New Players / First impressions
Sehzade
Join Date: 2010-12-29 Member: 76024Members
Join Date: 2010-12-29 Member: 76024Members
Heyy,
I was astonished when I saw all those servers. And all of them were full.
That's amazing.
I really enjoy playing with the new players as well.
With a little bit of patience and tutoring they do really good.
Of course it is also fun to win 3on1 as marine or skulk =P
What are your first impressions of the game?
How were your experience with the new players?
Comment below
Greetings
Sehzade
I was astonished when I saw all those servers. And all of them were full.
That's amazing.
I really enjoy playing with the new players as well.
With a little bit of patience and tutoring they do really good.
Of course it is also fun to win 3on1 as marine or skulk =P
What are your first impressions of the game?
How were your experience with the new players?
Comment below
Greetings
Sehzade
Comments
Commanding overall is extremely frustrating. Trying to get anything done requires expert teamwork, and the game falls apart when you don't have that. There is nothing more frustrating when you are trying to do something yourself as a commander, and your team is not helping.
Marines are not very fun to play at all. You are pretty much at the whims of your commander, and trying to take any initiative, even in groups, seems to get you killed very fast should he not notice you. Marine upgrades are uninteresting and linear, and you are pretty much doing the same thing over and over.
Aliens feel completely powerless. Having to get two hives right from the start in order to get any decent attack upgrades just feels impossible. Other alien upgrades are expensive and not worthwhile, at least not nearly as the marines are. Getting things done takes forever, and it's just frustrating when one shotgun wielding marine can ruin all of your well spent resources over and over again.
But, I do love the player base. I was met with some very friendly people today, and aside from a few remarks at my terrible (admittedly) command skills, it was a fun atmosphere.
There was a rare moment when the aliens were just really beating down the marines, and it was awesome. All our strategy and teamwork came together in an epic climax that destroyed the enemy. Every other game though, it was a mess of uncooperative players, no teamwork, and headache inducing commanding. Perhaps I may just need more time, but I think this game could definitely use a lot more to it. There aren't many games that will give me a headache, but I will know this to be one of them.
I've had some not-too-bad games as people are learning to play, especially aliens which is more challenging. I just hope people are going to stick with the game :-) .
EDIT: Remember guys, you can never spam too much "Press C key for map, press B (or F or whatever) to evolve upgrades every time you spawn!"
It's totally fine to have your own opinion on the game, I know not everyone is going to like it.
But I wanted to give you my 2c, some of your comments seem to express frustration of the learning curve of the game. The quality and depth of the game and strategy right now is of course very shallow because a vast majority of the players are brand new to the game and have only been playing it for a day or two. But I would really highly recommend giving the game few weeks so that as people begin to understand the basics, the team play and the skill level of the community begins to rise, and the quality of the games will greatly improve.
Another suggestion, is that if you enjoy more organized play, hit up either a clan of your liking or the <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showtopic=119466" target="_blank">gathers</a>. Playing in these environments will often yield a completely different experience from regular pubs because they generally have a very high degree of teamwork and organization.
P.S can the Onos still devour marines?
Sadly no :(
######, I used to love the thought that the marine player would spend the next 20 seconds or so looking at a picture of my intestines :(
From what I have been able to play I can say that I enjoyed it, although I struggled to get any kills whatsoever. This might be linked with poor performance issues, but I'm not sure. Hopefully one day I'll be able to play the game properly.
Commanding overall is extremely frustrating. Trying to get anything done requires expert teamwork, and the game falls apart when you don't have that. There is nothing more frustrating when you are trying to do something yourself as a commander, and your team is not helping.
Marines are not very fun to play at all. You are pretty much at the whims of your commander, and trying to take any initiative, even in groups, seems to get you killed very fast should he not notice you. Marine upgrades are uninteresting and linear, and you are pretty much doing the same thing over and over.
