Shotgun Guide:
humbaba
That Exciting Tales From the Frontline Guy Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 86Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
That Exciting Tales From the Frontline Guy Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 86Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
<div class="IPBDescription">Im tired of seeing my baby mistreated.</div> INTRODUCTION:
I continually run into commanders on pubs who dont recognize the importance of combined arms and players who dont understand the importance of adapting to the weapon they're carrying. The shotgunner holds a special place in NS, in that it is the role which deviates the most from standard procedures on the Marine team. Lets go over some of the commonly accepted doctrine of playing the Frontiersman.
1. Cover entrances and doors from as far as possible.
2. Related to 1: Keep as much distance between you and the enemy as possible.
3. The combined fire of a whole squad with HMGs or LMGs is bound to kill individual targets.
4. Maintaining a cool head will allow you to burst fire and track your targets quicker.
5. The Heavy Machine gun is the be all end all of Marine Weaponry.
6. Skill is worth less than Team work on a marine team.
These rules apply to MOST situations, however, the shotgun calls for a change of tactics due to the fact that, it is basically a melee weapon. This is not to say that it is incapable of engaging enemies at a middle distance, however, at any range other than very short or point blank, you wont get the results you are looking for for something which costs 20 rps (though soon to be 16). For anyone who has ever used the shotgun, if they ever got kills before their LMG or HMG using squadmates took them, they probobly got them at close range.
What this all comes down to is that the most crucial piece of advice for using the shotgun is to be in the right place at the right time. In order to do that, you need to be aware of your surroundings. Turn all music off. Turn your speakers up. If you have surround sound, be glad. Drink a lot of caffeine. Get lots of sleep. If you have bad vision, get glasses. The bottom line is that you need to see them before they see you, and be able to time and react before they even know what hits them. Being a paranoid, extremely nervous, and twitchy individual helps a lot too.
What is the right place? The right place is anywhere where the enemy will be too close to engage you in ranged combat and just far away enough to be unable to hit you in Melee. This means that you need to basically dance with your enemy. Dont be afraid to get close to the Kharaa. Theres nothing more useless than a shotgunner strafing around in the back of his squad snapping off weak, spread out shots at his enemies.
When is the right time? Timing is everything with the shotgun. If your good at timing with skulk bites, you will probobly be good with the shotgun with a little practice. The shotgun fires much slower than the HMG or LMG (of course), so any timing errors on your behalf will result in your death and the loss of valuable resources for your team (as well as causing some of your teammates to decide "god the shotgun sucks", and we cant have that). Learn how many shots it takes to kill your enemy in the worst case scenario (full carapace) is a good idea. Should they die quicker, it will be a pleasent surprise.
So what this all comes down to when your on the ground and you hear an enemy coming is that the right place is generally as close as you can get to the enemy without them seeing you or hitting you (directly behind doors, near areas where hallways curve, vents). And the right time is just before they can hit you with their claws, horns, teeth, etc . . . Basically, you are skating a fine line between certain death and Instagibbed aliens.
ENGAGING ENEMIES:
Skulks: Skulks are putty in a shotgunners hand. Even their hive 3 ability is no match for a skilled shotgunner. They are basically incapable of ranged combat (the bane of the shotgunner). As long as you can react as fast as they can, you will win because your "bite" is stronger and has greater range. Any place is a good place to engage a skulk provided you see them coming. Watch the ceilings in predictable spots. Often, skulks hide close enough to the floor (so as to minimize your chance to react). What this means for you is that if you know where they are, all you have to do is look up, squeeze the trigger, and let the gibs fall where they may.
Gorges: Gorges are extremely easy targets at Hive 1, and become exponentially more threatening at hive 2. A hive 1 gorge will attempt to run away from you and spit. Dont let him, close the gap using the speed which the shotgun allows, get right up to his smelly fat self, center in on him, and let loose a nice point blank blast. If he doesnt die the first time, let one more go, he wont have moved much, and you will have set back the kharaa team a good bunch of resources. At hive 2, it is essential that you get the jump on a gorge (not hard, since they are often building and players who are gorge have a tendency to get lazy and their reflexes slow). Surprise and do the same thing as mentioned earlier. Treat the shotgun as a melee weapon in as many circumstances as you can. If you are webbed, however, odds are you will be close to yoru enemy and your death will be swift.
