Proper Placement Of Structures

Red_Wizard

<div class="IPBDescription">Especially TF/Turrets</div> Now I've seen a lot of different methods for placing buildings on different servers.

For bases:
On some servers, the commander will place all the structures against walls and in corners, probably to help prevent skulk-pwnage.
On others I've seen all the buildings clustered into one area, so as to be easily defendable by marines.
On even others, the base is more or less placed whereever's convenient, usu. the result of n00b comms.

Overall, I think that the second works best until the Fades come knocking. That's when the first comes in handy.

For TFs
Sometimes in corners, sometimes in the open. I don't really know which works best, though I think that a TF in the open surrounded by 3-4 turrets works better than a TF in a corner flanked by 2. I dunno.

Well, how do you all usually do things, and which work best in games you've played?

Zeus

I tend to think bunching all the structures up together in a corner is a bad idea. It is not easy for marines to defend once a skulk has got inside the "bunch" and is chomping one of them and then weaving around because the other structures get in the way of the firing line and there is not enough room to manoeuvre.

I prefer placing structures to the walls, sometimes in two's close together, eliminating any blind spots where skulks can get in behind, and with a pack of mines surrounding them and a couple of turrets to either side a skulk will think twice before attacking it. That is until the aliens get a second hive up of course.

TeddyBear

Depending on how many turrets you're putting down I tend to put a tf in a corner (I always build 2 tfs though, some might call me noob for it, but when I cant see the health on an upgraded tf I get nervous), put 2 turrets so that if they take out 1 it still doesnt make a blind spot on the tf and then the rest of the turrets I try to divide as much as possible over the entire area the tf provides me. If I'm working with 2 tfs I tend to only build the turrets in the overlapping areas so that one tf can get chomped without any turrets becomming useless. I've seen comms put turrets on top of tfs though and that doesnt seem too bad, but I doubt it's as effective.

I'm a horrible turret-farm-newb-comm though ... so my advise might not be as usefull <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->

Trojan2

I tend to build light and scatter things. I try to space stuff so that if a skulk gets in he isent shielded by my building and so that when fades come a knocking they cant splash damage 5 building with a single shot. I follow the genral trend of avoiding Turret farms but when I do place them I lay them when I can surround them with turrets. Normally With a ring of 4 turrets I can set it so that any 3 of them can hit any one spot. If its going down in a spot where the aleins can only aproach it from one direction I place 5 turrets in a
W like this
T------------T------------T

-------------TF------------

------T------------T-------
With this all 5 turrets can hit the front (will kill a fade in seconds) and any 3 (usally 4) can hit an alien that is munching on it.
I avoid placing them in coners and on walls. When im skulking I love seeing that becuase its almost impossible to get a TF tightly enough on a wall to keep me from shimming behind it and killing it.

Kuroneko

I can ussually get TFs into the corners just fine

Spazmatic

Depends on the map, your strategy, and your marines. Only rule of thumb is the marines need easy access to critical +use structures, like phase gates and armouries.

Besides that, I'll spread my buildings apart if I expect the game to last into fades (res denial, for example). If it's a small game, I cluster everything into a corner with the armoury and phase gate facing out so it's easy to mine. If it's a more normal game, I try to build both packed and spread, so that skulks can't use structures as shields, but also such that none are in loner positions where they're easy to take down. On some maps, I jam tfacs in ungodly places... On others, I place them right in the middle of the room because I need the turret drop range to reach to certain positions. So, I guess I'd say it varies. A lot.

Gargamel

I always place TF in corners. If you place a triangle or quad formation around a TF you only make things easier for the skulks. They only have to eat 1 or 2 Ts before crunching the TF and take out the rest of the unpowered turrets. Usable stuff always kinda cute placed aside the wall so the middle can be used for those leaving instead of blocking them.