Frontiersmen Strategy
Doner
Join Date: 2002-11-04 Member: 6865Members
Join Date: 2002-11-04 Member: 6865Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Frontiersmen Guide</div> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Natural Selection - DONER'S BIG NATURAL SELECTION GUIDE - 11/02/02 -
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction
---------------
The one and only Monse read this and pointed out to me just how bad the grammar and spelling is so I am aware of it and have posted it anyway for those that can manage it.
I was asked to write some tactics which I have formed from my NS experiences.
Although lots here should be common play, you should all be reminded cuz it the way.
Practice
----------
First up I'm going to emphasize the importance of getting to grips with using all classes with and without their upgrades and most importantly using that abused and loved commander.
Achieving a near perfect grasp of NS as a whole is very easy through playing alone in a server. Now by attempting this you'll quickly find that the NS guys have seen fit to turn off the game play when only 1 player exists. How is this bypassed you ask? Simple, start a LAN game by yourself, <b>type (sv_cheats 1) into your console, then type "bigdig" and "hightech". This will allow structures to build automatically, and research to finish almost instantly. This will let you play solo </b>.
Now to learn the marines from top to bottom just load into your commander's seat and start building, just remember to exit and go build the placed structures as well. An alien is the same but with the use of a gorge. Now you can continue production of buildings without abuse from other teammates and long build times, you can now concentrate on understanding what gets built where and when and practice using all those fancy alien and marine upgrades. You'll also learn the map in no time.
Into Hell
-----------
A game of NS is far from relaxed, trying to fend off a whole team of Onos carrying redemption upgrades whilst at the same time negotiating a decent weapon with the n00b commander is for lack of a better word, nuts. It is vital that you and your team do everything in your power to balance the advantages the map holds to your advantage. With so much going on you all need more time focusing on shooting and Doner focusing on behalf of your tactics. Let me into your head and feel the love.
Marines
----------
It is in the first 5 minutes of a game that a marine team can make the difference between a win and huge loss. So many simple game play tweaks have been implemented by the NS team in an effort to reward team play. I will list some of these things people seem to dismiss so often it's painful.
-------------------------------------------------
As soon as you start your commander should have already been chosen as the counter goes down and should have a brand new Infantry portal and armory up, if you are sitting there and no buildings are seen for ages you are pretty much screwed and the ejecting of the commander should be obvious. Now this is where a team usually is painfully lost as I so often see my whole team disappear off to death match doom. But hey it's not so bad there's some marines still here eager to build and that they do, but hey hang on what are they thinking I see 4 marines on a building each.
ALWAYS build a structure one at a time together as a group, the build time is next to nothing compared to with a solo builder and as a result going from one structure to another with all marines working together is QUICKER. This should prevent an attack from alien rushers, using this technique double the usual amount of sentry's can be set up in prep for the alien rushers. Just remember when building, if you see a teammate building another structure help him with his then come back to yours and in most cases he'll come to yours after as well.
-------------------------------------------------
The idea of waypoints is you can have another player guide you through to important landmarks in a map. Going off on your own is unnecessary unless the commander is not doing his job which should result in a vote kick anyway. Form neat groups at spawn and request orders, the commander can respond to your request and easily select the neat group and assign waypoints. He will in most cases follow your mission and can be a great assistance with the ability to drop med kits and ammo anywhere on the map. Using this technique to gain nodes and hives in progress will provide a tremendous advantage. In a larger server and with a skilled commander the movement of two big groups can do this much quicker and effectively.
-------------------------------------------------
What many players are unaware of is the ability a marine has to assist a structure upgrade/researching process; a structure doing so will shake and in the case of a dispenser will be unusable until complete. What many fail to notice as they wait for these upgrades to take effect is they can speed them up. Just holding your use key whilst next to the structure does the job just like building it. Although a progress bar will not be shown like for the commander your weapon will reappear at complete anyway.
-------------------------------------------------
Keep an eye on your teams resources, many new players sit and **obscenity** about that heavy machine gun or shotgun they want without taking notice of the lack of resources. These impatient players can help speed up this by doing their job and finding more nodes. Ask for orders and you'll be away instead of stressing out the poor commander with unrealistic requests.
