Mara Guide

[Venkman]

My Friend, Mara:
A Guide to the Aliens' Marauder Class...
(Main Source - 1.1 | Full GPP update coming soon!)

Mara Stats:

Regular-Ass Marauder
[1.1]
speed: 1.2
health: 150
Regen: 4
Reward: 350
Cost: 2 evos

Claw
claw damage feet: N-20 / A-6 / B-4
claw damage torso: N-40 / A-12 / B-8
claw damage head: N-80 / A-24 / B-16
claw repeat: 500ms
claw range: 96


[1.2]
Speed: 1.2
Health: 150
Regen: 0.03
Reward: 420
Cost: 2 evos

Claw
Claw damage: 40
Claw range: 80
Claw width: 14
Claw repeat: 500
DPS: 80

Advanced Marauder
[1.1]
Speed: 1.2
Health: 175
Regen: 5
Reward: 450
Cost: 3 evos

Claw
claw damage to feet:
N-20 / A-6 / B-4
claw damage to torso:
N-40 / A-12 / B-8
claw damage to head:
N-80 / A-24 / B-16

claw repeat: 400ms
claw range: 96

Zap
zap damage: N-80 / A-20 / B-20
zap chain damage:
60 / 20 over 2 naked targets
41 / 26 / 13 over 3 Naked targets
zap lasts: 1000ms
zap repeat: 1500ms

[1.2]
Speed: 1.2
Health: 175
Regen: 0.03
Reward: 540


Cost: 3 evos

Claw
claw damage: 40
claw range: 82
claw width: 14
claw repeat: 400
DPS: 100

Zap
zap damage: 60
zap range: 200
zap width: 15
zap repeat: 1500
zap time: 1000 (?)
zap max targets: 5
DPS: 40

Max Speed of Marauder Wall-jump: 1000

Thanks to Para|Medic and Kharnov for typing all that out. Here's a link to Para's Tremulous Guide  http://tremulous.net/forum/index.php?topic=11163.msg167202#msg167202]http://tremulous.net/forum/index.php?topic=11163.msg167202#msg167202, definitely essential reading if you want to pwn with ANY Alien and Kharn's oh-so-handy 1.2 Weapon/Class info-guide: http://tremulous.net/forum/index.php?topic=14355.0 Lot's of important numbers in there that you might want to memorize.

Now, on to...

THE BASICS:

So you wanna learn how to dominate with the Marauder? Well here are some essential instructions for you to drill into your head...

*Never stop moving*

Mara stops, Mara dies.

*Learn dynamics of Wall-Bounce*

Knowing how to create momentum with your wall-bounce (holding jump when in contact with a wall) will make the difference between a retreating Mara and a dead Mara.

*PRACTICE YOUR WALL-BOUNCE*

Over and over. The angle of where your looking effects the angle of each bounce.
Example: If you’re looking straight down/up while jumping forward, your bounce will have a more vertical arc.

*Quick getaways are a NECCESSITY*

For any Alien (with the exception of Adv. Goon) to attack, they need get close to their target. So, unless you want to die for every kill you score, you need to know how to properly retreat. With Mara, this requires a ballet of wall-bouncing that is often quite difficult to pull off. So, yeah, learn that shit.

*1.1 Mara is NOT a Kill-Whore*

You want a high kill count, go learn how to Goon. Better yet, just go Rant and camp A.T.C.S. hallway until you can steal enough naked-human kills to reach triple-digits.

But if you want to go Mara, you’re going to have to give up the dream of being a Frag-King...

(EDIT[August 7th, 2010]:
So when I wrote that last bit, I hadn't played much 1.2 Mara and had relied mainly on other people's impute when it came to the subject. Now, having clocked enough hours on 1.2 that I couldn't even imagine going back to 1.1, I feel compelled to correct certain portions of my Mara guide. Starting with this...