Lerks: The shotgun is effective against lerks in specific circumstances. A wounded lerk will die to a shotgun at medium range most of the time. If the lerk is of the type who likes to get close and bite or who likes to sit and umbra, wait until hes right by you (or get close), and, as usual, squeeze the trigger. It is all a matter of timing and getting to know WHEN it is right for you to let fly those lead pellets of death. The bane of all shotgunners is the lerk who uses his Spike shooter. In this circumstance, take cover. Run away. You will be incapable of killing a lerk if he stays out of your close range zone. This is a weakness of the shotgun. Accept it and attempt to avoid being in this circumstance.
Fades: Engaging Fades with a shotgun is possibly the most challenging thing to do in Natural Selection, short of commanding. I cannot consistently drop fades with a shotgun (like I can with Skulks, Gorges, and most lerks.) Killing a Fade requires luck, quick reflexes, low ammo (you need that speed boost to stay toe to toe with them), and flawless timing. Fortunately, a fleeing fade is an almost guaranteed kill with a close enough shotgun blast (remember, a Fade would never run before they are under 200 health). Chase those **** down. In the event that you are walking down a hallway and you hear a fade coming, you are put in one of the most uncomfortable situations. First, look for an alcove. Can you hide and wait for him to pass by? Getting the jump on a Fade will net you one free shot at close range and the next 1 or 2 needed to drop him will be easier because he will be surprised. If there is no alcove, ask yourself, which side of the hallway am I closer to? If you just entered the hallway and the fade appears at the other end, get out of there. Run back to the edge of the hallway and wait where he cant see you. If you are close to the Far end of the hallway where the fade is approaching from, get really close to the edge, crouch down. As soon as he rounds the corner, let loose a point blank spray of pellets. If your close enough, that shot alone might be enough to send the fade running home. Being close to a fade using acid rocket also insures that he will damage himself with his splash damage (I have, on more than one occasion, had a fade kill himself by firing acid rockets at me after I let a shell or two into his hide) Basically, the only way you will kill a Fade with a shotgun is if you ambush them. Remember this.
Onos: While there is really not much that ONE player can do to stop an Onos, the shotgunner does have one advantage. The inexperienced Onos is often very poor at knowing where their "horn" is aiming. As a result, if you crouch down very close to an Onos, you can pump shell after shell into the bulk of many new Onos and severely weaken or even kill them. The shotgun attracts much less attention to an Onos than an HMG or Grenade Launcher, and your subversive crouched down shelling could possibly go unnoticed long enough for you to deliver the killing blow. Its a gamble, but its definitely worth the cost of a shotgun.
COMBINATION:
Shotgun + Motion Tracking: I cant stress this enough. A shotgunner doubles in value with the aid of motion tracking. Make a server, and have a friend join Kharaa. Get yourself a shotgun and research motion tracking. Now, tell him to parasite you and track you down and kill you using any means he can (hanging from ceilings, vents, etc . . ). With motion tracking, you will see how infinitely more potent the shotgun becomes when you can time your shots before your enemy has even presented itself.
Shotgun + Jetpack: A combo I havent mastered (Im bad at multitasking), but have seen put to amazing use on some pubs. A skilled player with fast reflexes and a good feel for how a jetpack is used is capable of taking down an Onos by jumping, landing, firing, and repeating that process until the Onos spins around confusedly and dies. A Jetpacker is fast enough to close the gap and kill fades, agile enough to dodge their rockets. Capable of engaging in Aerial duels with a Lerk. A shotgunner with a jetpack who knows what hes doing is infinitely more potent than an HA/HMG, and can be outfitted for a fraction of the cost. And lets not forget how useful jetpacks are for killing hives, especially with a whole squad outfitted with such a destuctive weapon as the shotgun.
In my opinion, a shotgunner who is aided by motion tracking and given a jetpack is the most potent, possibly even overpowered configuration in the game. Take advantage of this when the enemy is Xenociding your base and rushing in with an Onos or two.
OUTFIT:
A shotgunner is most effective in light armor, where his speed gives him the flexibility to dodge acid rockets/Onos charges. While a shotgun heavy is a fabulous GL guard, he will be incapable of the usual flexible maneuvers which can give the shotgun its edge as an offensive weapon. Sometimes, it is best not to fully load your shotgun, but instead fill it about half way. The shotgun's shells drastically alter your movement speed and carrying a light load (total, not per clip) may be the difference between dodging an acid rocket and being smashed to pieces. The same applies to the pistol. On some occasions, I have thrown my pistol away for the extra speed boost, however it will leave you completely vulnerable to ranged attacks. The pistol is the shotgunners only defense against Lerks who spike from a great distance.
