I Can't Fight Worth A Damn.

WarpZone · July 2003

<div class="IPBDescription">I feel so impotent</div> Everybody always stands on the marine door, so I always end up an alien when I pick Random Team. I used to enjoy playing as an alien, but nowadays marines relocate to a hive so fast I never get an opprotunity to play as anything other than a skulk. And as a skulk, every time I see a marine, I die instantly. I try to bite them but they jump around so much and still seem to have perfect aim, because even if I jump around too, they still kill me within like 1 second, and I certianly can't see them and get close enough to bite them while we're both jumping around randomly. I guess it's just ping or something. The only time I ever do damage is with Parasite, and even then, I need to hold down the button and drain all my Energy firing a 3 round burst, because otherwise, I know the first shot will probably miss.

Short of springing for a T1 line, what can I do? <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'>

MMZ_Torak · July 2003

Well there are three things you can do:
Practice, Practice, Practice.

Actually try to be more sneaky and wait in ambush. Also, parasiting marines is a very helpful thing. If you can run around and just parasite marines until you get carapace, you'll really be helping your team alot. Once you have carapace, you should be able to colse with marines better. Happy Chomping!

:CHOMPEH: <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'>

Supernorn · July 2003

typing jointeamone into the console will get you onto the marine team fast.

It gets boring playing the same team everytime, so i can see where you're coming from.

lolfighter · July 2003

Strafing correctly as a skulk is important. If you run forward, aim at the marine, and then strafe left and right, you don't get much sideways motion, making you an easy target. The trick is to run forward, strafe right, then look right in a 45° angle to the marine. Then strafe left, looking left in a 45° angle to the marine. Alternate this and you change directions rapidly, making you a harder target.
Until I started doing this, I had the same problems as you. This works wonders for me.

Vigilantia · July 2003

Norn: Actually I usually always play marine except when forced to go aliens, and I dont get bored (=. Also, its not a good idea to run right up to a marine in a strait line because your a flashing target, I dont know how many skulks i've killed that have just ran up to me hoping I dont <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'> .

One tip for skulking: if your gonna rush em, strafe and jump. I prefer hiding where they dont expect it tho, like on the roofs on top of the elevator on ns_Hera. Thats my fav hunting spot.

a_civilian · July 2003

Remember that you have the ability to climb on walls. Use it.

<edit> Oh and I mean in combat, to dodge. Not just to get into ambush positions.

Stakhanov · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Capt. Proton @ Jul 11 2003, 12:40 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> I prefer hiding where they dont expect it tho, like on the roofs on top of the elevator on ns_Hera. Thats my fav hunting spot.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
Any marine but a HA is skulkbait while standing on a ladder... it is generally easy to figure when they will reach the top of the ladder by hearing the footsteps , as opposed to marines walking on the floor giving you a very vague idea of where they are. When you hear one climbing a ladder , wait at the top of it and chomp them , pushing them downwards. It works very well ,the bottom of a ladder is a skulk friendly place.

nojmaster · July 2003

On the first rush try and go to where the rines are likely to relocate, for instance on nothing, its a relatively safe bet that rines are gonna go for cargo so try and get into ambush positions ahead of the rine rush, coming down behind a rine is much nice than running at him from the front, you're almost garanteed to kill or wound at least one, so even if you get wasted you make it easier for your team.

Ricey · July 2003

i personal think marine relocating is cheap. if they want rt's in that area (nothing) so bad lay down a TF.

Umbraed_Monkey · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (a civilian @ Jul 10 2003, 05:44 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Remember that you have the ability to climb on walls. Use it.

<edit> Oh and I mean in combat, to dodge. Not just to get into ambush positions.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
Yep. Just to add to this, make sure the walls are smooth before you start going for the wall, otherwise, youll just get caught on something and become easy target.

Another thing you can try is to tag along another skulk. Either work together, or let him die trying to kill someone, and finish off the marine he was working on <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

Minstrel_Knight · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Ricey @ Jul 10 2003, 07:35 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> i personal think marine relocating is cheap. if they want rt's in that area (nothing) so bad lay down a TF.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
Calling a tactic cheap only increases its effectiveness.

taboofires · July 2003

Name has nothing to do with effectiveness!

That said, to avoid becoming skulkfood you do your best to engage the kharaa when not near a corner (vent, etc.), and as a skulk to try to force the marines to engage at a corner. Patience and teamwork are good for a marine, stealth and the ability to lure work well for a skulk.

Minstrel_Knight · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (taboofires @ Jul 10 2003, 09:28 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Name has nothing to do with effectiveness!
 </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
True but his attitude does. If he decides that a tactic is cheap then he is in essence giving up against that tactic and not trying to find a way to nullify it.

