A Quick Alien Newbie Guide

Feannag · August 2003

<div class="IPBDescription">A guide for noobs on the go...</div> I hear lots of complaints about newbies on servers as of late, and though I am new as well (a month or so) I adjusted since I read the manuals. Most people don't. So here is a very quick guide of the basics for people who want to play but don't want to read. It'll keep you from being totally useless to your team while you learn hands on. Here's the Alien side.

<b>Know the Hive</b>

They are important, know them and where they are. You start with one, and you can get up to three as you play. Not only do they allow acces to more upgrades but also weapons for each species. Check the HUD in the upper right corner for Hive status.

<b>Know how to Gorge</b>

You spawn as a skulk. He's fast, he bites, he crawls on walls. But before you jump into that know how to Gorge. Gorge is the Alien builder/support. You need them to build chambers (which allow upgrades and defense capabilities) as well as making resource nodes (nozzles spewing white gas). If you don't know what to do, go Gorge and help build chambers and res nodes to support the whole Hive, or even making another hive itself.

Another facet to this is heal spray. That's one of you weapons. It heals anything alien you spray on it. If an alien runs to you and hangs, chances are he's waiting for you to heal him. Do it, quickly. They take priority over building, it gets them back in the fight quickly.

<b>Build Defense first</b>

When Gorging, your one hive allows access to one set of upgrades. ALWAYS pick defense, if you don't people will **** and moan on you. People like regen and especially redemption. They want it quickly, and now. So save everyone a headache and put Defense Chambers at that first hive. The other two can wait until you get hives online. Also, hold the <use> key on the built chamber after you make it to bring it into the hive mind. This has to be done with EVERYTHING.

<b>Build "chamber nests"</b>

Every chamber (sensory, defense, movement) allows an extra level of effectiveness for the upgrades in question. I think the maximum is three. So build a set of three chambers in the hives when you get them. More will be built at strategic positions to increase fighting efficiency, but if bad goes to worse this little "chamber nest" should provide the maximum upgrade efficiency even if marines slowly work their way around the level.

<b>Go towards the Red Lights</b>

Red lights in the Hive Mind mean something is being attacked. Unless you know otherwise, you want to be there to help support your teammates. So work your way there and help them out.

<b>Offense Chambers are good</b>

These are alien turrets. They shoot at marines in their sight. It's good to line areas with these, especially corridors to the hive and resource nodes. So make sure you build a few near important stuff like that to help ensure the marines don't get an easy hit.

This should help until the hive stabilizes. After that more senior Gorges will do their thing and you should be free to experiment with upgrades, evolutions, and fighting. Just make sure to attack with other Aliens, it helps. A lot.

Spazmatic · August 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Build Defense first

When Gorging, your one hive allows access to one set of upgrades. ALWAYS pick defense, if you don't people will **** and moan on you. People like regen and especially redemption. They want it quickly, and now. So save everyone a headache and put Defense Chambers at that first hive. The other two can wait until you get hives online. Also, hold the <use> key on the built chamber after you make it to bring it into the hive mind. This has to be done with EVERYTHING.</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

<b>NO.</b> The rule is, always ASK first. Every team will go different.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>So build a set of three chambers in the hives when you get them.</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

<b>NO.</b> Except for defense, you never want your first three upgrade chambers to be wasted under the hive, and even defense is questionable (situation by situation). If you go movement first, for example, only put one under the hive, use the others at guarded res points for quick return to a hive under attack, and at future hives. For sensory, three in your hive is utterly worthless except in late game, when hives are in danger of being knocked down and you could lose your sens hive.

Rest is fine. Those two points are pure evil, however.

Feannag · August 2003

I say that because in terms of UPGRADES people want Redemption first. And with one hive at start, there's one choice. And people **** and moan when someone makes Sensory or Movement first. In the early game, Marines don't have the heavy hardware that causes "serious trauma" enough to negate Redemption. So people want that to increase the speed of attack (if you redeem and skulking it doesn't take as long to get back there). Based on what everyone says in-game this is the order that's preferred when the hives come online.

1) Defense
2) Sensory
3) Movement

Feannag · August 2003

Also the nests assume worst case senario. If you spread chambers of various kinds all over the place, you may find your mutations getting weaker as marines tromp through the level. The nest provides the mutation stays strong all the time alabeit if the main hive is attacked. But there should be lots of offense chambers protecting it anyway.

