As for the level 3 issue, first, timing would be a difficult issue, if your trajectory is a little off you will slide from the back and into the front, and whatever weapon he happened to be using, you are in trouble.
<!--QuoteBegin--Gwahir+Aug. 03 2002,21:15--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (Gwahir @ Aug. 03 2002,21:15)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->very informative first post sir.
As for the level 3 issue, first, timing would be a difficult issue, if your trajectory is a little off you will slide from the back and into the front, and whatever weapon he happened to be using, you are in trouble.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Yep... thats a biggin! but what if the level 3 can't play well?
<!--QuoteBegin--Gwahir+Aug. 03 2002,21:26--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (Gwahir @ Aug. 03 2002,21:26)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->level 3 user skill aside, you will likely travel right into its line of fire.
and to answer your sig's question, in the event that they must close, regardless of reason.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> AHH I"M BEING FLAMED!!!
<!--QuoteBegin--Gwahir+Aug. 03 2002,21:33--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (Gwahir @ Aug. 03 2002,21:33)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->eruh? flamed, in no way did I intend to flame you, should you feel offended, I apologize.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> err... i'm just playing witcha man, don't have to apologize, it was a joke =T ... your no fun lol...
k, just making sure, flaming is something I avoid. though back when I was in high school someone said I was an 80 year old caught in a 17 year old's body... ah well. They didn't see my crazy side *Gwahir holds a battle axe high and begins to wittle with it*
<!--QuoteBegin--Gwahir+Aug. 03 2002,21:59--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (Gwahir @ Aug. 03 2002,21:59)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->always and forever, long live the geek empire!<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> tru tru... i feel ya man.. i feel ya
Sunday... still can't wait for MonsE's story <!--emo&:D--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'><!--endemo-->
My Sunday ends in twenty minutes, and I don't see any new stories from MonsE <!--emo&:D--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'><!--endemo-->
Sunday ended 45 mins ago for me <!--emo&:D--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'><!--endemo--> You're keeping us in great suspense here MonsE <!--emo&;)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'><!--endemo--> We know how busy you guys are, no worries!!
Sorry for the delay in this story. There will be a lot of PR this week, so I was a bit tied up last night sorting through 833 screenshots taken this weekend <!--emo&;)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'><!--endemo-->.
Story #1 - Overconfidence on Tanith
I don't usually play aliens, mostly because I prefer commanding as a Marine, and well, I really suck as a lev1. We had just started a game of TommyD's NS_Tanith and the alien team was short on players, so I said 'what the heck'. We had the good luck to spawn our first hive in the Satellite room, which is fairly close to the Marine start point. As we dropped in as lev1's, we immediately made a beeline for the Marines, hoping to get an easy rush victory.
Big mistake.
The Marines were waiting for us, and our planned slaughter became a route as we charged in, only to be met with a wall of LMG lead. With only a single dead human to our credit, we retired in disorder with our only remaining alien, as he went off to find a quiet spot to spawn into a lev2 and get a second hive going. As we all spawned back in from limbo, we decided to take more time gathering our strength before assaulting again. Especially since by now the Marines would have some heavy defenses.
So we build, and we plot, and we gather. 10 minutes goes by, and we think we have a sizeable assault force ready. Meanwhile, one of our builders has been slowly creating a <b>massive</b> amount of turrets and defense chambers outside the Marine spawn (as the humans earlier made one attempt to get a second base built, only to be wiped out piecemeal; they were busy in their spawn licking their wounds). We all show back up, see this mass of siege warfare and say - 'Woo, they have no way out. This is in the bag! High "ones" all around!'
Then we all explode into gibs.
The Marine commander had been smart enough to build two siege cannons in his base. Siege cannons can't attack alien players, but they automatically attack alien buildings and shoot through walls with ease. As we were all standing around our defenses, the splash damage had caught us and killed us in a few quick blasts.
A moment later, our trap was defeated, and the Marines poured out to defeat us handily in short order.
Lesson learned - tactics from Command and Conquer do not always work in NS...
great story monse, ill beware of siege cannons when i first play ns <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo-->
Midweek, Flayra and I held a playtest with about 20 newbie players who are not official playtesters. This was done to take a look at how players see the game cold, with only in the ingame tooltips and 2 veterans using VoIP to teach them how to play. The results gave Flay a lot of data on how people see things, and will be used to make the game better.
