Plea To Foot Soldiers
Windelkron
Join Date: 2002-04-11 Member: 419Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Stop being idiots.</div> Four things.
1. Stop putting huge fields of tripmines. STOP. Placing four tripmines in a stack to close off a hallway is a stupid idea. Making a giant field of mines that turns the whole screen red is an even <u>stupider</u> idea. It's no surprise that marines die to tripmines more often than aliens... it's because of stupid placing.
<ul><li> If you're going to block off a hallway with 4 mines, don't place all the mines on one wall. Alternate the mines like this. O = mine.
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2. Stop running from Fades. Whenever somebody sees the first acid rocket kill, the entire team sighs in frustration and morale plummets. STOP BEING IDIOTS! Common Fade players rely so much on their Acid Rocket that they don't know what to do when they're being rushed. If you see acid rockets coming in the doorway, RUN OUT!! The Fade will be low on energy, and still on Acid Rocket, not knowing whether to rocket you or swipe you. There's your chance.
<ul><li>It takes a measly <b>twenty-nine</b> <u>unupgraded</u> LMG bullets to kill a vanilla fade. That's barely more than half a clip. Get going!
<li>It takes 77 <u>unupgraded</u> LMG bullets to kill a CARAPACE fade. By the time the enemy has Fades, you probably have an upgraded LMG. Assuming you can hit a big black target at close range, two LMGs (not even counting pistols) can take out a fade, maybe even two.</ul>
3. STAND STILL. If you've never done it before, hop in the command chair and try to give marines waypoints. If they're not all clustered around the armory, they're probably running around, and manage to spread themselves out such that the commander can't select more than one at a time. The TSA <b>LOSES GAMES</b> because the commander is simply unable to effectively give his marines orders.
<ul><li><b>Stand still, and close to teammates. </b>When you're standing still, the commander's job gets five thousand times less hectic. If you have nothing to do, <b><u>stand still.</b></u>
<li><b>Stand in a light.</b> The commander can see what you see. The commander can't see what you can't see. If you can't see the floor somewhere, <b>don't stand there!</b> The maps are all incredibly dark for the commander for some reason. Don't make it worse.
By the way, if you stand in a light in the middle of nowhere, the enemy can see you too. Try to be smart and stand where it's safe at the same time.
<li><b>Don't stand somewhere where something is above you.</b> This problem manifests itself particularly badly on ns_caged, where pipes and things hang everywhere. Keep in mind that the commander watches you from above. Please don't stand underneath big pipes. The commander will be wondering where you are, wasting valuable time, if you're cowering underneath a pipe.
<li><b>If you just finished building something, don't move.</b> Countless times I have hoped that I could lasso a bunch of marines when they congregate around unbuilt structures, then to find that they immediately scatter when it's finished, blighting my plans. The building won't bite you. Why run? Stay where you are!</ul>
4. If other people are clamoring that the Generator Hive base is under attack, and it's two phases away, please <b><u>DO NOT WASTE TIME </u>getting ammunition.</b> The victory of your team depends on your presense at some flashpoint.
<ul><li><b>Step through the phase immediately after respawning.</b> You've been given two clips of ammunition for both your LMG and pistol. If the phase gate is under attack, chances are you won't even get to use your current clip, never mind survive the time reloading. Getting 250 rounds of reserve LMG ammo won't help you at all. Instead, it will <b>MAKE YOUR TEAM LOSE.</b> Step through the phase, and worry about getting ammo later.
Anyway, if you run out of ammo after killing two carapace fades (which you are capable of doing with your default loadout), the trip back to the armory is as quick as it was to get to where you are. Suffice to say, instant.</ul>
I hope you will understand these basic rules. Get going!
1. Stop putting huge fields of tripmines. STOP. Placing four tripmines in a stack to close off a hallway is a stupid idea. Making a giant field of mines that turns the whole screen red is an even <u>stupider</u> idea. It's no surprise that marines die to tripmines more often than aliens... it's because of stupid placing.
<ul><li> If you're going to block off a hallway with 4 mines, don't place all the mines on one wall. Alternate the mines like this. O = mine.
<!--c1--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>CODE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='CODE'><!--ec1-->|O |
| O|
|O |
| O|<!--c2--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--ec2-->
</ul>
2. Stop running from Fades. Whenever somebody sees the first acid rocket kill, the entire team sighs in frustration and morale plummets. STOP BEING IDIOTS! Common Fade players rely so much on their Acid Rocket that they don't know what to do when they're being rushed. If you see acid rockets coming in the doorway, RUN OUT!! The Fade will be low on energy, and still on Acid Rocket, not knowing whether to rocket you or swipe you. There's your chance.
