This is a request to the groundpounders out there to just be more alert about the status of your teammates and progress throughout the map. There are many tools at your disposal to make you more aware and thus be able to respond faster to kharaa movement and attack. While you are probably aware of these tools, you may not know how to use them to their full potential.

I started this thread because i've seen the lack of "awareness" reach critical highs in a few of my games. In one situation, repeated calls of "phase to the hive!" and "onos killing the phase gate" went unanswered, even though I had 14 marines at my disposal! The final moral blow was when one of my marines asked on voice comm, a minute later, "we lost the hive?" only to be followed by another asking "we had a hive??" ... it's times like those that i wish for a slay-all-marines button. This isn't an isolated event; it isn't that rare.

Kill/Death Announcements.
- These appear in the top right of the screen when one of your teammates makes a kill or is killed. That's swell right? More so than it seems!
- They show you what type of lifeform killed the marines; sometimes it's the first alert of the arrival of a fade or onos.
- If you see two or three fellow marines die in a row, without any kharaa deaths, then you need to realize that your team has just lost a small battle

What to get out of these announcements? Find out where those marines went down; when deaths occur so close together, they were probably all in the same area. If it's within a 10 or 15 second run it's almost always worth it to head over to the area and kill some injured and un-prepared kharaa: who may be busy destroying a crucial structure. Now, if the deaths came from three different onoses or fades, you may not want to rush in with just an LMG. Request orders or get the attention of the commander; if the area is important enough to the commander, maybe he'll want to drop a phase gate at your location so that a fresh attack can be launched to re-take or complete the objective.

The Map
- Pressing the map button, default "C", brings up a large map of the level you're on. This can show you a LOT of information, sometimes too much. Eventually you'll learn to distinguish common locations such as marine start and any bases that you have built up, and can then focus on other things.
- Objects in red are kharaa lifeforms and structures that can currently be seen by fellow marines or motion tracking.
- The small triangle shapes are fellow marines.
- When a marine dies his triangle will stay still for a couple of seconds before disapearing.
- You, and any men who are assigned to the same squad, appear as green, with a cone that shows your field of view.

This map is what you use to determine where battles have just been fought and won or lost. When you see or hear 3 marine deaths hit the Map button if you're in a safe spot. Look for three triangles close together, and probably not moving. Now look at how close you are on the map, are you near enough to attempt to mop the area up? Secondly, what were your fellow marines probably doing in that area? Some of this information you should already know, but i'll cover that later. If they had just finished setting up some turrets or a phase gate, it's usually worth it to run over and make sure the area is secure or finish what they started.

Communications
- Text messages: 50% of text messages have something important in them, therefore you MUST read 100% of them. It takes very little effort and WILL make or break a victory. Messages from your commander should be given priority. Messages with exclamation marks and lots of CAPS often mean something important, read them!
- Voice: Same situation as text messages, only you have even less excuse for ignoring these. Hopefully your commander has a microphone and uses it. If someone sounds urgent or repeats the same thing a few times, it's probably important and requires immediate action.

Communications is where teamwork begins, and unfortunately, ends. Too many people simply ignore what their teammates say and type, even if it's their commander. Some orders simply require you to drop what you're doing and GO. Namely, when a base is being slammed by aliens, or a phase gate is about to get taken down. By utilizing even the smallest amount of communication and the map button, you should know where your teammates are and what they are doing at all times.

Motion Tracking
- This is legitimate wall hack, i'm not going to go into the tactical/fighting abilities it grants; i'm going to stick to the strategic/overall effects.
- Looking at the map when motion tracking is active, you will now get to see all aliens that are moving and aren't cloaked. The benefits are...ridiculous.
- You can now confidently advance through areas 3x as fast knowing it is most likely clear.
- While on screen motion tracking is disabled when constructing, you can still bring up your map using the "C" (default) button and aliens will still show up as normal. This makes building safer and faster.
- Hives and nodes with the least amount of kharaa nearby can be singled out for expansion.
- Kharra attacks can be EASILY anticipated, tracked, and intercepted.

Again, the majority of these benefits require the use of the map and a general awareness of the team. You do not have to wait for the commander to tell you that a hive location is about to come under attack. If you've checked your map recently, you can see the 3 red contacts converging, and can do your team and commander a huge favor by taking the phase gate to meet the threat before it's too late.