-------------------------------------------------
Do not think of heavy armor as a necessity, a player carrying a heavy machine gun and no armor will have the advantage of speed. Speed is something which the aliens have in abundance and something a heavy armor player should consider. Same goes with all the weapons, a shotgun (rarely used in pub games) can be a beast even in the dying rounds of a map. A well placed shell explosion can make a skulk look tame and the skulks make up the majority of the aliens troops throughout the game.
-------------------------------------------------
Marines are yet to implement the welders to an advantage in the game, what many miss is the many welder icons placed in the map which indicate a computer console, grate, or other blockage which are placed in a map to help the marines take over nodes and hives. One of the most noticeable welder objects in maps is the computer pads which weld open doors and other openings. The neat thing about these is the ability to weld them shut if they are a heavy alien use point. Have you ever been playing in a map with what appears like a room with one way in and yet you're lying there dead with a skulk getting busy taking down your structures. The many maps have been riddled with alien tunnels which smart aliens use to get access to unsuspecting marines. What they don't notice is the welding symbols over pads which seal off many of these entrances. Make use of them, you go from a room with three entrances to 1 with a group of marines safer and more prepared.
Welders also repair light and heavy armor, though you can't see a progress indicator. They also can be used to repair all marine structures.
-------------------------------------------------
Keep an eye on the name of your commander at the top of the screen, if he decides to jump out and not inform his team you will want to know and it will say so where the name was. Many players have to be informed there is no commander as they **obscenity** away into a land of n00bness.
-------------------------------------------------
I am yet to see a hive taken down with siege cannons. They are so much easier and cheaper for clearing a room than sending a group of death match marines twice or more times trough, having to provide health and ammo like a mad man wasting money. The siege cannons designed to be placed in an adjacent room to a hive or alien infested room, the siege cannon will fire through the wall and deal great amounts of damage. The marines can defend the cannons and the room will be cleared in no time.
The closer the cannons are to the wall splitting the enemy from you the better.
-------------------------------------------------
Your build order should try to allow for an early observatory so you can upgrade your men with motion tracking. If the marines can see the marines through walls the aliens lose their ability to hide and attack unnoticed. The observatory also allows the use of phase gates which should be used at every choke point so to prevent many lost marines wandering around on their own trying to die.
-------------------------------------------------
The shotgun is not the only underused weapon in the game, the trip mines have taken the role of last minute defense the marines are trying anything to stay alive. The mines available after an armory are a measly 5 points and are a great defense mechanism in the early stages of a game when you have better tasks at hand than holding a point with structures.
Remember to cater for the most likely threat in an early game, skulks. Make sure the mines cover low down and above.
-------------------------------------------------
Rather unusual the knives use against alien structures which is achieved best whilst crouching and aiming at the very center of a structure. The knife uses no ammo and is quick so leave the weapon for that skulk that'll come after you thinking you've wasted it on the structure. Do not use the knife against a defense tower; it will mow you down so much easier at close range. The best weapon for taking them out would be heavy machine gun's and grenade launchers which are quicker for the job without the need to get in close.
-------------------------------------------------
Unusual weapon strength lies in the marines rarely used pistol which is most effective for taking down skulks and gorges. I tend to use the pistol as a finisher pulling it out as the alien thinks I'm dry. Marines never reload this gun either, at the dispenser pull this out after your primary and fill it up for a backup weapon.
-------------------------------------------------
A commander should always try to keep in mind the consistency of everything he drops on the map. The tendency of dropping everything in a cluttered area blocking walking space and doubling up on buildings is a waste. Try keeping some room for paths marines use and don't place a sentry somewhere it can be easily fired at without reacting. The mentioned doubling up refers to the waste of money. When building around nodes and adding defense there is no need for an ammo dispenser when you can place a phase gate allowing marines to return to base and equip there. Same goes for the upgrade structures like the observatory, what's the point of placing it out near node or hive? Your base should be the safest place on the map by this point in the game and placing the structure out in enemy's way will end in a waste of resources.
Not just the structures count for this tidy placement either; the armor, jetpacks, med kits, ammo kits and weapons should be separated. Most commanders seem to place all these items in the one area leaving the marines to scramble for them and live with the random pickup, this way of dealing out items is shooting down the players with more skill in a particular weapon and people with the need for armor who pickup a jetpack are stuck with it for the rest of the round. Put everything in a pile in separate corners and show some class and gain the teams respect.
