I just... don't find NS "fun" anymore
Blue_Mary
Join Date: 2004-08-26 Member: 30921Members
Join Date: 2004-08-26 Member: 30921Members
<div class="IPBDescription">I don't know why</div>I'm one of those "Silent forum people, pub player" out there. I don't speak much on the forum anymore, if at all. I'm a pubber by nature, and I like it that way.
For you picky types, I came when 2.0 came about, so I'll critique what I want.
I just don't find NS fun anymore. I guess what originally attracted me to NS was the fact that the battles were not only long, but people maintained a <i>fighting</i> chance, even when the odds looked the worst.
Games were long back then not because of one side fighting a losing battle and dragging it out, but because the powershifts happened. And those shifts keep a LOT of adrenaline-pumping interest in the game. Always had to be on your toes for the powershifts, else you go splat and YOU are on the defensive, losing your PG or your expensive life form by getting cut off from the other aliens.
Powershifts make the game fun, because you needed to be ready for anything.
Nowadays, NS plays less than a half hour. And guess what I compare NS to now? A game called Defense of the Ancients, or DOTA, a Warcraft III player-made map.
Basically, the outcome of such a game gets determined in the beginning about 90% of the time, much the same with NS these days. One tiny false more, or one nice move, and it's over. Completely over, no chance for a comeback. The tools available to fight against these mounts were changed or removed from NS, and without it, shifting the balance of power is typically a futile effort for both sides, but moreso for aliens(in my humble opinion).
Powershifts still happen, but usually in the favor of marines; they can still pull off powershifts if they get pushed down hard in the beginning. Aliens have it harder, because many of their tools for dealing with said powershifts were changed or removed. Lerk spikes gone(Key in provoking marines, distracting and gunning down the one who doesn't take cover), Fade's Blink slower(Hit too easily now, all a fade can do is run away), Hive Armor being changed to only give a bonus on the 3rd hive, etc.
Speaking of 3rd hive, it riles me up when I heard mention of "3rd hive", because it has always typically meant that the Aliens will win, and if they lose it's a great fluke. Third hive needs to happen more often I think, because those third hive skills really are fun to use(Because we use them so rarely). By third hive, Aliens are usually too powerful for the marines to deal with, which is usually bade. Marines should be able to dela with 3rd hive aliens, but at a level where it's REALLY hard and reliant on true teamwork(not just power in numbers and a bunch of people blocking the aliens from the one guy with a crack shot, for example).
And what's the deal with Electrification and locking down two hives? Honestly, how does one deal with this early in the game effectively without having to rely on Fades and Onos, or second hive abilities?
And how can marines survive against 3rd hive Aliens to push them back and reclaim a hive in an effort to win the game?
What grinds my gears is the whole emphasis on short games. I find not much fun in the early game, but the meta-game is where I get my enjoyment. But now, all you emphasize is doing one thing correctly early in the game, which then basically fortells the result of the entire situation, which makes it not fun to play at ALL(Because you know you will eventually lose, and it's only a losing fight). I can't stand these guaranteed situations which occur FREQUENTLY. Sure, there are times here and there where legitimate power shifts occur when it never should have, but those are those epic moments when you've done something right, and it should be that way. But having no way to feasibly fight back is not fun at all.
Remember, I speak from a pubbers point of view.
I don't know... NS just isn't.... "fun" anymore. Too much focus on the early win, not enough focus on the actual combat itself(And don't even tell me that's why co_ was made, it's wrong). Combat shouldn't be as decisive as, "I killed you, and you failed to do your objective, therefore we will most likely win, you loser!" and etcetera.
This is a rant yes, but you all want to know where the people have gone? I'm one of them, so you shouldn't just brush me off like that, because that's how you lose your community, by having that arrogant, "we're better than you" approach to the conversation, like I always see and read about on the forums or in games.
NS lost it's fun because it's too decisive now. It doesn't appeal to me anymore because things are determined too fast, and the game ends fast because of it. In reality and in general, us pubbers dislike those type of games. We like games where we can have an effect on the game's outcome thanks to a meta-game that isn't decisively decided by a bad move(Which many pubbers do, even myself).
