Trem 1.2: the strategy guide.

[kharnov]

We at FIRM Labs have written a comprehensive strategy guide aimed at general 1.2 players, located at our firm site. This guide will be the first of many, as in-depth strategy for each alien class and human weapon will be done sequentially over the next few weeks. Rather than focusing on a specific style of play or a particular class/weapon, it aims to inform players on all aspects of Tremulous 1.2 in a rather general and accessible manner.

Currently, I'm interested in ironing out any errors, whether logical, numerical, or grammatical. Once revisions are done, I'll turn it into a nice little guidebook with proper formatting, almost definitely in PDF.

So, let the roasting commence!

[KillerWhale]

A few nitpicks I've got.

• Pulse and Luci do not have unlimited range, as with all missile weapons, they do eventually decay and disappear.
• It is also not noted that battlesuit or crouching reduce chaingun recoil.
• It should be stated in the helmet section "Don't use a helmet without light armour, it will likely be wasted."
• Medkits should be added as human equipment, with tips about making sure that the key is easily pressed, you have around half health, and that it eliminates poison.
• The overmind tips are slightly off, as it states that alien buildings can be built anywhere, without a need for proximity to the overmind.
• For acid tubes, it should be noted that the visual acid from the tubes doesn't matter and only proximity determines damage. It is also later stated that tubes do not work above head height, which they do.
• I would remove the tip about the eggs around the human base; those should really only be built when it is requested by the team.
• The Advanced Marauder picture is just a reversed picture of the normal mara. Note the lack of electricity.

Otherwise, very good guide.

[Demolution]

Humans:

• The effects of the medkit and medistation stack, so use your medkit while on the medistation for faster heal (mostly to get out of the way of your injured teammates).
• Press Q to use Arm. (General explanation of common keys would be nice too.)
• For blaster: "This is the one gun that everyone starts with" - Shouldn't that be the rifle (if you spawn with it)? The blaster is what you have in your inventory at all times.
• Add information about each weapon's clip?
• Jetpack needs the reactor to function. Also, taking damage while flying makes you sink in the air for as long as you keep taking damage.

Aliens:

• In the general tips for aliens, the first bullet point says "1.5x damage multipliers are hard to come buy."
• Grangers can spit, and that spit slows down humans for a second. It's not much, but it can be effective when defending.
• Wouldn't it be more more logical to list the alien structures in order of availability?
• The base of an egg is the only part of it that takes damage.
• The dretch makes noise only when it jumps and taunts. It is the only other alien, aside from the basilisk, that has silent footsteps.
• A good technique with basi is to grab a human, swing around to its back, and jump on top of its head. This, although tricky, ensures that the basi takes the least amount of damage possible, while dealing the most in return.

• Medkits should be added as human equipment, with tips about making sure that the key is easily pressed, you have around half health, and that it eliminates poison.

General info about using the inventory could be good as well.


Cheers on a very detailed and organized guide.

[Asvarox]

I don't know where it should go, but I got my own tactic-tips:

FRIM TIP 1
If adv mara rushes your base and dies, it's most likely that it will try to rush again. Immediately after the "first" rush, you should grab lasgun and jetpack if necessary/chainsuit if possible and try to engage it before it reaches your base. There are tree possibilities - mara can:
a) Try to ignore you and keep going - chase it and block it as much as possible and deal as much damage as possible
b) It will try to kill you - try to discretely move the fight further from your base and, obviously, kill the mara
c) It will run away - don't chase it until you are sure it doesn't have a chance to survive - there's a possibility that it might just want to lure you. Remember - your objective is to defend the base until it's rebuilt/repaired, not to killwhore.
What's important - do it, unless there isn't anyone to repair/rebuild and/or other people follow the tip above with bigger guns. Make sure that you are as far from your base as possible and that you cover as much ways to your base as possible. I often see people standing on still-alive rets after adv mara rush - that's not the most effective way to defend from such kind of rush.

FRIM TIP 2
Don't build booster in retarded places like right in front of aliens base entrance where humans always camp with lasgun at tremor. Makre sure it's safe and accessible. If you notice that booster gets killed many times, then it might be a good idea to build it in safer place, even if it means that not every class is able to get poison from it. Do, however, make sure that every class can access booster's healing aura - good example of such spot is the "second floor" if nexus6's aliens default base. It's quite hard to destroy for humans, but rants will be able to only use healing aura coming from it.

FRIM TIP 3
Why the hell everyone builds om on barrels in niveus' window room? Why build in window room as an alien in first place?

[F50]

Most of these are fixed, but do double check that we've gotten everything.

However,

Don't use a helmet without light armour, it will likely be wasted.

I don't think so, it helps withstand both pouncing and . it means you'll take a least two hits for most aliens to kill you. That's not that bad. Sure they are more effective together, and the guide does say that helmets do not effect

Press Q to use Arm. (General explanation of common keys would be nice too.)

