The Observatory Is Horribly Underused

Lito · May 2004

Usually, you'll see the obs sitting there with full energy. Its main uses are phase gates and mt, with the occasional bacon, but the scan is used mostly for scanning hives for seiges.

So most of the time you'll have your obs sitting there at 100 energy doing absolutely nothing.

Scan is extremely effective at scouting than your marines ever will be. Unbuilt hives do NOT make sounds, and a nice quick ping can easily spring a shotgun rush. What chambers do they have? Ping the hive! Whats happening at that res node? Ping it! Got nothing to ping? Ping the hive just to scare them a little. You're not going to get more than 100 energy, so why not use it?

GaryM · May 2004

I played once with a commander who used the classic Starcraft tactic of building some siege cannons round the corner from a big offersive chamber cluster, then pinging the oc's so the sieges could fire on them.

Rapier7 · May 2004

True, I don't see a lot of commanders using the obs for the actual purpose of scanning. Usually the marine informs the commander that the second hive is being built, not the other way around. There's something inherently wrong with this, right?

I try and stay on top of things, but even I can forget. Usually I'll only scan hive areas, or double, that's about it.

Buggy · May 2004

I use it when marines without MT are advancing in key areas. Imagine double on ns_caged.

UnderDOG · May 2004

With motion now appearing on the comm's map and the sounds that hives, res nodes, spawning skulks, and other classes make when evolving or just sitting around, I hardly use scan when I comm because it just isnt needed.

Rapier7 · May 2004

Hives that are building don't make sounds, as previously said.

Cloaking helps, too.

Swift_Idiot · May 2004

Even with MT, the only thing the marines get is red blips on the radar and blue circles on their HUD. Keep in mind, however, that these are refreshed very slowly. A quickly leap-bhopping skulk will scream down a corridor and around the corner sometimes faster than the blue circle can keep up with him.

Now, with scan, any alien scanned is placed on the marine mini-map, which most good players use as an integral part of scouting. Not only that, but the image on the Mini-map isn't choppy, those skulks are turning and twisting around looking at the scan lines on the marine's mini-map, and he knows even more precisely where they are, and most valuably, precisely where they are looking.

In addition, only with scan can you as the commander open an eye to see precisely where things in a room are when you have no marines with a line of sight to it. It's very handy for you to be able to tell the marine the precise location of a camping skulk, how high on the wall he is, and which side he's on.

And scan is free! It's free! FREE! You can use it whenever you have the spare time and obs energy. There's hardly anything in this game that you get for free, not to mention get a virtually unlimited number of. LMGs, pistols, ammunition and meds from the armory are about the only ones I can think of. There's no reason NOT to scan. Early game, mid game, late game, scan scan scan, always give your marines the most available data.

Evig · May 2004

Unless I'm saving up for a <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/siege.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='siege.gif' /> siege my obs('es) are always drained. The first day I commed I figured...why not just use it?, its free!

I've been a happy scanner ever since (I always assign the obs to a squad as well for easy access) <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/marine.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='marine.gif' />

SilverWolf · May 2004

Well, to be honest, the more experience comms out there will be able to hear the where the gorges are putting up res towers just by hovering over that area. Also another tactic is using scan as a diversion.

For example, on ns_eclipse lets say. The aliens starting hive was eclipse and they put up computer core. You know that they are naturally going to go for computer core so you scan that hive making them be forced to defend that hive... all the while you are sending an entire shotty rush to eclipse via phase gates <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />. I wouldn't say that ob's are underused in clan play but in pubs, definitely.

Firewater · May 2004

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Lito @ May 4 2004, 10:01 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Usually, you'll see the obs sitting there with full energy. Its main uses are phase gates and mt, with the occasional bacon, but the scan is used mostly for scanning hives for seiges.

So most of the time you'll have your obs sitting there at 100 energy doing absolutely nothing.

Scan is extremely effective at scouting than your marines ever will be. Unbuilt hives do NOT make sounds, and a nice quick ping can easily spring a shotgun rush. What chambers do they have? Ping the hive! Whats happening at that res node? Ping it! Got nothing to ping? Ping the hive just to scare them a little. You're not going to get more than 100 energy, so why not use it?  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
Absolutely correct, before an attack I always scan a hive for lame, and while they are attacking I try to scan the other others, (if I have enough energy), sometimes I build extra obs for extra energy if the res is flowing right.

I remember the days were scan cost 1 res, and many teams would obs rush and abuse the hell out of the scan, nowadays most comms don't even use it.