If you tell me to suggest what I would feel would make the game more fun again like it used to be.... give me a break, it's not worth it. Many of the said items which I feel would make the game fun again have been repeatedly shot down by both devs and some of the arrogant forumers, regardless of the arguement and numbers behind the idea. Suggestions are no use now, nobody wants to change it for some reason. It's a little sadist when you think about it too, inflicting verbal abuse on those who only wish to help or share their feelings with you, and getting and enjoying it with a zealous passion. It's not worth it for me to suggest anything anymore, anytime or anywhere, at anyplace with anyone(This last sentance is partially done like that on purpose).
NS is no longer clicking with me, and hasn't for the longest time(3.1 was really the endpoint for my like of the game). I played on and off, I tried to enjoy the new NS... I seriously did try. In the end, it doesn't work, and I put NS away and out of my mind because I did not enjoy my experiences.
If there is no enjoyment, then there is no reason to play. There are THOUSANDS of other games out there, free or not, that I could better spend my time with if I need entertainment. No reason to stick with one I can't enjoy, right?
And when there's no fun left for me to discover as a pubber, and you just disregard it because you think it's one person, try to think again... most likely, more than one pubber can agree with what I'm saying, because we are the majority, and we roll like that.
And ask yourself: Why should we, or even you, play a game you're not enjoying, but others are for some reason?
Oh well, numbers fall, people complain about low numbers, but they belittle and flame those who drop off, calling them all sorts of things, not realizing the true outcome of their actions(You just deterred another person from NS because you wouldn't hear them out, for example).
Blah, my arguement is useless. I might as well stop now, nobody cares about the Public NS populace anymore. I myself may as well play something with more replay value like solitaire or hearts if you don't want me, a pubber, playing YOUR(And I put emphasis on your, because that's the arrogant thought pattern that I see while I lurk the forums) game.
If you want the public to return, listen to them, make it worth their while. Caring only about what you want(Mabye you take enjoyment in those games which are decided in the first 10 minutes, for example) helps nobody, it only ortracizes more from the community, which I think will happen to me now as I post this. (Because most of you could care LESS about the pubbers, and you know it. Those of you who do care also knows of the resentment of pubbers that some people have, and you know it.).
I just.... don't find NS "fun" anymore, and I really don't want to play anymore. I have no urge to play what I once played nonstop and fully enjoyed. Balance is great in a game, it really is...
But if you are balancing, try to balance while keeping the fun in. Balancing and forgetting about the fun is one of the worst things that can happen to a game's public populace. Balancing AROUND the fun makes the public love it even more.
And that's probably all I'll get to say before I get shot down in flames for being a pubber.
Take care.
For you picky types, I came when 2.0 came about, so I'll critique what I want.
I just don't find NS fun anymore. I guess what originally attracted me to NS was the fact that the battles were not only long, but people maintained a <i>fighting</i> chance, even when the odds looked the worst.
Games were long back then not because of one side fighting a losing battle and dragging it out, but because the powershifts happened. And those shifts keep a LOT of adrenaline-pumping interest in the game. Always had to be on your toes for the powershifts, else you go splat and YOU are on the defensive, losing your PG or your expensive life form by getting cut off from the other aliens.
Powershifts make the game fun, because you needed to be ready for anything.
Nowadays, NS plays less than a half hour. And guess what I compare NS to now? A game called Defense of the Ancients, or DOTA, a Warcraft III player-made map.
Basically, the outcome of such a game gets determined in the beginning about 90% of the time, much the same with NS these days. One tiny false more, or one nice move, and it's over. Completely over, no chance for a comeback. The tools available to fight against these mounts were changed or removed from NS, and without it, shifting the balance of power is typically a futile effort for both sides, but moreso for aliens(in my humble opinion).
