Q: My friends think electrifying resource nodes isn't worth it. Are they right?
A: They are wrong. In the early game it is very difficult for the Kharaa to destroy an electrified node without concentrating their entire team on the structure. It takes a MINIMUM of 2 skulks and one gorge about two minutes to destroy a node if they are unharassed. This time can buy you vital resources and give your squads that extra time to position themselves to rescue the node.

Q: Why waste 30 resources electrifying a turret factory when I can build three more turrets there with those resources?
A: Good question, simple answer. The turrets on one side may all be knocked out, or there could be that obnoxiously small yet conveniently sized space where a skulk where fit and no turrets can hit him. In both these situations an electrified turret factory can buy your team vital seconds to reinforce the base and eliminate the attackers.

Q: How useful is electryfication? I mean, other than just protecting one node?
A: Try building your turret factory close to a resource nozzle. Electrify both of these and you have two, I repeat, TWO overlapping electrified zones where you can build small structures like an observatory or even a phase gate. Then, all that is needed is perhaps one or two turrets and you have created a quick fortress. This "no-skulk's zone" between the nodes that is covering your structures can easily save you much hassle and secure your forward base's reinforcement supply lines against all but the most determined (or advanced) Kharaa attacks.

Q: Why cannot I electrify my resource node at the beginning?
A: A turret factory is required as part of the tech tree to allow electrification.

Q: Can I electrify anything else in the game besides turret factories and resource nodes?
A: No.

Q: If I apply for the F.E.C. do I get to wear the sexy utility belts you guys have?
A: Only if you have seen a dangerous scorpian that hovars.

Q: How effective is having one marine guard an electrified node, or is this useless?
A: Have the marine crouch under the legs of the node. Any skulks that come nearby to attack must brave the electrical field to reach the marine who SHOULD be shooting at them anyways.

This has been a public server announcment by the Frontiersman Electrical Corporation. Thank you for your time.

-OldManRipper

Wouldn't it be cool if you could electrify medpacks.. ummm

I've been waiting a long time to vent at a representative of the F.e.c! Your prices are outrageous, and I refuse to use your electrification with its puny little range, the ability of aliens to exploit, and the time it takes for you to set the whole electrification up. Only when 2.1a comes out will I use your technology.

I've been in a game where you can electrify the turrents themselves.

How can you do that?

If you can, it's a plugin.

i was on a server with a self proclaimed 'v2.01' it had an extended range on the elec upgrade which prevents the exploit, but doesn't overdo it.

i like the elec upgrade on the rt, then put the tf right next to it. it can solve the problem of the skulks getting into the 'hollow' portion of the tf if placed correctly. it also hinders the ability of skulks to cirlce strafe-bite the tf. elec is rather expensive though, especially since it loses most of its effectiveness after 2 hives.

electrifing: 30 res


Res intake on 1 node: 1 res every 5 seconds.


5 * 30 = 150 seconds or 2 and a half minutes until it pays for the electrification costs.


Around this time the first fades will be showing up and the second hive possibly oni are on their way. Better off spending the money on upgrades.

QUOTE (Clan Hunter @ Aug 19 2003, 07:09 AM)

electrifing: 30 res Res intake on 1 node: 1 res every 5 seconds. 5 * 30 = 150 seconds or 2 and a half minutes until it pays for the electrification costs. Around this time the first fades will be showing up and the second hive possibly oni are on their way. Better off spending the money on upgrades.

I very much doubt your going to see a fade in 2:30. It still is also hard for a fade to take down elect nodes. I want to see a fade with mc or sc upgrades take down a node without getting healed from a gorg.

Anyways: 2.01b

++ 3 turrets are going to stop a fade anyways? Elect has a much better chance then turrets.

Lagger

25 res from start. team throws up about 3 rts at the beginning (a few people do the gorge and run trick) throw in res for kills.

That would be to elec your starting tower which is a bit of a waste because you should have turrents in your base. Assuming marines take their first node 45 seconds in if they rush the nearest. that gives you a full 3 minutes.


around that same 3 your rt spreaders should be doing their thing. thats about another 5 res for you there. 30 seconds to elec the node. Your team probably has about 4 nodes by now. thats about another 6 res for you. node just got electrified and your first fade should have about 40 something res, he could simply go gorge and start the next hive and boom, bilebombs.


Then you throw in res for kills. I've managed to through the help of some wonderful armory humpers get 100 res and been onos when the second hive finishes up. (Someone else was already heading to the 3rd hive to put it up so Shutta up your face about GOMG greedy ****).

Its not worth the investment really.

Best not to electrify ALL your RT, a good idea to electrify some of them though - the ones that are more exposed and away from your forward bases/secured hive.

