First step, tell everyone to stay at base and not run off. I hate losing the base to an initial skulk rush.
Build one IP.
Search the map and find the main hive.
Build armoury, inform marines which hive the aliens have.
From here the strategies can vary.
It could be tech up, two hive lockdown, relocation or just rush the alien hive. (Too many variables really have any set rules. It depends on the map, the number of players, the quality of the players both alien and marine etc.)
If I decided arms lab first then I quickly upgrade armour, to give marines a fighting edge against the skulks.
If I decided observatory first, then I will assign two base defenders and then send the rest of the team to my desired starting point.
For relocations, obviously I dont build anything else, until the marines arrive at the new base.
General rules:-
Don't try and build with only one marine in a remote location unless I know the aliens are not around.
Call the marines by name and assign them tasks, they respond better.
Never drop equipment on people who dont cooperate.
Drop a few health packs every now and then to keep your forces at top fighting strength.
Don't alway rely on jetpacks and HMG's to win the game. It can be an all or nothing strategy. Level 3 guns can take out a hive too, and if things turn bad, your still in a good postion to kill the two hive aliens. Once they have two hives, tech up armour fast and switch to a HA strategy. (I havent had much luck with HA's against two hive aliens, those pesky gorges and their webs keep being a nuisance. I generally try to keep HA's very close to a phase gate for when things turn sour.)
Take the offensive to the aliens. Neglecting to attack the alien hive/resources will just give the aliens free reign to take out your own res points and structures.
Get motion fairly early, but not straight away. Its extremely helpful in predicting where the next attack will take place, allowing you to have marines in position BEFORE the aliens get there.
Move fast in your expansion. Expand on more than one front.
Recycle res points at the slightest hint of attack (unless marines are very close).
Communicate to the marines what is going on around the map ie. res points going down, aliens gathering, which bases are currently undefended. Usually the marines have no idea where the rest of the team is or what they are doing. I like to inform people of what is happening on the other side of the map.
Finally, with regards to strategy, go with the flow. Opportunities develop through personal initiative on the part of individual marines. Take those opportunities and run with them.
My number one goal is to avoid the aliens getting two hives. Two hive games can be won, but in general, they tend to go to the aliens. Having achieved this, my next goal is to win the res war.
Areas I am working on improving in:-
Cutting off commonly used routes to limit alien movement on the map.
Eliminating unprotected alien res points aggresively.
Improving the layout of the structures I build ie. not building your ip's, armoury, turret factories in the firing line. Using 'stronger' structures as barriers against acid spam if no cover is available. Avoiding buggy areas of the map, is another improvement I am making ie. eclipse on ns_eclipse, sewer on ns_caged
Remembering to ping those damn hives, that I dont have direct line of sight on! I have lost some great games due to forgetting to keep an eye on hives that should never have got off the ground.
Ok, that will do for now. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
I enjoy commanding and I do so at every opportunity. I'm slowly getting better, but I know I am not perfect.
In general people enjoy my commanding, exept when I get frustrated, hehehe...although being an admin on the server, noone says much, but I know when I am being a pain. Too many marines with their own ideas on how to win the game is my biggest frustration. I like a few suggestions, but when I am overwhelmed with suggestions from my team, it gets a bit much. ( A drawback of playing on a server with so many good commanders...hehe..bloody back seat comms!! <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->)
Heya mustard, of course you'd have one of the best posts here, just need stoney now <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Well, I play on mustard's server which is the best NS server since Ars became public and became a S***hole
Now, my additions to mustard's ideas.... Preventing aliens from getting 2 hives is extremely diffucult, and you can let them get 2 hives. Aliens will not protect their resource nodes as much as a hive (duh), so, hit them instead. My favourite tactic on nothing right now is a generator relocation, with sieges that hit the nodes in via access west, omnious kismet, miasma, communications, and ventilation. Another TF base by the double elevators sieges foreboding and together this kicks the aliens off of the upper level of the map (they can't even get through the turrets or elevators). This reduces the aliens to an available 2 hives and 2 nodes, while I myself take 7 nodes and turret them in. The whole time I've got 2 arms labs doing upgrades and usually place an extra armoury and proto in miasma because why I drop an all you can pick up buffet of marine equipment in organized piles it usually lags main base. Then I sit back with popcorn and watch my marines take out fades with their favourite equipment of choice, Or I build 5 command chairs around the map and run around with a JP after the occasional rambo skulk that's running around the upper levels and try to weld or knife the skulk. Basically, it gets really boring, and you get easily 500-2000 res by the time the game ends.
Anyway, the whole game is about resources, not hives. Take nodes, deny them nodes, siege nodes if you have to. Aliens with 3 or less nodes can't pose a large threat to marines with 3 or more nodes, even at the 3 hive stage. Plus its boring when its all skulks and lerks.
Now, to general methods... 2nd node before an armoury, good marines can take and hold a second node with only 100 bullets, and a respawn, you want to double your resource acquisition ASAP, no?