WarpZone · July 2003

The only way to defend against a relocation is to kill the marines before they can build anything, and that means you have to have everybody scouring the map for marines right at the start of the map and then when you find their relocation target, everybody has to get there FAST. It's kinda hard.

Minstrel_Knight · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (WarpZone @ Jul 10 2003, 10:13 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> The only way to defend against a relocation is to kill the marines before they can build anything, and that means you have to have everybody scouring the map for marines right at the start of the map and then when you find their relocation target, everybody has to get there FAST. It's kinda hard.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
On any given map there is only going to be one or two relocation spots that the marines will consider 95% of the time. On nothing they always go for cargo, on hera they go for processing, on nancy they go for mess hall. If you actually have a team with reasonable organization you can call out that they are attempting to relocate and either ambush them before they get there or coordinate an attack once they start to build. Hell I've been in a game where marines did a successful relocation to processing with siege cannons and we still managed to win.

a_civilian · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Umbraed Monkey @ Jul 10 2003, 08:47 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (a civilian @ Jul 10 2003, 05:44 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Remember that you have the ability to climb on walls. Use it.

<edit> Oh and I mean in combat, to dodge. Not just to get into ambush positions. </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
Yep. Just to add to this, make sure the walls are smooth before you start going for the wall, otherwise, youll just get caught on something and become easy target.</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
I usually just climb any wall, and if I hit a bump, I will make a quick attempt to get past it. If I fail, I will simply jump off the wall and continue dodging.

Haze · July 2003

For a llama you use big words mr...minstrel? Phst, w/e.. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'>

Maveric · July 2003

Wait for NS 2.0? <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

locallyunscene · July 2003

I don't know knight, I see Holo a lot on hera, sometimes even hera because it's close to holo and arch. Mother interface is best on nancy, bar none, and teh double res in reactor room make it a really good relocation spot on nothing. Freight is really the only good place on caged, although the middle hive on any map is a half decent relocation spot. Well except for tanith because cargo is just such better hive and viaduct is really easy for aliens to take back. Basically marines will always be able to relocate, it's just a matter of whether they take reactor room or cargo somedays.

Minstrel_Knight · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (locallyunscene @ Jul 11 2003, 12:52 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> I don't know knight, I see Holo a lot on hera, sometimes even hera because it's close to holo and arch. Mother interface is best on nancy, bar none, and teh double res in reactor room make it a really good relocation spot on nothing. Freight is really the only good place on caged, although the middle hive on any map is a half decent relocation spot. Well except for tanith because cargo is just such better hive and viaduct is really easy for aliens to take back. Basically marines will always be able to relocate, it's just a matter of whether they take reactor room or cargo somedays.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
Processing takes precedence over holo room due to the fact that siege cannons there can hit two hives and it is easier to defend, thus marines will attempt to relocate there more often. Usually marines head for holo if they fail an attempted processing relocation first, or they just recycle their base heh.

While I agree with you about mother interface being a better choice for relocation on Nancy, mess hall is a more common choice due it being a central map position and foward striking point, and one skulk can spot marines heading for either mess or no name anyway.

Caged probally has the rarest marine relocations and none of the relocation positions are particullarly effective.

Tanith I can really only think of a few games where they didn't choose cargo for the relocation spot, and if not cargo it has always been the room outside waste.

Anyway I wasn't debating the fact that marines will often manage to relocate due to poor alien skill/communication/teamwork, but rather the fact that relocation is a "cheap" and overpowered tactic.

locallyunscene · July 2003

Ah okay. Just so long as that's cleared up. As for relocation choices, we've all had different experiences I'm sure.

SoulSkorpion · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (WarpZone @ Jul 11 2003, 05:29 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Everybody always stands on the marine door, so I always end up an alien when I pick Random Team. I used to enjoy playing as an alien, but nowadays marines relocate to a hive so fast I never get an opprotunity to play as anything other than a skulk. And as a skulk, every time I see a marine, I die instantly. I try to bite them but they jump around so much and still seem to have perfect aim, because even if I jump around too, they still kill me within like 1 second, and I certianly can't see them and get close enough to bite them while we're both jumping around randomly. I guess it's just ping or something. The only time I ever do damage is with Parasite, and even then, I need to hold down the button and drain all my Energy firing a 3 round burst, because otherwise, I know the first shot will probably miss.

Short of springing for a T1 line, what can I do? <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'>  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
Read one of my bazillion posts on the subject of bulletdodging, on the Kharaa Strategy form. Oh, and get used to playing skulk - if you can't fight and kill with a skulk, you aren't worth the res you'd be spending to evolve to something else.

I Can't Fight Worth A Damn.

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