I can not understate how usefull you can be to your commander if you use motion tracking properly. I was commanding a game on NS_Caged. We were doing very well, not enough to be comfortable, but at the current pace a victory was most likely ours. I had one marine who really knew how to get the MOST out of motion tracking. We had phase gates up at a few crucial points in the map, using motion tracking, this marine would phase to each location just ahead of a skulk rush, and dispatch the skulks without incident. He would even walk 10 seconds away from a phase gate to save a resource nozzle from destruction.

He was doing this without me having to ask. I could literaly leave the rest of the map in his hands while focusing all my attention on assaulting the final hive.

He probably let us finish that game 10 minutes earlier than we normaly would have, and with certain victory. Also, a heck of a lot less stress for me.

There is no excuse for not being aware of your team and what's going on around you. The large map is one of your most powerful tools in keeping up, the other tool is good communication. Follow orders. Pay attention.

I hope some of you picked up a tip from this post. Unfortunately, as is the case with many informative posts, the people who would benefit most don't know that these forums exist or don't read them. Please post if you have anything you'd like to add, correct me on, or even any questions about the game, i'm always happy to help.

wow


sticky?

glad you like it... what i really want though, is to never see the scenario outlined in the second paragraph to ever happen again

Hurrah for informative posts.
stickierized

Very good.

Not everyone has the time to be a clanner. Good post. Speaks as if it's an RTS. =P (Well to me anyway.)

Great post!

I'd just add that if three of your team members have just been killed by Oni and Fades, reconsider going there to "kill some injured and un-prepared kharaa" if you're alone.

Yeah.. I probably should mention that there's a difference between opportunism and suicide. Though you'd be surprised how quickly an injured fade or even an onos will run, when the unexpected happens. I'll go ahead and add some of that to the post.

Thanks Barb

You make lots of good points. I'm the kind of marine though who uses his map all the while (partly cos I get lost, but nevermind that) and is often asking a commander - "what lifeform are those dots on the phasegate" or saying "somebody get to processing RT, its under attack.

I'll admit CMaster, i keep my map up at least half of the time during a game. It's very, very usefull for navigation, even when i know the map. I love the darn thing.

nice.
if everyone knows these it will make NS a much more better game to play

mt is disabled while constructing?
never noticed.

In all honesty i'm 90% sure MT is disabled while building. I can tell you with certainty that in 3.0 it was disabled while building.

Two reasons why i'm not certain now are:
- I spend most of my time commanding.
- When I am building it makes more sense to have the map up; it lets you see all around you. A non-cloaking alien won't be able to sneak up on you.

Yeah... this is irony at its best... now i'm all worried that i'm wrong.

Will you marry me, CombatJoe?

Relief. Thanks Mouse.

As for the marriage proposal... i'll send you a PM *wink wink*

I agree on watching your map. It has great use.

On many games my stats are the lowest. Why? i run around the map, rebuilding rts, welding, building, covering, scouting. The others kill, I usually recon or die.

This indeed has many uses, great explenation man

Necro time!

The mini-map is great for the same reasons (except smaller area). I just keep my eyes glued to that when I'm moving and if I see something red I look on my main screen. Great way to tell if skulks are coming.

Also, if an alien is in a persons view but they themselves don't see it, the map will.

imho, i thought everyone uses MT like this. i mean, its so friekin obvious.

Great post man

Heh, you're right Traken.


More than once i've been walking through a cluttered area and heard a skulk take a step but not be able to see them; sometimes i'd hit my map button and they'd show up nice and red. they still think they're hidden; it's pistol whipping time.

I often walk around with the map up constantly, because you can see aliens on the map if you have LOS on them, whereas you physically may not see them. This often helps with hiders who you may not have been able to see otherwise (very high up, very low, or broken visibility areas such as infestation). Also note that MT does disable while building, but still works on the map.

I would also propose to you, however I'm already taken

lol. I'm not taken, but there are at least two ladies who get mad when i say that. i'm also somewhat intoxicated right now.... i hope i ... yeah


glad this is still getting views. i think it got stickied too fast, not too many people notice the stickies since they aren't changed much. need more people to read it! man i'm so far gone. this one girl, hitting on her.... soooooon.