But it also lead to an interesting game on Relic25's NS_Bast.
We started a new game, and Flay and I decided to join each side and watch people play, as well as answer questions. I went Marine commander (naturally), and started making the initial base in the spawn. The players quickly figured out that I was phasing in the buildings and equipment, and activated a few of them. but after they got a few shotguns, they suddenly scattered to the four winds to explore and face the enemy, leaving me alone.
Damn CS and it's influence on teamwork! <!--emo&:p--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'><!--endemo-->
I drop some unbuilt turrets and jump out of commander mode to go build. I hear the telltale clicking sound of level1 claws, and the spawn's ceiling vent is suddenly full of leaping critters. I finish a turret, and start pumping my shottie wildly, somehow managing to hold them back. Thankfully most of my team had gotten themselves killed in their rambo attacks, and they start spawning back in through our infantry gates, allowing me to survive.
But now the aliens know where we are, and you know Flay is egging them on to finish us.
The troops gather up, and charge throught he airlock a few times, only to die in a hail of alien turret fire. I finally get them to understand that we need to get beter upgrades, so they make a quick sortie west and capture an additional set of resource nodes. They push on, and we manage to take the 'water hive', denying the alien their 3-hive abilities. I buld them a minibase in that hive, get them better weapons, and they descend into the hell of the tram tunnel, where they fight a prolonged battle (with at least 4 respawns a man). We keep slowly pushing forward against strong opposition, tenously holding on to the lead.
But now we are running very low on RP's, and every nozzle we come across has been exhasuted by the foul alien scum.
There's only one thing left to do - cash in everything and make an all or nothing push for the final alien hive in the engine room. I recycle everything I can, getting us a big RP infusion, and load up on HMG's and Grenade Launchers. We finally have power armor, and I'm able to get some weapon and armor upgrades to let us go toe to toe. The troops have learned to stick together and focus their firepower, but time is not on our side, as the aliens have regained both hives and will soon be rebuilding them. We go hell bent for leather to the last full hive in the engine room, losing troops as they grind their way closer. Lev1's are leaping out of the vents and ambushing us all the way, and it's down to a couple men.
'Get that hive - ignore the aliens and we can win this!' I yell over VoIP.
With our final burt of HMG fire, the hive makes a slopping snap and shows it's death animation. We win with 4 RP's left in the bank.
So I guess newbie's really can work together <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo-->
SO what kinda things are you guys doing to help the newbs?
coilAmateur pirate. Professional monkey. All pance.Join Date: 2002-04-12Member: 424Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
There are *tons* of things being done to make the learning curve as gradual as possible, but Flay & Co. can only do so much. And with that in mind, I have 4 words for you: <!--me&coil--><span id='ME'><center>RTFM .</center></span><!--e-me-->
humbabaThat Exciting Tales From the Frontline GuyJoin Date: 2002-01-25Member: 86Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
HAh hah! Yes. Commanding stories are long, cause you have to get the big picture. I have a commanding story from NS_Tanith. As fate would have it, Monse was not on our team, so his formidable commanding skills were not available. Taking the burden, I stepped into the chair. The obligatory Infantry portal was layed down. Immediately afterwards, I did my best to protect my marines, placing down a turret factory and 2 turrets, as well as an armory. The moment the turret factory was done, I began research on siege. Well, I was all out of rps at this point, and rather lightly defended (Siege research is pricey, and usually saved for the mid game.) I decided to trust the skills of my marines rather than adhere to traditional command doctrine and sent one marine off to the double node south of the marine start while I equipped a single marine with a shotgun and sent him along with 2 teammates off to the hive on the right side of the map near the Satelite. By the time my fireteam has reached the room outside of the hive, the double node had been built on and I dropped a turret factory down on a raised platform outside of the hive. My fireteam is building it (2 building, one covering), and than, out through the door to the hive pour three lvl 1s. The shotgunner takes one down, but the other two reach the building marines as they back away and pull out their guns. The shotgunner manages to beat back the one while the combined LMG fire destroyed the other. Well, crap. They know were here. And my shotgunner is all alone. I imagine the little Hive Sight indicators on all the alien's HUDs lighting up with reds and yellows. Well, my shotgunner is scared. I am rolling in rps from the double node at this point, so I begin researching advanced weapons while I outfit the two former builders with shotguns and send them off ot help the