerks. At some point the Aliens got 3 Hives up with fades bombarding the marine base, some minutes later the marine team succeeded to get 2 hives down, but still could not kill the final one. So at the very end, the alien team won, but the whole game lasted for over an hour! I never believed Missile Command could last that long.
These constant comebacks of both teams are exactly the reason for me loving NS sooo much! <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> Unfortunately, it is not often the case... (Only once I had a game where the marines had to relocate 3 times but still were able to win)
That custom map can really be enjoyable, if played with skilled players (as every other map is as well).
Comments
All too often the marines win simply because the aliens are starved for resources, so they're getting their first jetpacks before the second hive is up.
Still, it's a good laugh either way. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Honestly, if your comm JP rushes correctly, and mines correctly...you'll have HMG and JPs before the 2nd hive is even half done.
* for this to work no one can lerk until the secind hive is just about completely built. And, of course the skulks have to keep rushing the Marines and chomp on any buildings they can chomp on to slow the marines down.
1) Gorge- builds only two RT's and saves for the hive
2) Once the second hive is started, have another player gorge the other ramp for RT's
3) While the second gorge is doing that, the first gorge starts building OT's and Defences
4) Once the second hive is complete. One gorge web like mad up top while the second gorge goes to the midlevel and webs like mad.
5) If you make it to this stage you have a chance. The midlevel gorge can also start building OT's on the corners of the holes.
This is the only tactic I have seen work. Unless you have a silly commander that likes to build turrets are something dumb like that. The reason for saving for the second hive while only having 3 built RT's is a timing issue. With a little luck, the second hive will be complete by the time the marines get JP's.
Personally, I think the map could be improved by having three interconnected silo/tubes instead of one, with a hive at the top of each, in a triangular arrangement. Marine base in the center of a large sort of 'thrust venting' (Which could explain the 'grate' area in the middle of the silo/tube with the holes looking down into the marine base area, and also how the marines could have gotten into the bottom of the silo from the other, exposed end of the venting) chamber spread across the bottom level, in the middle of the three silo/tubes, and resource nozzles spread out across the bottom level, under the three tubes, etc.
Maybe some channeling walls in parts of the lower level to seperate it into sections or something.
This would especially help with the performance lag, even though the map would be larger, it would work better performace-wise since you wouldn't have EVERYTHING constantly in your field of view, and the marines wouldn't know exactly which direction an attack would be coming from at all times, possible feints for one set of resource nozzles while the real attack on the base comes from another, etc.
I have played an earlier beta version of the map that had all marine nozzles in a small antechamber room off to the side of the main lower section (Bugged, placement of some resource towers was similar to the few 'bad' nozzles at the top), and ladders leading up from the ground floor to the middle 'grate' platform.
I would like to see some short sections of ladder or more of the small blocks jutting out on the wall to help get Gorges down from the hive area to the middle 'grate' area, without having to evolve down to Skulk to prevent the falling death. This shouldn't throw it off too much, as the Gorge could choose to go down there and build up heavy defenses, but if there were three silo/tubes as suggested, marines could just choose to assault through another.
Having the hives seperated into three different silo/tubes, and the marine base in the center of the large bottom area could also prevent possible siege cannon exploits that *might* arise in the present arrangement.
(Siege cannons at the bottom under the hives with no vertical limits (?), with marines in their base looking up through the holes directly onto all three hives, and the siege splash damage possibly hitting multiple hives simultaneously) Not completely sure though, as I haven't seen anyone building more than a few turrets as of yet.
Any thoughts or repremands on what I've said about the map would be appreciated.
It may also be fun for you as aliens if you like playing with a significant disadvantage.
It needs further modification.
When you drop as a skulk, aim to go through one of the holes without hitting the middle level. This way you will not be seen untill you are actually on the ground. A skilled marine can pick you off with the pistol as you jump from the middle level, but even an aimbot couldn't track a skulk going full drop speed.
Remember that jetpackers have finite fuel, they have to land at some point, in some place, so stick some OCs in these places or have a skulk in each main location.
Remember, the comm cannot drop health up there, so any damage you do will help. Spit, parasite, anything that hurts will all add up.