*A Good 1.2 Mara CAN Pown Harder Than Any Dragoon*

Props to Conzul who tried to explain this to me before I had ever bothered to find out for myself and a big sloppy wet thank you to the Devs for fine tuning my favorite class. Despite what you might have read on the forum, 1.2 Aliens are AWESOME and the new Adv. Mara is a Flying Lawnmower of Death to any noob that isn't smart enough to run when they see one coming.)



This doesn’t mean there won’t be evos. Quite the contrary. If you can Mara properly, you’ll be sharing twice as many evos as you use.

The key is knowing how to Head-Hop, meaning the ability to bounce from one human’s head to another. Here’s a scenario using A.T.C.S., for the sake of simplicity (as most of my examples will):

You’re an Adv. Mara bouncing along down the hallway, heading towards H-base, when you come upon a cluster of armored humans with s2 weaponry. You can...

A.) Pick out one human to perch on and continuously head-bite, possibly killing him while the other humans tear your exoskeleton  to shreds. Then you respawn as a dretch with (hopefully) 2-3 evos and start all over again, heading back towards the cluster of humans which is still headed your way.

OR...

B.) You can use the momentum you’ve gathered from wall-bouncing to fly over the cluster of humans while getting one good head-swipe in on each as they struggle to follow your path with their cross-hairs. You’ll take minimum damage yourself and will most likely cause a bit of friendly-fire along the way.

With scenario B,  you’ve also accomplished two very important things...

1. You most likely broke up whatever rush the cluster of humans was planning when 1-2 of the humans inevitable turned to follow you back towards H-base.

AND...

2. You did enough damage to each individual human, that those four seconds of combat will eventually net you somewhere between 2-5 evos (depending on how much the humans were allowed to heal before dying).

Use this same tactic three times, and you’ve got enough evos to be everybody’s sugar daddy. Remember, Mara is cheap.

Now what to do once those 2 humans from scenario B start chasing you...

First, learn the map. Plan your path out in advance so that you always know where you’re going. A lost Mara is a dead Mara.

So those 2 humans from before are now chasing you down the A.T.C.S. hallway and your Mara is headed straight for H-base?

Nothing to worry about. Just keep wall-bouncing to increase your speed for a fast retreat. This will also make the Mara a more difficult target for your pursuers. Hopefully you won’t encounter too many humans blocking the way so that you can easily drop down to the lower level of H-base (using the curved ceiling as a barricade against the rets' line of sight), where a few of your Goon-friends are no doubt laying in wait to help secure your getaway. Just be sure not to block them/ get blocked.

*A blocked Mara is a Dead Mara*

Learn how to maneuver around bigger aliens. Mara makes a great decoy and, for this reason, they should usually be leading the charge.


Attacking with Mara:

this is what everyone seems to have trouble with at first and why a lot of people just give up and learn goon instead. They can't hit with Mara. well, I hate to say it, but one of the simplest reasons for this is also one of the hardest to control: Ping.

If you want to pown with Mara and you're playing on a Lagged server, your ping better be pretty decent or else you're gonna wind up missing a lot of seemingly easy shots. Luckily, there's one way that I know around this. When ever you're closing in for a strike...

*HOLD DOWN PRIMARY ATTACK*

If you haven't been spotted yet, the sound of the Mara's swipe will cost you the element of surprise. But if you're charging at a human who's already aware of you, just lay on that left-click like it's a hot girl's boob. You might even be pleasantly surprised to find that the range of you're Mara's attack is actually longer than most people realize (1.2 NOTE: In this version the Mara's attack range, along with all Aliens, has been slightly shortened and the width increased).

Now, assuming your ping is up to speed and you've mastered the wall-bounce enough to maneuver your way in/out/around danger, the next step is learning how to APPROACH your target so that you can get the maximum amount of slashes in before needing to retreat.

(I'm working on a few graphics that will make all of this easier to explain but, for now, I'll just have to use my words...)