SUMMARY:
1. The shotgun is more potent than the HMG if used correctly.
2. The shotgun costs less than the HMG, requires no costly research, and is available sooner.
3. The shotgun is more fun to use (dont deny it!!!), and so cool.
4. The shotgun can take all comers at hive 1.
5. The shotgun becomes infintitely more powerful when combined with other, low cost/high value upgrades.
6. As long as you are close and ambush your enemy, you will win the majority of the time.
7. Combined arms is necessary to handle all potential threats.
Dont get me wrong. I am by no means saying the HMG is obsolete. However, I think this is more than a good enough case to advocate that ANY marine squad is not complete without a shotgunner to back up and provide that extra punch to a squad of LMG or HMGers. It is also an invaluable weapon for the scout, vent crawler, and GL guard.
P.S. Look closely at my sig.
I continually run into commanders on pubs who dont recognize the importance of combined arms and players who dont understand the importance of adapting to the weapon they're carrying. The shotgunner holds a special place in NS, in that it is the role which deviates the most from standard procedures on the Marine team. Lets go over some of the commonly accepted doctrine of playing the Frontiersman.
1. Cover entrances and doors from as far as possible.
2. Related to 1: Keep as much distance between you and the enemy as possible.
3. The combined fire of a whole squad with HMGs or LMGs is bound to kill individual targets.
4. Maintaining a cool head will allow you to burst fire and track your targets quicker.
5. The Heavy Machine gun is the be all end all of Marine Weaponry.
6. Skill is worth less than Team work on a marine team.
These rules apply to MOST situations, however, the shotgun calls for a change of tactics due to the fact that, it is basically a melee weapon. This is not to say that it is incapable of engaging enemies at a middle distance, however, at any range other than very short or point blank, you wont get the results you are looking for for something which costs 20 rps (though soon to be 16). For anyone who has ever used the shotgun, if they ever got kills before their LMG or HMG using squadmates took them, they probobly got them at close range.
What this all comes down to is that the most crucial piece of advice for using the shotgun is to be in the right place at the right time. In order to do that, you need to be aware of your surroundings. Turn all music off. Turn your speakers up. If you have surround sound, be glad. Drink a lot of caffeine. Get lots of sleep. If you have bad vision, get glasses. The bottom line is that you need to see them before they see you, and be able to time and react before they even know what hits them. Being a paranoid, extremely nervous, and twitchy individual helps a lot too.
What is the right place? The right place is anywhere where the enemy will be too close to engage you in ranged combat and just far away enough to be unable to hit you in Melee. This means that you need to basically dance with your enemy. Dont be afraid to get close to the Kharaa. Theres nothing more useless than a shotgunner strafing around in the back of his squad snapping off weak, spread out shots at his enemies.
When is the right time? Timing is everything with the shotgun. If your good at timing with skulk bites, you will probobly be good with the shotgun with a little practice. The shotgun fires much slower than the HMG or LMG (of course), so any timing errors on your behalf will result in your death and the loss of valuable resources for your team (as well as causing some of your teammates to decide "god the shotgun sucks", and we cant have that). Learn how many shots it takes to kill your enemy in the worst case scenario (full carapace) is a good idea. Should they die quicker, it will be a pleasent surprise.
So what this all comes down to when your on the ground and you hear an enemy coming is that the right place is generally as close as you can get to the enemy without them seeing you or hitting you (directly behind doors, near areas where hallways curve, vents). And the right time is just before they can hit you with their claws, horns, teeth, etc . . . Basically, you are skating a fine line between certain death and Instagibbed aliens.
ENGAGING ENEMIES:
Skulks: Skulks are putty in a shotgunners hand. Even their hive 3 ability is no match for a skilled shotgunner. They are basically incapable of ranged combat (the bane of the shotgunner). As long as you can react as fast as they can, you will win because your "bite" is stronger and has greater range. Any place is a good place to engage a skulk provided you see them coming. Watch the ceilings in predictable spots. Often, skulks hide close enough to the floor (so as to minimize your chance to react). What this means for you is that if you know where they are, all you have to do is look up, squeeze the trigger, and let the gibs fall where they may.
Gorges: Gorges are extremely easy targets at Hive 1, and become exponentially more threatening at hive 2. A hive 1 gorge will attempt to run away from you and spit. Dont let him, close the gap using the speed which the shotgun allows, get right up to his smelly fat self, center in on him, and let loose a nice point blank blast. If he doesnt die the first time, let one more go, he wont have moved much, and you will have set back the kharaa team a good bunch of resources. At hive 2, it is essential that you get the jump on a gorge (not hard, since they are often building and players who are gorge have a tendency to get lazy and their reflexes slow). Surprise and do the same thing as mentioned earlier. Treat the shotgun as a melee weapon in as many circumstances as you can. If you are webbed, however, odds are you will be close to yoru enemy and your death will be swift.