A commander has unfortunately obtained the special ability of capturing his marines in his structures. This is like being kicked in the balls and is the last thing a player wants during a game this requires the suicide of the marine and wastes valuable time in the building of that killer structure. To avoid this, just look where you're dropping those huge boxes of doom.
-------------------------------------------------
Many games end with the marines cursing the fade class or Onos both dominating a game the marines are screwed because they are ignoring the fact that they control the enemy's access to these classes. By securing hives these classes cannot be reached leaving just the skulks and gorges to play with you.
-------------------------------------------------
Much more nodes can be captured faster by installing a nodes defense ahead at another node. All the maps allow for this and allow extremely fast capturing of nodes. If you as the commander can see even 3 nodes in a long stretch rush your men to the first place down a resource tower then rush them to next and repeat, now at the last do again and then go crazy with defense. If necessary then go back and add defense to the others. This is an almost foolproof method of going about node expansion. Remember the more nodes you have the better you the marines get with the addition of armor and weapons.
-------------------------------------------------
Well wow that was a bit more than I aimed for but there it is, my marine tactics. I guess alien tactics are next but that will come later now comes more NS play.
-------------------------------------------------
Notes
-------
This is in no way finished but it all I can manage as of now so please enjoy as much as you can.
If you see any problems in the guide please contact me so I can fix. (floyd@panthers.net.au)
I actually stopped playing NS to write this, OMG foolish.
Thanks goes out to Mouse for inspiring me to write this.
And a big thanks goes out to anyone who managed to read this whole thing, so bloody long and no alien tactics yet NOOOO it a curse a curse!
I do realize that disagreements in the above tactics will arise but hey I'm not a NS champion or king or legend or queen, this is just an attempt to help you guys see the game from my perspective.
Please send me your own little ploys of genius and I'll add to the guide. (If you can help me with aliens and save me time I would be forever in your dept, well almost).
Please excuse the poor grammer and spelling throughout as it was the enemy I faced as I wrote in poor sleeping conditions and a craving for more NS.
- Natural Selection - DONER'S BIG NATURAL SELECTION GUIDE - 11/02/02 -
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction
---------------
The one and only Monse read this and pointed out to me just how bad the grammar and spelling is so I am aware of it and have posted it anyway for those that can manage it.
I was asked to write some tactics which I have formed from my NS experiences.
Although lots here should be common play, you should all be reminded cuz it the way.
Practice
----------
First up I'm going to emphasize the importance of getting to grips with using all classes with and without their upgrades and most importantly using that abused and loved commander.
Achieving a near perfect grasp of NS as a whole is very easy through playing alone in a server. Now by attempting this you'll quickly find that the NS guys have seen fit to turn off the game play when only 1 player exists. How is this bypassed you ask? Simple, start a LAN game by yourself, <b>type (sv_cheats 1) into your console, then type "bigdig" and "hightech". This will allow structures to build automatically, and research to finish almost instantly. This will let you play solo </b>.
Now to learn the marines from top to bottom just load into your commander's seat and start building, just remember to exit and go build the placed structures as well. An alien is the same but with the use of a gorge. Now you can continue production of buildings without abuse from other teammates and long build times, you can now concentrate on understanding what gets built where and when and practice using all those fancy alien and marine upgrades. You'll also learn the map in no time.
Into Hell
-----------
A game of NS is far from relaxed, trying to fend off a whole team of Onos carrying redemption upgrades whilst at the same time negotiating a decent weapon with the n00b commander is for lack of a better word, nuts. It is vital that you and your team do everything in your power to balance the advantages the map holds to your advantage. With so much going on you all need more time focusing on shooting and Doner focusing on behalf of your tactics. Let me into your head and feel the love.
Marines
----------
It is in the first 5 minutes of a game that a marine team can make the difference between a win and huge loss. So many simple game play tweaks have been implemented by the NS team in an effort to reward team play. I will list some of these things people seem to dismiss so often it's painful.
-------------------------------------------------
As soon as you start your commander should have already been chosen as the counter goes down and should have a brand new Infantry portal and armory up, if you are sitting there and no buildings are seen for ages you are pretty much screwed and the ejecting of the commander should be obvious. Now this is where a team usually is painfully lost as I so often see my whole team disappear off to death match doom. But hey it's not so bad there's some marines still here eager to build and that they do, but hey hang on what are they thinking I see 4 marines on a building each.