<ul><li>It takes a measly <b>twenty-nine</b> <u>unupgraded</u> LMG bullets to kill a vanilla fade. That's barely more than half a clip. Get going!
<li>It takes 77 <u>unupgraded</u> LMG bullets to kill a CARAPACE fade. By the time the enemy has Fades, you probably have an upgraded LMG. Assuming you can hit a big black target at close range, two LMGs (not even counting pistols) can take out a fade, maybe even two.</ul>
3. STAND STILL. If you've never done it before, hop in the command chair and try to give marines waypoints. If they're not all clustered around the armory, they're probably running around, and manage to spread themselves out such that the commander can't select more than one at a time. The TSA <b>LOSES GAMES</b> because the commander is simply unable to effectively give his marines orders.
<ul><li><b>Stand still, and close to teammates. </b>When you're standing still, the commander's job gets five thousand times less hectic. If you have nothing to do, <b><u>stand still.</b></u>
<li><b>Stand in a light.</b> The commander can see what you see. The commander can't see what you can't see. If you can't see the floor somewhere, <b>don't stand there!</b> The maps are all incredibly dark for the commander for some reason. Don't make it worse.
By the way, if you stand in a light in the middle of nowhere, the enemy can see you too. Try to be smart and stand where it's safe at the same time.
<li><b>Don't stand somewhere where something is above you.</b> This problem manifests itself particularly badly on ns_caged, where pipes and things hang everywhere. Keep in mind that the commander watches you from above. Please don't stand underneath big pipes. The commander will be wondering where you are, wasting valuable time, if you're cowering underneath a pipe.
<li><b>If you just finished building something, don't move.</b> Countless times I have hoped that I could lasso a bunch of marines when they congregate around unbuilt structures, then to find that they immediately scatter when it's finished, blighting my plans. The building won't bite you. Why run? Stay where you are!</ul>
4. If other people are clamoring that the Generator Hive base is under attack, and it's two phases away, please <b><u>DO NOT WASTE TIME </u>getting ammunition.</b> The victory of your team depends on your presense at some flashpoint.
<ul><li><b>Step through the phase immediately after respawning.</b> You've been given two clips of ammunition for both your LMG and pistol. If the phase gate is under attack, chances are you won't even get to use your current clip, never mind survive the time reloading. Getting 250 rounds of reserve LMG ammo won't help you at all. Instead, it will <b>MAKE YOUR TEAM LOSE.</b> Step through the phase, and worry about getting ammo later.
Anyway, if you run out of ammo after killing two carapace fades (which you are capable of doing with your default loadout), the trip back to the armory is as quick as it was to get to where you are. Suffice to say, instant.</ul>
I hope you will understand these basic rules. Get going!
Comments
Just had to stick that in. If you can't control your men, pop put of the chair and attack the fades, and let someone who can interact with his men better go commander.
A side note to your stand in light thing, for the love of god, don't do it in the middle of some random place near no teammates/friendly structures, as that is just asking for a skulk to have a nice little late afternoon dinner of your corpse.
GO MONKEY! GO!
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I would also add -
If your commander gives you an order that sounds stupid - make an alternate suggestion (not flame). Then FOLLOW THE ORDER.
Sometimes the commander has a new tactic or he has a plan that you haven't thought of. He might know more about the global situation than you do. Or he might be wrong. If he's wrong you can say I told you so, you can vote-eject him, you can whine at him when you get back to the ready room. If he's right ignoring the order will hve cost your team dear.
At the same time KEEP THE COMMANDER INFORMED. He cannot see that you are sitting in a dark corner not moving to your waypoint because there are 4 fades in the room infront of you and you have 10health and 4 pistol bullets, ok he might see you are low on health but does he know that dropping a medpack would get you killed? No. He may also be looking at a minor attack on refinery when feedwater is under major bombardment.
Learn to SHUT UP. During the game talk when it is needed. un-urgent statements can be made with say or teamsay. I have lost a game because of constant spammed voice messages drowned all communication.
The messages were from a group of late joiners and all along the lines of "oh for christ sake, what have you done that for? your a crap comm, not there, i need a hmg and a jetpack, I need another. we are going to die, its all your fault, i need turrets here NOW,NOW,turrets here now, no not a **obscenity** turret factory, for **obscenity** sake you just got me killed." All one on top of the other.
Marines got disorganised, couldn't hear my orders, weren't sure if they should follow them when they did hear them, paniced split up and ultimately got wiped out. The game was 50/50 when the 're-inforcements' joined. Worst game ever.
There will always be newbies no matter what kind of protest you put up here.
Although I do sympathize with your grievance when people don't go through the phase gates right when they spawn. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
So, no, it's about maternal bonding, not monkeysex.
