Initial 2.0 Impressions
geldonyetich
Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 2537Members
Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 2537Members
<div class="IPBDescription">One veteran gamer's spiel</div> I did some pretty heavy playing NS v2.0 when it was first released and over the weekend. Here's my impressions over playing mostly 12-16 player games over about 20 hours and taking yesterday off to take things into perspective.
First off, much better balanced than v1.4.
As before, Aliens generally dominate the public servers unless the Marines demonstrate great organization. Thus, Aliens usually win. While, I’ve yet to observe a clan match, I imagine the ratio of Marine victories to Alien Victories are much more even. Unlike before, however, I expect that the Marines will not win the majority of a time in a clan vrs clan match because Aliens have received some beneficial rebalances to give them more flexibility.
Tactics have changed. Hive lockdown is no longer the end all win-or-loss strategy it was before because aliens always have an available means to take down a nasty turret farm provided they can spare the resources. Instead, tactics appear to be somewhat resource centric: Aliens need resources to get well built up Onos and Marines need resources to get Heavy Armors.
The new aliens moves have been rebalanced nicely. Lerks are way different - quite weak at close range but well built for harassment, and capable of supporting invading aliens at range. Fades are melee only until all three hives are obtained, but are able to compensate likely with the much easier to control Blink move. Onos are available early on and are the ultimate juggernauts, but at the same time go down pretty quickly unless they take redemption.
Overall, this is pretty solid balance all around. I think NS is ready for some new features if Fleyra and Co is ready to code them.
A few anomalies I've noticed:
1. Perhaps as consequence of how well balanced things are, stalemates are common in v2.0. Marines with upgraded bullets and a few turrets especially can hold off a fully upgraded Alien team for a very long time if they can force the Aliens to come at them through one small exit. (The vent right outside of Recycling for example.)
2. Once the Marines get a good foothold, they've got the unmanned defenses to keep it pretty well against all except a coordinated alien assault. Aliens are more or less forced to melee marine resource collectors until they get all 3 hives, and since they can be electrified this means the aliens will be damaging themselves. (This can be circumvented to an extent via offensive chamber spamming, but Lerk spikes are all but ineffective against them.)
3. Perhaps as consequence of the above (#2), Marines relocating their base to one hive at the start is actually a pretty lucrative tactic to stalemate the game. 2 hives can take down marine defenses, but not quite overpower the marine base. If the Marine base happens to be in a hive, this generally extends into a pretty long firefight.
4. Metabolize (Fade ability) pretty much circumvents the need for regeneration. Might be worth rethinking this a bit, since we've already got hives at least to heal the Fades, and Defensive Chambers and Regeneration traits at most. I've seen some servers which have deliberately disabled this.
First off, much better balanced than v1.4.
As before, Aliens generally dominate the public servers unless the Marines demonstrate great organization. Thus, Aliens usually win. While, I’ve yet to observe a clan match, I imagine the ratio of Marine victories to Alien Victories are much more even. Unlike before, however, I expect that the Marines will not win the majority of a time in a clan vrs clan match because Aliens have received some beneficial rebalances to give them more flexibility.
Tactics have changed. Hive lockdown is no longer the end all win-or-loss strategy it was before because aliens always have an available means to take down a nasty turret farm provided they can spare the resources. Instead, tactics appear to be somewhat resource centric: Aliens need resources to get well built up Onos and Marines need resources to get Heavy Armors.
The new aliens moves have been rebalanced nicely. Lerks are way different - quite weak at close range but well built for harassment, and capable of supporting invading aliens at range. Fades are melee only until all three hives are obtained, but are able to compensate likely with the much easier to control Blink move. Onos are available early on and are the ultimate juggernauts, but at the same time go down pretty quickly unless they take redemption.
Overall, this is pretty solid balance all around. I think NS is ready for some new features if Fleyra and Co is ready to code them.
A few anomalies I've noticed:
1. Perhaps as consequence of how well balanced things are, stalemates are common in v2.0. Marines with upgraded bullets and a few turrets especially can hold off a fully upgraded Alien team for a very long time if they can force the Aliens to come at them through one small exit. (The vent right outside of Recycling for example.)
2. Once the Marines get a good foothold, they've got the unmanned defenses to keep it pretty well against all except a coordinated alien assault. Aliens are more or less forced to melee marine resource collectors until they get all 3 hives, and since they can be electrified this means the aliens will be damaging themselves. (This can be circumvented to an extent via offensive chamber spamming, but Lerk spikes are all but ineffective against them.)
3. Perhaps as consequence of the above (#2), Marines relocating their base to one hive at the start is actually a pretty lucrative tactic to stalemate the game. 2 hives can take down marine defenses, but not quite overpower the marine base. If the Marine base happens to be in a hive, this generally extends into a pretty long firefight.
4. Metabolize (Fade ability) pretty much circumvents the need for regeneration. Might be worth rethinking this a bit, since we've already got hives at least to heal the Fades, and Defensive Chambers and Regeneration traits at most. I've seen some servers which have deliberately disabled this.
Comments
Hey, good point! It does sound logical, that stalemates are a sign of team equality. Maybe the key to winning stalemates relies upon finding a hardcore weakness in the enemy team, and exploiting it properly.
I don't know about clan games, but the other team often has some sort of weakness they forgot about. Some weaknesses are moderate, and some are major.
Teamwork tends to be huge as well aslearning new strats.
For instance, pubs get stalemates alot, clan games (clanners tend to get their teamwork together in short order, just face it) aliens are winning like psychos. It takes a while for the pubs to get all of the teamwork and new gameplay down.
Marines had the one node in their start and use aliens had 3 hives.
Of course everyone goes onos so the marines have no problem defending since i think it was veil, where there was a ledge in the back.
No onos could reach them before remption kicked in.
All we needed was the gorge to build some moves to help energy for acid rockets. But I was the only fade. And gorge was all in the back wit O chambers. Very bad business.
I was playing a game the other day and we had beaten the marines back, they had nothing but like, 1 GL and a mass of turrets. Course, the other aliens were backing away, afraid to die.
I, as a gorge from the begining of the game, took it upon myself to start attacking the structures with bile bomb.
I suppose the other Fade, Onos and skulk that were there saw me attacking and firgured they'd help a bit. Took out a few turrets, enough were we could get a foot hold, but I ended up dying. No big deal, spawned, went lerk - Spored the marines to hell and provided umbra support. Took it down in like .. 2 minutes. Cake walk.
People need to stop being 'scared' of dying, least, thats my opinion. Well, that and actually work as a team - one alien simply cant do it alone anymore.