Mines... Not Useful Any More
Ballisto
Join Date: 2003-05-19 Member: 16503Members
Join Date: 2003-05-19 Member: 16503Members
<div class="IPBDescription">hardly see them used</div> recently, i havent seen much use of mines. when they are used, theyre not very effective, skulks usually just suicide into them so an onos can come in and level your base. anyone find a good way to use them? i personally think the ns team should work to make them a bigger part of the game.
Comments
Sure, skulks can run on them, or gorges can bile them, but gorges can end up killing themselves and their friends if they're too close. Dead skulks means a respawn queue at the hive, and means you'll only have the Onos to worry about. Your whole team shooting at one target is a lot better than being crackrabbits shooting at every skulk you see.
Second, there's some vicious stuff you can do with mines (boobytrapping RTs) if you're evil/clever enough. My challenge to you is to actively use mines yourself, and learn their tricks.
Much like the GL, they're a specialist weapon. Sure, anyone can drop them like litter, but a pro knows how to use them to max effect.
It works wonders keeping skulks out of your bases *coughbastandveilcough*
<a href='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=20&t=48897&hl=mines' target='_blank'>http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/in...=48897&hl=mines</a>
10 mines = 20 res.
8 mines = Dead Onos.
The skill is in knowing where the best spots to place them are. Think about the places Onos go that skulks don't. Also, Fades are mine-bait too. Think about some ways to use the new fact that one mine exploding detonates the stack:
5 of them on a wall on the exit from your base. Any fade coming in won't see them. Any fade blinking out has a good chance of brushing the wall, and getting blown to small pieces.
Multiple-tier defense. If you have a large hallway or a large room, set up your defenses like so.
<!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&::sentry::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/turret.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='turret.gif'><!--endemo--> _ _ _ <-- mines.
The <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo--> prioritizes gorges as the first to die, and <!--emo&::sentry::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/turret.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='turret.gif'><!--endemo--> damages skulks and gorges for easier picking off by marines. The only things that can get by are <!--emo&::fade::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/fade.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='fade.gif'><!--endemo--> and <!--emo&::lerk::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/lerk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='lerk.gif'><!--endemo--> . Fade can blink right into the center of your group of <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo--> 's, which is why it pays to know their hit boxes, and hand out shotties and HMGs. Lerks cannot detonate mines, and against HA, they cannot disrupt the defense with spores. Plus, <!--emo&::sentry::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/turret.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='turret.gif'><!--endemo--> and <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo--> should be trying madly to kill the 30 res alien. The only thing that should be able to get to the _ _ _ mines are big fat <!--emo&::onos::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tiny.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tiny.gif'><!--endemo--> . And since they have to hit the mines to attack the second line of defense ( <!--emo&::sentry::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/turret.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='turret.gif'><!--endemo--> ), they will be badly damaged before they even start goring. Easy bait for HMG and Shottie <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo--> 's.
They are the extra UMPF your turret farm needs. Also, mines don't REALLY damage marine structures that badly. At least not as badly as a fade, skulk, or onos. Consider putting a few mines around where you most badly need defense. They are still useful, they just hurt marine stuff and they all detonate at one time.
Also, consider the payoff if you drop mines early against Onos. If you succeed before that onos has time to build up 100 res, you've effectively halted the alien offensive in one 20 res shot. Consider how much of a payoff that is. It means that if you have someone who has a clue how to use mines, you should damn well better drop them for the guy. Also, if you yourself have a clue how to use mines, ASK THE COM.
Dark spots on the ground, blind corners, narrow doorways, and stairways are great places to put these beauties. Also, don't feel the need to drop all five mines in the first thirty seconds you have them. If you're on guard duty somewhere with narrow doorways, and want to keep skulks out, just drop one mine in the doorway, and walk back to the back end of the room, or at least out of the mine's blast radius. Simply wait for the first skulk, who will blow up, replace the mine and add an extra one further into your room, and wait for another skulk or two. Repeat a third time. Either you will have only one or two determined skulks from that point on, or you will have no skulks at all because they figure the com is a mine-wh0re.
Also: <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/uploads/post-1-1066449275.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
They work good, but Skulk's just suicide run into them to kill marines.
They now give RFK, and no longer do FF to marines. But there are downsides, ofcourse. Currently they can be destroyed by all projectile weapons (parasite, spit, bile, acid rocket), and when "stacked" are now literally STACKED. ie: a stack of 5 mines is now a TOWER of 5 mines <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->.
We'll see how to all comes out for the 2.1 final, but it's looking good was a comeback of mines in pubs.