The real trick here is learning a technique I call the THE CURVE-AND-TURN, which is basically curving around a human as you head-bite so that it sets your Mara up for a second ground-attack before the human can spin around to continue firing at you. If you can master this ONE TACTIC, the rest will be easy.

I can't tell you how many humans I've dropped just by continually hopping over and around their head while the s2 helm who was so confident one little Mara wasn't gonna kill him desperately tries to keep me in his sights.

Now the curve-and-turn is your bread-and-butter attack pattern, but it can also be linked with other attacks.

As OPTIMUS pointed out, you can start off with a head-bite from the ground and then a shallow jump directly at the humans head as you curve around for the air-bite. Then continue your turn so that you land behind the human for a third grounded head-bite. 1-2-3 and that helmeted human is one strike away from death.


Another great attack is...

THE SINGLE-HEAD SURF

It's hard to pull off and should really only be attempted using Adv. Mara's faster rate of strike. But if you can master the surf, you can take down a single helm in mere moments.

Say you're once again rounding a corner in the A.T.C.S. hallway and you see a Human with his back to you. First thing you should do is approach from the ground to slow your momentum for a more precise jump. Next, align yourself with the human's profile (facing one of his shoulders) and JUMP SO THAT YOU GLIDE ACROSS the top of the (hopefully) unsuspecting human, surfing from shoulder to shoulder while mashing down on that primary attack.

If you've surfed the human correctly, you'll be able to land 3 CONSECUTIVE BITES (1 shoulder, 1 head, 1 more shoulder).

Now, your Mara should be going slow enough to finish with a turn so that you're facing the human as you land. Most likely, he'll be backing up by now but you should still have time for a fourth ground bite as you land. If you make it a head-bite, that makes for a combined total of 72 damage.

NOTE:
Single-Head Surfing DOES NOT REQUIRE THE HUMAN TO STAND STILL to be pulled off. It just makes the execution a whole lot easier. A moving human CAN be surfed, as long you're able to predict their movements. But if you can get a feel for the combination of angle and speed required to surf a single stationary human, all that's left to really pown with Mara is to learn how to surf a fleeing one.


Of course your method of approach should vary depending on the amount of humans you are attempting to attack, as well as their armor/weaponry.

*ALWAYS LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP*

Say you're ducked off around a corner in A.T.C.S. hallway... probably waiting for back-up or your health to re-gen... When you hear the sound of approaching humans. LISTEN to their gun-fire and note the caliber of their weapons. Sneak a peak around the corner.

Is it a bunch of stomping Chain-Suits coming your way or simply two naked humans and their MGs? Basically, do what you can to make sure you know WHO you are attacking before you decided HOW to attack.

Now, most pros will tell you this is a basic requirement when playing ANY Alien (besides Rant maybe) but, with Mara, knowing your enemy is DOUBLY important because Mara is a squishy bitch who has the potential to pown an entire H-Base or die in the blink of one well-timed Lucy blast.

That's why knowing how and when to approach makes all the difference:
*UNDER CONSTRUCTION*
|A new/better battle approach breakdown-chart is coming soon!|

   _____/
 

...Now, there is still a second and very important factor of the Mara-Combat equation that I have yet to address.

And that part is named John Travolta.

You Make Me Feel Like Dancing...

When playing as Mara you will inevitably come across the Pro-Dancer: those humans who seem ready to serve your Mara good and proper anytime you try and make too friendly with the head-hops (you know who you are... Freakin' Bauer.) Just remember...

*A GOOD MARA CAN OUT-DANCE ANY HUMAN*

When dealing with pro-dancers, whether you live or die will be decided by your Ground Work; or how well you can out-dance the dancer.

Say you come across some cocky helm with an MG who suddenly goes all John Travolta on your ass? Well then, damnit, you make like Uma Thurman and show him what you GOT! Don't worry, as a Mara you have two big advantages when dancing with a human:

1. Stamina

Humans have a meter that is depleted every time they jump or boost. You DON'T.