Aliens feel completely powerless. Having to get two hives right from the start in order to get any decent attack upgrades just feels impossible. Other alien upgrades are expensive and not worthwhile, at least not nearly as the marines are. Getting things done takes forever, and it's just frustrating when one shotgun wielding marine can ruin all of your well spent resources over and over again.
But, I do love the player base. I was met with some very friendly people today, and aside from a few remarks at my terrible (admittedly) command skills, it was a fun atmosphere.
There was a rare moment when the aliens were just really beating down the marines, and it was awesome. All our strategy and teamwork came together in an epic climax that destroyed the enemy. Every other game though, it was a mess of uncooperative players, no teamwork, and headache inducing commanding. Perhaps I may just need more time, but I think this game could definitely use a lot more to it. There aren't many games that will give me a headache, but I will know this to be one of them.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah, aliens pretty much do have to rush the second hive. They're similar to zerg in starcraft, there's only a handful of one base builds, and none of them are very good...
I think, however, you've missed a couple important features that add depth to the game. Marines have a system build into the game where they can make requests for the commanders attention. Being a good commander is 80% about realizing that NS is not starcraft, and you can't make real humans do things as if they were computer AI's at your command. It's very important in NS to trust your marines to find something useful to do on their own, and then organically respond to what they accomplish (by giving them ammo med packs, and structures when they request whenever possible). The request system is built into the commanders interface, you are alerted when a marine makes a request.
In terms of metagame, NS2 has more depth than counterstrike, battlefield, or call of duty for example... however, I don't feel like it's been out long enough for me to claim it's as deep in the metagame as a game like starcraft or other full scale RTS games. I think over time we'll know more.
If you were a talented NS player, there a clear shallowing of the movement mechanics from that game... But I'm relegated to that fact because while, when you finally got them, the bunnyhopping and air strafing of NS1 were incredibly fun, they were also incredibly unintuitive, and they represented a thing that alienated new players to the game. I think from time to time I'll have to go back to NS1 just to relive those things a bit though :P
That was a long frustrating wait though. Constantly joining servers to get "server full" in my face, and then when i did get onto servers after a few minutes of play i would get the red network symbol followed by a "timed out" =[ I also got some where it simply sat at a black screen with the build number in the corner.
However after a lot of frustration i ended up getting on a US server (Gave up on trying my local Aussie servers) And it worked perfectly. slight ping disadvantage but that didnt stop me from nomming a few marines and such.
I absolutly loved knocking out power nodes and watching entire sections of the map just shut down into darkness, another highlight was chilling in a roof alcove with 3 skulks and two marines passed under us with torches looking to fix a power node and we dropped down and anihilated them. urgghh so much fun.
once this initial rush settles down i look forward to having tonnes more great matches in the future :D
But when your team listens, it is extremely rewarding and fun. When you really get no good game running, try to join another server.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Marine upgrades are uninteresting and linear, and you are pretty much doing the same thing over and over.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Due to the FPS aspect, the game has a lot to do with positional play. Competitive matches show that there are different tactics, that can lead you to winning a match. It's hard to do on a pub, sure.
Overall there are just small adjustments to be made (such as implementing Hive teleport) to have an expirence full of epic battles and strategic descisions. NS1 proved that already.
what!! I must see this or they have to add this xD I am new to the game myself and I mean NEW never played NS1 my nice friend got me the game and showed me how to play
I put up some videos
<a href="http://youtu.be/EY8sjNoiVnA" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/EY8sjNoiVnA</a>
and
<a href="http://youtu.be/Q_rqhiXTK-0" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/Q_rqhiXTK-0</a>
From what I have been able to play I can say that I enjoyed it, although I struggled to get any kills whatsoever. This might be linked with poor performance issues, but I'm not sure. Hopefully one day I'll be able to play the game properly.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
no worries, game is already ready for release. they just broke something with build 227 on release day. Before that it worked perfectly. They are fixing it as we speaking.