I'll usually do an IP, node, armoury, arms lab, research armour, research weapons, keep taking nodes, siege enemy hive once it begins to go up (why waste time locking it down before it goes up?, upgrades help you out as soon as they're researched, turrets don't help you out if they're in an out of the way place)
Call your marines by name, shout at them, praise them, insult them, you can get even the stupidest player to begin to participate as a team this way.
"kill a fade, get a weapon of your choice" say this on voice comm if things aren't looking good, it really gets those marines to chase them down.
Motion tracking is your friend, I usually get this before or during the 2nd weapon upgrade. Why? Because being able to watch little red dots heading towards your resource towers really helps out and you can shout to the nearest marine to head to this tower to protect it. I abhor recycling towers because I know a marine can run across the map and save it in time, if you just tell them.
You can get out of your chair, in fact I tend to encourage you doing so if you use your brain. I'll relocate to say gen, but stay in the old CC, with MT I can watch incoming aliens to my res node by my chair, and jump out and shoot them. Or if someone went down in docking wing, I'll jump out of the chair to grab their gun/finish what they were doing. See, I'm like that end boss in a game, you kill all the henchmen, and eat the chair, and the big boss in HA and HMG pops out and kills you.
Mines are your friend! to turret a res node you'll need lesse, 3 turrets and a TF. that's 80 res to protect it. can you IMAGINE what you can do with 10 packs of mines? you can fully mine a node with 2-3 packs. So take 2 nodes for the price of one! OR place them around your IPs, or randomly on the floor, or 5 on top of each other in the path of a retreating onos.
Use your brain when it comes to turrets, please? A turret factory with a blind spot is useless, unless its just there to siege something. Also, always place turrets in a circle to cover all sides of a phase gate, because aliens will go around to the far side of the gate and chew it up and there goes your hive lockdown.
<!--QuoteBegin--TeoH+Apr 14 2003, 06:23 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (TeoH @ Apr 14 2003, 06:23 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> 4. If you suck, i will get out of the chair and kill that hive myself. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> *cough* suurrrrrrre you will teoh
- Upgrade armor before weapons. - Listen for which hive they have. If you can't hear the res node, wait until an alien dies and see if you hear it spawn there. - Build nodes furthest away from their hive first, then move up and guard nodes closer to them. A lot of aliens will try to get the front nodes first. - Yell at your marines at the start not to put mines at the door, but on the floor near the buildings. It seems 7/10 times on pubs they'll go for the door. - Hide your upgrade structures (observatory and arms lab). Put them in some weird corner of your base but where they can still be defended if the aliens find it. - Conserve ammo / health drops. Only drop as much health as necessary, and don't drop at all if you only have one node. - Talk to your marines. Voicecomm is helpful for this one. Marines are much more motivated to move to a waypoint if you explain why you gave them it.
Even though upgrading weapons doesn't really do much in the early game, it really boosts marine confidence and morale which is useful, and its there for when they get 2 hives.
Ok, I didn't really say anything on how to construct a base... Pile everything together in a corner preferably, with no spaces for a skulk to sneak into it. This pile should include the TF. Marine spawns should be on the outside of the pile. To protect it you don't have to worry about running around hunting for the skulk who's hiding behind a structure, or hidden and ready to bite your face. Now, place turrets in a perimeter around the pile, but not part of the pile. Preferably in pairs, and against walls. Add turrets at any valuable chokepoints as necessary. Plan to put this where it won't be acidrocketed. Never put armouries where acid rocket can hit the armoury humpers.
Mines, yes, please, place them on the ground. In a few limited situations its more beneficial to place them in a screen on the door, but usually go for the floor. Also, use mines on the wall to discourage aliens (even though you can do a skulk rush and blow a hole in any screen, skulks will look at it and decide not to attack it), and put mines in any vents.
Next favourite tactic... On some maps you have vents looking at a hive. Great, wouldn't it be good if you could sit and shoot the hive? Oh wait, you get acidrocketed, lerked, or skulk when reloading. Queue teamwork hack, Get 1 HA with HMG. and a JP with a welder, have the JP boost the HA into the vent (ex, the vents in mess hall on nancy, that lead to subspace, or noname). HA goes first, and shoots hive, JP welds the HA. Keep HA equipped with ammo. You can scale this up to include another HA to weld the other HA so the JP doesn't die flom acidrocket splash damage.
When taking resource nodes in high risk areas, always secure the node, or at least the area first. (turret fac goes first, and turrets, then node, and additional turrets). You're less likely to loose your buildings this way.
If you have done a 2 hive grab, and locked them down. ensure that you won't loose the TF or phase esp if you won't be able to reinforce the area from the outside (its WOLed in). Drop 2 TFs and another phase. Too often I see turret farms with 1 factory that'll go down and you loose the whole farm. A TF costs as much as a turret! 8 turrets and two factories is better than 9 turrets and a factory!
When my marines listen to me, I hook them up with some quality gear. When they do not, they get a WP on the face.
When people ask for welders or Phasegates or turret factories or any other thing that costs res and I cannot afford, they get a warning to shut up. If they continue to ****, they get a way point on the face. I dont like to repeat myself, when commanding i try to keep voice comm clear and to the point.