2. You're a FREAKIN' MARA!

Can a human move like a Mara? No! Can a human jump like a Mara? No! Can a human wall-bounce? No! (And if you said, "on X they can...", slap yourself.)

Dracone on Mara-vs-Human Movements:

"Prediction comes into play more with mara because "long lined" patterns are effective against maras, meaning you have to alter your own movement direction much more often. Simple strafing and quick lateral movements are complete shit against any good mara, so you need to use more moves in which you sustain the same general direction of movement, or certain circling movements, although those will fail quickly and only work on the rare occasion."


...So, basically, any pro-dancer human knows he only has so much time on that ballroom floor before his stamina runs out and you slash him to bits. Which is why he'll try to put as many bullets into you as he can before that time is up. So when dancing, you need to be extra careful not to take too much damage, yourself.

One reason is, when the human's clip runs out and he finally goes fleeing, you won't have to do the same.

Another is, encase your Mara DOES happen to get served by some pro-human, you'll (hopefully) still have enough health to wall-bounce the fuck out of there before he can reload.

As for particular dance moves, those really can't be taught. Every dancer has their tactics, and your best bet is to simply know them when you see them. Then you can learn how to react, accordingly.

When dealing with dancers of any kind, the first thing I like to do is immediately retreat and hide around the next blind corner I can find. It throws the human off and also forces him to prematurely use some of his precious boost.

Then, thinking I'm either injured or just a confused noob, the human will usually follow and set himself up for the perfect ambush attack. After that, I'll show the human just how happy I am to dance with a quick head-bite or two from the ground while circling around him.

More often than not, this enough to throw the dancer off his rhythm and he'll either retreat or die while struggling to maintain his jig.
 

ZAP!

The zap-attack is a secondary attack available only to the Adv. Mara class. The attack differs greatly between 1.1 and 1.2, yet both have a range of uses.

F50 on Mara Zap:

"1.1 zap requires that the marauder stay in range of the human for the entire duration of the attack. If you manage that, the final damage is 80 (IIRC) to the first target, and then 1/2 of that to the next closest target, 1/4 to the third closest and so on.

Chaining zap isn't all that important here, and while 1.1 zap has a longer range, you need to make sure that you stay within that range. In general...

*IT'S ALWAYS BETTER TO BITE IF POSSIBLE*

The only human I really recommend attacking with zap in 1.1 (although by now I am not really that experienced with 1.1) is the flamer.

1.2 zap does its damage instantly, and you DO NOT have to stay in range of the human. It also does a full 60 damage to every target it chains to. This attack seems to take 2.2 seconds (this may or may not be accurate).

Bite does close to 100dmg/sec (*150 with headshots), but has a much smaller range than zap, and of course doesn't chain between targets. So its still a good idea to bite whenever possible (practice this!), but zap can be very effective in situations where your target(s) are not close enough and/or you're trying to concentrate on dodging more than getting close to your opponent's head.

Zap-and-run is much easier to pull off than headshot-and-run."

Some players like to use the 1.1 zap as a way finishing off retreating humans who are near death. Though, because of the Zap's slower attack speed, this is only recommended if their are no other enemies still firing at you.


-Demolution on Base-Raiding with Mara-

Ninja Style:
In 1.2 the marauder is the alien to attack the human base with simply because of its zap attack. As with any other time you attack, you should have the in-and-out, ninja mindset when attacking the humans' base. As stated above, ALWAYS KEEP MOVING, especially in and around the human base. The turrets in 1.2 have a slower spin-up time, but once they settle on a target, they are unforgiving. If you get caught in a corner or in between structures for longer than a second or two, you will get shredded/zapped/gunned down. If you are lucky, you can hop in the human base, attack a few times, and hop back out whilst taking minimal damage.