Lerks: The shotgun is effective against lerks in specific circumstances. A wounded lerk will die to a shotgun at medium range most of the time. If the lerk is of the type who likes to get close and bite or who likes to sit and umbra, wait until hes right by you (or get close), and, as usual, squeeze the trigger. It is all a matter of timing and getting to know WHEN it is right for you to let fly those lead pellets of death. The bane of all shotgunners is the lerk who uses his Spike shooter. In this circumstance, take cover. Run away. You will be incapable of killing a lerk if he stays out of your close range zone. This is a weakness of the shotgun. Accept it and attempt to avoid being in this circumstance.
Fades: Engaging Fades with a shotgun is possibly the most challenging thing to do in Natural Selection, short of commanding. I cannot consistently drop fades with a shotgun (like I can with Skulks, Gorges, and most lerks.) Killing a Fade requires luck, quick reflexes, low ammo (you need that speed boost to stay toe to toe with them), and flawless timing. Fortunately, a fleeing fade is an almost guaranteed kill with a close enough shotgun blast (remember, a Fade would never run before they are under 200 health). Chase those **** down. In the event that you are walking down a hallway and you hear a fade coming, you are put in one of the most uncomfortable situations. First, look for an alcove. Can you hide and wait for him to pass by? Getting the jump on a Fade will net you one free shot at close range and the next 1 or 2 needed to drop him will be easier because he will be surprised. If there is no alcove, ask yourself, which side of the hallway am I closer to? If you just entered the hallway and the fade appears at the other end, get out of there. Run back to the edge of the hallway and wait where he cant see you. If you are close to the Far end of the hallway where the fade is approaching from, get really close to the edge, crouch down. As soon as he rounds the corner, let loose a point blank spray of pellets. If your close enough, that shot alone might be enough to send the fade running home. Being close to a fade using acid rocket also insures that he will damage himself with his splash damage (I have, on more than one occasion, had a fade kill himself by firing acid rockets at me after I let a shell or two into his hide) Basically, the only way you will kill a Fade with a shotgun is if you ambush them. Remember this.
Onos: While there is really not much that ONE player can do to stop an Onos, the shotgunner does have one advantage. The inexperienced Onos is often very poor at knowing where their "horn" is aiming. As a result, if you crouch down very close to an Onos, you can pump shell after shell into the bulk of many new Onos and severely weaken or even kill them. The shotgun attracts much less attention to an Onos than an HMG or Grenade Launcher, and your subversive crouched down shelling could possibly go unnoticed long enough for you to deliver the killing blow. Its a gamble, but its definitely worth the cost of a shotgun.
COMBINATION:
Shotgun + Motion Tracking: I cant stress this enough. A shotgunner doubles in value with the aid of motion tracking. Make a server, and have a friend join Kharaa. Get yourself a shotgun and research motion tracking. Now, tell him to parasite you and track you down and kill you using any means he can (hanging from ceilings, vents, etc . . ). With motion tracking, you will see how infinitely more potent the shotgun becomes when you can time your shots before your enemy has even presented itself.
Shotgun + Jetpack: A combo I havent mastered (Im bad at multitasking), but have seen put to amazing use on some pubs. A skilled player with fast reflexes and a good feel for how a jetpack is used is capable of taking down an Onos by jumping, landing, firing, and repeating that process until the Onos spins around confusedly and dies. A Jetpacker is fast enough to close the gap and kill fades, agile enough to dodge their rockets. Capable of engaging in Aerial duels with a Lerk. A shotgunner with a jetpack who knows what hes doing is infinitely more potent than an HA/HMG, and can be outfitted for a fraction of the cost. And lets not forget how useful jetpacks are for killing hives, especially with a whole squad outfitted with such a destuctive weapon as the shotgun.
In my opinion, a shotgunner who is aided by motion tracking and given a jetpack is the most potent, possibly even overpowered configuration in the game. Take advantage of this when the enemy is Xenociding your base and rushing in with an Onos or two.