That's dealt with in the tutorial text on every single tremulous install. In general I'd like to stay away from explaining default.cfg in this guide, or any binds for that matter.

For blaster: "This is the one gun that everyone starts with" - Shouldn't that be the rifle (if you spawn with it)? The blaster is what you have in your inventory at all times.

If you spawn as a ckit, you don't start with the rifle, although you're right that you always have it in your inventory.

The Advanced Marauder picture is just a reversed picture of the normal mara. Note the lack of electricity.

See the full image, it does have electricity on it. Perhaps its not as obvious as it should be, but it is there.

• Medkits should be added as human equipment, with tips about making sure that the key is easily pressed, you have around half health, and that it eliminates poison.
• The effects of the medkit and medistation stack, so use your medkit while on the medistation for faster heal (mostly to get out of the way of your injured teammates).

I haven't forgot about these, they're on the todo.

[Demolution]

Press Q to use Arm. (General explanation of common keys would be nice too.)

That's dealt with in the tutorial text on every single tremulous install. In general I'd like to stay away from explaining default.cfg in this guide, or any binds for that matter.

Gotcha, but it never hurts to be redundant.

[your face]

I LIKE THIS GUIDE

[mooseberry]

good

[DeadMeat]

Friend guide! can whe have this at the the wiki?

[Asvarox]

Another firm tip

Don't stay on the booster. It will make make no difference whenever you are at it or next to it, but you might just block other teammates willing to use it.

[kharnov]

Recent changes:

• Pretty much everything you guys have told us to fix has been fixed. Keep up the good work!
• New pictures have been added for every single human weapon, piece of equipment, and alien class. We probably won't do structures, since you can't make them look that exciting.
• Medkit section added.

[superspirality]

Please add a tip to wear the blaster when carrying a painsaw and switching to it when needed, that's useful for silencing yourself.
(painsaw emits an ambient sound, blaster does not)
And...a tip not to reload the MD? Man, what are clips designed for?
Edit: also, I think it's to be noted that a full blast from a luci takes 10 ammo points.
2nd edit: you can be silent with the battlesuit, if you're walking instead of running (Shift key).
Damnit, 3rd edit: note that the advanced mara is the most fast-swiping aliens class and it's ROF is higher than that or a regular marauder.

[Demolution]

@ superspirality: Not reloading with MD is the third tip in the tips list.

@ kharnov: Have you guys thought about expanding the guide to include building tactics or other advanced strategies (e.g. attacking, teamwork)?

[Deadbeat Engineer]

"second floor" if nexus6's aliens default base. It's quite hard to destroy for humans, but rants will be able to only use healing aura coming from it.

Um, just want to point out that rants can actually get to that the same way s1 grangers can. By jumping up the angled pipe by the back door and climbing up the next pipe, or going across and climbing the other pipe.

[A Spork]

Note for adv Basi: It swipes faster than normal basi, I'd say it falls into the faster-than-average attack speed range

[freezway]

If there are only 2 humans and you are a basi, it is possible, although tricky to use one as a meatshield.

EDIT:

Rants can actually deal damage to humans my falling on them, on porcyon,I killed one on the water-stairs area.

It should be noted that a non-jumping mara is ~= speed as a hman/

[CorSair]

Ooo, nicely done! And yeah, tactics and strategies should be added. Would give huge lists of all sorts of known tactics, strategies, formations, rushes and so on, but too tired at the moment, but i'll give few ones. And I support gentleman's rules, bullets behind your back and kicks aimed groin... all fair game of course.
*thumbs up*

What i Want ALWAYS is that you do more teamwork, even without using chat. This happens when you print in your few things:

• Humans alone are dead. You should pair with someone, NEVER EVER leave someone behind, or leave alone to advance to alien base. With few exceptions, like 4 HP left, no medkit. Try give least cover to teammate, if you're wounded, or don't got the equipment to deal alien base.
• Know what state your base is, and check teamchat and console time to time. If your base is vulnerable to any sort of attack, try maintain front defense of some sort. Then you can warn your team in time of enemy assault. And if happens, enemy starts chase you rather than attack your base. Some focus killing you as well advancing to your base, so you should take care.
• If you're going to make foward base, try conceal it, and try not to make enemy follow you. Foward bases, especially for humans, can turn the tide of game.
• Try help in your teammate's requests. If your teammate is trying to make front base, provide cover. If mate is ready in someplace for tactical assault, try provide help. No one can't do the shit alone, even as there is some exceptions, even as I do got some best backstabs on alien base.
• Sudden death, the best time to destroy your enemy, before it does same to you. Most important thing is to keep enemy off your base, and try cripple enemy base, if not with heavy rushes, atleast nibbling their building one by one. And try take those buildings that harden your entry to enemy base.