The Jetpack Rush

MrPink

I've tried this strategy 3 times and its worked each time, and it's really fun for the marines. At the start, drop an IP, armory, and arms lab, and level 1 armor. Send your marines out to find nodes, but leave a few back at main. I usually send the marines to 2 new node locations, and split them up to guard it, so my team is divided into 3 groups, one at each node and one at main base. Drop a proto lab next, followed by jetpacks, all the time saving up res. When jetpacks are done, you should usually have around 100 res stocked up. Drop everyone a jetpack and a shotty, and send them to the main hive. They are skulk killing machines, skulk's cant fly so they wont hit jetpackers much, it takes 3 bites to kill them, and the shotguns provide deadly close quarters battle fighting as well as killing that hive quicker than lmg fire. Most of the time the hive will be nearly clear, the aliens defending the other two hive locations.

Kid-A

You can only use this on a server your familiar with, because alot of pub players don't know how to use a JP well.

BlueGhost

Its not so much that they can't fly, its that they're more dangerous to themselves than the enemy.

I mean send them off to viaduct hive and you'll see your intire squad crater. (assuming they don't manage to fall into one of the bottomless pits on the way) <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->

BlueGhost

MrBen

Jetpacks are horrible. For aliens, i was trying to defend generator on caged and to stop stupid jetpackers who just fly past i had to pile offence towers on top each other so there was no way through at all overwise they just flow past.

Personaly as a marine i dislike them because i'm happier on foot with an lmg. Same with shotgun, most things will die easily as a normal marine.

Error404

Jetpacks are great for taking large hives (especially with tall ceilings) like Generator and Refinery, in the smaller hives they tend to be less effective as its easier to be gunned down by OCs or webbed by gorges.

Gargamel

JEtpacks RULE!
Everytime aliens get 3 Hives there is only one solution Jetpack Rush the Hives and kill em!

Asraniel

for me, jetpack rush or just using jetpacks, is the only waz for marines to win.... ok, we had a 9vs9 game, the marines made the jetpack rush. We won as aliens, but we were more than one time near dead.... The only reason that we won was that we were very good organised. We always parasited the jetpackers and then hunt them down. And we had may lerks. But it was the first time that i wasnt shure as alien if we win(actualy i never seen a real marine win...) i mean, when all 30 second both hives are under attack and you lose one and and and.... then its funny!!

MasterEvilAce

IMO, a rush of any kind is pretty lame(alien point of view), as it will work nearly every time
in pubs, anyways

aliens really get screwed, because they only have skulks

jetpack/hmg rush is byfar the worst way to torment the aliens

on the marine side, it's fun, though

AcKz

If the aliens allow you to get JP/HMG then ya, you should lose. And how is "jp/hmg" a rush... it takes longer then 10min to get

BlueGhost

On a 9 vs 9 all tech rushes are a doddle.

BlueGhost

sej

Actually, jetpack rushing can be more effective for the marines than phase gate rushing. This is mainly due to the fact that most aliens anticipate a phase rush, and the gorge gets that 2nd hive asap, after getting 3 defence chambers and a few nodes up. However, a skilled commander is needed...

The idea is not to place a tfac anywhere, otherwise getting jetpacks will be delayed. Giving an example of a jetpack rush would be easier than explaining the tactic fullly.. so..

Ns_hera 8 vs 8, start main base as if you were planning on a phase rush (IP x 2, Armoury, Obs, Phase Gate). Leave 2 to defend base, send the rest to Hera entrance and reception (should be 5 marines). Drop a phase and a res node there, leave 1 to guard it, and send the other marines to holoroom. Drop a phase in holoroom, and then the two res nodes there. Marines are commanded to defend the three phase gate locations.... Next comes the armoury upgrade, then the arms lab, then proto lab... upgrade armour, research jetpacks, and wait.

As soon as the researching is finished (i.e. you can drop jetpacks and hmgs), issue jp and hmg to as many soldiers as possible (admittedly you will only be able to drop about 4 sets). By this time, with a good gorge, the second hive will be about 1/2 way to being full grown, and the aliens have probably thought theyre close to victory. Tell the jetpackers to get to holoroom... command them to take out the first hive, and then the growing hive STRAIGHT afterwards.

"Tell the jetpackers to get to holoroom... command them to take out the first hive, and then the growing hive STRAIGHT afterwards."

Actually this isnt as hard as you think for the marines, and even 1 jetpacker/hmg can take out a hive. If you take care of him (i.e drop ammo/health), he can use his jetpacks to jump out the way of skulks, reload, shoot the hive, jump, reload, shoot the hive. If youve ever tried using hmg's on skulks, you would know how easy it is for them to get close to you. With a jetpack, evading multiple skulks isnt impossible, if they dont have leap yet. At any rate, 4 marines with jp/hmg would take down the hive pretty fast if they all shoot at it.

There are large flaws of this tactic, just as there are with phase rushing:

1) If aliens take out one of your res node locations, you've had it, the game is very near to being lost.
2) You RELY on marines to follow orders, and you need 1/2 who are good with jp/hmg
3) 7 carapace lvl 3 skulks will kill the marine base, or a res node location without much problem.

Most importantly, you rely on the aliens expecting a phase gate rush, to concentrate on guarding the hives, and not make a co-ordinated attack for the res nodes, and for the gorge to get the 2nd hive up before any significant number of offence chambers have gone down, in anticipation for the "phase" rush.

I am not saying this is the only jetpack rush for ns_hera, and taking processing after holoroom would be a more certain victory (set up double siege for the hive). Jetpack rushing can be easily countered, just as phase rushing can be. Effective? Yes. "Lame"?. Arguable.

Personally, as aliens, i would rather have the marines jetpack rush, than to phase rush, secure the 2 hives and base to an extent where it is nearly impossible to take out, take 1 hour to tech up, and another hour to take out the last hive, whilst skulks are dieing nearly instantly to hmgs. Obviously, i would prefer to win <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->. At least jetpack rushing adds variation to the game, where phase rushing seems to be so common.

This is not a fool-proof tactic, but then, is there such a thing?

(sigh... longer post than i expected. bah, if you are bothered to read this, i commend you.)

BlueGhost

on NS_Hera never forget the door to general cargo storage.

BlueGhost

MrPink

Thats why you spawn shotties instead of HMG's, it takes much less time and costs less, and in squads are very effective, especially with the price drop.

AUScorpion

Edit: Whoa, wrong topic.

Jet pack rushes, from what I've seen are effective on if the marines have players with good skills individually....as they tend to end up with one guy left trying to take the hive and all alien spawn near it.

matso

<!--QuoteBegin--AcKz+Jan 19 2003, 08:00 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (AcKz @ Jan 19 2003, 08:00 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->If the aliens allow you to get JP/HMG then ya, you should lose. And how is "jp/hmg" a rush... it takes longer then 10min to get<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Depends on team size. If it is doable for an 8v8 team, it's hard for a 6v6 and really easy in a 12v12 game.

A 12v12 game with a perfect tech rush means you can start dropping HA's at about the 6 minute point. That includes paying for MT/HMG and lvl 1 upgrades, and assumes holding two nodes extra.

Of course, all tech rushes depends on not spending resources on turrets, neither in base nor in the resource points. If the aliens are smart and realize what you are doing, they will make a concerted rush and take out one of the locations.

BlueGhost

<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->A 12v12 game ...<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
In a 12v12 game if the marines lose they sucked, eos.

BlueGhost