Gorge Masters Unite!
meatmachine
South England Join Date: 2013-01-06 Member: 177858Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
South England Join Date: 2013-01-06 Member: 177858Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
Hi guys.
Lately I've noticed a distinct lack of decent gorges. Even experienced players that set up really poorly thought-through defenses.
Players whom, at the very start of the game go through this same process time after time:
- Evolve gorge
- build a tunnel behind the hive in base
- run to the nearest techpoint unscouted
- Build their tunnel exit nowhere near the RT (who needs cyst-free res anyways)
- I dont even know what the hell they think clogs are meant to do but they usually make huge walls in an attempt to ensure every single lifeform on our team dies for lack of an escape route
- Obviously they spent all their starting res on an essentially useless tunnel, so of course they have no hydras for defense. Usually within a minute or two they get bored and start exploring marine territory. Mmmmm free space bacon for the fleshies!
Please guys, post up screenshots of your best gorge setups and dos/don'ts for those of us that need reminding how to be a good little piggy
Lately I've noticed a distinct lack of decent gorges. Even experienced players that set up really poorly thought-through defenses.
Players whom, at the very start of the game go through this same process time after time:
- Evolve gorge
- build a tunnel behind the hive in base
- run to the nearest techpoint unscouted
- Build their tunnel exit nowhere near the RT (who needs cyst-free res anyways)
- I dont even know what the hell they think clogs are meant to do but they usually make huge walls in an attempt to ensure every single lifeform on our team dies for lack of an escape route
- Obviously they spent all their starting res on an essentially useless tunnel, so of course they have no hydras for defense. Usually within a minute or two they get bored and start exploring marine territory. Mmmmm free space bacon for the fleshies!
Please guys, post up screenshots of your best gorge setups and dos/don'ts for those of us that need reminding how to be a good little piggy
Comments
Don't forget that they will use their clogs to block off a corridor by attaching a clog on one side at about 1m height and then adding clogs to it until they reach the other side; ensuring that it is both easily disposable for marines who just shoot at the first clog and that higher lifeforms can't get through properly.
Often they build it low enough that a) skulks can't run beneath it and b) marines can just jump over it.
There is nothing wrong with early tunnel. Some maps it's almost mandatory, like early tunnel to nano. I do early tunnel a lot and afterwards look for a little pack of skulks to follow around and heal. They're like big babblers that I can heal as they absorb all the damage. Just stay behind them, and if your skulks start dying off and you find yourself out numbered, run!
There is really no reason to not take advantage of the map mobility early since it was practically made a free upgrade in one of the recent patches.
And I also personally don't bother with gorge tunnels on RT. The only time I will do it is if the commander requests it, or it's 2 for 1 like nano. It just puts your tunnel very exposed and easy to target. I'd rather hide my tunnel in a odd spot and request a shade.
Also, for clogs - http://forums.unknownworlds.com/discussion/134301/clog-pole-glog-wall#latest
Yup, in veil it can give you a great advantage, almost purely because of the double res points.
If you're going to get a tunnel early on, it REALLY should be on an RT.
- no dependance on cysts, therefore sooner/ more resilient res income
- between the bullet-soaking harvester and decent clogging, you should have all the cover you need to keep the RT and yourself healthy until backup arrives. If marines close in on your cover, hopefully that early RT has given you the Pres to drop a couple of hydras to ensure you can take them on alone
Sure, that's alot of mobility, but aliens never really had a problem with mobility before tunnels. In most cases it's going to cut your travel time by perhaps 2/3rds which is fine, but there's also the payoff that they can hear you rather loudly, and as soon as they know where that tunnel is you'll be lucky to get out without meeting a stream of bullets.
So it's a tradeoff, and in most cases I personally see far, far better results when gorges lock down an area with static defenses rather than depending on potentially flawed teammates to keep them safe in the early stages.
But the earlyness of tunnels is only a small part of the peeve :P
Early tunnel + not on rt + bad clogs + no hydras + tunnel going between 2 TPs (i.e. providing only a small amount of mobility / map control)
It's that deadly combination of small mistakes I keep seeing over and over again and it makes my piggy cry.
But the purpose of this thread was to be more of an examplarary nature, for map/location specific defense setups.
i'm going to gorge more tonight and get some good screenies, and post them up with explanations of why I have chosen certain setups. Maybe you guys can even provide some improvements
Do you think this would be considered a no-no exploit in official comp?
I try to steer away from such cheapness but damn, that is too temptingly good to resist :P
Often I check whether we already have a gorge going for a tunnel-exit there, but drop my entrance anyway (with the exit for later use, anywhere anytime on the map), and follow that gorge to Nano.
Then 2 gorges can drop 1 tunnel-exit + 3 or 4 hydra's straight away, and both can start clogging.
If the tunnel-gorge stays around for a bit, he can save for his additional 2 extra hydra's and drop them there as well.
In comp? Yeah I wouldn't do it in comp but pubs I say go for it. Doing this with hydras under the clogs placed on the floor is really good.
I often build a ring of balls around the exit of my tunnel, helps absorb some of the shots.
Ball walls are still a must for dodging around, had three of us last night form a sort of maze at skylights with the odd hydra, funny.
On Veil, yes your tunnel should be between the 2 res nodes to allow the nodes to live when the cyst chain is cut in system or y-junction. Nano is also in the center of the map.
There is a big problem when you put your tunnel in an obviously location (decent marines focus fire it and there goes your map control and 5 P-res, and in early game that is devastating.
If you want a tunnel in Summit, put it shaded behind the crates on either side (I prefer the east side) of cross and shade it. Or Flight by the vents (shaded, during a scrim we had a tunnel in there for almost 12 minutes before the marines found out it was there, but we were able to have other PVE in place to counter that).
Docking- the locker room tunnel should be on the North side (outside of locker but before ball court) to the left where the vents are (shaded). Marines don't walk over there. Generator (below the walkway) or central access
Tram (South East corner of hub by crates), Server behind the North wall segments. Logi North West or North East side where the infestation won't hit the RT, or the South Tunnels hallway that connects the area b/w logi and to south tunnels.
Descent: Observation behind the RT on the Drone Side, Receiving, Crew Quarters, Drafting, The control room in Energy, Backside of Silo and the top part b/w Depot and Mono. Even Club or Shuttle Bay
Jambi- This is one place in comp play I want the tunnel on the RT which is either organ or bay. Where you can echo or drop early game PVE to keep the RT safe and give your players a way to get across the map easily. Also fwd tunnel would be pub, trash, south end of gravity.
Eclipse: The access area b/w maintenance and keyhole is great or back side of eclipse.
Biodome: Atmo start- Hydro tunnel, can drop on RT, Falls tunnel is not a good idea marines tend to rush there and easily take out the tunnel and leave the alien gorge screwed early game. West route and agri tunnels work along with bio reactors and that area b/w falls and bamboo pass)
The key is to put it in a place where marines are less likely to look for it and
shade it
God that is long.
What if I told you it can be both? On Tram a tunnel from Mezzanine to Ore can be quite powerful, if you manage to hold it. And it looks down two RTs, for free.
Managing to hold it is the key, but then again I was looking at this from the comp/pug play vs pub play where you can have up to 5 gorges early game... in which case all the tunnels can lead to RTs or at least 3 of the 5. :P
Which was probably the OPs point when they created the thread.