ALWAYS build a structure one at a time together as a group, the build time is next to nothing compared to with a solo builder and as a result going from one structure to another with all marines working together is QUICKER. This should prevent an attack from alien rushers, using this technique double the usual amount of sentry's can be set up in prep for the alien rushers. Just remember when building, if you see a teammate building another structure help him with his then come back to yours and in most cases he'll come to yours after as well.
-------------------------------------------------
The idea of waypoints is you can have another player guide you through to important landmarks in a map. Going off on your own is unnecessary unless the commander is not doing his job which should result in a vote kick anyway. Form neat groups at spawn and request orders, the commander can respond to your request and easily select the neat group and assign waypoints. He will in most cases follow your mission and can be a great assistance with the ability to drop med kits and ammo anywhere on the map. Using this technique to gain nodes and hives in progress will provide a tremendous advantage. In a larger server and with a skilled commander the movement of two big groups can do this much quicker and effectively.
-------------------------------------------------
What many players are unaware of is the ability a marine has to assist a structure upgrade/researching process; a structure doing so will shake and in the case of a dispenser will be unusable until complete. What many fail to notice as they wait for these upgrades to take effect is they can speed them up. Just holding your use key whilst next to the structure does the job just like building it. Although a progress bar will not be shown like for the commander your weapon will reappear at complete anyway.
-------------------------------------------------
Keep an eye on your teams resources, many new players sit and **obscenity** about that heavy machine gun or shotgun they want without taking notice of the lack of resources. These impatient players can help speed up this by doing their job and finding more nodes. Ask for orders and you'll be away instead of stressing out the poor commander with unrealistic requests.
-------------------------------------------------
Do not think of heavy armor as a necessity, a player carrying a heavy machine gun and no armor will have the advantage of speed. Speed is something which the aliens have in abundance and something a heavy armor player should consider. Same goes with all the weapons, a shotgun (rarely used in pub games) can be a beast even in the dying rounds of a map. A well placed shell explosion can make a skulk look tame and the skulks make up the majority of the aliens troops throughout the game.
-------------------------------------------------
Marines are yet to implement the welders to an advantage in the game, what many miss is the many welder icons placed in the map which indicate a computer console, grate, or other blockage which are placed in a map to help the marines take over nodes and hives. One of the most noticeable welder objects in maps is the computer pads which weld open doors and other openings. The neat thing about these is the ability to weld them shut if they are a heavy alien use point. Have you ever been playing in a map with what appears like a room with one way in and yet you're lying there dead with a skulk getting busy taking down your structures. The many maps have been riddled with alien tunnels which smart aliens use to get access to unsuspecting marines. What they don't notice is the welding symbols over pads which seal off many of these entrances. Make use of them, you go from a room with three entrances to 1 with a group of marines safer and more prepared.
Welders also repair light and heavy armor, though you can't see a progress indicator. They also can be used to repair all marine structures.
-------------------------------------------------
Keep an eye on the name of your commander at the top of the screen, if he decides to jump out and not inform his team you will want to know and it will say so where the name was. Many players have to be informed there is no commander as they **obscenity** away into a land of n00bness.
-------------------------------------------------
I am yet to see a hive taken down with siege cannons. They are so much easier and cheaper for clearing a room than sending a group of death match marines twice or more times trough, having to provide health and ammo like a mad man wasting money. The siege cannons designed to be placed in an adjacent room to a hive or alien infested room, the siege cannon will fire through the wall and deal great amounts of damage. The marines can defend the cannons and the room will be cleared in no time.
The closer the cannons are to the wall splitting the enemy from you the better.
-------------------------------------------------
Your build order should try to allow for an early observatory so you can upgrade your men with motion tracking. If the marines can see the marines through walls the aliens lose their ability to hide and attack unnoticed. The observatory also allows the use of phase gates which should be used at every choke point so to prevent many lost marines wandering around on their own trying to die.
-------------------------------------------------
The shotgun is not the only underused weapon in the game, the trip mines have taken the role of last minute defense the marines are trying anything to stay alive. The mines available after an armory are a measly 5 points and are a great defense mechanism in the early stages of a game when you have better tasks at hand than holding a point with structures.