For a full base:
For the most part, humans have learned to not cluster their buildings together. What they sometimes fail to consider, however, is themselves. Whenever there are two or more humans surrounding the armory (or in proximity to any other building really), you should consider zapping their sorry asses. This might not always bode well for your own health as the humans and their defences can easily attack you, but it can deal a lot of damage to multiple targets, as well as pave the way for other maras and/or other aliens to assault the human base.

For an empty base:
Although you won't have as many targets to zap at, you will have a lot less resistance from an empty human base. As usual, approach with caution. A nibble/zap here and there go a long way. It's best to assault with a basi (or booster) nearby and in groups, as you can run in, take a turret or two out, and then run out to heal. Keep an eye out for retreating or spawning humans.

[NOTE: The 1.2 Marauder's zap is much more effective vs. buildings and should be used mainly in the empty-base scenario.]

Teslas:
Because of their knockback attack, it's best to approach with caution. The mara has a longer range (in terms of zap attack) then the tesla, so you should have no problem taking lone teslas out once you get comfortable with dancing just outside of their attack range. Never attack a tesla head on, as they will drain your health very quickly.

Attack in groups:
Two or more maras can take down a human base very quickly with some goon/tyrant support. Always try to attack together, and (if possible) from different sides. Teamwork is essential. Attack what you think will yield the most damage. Suicide attacks are only advised if you think you can deal a decent amount of damage, otherwise keep attacking and then retreating to heal.



Here's BeerBastard's awesome Mara guide, incase you want a second opinion on the subject:
http://tremulous.net/forum/index.php?topic=6879.0

[+ OPTIMUS +]

how about destroying bases with mara, or, at least doing a ground headbite+air headbite combo?

[F50]

Nice guide, easier said than done, but the concept is good. Zap needs a mention during scenario B if you're talking 1.2 though.

[Conzul]

Not enough can be said about the Marauder as a diversionary alien. Come on, it's red, it seems to fly (when I was nUb, I thought it was flying) when in skilled hands. No matter how experienced the human attack group is, they will all reflexively aim for it when it pops out first. With just one or two dretches following it closely, they can do just as much OR more damage than the marauder, which gives both them and the mara evos aplenty. Zap is very useful (GPP) against s1 humans, and groups. Two zaps will kill your main target, and if you are in a tight space with enemy group, just zap them till they disperse, and then slash at the loners. Zap is also very helpful against Flamethrowers

[Venkman]

Thank you OPTIMUS, F50, and Conzul for the feedback and good points.

I'm definitely adding how to properly raid a base with Mara, which was a great suggestion and a concept I struggled with myself when first learning the game.

"A Mara walks into an S3 H-base and LIVES. I'll tell you how..." will probably be the name of the section.

Not enough can be said about the Marauder as a diversionary alien. Come on, it's red, it seems to fly (when I was nUb, I thought it was flying) when in skilled hands.

Actually, Conzul, it's pretty awesome that you said that. what made me love Mara to begin with was the first time I ever played Trem and I went Human and the FIRST alien I saw was this bright red  wall-bouncing towards me and I honestly just assumed it was their flying class... Then my baby-fresh noob-ass tried to play as one and I quickly learned just how wrong I was.

I'd like to eventually turn this thread into the penultimate Mara guide and that means gathering as much valid insight on the subject from you guys as possible, especially concerning 1.2 which I still haven't played enough of.

I was planning on discussing the finer points of the 1.1 zap after I went over Mara's primary attack. Though, now I'm thinking that I might need to divide each section of the guide into 1.1/1.2 tactics for it to really work. What do you guys think?

And if F50 or anyone else presently has any 1.2 Mara tips that they'd like to add, let me know and I'll put them in. For now, I know I need to address the more versatile wall-bounce and the radius zap.

Oh, and OPTIMUS, that's one of the greatest signatures I've seen on here...
Just please don't let the noob-feeders see it.

