Time Frame

StoneburgStoneburg Join Date: 2002-11-11 Member: 8174Members
edited August 2003 in Kharaa Strategy
<div class="IPBDescription">When you get what</div> If you are playing on a competent team, these times are feasible.

1 min - lvl3 Move, Def or Sens.
3 min - 2:nd hive started
6 min - 2:nd hive finished
7 min - Second lvl3 upgrade and unless hive #3 is locked down it should be started
10-12 min - First Onos
12-15 mins - 3:d hive started

Record time so far on the server I am playing is to start the 2:nd hive at 2:41, that can probably be reduced some but it's more realistic to expect it to be going up at 3-5 mins. Usually the first Onos comes online at about 10-12 mins unless you have had a bunch of lerks and fades. The easiste way to accomplish this on a 10 player server:

5 people go gorge and cap a res node, then either suicide, or if there is a spawn que, evolve back to skulk.
3 people go gorge and drop an upgrade chamber, preferably M. They stay gorge to heal skulks and start dropping OC's at choke points and hives.
2 people, the best skulks, go hunting frags and save for the hive. Whoever hits 40+ first runs to the hive you want, gorge up and drop it, thew other one saves for Onos.

Easiest way to accomplish this on a less organised server is to yell at *everyone* to drop a res node, then go gorge yourself for the upgrade chambers. There will always be frag-lovers that will stay skulk and save for Onos, you just need to bully them into starting a hive instead. You will be moving towards the closest hive to drop OC's.

Tactical problems are few, the hive-rush pretty much being the only one to worry about. If a hive rush is coming, have the gorges go back to the hive for healspray and one or to people lerk up for spores.

This is a combination of Expanding (5 RT's), Teching up (lvl 3 upgrades and hive) and Turtling (gorges dropping OC's) that is available to Aliens for some reason, so you might as well use it. If you want, you can even Rush as well. Basically, Aliens are allowed to use all tactics at at least 90% effectivenes at the same time. The *only* way you can lose this is to your own incompetence, ie: letting Marines into your hive or (not realistic) letting them kill all your res nodes.

Oh, and upgrade chambers should be in the order of Move, Defense, Sensory. Move forst for celerity/silence skulks (immediatly doubling the value of every skulk) adren for lerks and adren/celerity for gorges. Defense should be second to protect the Onos.

Comments

  • ExoduS1ExoduS1 Join Date: 2003-08-10 Member: 19395Members
    just so you know... skulks are completely silenced if they hold crouch and walk.
    yes, they move slower and can't walk on walls but it means they can use a different upgrade and still sneak up on marines that are building an expansion.
  • SpazmaticSpazmatic Join Date: 2003-05-10 Member: 16184Members
    <!--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-->Oh, and upgrade chambers should be in the order of Move, Defense, Sensory. Move forst for celerity/silence skulks (immediatly doubling the value of every skulk) adren for lerks and adren/celerity for gorges. Defense should be second to protect the Onos. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Not true, it depends entirely on the team's plan. Sometimes you want s/d/m, or d/m/s (not really sure why you'd use d/s/m, but I'm sure there's a strategy that'd benefit from that).

    In addition, you can start the hive earlier than that, but you need mad res-for-kills, so, yeah, 3 minutes it's about norm.
  • StoneburgStoneburg Join Date: 2002-11-11 Member: 8174Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--Spazmatic+Aug 13 2003, 09:30 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Spazmatic @ Aug 13 2003, 09:30 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--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-->Oh, and upgrade chambers should be in the order of Move, Defense, Sensory. Move forst for celerity/silence skulks (immediatly doubling the value of every skulk) adren for lerks and adren/celerity for gorges. Defense should be second to protect the Onos. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Not true, it depends entirely on the team's plan. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Errr.. I just *told* you the plan. I didn't say "You should always do this" I said "If you do this, then you should do this".
  • WAR-KarmaWAR-Karma Join Date: 2003-01-18 Member: 12453Members
    As if your going to get a 3 minute second hive on a public game <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->

    Basically at most you'll get 70% of your team gorging at the start for chambers/res

    I'd say in an average game that second hive is placed at about the 8-10 minute mark.

    Which is fine since about 30% of marines actually follow orders.