OUTFIT:
A shotgunner is most effective in light armor, where his speed gives him the flexibility to dodge acid rockets/Onos charges. While a shotgun heavy is a fabulous GL guard, he will be incapable of the usual flexible maneuvers which can give the shotgun its edge as an offensive weapon. Sometimes, it is best not to fully load your shotgun, but instead fill it about half way. The shotgun's shells drastically alter your movement speed and carrying a light load (total, not per clip) may be the difference between dodging an acid rocket and being smashed to pieces. The same applies to the pistol. On some occasions, I have thrown my pistol away for the extra speed boost, however it will leave you completely vulnerable to ranged attacks. The pistol is the shotgunners only defense against Lerks who spike from a great distance.
SUMMARY:
1. The shotgun is more potent than the HMG if used correctly.
2. The shotgun costs less than the HMG, requires no costly research, and is available sooner.
3. The shotgun is more fun to use (dont deny it!!!), and so cool.
4. The shotgun can take all comers at hive 1.
5. The shotgun becomes infintitely more powerful when combined with other, low cost/high value upgrades.
6. As long as you are close and ambush your enemy, you will win the majority of the time.
7. Combined arms is necessary to handle all potential threats.
Dont get me wrong. I am by no means saying the HMG is obsolete. However, I think this is more than a good enough case to advocate that ANY marine squad is not complete without a shotgunner to back up and provide that extra punch to a squad of LMG or HMGers. It is also an invaluable weapon for the scout, vent crawler, and GL guard.
P.S. Look closely at my sig.
Comments
whats in ur sig?
If you meet a lerk who's shooting you from a distance, or actually any enemy you run into which isn't close to you, use your pistol!
Also I think shotguns will be 16 res, not 17 in next patch. Further it's a great guide and worth being a sticky. I've always been playing linux servers so I'm not too used to motion tracking...but you're right, motion tracking + shotgun should be great. You've inspired me to use shotgun when motion tracking is available for one <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> Although I'm not too fond of using a shotty against a fade...Especially not when ur parasited and you can't catch them from behind or from a close corner...guess that just takes practice.
I simply HATE commanders who give out hmgs only with HA because it limits your efficiency a lot.
2 or 3 grenade launcher marines along with 2 hmgs and shotties who cover you from skulks are pure ownage.
Letting a Kharaa get close to enough to be in the sweet spot of a shottie rides against everything you first learn as a marine. You gotta override that complusion to start firing at range. <b>Let</b> them get close to you and then introduce Mr. Shotty to them.
You've got to make each shot count with the low ROF of a shottie, but each of those shots should result in a dead or heavly wounded Kharaa.
Twitchiness and timing are everything with the shottie. Sometimes I can own with it, sometimes its just a waste of res. It all depends om how uptight and on edge I am.
Edit: I'd just like to add that a shotgun is <b>the</b> best weapon for dealing with aliens with redemption. it can take an alien from the 'safe' above redemption level to dead in one shot. Redemption never has time to kick in.
Well, this isnt a CS forum but im just sharing a little experience ;p. I'm sure shotgun experience applies from any game, anyways.
The thing about shotguns is that, like you said, you have to make every shot count. Sometimes people use the shotgun and shoot it wildly when they are getting killed. The best thing to do is to follow that enemy, and shoot when you KNOW you got a shot, otherwise you tend to miss. Of course, jumping, twiching, and firing works too.
Motion tracking is a bit hard to use sometimes though. Of course it does help, but sometimes it gets messed up and it doesnt quite help you to get that extra time to set up. But then I suppose then you have your other senses as well.
By the way, how do you get your shotgun to half clip ALL the time? Like, i understand the first 5 shots must be fired, but after that, when you reload your shotgun, do you just shoot it to make it stop reloading again? I'm not sure. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
But seriously, the shotgun is an overpowering weapon. If used correctly it can completely decimate many things on any game. I think the most accurate representation of a shotty and what it actually does do was on Hitman 2. Alot of other games have the shotty sending out pellets like birdshot and calling it buckshot. Not to mention the different chokes you can install and replace in modern shotguns that effect the range and spread. But then again you can't expect game designers to take this into account since there are an insane number of combinations off ammo, chokes, and gauges of shotguns to choose from. Besides, if shotguns were as they are in real life...they'd be broken in the game.
A simple list as to why they are useful:
1. Their damage is in clumps: This gives no warning to any alien as to when to retreat.
2. Their damage per shot is devastatingly powerful. 16 pellets, 10 damage a peice. 160 damage and relatively quick firing of 10 shots. 1,600 damage if unloaded into...say a hive. You'll never get off all 10 into a fade, but then again with LMG guys wearing him down, one or two may well be all you need.
