The Bird Boys Skulk Tactics
Kalopsia
Join Date: 2003-05-15 Member: 16331Members, Reinforced - Shadow
Join Date: 2003-05-15 Member: 16331Members, Reinforced - Shadow
<div class="IPBDescription">Good Reading</div> <span style='color:red'>Intro:</span> before i get started on what i want to tell all of you, i would like to point out a few advantages + disadvantages with skulks that main seem obvious but are not totally relized.
<span style='color:red'>Advantages:</span>-cheapest alien lifeform
-default lifeform
-fast, small
-good close range ability's
-<b>OK</b> distance abilities but not for attacking
<span style='color:red'>Disadvantages:</span>
-not as good for long distance (without leap)
-low health + armour
-sometimes body sticks out to much when hiding
<span style='color:red'>Hints:</span>
-when the game begins learn what the skulk is actually capable of. Eg learning the environment on each map is vital when in a firefight and knowing there is a vent around the corner is a life saver.
-when you are a fair distance away from the player, if you have 1 hive you can either let them go and warn other players or sneak around another direction to where you think they may be headed and set up camp in a nice little dark corner and wait. At a close distance always bite, at first it is hard to keep track of where you are biting but as you progress you will know excatly what you are doing (although i still have times of dizzyness).
-As mentioned above when you are at close range it is best to do a circle around the enemy while facing them this way you are still biteing them but still moving.
-parasite is a key tool for guidence, when one player is a group is sighted then you know where they are all moving/relocating to.
-when running towards an enemy or following them, just before you bite them try parasiting them, this takes some of their energy away aswell as making them seen to your team.
-time is your friend, you are not in no rush so if an enemy is near by dont just run out there , wait for them to walk past you, or under you.
-if there is an enemy and there are two of you, try using one of you as a decoy by running out there they run off by allowing the marine to see you run, this will partially convince him/her to follow allowing both of you to stay alive while making the marine go past you waiting for the right time to attack.
-if there is an enemy around a corner and he/she knows you are there dont be predictable and wait for the player to come around the corner while you are on the ground. you are a skulk , wait on the wall. most of the times i have seen rines dont relise this and they get bitten on the head for it. this is ideal for other places like walls, gaps, etc.
-dont always stick to the ground, if sombody has said there was a rine nearby, take to the roof or wall.
-when there is an enemy at a distance try switching your weapons while in mid air. Use leap to get you flying at the player. while aimed at the player swicth back to bite and there you have a flying bite.
-while attacking marine structures it is possible to hide behind a structure and not get hit by a turret or a player. if you are attacking one turret, position yourself so that you are facing the other turret while attacking the other turret. you will only take damage from the turret you re hiding behind. useful to take out turrets when you have a gorge behind you healing.
<span style='color:red'>Upgrades:</span>
<span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%'><i>Note:these are the upgrades i think are best while skulk, i did not mention ones that i find not useful</i></span>
Movement:
-silence: good for sneaking up on a marine, even better when biteing them because somtimes they might not know.
Sensory:
-SoF (scent of fear): excellent for stalking, when hiding behind a wall, door, etc as mentioned earlier you are able to know when esxcatly they are gonna come out so that you can already being going around that corner with a bite.
-cloaking:sexellent, wonderful for cold bloody murder
Defense:
-regen: i spose this is useful so that it keeps you going once you kill one player, heal, keep going and kill another.
-carapace: good for rushing a number of marines although i have taken out a team of 5 shotguners rushing powersilo without it
Im sure that is about it and i hope that this will provide some benefit to new players or l337 players who didnt use some of these tactics.
regards birdboy
<span style='color:red'>Advantages:</span>-cheapest alien lifeform
-default lifeform
-fast, small
-good close range ability's
-<b>OK</b> distance abilities but not for attacking
<span style='color:red'>Disadvantages:</span>
-not as good for long distance (without leap)
-low health + armour
-sometimes body sticks out to much when hiding
<span style='color:red'>Hints:</span>
-when the game begins learn what the skulk is actually capable of. Eg learning the environment on each map is vital when in a firefight and knowing there is a vent around the corner is a life saver.
-when you are a fair distance away from the player, if you have 1 hive you can either let them go and warn other players or sneak around another direction to where you think they may be headed and set up camp in a nice little dark corner and wait. At a close distance always bite, at first it is hard to keep track of where you are biting but as you progress you will know excatly what you are doing (although i still have times of dizzyness).
-As mentioned above when you are at close range it is best to do a circle around the enemy while facing them this way you are still biteing them but still moving.