Oh boy, the story has two sides. I just started playing yesterday and only as a marine so far really. Well, to me, as a noob, the marines felt completely underwhelming! :D I didnt manage to stay alive more than 4 seconds lol. I presume that as you get experience you will be able to fend off skulks more easily but for me each little skulk felt like a bad ass Alien Queen ... :D
Sometimes as alien I go Silence first, others celerity. Sometimes I get three nodes and hives. I RARELY rush second hive. Granted second hive/leap are extremely important and push gameplay, but so is Armor 1 and shotguns, or phase gates.
As marines. I often rush Observatory and Phase tech, but on small maps or maps with good locations, I'll go A1 first to extend the life of the marines. Or just rush Shotties if hive is at an adjacent tech point for rush.
I play each game differently, and try to be diverse. We decided on a shotty rush on summit that failed abysmally. Everyone laughed and had a good go, but decided to try and salvage it. And we ALMOST did.
Don't stick to the strats that worked pre-release. With the influx of new players, most people don't know the pitfalls of some strategies, and the game is much more forgiving.
Instead, focus on fun for the players. Some of the teams I played with were more happy to lose with a bunch of toys to use, than constantly win with the same strategy and rigidity.
Remember that this game has just been released... Us beta testers were ready for you all to be clueless for a few weeks, some of the new people will pick up the game quicker than the rest of the mob... you guys are gonna have to be patient for the rest of them to learn the game as well! :)
Secondly its a new release balance is still sque'd... In the big picture all upgrades are required and there will always be a "best route" in which to get them. Sadly in the case of Aliens the "route" at the moment is VERY narrow (Silence isn't bad... but Shift and Crag hives are ESSENTIAL) but UWE have expressed concern with commanders always doing the same thing in the past (phase gates) and hopefully will eventually fix this.
Remember that this game has just been released... Us beta testers were ready for you all to be clueless for a few weeks, some of the new people will pick up the game quicker than the rest of the mob... you guys are gonna have to be patient for the rest of them to learn the game as well! :)
Secondly its a new release balance is still sque'd... In the big picture all upgrades are required and there will always be a "best route" in which to get them. Sadly in the case of Aliens the "route" at the moment is VERY narrow (Silence isn't bad... but Shift and Crag hives are ESSENTIAL) but UWE have expressed concern with commanders always doing the same thing in the past (phase gates) and hopefully will eventually fix this.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Couple of things
1) the autobalancing function doesn't work at all, all the players will go to marine or alien once ###### hits the fan
2) marines have an inherently easier game because its all point and shoot
3) you cannot play skulks end game at all, hell its hard to play a skulk when the majority have shotguns because you can't kill them before they even look at you funny.
Gameplay is garbage until aliens see buffs, or the autobalancing actually works.
1) the autobalancing function doesn't work at all, all the players will go to marine or alien once ###### hits the fan
2) marines have an inherently easier game because its all point and shoot
3) you cannot play skulks end game at all, hell its hard to play a skulk when the majority have shotguns because you can't kill them before they even look at you funny.
Gameplay is garbage until aliens see buffs, or the autobalancing actually works.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
1) That is the community not the game, its been a problem since day one.
2) No, its just that due to Marine game play being similar to other FPS games most people start up higher on the Marine learning curve than they do on the Alien learning curve.
3) As I have said to MANY people, if they cant hit you then it doesn't matter how much health you have.
As a skulk you can move pretty damn fast if you learn to maintain your momentum, your movement should be as unpredictable and fluent as possible (to maintain speed). You should ALWAYS be trying to get behind the marine, if he turns round, go back behind him. Always start your attacks by making a wall-jump to build up speed and always keep jumping and strafing around, using your leap when you find yourself unable to do anything else unpredictable. (Leap to the ceiling and re-wall jump for more speed is sometimes a good tactic if you find yourself slowing down.)
The alien game play, is alien to the new players... (woo bad pun) But once you learn how to alien you will find it can be just as easy to rack up kills as marines.