3.They scare skulks. This is a blessing and a curse. You can take them out with one fatal blast, and I know that messes me up when I play Kharra. The skulk player either avoid you (giving you the chance to finish building something) or they become dreadfully determined to kill you (pulling the heat off your teammates so they can be about their business while you kick skulk ***).
4. They are availiable early. It's a high price, but going to be lowered. Besides, if 20 resources saves the lives of a group of 3 marines long enough so they can put up hive defences and resource towers...isn't it worth it?
5. Ammo level 3 shotguns own. I believe the math was 208 possible damage per shot.
6. I love shotguns. Whenever I play a FPS with my gaming companions here at the Auburn University gaming club I am immediately refered to as "Buckshot." In CS I use the pump, not the auto-shotty. You can kill in one shot anyway, why waste ammo?
Downsides:
1. Range. The shotguns becoms a less than worthwhile scattershot BB gun at anything more than 10 game yards. Stick with LMG marines and you'll be fine. Act as a group..team work and all that mush. When in a group of marines be the guy up front. When fades lurk around make sure you are hidden on th other side of the doorway, let the LMGer's hurt the bloody fade then jump in front of it and let loose your rain of pellet death!!! Or better yet, stage a mock retreat of your fellow marines. Have them run, drawing the fade past you. Then they turn back and fire, and you step behind the fade blasting away so it can't escape. "The claws will rip me to shreds man!!" You might say. Well I doubt it. If the plan works up til then the fade is new and can't use blink to properly follow the retreating marines, and most likely won't be able to switch to claws fast enough even it does turn to face you.
The range is the only true downside, and that can be negated by being clever.
In the midevil daysthere was the Brotherhood of the Sword, and Brotherhood of the Axe....
Seems we have a Brotherhood of the Shotgun. heh heh heh.
A shotgunner is a great member any marine fireteam. Any one-hive aliens that get close are ripped up by twitch reflexes and buckshot, and anyone at long range is prey to HMG's anyway.
Just posting to agree with everything - shotguns own, period. Add a JP and it just gets insane.
<!--emo&::gorge::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/pudgy.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='pudgy.gif'><!--endemo-->
In fact just this morning when I was playing I was saving the **** of our marines on ns_tanith by shotgunning those pesky skulks. I have good first-fire accuracy, which lends itself to shotgunners, snipers, and those other heavily damaging non-automatic weapons. No one is perfect, however, and eventually I got murdered...but hey what can you do. It was more my comrades fault anyway <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo-->
But the point is that the shotgun can be an invaluable weapon in a given situation in the right hands. I'd like to comm on a server that I run just to test things out one day...a bunch of strats involving shotguns and other things not considered as orthodox.
BTW - I agree with your strategies about the shotgun. Even grouped with a bunch of HAHMG's you can save a life or two by dealing that punching damage in 1 burst of pellets rather than over a short amount of time with automatic weapons.
-PD
oh and i see ur sig says shottie
25 Res for both armour and weapon is half of the 2xHeavy cost...and potentially alot better. But not many people can use the shotgun, and thats annoying, Id rather spend 20 res on an upgrade
I think that with new changes and people getting more skilled though...It migh prove useful
And as for the Shotgun in CS:
Dont use it.
You cant kill two enemies at the time with it, its useless if youre not at point blank and it requires a 100% accuracy
I played [NiP] and their kind, so I oughta know...but its fun to joke around with it...that and the dual pistols are nice...
I do think you're over rating the shotgun in NS though, it's good, but not THAT good. I agree that it's fun to use, and more commanders should drop them.
In my, admittedly not-that experienced, opinion, there are other weapons which work very well close up....
for example..... a marine with HA and HMG...
with that combination, especially when defending, i've found the best way to kill a fade, say, is to let it come to you, and then jump out just before it reaches you, and hold down that fire button 8)
HMG can kill a full carapace fade at close range in 3 seconds, the three seconds of confusion created by a marine actually charging them....
all you have todo is stay just out of their melee range, and they'll be too stuck between charging you down and running that you'll win 99% of the time...
yes, shotteh's own completely, and no-one seems to use them, but don't discount the old hmg at close range either....
Pistol 10 shots (i think i hit something with every bullet)
one shotgun blast (2 skulks down)
i got bitten once, before my second shotgun blast sent the third skulk into oblivion, point blank.
I would think that shotty perhaps is better used by a member of a team of 3 marines.
2 lmgs bursts hurts and then comes the shotgun just before impact with him. goes well against fades also, i might add.
I thought heavy armor don't slow you down much. Its the hmgs that slows you.