I always pressure the hive from the beginning, its just too good to pass up, even if the marines keep dying, and they keep attacking, thats fine, it ties up a lot of skulks and can possible prevent a gorge from popping up, simply because of the threat of the marine pressence. While i'm mircomanaging them, i try to expand so that I can honor my part of the deal when I say i will hook them up.
there are a couple of things I do in every single round I command, after doing these things I play it by ear.
1) start armor level 1 in the first 1 minute or less (asap if not sooner) 2) find out which hive the aliens started at 3) build a secondary res node asap
After reading this forum, I guess that, being NS such a new game, every server has it own "rules", "strategies" and players.
For example, I always research weapons upgrade first, because I know that the people that plays in the server I play have good acuracy, and usualy dont get bitten by a skulk.
I also dont research Motion early, because the people on my server are great players and usualy use headfones, so they dont "need" motion tracking.
Also I always tell marines to use mines on doors and vents. I do that because usualy aliens fear mines and dont try to get thru it. Also, I tell the marines to do at least 3 layers of mines to avoid aliens of coming inside.
In maps that have vents leading to the base, when mines are not the best option, I relocate to a hive, or a double ressource node, like atmosferic. That map that have atmosferic and feedwater (I dont remember the name) is a pain in the **** to defend the marine base, because of the elevator, vent and the round door, so I just relocate to atmosferic because it is an open area and it has 2 rts.
Really? Did you know that on a large enough server its IMPOSSIBLE to kill marines which have prepared for 3 hives on bast? First, fully upgraded weapons and armour. Two lights, one with a welder can then block the rotating door with simple usage of sticking one in the door and the other welding him. Use heavies if you're paranoid. Give them a bodyguard if you're a schizo. Next, some servers won't let you break vents. Weld all 3 vents. This reduces the aliens to only being able to use the elevator. Drop some sieges to stop them from dropping lame on it. Eventually they'll drop lame just outside of the range of the sieges and saturate the area. Prepare several armouries, a few HMG HA, and the rest as grenadiers. Practice chucking grenades down the elevator, you can get to the point where there's a 2-6 grenades blowing up a second, with turrets to cut anything that gets through and HMGs to clean up a rush.
<!--QuoteBegin--Fortuna Wolf+Apr 19 2003, 03:38 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Fortuna Wolf @ Apr 19 2003, 03:38 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Really? Did you know that on a large enough server its IMPOSSIBLE to kill marines which have prepared for 3 hives on bast? First, fully upgraded weapons and armour. Two lights, one with a welder can then block the rotating door with simple usage of sticking one in the door and the other welding him. Use heavies if you're paranoid. Give them a bodyguard if you're a schizo. Next, some servers won't let you break vents. Weld all 3 vents. This reduces the aliens to only being able to use the elevator. Drop some sieges to stop them from dropping lame on it. Eventually they'll drop lame just outside of the range of the sieges and saturate the area. Prepare several armouries, a few HMG HA, and the rest as grenadiers. Practice chucking grenades down the elevator, you can get to the point where there's a 2-6 grenades blowing up a second, with turrets to cut anything that gets through and HMGs to clean up a rush.
Viola, the uber defended marine base on bast. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> But the problem is that I play in a server with 24 players, 12 in each team.
The begining rush is just awfull. Imagine 12 skulks rushing together in that map. Just staying alive after that looks like a miracle. You can barely build 2 ips and 1 armory. If you survive, then you have to send a team of marines with a welder. Even if they can weld the vent, minutes later an skulk will become a gorge just to open the welded vent.
After that, it all comes apart. There is no way to mine the vent, and the aliens keep coming. Build sentrys is just too costly to do, because you have to protect the ips, armory and cc.
So, I think it is easier to relocate to atmosferic. It is easier to defend and also close to Feed. Also have 2 rts.
Also, it is very hard to find players that work as a team. Usualy the only things that they do together is building (and get killed because nobody protected them), rush in the begining and destroying the enemy base. Assigning bodyguards never work, and when you tell someone to protect another they just go the other way.
HA > JP (Died in the wool HA fan Sorry about that)
Res Nodes are more important than hives
The shotgun is your new god
SUYF and do as I say
Armoury Humping gives you testicular cancer
If it goes wrong its the rambos fault <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin--ZiGGY^+Apr 19 2003, 11:58 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (ZiGGY^ @ Apr 19 2003, 11:58 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> yeah you remember the LoG friendly where you lost as marines on nothing... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Yea and i remember getting out of the chair and killing both your hives in that match. Losing the marine base in the process was.... a minor setback.
btw your sense of humour is just <b><u>Amazing</u></b>
- Gather maximum res as far away as possible from kharaa (start hive possibly) as soon as possible - If something is chewing rt at least 3 seconds sell it, even if there are marines close, you can rebuild it after that - Always have at least 1 marine harassing or camping between marine base and kharaa active hive(s) - Attack is the best defense - If something doesn't work when you try it second time you should forget it - There's only one way to lead a conquest. Shout, shout and shout again!
