Congrats UWE on an amazing game mechanic

StixNStonzStixNStonz Join Date: 2006-11-06 Member: 58439Members, Reinforced - Shadow
in NS2 General Discussion
I've been on NS and NS2 for almost a decade, but I gotta say, I goddamn love echo'ing Whips. NS is filled with amazing ideas and implementation, but this specific ability made me want to come post.

There's nothing like seeing marines push into an infested room, trying to kill a gorge or skirmish some skulks, and suddenly, oh, look at that! Whips covering their exit! Where did those come from? Oh, now there's another behind him again! And another!

So. much. fun.
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Comments

  • supsusupsu Join Date: 2012-04-24 Member: 151023Members, Squad Five Blue
    +1, it certainly adds depth into the game, like it.
    Off Topic Disagree Agree 1Awesome
  • philoglphilogl Join Date: 2012-10-24 Member: 163529Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Silver, WC 2013 - Silver
    It's definitely a fun mechanic, however I think they need a cooldown after they get echo'd so they don't hit marines twice before they can even see them. Seems a little OP and frustrating to play against if exploited.
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  • xDragonxDragon Join Date: 2012-04-04 Member: 149948Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Gold, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Shadow
    zups, you traitor.
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  • Ghosthree3Ghosthree3 Join Date: 2010-02-13 Member: 70557Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    Cool mechanic, the cost makes it OP as fuck though. Step 1, create whips in a safe location near a shift. Step 2, stop every marine push that doesn't involve arcs simply by spending a maximum of 10tres (after whip cost ofc, which are also now cheaper than they used to be...).
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  • JektJekt Join Date: 2012-02-05 Member: 143714Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow
    Such good game play.
    Off Topic Disagree Agree 4Awesome
  • Cr4zyb4st4rdCr4zyb4st4rd United Kingdom Join Date: 2012-08-09 Member: 155200Members, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, Reinforced - Gold, Reinforced - Diamond, Reinforced - Shadow
    Ghosthree3 wrote: »
    Cool mechanic, the cost makes it OP as fuck though. Step 1, create whips in a safe location near a shift. Step 2, stop every marine push that doesn't involve arcs simply by spending a maximum of 10tres (after whip cost ofc, which are also now cheaper than they used to be...).

    Wouldn't say it's OP. It's a viable defence (and offensive late game) strategy. Whips can easily be avoided or even killed by a reasonable marine push. If aliens are early/mid game and spent all their res on whips and shifting them about then their tech probably isnt as good as it could be.

    Love the mechanic.

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  • NordicNordic Long term camping in Kodiak Join Date: 2012-05-13 Member: 151995Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, Reinforced - Shadow
    I wouldn't call it OP just because the whips have such a high start up cost. You have to have a really good economy to actually use that strategy.
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  • Ghosthree3Ghosthree3 Join Date: 2010-02-13 Member: 70557Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    Once you have your 2 hives and basic tech, you can afford to just use all your res on whips. They're not expensive when you're spending it on nothing else, you can have 10 in a pub game in like 2 minutes, and 10 is more than enough to defend your hive if they come walking in, some whips behind, some whips on the hive, some whips on them.
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  • JektJekt Join Date: 2012-02-05 Member: 143714Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow
    The aliens tech is their life forms. Which they get through pres. The only reason a marine ever goes for a harvester is to delay lifeforms. Alien tres is relatively meaningless and so it is worth investing in static PvE defence to keep that pres income uninterrupted.
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  • Ghosthree3Ghosthree3 Join Date: 2010-02-13 Member: 70557Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    Pretty much, alien tres system is now broken :(
    Off Topic Disagree 1Agree Awesome
  • elodeaelodea Editlodea Join Date: 2009-06-20 Member: 67877Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Should remove lifeforms. Allow players to build whips with pres and control them like babblers
    Off Topic Disagree 2Agree 2Awesome
  • DaxxDaxx Join Date: 2002-04-16 Member: 460Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited November 2013
    Ghosthree3 wrote: »
    Once you have your 2 hives and basic tech, you can afford to just use all your res on whips. They're not expensive when you're spending it on nothing else, you can have 10 in a pub game in like 2 minutes, and 10 is more than enough to defend your hive if they come walking in, some whips behind, some whips on the hive, some whips on them.

    Yeah, but that's not exactly fast. Unless your on a map with a lot of nodes/totally inept marines who don't kill harvesters, your looking at a 10+ minute mark before you have that level of tech.

    Whips are awesome, but they aren't really early game tech vs good marines.