Powershifts still happen, but usually in the favor of marines; they can still pull off powershifts if they get pushed down hard in the beginning. Aliens have it harder, because many of their tools for dealing with said powershifts were changed or removed. Lerk spikes gone(Key in provoking marines, distracting and gunning down the one who doesn't take cover), Fade's Blink slower(Hit too easily now, all a fade can do is run away), Hive Armor being changed to only give a bonus on the 3rd hive, etc.
Speaking of 3rd hive, it riles me up when I heard mention of "3rd hive", because it has always typically meant that the Aliens will win, and if they lose it's a great fluke. Third hive needs to happen more often I think, because those third hive skills really are fun to use(Because we use them so rarely). By third hive, Aliens are usually too powerful for the marines to deal with, which is usually bade. Marines should be able to dela with 3rd hive aliens, but at a level where it's REALLY hard and reliant on true teamwork(not just power in numbers and a bunch of people blocking the aliens from the one guy with a crack shot, for example).
And what's the deal with Electrification and locking down two hives? Honestly, how does one deal with this early in the game effectively without having to rely on Fades and Onos, or second hive abilities?
And how can marines survive against 3rd hive Aliens to push them back and reclaim a hive in an effort to win the game?
What grinds my gears is the whole emphasis on short games. I find not much fun in the early game, but the meta-game is where I get my enjoyment. But now, all you emphasize is doing one thing correctly early in the game, which then basically fortells the result of the entire situation, which makes it not fun to play at ALL(Because you know you will eventually lose, and it's only a losing fight). I can't stand these guaranteed situations which occur FREQUENTLY. Sure, there are times here and there where legitimate power shifts occur when it never should have, but those are those epic moments when you've done something right, and it should be that way. But having no way to feasibly fight back is not fun at all.
Remember, I speak from a pubbers point of view.
I don't know... NS just isn't.... "fun" anymore. Too much focus on the early win, not enough focus on the actual combat itself(And don't even tell me that's why co_ was made, it's wrong). Combat shouldn't be as decisive as, "I killed you, and you failed to do your objective, therefore we will most likely win, you loser!" and etcetera.
This is a rant yes, but you all want to know where the people have gone? I'm one of them, so you shouldn't just brush me off like that, because that's how you lose your community, by having that arrogant, "we're better than you" approach to the conversation, like I always see and read about on the forums or in games.
NS lost it's fun because it's too decisive now. It doesn't appeal to me anymore because things are determined too fast, and the game ends fast because of it. In reality and in general, us pubbers dislike those type of games. We like games where we can have an effect on the game's outcome thanks to a meta-game that isn't decisively decided by a bad move(Which many pubbers do, even myself).
If you tell me to suggest what I would feel would make the game more fun again like it used to be.... give me a break, it's not worth it. Many of the said items which I feel would make the game fun again have been repeatedly shot down by both devs and some of the arrogant forumers, regardless of the arguement and numbers behind the idea. Suggestions are no use now, nobody wants to change it for some reason. It's a little sadist when you think about it too, inflicting verbal abuse on those who only wish to help or share their feelings with you, and getting and enjoying it with a zealous passion. It's not worth it for me to suggest anything anymore, anytime or anywhere, at anyplace with anyone(This last sentance is partially done like that on purpose).
NS is no longer clicking with me, and hasn't for the longest time(3.1 was really the endpoint for my like of the game). I played on and off, I tried to enjoy the new NS... I seriously did try. In the end, it doesn't work, and I put NS away and out of my mind because I did not enjoy my experiences.
If there is no enjoyment, then there is no reason to play. There are THOUSANDS of other games out there, free or not, that I could better spend my time with if I need entertainment. No reason to stick with one I can't enjoy, right?
And when there's no fun left for me to discover as a pubber, and you just disregard it because you think it's one person, try to think again... most likely, more than one pubber can agree with what I'm saying, because we are the majority, and we roll like that.
And ask yourself: Why should we, or even you, play a game you're not enjoying, but others are for some reason?
Oh well, numbers fall, people complain about low numbers, but they belittle and flame those who drop off, calling them all sorts of things, not realizing the true outcome of their actions(You just deterred another person from NS because you wouldn't hear them out, for example).