*edit* third base with the girl. i think the trick is to NOT boast about how you can 'empty your pistol clip in under 2 seconds'

Thanks! Learned alot

relsan... almost at a loss for words. you nailed it all down. i can deal with losing to a superior team, but i can't deal with losing to my own team.

you put into words the things that i want to be able to sit down in person with each member of my team and say to them, just to make sure that they understood. just so they would never repeat their mistakes again. the words have to go unsaid though, because you just can't talk to someone for 5 minutes over a mic and get the point across...


thanks for putting the thoughts into words relsan

Good posts here, I command and I see alot of valid points in comming that I have never thought of. Some things I would like to add are: sometimes as a comm you may be stuck with a team full of well, how to put it......average marines ( not up to clan specs but in between new and seasoned area) and have a reasonable understanding of how to play the game. This has happen to me countless times for most of you know how it is out there. So few people know how to command and those who attempt to command get, harassed by their team for sucking at comm when things hit the fan. When I comm,
1. I try to make it a point to use the players names, giving them a sense of purpose
to your strategy and are a integral part of your plans.
2. Dont yell at them unless it is completely necessary ie, getting through pg, moving
to WPs. Making fun of them, calling them names, causes them to loose respect for
you and not listen
3. If you have marines that like to get their 250 lmg bullets and 30 pistol bullets, tell
them that they will never use all that beforeammo they die and remind them of
the of the ammo and med hotkeys, and tell them you will get to their ammo and
med calls as soon as they show up on you hud. Doing this will stop them from
ammoing up all the way.
4. Keep it simple. With orders ie, telling them where to go, what to do same with
your plans the more something is complicated the higher the chance something
will go wrong and you will not be able to recover from that event.
5. Encourage team work, compliment your marines. This builds up their confidence
and boost their overall performance and makes them believe in their own ablities.
Drill into their heads there is saftey in nubers, sure you may be load and they can
here you coming from a mile away but a squad of 5 marines is a force to reckon
with if they got ups and constant support from the comm not matter how good
they are at shooting
6. Communicate. If you have a mic use it. If you don't then type. Just using WPs will
not cut it. I have seen games where all the comm did was sit in the chair not say a
single thing, type or mic at all and just give the marines WPs. Marines respond
better when they know there is some there in the chair and is watching them.
7. If it seems stupid but works then it isnt stupid you get the idea?
8. Learn your marines ablities how they react to things, their ablities to think and
shoot in situations
9. Try to out think and out smart the opposing team rather taking fights head on ie,
all out rush and sending your marines into the meat grinder (there are times for
this and other times when it should not be done) use the pg, be mobile, fast put
your gates in good places hallways, choke points ect.
10. Your attitude affects how your marines respond, bad attitude goes over and
influences the marines who are under your command.

well those are mine, please feel free to comment........


EDIT: hmmm I think this does not classify as Situational Awareness? Seems to deal with commanding, sorry

your post does deal with commanding mostly, social. don't worry about it though; the overall purpose of this thread is to provide usefull information. you have some good tips, thanks for the contribution!

You mean people don't do this?

I'm not a clanner and I pub often btu I just assumed the "you mean we had a hive locked down?" people were stoned and/or drunk (maybe worse) and could not attend to such higher thinking like abstract cause and effect. (If three marines were killed by two onoses and they had LMGs I should not go to "x")

NukeAJS, i wrote the post months ago, it felt relevant then... it's still relevant now. A lot of public players still don't employ most or any of the skills outlined as neccesary to a fun game. You can only write so much off to inexperience; when the players don't even attempt to communicate so much as a question it leaves you wondering if they are even capable of learning.

A lot depends on the server you play on. My favorite server is one that requires CD and has FF on. Not that i'm worried about cheating that much, it's just that players who know how to run CD are less likely to not know how to chat, respond, question, and learn. The inexperienced players that i do run into on that server are usually willing to listen, and the game experience is many times better.

most of the random public servers i join will have a few people who have learned the basics of the game (shoot, bite, onos, request jp/hmg) and show no intention of going beyond that. Even just two of these players can kill a game for a team.

Another hidden ability of mt, waypoints placed on aliens will follow the alien. Waypoint those oni comms! That way you will always know which ones are where.

A perfect example of situational awareness killing a game: (ns_tanith, large game)

1) Early skulk rush. Rather than leave some people guarding the base while others capture Res nodes, the entire team is so caught up in the frequent rush of skulks they never leave the base. The commander tries to get them to leave, but they ignore him.