If the server has phase health, choose phase gate hunting as a new hobby.
As soon as hive 2 is up, you have no excuses for losing a hive. What most people don't get is that umbra protects hives as well as aliens, so umbra the hive and it will survive 6 times longer under LMG/HMG attack. JPs are easy to pick off with acid rocket, so no problems there.
Remember that when a JP hits the roof, they will start to slide around it. How does this help? Well, if they slide about, they <b>will</b> eventually end up in the corner.
Web the corners first.
At hive 3, and with your first onos, your hives are invinsible. Any JP that comes near will get this months special that you get with onos. Free fall.
Paralize is the single most effective weapon the aliens have against JPs. If you can pick them off in the air, they will plummet to thier deaths. If they are over one of the res shelves, then keep paralizing them so they can't take off again. They will more than likly empty their HMG into you (If the marines arn't good enough to have HMGs by this point, then you won't need these tips) so just sit their and take it. If there is a lerk handy, get him to umbra you. As soon as the marine has to reload, the nearest skulk should go introduce himself.
The biggest, and hardest to defeat tactic is the JP rush.
If you are on hive 2 or 3 you should be ok, as paralize will take care of them quite fast, and acid rockets fired into groups of marines will hit <b>somthing</b>
If you find the rush starts before the 2nd hive is up, forget the hives, you will not be able to save them. You <b>will</b> die trying. So jump straight off and go for thier prototype lab-IPs-comm chair.
The main reason for this is that if they manage to rush you this early, they will likley have no real defs up. If they have a hundred thousand mines, someone gorg and destroy them.
My final tip is the tower thing on the marine level. If you manage to get a few DCs, surounded by OCs, they will have a pig of a time trying to remobe it by hand, or they will have to waste res on a seige.
As the OC's will not shoot at thier base, they may even leave it. If this happens, use it as a staging point/healing station for attacks.
Right, that was far to long. Sorry if it was boring, I only meant to write a couple of quick notes.
Anyone have any suggestions/comments/flames???
Link
Anyone have any suggestions/comments/flames???<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Webs
Webs are even better than paralize. You can have a static defense and they wont be able to fire. And best of all, you get it with the second hive.
Bad thing is that it can be taken down with welders but they cant use the welder and shoot the hive at the same time so thats not a big of a problem as long as the gorge put up new ones.
There is no sweeter sight than a marine freefalling without a shute <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
But the real game-balancing killer with this map is that if the marines know which end of the gun the bullets come out, they will have jp's shooting your hive before you get the second hive and webs. Sure you can skulk rush their IP's and Proto's all you want, but a watchful marine with a welder covering the minefield will fix any damage you do. With the marines' deluge of resources, they can build another proto if their's goes down.
In fact, I even had a commander once recycle EVERYTHING in our base just after we managed to get a few JP's. After we kicked the commander, I just had my men rebuild our base and we still got JP's a second time before the aliens could get the second hive up.
The only time I've seen the aliens win is, again, when the marines weren't sure which end of their lmg's they should point at the aliens.
It's a fun map to mess around in, but I'm hoping for a ns_missilecommand_final4. Oh, and I thoroughly enjoy playing a 3-hive lerk on this map. Using spores on the marines from above is like shooting from an AC-130 gunship.
Want to win as marine? Get Armory up quickly, drop mines EVERYWHERE on the floor. Cap all the res nodes. Get Arms Lab..more mines (some will have blown up by now), get protolab (more mine), get JPs. You'll have JPs before the 2nd hive even STARTS. All the while, the aliens have done nothing but explode into little skulk parts.
I seriously think having some pre-built OCs up top near the Res, and maybe 2 in the middle would help a TON! I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be hard to add building entities onto the map assigned to "team 2", but then again, I havn't done much mapping...lol.
Honestly, as it stands, there is no alien counter that will work, short of somehow getting a bunch of lerks (I still think 33 res is too much for a lerk, considdering they die in about 3 pistol shots) that are ungodly at aiming.
yes, you can drop from the TOP all the way to the bottom as onos... even though it takes so much damage from small falls.
edit: even though it is pointless already <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->