[Conzul]

Well I only play GPP these days, and there are only one or two things that if unfixed would make me go back (when I started playing it was like ten things). Marauder is far easier to use due to the smoothed and pimped walljump. Unlike 1.1, it can go up a vertical surface forever by just holding jump. I never used zap in 1.1, so I can't say that it's better or worse, but I like the 1.2 zap just fine. Get my into the human base, and you'll see why mah score gets that way. Remember that mara is 2wice as potent with friend basi hanging around, cus it's not as fast to go back to base and heal.
    Mara's low profile means that it can kill rets one at a time, without being fired at from turrets that are just a bit higher (some maps). I haven't mastered the art of squatting on a human and killing them, but I gotta work on that.

[F50]

All of the advice so far is equally applicable to 1.1 and 1.2. And its all good advice. However the formatting kinda sucks. Use the word 'or' instead of '/' and I think it would look better with a colon, newline, and tab between the type of human you're attacking and the instructions for dealing with it.

Some notes on zap:

Perhaps the most important thing to do is explain just what zap does and how it differs between 1.1 and 1.2.

1.1 zap requires that the marauder stay in range of the human for the entire duration of the attack. If you manage that, the final damage is 80 (IIRC) to the first target, and then half that to the next target, and half that to the next target and so on. Chaining zap isn't all that important here, and while zap has longer range, you need to make sure you stay in that range. In general its better to bite if possible. The only human I really recommend attacking with zap in 1.1 (although by now I am not really that experienced with 1.1) is the flamer.

1.2 zap does its damage instantly, and you do not have to stay in range of the human. It also does a full 60 damage to every target it chains to. This attack seems to take 2.2 seconds (this may or may not be accurate). Bite does close to 100dmg/sec (150 with headshots), but has a much smaller range than zap, and of course doesn't chain between targets. So its still a good idea to bite whenever possible (practice this!), but zap can be very effective in situations where your target(s) are not close enough and/or you're trying to concentrate on dodging more than getting close to your opponent's head. Zap-and-run is much easier to pull off than headshot-and-run.

[Venkman]

Tonight, players like Uni and soulja reminded me that I skipped over an important note: How to Deal with John Travolta Dancers

I will rectify this when I'm less burnt out and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Conzul]

Colour your bullets or numbers so we have an anchor to read from. You documents is a bit to hard to read without that or bold headings.

[Venkman]

Good point, I will.

This is actually the first guide I've ever tried to write so I'm a bit lost on how to properly format it. I want this thing to be readable, so thanks for the feedback.

It's GREATLY appreciated.

[OhaiReapd]

Yo, Forgot/Venk. Would greatly appreciate you showing me how to mara, and help me when you and I are on. You know me, {CTU}Reapd

[Venkman]

Yo, Forgot/Venk. Would greatly appreciate you showing me how to mara, and help me when you and I are on. You know me, {CTU}Reapd

Fo' sho', Reapd.

Maybe we can even use you guys' CTU training server and get some good dancers like Bauer to go human along with a few noobs for easier targets. Either way, I'm down. I'll be on tonight.

If you can't make it, just let me know and we'll set aside a time to rock some Mara-training.

You CTU guys were all really helpful when I was still noobing it, so I'd be more than happy to pay back the favor.

[wath of lied]

great guide! Thanks for the help! it will sure come in handy! I will be reading this multiple and be practicing a lot with them and basis. I want to master the Aliens!!!!

Always strive far, no matter how unlikely and thats what i'm going to do!!!

[Venkman]

I'm really glad this guide was helpful.

At first the Mara may seem unlikely as an effective powning machine but I promise you, once the concepts start to stick, your Mara's movements will feel like second-nature (much like getting around via the goon's pounce).

[Venkman]

And just so you know, I've finally included a part on pro-dancers in the "Attacking with Mara" section.

Although I would still really love additional info on the subject, if you guys have any. Dealing with dancers is something I'm still struggling with, myself.

[Conzul]

Although I would still really love additional info on the subject, if you guys have any. Dealing with dancers is something I'm still struggling with, myself.

