Game Needs More Strategic Depth

Bullet_ForceBullet_Force Join Date: 2012-11-02 Member: 165952Members
edited November 2012 in NS2 General Discussion
I came to this game mostly from an RTS background having played the fantastic Men of War series (WW2 real time tactical game) and was impressed with the idea that you could weld an RTS game with a shooter. At present though the game's RTS component is severely shallow.

For Aliens it consists of building two hives then upgrading the first one to Shift hive then you drop Onos egg and if your team works together you will do good. Other live forms like Lerks and Fades seem to be made of paper and die so easily to shotguns its a highly risky investment compared to just waiting for the Onos.

For Marines its all about getting early phase gates and then basically turtling your way to victory via forward armouries. Although they have several weapons to use the only one you need is shotgun. That gun does it all bang bang. Later on you throw on a jetpack and your complete. Game finishes with 2 exos shooting hive.

I'd like to see instead diverse strategies being encouraged. The shade tree for the Aliens really needs some love as it's never useful except the third hive. So to for Lerks, Gorges and Fades and less need to rely on the Onos.

For Marines they need more weapons and some new technology paths. The shotgun needs to have some limitations.

Comments

  • NordicNordic Long term camping in Kodiak Join Date: 2012-05-13 Member: 151995Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, Reinforced - Shadow
    I support this message
  • Omega_K2Omega_K2 Join Date: 2011-12-25 Member: 139013Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Derp, Shade hive is not just a 3rd hive, but also a first hive choice
  • Mr.GreedyMr.Greedy Join Date: 2012-07-21 Member: 154270Members
    Thats what I say all the time. Feels like Starcraft with only 2 races,without airunits, 1/3 upgrades,1/3 troops. Well, not much to do/try, right?

    I was hopeing so much that the RTs-part is improved, compared to NS1.
  • tarquinbbtarquinbb Join Date: 2012-11-03 Member: 166314Members
    @OP

    you appear to have missed the ~5 onos rush whine threads which have already petered out because more or less everyone agreed that it was a sucky tactic and that it was detrimental to sacrifice early-mid game tech because skipping to late game tech was universally more useful.

    <!--quoteo(post=2018084:date=Nov 10 2012, 09:34 AM:name=Mr.Greedy)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mr.Greedy @ Nov 10 2012, 09:34 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2018084"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Thats what I say all the time. Feels like Starcraft with only 2 races,without airunits, 1/3 upgrades,1/3 troops. Well, not much to do/try, right?

    I was hopeing so much that the RTs-part is improved, compared to NS1.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    well at the moment it's a 'starcraft 1', and the developers are currently working on intermittent content/balance tweaking to turn it into a 'broodwar'.
  • KaptajnKLOKaptajnKLO Join Date: 2012-06-25 Member: 153658Members
    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->For Aliens it consists of building two hives then upgrading the first one to Shift hive then you drop Onos egg and if your team works together you will do good.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    If we are talking about pub play then you are wrong. You can build shade hive first no problem, just as long as the second hive is a crag hive. And in my experience you don't need to go for an onos egg at all if the players actually spends their res on lifeforms. Too many times recently I've seen players hoard up res and not go lerk or fade when they can, which results in our team losing mapcontrol cause all we have are skulks running around. In this situation we need an onos egg to get anything done, but that is not indicative of the state of the game, rather it is indicative of players not knowing how to play.


    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Other live forms like Lerks and Fades seem to be made of paper and die so easily to shotguns its a highly risky investment compared to just waiting for the Onos.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Lerks and fades are great, you just have to know how to play them. And on pub play you don't even need to be skilled as a lerk or fade, you just need to know when to engage and when to not engage/flee. Too many new players simply run into a group of marines and think they should be able to take them on, instead of attacking as a pack... and then they die, go to the forums and complain. New people just need to practice, but it seems many of them are simply not very patient.

    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->For Marines its all about getting early phase gates and then basically turtling your way to victory via forward armouries.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    That is also wrong. I agree that phasegates are pretty much a necessity early on, but turtling from the get go is the noob way. You should be aggressive and take down their RTs and force <i>them</i> to run around and defend them. That is very viable and much more fun than turtling.


    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Although they have several weapons to use the only one you need is shotgun. That gun does it all bang bang. Later on you throw on a jetpack and your complete.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    I agree that shotguns are just simply an upgrade to the rifle and I'd also hope that UWE adjusts it, so it's not just a no-brainer to get it once it's researched. But they are already aware of this so I have faith in them.
  • tarquinbbtarquinbb Join Date: 2012-11-03 Member: 166314Members
    <!--quoteo(post=2018173:date=Nov 10 2012, 11:56 AM:name=KaptajnKLO)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (KaptajnKLO @ Nov 10 2012, 11:56 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2018173"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I agree that shotguns are just simply an upgrade to the rifle and I'd also hope that UWE adjusts it, so it's not just a no-brainer to get it once it's researched. But they are already aware of this so I have faith in them.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    i admit the shotgun is dandy, but it's not a nobrainer... you need to manage resources for mines and jetpack which are usually more desirable than shotgun.

    saying shotgun is simply an upgrade to the rifle is in effect the same as saying onos is simply an upgrade to skulk.
  • Mr.GreedyMr.Greedy Join Date: 2012-07-21 Member: 154270Members
    <!--quoteo(post=2018146:date=Nov 10 2012, 04:14 AM:name=tarquinbb)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (tarquinbb @ Nov 10 2012, 04:14 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2018146"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->well at the moment it's a 'starcraft 1', and the developers are currently working on intermittent content/balance tweaking to turn it into a 'broodwar'.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Did u ever play Starcraft? I dont think so.