Remember to cater for the most likely threat in an early game, skulks. Make sure the mines cover low down and above.
-------------------------------------------------
Rather unusual the knives use against alien structures which is achieved best whilst crouching and aiming at the very center of a structure. The knife uses no ammo and is quick so leave the weapon for that skulk that'll come after you thinking you've wasted it on the structure. Do not use the knife against a defense tower; it will mow you down so much easier at close range. The best weapon for taking them out would be heavy machine gun's and grenade launchers which are quicker for the job without the need to get in close.
-------------------------------------------------
Unusual weapon strength lies in the marines rarely used pistol which is most effective for taking down skulks and gorges. I tend to use the pistol as a finisher pulling it out as the alien thinks I'm dry. Marines never reload this gun either, at the dispenser pull this out after your primary and fill it up for a backup weapon.
-------------------------------------------------
A commander should always try to keep in mind the consistency of everything he drops on the map. The tendency of dropping everything in a cluttered area blocking walking space and doubling up on buildings is a waste. Try keeping some room for paths marines use and don't place a sentry somewhere it can be easily fired at without reacting. The mentioned doubling up refers to the waste of money. When building around nodes and adding defense there is no need for an ammo dispenser when you can place a phase gate allowing marines to return to base and equip there. Same goes for the upgrade structures like the observatory, what's the point of placing it out near node or hive? Your base should be the safest place on the map by this point in the game and placing the structure out in enemy's way will end in a waste of resources.
Not just the structures count for this tidy placement either; the armor, jetpacks, med kits, ammo kits and weapons should be separated. Most commanders seem to place all these items in the one area leaving the marines to scramble for them and live with the random pickup, this way of dealing out items is shooting down the players with more skill in a particular weapon and people with the need for armor who pickup a jetpack are stuck with it for the rest of the round. Put everything in a pile in separate corners and show some class and gain the teams respect.
A commander has unfortunately obtained the special ability of capturing his marines in his structures. This is like being kicked in the balls and is the last thing a player wants during a game this requires the suicide of the marine and wastes valuable time in the building of that killer structure. To avoid this, just look where you're dropping those huge boxes of doom.
-------------------------------------------------
Many games end with the marines cursing the fade class or Onos both dominating a game the marines are screwed because they are ignoring the fact that they control the enemy's access to these classes. By securing hives these classes cannot be reached leaving just the skulks and gorges to play with you.
-------------------------------------------------
Much more nodes can be captured faster by installing a nodes defense ahead at another node. All the maps allow for this and allow extremely fast capturing of nodes. If you as the commander can see even 3 nodes in a long stretch rush your men to the first place down a resource tower then rush them to next and repeat, now at the last do again and then go crazy with defense. If necessary then go back and add defense to the others. This is an almost foolproof method of going about node expansion. Remember the more nodes you have the better you the marines get with the addition of armor and weapons.
-------------------------------------------------
Well wow that was a bit more than I aimed for but there it is, my marine tactics. I guess alien tactics are next but that will come later now comes more NS play.
-------------------------------------------------
Notes
-------
This is in no way finished but it all I can manage as of now so please enjoy as much as you can.
If you see any problems in the guide please contact me so I can fix. (floyd@panthers.net.au)
I actually stopped playing NS to write this, OMG foolish.
Thanks goes out to Mouse for inspiring me to write this.
And a big thanks goes out to anyone who managed to read this whole thing, so bloody long and no alien tactics yet NOOOO it a curse a curse!
I do realize that disagreements in the above tactics will arise but hey I'm not a NS champion or king or legend or queen, this is just an attempt to help you guys see the game from my perspective.
Please send me your own little ploys of genius and I'll add to the guide. (If you can help me with aliens and save me time I would be forever in your dept, well almost).
Please excuse the poor grammer and spelling throughout as it was the enemy I faced as I wrote in poor sleeping conditions and a craving for more NS.
Comments
It's not like they don't win 80% of the time with their super-fast resource gain. <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='confused.gif'><!--endemo-->
Also the patch may see the marines turning to needed stradegy giving this guide some important use.
Just because marines my win today, does not mean they will win tomorrow. Know yourself, Know your enemy and lastly, know your potential.
-Grail