    But hey good write up. I agree with M/D/S unless you have a very teamwork oriented alien team where sensory first becomes very powerful.
  • StoneburgStoneburg Join Date: 2002-11-11 Member: 8174Members
    <!--QuoteBegin---WAR-Karma+Aug 14 2003, 03:57 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (-WAR-Karma @ Aug 14 2003, 03:57 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> As if your going to get a 3 minute second hive on a public game <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->

    Basically at most you'll get 70% of your team gorging at the start for chambers/res

    I'd say in an average game that second hive is placed at about the 8-10 minute mark.

    Which is fine since about 30% of marines actually follow orders.

    But hey good write up. I agree with M/D/S unless you have a very teamwork oriented alien team where sensory first becomes very powerful. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I think the average hive is about 4-5 minutes on the server I am playing (record is 2:41 and this is a pub server). With 70% of people gorging as you stated, it is definetely feasible.

    I would consider 8-10 minutes *extremely* late. Basically aliens have to run around in circles with their eyes shut to be that late.

    Of course if you assume that both the teams are equally organised/skilled then having only 30% of Marines follow your oders would probably indicate that you're playing at a low-quality or newbie server, as you say, a 8min hive might be fine then. But it's not good.
  • NecrosisNecrosis The Loquacious Sage Join Date: 2003-08-03 Member: 18828Members, Constellation
    "As if your going to get a 3 minute second hive on a public game "

    Trust me, I only play pub servers and it happens every time. Skulk, get RFK, hive. It only gets easier with successive matches as you quickly learn if the marines are rambos or intelligent forms of life.
  • StoneburgStoneburg Join Date: 2002-11-11 Member: 8174Members
    2:36 today, and not an extreme scenario like one skulk taking out the whole marine team immediatly, this was a pretty normal game.

    <!--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-->The fact that it's this easy to get a hive up this fast really shows what's wrong with 2.0 at the moment imo. (I'm not exactly a stellar skulk-player, these records could be shattered easily by the really good skulks)<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
  • Iced_EagleIced_Eagle Borg Engineer Join Date: 2003-03-02 Member: 14218Members
    I would say that with an organized clan you should definetely get those times.... I for one have a variety of different chamber orders, its all because i have 1-2 strats for each starting chamber which work amazingly ingame... in a pub i say you should add about 10-20 seconds onto those times...
  • NecrosisNecrosis The Loquacious Sage Join Date: 2003-08-03 Member: 18828Members, Constellation
    The other thing to note is that you better be sure your little friends are building defences, otherwise both hives are wide open and you will learn the sting of the shotgun rush.

    Why? Because the better players just blew their res on a hive and SC/MC/DC chambers. And if the rest of the team are hopeless or hoarders, then the game IS over.
  • StoneburgStoneburg Join Date: 2002-11-11 Member: 8174Members
    Keyser59 broke Spectres record on our server and started the hive at 2:07

    I think that will be hard to beat. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
  • blimpblimp Join Date: 2003-03-12 Member: 14438Members, Constellation
    edited August 2003
    Hive 2 @ 1:30
    Insane killingspree.

    Or just 5 guys humping the armory.



    And 30% in a 10playergame, that would mean the biggest group is 3 men(yes, I MATHGENIUS!!!), not to cool if you wanna make a real base or siege something.
  • StoneburgStoneburg Join Date: 2002-11-11 Member: 8174Members
    Actually Keyser killed 7 Marines to get it that quick (6 first, then 1 on the way to the hive), so I doubt 1:30 is possible since then the RT's dropped will not even have time to pump.
  • blimpblimp Join Date: 2003-03-12 Member: 14438Members, Constellation
    Might be more than 5, don't recall, but yes, I pressed the hive button in the menu at 1:3x, but this doesn't normally happen, usually marines hear you coming into the base.
  • NecrosisNecrosis The Loquacious Sage Join Date: 2003-08-03 Member: 18828Members, Constellation
    If you go in a big skulk rush, then even if they hear you coming they'll still lose 2-3 men to someone. Enough to get a few RFK and push you closer to hive, or chamber spam.
  • CatpokerCatpoker Join Date: 2002-06-25 Member: 816Members
    In 2.01d currently the hive cost is now 40 from 35


    it doenst make a tiny bit of driffrence.....
  • sejsej Join Date: 2003-01-19 Member: 12488Members
    onos should be in 7-8 minutes.

    delays 2nd hive by 2 mins tho.
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