    This game badly needs some stronger counters. Like "Shotgun counters Fade". And not "Shotgun counters everything" .
    Just opened a Thread about that. <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showtopic=124111" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/in...howtopic=124111</a>
  • MaximumSquidMaximumSquid Join Date: 2010-07-20 Member: 72593Members
    <u><b>Bullet_Force:</b></u>

    Game isn't done yet. . .

    Bare minimum there will be 3 more evolutions being released for aliens, a good chance for welding doors and vents shut, as well as other new content
  • Mr.GreedyMr.Greedy Join Date: 2012-07-21 Member: 154270Members
    <!--quoteo(post=2018279:date=Nov 10 2012, 06:34 AM:name=MaximumSquid)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MaximumSquid @ Nov 10 2012, 06:34 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2018279"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><u><b>Bullet_Force:</b></u>

    Game isn't done yet. . .

    Bare minimum there will be 3 more evolutions being released for aliens, a good chance for welding doors and vents shut, as well as other new content<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Then we have reached the status of NS1. WOW.
  • RowenRowen Join Date: 2012-05-04 Member: 151545Members
    <!--quoteo(post=2018279:date=Nov 10 2012, 02:34 PM:name=MaximumSquid)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MaximumSquid @ Nov 10 2012, 02:34 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2018279"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><u><b>Bullet_Force:</b></u>

    Game isn't done yet. . .

    Bare minimum there will be 3 more evolutions being released for aliens, a good chance for welding doors and vents shut, as well as other new content<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Didn't we have door welding a while back? It turned to be worse for the marines than the aliens though.
  • tarquinbbtarquinbb Join Date: 2012-11-03 Member: 166314Members
    <!--quoteo(post=2018287:date=Nov 10 2012, 01:44 PM:name=Rowen)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rowen @ Nov 10 2012, 01:44 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2018287"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Didn't we have door welding a while back? It turned to be worse for the marines than the aliens though.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    depends on the map design.

    imagine a door that when welded shut would prevent/delay access to a key vent, or something similar.
  • ellnicellnic Join Date: 2010-07-19 Member: 72559Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    The game has huge tegic Depth, just newer players and cooms dont know about more of it yet
  • TurtlesarecuteTurtlesarecute Join Date: 2012-04-01 Member: 149815Members
    I agree with the OP. Unfortunately, I doubt this will ever change: This limited tech tree and criticism of it has been around since NS1. Not only were the tech trees limited, there were very few viable builds for both teams. Marine commanders were expected to the use the same build order every time. I'd love to see a Natural Selection gameplay mode with a greatly expanded tech tree with carefully-balanced upgrade paths that allowed for a variety of tactics, including emerging innovative ones. I don't think this will happen, or it would have years ago.
  • TemphageTemphage Join Date: 2009-10-28 Member: 69158Members
    The somewhat shallowness of NS1 (limited alien upgrades, weapons, lifeforms) could be excused because it was a mod running on a really crappy engine. I know they were running into weapon limits and that's why they couldn't add new attacks for aliens. NS1 was also, well, the first iteration so it's okay to be rough. None of those excuses really work here though.
  • Draco HoustonDraco Houston Join Date: 2012-11-05 Member: 167145Members
    edited November 2012
    The depth feels like it is there but the balance has railroaded people. When UWE try to fix that hopefully more of that depth comes out. Personally I'd love 2 hive tres onos to be a legit strat, but marines should be able to stomp that early onos if they know it is coming and can prepare for it. I have no idea how to improve that, I'm sure people who know far more about it than me are working on it. it'd be fine if it was an all in play that worked if the marines didn't see it coming.
    <!--quoteo(post=2018240:date=Nov 10 2012, 11:07 PM:name=tarquinbb)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (tarquinbb @ Nov 10 2012, 11:07 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2018240"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->i admit the shotgun is dandy, but it's not a nobrainer... you need to manage resources for mines and jetpack which are usually more desirable than shotgun.

    saying shotgun is simply an upgrade to the rifle is in effect the same as saying onos is simply an upgrade to skulk.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Yeah, it's a great weapon, especially for skulks and fades close up, but it doesn't work well at long range, in addition to the pres cost you mention.

    I would have to disagree about the OPs remarks about the other 2 weapons, they are just situational. A GL or 2 in a team can do a lot of damage, but they need shotgun/LMG guys around to keep them alive. Grenades are also the hard counter to gorge clogs. I found less uses for the flame thrower, but it can clear spores and umbra, and burning aliens generate energy slower, so there is clearly an intended role, but it doesn't get used much because there are too many onii to worry about.
  • AurOn2AurOn2 COOKIES&#33; FREEDOM, AND BISCUITS&#33; Australia Join Date: 2012-01-13 Member: 140224Members, Forum Moderators, NS2 Playtester, Forum staff
    problem with shotguns is.. its effective at the range most aliens ae only effective at. close.
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