1)Ambush. Two Regen Onii were coming down the hallway. They were halfways to us three LMG LA marines, when we quickly placed a good 13 mines on the floor. The Onii hesitated and turned back, just when two jetpackers flew in from the vent and stuck 10 mines on the other side. From there, we just laughed and popped pistol bullets into the Onii while they were helpless and their teammates took too long to rescue them.
2) Absolute hive decimation. I'd list this tactic, but this is my own secret unique tactic that I have not seen anyone else use, so I'm not saying how to do it. And no, you don't stick the mines on the hive.
3) Reclamation of key areas. Another tactic that I'm not going to describe because no one else uses it.
Be creative. Mines can be your friend if you know how to use them.
EDIT: And Ajurian, since you're reading this, welcome to the forums! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
oh and that onos story is pretty damn funny
I wish comm could give out pistols at say 1-2 res so that the empty slot could be filled again.
Its the mepty slot after mines are used that sometimes puts me off.
I once grabbed a welder and threw it at another marine I then picked up his pistol and ran away lol. (I felt realy guilty after that <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo--> so I havnt don it since lol)
They are fun but they leave you weak once deployed.
I wish comm could give out pistols at say 1-2 res so that the empty slot could be filled again.
Its the mepty slot after mines are used that sometimes puts me off.
I once grabbed a welder and threw it at another marine I then picked up his pistol and ran away lol. (I felt realy guilty after that <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo--> so I havnt don it since lol)
They are fun but they leave you weak once deployed. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
bah , just keep dropping weapons. They won't get recycled if you pick them up all the time , so place a mine , drop the pack and take the pistol , think about the next mine placement , pick the mine pack again , place them , pick your pistol. You have about 30 seconds to take a weapon back so it's feasible.
Ballisto, I'm still perfecting these strategies. As far as I've seen, they're pretty darn hilarious and they work fine. But I need to keep on testing, because I don't want to be the one giving out some lame bogus strategy to people on this forum simply because I didn't test it well enough.
But in the meantime, I know one strategy that's been mentioned several times before: Early game, give multiple marines packs of mines and have them travel in groups. Find the resource nodes that are too far from base that you will have a hard time securing, and stick about 7 mines INTO the resource node. If you do it right, the mine should be barely noticeable. Once a gorge comes around and sticks a Resource Tower into the node, PHOOM!!! The Resource Tower AND the gorge are both decimated. You just kill 25 res for the cost of less than 2 mine packs. This slows down the kharaa team considerably, as you probably know if you have ever played the kharaa with about two resource towers and everyone on the team having less than 10 res.
1 skulk = 0 res
Seeing that one skulk suicide on you mineplacement to open a hole for the entire alien team to own you = priceless...
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Honestly though, 10 res for 5 mines is like bloody robbery...10 res is a shotgun, or two welders
3 packs of mines are like an uppgraded armoury...or an electrified RT...
<!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Sure is it putting the mines on spawn locations? Its pretty funny <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->. You can also place mines on marines! Make a mine marine!
Actually, if you put mines in spawn locations, it's pretty hard to figure out the EXACT pinpoint of every kharaa spawn point. My strategy is actually a rush; if it succeeds, the hive will die or withstand a tremendous amount of punishment whether the kharaa decide to touch the mines (In which it will blow up anyhow) or not.
<!--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-->1 pack of mines = 10 res
1 skulk = 0 res
Seeing that one skulk suicide on you mineplacement to open a hole for the entire alien team to own you = priceless...<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You are absolutely correct. Every skulk knows this, therefore you must make quite a twist in your strategies using mines. For one thing, everyone is uncomfortable with mines as it is because they are used to the 1.04 mines. It's similar to how many people are uncomfortable with the fade because it's no longer the 1.04 one.
Heh. Keeping strategies secret is definitely in the spirit of these forums. I'm glad none of the other posters have taken this approach, or this would be an extremely boring place.
"Hey, I found a counter to slash/burn, but I'm keeping it for myself guys."
"Wow, I found an easy ten minute win against pub players, but I'd hate to give away too much."
Very nice.
"Hey, I found a counter to slash/burn, but I'm keeping it for myself guys."
"Wow, I found an easy ten minute win against pub players, but I'd hate to give away too much."
Very nice. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
LOLROFL <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
Very well agreed on Sailor. But still, I'd like to try this strategy in at least ONE clan game without everyone knowing about the strategy.
Besides, it's not quite perfected yet. Not that it's a perfect strategy, but it could be better.
Replace it with a flamethrower!
And why replace it with flamethrower? There's still empty weapon slots to stick the flamethrower into instead.