Love This Mod
Alien_Bob
Join Date: 2002-11-11 Member: 8185Members
Join Date: 2002-11-11 Member: 8185Members
<div class="IPBDescription">first impressions</div> I've only been playing NS for a couple of days, but I'm hooked already. I play a lot of CTF games, as well as Counterstrike, as I prefer team-based games to plain deathmatch. I've always enjoyed HalfLife TFC because of the team element it encourages, and when I first started playing CS I thought it would also be a good team game.
Unfortunately, if you've ever played CS, you'll know that it is *not* a team game (unless you have an organised clan/LAN party, maybe). People treat it as a team-deathmatch game, and rarely do you see the objectives being thought about at all. If the terrorists try to defend their hostage room (as you would *expect* them to do) they're immediately accused of camping, likewise for the counter-terrorists if they try to move carefully through the map. I enjoy CS, but it doesn't *force* you to work as a team.
That's why NS is so great (I first heard about it on Penny Arcade). The resource-management aspect requires teamwork, and if everyone runs off to do their own thing you're doomed. I also like the way that the different sides operate differently. Marines *depend* on a single commander to organise resources and create items, but aliens have to individually use common sense so as not to waste the resources.
One thing that seems to be a disadvantage for the marines is the learning curve for commanders. Everybody has to learn how to do it, and the first few times you try you're bound to screw something up. Problem is that as all the marines depend on you for survival a lot of players will be *very* impatient, and vote to eject you if you take slightly too long or make a single mistake. I haven't played commander myself yet, but fully expect to get flamed and ejected within minutes of taking the comm console. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> As a future development it would be great to see some sort of Commander tutorial, using an alien-free map and a group of bot marines to order around, so that newbie commanders at least have some idea of how to work the system before getting into their first firefight with hordes of ravening alien monstrosities.
The only criticism I have so far is from a balance point of view. I really enjoy playing as a Lerk and harrassing marines from air vents, but I think the Lerk is a little too overpowered. A single Lerk can effectively seal off a marine base entrance by just sitting at a distance and shooting spore clouds at the door, making it very hard for anyone to get out. As a result Lerks are small, fast and very dangerous. Perhaps they should cost more to create, or increase the energy cost in shooting spores? As an example I was playing a Lerk last night and made my way to the marine base and started sporing the doors. As soon as I started that a marine typed "Here it comes, game over..." as he knew that while I did that, gorges would be coming up behind me building offence chambers, and the marines were trapped and doomed.
Unfortunately, if you've ever played CS, you'll know that it is *not* a team game (unless you have an organised clan/LAN party, maybe). People treat it as a team-deathmatch game, and rarely do you see the objectives being thought about at all. If the terrorists try to defend their hostage room (as you would *expect* them to do) they're immediately accused of camping, likewise for the counter-terrorists if they try to move carefully through the map. I enjoy CS, but it doesn't *force* you to work as a team.
That's why NS is so great (I first heard about it on Penny Arcade). The resource-management aspect requires teamwork, and if everyone runs off to do their own thing you're doomed. I also like the way that the different sides operate differently. Marines *depend* on a single commander to organise resources and create items, but aliens have to individually use common sense so as not to waste the resources.
One thing that seems to be a disadvantage for the marines is the learning curve for commanders. Everybody has to learn how to do it, and the first few times you try you're bound to screw something up. Problem is that as all the marines depend on you for survival a lot of players will be *very* impatient, and vote to eject you if you take slightly too long or make a single mistake. I haven't played commander myself yet, but fully expect to get flamed and ejected within minutes of taking the comm console. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> As a future development it would be great to see some sort of Commander tutorial, using an alien-free map and a group of bot marines to order around, so that newbie commanders at least have some idea of how to work the system before getting into their first firefight with hordes of ravening alien monstrosities.
The only criticism I have so far is from a balance point of view. I really enjoy playing as a Lerk and harrassing marines from air vents, but I think the Lerk is a little too overpowered. A single Lerk can effectively seal off a marine base entrance by just sitting at a distance and shooting spore clouds at the door, making it very hard for anyone to get out. As a result Lerks are small, fast and very dangerous. Perhaps they should cost more to create, or increase the energy cost in shooting spores? As an example I was playing a Lerk last night and made my way to the marine base and started sporing the doors. As soon as I started that a marine typed "Here it comes, game over..." as he knew that while I did that, gorges would be coming up behind me building offence chambers, and the marines were trapped and doomed.
Comments
MC
The whole battle is suposed to be over the aliens 3rd hive. If the marines can secure the 3rd hive and then advance on the second hive, they will win. Likewise if the aliens can secure their second hive and advance on the 3rd they will win.