Run away and let a goon deal with them. Or, wait till your health drops to 50%, then run away and call them names from a safe distance. Srsly there are like only five ppl in tremulous who dance like that.

[Venkman]

Run away and let a goon deal with them. Or, wait till your health drops to 50%, then run away and call them names from a safe distance.

Sound advice. Although, I find a lot of these pros are even better at dancing against goons. Still, name-calling is always a great way to fluster good players.

Seriously, when it comes to shit-talking, some of those people are like Jedi using the force.

Srsly there are like only five ppl in tremulous who dance like that.

Good. Let's just hope they stick to different servers. If these guys find each other, I don't know what I'd do...

Well, actually, I guess I'd just go Rant.

But I HATE going Rant. 

[Conzul]

Sound advice. Although, I find a lot of these pros are even better at dancing against goons. Still, name-calling is always a great way to fluster good players.

Seriously, when it comes to shit-talking, some of those people are like Jedi using the force.

It is significantly harder for a pounce to miss than a marauder claw. Plus, due to knockback in 1.2, they are frozen from dancing for a second or two, especially if you hit them up into the air.

Good. Let's just hope they stick to different servers. If these guys find each other, I don't know what I'd do...

Well, actually, I guess I'd just go Rant.

But I HATE going Rant. 

What's wrong with rant? Rant kicks ass, the only difference is that in 1.2 it dies now. Begins to mumble  **Charge into human base, rets and teslas frying you, take out a ret or two, and some nub from the other edge of the room fires 2-3 rifle rounds into you and gets 950 fucking credits BECAUSE NO ONE HAS FIXED THAT BUG YET WTF DEVS?!?!?

[F50]

Beware lasgun dancers, they don't seem that scary at first, but they don't have to reload and can be more that a mara can take. Shotguns at least have the common decency to give you some downtime when they reload, and only shoot you when you're almost in range to bite their heads off, but lasguns have no such restriction. Underestimating a good lasgun can be a fatal mistake. Asvarox and a few other players taught me that the hard way.

If you find yourself out of claw range for a few moments when facing a dancer (or any human for that matter), at least in 1.2, don't forget to zap. Going too zap-happy will mean you will never get a claw strike even when you do get close enough, but if you're not going to hit him with you're claw anyways for the next two seconds or so, the damage should be worth it.

With anything that you don't think you can defeat, poison really helps. Jump out, get a shot in, hide and wait for the sound of his medkit being used, then jump in again and leave the area for a little while, ideally cutting off their path to retreat. If they do try to retreat past you and you still can't deal with them, just re-poison them again and go do something else. If you're lucky, you'll still get the kill. In 1.1, medkit users have a small time in which they are immune to further poisoning, 3 seconds IIRC, and if I don't recall correctly, then its 5 seconds. In such a weakened state, even a chainsuit may fall down before your skills.

[Venkman]

What's wrong with rant?

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the Rant and ALL of its uses.

I'd just much rather be the guy ASSISTING the Rant. I think my playing-style is better suited for it, anyway.

[Jack Bauer]

Id much rather just be doing the rants job, with a goon <3

[Venkman]

Id much rather just be doing the rants job, with a goon <3

And I always appreciate it when you do, Bauer. Like tonight on AA.

GG

[Venkman]

I added another technique to the "Attacking with Mara" section labeled The Single-Head Surf. Let me know if you guys have any variations on the tactic.

I plan on doing the Base-Raiding section this weekend so I can finally get this guide somewhere close to finished.

[Conzul]

Nice progression of your guide. I disagree that the mara isn't a killwhore though. I've been trying some new (to me) stuff with it, you can do more than a goon can in some situ's

[Venkman]

Nice progression of your guide. I disagree that the mara isn't a killwhore though. I've been trying some new (to me) stuff with it, you can do more than a goon can in some situ's

Very true. Actually, before humans reach s2, a good Mara can pwn like nobody's business. And if you can reach S2 before Humans, you're Advanced Mara will be their reckoning.