Blah, my arguement is useless. I might as well stop now, nobody cares about the Public NS populace anymore. I myself may as well play something with more replay value like solitaire or hearts if you don't want me, a pubber, playing YOUR(And I put emphasis on your, because that's the arrogant thought pattern that I see while I lurk the forums) game.
If you want the public to return, listen to them, make it worth their while. Caring only about what you want(Mabye you take enjoyment in those games which are decided in the first 10 minutes, for example) helps nobody, it only ortracizes more from the community, which I think will happen to me now as I post this. (Because most of you could care LESS about the pubbers, and you know it. Those of you who do care also knows of the resentment of pubbers that some people have, and you know it.).
I just.... don't find NS "fun" anymore, and I really don't want to play anymore. I have no urge to play what I once played nonstop and fully enjoyed. Balance is great in a game, it really is...
But if you are balancing, try to balance while keeping the fun in. Balancing and forgetting about the fun is one of the worst things that can happen to a game's public populace. Balancing AROUND the fun makes the public love it even more.
And that's probably all I'll get to say before I get shot down in flames for being a pubber.
Take care.
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
At the moment, whenever I join BAD or G4BS2, 80% of the games are decided within 5 minutes. The top (marines) rush to the key areas or spawncamp. The rest of the game is played out as aliens struggle to get out of the hive or just F4. 3.2 is a mess in larger games and that's where I happen to find the most fun.
I think 3.2.1 is being cooked up, so perhaps you should stay at least to see some sort of revision being made. Despite the elitist attitudes by many of the players here, there's people who do agree with what you say.
By the way, were you the one who suggested some sort of upgrade idea way back in the unchain-the-chamber days? I think I remember you...
I don't think any small patch can really fix the way the game plays out now. Ever since 3.1, I played mabye one sessions a month(Roughly an hour you can say, which ended up being 2-3 games, no co_). Then I just stopped for about 5 months because I just did not enjoy it. I come back again 5 months later, and it STILL plays out the same, boring, early-decision way. Is that progress in fun to a pubber like me? I don't think so.
That's why I feel it is futile to suggest anything more to help the games "fun" factor. It's just not worth it, the minority will sway the feelings of others, removing the silent(pubbers) from the viewpoint totally, except for cases like, "Lol, there are so few pub games I want to play one to beat them down in 5 minutes." You know there are people like this that exist. You know who you are too.
NS isn't fun if I have the same experience 5 months later in a game that is "changing and being patched". I don't know if you can, but try to look at it from my viewpoint here, though my style of "fun" may vary greatly from your or others.
All I know is, I used to REALLY enjoy NS. And now I don't. NS used to have some deep replay value. Now I don't see any replay value in it for myself.
<!--c1--><div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'><!--ec1-->One tiny false more, or one nice move, and it's over. Completely over, no chance for a comeback.<!--c2--></div><!--ec2-->
and decided I wouldn't waste my time reading the rest of it. NS is fun now, if you want 2-3hr long games full of spam, go play wow battlegrounds imo.
These days, the game is defiantly balanced, but comebacks are almost a no go. Just yesterday I was playing on ns_veil as marine and the game lasted at least 60 minutes (I left after that). We were losing big time until 1 of the aliens best players left, and we got a comeback. But for the rest of the game, we were just held up in sub or desperately trying to siege cargo, losing wave after wave of marines. I could easily tell within the first 5 minutes aliens would win, with or without that good player.
But what is also as big of a problem is the community itself. Today we have a wide variety of skill, but I can sum it up into 4 categories: Bad, Decent, Veteran and Teamplayers. Before in the 1.x days, most of the people knew what they were doing, so the majority of people on pubs were decent or even bad, <b>teamplayers</b>. The veterans were playing against the veterans, so there was no problem there.
But now, we have all these variety of skills playing against each other, which brings down the quality of games I get. 80% of these people in the first 3 categories i mentioned are not teamplayers, they only care about "kills = win, I play to kill and win!" which easily breaks down a decent team. The community has been infested by these people who are what some people regard as "CS players" which seems to have rubbed off on the rest of the community. Now only 20% of the community now actually plays for the team and to have fun rather than kills.