I've tried out both sides, and Aliens are just so hard for me to do any good with. I want to make an effort to get better with Skulk, since it is the core of Alien gameplay, but right now I am completely, absolutely useless with it. Even with celerity and carapace, I usually go around 1-10 or 2-12 and end up just being Marine fodder. I try to be sneaky: I use vents, use shift key for quiet mode, and hide up in the dark parts of ceilings. Often, Marines are right below me and oblivious to my presence, I jump down RIGHT ON TOP OF THEM, and miss bite, miss bite, and they turn around and blow me away with a shotty. My aim is never good in FPS and I tend to do terribly with weapons that are high damage, low rate-of-fire (basically every Alien ability) because I will miss multiple shots and just die without doing any damage. The speed is too fast for me; when stuff is flying around at this speed, I cannot hit it. After a Marine realizes I'm there and starts strafing and jumping around, I am incapable of tracking where he went and I just die. It feels like the Skulk has no peripheral vision at all; something to do with the low-to-the-ground view. Very little depth perception. Basically, it boils down to me only being able to hit targets that are standing still. I should probably focus more on Gorge, because I am better suited for a support role, but every game I join already has two Gorge in it and I can't be a third.
Marines, on the other hand, are easy mode for me. A ranged weapon with high rate-of-fire suits my lack of aiming ability perfectly. I am not a super killer or anything, but I will at least break even with Marines. Late game with fade tends to get ugly, and I will get dominated in that case because fades are too fast for me to handle, but up until that point, I feel happy and useful. I like the quick-strike ninja phasegate aspect of Marines and like how it takes little time to have a nice base of operations in Alien territory. Marines just seem to make more sense. The one thing I really think is OP about Marines is the target tracking; I don't understand why they need this and it makes it so easy to kill a Skulk when it runs away around the corner because you have this big white circle telling you where he is.
<snip>
The speed is too fast for me; when stuff is flying around at this speed, I cannot hit it.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
One thing that never seems to get mentioned is that you can use skulks sneak key in combat too. So, once you have closed in on the marine with all the walljumping speed you can muster, you actually are sometimes better off pressing that sneak key to slow you down. Much easier to bite at the marines then, but should only be used when no other marines have a clear line of sight to you and you are near the target marine, preferably at their knees.
That means there's an observatory nearby, observatories track movement. It's that small thing with a satellite dish.
Thanks for the info. Does the scan do the same thing, just temporarily?
Yes it does.
For any new players the best way to learn skulk is to work with your team. Try to organize attacks, never lone wolf (or uhh.. skulk). When you spawn, check the map to see where teammates are. FOLLOW THEM. And another thing, pretend that the ground is lava. Try your best to never touch it even when fighting. And stay on the move, if you are ambushing move around with your walk key. Dieing as a sitting duck makes you look and feel really stupid! Same with ground skulks.
If you follow these tips, you'll be a master predator eventually, even if you're not good at biting things. Either way, you'll be ahead of almost all other skulks playing right now.
Whilst I agree with this for one marine, I wouldn't do it if there are others around.
Soon as you press shift in combat that's all your lovely life saving speed gone.
Also it might help as alien to turn your sensitivity way up, I currently had to swap
mice and I cant make my sensitivity go high enough! :'(
Soon as you press shift in combat that's all your lovely life saving speed gone.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I keep using the sneak key (not shift for me ;) when needed even when up against 3 marines. You go in, do the best you can and see if you come out with alive. Now, you don't need to hold that shift key and you should always place your target marine between you and the other marines. That way you get hit way less and the other marines spend some ammo.
... if you consider the fact that in competitive games marine teams have the upperhand from the get go, it's no surprise in pub games this is even more noticeable.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The game is actually pretty balanced in competitive right now. Sure, marine skill ceiling is higher but that is not all that evident yet. The expected win ratio can favour either marines or aliens on any particular map.