A Few Questions About Competitive Play
CrazySteve
Join Date: 2005-05-20 Member: 52045Members
Join Date: 2005-05-20 Member: 52045Members
Hey, first off id like to say thanks for reading this. Myself and a group made up soley of friends and relatives are looking into starting a NS team, but seeing as how most of us (myself included) are relatively new to the game i was looking for some pointers that will be helpful while we are spending countless hours trying to get up to speed on the strategy behind the game.
I have a few questions that are as follow:
When do you drop the chambers? just 1 off the bat or wait for enough res for 3?
How many gorges / res towers should you have in the first min of the game?
What type of stuff should you have guys save up for, like a dedicated skulk saving for a hive?
How big of groups should aliens stay in, or should you just have everyone cover seperate areas of the map and use their speed to get around?
And how the hell do you flush a lerk out of a vent? lol
Anyways thats all i can think of right now. Thanks for reading over this.
I have a few questions that are as follow:
When do you drop the chambers? just 1 off the bat or wait for enough res for 3?
How many gorges / res towers should you have in the first min of the game?
What type of stuff should you have guys save up for, like a dedicated skulk saving for a hive?
How big of groups should aliens stay in, or should you just have everyone cover seperate areas of the map and use their speed to get around?
And how the hell do you flush a lerk out of a vent? lol
Anyways thats all i can think of right now. Thanks for reading over this.
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
www.ampednews.com
1 guy goes gorge and drops 2 mc, either in the hive or in a useful vent that is pretty central and cant be reached easily by marines.
1 guy goes gorge and drops the rt closest to your hive and then runs back and saves for an mc.
1 guy drops an rt and re-skulks then saves for lerk
1 guy saves for the hive
2 guys save for fade
You should have at least 3 nodes at the start of the game, try to pick the ones easiest to defend (these aren't always the closest to the hive, cargo on tanith comes to mind).
You should always have at least one guy save for the hive and one for the fade. Once your MCs have been dropped have someone save for second hive chambers, these are very important as even if you take a hive down it's really hard to play against 2 chamber aliens.
If your skulks aren't very good then you can have one guy go early lerk to help out in defending nodes. With this you can swap out the rt/lerk to go straight to lerk and then either have one fade (make sure he's good) while the other gets an rt and then saves for fade or have the 2 MC builder drop a node then an mc (delayed chambers :/)
Aliens should usually ambush in at least twos or threes, but much of the time you will be on your own as a skulk. At the start of the round spread your skulks out to scout, just be sure that you don't stay in that one spot because you've been assigned to that one spot and there's no way I'm moving! For early game skulking as a team, practice and experience very important factors, if you aren't going to put the time in don't expect many good results.
If your tactics aren't working well don't be afraid to switch them up to what does work for your team, no two teams are the same.
Remember that if you lose to a marine team that relocates to your hive, you don't suck, you just haven't played against it properly yet. This applies to all tactics. After every game analyse what you did well and what you did badly as a team.
Forget much of what you learnt from pubbing. It never worked then and it won't work now.
You can't flush a lerk out of a vent unless you have a GL or feel like wasting time boosting in there. Sometimes you can catch a bad lerk off guard with this, but not often. Just focus on the skulks that are going to rush you and try and keep out of heavy spore spots. It's never a good idea to be alone against an early lerk alien team.
Demos to me are confusing, I only watched them to see how the good players played, I could never get tactical information from them. Practicing in a scrim/PCW is way better, just as long as you analyse what you did wrong.
Practicing often means more than twice a week on set days. Ask for a ventrilo channel on IRC and idle that, when you have six get a game. Make sure all your players idle IRC and get your own channel. Idle search channels and other clan's channels. Don't miss out on the drama, it's funny. Do not listen to anything anyone says in #naturalselection on gamesurge and if you do, take it with a grain of salt.
The most important thing is to be on a team with like-minded players. If one guy just wants to play it like a pub game all the time and everyone else wants to play good, speak to them about it.
Here's a list of channels on IRC that are good to idle:
If youre American, connect to gamesurge.
#findnsscrim
#findscrimns
#nspickup
#caleague-ns
#terror
If you're from Europe, connect to quakenet.
#ns.search
#naturalselection (this one isn't the official one)
#ensl
#knife
If you follow that for aliens you'll be set. Just practice.
For marines start out by having your commander talk to an experianced comm that can give tips and a basic run down. So much of the marine side is in a comm and your whole side will suffer untill the comm gets up to par. He really should get a head start by talking to somebody experienced. To give you an idea, its possible for a comm to win every single game in pubs and lose every single game in scrims.
Learn squad tactics as you progress. Things like how to block fades, how to split cover and building/attacking structures. You'll gradually learn things like how not to mic spam, not to run in and die for little to no reason, how to correctly shotgun rush, and how to stay in control and recover when your game starts to go downhill.
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Depends what your strat is. Both work. EX: If a team goes sensory then yes, 1 chamber asap is common. DC and MC on the other hand is rare that people will drop one at the start. And dropping chambers doesn't always have to revolve around what actual chamber it is, but the general strat on who does what.
<!--QuoteBegin-CrazySteve+Jun 13 2005, 09:34 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (CrazySteve @ Jun 13 2005, 09:34 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->How many gorges / res towers should you have in the first min of the game?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Including your base node, minimum 3. But keep in mind if a gorge isn't needed or putting anything down anytime soon, he should go straight back to skulk.
<!--QuoteBegin-CrazySteve+Jun 13 2005, 09:34 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (CrazySteve @ Jun 13 2005, 09:34 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->What type of stuff should you have guys save up for, like a dedicated skulk saving for a hive?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yes. Fades, a lerk, hive, chambers, etc.