In sum, I understand where you are coming from. I play a game to have fun, even if I lose of win. I really hate to see another player leave the game for this reason, but I can't blame you either. Unless if something major happens with the community and/or the game, i doubt this would really change until NS2 at the soonest. I would suggest at the least that you at least try the Tactical Gamer server, because it showed me a new light to NS, the funner, better kind, which arguable saved me from leaving NS.
PS: This probably is a big ramble.
Once again I actually believe that some good tutorials could make the game a bit better.
I read as far as
<!--c1--><div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'><!--ec1-->One tiny false more, or one nice move, and it's over. Completely over, no chance for a comeback.<!--c2--></div><!--ec2-->
and decided I wouldn't waste my time reading the rest of it.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
QFE
You're probably a better player now, Blue_Mary, meaning you notice the stupid things you do. Before you would have missed a lot of the high-level gameplay because you were less experienced. Now the game is more routine. I've actually noticed the opposite, especially if the rines rush jets.
The aliens has pushed into the 3rd hive and it was going up when I sat down so I got some quick res and dropped in a couple GL's and HMG's and a few pieces of armor and made a huge push into thier original hive. Hitting them there was not what they were expecting and we were able to take the hive down before the whole alien team showed up. After the hive was locked down and we were able to secure more res nodes and the area immediatly surronding the base we spent another 20 minutes at least retaking the map and winning. It was a hell of a game and although long everyone loved it. None of the marines thought we could come back like that and the aliens were all sad but impressed.
Honestly now I miss games like that. I've only been playing since 3.2 hit and I've been out for at least a year but my most recent games have been over in less then 20 minutes, one was over in 10. A lot of the time I'm seeing a major defeatism in the marine team as soon as something happens or doesn't happen. It seems really key to rushing certain areas, more so then before "doubles" and teching in a certain way is critical and faster now in a lot of cases. I like a lot of the changes I've seen but lerks show up mighty fast now and just keep gasing the hell out of all the marines which I find really weak because it's an amazing weapon if used well which is what I see.
I don't need every game to be an hour long affair by any means but it is certainly nice to have a game of it. I used to see a lot more seesaw games and I could agree that marines had more of an advantage at the time. I used to see defensive chambers and now it's all motion which is intersting. I used to see more team work and coopertation with the comm but it seems like only a few guys on a team of a dozen are doing this. Then they get so upset when they lose that it amazes me. I can agree that WoW battlegrounds are major long battles at times but honestly a lot of the ones I played took 20-30 minutes and were over and if you didn't do it just right you'd be beaten time and again.
Right now I don't like Combat maps much because they really feel like meat grinders and I imagine that appeals to many but not me which is fine. I play servers that run NS maps and that's great but it really does seem like NS has changed to be quicker and faster games. I have read that some people with less times on thier hands are happy with this. They feel they can go through a normal match or game in a decent period of time or the amount they have to play and not half a battle and leave. This is fine but it seems like it's a real surprise when a game runs for more then 30 minutes now. The game I was in just the other night took almost and hour for the marines to lose and we could have won many times but the commander wouldn't change his stratedgy and the marines were not working together or offensively.
I enjoyed the game immensly even though we lost because it brought back old memories of NS when power did shift and a good tactical move made a big difference. When a game really lasted and it was a full on battle. Maybe it's just me and maybe I haven't played enough of this version to see things better but, right now that's my opinion.
QFE
You're probably a better player now, Blue_Mary, meaning you notice the stupid things you do. Before you would have missed a lot of the high-level gameplay because you were less experienced. Now the game is more routine. I've actually noticed the opposite, especially if the rines rush jets.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->You're starting to sound like a broken record-player, saying the same thing over and over again. If you have nothing more to add than just assuming anybody who doesn't like 3.2 sucks, then don't bother posting.