Unfortunately, on most noob-slanted pub-servers, Humans get fed pretty quickly. Last night, it took all of 30 seconds for the first helm to come charging into A-base and my Granger was all like "WTF? We're still 11 kills away from S2, you useless bastards..."

I wish there was a mod that could change the Dretch-model for feeders so that when some noob-Alien goes and dies 10 times while scoring all of 0 kills, he'd respawn looking like a baked turkey or something.

Anyway, Conzul, your point is still valid. I'm gonna go edit that part to clarify that a good Mara CAN kill-whore in certain situations, especially when humans are S1.

[Aelita]

Given good enough accuracy, an advanced Mara can take down Battlesuits.

[F50]

Anyway, Conzul, your point is still valid. I'm gonna go edit that part to clarify that a good Mara CAN kill-whore in certain situations, especially when humans are S1.

Unless the humans are really sticking together in groups well, the dragoon is much better for killwhoring in hs1. If you're going mara in hs1 rather than goon, you're probably focusing on destroying the human base.

[Conzul]

Anyway, Conzul, your point is still valid. I'm gonna go edit that part to clarify that a good Mara CAN kill-whore in certain situations, especially when humans are S1.

Unless the humans are really sticking together in groups well, the dragoon is much better for killwhoring in hs1. If you're going mara in hs1 rather than goon, you're probably focusing on destroying the human base.

:/ Not me. Mara has most of the hitpoints of a goon, and about half the size. Combine with the faster swipe, and most s1 humans are toast if you have the art of headkilling down. If you have poison, you can killwhore vs hs2 quite effectively (with practice. Of course).

[F50]

Very true, but no matter how many hitpoints a marauder has, it can't beat having a 1-hit kill with a greater range. A goon can kill a human in 0.9sec, a regular marauder takes 1.0sec. Advanced goons and advanced marauders can kill in the same time frame, but the marauder is harder by virtue of its shorter range and requiring two hits. And then there is pounce.

Keep in mind that if I were to have a favorite class, it would be the advanced marauder, but its hs2 that it really shows its worth, since it can be kept alive in more strenuous situations (especially those involving greater numbers of humans).

[Venkman]

Very true, but no matter how many hitpoints a marauder has, it can't beat having a 1-hit kill with a greater range. A goon can kill a human in 0.9sec, a regular marauder takes 1.0sec. Advanced goons and advanced marauders can kill in the same time frame, but the marauder is harder by virtue of its shorter range and requiring two hits. And then there is pounce.

Keep in mind that if I were to have a favorite class, it would be the advanced marauder, but its hs2 that it really shows its worth, since it can be kept alive in more strenuous situations (especially those involving greater numbers of humans).

Agreed.

I don't know. Maybe it's just because I went from Mara to Goon, but that one-hit naked-killer is extremely helpful to your HP count.

As a Mara, when I approach even a naked/MG who can dance, there's a chance he could get anywhere from 50-75 damage off of me before I'm finally able to land those two bites (unless I get the drop on them, of course). And pro-dancers like Bauer can usually drop my Mara, regardless of their armor... Usually.

Sometimes I can Eye-of-the-Tiger it, but even then I've still lost almost half my HP by the time everything is said done and if there's any other human around, I'm running for my life.

As I said in the Goons on Gooning thread; with a proficient pounce, you can storm an S1 base and literally clog the spawn-cue in a matter of seconds.

That being said, you might just play smaller games than me, Conzul. Usually in the games I play, there's enough people on either team that most Human squads are no less than 3-5 players big. And if Humans reach S2, my Mara usually has to switch to hit-and-run/lure-decoy tactics to be truly effective. And being the decoy usually doesn't net you many kills. It may fill your wallet at times, but it still won't help your kill-count.

Still, you might just be a better Mara than me, which is awesome because that means my guide was actually helpful

...I kind of feel like Mr. Miyagi right now. You know, sans the awesome Japanese accent.