Early Offense

M1ke

<div class="IPBDescription">Counter-Strategy to Alien's Early Game</div> When I play as Alien, I notice a very typical strategy in the early game which I'm sure you're all familiar with: Skulks rush the Marine base while one or two Gorges build resources towers and attempt to secure hives. The typical Marine early game is either beef up the base, secure resources, or secure hives.

It seems to me that it would be possible for the Marines to exploit the Aliens' lack of early defense with an attack. Not a rush per se, but a probe of 3-4 Marines which might get to the hive and take it down or at least scare the Aliens into turtling. I actually did this once, accidentally, as commander on Eclipse. I sent most of my team to the Eclipse Command hive without knowing it was their starting hive. They destroyed the hive while I jumped out of the Command Console to cap the last Skulk who was attacking our base. A win in about 3 minutes. It may have been a fluke, but it worked nonetheless.

I don't think this strategy would necessary interfere with the Marines' grander scheme (i.e. taking the other hives, nozzles, whatever) and it might cripple the Aliens just enough to slow them down and tip the scales. If nothing else, the threat of an early Marine attack might make Aliens more conservative about their early game strategy.

Ideas, revisions, and criticism welcome.

Inexorable

It's a gamble, but it can work. If you have confidence that your marines can take out the Skulks, <i>and</i> you're sure where the Skulks are coming from go ahead and send them. It takes much longer for Kharaa to respawn, so if you move immediately you can catch them with their pants down so to speak.

FlatlineUTD

Well, you're talking about attacking based off of the aliens' weakness of starting defense. By doing this, you lose the marine's advantage of starting defenses. It basically becomes a balls-out charge as to who can take out the other team's base first.

And, like you said, if the commander has to leave the CC to fend off a skulk or two, who's going to keep pressing on the advantage you've obtained? You've got no one supplying your troops with ammo, health, and a turret factory? And if you rushed before even building a portal, it's game over - you're dead, your troops aren't anywhere near the CC to jump in.

M1ke

Yes it is a bit of a gamble, but I'm thinking on a smaller scale: just a few marines on an extended scouting mission with "malicious intent."

Injury

Curiously, I was in a game earlier today that did the exact same thing. We left two Marines to guard the base after the predictable Skulk rush on ns_eclipse and moved towards Maintenance to secure the third Hive in typical Marine strategy. At that time we didn't know the Kharaa Hive was there, but from the beeline Skulks who didn't expect a Marine offense we pretty much nailed down the Hive. At the top of the ladder in Maintenance we pretty much pounded the Hive but didn't manage to kill it. The aliens were greatly set back and I'm sure the shock value hurt a bit. By the time our attacking force was creamed by Skulks (did you expect any less?) we had an ample supply of resource nodes taken and Eclipse Command was ours from the two Marines who were building up the base.

Interesting strategy I think, however you really do only have a one in three chance as to being able to stumble upon the Kharaa starting Hive.

Earlgrey

The Commander can tell where to starting hive is from the start.

Just move the map over the top of each of the hives in turn, the one that's making gurgling and tapping sounds is the hive...

Foggy

That's almost an exploit. In fact I think it is.

BoddoZerg

It's very risky though. If your Marines aren't too good at shooting Skulks, they might all get eaten before reaching the Hive. In the time it takes to respawn and regroup all your Marines, the aliens have quite a large head start on you. Worse yet is when some of your Marines decide that its a good idea to continue rushing the Aliens, and they get eaten over and over again.

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Hellbilly

<!--QuoteBegin--BoddoZerg+Nov 22 2002, 04:54 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (BoddoZerg @ Nov 22 2002, 04:54 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->It's very risky though. If your Marines aren't too good at shooting Skulks, they might all get eaten before reaching the Hive. In the time it takes to respawn and regroup all your Marines, the aliens have quite a large head start on you. Worse yet is when some of your Marines decide that its a good idea to <b>continue rushing the Aliens, and they get eaten over and over again.</b>

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...which is most often the case.

This strategy is very much dependent on luck and marine aiming skills. I would never send my marines out on this mission without knowing the people i?m playing with.