Follow players, do what they do. Eventually, you'll understand why they are doing it.
For all other relevant advice, read Sun Tzu.
Common terms:
RT - Resource Nozzel - those steaming nipples your team puts suckers on to get resources
HMG - Heavy Machine Gun (probably didn't need to tell you that)
SG - Shotgun (not Sentry Gun)
TF - Turret Factory (just to confuse you, this makes sentry turrets)
Siege - This is a special turret that shoots alien structures through walls but does not harm players directly
HA - Heavy Armor
JP - Jetpack (sometimes "Jigglypuff")
MT - Motion Tracking (nerfs cloaking, puts up little blue motion blips, marks moving aliens on map) - contrary to popular belief, being cloaked and or moving slowly does not always make you immune to MT (50/50). Even when it does, odds are, some marine saw you move into the position where you started walking.
IP - Infantry portal - the thing that spawns marines
PG - Phase gate - ie. rapid engineer teleporter
DC - Defense Chambers - good for higher alien life forms, especially Onos
SC - Sensory Chamber - gives aliens those pesky cloak and focus abilities
MC - makes aliens go fast and thus take half as many bullets / get to trouble points more quickly. Also charges energy of all aliens in area. (Good for melting marine structures with never-ending bile bomb.)
Common nub stuff:
- If someone says PHASE - do NOT get ammo at the armory!
- Never get full ammo. It's a waste of time (time being THE most precious commodity), slows you down, and odds are, you ain't going to live to use all of it. Even if you do, ammo is cheap, and the commander can drop it anywhere. (Possible exception is the HMG as it ammos up quickly)
- If you evolve to gorge, don't drop any upgrade chambers without asking your team what kind they want. (DC first is never a good thing)
- Try to avoid blocking a retreating Onos (big, pink elephant). If yer a gorge healing him at this point, you are doing a lot more harm than good. Don't follow him into a trouble area, wait outside.
- If yer a gorge, in a building hive, spit on it periodically so other aliens can teleport to it. Especially useful if you hear marines coming. If you are some other lifeform, you can press +use on a hive for the same effect.
- Don't ask the commander for a shotgun (best way not to get one)
- Don't keep going for the higher life forms at first. Stay to gorge, and cap RT's, and your team will love you - then practice the higher life forms when you have two or three hives and the marines are losing. Your death is not likely to be pointed to as a waste of res that cause of the loss of a game at that point.
- In relation to the above - do not make plans to evolve into something before the game begins.
- All alien units are better acting as ninja's than tanks (even the Onos). In and out, hit and run, get the drop on them, hit from behind, tis the key. Hit undefended targets first. Do as much damage as you can, and, lest ye be an expendable skulk, get out before you die.
- For Marines, the key to surviving combat is to force the assailing alien to run down as much hallway as possible before reaching you, keeping it in the line of fire as long as possible. Keep an eye on the mini-map, and listen for the pitter patter of little skulks, lest ye be ambushed. If you have MT, keep an eye on the main map (C) for aliens attempting to take your objectives (ie. hives/base)
- If yer an alien in marine base, your best targets (generally) are: Observatory (stops distress beacon from summoning marines home), Advanced Armory (has little feet on it, stops marines from getting big guns), Arms Lab (weakens marines), Phase Gate (temporarily halts marines advancing on your hive) - double the attack value of anything "dancing" - as it means it is upgrading. Do not waste precious time attacking the Command Chair unless you know it is weak (has waaaay too much health).
- If you are a marine in a hive, and the aliens do not know you are there DO NOT SHOOT THE HIVE - it will alert all aliens to your presence and allow them to teleport to you.
- When n00b marine, rule #1 is: Stay OUT of the command chair (FFS)!
- When you finally do get in the command chair (after several hundred marine games) do not:
-- Drop a TF in base (instant eject)
-- Drop anything more than an Armory and IP in base, before dropping an at least one RT
Good luck.
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"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity."
Thothie