This is also assuming there is no limit to the chambers you can slap down, because the Marines seem to lack such restrictions to their turrets (something that causes entirely too much lag). If you spout more chambers at key points on the map, then fine. But the nest provides your abilities stay and level 3 if the fighting gets REAL bad.

Sarisel · August 2003

Don't spread propaganda to the innocent newbies. There is no reason whatsoever to follow one build order in terms of chambers.

Defense first makes your team able to take more bullets in general without dying. Movement gives them upgrades which will allow them to attack with greater ferocity. Sensory will give your team the ability to stay cloaked in areas where the sensory chambers are, along with a motion tracking ability (if they choose it) - Sense of Fear.

Just know that once you build one type of chamber, you won't be able to build another until you get another hive built first. So try to get an agreement amongst players as to what chambers are to be built. On my server, we generally don't mind as to which chamber gets built first - although we get annoyed when a gorge plops one down without asking. It is just rude.

[edit]

The chamber that you put at the second hive can often make or break your team's chances of winning, so listen to what others say when the second hive comes online. Choose the wrong chamber for the situation your team is in at that point and you'll lose it for them.

SoulSkorpion · August 2003

There is no reason to encourage newbies to follow any set build pattern. In fact, there isn't good reason to enourage total newbies, just-downloaded-NS, to play Gorge at all. Not because they'll screw their team over, but because there's so much other vital information they have to absorb. There are a lot of basics to learn, and gorging is not part of the basics.

Silencer9 · August 2003

(Feannag @ Aug 10 2003, 09:04 AM)
</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Based on what everyone says in-game this is the order that's preferred when the hives come online.</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
That is right! But they never say what you did.....

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>1) Defence
2) Sensory
3) Movement
</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> Not really.....
I always see: Sensory, Defence, Movement! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

Spazmatic · August 2003

LIES!

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> I say that because in terms of UPGRADES people want Redemption first.</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

Biggest... lie... ever... Why would ANY alien short of a fade POSSIBLY want redemption? Gorges with regen are scary combatants now, skulks with regen/cara are sick sick mofos. As a hive 1 fade, I'd rather have celerity. As a hive 1 lerk, I'd rather have celerity/adrenaline. In fact, most higher evolutions will take regeneration or cara over redemption, except for newbie oni. You only slap down d first if you don't think you're going to get a second hive, since only at second hive (about the time higher evolutions start appearing) does defense come into its own. Early on, SoF, celerity, silence, etc, they're ALL more useful.

I really don't know what servers you're playing on, but skulks rarely redeem. A check is made only every so often, and it's EASY to deal enough damage to kill a skulk (skulks redeem below 20 health, I think) with a total of ONE, maybe two pistol bullets, or 3-4 lmg bullets. That's rarely enough time to redeem. Plus, shotguns are very popular early on, and redemption (or even cara!) does jack diddly squat.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Also the nests assume worst case senario.</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

If you assume worst case scenario, you should turtle up your hive with d chambers and o chambers, try to get someone to onos, and desperatlely keep them alive in case the marines attack! Bah. That's stupid. And I'm not flaming, I'm going to explain why.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>The nest provides the mutation stays strong all the time alabeit if the main hive is attacked</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

This is true, however, it's also only really applicable later in the game. Spending 30 res on chambers that will never see the light of day early on (with the exception of d, if you go d first) is a complete waste. Movements are meant to haul gorge arse out of trouble, or to get guys back to the hive if it's attacked (early on, later on they have +energy uses). Sensories are self-explanatory, why would you want three in the hive? Upgrades are NOT so important as to override the use of chambers in the field, especially because, before long, you'll probably have 5-6 sensories, not 3.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>This is also assuming there is no limit to the chambers you can slap down, because the Marines seem to lack such restrictions to their turrets </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

Not true, marines are restricted to 50 entities in an area. I believe this includes mines.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>There is no reason to encourage newbies to follow any set build pattern. In fact, there isn't good reason to enourage total newbies, just-downloaded-NS, to play Gorge at all. Not because they'll screw their team over, but because there's so much other vital information they have to absorb. There are a lot of basics to learn, and gorging is not part of the basics. </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

Sing the gospel! Let freedom ring! And, yeah, I rarely see d/m/s anyways. Occasionally, but rarely.

Silencer9 · August 2003

Erm!? <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'> OK!

A Quick Alien Newbie Guide

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