A Case for Infantry Portals Instead of Phase Gates

All too often I've seen commanders fail at relocating the marine command base to a hive location because the marines can't be bothered to defend it and instead set off on their own suicide missions.

The best commanders I've had, know exactly from the start their intention. The first aim of the marines is to secure a hive base to prevent the kharaa from getting 3 hives. Once you have one hive, it already increases your chances of survival.

Most commanders are choosing to relocate the command base to a hive, but are usually forgetting one essential thing... the infantry portals. The marines have managed to clear and take the hive, the resource tower is up, and a few defences are up too, the commander has moved a command console in there, but whats missing? .. the infantry portals.

I've been under plenty of commanders who make the same mistake over and over again. They secure a hive location, and they make a phase gate so marines can go from the initial spawn to the hive, when it would be better to build infantry portals at the new location, and recycle the old ones.

Usually marines will not bother to take the phase gate since they think that location is secure, leaving the newly secured hive undefended. If you build infantry portals after a new command console, you will make sure that the new troops will spawn at that hive ensuring that its being well maintained, and allow you to expand its defences and take the nearby resource nodes. Eventually, you may be able to recycle all the structures from the original base to give you an extra boost in resource points for upgrading.

For moving marine base to Hive

Heres a comparison on costs:

Command Console (30) + infantry portal(15) = 45 rps

alternatively, two phase gates (one for each location)

2 X Phase Gates (20 each) = 40 rps


It works out almost the same for an infantry portal instead of a phase gate! Also you get a command console thrown into the deal for an extra 5 rps!!! Not forgetting you can recycle any infantry portals at the original base.

Phase Gates also require more defence since you don't want kharaa beaming into your main base! Infantry Portals don't need much defending as multiple units are cheaper than building turrets around them.


Comparison on Build Times

Command Console (35) + Infantry Portal (22) = 57

2 X Phase Gates (30) = 60

Although build time may be at a slight disadvantage since an infantry portal may only be built after a command console, an infantry portal is quite fast to build. Once the infantry portal is up, it will ensure speedier expansion of the area.

This is the first guide I've ever written for commanding, so please go easy on me! I don't pretend to be an expert commander, infact I've only commanded less than 5 times to date!!

Your comments will be most appreciated!

Just my thoughts,

I can appreciate and also understand the need for relocation of a base. But rarely do I, as a commander, want to do this. First off, the starting location of marines is usually a very good spot for defencse. Which means you can have minimal defense (two turrets + one marine with mines), and never have to worry.

The main thing though is the costs you put. Yeah sure, you get a second command console, but a huge advantage with phase gates, is that with one in the main spawn, you can plop down a second, third, fourth, etc at key points. The main thing for marines that most commanders have to understand is that marines can not turtle. If marines are thrown into a defensive battle, then the aliens have already won half the fight. The value of having one hive is important (I've taken over command of situations where we were stuck in the last hive, and have made it last hours. Though really I knew the battle was lost. Just was a matter of time, since the aliens had us trapped, and pushing was next to impossible since the teamwork just wasn't there). But there is also something to be said about safe spawning. Being able to spawn, get ammo and jump to a location without losing health, is important. If you are stuck in one location, then naturally, even in pick up games, all the enemies will gravitate towards that. If you have two locations secure, then you sometimes get loners who harrass the base, which in reality, is worthless. Which means less pressure on the hive than if all your eggs are in one basket so to speak.

Start game and mid game are usually turning points. A single hive is simple to get, but a siege point to the second hive is what can make or break the marines. If the second hive is sieged before fades appear, then marines win. If fades appear and take down the siege point, then it turns into a long battle (depending on skill levels of those involved). As a commander you don't want this to happen, because, well, your role in the entire thing becomes less of a commander, and more of an ammo and health depot . Sometimes though long games can't be avoided, and most people find the long games more fun.

Anyhow, some food for thought,
Tyrsis

Phase gates are helpful and worth the price. Marines can get their equipment out of danger then step into the gate into combat. If your team has the lmg and nothing else, go with the IP. If they have HMG and HA, go with the PG. Maybe later on in the game(when they have 2-3 hives) comm should get IP's and PG's in their hive base. Good idea though!

Yes, I agree with what you are saying about phase gates, they are useful, I don't doubt that at all, and perhaps ideally they could be used in conjunction with infantry portals.

Rather than infantry portals as an offensive structure, as phase gates might be, I'm saying that they could be used to keep won areas secure, and to make sure your marines are maintaining them.

Too many phase gates, also can be confusing, particularly when you don't know where you will end up. Marines jumping from one location to another to find the place they want to go can often slow the process of marine movement. Commanders should recycle unecessary phase gates to speed things up.

I suppose if you were a really cheeky commander, once you have the base relocated to the hive, you can have the phase gates set up right next to the command consoles at both ends, so you could log out, step out of the CC, and reappear at the other CC, ensuring that nobody could steal your command authority!! Then proceed to recycle the phase gates to protect the new hive.

If you relocate your base, you cannot use Distress Signal.

This is an important thing to remember.

Well you can use the distress signal, and it can be a funny way to reclaim the marine base if the aliens decide they want to take it.

I've had that happen to me before... Not nice to be staring at 3 onos and 6 fades at the end of your LMG.