<!--QuoteBegin--Twilight Wolf+Apr 14 2003, 05:22 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Twilight Wolf @ Apr 14 2003, 05:22 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> 3.If you do ask for waypoint, I assume you are n00b and don't know the map! <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> I've had this problem - as a new player to NS I've had heads-up-their-arses commanders give me wps and then accused me off going off ramboing simply because I had to try several paths to get to my destination. I don't know these maps off by heart! And then they refuse to heal me after tackling skulks/lerks in my way despite having 100+ res simply because they claim I haven't followed orders. Jesus Christ on a pogo stick... <img src='http://www.bangla2000.com/mboard/images/rolleyes.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
<!--QuoteBegin--Flatline[UTD]+Apr 13 2003, 01:16 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Flatline[UTD] @ Apr 13 2003, 01:16 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> 1. Never stick with a plan. Keep changing it up to keep everyone on their toes.
2. Ignore the players that aren't helping your team; reward the ones that are.
3. If you know for a fact that you can't pull out a win, let someone that wants to learn how to command in the chair. If no one does, reign weapons and equipment down on everyone. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> This man is wise beyond his years.
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->1. Never stick with a plan. Keep changing it up to keep everyone on their toes.
what do you mean by this? do you mean keep the enemy on his toes, or your own men? keeping your own men on their toes can often lead to confusion, but by keeping them informed you can combat that, while changing much faster than the aliens can compensate for. I believe that you mean keep the enemy off balance, or did i miss something?
FW - unless you can do an instantaneous 700 points of damage to every onos in a team of onii - no. Level 3 regen on an onos regens something like 100-150 hp every tick. I'l also remark that gorges can spit open the vent, and a lerk or two sporing the base will do (I'd think you'd know that) wonders at keeping those welders dead.
Comm style ala Tiberius: - a quick res cap, ~4-5 res, men protect the res, not hive locations - fast weapon upgrades, keep the pressure on - no TF:s or anything on hive locations - research jp, ha and hmg - if victory = certain, then I save about 300-400 res and finish the job with a 7 man HA+HMG attack, a 7 man HA+WELDER attack or a siege attack (about 10-20 sieges firing at the hive, goes down in about 2-5 seconds)
-if victory = not certain, then I send JP +HMG attacks to take down the hive/hives, or make a normal siege attack (2-3 sieges)
thsi is one of my tried adn true strategies. it should never fail if you r marines grunts are experienced.
for NS_NOTHING and NS_NANCY
1. I use voive comms AND keyboard typing (i type VERY VERY fast.) II assume everybody knows their way around the map, and thus do not use waypoints because they clutter teh screens of the marine. if i see a hiding enemy from being near an obs, etc, adn one of my marines doesnt, i might waypoint that alien to make the marine's life a little easier. taht is my only exception to this.
2. i only build 1 ip in teh beginnign, because tahts all you need. (im used to experienced players, who have good, consistent aim, and know the maps entirely by memory)
3. lots of mines, about 90% on the ground. on rt's on and around ip, etc.
4. move groups of 2-3 marines to forward, strategic location where there is also a res node, build an armory there. and drop LOTS of mines. one builds, the other covers. if one needs to reload, they alternate. ALSO, they do not leave these outposts until teh commander tells them too, which comes later.. do this for 2 rt locations.
5. build observatory.
6. build phase gate at all outposts.
7. arms lab and upgrade armor 1.
8. when resources begin to become plentiful, begin building tf and 4 turrets (one each side) to add additional defense to outposts.
9. weapons 1
10. siege hive
11. end game without heavy upgrades or weapons.
i use variations of tthis strategy frequently. i usually play on servers with highly experienced people who are usually the same crowd daily. They all know the maps, and have fairly decent aim. Depending on following orders exactly, etc, adn commander giving marines heads up on inc aliens etc, this can be used to win in a very quick time, under half an hour, adn if done preoperly, the aliens wont be able to expand to a second hive.
Distributing shotguns at the forward bases when the res is available early on is a big help on keeping them there in teh beginning. I cannot rreinforce how underutilized shotguns are.
This is not necessarily my exact order. You would have to see me command to actualyl understand it . The forward armories are teh key to the strategy. being able to let teh troops get ammo on their own saves resources in the long run on forward base things, and marines dont have to phase into ase, leaving a sub-base undefended to reload their ordinance.
This strategy is newarly impossible to pull off on a public server.
Sounds like a very ace tactic. However you might want to try modifying just on some offchance you DON'T get supersoldiers <img src='http://216.40.249.192/s/contrib/ed/wink2.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image'>.
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->What Are Your Principle Beliefs?, As Comm<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin--dizzy.souls+May 9 2003, 07:34 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (dizzy.souls @ May 9 2003, 07:34 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> - assualt bases have a pg and an armry, no TF!! <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Remind me not to play in your team. Not that I can fault your points - some great stuff in there, as a matter of fact - but with Pgs everyhwere I couldn't play properly. An example of what happens when I get anywhere near pgs or welders (top left hand corner):
<!--QuoteBegin--Brave Ulysses+May 9 2003, 09:17 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Brave Ulysses @ May 9 2003, 09:17 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--dizzy.souls+May 9 2003, 07:34 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (dizzy.souls @ May 9 2003, 07:34 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> - assualt bases have a pg and an armry, no TF!! <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Remind me not to play in your team. Not that I can fault your points - some great stuff in there, as a matter of fact - but with Pgs everyhwere I couldn't play properly. An example of what happens when I get anywhere near pgs or welders (top left hand corner): <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> heh thats pretty nasty :o (I thought my fps was bad...)