lone shotgunner who survived. He has finished the turrets and I place a siege cannon just on the other side of the wall to the hive, trusting the 3 turrets on the platform to cover my mariens while they build. By now, I have 4 marines, 3 with shotguns. I say "Move in now" upon seeing the deaths of the aliens due to siege splash. They move in through the twin ramps and take up positions in the center of the hive room. Placing down yet another turret factory, My marines quickly and efficiently set up three more turrets in the hive room. One down, two to go. Before my marines move out, I place an arms lab and a prototype lab in the hive room. These'll keep me busy. I Tell them to return to base to receive shiny new weapons while I begin research on Jetpacks and Start upgrading their armor. They arrive and I hand them 2 Grenade launchers and a Heavy Machine gun. They head off south, past the double node (now exhausted and recycled) and eventually arrive, after soem heavy fighting through turrets, at the hive room, which is actually just being fortified by a builder. He has only a few turrets grown, and my marines make short work of the hive and defenses, unleashing a volley of fiery grenades and a storm of bullets. The room shakes and explosions tear at the hive. I leave my calling card of a turret factory and three turrets, plus a resource tower on an unused node. I say "Alright, lets just finish em off". As they head down the hallway, leadign to the last hive, which is a ways away. I drop health and ammo for them, theyll need it. By now, thankfully, I have completed research on Jetpacks and Power armor. I amloving the success of my marines and fail to remember that I have left my main base with only 2 turrets and I am carrying a Light Machine Gun. Just as that thought goes through my head, I notice a blip on the mini-map. I scroll back to the base, where I am seated, just in time to see the image of an empty room . .except for the command console, which is surrounded by 3 bobs. I scroll over and drop a welder in the hive room just as I get logged out of my cc and torn to shreds. Well, I may have been a very good commander for killing hives, but I had been reckless. I had not built a single backup Command Console or infantry portal, adhering to the idea that, If I spend those rps upgrading my amrines and equipping them, I wont need to worry. I watch from spectator mode, finally seeing things from my marine's level. They have taken matters into their own hands, presumable under the command of Grendel, who is a very good field commander. They head off to the hive, blasting grenades around every corner to ensure it's safety. They reach the hive room and are down to three men. Thats all they need though. Those three all have Grenade Launchers and they just fire and fire. Explosions rock the hive room and the hive quivers and winces. Newly spanwed Lvl.1s rush to kill the intruders, but fast fingered marines pull out their shotguns and blast them. The hive dies and the final vestiges of Alien Infestation are eliminated. Team One Wins.
Great story MonsE and humbaba, I was wondering I always here of the marines clearing hives with ease, is that because the alien turrets are weak? Because in humbaba's story he considered 3 turrers to be a miniscule threat, do they have to be massed to be effective?
Sweet stories. I feel like a little kid and Christmans time again.... <!--emo&:D--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'><!--endemo-->
Comments
<!--emo&:asrifle:--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/asrifle.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':asrifle:'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:pudgy:--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/pudgy.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':pudgy:'><!--endemo-->
As for the level 3 issue, first, timing would be a difficult issue, if your trajectory is a little off you will slide from the back and into the front, and whatever weapon he happened to be using, you are in trouble.
As for the level 3 issue, first, timing would be a difficult issue, if your trajectory is a little off you will slide from the back and into the front, and whatever weapon he happened to be using, you are in trouble.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yep... thats a biggin! but what if the level 3 can't play well?
and to answer your sig's question, in the event that they must close, regardless of reason.
and to answer your sig's question, in the event that they must close, regardless of reason.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
AHH I"M BEING FLAMED!!!
err... i'm just playing witcha man, don't have to apologize, it was a joke =T ... your no fun lol...
*Gwahir holds a battle axe high and begins to wittle with it*
tru tru... i feel ya man.. i feel ya
-PD
-PD
Story #1 - Overconfidence on Tanith
I don't usually play aliens, mostly because I prefer commanding as a Marine, and well, I really suck as a lev1. We had just started a game of TommyD's NS_Tanith and the alien team was short on players, so I said 'what the heck'. We had the good luck to spawn our first hive in the Satellite room, which is fairly close to the Marine start point. As we dropped in as lev1's, we immediately made a beeline for the Marines, hoping to get an easy rush victory.