QUOTE (Sora @ Aug 18 2003, 08:48 PM)

I've been in a game where you can electrify the turrents themselves. How can you do that?

There's a bug in ns that makes it possible to accidentally electrify other structures. When you have two structures very close together and you select one of them, sometimes the commander gui will give you the upgrade options for the other structure. I've seen prototype labs electrified this way. However, I don't think it's particularly easy to repeat, and hence not particularly exploitable.

electric mine lasers would kick ****
better than explosion mines

I think the FEC was responsible for last week's blackout.

2.0 Electrify on pub IS worthless. 2.01b Is NOT however...

Getting a pubber to gaurd my node an ENTIRE minute is like telling them to get a girlfriend *chuckles*

QUOTE (CommunistWithAGun @ Aug 19 2003, 12:31 PM)

2.0 Electrify on pub IS worthless. 2.01b Is NOT however...

You do mean because of the res cost, correct?

Also because it can be exploited by aliens, and because the damage isn't high enough.

I think he means because of the girlfriend.

What girlfriend?

QUOTE

What girlfriend?

Poetic.

Since aliens should have a second hive up about 6 minutes into the game, electrification is only useful within the first 3-4 minutes. Then the gorges come along and bai bai 50 res.

After 6 minutes, electrifying res nodes is only useful in certain situations, such as RTs in close proximity to an outpost, or the marines locked down 2 hives.

QUOTE (CommunistWithAGun @ Aug 19 2003, 05:31 PM)

Getting a pubber to gaurd my node an ENTIRE minute is like telling them to get a girlfriend *chuckles*

Hey, I'm working on that.

Yeah, it is usefull, but not to a regen-onos. I think i killed 3 in a row just by biting it ... It got me down to 450/11# when i destroy it though, so it does need a guard or a tf... And that gets regened in 2 splortches... :/

Though I have dropped 2 ocs and let them take care of it and come back in like 5 minutes...

On the 2 1/2 minute thing: You didnt count the rt too. so that'll be like 4 1/2...

I've seen many arguments for and against electrification of nodes. They are all correct, even the ones that disagree with each other. This is simply due to the nature of the game being played at the time. Some times the expenditure would be better spent on weapons or up grades, other times electrification is a better idea to slow down or prevent the loss of your RT. Here are my proposed conditions for when electrification is worth it. If your marines you should stick to these guide lines, if your aliens prevent the marines from doing this.

1. Mini Map ~ Marines must pay attention to this and/or listen to the COM. If a RT is under attack they must head there and rescue it ASAP. Electrification slows down a RT getting destroyed via melee attack it does not prevent it. The bonus is that once you arrive at the RT the alien will not be on full health = easy kill or it’s a gorge = easy kill.
2. Marines must have and use welders. ~ If a RT (or any other structure) has taken a hit then weld it along with team mates. This means that when a marine requests health the focus alien is not going to kill him anyway (wasting the res spent on the med which adds up as well) and they can’t wear down an electrified RT, which is the normal way I lose most of mine.
3. Phases ~ Build a phase network early to allow easy execution of 1 & 2
4. Grenades ~ Research early and use when phasing, even if you don’t think there is anything on the other side waiting. This will allow you to execute 3. with minim casualties.

In the end for every extra “tick” an RT gets is a “tick” your opponents do not. Therefore a res node does not pay for itself in the commonly stated:

“5 * 30 = 150 seconds or 2 and a half minutes until it pays for the electrification costs”

Instead you have to count the difference between the res income of the two teams which means you divide this by 2:

“5 * 30 = 150 seconds/2 = 75sec or one and quarter minutes.”

This does not even take into account the res gained from outright electrification kills or those by marines from weaken aliens which normally would have resulted in the marine’s death.

Take home message: Electrification is a tool that if used correctly by the COM and backed up by the Marines can win the game or be a total waste of res of the aliens play a aggressive game countering the above points.

electrification only works on pubs and against aliens who don't know how do play higher life forms

Personally I don't use electrification on most maps. Outright that 30 res in the frist couple minutes of the game is key to be used elsewhere. In the first 5 minutes you should have your armory upgrading, phase done and motion on the way as well as have 1-2 arms lab researchs done. This is key as more and more i see Fades up and going in the first 5 minutes. I have seen lerks in 2-3 which depending on the player can be incredible deadly or just an annoyance. I am not saying 10-15 minutes into a long game you can't electrify or electrifing a TF by the phase in a hive isn't a wise move however early on I have seen a 10 res pack of mines be more effective and cheaper which is key.

Know when you use your resources and if your team does not listen to well then considering going with Electrification since you will need to use it to buy time. I recommend being aware of the threats against you. Against a gorge or lerk or skulk it's great but to fades and onos it's a short annoyance.

agreed