I didnt say that I was gonna build like a pg to everywhere
Usually one or two, a 2 hive lockdown has 2 aswell... So if u dont lmg rush or jp rush or hmg rush u will get to this pg thing eventually...
Comments
- Strike fast, before the enemy become strong. (Tech rush, Phase Gate rush...)
- Know your team, and use each one of the players as best as you can.
- "None strategy ever survives first contact with the enemy". So change it as the game goes on.
I guess my "book of principles" is The Art of War, by Sun Tzu.
Strike fast, never wage war for too long. Kill The enemy before it can defend itself.
First step, tell everyone to stay at base and not run off. I hate losing the base to an initial skulk rush.
Build one IP.
Search the map and find the main hive.
Build armoury, inform marines which hive the aliens have.
From here the strategies can vary.
It could be tech up, two hive lockdown, relocation or just rush the alien hive. (Too many variables really have any set rules. It depends on the map, the number of players, the quality of the players both alien and marine etc.)
If I decided arms lab first then I quickly upgrade armour, to give marines a fighting edge against the skulks.
If I decided observatory first, then I will assign two base defenders and then send the rest of the team to my desired starting point.
For relocations, obviously I dont build anything else, until the marines arrive at the new base.
General rules:-
Don't try and build with only one marine in a remote location unless I know the aliens are not around.
Call the marines by name and assign them tasks, they respond better.
Never drop equipment on people who dont cooperate.
Drop a few health packs every now and then to keep your forces at top fighting strength.
Don't alway rely on jetpacks and HMG's to win the game. It can be an all or nothing strategy. Level 3 guns can take out a hive too, and if things turn bad, your still in a good postion to kill the two hive aliens. Once they have two hives, tech up armour fast and switch to a HA strategy. (I havent had much luck with HA's against two hive aliens, those pesky gorges and their webs keep being a nuisance. I generally try to keep HA's very close to a phase gate for when things turn sour.)
Take the offensive to the aliens. Neglecting to attack the alien hive/resources will just give the aliens free reign to take out your own res points and structures.
Get motion fairly early, but not straight away. Its extremely helpful in predicting where the next attack will take place, allowing you to have marines in position BEFORE the aliens get there.
Move fast in your expansion. Expand on more than one front.
Recycle res points at the slightest hint of attack (unless marines are very close).
Communicate to the marines what is going on around the map ie. res points going down, aliens gathering, which bases are currently undefended. Usually the marines have no idea where the rest of the team is or what they are doing. I like to inform people of what is happening on the other side of the map.
Finally, with regards to strategy, go with the flow. Opportunities develop through personal initiative on the part of individual marines. Take those opportunities and run with them.
My number one goal is to avoid the aliens getting two hives. Two hive games can be won, but in general, they tend to go to the aliens. Having achieved this, my next goal is to win the res war.
Areas I am working on improving in:-
Cutting off commonly used routes to limit alien movement on the map.
Eliminating unprotected alien res points aggresively.
Improving the layout of the structures I build ie. not building your ip's, armoury, turret factories in the firing line. Using 'stronger' structures as barriers against acid spam if no cover is available. Avoiding buggy areas of the map, is another improvement I am making ie. eclipse on ns_eclipse, sewer on ns_caged
Remembering to ping those damn hives, that I dont have direct line of sight on! I have lost some great games due to forgetting to keep an eye on hives that should never have got off the ground.
Ok, that will do for now. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
I enjoy commanding and I do so at every opportunity. I'm slowly getting better, but I know I am not perfect.
In general people enjoy my commanding, exept when I get frustrated, hehehe...although being an admin on the server, noone says much, but I know when I am being a pain. Too many marines with their own ideas on how to win the game is my biggest frustration. I like a few suggestions, but when I am overwhelmed with suggestions from my team, it gets a bit much. ( A drawback of playing on a server with so many good commanders...hehe..bloody back seat comms!! <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->)
Well, I play on mustard's server which is the best NS server since Ars became public and became a S***hole
Now, my additions to mustard's ideas.... Preventing aliens from getting 2 hives is extremely diffucult, and you can let them get 2 hives. Aliens will not protect their resource nodes as much as a hive (duh), so, hit them instead. My favourite tactic on nothing right now is a generator relocation, with sieges that hit the nodes in via access west, omnious kismet, miasma, communications, and ventilation. Another TF base by the double elevators sieges foreboding and together this kicks the aliens off of the upper level of the map (they can't even get through the turrets or elevators). This reduces the aliens to an available 2 hives and 2 nodes, while I myself take 7 nodes and turret them in. The whole time I've got 2 arms labs doing upgrades and usually place an extra armoury and proto in miasma because why I drop an all you can pick up buffet of marine equipment in organized piles it usually lags main base. Then I sit back with popcorn and watch my marines take out fades with their favourite equipment of choice, Or I build 5 command chairs around the map and run around with a JP after the occasional rambo skulk that's running around the upper levels and try to weld or knife the skulk. Basically, it gets really boring, and you get easily 500-2000 res by the time the game ends.