Big mistake.
The Marines were waiting for us, and our planned slaughter became a route as we charged in, only to be met with a wall of LMG lead. With only a single dead human to our credit, we retired in disorder with our only remaining alien, as he went off to find a quiet spot to spawn into a lev2 and get a second hive going. As we all spawned back in from limbo, we decided to take more time gathering our strength before assaulting again. Especially since by now the Marines would have some heavy defenses.
So we build, and we plot, and we gather. 10 minutes goes by, and we think we have a sizeable assault force ready. Meanwhile, one of our builders has been slowly creating a <b>massive</b> amount of turrets and defense chambers outside the Marine spawn (as the humans earlier made one attempt to get a second base built, only to be wiped out piecemeal; they were busy in their spawn licking their wounds). We all show back up, see this mass of siege warfare and say - 'Woo, they have no way out. This is in the bag! High "ones" all around!'
Then we all explode into gibs.
The Marine commander had been smart enough to build two siege cannons in his base. Siege cannons can't attack alien players, but they automatically attack alien buildings and shoot through walls with ease. As we were all standing around our defenses, the splash damage had caught us and killed us in a few quick blasts.
A moment later, our trap was defeated, and the Marines poured out to defeat us handily in short order.
Lesson learned - tactics from Command and Conquer do not always work in NS...
Midweek, Flayra and I held a playtest with about 20 newbie players who are not official playtesters. This was done to take a look at how players see the game cold, with only in the ingame tooltips and 2 veterans using VoIP to teach them how to play. The results gave Flay a lot of data on how people see things, and will be used to make the game better.
But it also lead to an interesting game on Relic25's NS_Bast.
We started a new game, and Flay and I decided to join each side and watch people play, as well as answer questions. I went Marine commander (naturally), and started making the initial base in the spawn. The players quickly figured out that I was phasing in the buildings and equipment, and activated a few of them. but after they got a few shotguns, they suddenly scattered to the four winds to explore and face the enemy, leaving me alone.
Damn CS and it's influence on teamwork! <!--emo&:p--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'><!--endemo-->
I drop some unbuilt turrets and jump out of commander mode to go build. I hear the telltale clicking sound of level1 claws, and the spawn's ceiling vent is suddenly full of leaping critters. I finish a turret, and start pumping my shottie wildly, somehow managing to hold them back. Thankfully most of my team had gotten themselves killed in their rambo attacks, and they start spawning back in through our infantry gates, allowing me to survive.
But now the aliens know where we are, and you know Flay is egging them on to finish us.
The troops gather up, and charge throught he airlock a few times, only to die in a hail of alien turret fire. I finally get them to understand that we need to get beter upgrades, so they make a quick sortie west and capture an additional set of resource nodes. They push on, and we manage to take the 'water hive', denying the alien their 3-hive abilities. I buld them a minibase in that hive, get them better weapons, and they descend into the hell of the tram tunnel, where they fight a prolonged battle (with at least 4 respawns a man). We keep slowly pushing forward against strong opposition, tenously holding on to the lead.
But now we are running very low on RP's, and every nozzle we come across has been exhasuted by the foul alien scum.
There's only one thing left to do - cash in everything and make an all or nothing push for the final alien hive in the engine room. I recycle everything I can, getting us a big RP infusion, and load up on HMG's and Grenade Launchers. We finally have power armor, and I'm able to get some weapon and armor upgrades to let us go toe to toe. The troops have learned to stick together and focus their firepower, but time is not on our side, as the aliens have regained both hives and will soon be rebuilding them. We go hell bent for leather to the last full hive in the engine room, losing troops as they grind their way closer. Lev1's are leaping out of the vents and ambushing us all the way, and it's down to a couple men.
'Get that hive - ignore the aliens and we can win this!' I yell over VoIP.
With our final burt of HMG fire, the hive makes a slopping snap and shows it's death animation. We win with 4 RP's left in the bank.
<!--EDIT|MonsieurEvil|Aug. 05 2002,11:24-->
So I guess newbie's really can work together <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo-->
SO what kinda things are you guys doing to help the newbs?