Evig · May 2004

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (SilverWolf- @ May 5 2004, 10:14 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Well, to be honest, the more experience comms out there will be able to hear the where the gorges are putting up res towers just by hovering over that area. Also another tactic is using scan as a diversion.

For example, on ns_eclipse lets say. The aliens starting hive was eclipse and they put up computer core. You know that they are naturally going to go for computer core so you scan that hive making them be forced to defend that hive... all the while you are sending an entire shotty rush to eclipse via phase gates <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />. I wouldn't say that ob's are underused in clan play but in pubs, definitely.</td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
But you can't hear a growing hive <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' />

and for the eclipse example, that is not necessarily so. Logically it would be the aliens' first bet, but I've seen alot of games go the way of EC Command + Maint hive, linked up via Mc's.

It's a matter of zonecontrol I guess.

I do agree with you that obs's are underused in pubs.

I love spooking aliens in pubs with a ping, many of them react instinctively and try to hide! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

-Evig

Ajurian · May 2004

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Firewater @ May 5 2004, 12:00 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> I remember the days were scan cost 1 res, and many teams would obs rush and abuse the hell out of the scan, nowadays most comms don't even use it.  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
Ah that explains the mega scan spam that I encountered when I first started playing. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />

Norml_E_High · May 2004

Lol, scanning for second hives isn't always a good idea. If you were wanting to surprise them if it WAS being built, you just let them know you'll probably be coming. But I do agree commanders should use scans more for marines he's watching. I think something cool to add to a scan for marines would be if they didn;t have motion yet, when the scan picked up say a skulk hiding above a doorway, you would see the red skulk on your minimap, and get a blue MT circle on him while the scan lasted. An accurate MT circle at that, not like the MT which lags behind a bit.

DC_Darkling · May 2004

the rare cases that I comm I am known as a ping freak. I ping those happy kharaa anytime.

I got enought obs power usually to give a hive full ping for 3 minutes, imagine what I do with it when not @ a hive. Just use it, its free. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />

Retales · May 2004

Maybe marines should be able to request scan, just like ammo and med.

BOBDolol · May 2004

drop an ammo pack on where the hive should be and see if it falls slowly to the ground

Mintman · May 2004

If I'm going to shotty rush I scan the hives they have, pick the one with the least OCs then get my marines there.

Scan when heading into major chokepoints if marine survival is crucial. Scanning south loop when a marine is trying to hold it is handy as you can tell them which vent an alien is coming from.

Zaggy · May 2004

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Retales @ May 6 2004, 09:29 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Maybe marines should be able to request scan, just like ammo and med.  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
I agree on this one, usually if I try comming I hotkey the obs, so I can scan pretty fast, just like I did with the Comsat-station in Starcraft <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />, but the big difference with SC is that in NS the com can pretty much hear everything if it doesnt get bugged.

Scan pwnz!

SLizer · May 2004

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Retales @ May 6 2004, 09:29 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Maybe marines should be able to request scan, just like ammo and med.  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
That would be soo cool and efficient, maybe too efficient <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' />

Lito · May 2004

i believe it was not flayra's intent to have to "listen" for the active hive. It just cheeses down the game. Why have a scanner sweep when you can just basically use sound to find out whats going on?

If this is the case, then its going to be fixed, and you're going to have to start using the obs more often

Chez · May 2004

Yes they are but it is hard to defend a phase with no protection, phasing through getting eaten. A pack of mines would help yes, but you have to get a phase up at the right place and the right time or it’s a pointless event, it also helps in hive lock down, get some mines and a phase and your set, rush a 2 hive lockdown and your set if you get it down.

Rushakra · May 2004

I abuse Observatories. The Obs is always hot keyed and any time I have a large (4+) marine force moving to a hostile area, it gets pinged. Not sure where that skulk is? Ping. What's that Gorge building? Ping. One quick look at the map and the Marines have all the info they need to lay the smack down. Aliens using sensory? Wipe 'em out systematically with pings. Why should your Marines waste time killing a node, capping the RT, then spend the next 1-2 minutes knifing the air? :/

Scanning -- It's Not Just For Sieges!

[EDIT: Now with less ego and ranting!]

medqua · May 2004

I rather pay attention to the differents sound (chukle, gestating noise, etc) that aliens make than running out of obs energy scanning every square meter infront of the aliens. Besides when it comes to siege a hive you MUST have some energy save to scann the hive as fast as possible, otherwise the aliens will waste ur TF, phase, etc... If i suspect that a hive is been build I usually send a marine or a squad to scout and locking if thereis nothing in there.

The Observatory Is Horribly Underused

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