Anyway, the whole game is about resources, not hives. Take nodes, deny them nodes, siege nodes if you have to. Aliens with 3 or less nodes can't pose a large threat to marines with 3 or more nodes, even at the 3 hive stage. Plus its boring when its all skulks and lerks.
Now, to general methods...
2nd node before an armoury, good marines can take and hold a second node with only 100 bullets, and a respawn, you want to double your resource acquisition ASAP, no?
I'll usually do an IP, node, armoury, arms lab, research armour, research weapons, keep taking nodes, siege enemy hive once it begins to go up (why waste time locking it down before it goes up?, upgrades help you out as soon as they're researched, turrets don't help you out if they're in an out of the way place)
Call your marines by name, shout at them, praise them, insult them, you can get even the stupidest player to begin to participate as a team this way.
"kill a fade, get a weapon of your choice" say this on voice comm if things aren't looking good, it really gets those marines to chase them down.
Motion tracking is your friend, I usually get this before or during the 2nd weapon upgrade. Why? Because being able to watch little red dots heading towards your resource towers really helps out and you can shout to the nearest marine to head to this tower to protect it. I abhor recycling towers because I know a marine can run across the map and save it in time, if you just tell them.
You can get out of your chair, in fact I tend to encourage you doing so if you use your brain. I'll relocate to say gen, but stay in the old CC, with MT I can watch incoming aliens to my res node by my chair, and jump out and shoot them. Or if someone went down in docking wing, I'll jump out of the chair to grab their gun/finish what they were doing. See, I'm like that end boss in a game, you kill all the henchmen, and eat the chair, and the big boss in HA and HMG pops out and kills you.
Mines are your friend! to turret a res node you'll need lesse, 3 turrets and a TF. that's 80 res to protect it.
can you IMAGINE what you can do with 10 packs of mines? you can fully mine a node with 2-3 packs. So take 2 nodes for the price of one!
OR place them around your IPs, or randomly on the floor, or 5 on top of each other in the path of a retreating onos.
Use your brain when it comes to turrets, please? A turret factory with a blind spot is useless, unless its just there to siege something. Also, always place turrets in a circle to cover all sides of a phase gate, because aliens will go around to the far side of the gate and chew it up and there goes your hive lockdown.
Hum, that's all for now.
*cough* suurrrrrrre you will teoh
He're a few of the things I like to stick by:
- Upgrade armor before weapons.
- Listen for which hive they have. If you can't hear the res node, wait until an alien dies and see if you hear it spawn there.
- Build nodes furthest away from their hive first, then move up and guard nodes closer to them. A lot of aliens will try to get the front nodes first.
- Yell at your marines at the start not to put mines at the door, but on the floor near the buildings. It seems 7/10 times on pubs they'll go for the door.
- Hide your upgrade structures (observatory and arms lab). Put them in some weird corner of your base but where they can still be defended if the aliens find it.
- Conserve ammo / health drops. Only drop as much health as necessary, and don't drop at all if you only have one node.
- Talk to your marines. Voicecomm is helpful for this one. Marines are much more motivated to move to a waypoint if you explain why you gave them it.
<a href='http://www.geocities.com/kitsune/104estats.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.geocities.com/kitsune/104estats.htm</a>
For the last time, it doesn't do much early on or even later on! Please stop researching it as the first upgrade, it doesn't do anything.
Ok, I didn't really say anything on how to construct a base...
Pile everything together in a corner preferably, with no spaces for a skulk to sneak into it. This pile should include the TF. Marine spawns should be on the outside of the pile. To protect it you don't have to worry about running around hunting for the skulk who's hiding behind a structure, or hidden and ready to bite your face. Now, place turrets in a perimeter around the pile, but not part of the pile. Preferably in pairs, and against walls. Add turrets at any valuable chokepoints as necessary.
Plan to put this where it won't be acidrocketed. Never put armouries where acid rocket can hit the armoury humpers.
Mines, yes, please, place them on the ground. In a few limited situations its more beneficial to place them in a screen on the door, but usually go for the floor.
Also, use mines on the wall to discourage aliens (even though you can do a skulk rush and blow a hole in any screen, skulks will look at it and decide not to attack it), and put mines in any vents.
Next favourite tactic... On some maps you have vents looking at a hive. Great, wouldn't it be good if you could sit and shoot the hive? Oh wait, you get acidrocketed, lerked, or skulk when reloading. Queue teamwork hack, Get 1 HA with HMG. and a JP with a welder, have the JP boost the HA into the vent (ex, the vents in mess hall on nancy, that lead to subspace, or noname). HA goes first, and shoots hive, JP welds the HA. Keep HA equipped with ammo. You can scale this up to include another HA to weld the other HA so the JP doesn't die flom acidrocket splash damage.