<!--me&coil--><span id='ME'><center>RTFM .</center></span><!--e-me-->
Commanding stories are long, cause you have to get the big picture.
I have a commanding story from NS_Tanith. As fate would have it, Monse was not on our team, so his formidable commanding skills were not available. Taking the burden, I stepped into the chair. The obligatory Infantry portal was layed down. Immediately afterwards, I did my best to protect my marines, placing down a turret factory and 2 turrets, as well as an armory. The moment the turret factory was done, I began research on siege. Well, I was all out of rps at this point, and rather lightly defended (Siege research is pricey, and usually saved for the mid game.) I decided to trust the skills of my marines rather than adhere to traditional command doctrine and sent one marine off to the double node south of the marine start while I equipped a single marine with a shotgun and sent him along with 2 teammates off to the hive on the right side of the map near the Satelite.
By the time my fireteam has reached the room outside of the hive, the double node had been built on and I dropped a turret factory down on a raised platform outside of the hive. My fireteam is building it (2 building, one covering), and than, out through the door to the hive pour three lvl 1s. The shotgunner takes one down, but the other two reach the building marines as they back away and pull out their guns. The shotgunner manages to beat back the one while the combined LMG fire destroyed the other. Well, crap. They know were here. And my shotgunner is all alone. I imagine the little Hive Sight indicators on all the alien's HUDs lighting up with reds and yellows.
Well, my shotgunner is scared. I am rolling in rps from the double node at this point, so I begin researching advanced weapons while I outfit the two former builders with shotguns and send them off ot help the lone shotgunner who survived. He has finished the turrets and I place a siege cannon just on the other side of the wall to the hive, trusting the 3 turrets on the platform to cover my mariens while they build. By now, I have 4 marines, 3 with shotguns. I say "Move in now" upon seeing the deaths of the aliens due to siege splash. They move in through the twin ramps and take up positions in the center of the hive room. Placing down yet another turret factory, My marines quickly and efficiently set up three more turrets in the hive room. One down, two to go.
Before my marines move out, I place an arms lab and a prototype lab in the hive room. These'll keep me busy. I Tell them to return to base to receive shiny new weapons while I begin research on Jetpacks and Start upgrading their armor. They arrive and I hand them 2 Grenade launchers and a Heavy Machine gun. They head off south, past the double node (now exhausted and recycled) and eventually arrive, after soem heavy fighting through turrets, at the hive room, which is actually just being fortified by a builder. He has only a few turrets grown, and my marines make short work of the hive and defenses, unleashing a volley of fiery grenades and a storm of bullets. The room shakes and explosions tear at the hive.
I leave my calling card of a turret factory and three turrets, plus a resource tower on an unused node. I say "Alright, lets just finish em off". As they head down the hallway, leadign to the last hive, which is a ways away. I drop health and ammo for them, theyll need it. By now, thankfully, I have completed research on Jetpacks and Power armor. I amloving the success of my marines and fail to remember that I have left my main base with only 2 turrets and I am carrying a Light Machine Gun. Just as that thought goes through my head, I notice a blip on the mini-map. I scroll back to the base, where I am seated, just in time to see the image of an empty room . .except for the command console, which is surrounded by 3 bobs. I scroll over and drop a welder in the hive room just as I get logged out of my cc and torn to shreds.
Well, I may have been a very good commander for killing hives, but I had been reckless. I had not built a single backup Command Console or infantry portal, adhering to the idea that, If I spend those rps upgrading my amrines and equipping them, I wont need to worry. I watch from spectator mode, finally seeing things from my marine's level. They have taken matters into their own hands, presumable under the command of Grendel, who is a very good field commander. They head off to the hive, blasting grenades around every corner to ensure it's safety. They reach the hive room and are down to three men. Thats all they need though. Those three all have Grenade Launchers and they just fire and fire. Explosions rock the hive room and the hive quivers and winces. Newly spanwed Lvl.1s rush to kill the intruders, but fast fingered marines pull out their shotguns and blast them. The hive dies and the final vestiges of Alien Infestation are eliminated. Team One Wins.
<!--EDIT|humbaba|Aug. 05 2002,12:53-->
-PD
-PD