So lately I’ve been noticing a lot of people, who don’t follow orders exactly and find them self’s stuck alone near an active hive, they automatically call for backup. 7 times out of 10 the commander will send back up to their location, because it is an active hive. Thus wasting time and resources to re supply those that die on the way there, which is bound to happen later on in the game with the aliens have two hives up. As well as leave valuable out posts unguarded from a distance. So here is a list of times when you should and should NOT request back up.


Early in the game, assuming your commander has secured at least one resource, and you head off on your own to scout out another, you find one and camp it, do NOT request backup. This causes your commander to have to skip around the map frequently to find a spare troop or two to send to your location. Thus losing EXTREEMLY valuable time.
However, lets say you scouted ahead of your team while the commander is setting up the final protection for a while inside of your base. You head out and find a node, this is an ok time to request backup.


Let’s say you have a JP, HMG, welder with full armor upgrades and weapon upgrades. Your commander sets a way point, you decide to not follow your team there, instead you look for your own path. You slip into an active hive. Here’s what needs to be done. You have a JP, find a nook to hide your self in. and do NOT request backup, further more, do not request health and ammo until you’re certain that your other team mates have located their way point and began construction. (a small tip, on the maps bast, Eclipse and hera, there are little nooks in which you can hide in some of the hives, where you stand a chance of never being found, and you’re no more then 3 inches away from the hive.)
However, if you find your self with out escape, but with the potential to win the game (make SURE this is correct, because if so no foul ups can be taken. Even more so if it distracts your commander from another battle) request a distraction or supplies.


If you’re alone at an unprotected, but already built resource node, do NOT call for backup or TF. If its un built then it is probably not in your commander’s plans.
Call for a TF if it is getting hit hard.

Ask for a welder only if you know where it is needed the most

If you are low on ammo, hp, and have no armor left, don’t ask for backup or supplies, you’ll die anyway. Instead, try and find a loop hole to escape through.

If you are alone in a hive, that is not active yet, ask for structures and backup.
Do not call for back up if your team is hitting something else, chances are that the aliens will be over there instead of in the hive with you.

Never call for backup when you’re sitting close to offence chambers. Try and wound them, or take out some of the defense chambers behind them. If you die, go back.
If you’re at an out post that is well secured, but has a fade, maybe two attacking it. Don’t call for backup. Suicide rush them. chances are they are already well wounded from trying to take it over, and will almost always run away from you. THEN you can ask for backup and a welder.

If you’re the commander, don’t waste time with helping out the people who refuse to work as a team.

As a commander I always try to have one marine to act as terror troop/sneaky **obscenity**.

If a lone marine sneaks into a active hive I try to get a phasegate there as soon as
possible, this will allow fast reinforcements and most likely a dead hive. There are very
few occasions when I build a TF before a Phasegate, since Turrets are slow and expensive.

This type of attack can very well win a map, since hives are so important - most of all active
hives. So my advice is, always call for a Phasegate if you think you can build it without getting
whacked by some care slimball.

Even if the phasegate is destroyed its only 20 resources, its not that much. I bet it will strike
some fear in the Khaara also knowing that the Frontiersmen have so sneaky players

I have survived myself for about 4-5 minutes hidden in an active hive (refinery at bast) with a partner, waiting for the comm to build me a turret factory or phase gate. (Undetected for the first couple of minutes.) We were there, stealthy and keen, ready to build up and nuke the hive good. The comm, of course, thought we were ridiculous. And so we finally got swarmed by quite a few skulks. Killed the first few, but couldn't hold out.

So whereas I agree with you that many marines call for backup at the drop of a hat and to situations which are impossible to hold or just a waste, I think a good commander needs to look at the situation and be abled to decide if the soldiers can hold a particular position and, say, sneak a phasegate at a hive undetected. We did everything right, off in a corner, not visible, not attacking the structures (because that would draw alien attention), and yet our commander just yelled at us and told us to fall back and help farm up the spawn.