-parasite is a key tool for guidence, when one player is a group is sighted then you know where they are all moving/relocating to.
-when running towards an enemy or following them, just before you bite them try parasiting them, this takes some of their energy away aswell as making them seen to your team.
-time is your friend, you are not in no rush so if an enemy is near by dont just run out there , wait for them to walk past you, or under you.
-if there is an enemy and there are two of you, try using one of you as a decoy by running out there they run off by allowing the marine to see you run, this will partially convince him/her to follow allowing both of you to stay alive while making the marine go past you waiting for the right time to attack.
-if there is an enemy around a corner and he/she knows you are there dont be predictable and wait for the player to come around the corner while you are on the ground. you are a skulk , wait on the wall. most of the times i have seen rines dont relise this and they get bitten on the head for it. this is ideal for other places like walls, gaps, etc.
-dont always stick to the ground, if sombody has said there was a rine nearby, take to the roof or wall.
-when there is an enemy at a distance try switching your weapons while in mid air. Use leap to get you flying at the player. while aimed at the player swicth back to bite and there you have a flying bite.
-while attacking marine structures it is possible to hide behind a structure and not get hit by a turret or a player. if you are attacking one turret, position yourself so that you are facing the other turret while attacking the other turret. you will only take damage from the turret you re hiding behind. useful to take out turrets when you have a gorge behind you healing.
<span style='color:red'>Upgrades:</span>
<span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%'><i>Note:these are the upgrades i think are best while skulk, i did not mention ones that i find not useful</i></span>
Movement:
-silence: good for sneaking up on a marine, even better when biteing them because somtimes they might not know.
Sensory:
-SoF (scent of fear): excellent for stalking, when hiding behind a wall, door, etc as mentioned earlier you are able to know when esxcatly they are gonna come out so that you can already being going around that corner with a bite.
-cloaking:sexellent, wonderful for cold bloody murder
Defense:
-regen: i spose this is useful so that it keeps you going once you kill one player, heal, keep going and kill another.
-carapace: good for rushing a number of marines although i have taken out a team of 5 shotguners rushing powersilo without it
Im sure that is about it and i hope that this will provide some benefit to new players or l337 players who didnt use some of these tactics.
regards birdboy
Comments
When executing a pincer attack, have the celerity skulks run around in front while the silence skulks attack from behind. It's pretty freakin' hard to hit a bouncy celerity skulk, and they marines will be too occupied to notice their buddies dying all around them.
Celerity is also useful for getting into positions marines will not expect you to be in. You can parasite them from the front, and then get behind them much before they expect the danger to return.
Leap + celerity pretty much lets you charge straight at marines without being in too much danger, as well.
The biggest problem with celerity is that it's kinda hard to aim while moving that fast. The ankles of the enemy will dissapear off the screen before you can react. Zoom.
As a skulk, I usually do not get any upgrades except carapace. Skulks die alot, and fully upgrading every time can get expensive. Carapace + silence + cloaking is my choice upgrade set when it really counts.
and i am sure we all agree Redemption sux...
Plz note... that redemption + Xeno = Blowing up in your hive (seriously... that is like the only time redemption works for skulks)
Half the time redemption doesnt have time to work because of the skulks low health and multiple LMG's firing at it.
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what??.. Redemption skulks are super to those quick suicide base raids <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Actually redemption is quite good for RFK denial at the start of the game, if enuff ppl use it u can cut down a comms res intake by alot. This is only against vanilla rines though and it requires the team to do it or it is pretty much useless. It also cuts respawns down by alot and thereofre u can get back in the action faster when a whole team does this u get some good fast rushes constantly.
Also u never mentioned the use of the cloak walk gawd that pawns.
- RD
You'll also notice that I tend to be a regen gorge, so I spend my time doing whatever sets me up best for later in the game...
I'm one of the Geniune *sp* Assassin <!--emo&::skulk::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'><!--endemo--> with this template:
Regeneration
Silence
Cloaking
(No general order, whichever chamber comes first hehe)
Now that that rubbish is over with I have one thing to say about skulking
Master the skulk and you have beten your enemy period!
<!--emo&::skulk::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'><!--endemo-->
I've played by my ears since I first started on HL with Counter-Strike (alot of the people in there die by my had because they don't understand the power of stealth)
It comes in handy as either side, because I've foiled a fair number of attacks simply because I heard them coming.
But it is fun to play with...
For a skulk, I'd say they really only have cara as a viable option most of the time, but experts also have regen as an option, but as was said, they have far too low of health for redemtion... It'll work, but not too regularly...