Anyway...as to Marines...someone really needs to explain to them that their butt off the Inf Portal is worth NO RP and LMGS CAN HURT FADES. These two things would greatly improve the amount of wins the Marine team gets...
For some reason, just because they have guns, the Marines seem to thing that butt-naked off the Inf Portal, they're worth more than a Skulk in the late-game. Well, Marines, guess what: You aren't. And I wish you'd figure that out when you're standing around the Armoury FILLING UP YOUR LMGs while Fades bombard the base with Acid Rockets.
In any case Windelkron, I agree with your suggestions - they obviously come from experience playing the game. It seems that the same issuses always crop up with Marines - but it will take a little time for more people to calm down and start playing NS like...NS, instead of a frenetic deathmatch game. NS is a slower game, with brief periods of intense fighting. It's a new concept.
Except, it is not...
NS is intense fighting 24/7.
The difference is that fighting is localized, and strategy comes into play.
pick up the gl and stand near the armoury, fire once, re-aim and fire again. try to ensure the seond shot lands in a different place to the first, reload 4 grenades, fire once, re-aim, fire again, reload 4 shots. repeat.
It takes ages to fill the GL but this way you can drive back the khara while you do it, by firing artificially slowly you create an explosion every 2-3 seconds or so (it wont kill many but the lmg's have an easier job) and by never firing your last 2 shots you never have to reload and if a fade gets right in your face you can always let him have the other 2. If you get killed you can pick the gl up again when you respawn
Its my personal feeling that trip mines are completly useless to block off halls. (I've yet to run into a formation of them I couldn't squeese through as a skulk) They're ONLY good for:
Making skulks approach in a controlled way. (ie having them jump over a mine into your base thus giving them a predictable approach)
Blocking off vents (as you can put 5 on tip mode that are completly un-avoidable).
2. <u>Fades</u>
Completly agree with you, fear of fades is: stupid, counter productive and widespread.
3. <u>STAND STILL</u>
No, no, NO and.. <b>NO!</b>
Do not cosider your placment even remotly in relation to how easy you'll be for the com to spot.
Marines should ALWAYS be doing a job, the job might be holding a room it might be moving out to a waypoint.
It might be building something while his buddies cover his arse or building something while he watches the motion tracking dots to see if he's about to be attacked.
It could be pouring through the phase gate to kill off the skulks that are mobbing your expansion.
ALL these jobs are made an absolute infinite amount easier by the position of the marine. Yes jumping around while your trying to snipe a skulk is stupid. BUT telling people to always stand still in an easy to spot place is REALLY only going to end up with your next rant being 'why do all my marines get chomped up so much by sneaky skulks?'.
Go to www.planetns.com and read some of the guides (including my own small advice on holding a position) and you'll note that almost all guides for 'how grunts should play' advise you to sit in a position that gives you a good field of fire and/or makes you hard to bite. The ability of a hidden marine to destroy skulks who're not aware of that hidden marine is very very usefull.
As commander your mini-map should show you green dots where your marines are.
If you're new and not keeping track of what all the marines should be upto and where they are then look at the minimap for a green blob near where you want them. Go over to that general area and drag a box over the intire screen and you'll probably end up with that person selected.
4. <u>Phase Gates and Ammo</u>
Absoultly agree the number of times I scream <b>'GO THROUGH THE PHASE GATE, DO NOT PASS GO, DO NOT PICK UP 2000 **obscenity** ROUNDS OF AMMO'</b> really does make me wonder if half the players consider the 'big picture' attal.
BlueGhost
edit> added underline heading I'd missed *sigh* Incedently explaining what you're edits are especially when they make people's posts seem stupid / uninformed is common courtesy.
Ive been in alot of hives as of late, where people just randomly start shooting and build up turrets.
Then the fades come <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
<a href='http://www.3dap.com/serioussam/knifearena/stuff/ns/ns_caged0000.jpg' target='_blank'><img src='http://www.3dap.com/serioussam/knifearena/stuff/ns/ns_caged0000_t.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'></a> <a href='http://www.3dap.com/serioussam/knifearena/stuff/ns/ns_caged0004.jpg' target='_blank'><img src='http://www.3dap.com/serioussam/knifearena/stuff/ns/ns_caged0004_t.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'></a>
Had this happen in a 2 on 2 game, but they weren't being serious. My lerk buddy flew over them with ease anyway, though of course I could easily blow it up in one hit and they knew a fade was around.
By the way, click them to get to the large 1600x1200 images.
This is great to help secure your main base without expensive turrets. Also people are not to aware of the proximity nature of mines when they are placed on the ground. The only way a skulk can get through is to have one suicide and then rush through (carefully) the resulting hole in which you will be shot by the defender. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
This isn't just for base defense they can be handed out to defend hive locations too!