<!--QuoteBegin-CrazySteve+Jun 13 2005, 09:34 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (CrazySteve @ Jun 13 2005, 09:34 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->How big of groups should aliens stay in, or should you just have everyone cover seperate areas of the map and use their speed to get around?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Depends on what point in the game it is. Right off the bat you can do WHATEVER works for your team. Maybe send 2-3 skulks to a single spot to ambush marines who will come that way, and send other skulks to common paths of marines to parasite.
<!--QuoteBegin-CrazySteve+Jun 13 2005, 09:34 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (CrazySteve @ Jun 13 2005, 09:34 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->And how the hell do you flush a lerk out of a vent? lol<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Nades. Or if he's a stupid lerk he'll eventually become careless and poke his head out too long.
Early lerks take pressure of your (bad) skulks.
Getting an early lerk takes away from your midgame to improve your early game.
If you can survive early game well enough without one, why should you throttle yourself somewhat midgame?
Early lerks take pressure of your (bad) skulks.
Getting an early lerk takes away from your midgame to improve your early game.
If you can survive early game well enough without one, why should you throttle yourself somewhat midgame? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Getting an early lerk doesn't take away from your midgame at all. One fade attacking marines with no armor is a lot more effective than two fades attacking marines with full armor.
Early lerks take pressure of your (bad) skulks.
Getting an early lerk takes away from your midgame to improve your early game.
If you can survive early game well enough without one, why should you throttle yourself somewhat midgame? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Getting an early lerk doesn't take away from your midgame at all. One fade attacking marines with no armor is a lot more effective than two fades attacking marines with full armor. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
not if they only have lmg's
rt/lerk = lerk up about 60 seconds after fades are up
basic structure is that you always need at least one player saving for fade, and one player saving for hive. Chambers are best done the way comrade discribed, but good perms/different distrubutions of skulk, fade and lerk skill will mean many teams play thier lifeforms differently, and some may choose a late third chamber as a trade off for an earlier fade/lerk.
Know what your team is strong in. If you have 3 good lerks and 1 good fade find a way to work around that, don't try to mass fades if you don't have the res to recover fade deaths.
I generally RT-fade in matches, because we have too many good lerks on our team, not enough good skulks, and I can handle myself pretty good as a one swipe hit and run fade. RT-fades won't work well for all teams though. Early lerks will work well for some, and early fades work well for most.
Onos can generally be ignored unless your opponents go HA or you control 80% of the map's res. Compeditive teams rarely lock down, so compeditive onos rarely have to worry about hive smashing.
Early lerks take pressure of your (bad) skulks.
Getting an early lerk takes away from your midgame to improve your early game.
If you can survive early game well enough without one, why should you throttle yourself somewhat midgame?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
a lerk can hurt marines game [switching between node defence and attacking marines who are capping nodes] early that the marines mid-game can be impaired to the point the slower fade makes little if any diffrence.
of course it's all dependent on the map.
Early lerks take pressure of your (bad) skulks.
Getting an early lerk takes away from your midgame to improve your early game.
If you can survive early game well enough without one, why should you throttle yourself somewhat midgame?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
a lerk can hurt marines game [switching between node defence and attacking marines who are capping nodes] early that the marines mid-game can be impaired to the point the slower fade makes little if any diffrence.
of course it's all dependent on the map. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
A lerk is a support unit. You cannot use it to directly attack the enemy without grave risks, unless the circumstances call for it.
<span style='color:red'>I need to r-e-s-p-e-c-t other members</span>. Why not just use your lerk to eat res nodes across the map from marines so he doesn't die while you're at it. Lerks are fast, agile, and are as effective in the early game as fades are if not more so. A lerk that does nothing but sit as far away from marines as possible and spore is a waste of 30 res.
Early lerks take pressure of your (bad) skulks.
Getting an early lerk takes away from your midgame to improve your early game.
If you can survive early game well enough without one, why should you throttle yourself somewhat midgame?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
a lerk can hurt marines game [switching between node defence and attacking marines who are capping nodes] early that the marines mid-game can be impaired to the point the slower fade makes little if any diffrence.
of course it's all dependent on the map. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
A lerk is a support unit. You cannot use it to directly attack the enemy without grave risks, unless the circumstances call for it. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
as of 3.0 bite has replaced spikes on the lerk.
As long as you think faster than they shoot, it doesn't matter how well they shoot.
btw, we are an american group
Oh and another question, ive seen the topic of meding allot in these forums, what is your guys personal opinion on this, i figure most of you will say don't spam, but i mean like do you usually have the comms give the medpacks in battle, or do they wait till afterward.
Also, i know 2 hive lockdowns are a popular strategy in publics, but in a 6vs6 this would be extreme expensive and time consuming, exactly how do you control the hives? just a pg by an electrified node? nothing at all???
I support a controlled spam philosophy. On marines you _have_ to hold positions and gain map control, especially early game. If that means spending ~10res in combat, and getting 4 of that back in rfk, I will do it because map control is what this game is based on.
pg+mines, or nothing.
pg+mines, or nothing. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
you control them by killing them. The aliens usually only get one shot at the second hive. You will know which one its going to be because it will be the middle one or if thats the first hive then the more favorable wing hive. There is little point to "locking down" the third hive because the aliens have no interest in it untill the second hvie is up. Just cap the node in there and focus on killing the second hive when its dropped, or preventing it from getting dropped by denying rt's.
with meds you want to keep in mind why you're dropping them. Rammstien was right with what he said. 2 meds will always heal a marine, so why would you drop 3 or 4? Also, why would you med a lone marine against a fade, he's not going to win the fight, and any res you put into him will be wasted. When aliens get sc's, medding wont save marines from focus. So don't med rines who aren't getting welded. Its just all common sense. Meds and ammo are the number one way to waste mountains of res.
*ZING*