When taking resource nodes in high risk areas, always secure the node, or at least the area first. (turret fac goes first, and turrets, then node, and additional turrets). You're less likely to loose your buildings this way.
If you have done a 2 hive grab, and locked them down. ensure that you won't loose the TF or phase esp if you won't be able to reinforce the area from the outside (its WOLed in). Drop 2 TFs and another phase.
Too often I see turret farms with 1 factory that'll go down and you loose the whole farm. A TF costs as much as a turret! 8 turrets and two factories is better than 9 turrets and a factory!
Hum, that's all I can think of right now.
Bring it on nubcaeks!
When people ask for welders or Phasegates or turret factories or any other thing that costs res and I cannot afford, they get a warning to shut up. If they continue to ****, they get a way point on the face. I dont like to repeat myself, when commanding i try to keep voice comm clear and to the point.
I always pressure the hive from the beginning, its just too good to pass up, even if the marines keep dying, and they keep attacking, thats fine, it ties up a lot of skulks and can possible prevent a gorge from popping up, simply because of the threat of the marine pressence. While i'm mircomanaging them, i try to expand so that I can honor my part of the deal when I say i will hook them up.
1) start armor level 1 in the first 1 minute or less (asap if not sooner)
2) find out which hive the aliens started at
3) build a secondary res node asap
For example, I always research weapons upgrade first, because I know that the people that plays in the server I play have good acuracy, and usualy dont get bitten by a skulk.
I also dont research Motion early, because the people on my server are great players and usualy use headfones, so they dont "need" motion tracking.
Also I always tell marines to use mines on doors and vents. I do that because usualy aliens fear mines and dont try to get thru it. Also, I tell the marines to do at least 3 layers of mines to avoid aliens of coming inside.
In maps that have vents leading to the base, when mines are not the best option, I relocate to a hive, or a double ressource node, like atmosferic. That map that have atmosferic and feedwater (I dont remember the name) is a pain in the **** to defend the marine base, because of the elevator, vent and the round door, so I just relocate to atmosferic because it is an open area and it has 2 rts.
First, fully upgraded weapons and armour. Two lights, one with a welder can then block the rotating door with simple usage of sticking one in the door and the other welding him. Use heavies if you're paranoid. Give them a bodyguard if you're a schizo.
Next, some servers won't let you break vents. Weld all 3 vents. This reduces the aliens to only being able to use the elevator. Drop some sieges to stop them from dropping lame on it. Eventually they'll drop lame just outside of the range of the sieges and saturate the area. Prepare several armouries, a few HMG HA, and the rest as grenadiers. Practice chucking grenades down the elevator, you can get to the point where there's a 2-6 grenades blowing up a second, with turrets to cut anything that gets through and HMGs to clean up a rush.
Viola, the uber defended marine base on bast.
First, fully upgraded weapons and armour. Two lights, one with a welder can then block the rotating door with simple usage of sticking one in the door and the other welding him. Use heavies if you're paranoid. Give them a bodyguard if you're a schizo.
Next, some servers won't let you break vents. Weld all 3 vents. This reduces the aliens to only being able to use the elevator. Drop some sieges to stop them from dropping lame on it. Eventually they'll drop lame just outside of the range of the sieges and saturate the area. Prepare several armouries, a few HMG HA, and the rest as grenadiers. Practice chucking grenades down the elevator, you can get to the point where there's a 2-6 grenades blowing up a second, with turrets to cut anything that gets through and HMGs to clean up a rush.
Viola, the uber defended marine base on bast. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
But the problem is that I play in a server with 24 players, 12 in each team.
The begining rush is just awfull. Imagine 12 skulks rushing together in that map. Just staying alive after that looks like a miracle. You can barely build 2 ips and 1 armory. If you survive, then you have to send a team of marines with a welder. Even if they can weld the vent, minutes later an skulk will become a gorge just to open the welded vent.
After that, it all comes apart. There is no way to mine the vent, and the aliens keep coming. Build sentrys is just too costly to do, because you have to protect the ips, armory and cc.
So, I think it is easier to relocate to atmosferic. It is easier to defend and also close to Feed. Also have 2 rts.
Also, it is very hard to find players that work as a team. Usualy the only things that they do together is building (and get killed because nobody protected them), rush in the begining and destroying the enemy base. Assigning bodyguards never work, and when you tell someone to protect another they just go the other way.
Bring it on nubcaeks! <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
yeah you remember the LoG friendly where you lost as marines on nothing...
Res Nodes are more important than hives
The shotgun is your new god
SUYF and do as I say
Armoury Humping gives you testicular cancer
If it goes wrong its the rambos fault <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
Yea and i remember getting out of the chair and killing both your hives in that match. Losing the marine base in the process was.... a minor setback.
btw your sense of humour is just <b><u>Amazing</u></b>
- If something is chewing rt at least 3 seconds sell it, even if there are marines close, you can rebuild it after that
- Always have at least 1 marine harassing or camping between marine base and kharaa active hive(s)
- Attack is the best defense
- If something doesn't work when you try it second time you should forget it
- There's only one way to lead a conquest. Shout, shout and shout again!