Personally I think NS would be more fun if there were powershifts yes, but also if MT and SoF were harder to get. The stealth part of NS is one of the most fun parts but it only lasts a few minutes, or like 30 seconds or less in most Combat games. Hell I'd like to have MT and SoF disabled in combat completely. I know I have said that a number of times.
<!--quoteo(post=1617451:date=Mar 28 2007, 06:45 AM:name=SpaceJesus)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SpaceJesus @ Mar 28 2007, 06:45 AM) [snapback]1617451[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> I read as far as
<!--c1--><div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'><!--ec1-->One tiny false more, or one nice move, and it's over. Completely over, no chance for a comeback.<!--c2--></div><!--ec2-->
and decided I wouldn't waste my time reading the rest of it. NS is fun now, if you want 2-3hr long games full of spam, go play wow battlegrounds imo. <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> And so you decided to flame the guy instead of reading. Right on! <img src="http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/style_images/trans_system_authority/folder_post_icons/icon2.gif" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
And if anybody is being repetitive, SmoodCroozn, it's you. Every post you make is about "OMG ELITISTS RUIN GAME, MAKE IT EASIER SO MY WALKER SKULK STOPS DYING, RANDOM BULLish STATISTIC PULLED OUT OF YOUR ###### THAT IS ALWAYS A 80/20 SPLIT"
You're starting to sound like a broken record-player, saying the same thing over and over again.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
wow look who's ###### talking
You're starting to sound like a broken record-player, saying the same thing over and over again.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
rofl
All I will say is that I would play NS if the games were "epic" as some may call it. In other words, I would love it if the games lasted many hours. Hell even 1 or two. I'm not flaming anyone, i'm not saying my opinion is better than yours, and yes i do play the "spammy wow battlegrounds" just for that effect. It's a lot of fun, too.
Thanks for reading my post :3
We need more bugs.
<b>BEN FOR DEVELOPER!!!!</b>
Come backs are very much possible for both teams, often the players just lack the knowledge and teamwork necessary to execute them. There are a number of common mistakes which give the appearance of it not being possible.
Commanders rush. In a 2 hive situation there is no longer any rush to kill the second hive, just stop them getting a third. You place a phasegate in a chokepoint that controls res and gives you easy access to the third hive. You drop guns to hold PGs and you occasionaly stray out to take down nodes. You hold till you get proto tech, if they've held a lot of res then I suggest JPs first so you can easily hold your own nodes and you'll not lose any PGs to onos. You then hold till you get the other proto tech. You then hold until you get weapons 3. THEN you siege. You don't drop a PG, a couple of HMGs and attempt to siege straight away because it'll probably go pink thong.
As aliens it's about node pressure and organized rushes. Your lifeforms need to stay alive and you need to put your own nodes back up. Press on their positions and press on their nodes, slow down their teching and concentrate on clearing out a hive which you then drop. Keep hitting their nodes so they're teching as slowly as possible and keep their res spending on meds as high as possible through efficient lerking.
However when pubs are actually balanced onces it might take a while longer before this point of no return kicks in. I try to play on servers (eu) where teams are balanced and I am known on those servers, which helps. (I don't get score remarks)
And you always miss the point of my posts. The goal isn't to make NS easier. The goal is to have BALANCED teams. Again BALANCED TEAMS. B A L A N C E D T E A M S. Read x5's thread if you need any more information.
Having unbalanced teams is not fun. One guy makes the game, the rest of his team feels useless. On the alien side, people can't get out of hives and it's over before the game starts. Go play on G4B2S, BAD or other servers. Get out of this clan-dreamland you keep referencing to.
So what can be done to balance the teams? Handicaps? Auto-team-placement? Or making the game easier?
If you like games where it's over within 3 minutes, then go make your own thread. But I see part of the reason why Warcraft III and Halo 2 are so successful is that they help make games even in skill. But I guess you're going to be blind and miss the point of this post as well.
Go play on G4B2S, BAD or other servers. Get out of this clan-dreamland you keep referencing to.
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we do, and whatever team we join wins. it's stacking, not underlying game balance.