SoF or cloaking really boils down fast to play-style, and the fact that it takes skill to pull of the waiting game that claoking used to require.
And finally: Movement: I've stated my veiws on silence, but the other two are just as viable... adren is somewhat useful, if you expect to be in prolonged fights where the 'ammo' won't have time to regenerate. However, since such engagements often end with a dead skulk, it may not be the best ability, unless you're hunting down RTs.
Celerity is fun, not quite noob friendly, due to the near sonic speeds it can get a skulk up too, but it is definatly useful...
And most of the above was stated to fill out this post so it was not just my first comment.
<!--emo&::skulk::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'><!--endemo--> Ambush tactic: hang on the wall above a door. When 'rines walk by, divebomb. Often you can get a boatload of bites in before having to run or getting various body parts blown off.
I find this especially true in clan matches, some players ue their ears, and a group of silent skulks will have the advantage until they are aware of your mc. After that it is still useful, esp if your gnna be an annoying parasiter
reason being is you can pull off execelent guerilla tactics this way.
REGEN
The regen allows you to use yourself as bait at med to long distances, keeps you on the warpath without wondering where the closest heal is, will save your butt in an extended duel, and is logically the best for hit and run tactics
SILENCE
Silence, as already stated works wonders for sneaking up on people, but it also helps you to manuever through vents without marines hearing you clunk through them. Using silence with scent of fear is where silence really comes in handy. Normally you can bait them initially then get behind them without them hearing you, while traking their movement so you don't end up going the long way for nothing.
Employing these three upgrades together makes for some killer(and fun) guerilla tactics that work even later in the game. Using these combinations I have killed and entire squad of ha's because they couldnt hear themselves dying due to a acid rocket spam.
<!--emo&::marine::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/marine.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='marine.gif'><!--endemo--> -Out-
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what??.. Redemption skulks are super to those quick suicide base raids <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Actually redemption is quite good for RFK denial at the start of the game, if enuff ppl use it u can cut down a comms res intake by alot. This is only against vanilla rines though and it requires the team to do it or it is pretty much useless. It also cuts respawns down by alot and thereofre u can get back in the action faster when a whole team does this u get some good fast rushes constantly.
- RD <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Totally true. What really bothers me personally though is the fact that I usually redempt MORE as a skulk than Onos. Messed up luck huh? Im talking redempting from gun fire not from RTs btw. That is so messed up.
Anyways Celerity is great for skulks too. Fast hit and runs/dies. Fast rush responces. With Celerity I can usually take out 5 Marines with no problem, and most shotgunners are useless. Unfortunatley some of the regs on the server are good shots...but thats what ambushing is for. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> Celerity also is good for that cloak walk. The increased speed is pretty helpful there actually.
Regeneration is great for them too if you are taking out 1-3 marines at a time. When 4 or more mariens (or 1 good one) are against you though chances are you'll be taken out with regen anyways since your so much weaker. With Celerity and Regen I managed to take on 2 or more marines, 1 HA and 1 Welder Lightie at least, on a few occasions and win. On Mineshaft in Sleeping Quarters is my favorite memory. 3 HA, 2 hmg and 1 shotgun. I stuck behind a HMG marine and the shotgunner glanced me a few times but Regen kept me alive. Took out 2 HA then I got destroyed by that last HMG. <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo--> Regen is also good for the HAs that think they're funny by welding you when there are 4 or more of them. You usually manage to stall em long enough for the Onos(s) and Fade(s) that were coming from the other side of the map to get there and attack them from behind. Usually.
I dont like carapace. 20 extra armor is never worth it for me. Sometimes its great, but once they get lvl 2 guns I usually dont get a defense upgrade.
Skulks IMO are either a mass rush or ambushers. So I tend to get the gear to make my ambushes work like silence and cloak/sof and regen. Picking off those marines is great. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
-Red
Seriously though:
Using regen against a mareine with nive uppgrades are just plain useless. If they wait for you, you have a small chance with carapace, but not much, they kill you before regen even sets in...
Scent of fear are nice, but kinda worthless to spend on a skulk, cloaking lets you ambush but not really attack.
Silence is ONLY good when you are defending a place or runnig to attack a marine team already in action, even then, celerity ownz far more.
Regen with skulk takes for granted you actually survive killing one marine solo or in a group, without uppgrades, and THEN heal. carapace lets you live longer in action.
Silence lets you attack from behind, nothing more, as marines WILL notice when they get hurt, otherwise they wouldve died anyway since they suck so much...
Celerity allows you to close distance VERY fast, and that is what counts for the skulk.