3.If you do ask for waypoint, I assume you are n00b and don't know the map! <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I've had this problem - as a new player to NS I've had heads-up-their-arses commanders give me wps and then accused me off going off ramboing simply because I had to try several paths to get to my destination. I don't know these maps off by heart! And then they refuse to heal me after tackling skulks/lerks in my way despite having 100+ res simply because they claim I haven't followed orders. Jesus Christ on a pogo stick... <img src='http://www.bangla2000.com/mboard/images/rolleyes.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
2. Ignore the players that aren't helping your team; reward the ones that are.
3. If you know for a fact that you can't pull out a win, let someone that wants to learn how to command in the chair. If no one does, reign weapons and equipment down on everyone. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
This man is wise beyond his years.
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
what do you mean by this? do you mean keep the enemy on his toes, or your own men? keeping your own men on their toes can often lead to confusion, but by keeping them informed you can combat that, while changing much faster than the aliens can compensate for. I believe that you mean keep the enemy off balance, or did i miss something?
- a quick res cap, ~4-5 res, men protect the res, not hive locations
- fast weapon upgrades, keep the pressure on
- no TF:s or anything on hive locations
- research jp, ha and hmg
- if victory = certain, then I save about 300-400 res and finish the job with a 7 man HA+HMG attack, a 7 man HA+WELDER attack or a siege attack (about 10-20 sieges firing at the hive, goes down in about 2-5 seconds)
-if victory = not certain, then I send JP +HMG attacks to take down the hive/hives, or make a normal siege attack (2-3 sieges)
for NS_NOTHING and NS_NANCY
1. I use voive comms AND keyboard typing (i type VERY VERY fast.) II assume everybody knows their way around the map, and thus do not use waypoints because they clutter teh screens of the marine. if i see a hiding enemy from being near an obs, etc, adn one of my marines doesnt, i might waypoint that alien to make the marine's life a little easier. taht is my only exception to this.
2. i only build 1 ip in teh beginnign, because tahts all you need. (im used to experienced players, who have good, consistent aim, and know the maps entirely by memory)
3. lots of mines, about 90% on the ground. on rt's on and around ip, etc.
4. move groups of 2-3 marines to forward, strategic location where there is also a res node, build an armory there. and drop LOTS of mines. one builds, the other covers. if one needs to reload, they alternate. ALSO, they do not leave these outposts until teh commander tells them too, which comes later.. do this for 2 rt locations.
5. build observatory.
6. build phase gate at all outposts.
7. arms lab and upgrade armor 1.
8. when resources begin to become plentiful, begin building tf and 4 turrets (one each side) to add additional defense to outposts.
9. weapons 1
10. siege hive
11. end game without heavy upgrades or weapons.
i use variations of tthis strategy frequently. i usually play on servers with highly experienced people who are usually the same crowd daily. They all know the maps, and have fairly decent aim. Depending on following orders exactly, etc, adn commander giving marines heads up on inc aliens etc, this can be used to win in a very quick time, under half an hour, adn if done preoperly, the aliens wont be able to expand to a second hive.
Distributing shotguns at the forward bases when the res is available early on is a big help on keeping them there in teh beginning. I cannot rreinforce how underutilized shotguns are.
This is not necessarily my exact order. You would have to see me command to actualyl understand it . The forward armories are teh key to the strategy. being able to let teh troops get ammo on their own saves resources in the long run on forward base things, and marines dont have to phase into ase, leaving a sub-base undefended to reload their ordinance.
This strategy is newarly impossible to pull off on a public server.
Easy:
<img src='http://www.jokaroo.com/archive/0006.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
Roo
- try to give health b4 rines ask for it, and always, except when u have almost enough money to do a upgrade
- armslab and gunupgrades ASAP (after that the rest)
- make assualt bases on tactical places (sometimes in hives but most of the time they're next to a hive or in the middle of a map (at a rt usually)
- assualt bases have a pg and an armry, no TF!! only if we need to siege (or when we have to much res, then it never hurts to build a tf with trrts)
-pwn them before they have a second hive, if they have a 2nd hive still pwn them
This works most of the time and the games are between very short and very long
[edit] I mean mid-games! [/edit]
Remind me not to play in your team. Not that I can fault your points - some great stuff in there, as a matter of fact - but with Pgs everyhwere I couldn't play properly. An example of what happens when I get anywhere near pgs or welders (top left hand corner):
Remind me not to play in your team. Not that I can fault your points - some great stuff in there, as a matter of fact - but with Pgs everyhwere I couldn't play properly. An example of what happens when I get anywhere near pgs or welders (top left hand corner): <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
heh thats pretty nasty :o (I thought my fps was bad...)
I didnt say that I was gonna build like a pg to everywhere
Usually one or two, a 2 hive lockdown has 2 aswell... So if u dont lmg rush or jp rush or hmg rush u will get to this pg thing eventually...