SmoodCroozn, you make some great point and some so so points, but when one starts pointing fingers (speaking figuratively here) and telling other people they are blind and stuff, you loose all of your productive momentum in a fiery ball of flame. All of you, try to descibe things referencing your opinion, observation, and general sense of things. It's easy to get frustrated and flame people who aren't getting your point. That's human. Hell, I'm not perfect either, but try that, it helps your argument a lot.
Someone used the analogy of football earlier. It was fantastic. If you have 3 pro players on the Red Team, and no pro players on the Blue Team, the Blues get smashed. But, do the blues go and whine about getting a handicap and balancing the game of football?? No, they get freaking better, or have some pro players join their team.
Preventative corollaries:
-Do not bring up the fact that football is symmetrical and NS is not. There are MANY balancing techniques, and you're an idiot if you cant take this into account in your little fantasy version of NS.
-Warcraft 3 is not an independent-server run game. It is a centralized-server run game. You log onto some server, it matches you with an equal skill level, you go play.
NS, and the vast majority of PC multiplayer games, are indep-server run. Anyone can join, they arent sent around the Server Conglomerate to be matched in skill. Theres no way around this, unless you want to buy out every NS server, integrate them, and put in some match-redirector that would have the unfortunate result of you 'mysteriously disappearing' IRL.
-Unbalanced teams happen. The actually good players can play both sides, and actually like the challenge, so they DO try to balance out the teams as much as they can. It doesnt always happen, but when it does, the games are phenomenal.
-Stacking goes both ways.
Stop playing on overloaded servers. It's a known problem with NS that 32 player servers don't play properly. You want back and forth, you need to lower the server size. You don't have to go all the way down to clan size (12 players) to get a better game, but go to the 18-20 player servers and you'll see an instant increase in game quality.
FWIW: That's not to say that 32 player servers *shouldn't* be viable -- it's only saying that they currently *do not* play as well.
Aliens NEED more then 1 fade per 16 man team. The alien game (especially at the pub level) requires lifeforms. With the addition of +movement, even a minimally skilled player should be able to play a *useful* fade even if they can't get a large number of kills.
Get some lerks too. Lerks may not be the killing machines that fades are, but spores vs the large groups of marines seen on many servers are incredibly effective.
Onos? Well, onos is extremely useful but if everyone on the team is saving for one, it's like marines with LMGs all the way until w3 + a3 + jp + ha (all) are researched. That's not how commanders upgrade. They hand out a shotgun or two here, a welder there, an HMG here, and THEN hand out full HA+HMG or JP+whatever. Aliens expecting to be able to completely skip most of the tech tree (which INCLUDES LIFEFORMS) is just insanity.
Top marines: spore and para, after that rush in a group. He can take 3 out at max even if you don't get into the biterange. After spore he should be down to 1 bite most of the time. Team-chat and parasite would work wonders in any game if people only realized to use them.
Large servers: Not balanced, but aliens can do quite good as long as they make use of the start res advantage. 4-5 rt:s, 2-3 lerks, chambers early. After that 1 builds hive and the rest will go fade. Some oc:s at chokepoints can work wonders too.
It's amazingly rewarding when everyone is teamworking. Suddenly the good marines aren't dominating the game anymore. The few matches everything works are worth at least 5 hive lockdown games and 10 overrun defeats each. The same goes for individual gameplay. Learn from the mistakes you make and the game is very enjoyable or at least it has been for me. The few epic rounds that occurs sometimes are now double the fun since they exist because of good and balanced gameplay, not because of everyone is lost and unable to do anything useful. Sure I miss the 1.04 times and the epic matches, but I don't think I'd be able to enjoy matches of bad gameplay anymore. It's the priviledge of newbies.
It's a little sadist when you think about it too, inflicting verbal abuse on those who only wish to help or share their feelings with you, and getting and enjoying it with a zealous passion. I
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just described a most of the personalities in competitive ns (think of people like makaveli, chuckerz)
just described a most of the personalities in competitive ns (think of people like makaveli, chuckerz)
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Most of the people in competitive ns don't act like Mak or Chuck.