    Off Topic Disagree Agree Awesome
  • Ghosthree3Ghosthree3 Join Date: 2010-02-13 Member: 70557Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    No, they're not. My problem with them isn't the early game, it's that after mid game when they DO come out. A marine win is still probable as long as they hold 3 tech points, but SO SLOOOW. It's so much effort to get hives down after that as you'll probably need arcs. It's just annoying, it becomes a turtle for marines which is in my opinion, boring. Even if you take life forms out, as long as they have whips, there's a good chance they can stop a hive push.
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  • CrushaKCrushaK Join Date: 2012-11-05 Member: 167195Members, NS2 Playtester
    I basically never push into an infested room without clearing the infestation before me. Simply to avoid any chance of surprise bone walls or whips.
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  • _Necro__Necro_ Join Date: 2011-02-15 Member: 81895Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Oh look, there is a tactic that is totally viable, has a simple way to counter it and is different from the only true tactic that should be allowed in this game: JP+SG rush.

    Better call it OP in the forum as much as possible, so it is hopefully made useless by the devs and the game gets a bit more shallow.

    See, thats what you get for trying to be optimistic StixNStonz.

    God forbid that marines have to build ARCs sometimes to break a position.

    But the worst thing is, that I didn't see the problem in action. Neither on twitch in comp games, nor on public servers. Aliens have enough to research with 2 hives for up to 15 minutes. Even if you skip some lifeform upgrades. And after that why shouldn't they be able to invest in fortification? There is no such thing as an alien turtle!
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  • RoobubbaRoobubba Who you gonna call? Join Date: 2003-01-06 Member: 11930Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
    Our (gorge busters) 80min game against hbz shows that there can be such a thing as alien turtle. We should have lost that round, but after one ill judged beacon we were able to set up a formidable turtle and managed to get 2 oni up with bone shield to complete the turtle long enough to wear down Marine pres.
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  • Ghosthree3Ghosthree3 Join Date: 2010-02-13 Member: 70557Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    _Necro_ wrote: »
    Oh look, there is a tactic that is totally viable, has a simple way to counter it and is different from the only true tactic that should be allowed in this game: JP+SG rush.

    Better call it OP in the forum as much as possible, so it is hopefully made useless by the devs and the game gets a bit more shallow.

    You seem to have forgotten how the devs have stated (as well as top players) that they want to keep PvE to a minimum.
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  • AchillesAchilles Join Date: 2013-04-20 Member: 184907Members
    Seconded. I love whips, and they ARE quite easy to negotiate by themselves from a marine pov. The only time I ever die to them is if surprised by multiple lifeforms or trying to rush them on purpose.

    A bit of strategy is required in their use, and a single defensive arc can wreck a whip ball in short order. Keep it lol.
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  • CCTEECCTEE Join Date: 2013-06-20 Member: 185634Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Roobubba wrote: »
    Our (gorge busters) 80min game against hbz shows that there can be such a thing as alien turtle. We should have lost that round, but after one ill judged beacon we were able to set up a formidable turtle and managed to get 2 oni up with bone shield to complete the turtle long enough to wear down Marine pres.

    You proved Aliens can turtle but HBZ's bad ARC placing helped you guys alot.
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  • supsusupsu Join Date: 2012-04-24 Member: 151023Members, Squad Five Blue
    Anyone who didn't catch the sarcasm of OP's post deserves to get their account deleted from these forums.
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  • CCTEECCTEE Join Date: 2013-06-20 Member: 185634Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    @supsu Not sure if he is being sarcastic tbh. No real way to tell. The situation he describes isnt really something people who hate wips+echo would name as being problematic with wips (that would be building-bile abuse i guess). @cctee deletes his account.
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  • eh?eh? Join Date: 2012-03-03 Member: 147997Members
    Well it's kind of like when someone says "Oh I love getting butt raped by pineapples."

    I mean technically you can't ascertain whether they're being sarcastic, but you can ascertain the anal fantasies of anyone unwilling to judge it as sarcasm.
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  • CCTEECCTEE Join Date: 2013-06-20 Member: 185634Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    eh? wrote: »
    Well it's kind of like when someone says "Oh I love getting butt raped by pineapples."

    I mean technically you can't ascertain whether they're being sarcastic, but you can ascertain the anal fantasies of anyone unwilling to judge it as sarcasm.

    But what if he says 'i love butt raping people with pineapples' ?
    The sarcasm gets all watered down you know.

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  • LocklearLocklear [nexzil]kerrigan Join Date: 2012-05-01 Member: 151403Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Map Tester, WC 2013 - Shadow
    Whips are rly gud for gameplay.
    Off Topic Disagree 3Agree Awesome
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