2) Marines assualt double. A few minutes into the game, after finally leaving start, almost the entire marine team attacks double Res. In it are several gorges, an OC, and several skulks. Instead of going around or through, they repeatedly rush to thier deaths just to capture double. The commander repeatedly and directly tells them do not go to double, capture Res elsewhere. Again, they are so caught up in fighting they ignore him.

The marines started hurting as soon a 1 happened. While most of the other team was rushing base, others captured Res. Meanwhile, the marines (while gaining some Res from kills) are not capturing Res, and almost as important, they are not gaining room to fight.

2 was the nail in the coffin. Already at a severe Res disadvantage, the marines focus on the most heavily defended location on the map, ignoring all the other Res nodes that are probably not as defended.



If you ever needed a good example of situational awareness killing a game, this is it.

Sorry, but good luck getting people to learn about situational awareness. These are things you pick up if you're interested, not things you can teach people. Face it, pub nubs are just too stupid. I've spectated some people, and its unbelievable how unaware they are. I could hear skulk footsteps behind them, even the skulk biting someone to death, and they would not even notice it until they start getting bit by that skulk.

Good post, but you're preaching to the choir. Nubs need not apply.

Still, shirtguns, you could always tell them about the value of sound and help them out. I've seen some that are beyond reason, but if you give them a couple tips in game, in my experience, most are willing to listen and wind up coming back as better players. Great post though, I agree wholly with it.

Thank you CombatJoe for some interesting points - I'm new to NS (I know the basics, I've even read the manual ), but I'm sure I can use some stategic/tactical knowledge.

I didn't know MT is disabled while building - must be because I early discovered THAT use of the minimap

I'm from germany and when playing on servers with english-speaking players I sometimes find it difficult to understand what they are saying over voice-comm, especially if they yell or if the connection lags. I'm pretty sure that there are some things I did which seemed really silly because I didn't know what the Commander wanted from me. Maybe I'll get over it - There isn't much I can do about that besides from learning by doing, right?

Orion

lol.. i figured that map part by myself after 1 day.. and for the ppl that dont like me to fully load my guns.. you DO get tired of running out of ammo and NOT getting any new one because the com dosent know how to see who is requesting..
but GREAT post.. someone said its only for ppl who care.. i guess i do then.. i hope i can play with some of you guys sometime soon.. id love to get some help and to see how YOU do it..

(err... nuuby question but does ammo packs spawned by comm give pistol ammo?)

When you pick up an ammo pack on the ground, you get one full clip of ammo for whatever gun you are currently holding when you pick it up, unless you already have maxed out ammo. If you have a weapon that doesn't use ammo, you won't pick it up if you run across it (your knife works).

I have been giving this thread a miss for long time but not anymore! we have situational awarness needed right here on forums! That kharaa strat forum Is dying! see theres 5 thread s on first page and all of them quite bad or nothing special! WE need to wake up the kharaa!


and for in-game get those earpads for playing.....

Most of this is common sense to me, it really is mind boggling how mnay people dont do this.

~Egad

CombatJoe --- GREAT POST!!!

Something i think that is missing here (but also makes use of the holy grail = the map):
SCANNER SWEEP!!!... you missed it :'(

I just love it when the big blue rings of salvation cut a swathe through all cloakers/the hive with its lovingly embracing *pingggggg* oooh... goosebumps

anyways; when you scanner sweep, all aliens/alien structures (mc/dc/sc/hive/rt) show up on your map. With the use of communication from the comm - you can quickly open your mapski and watch the little red blips bloom onto your screen. This is excellent for helping new players/players not aquainted with the map to identify hives/problem spots but also allows players to identify the spots where that nasty cloaking onos is sitting and devouring us ... one... by .... one

And last but not least --- Shirtguns and Dreva --- YES!!! Encourage them to use their ears!!! too many times you've got the hoolagans playing without sound/pumping mp3'z into their ears at ungodly decibels!!!
And do not shirk from pressing the MUTE key to gobsmack those punks who sit in spawn spamming their flashlight pumping out mario... sifnt MC HAMMER anyhow???

whell, thats hte end of my chapter, gj tho jo.... :O OMG! RHYZMS!!!!!1111

lol orion --- MACHT MIR MEINE OBS!!! JEZT KIND JEZT!!!

As useful as Scanner Sweep is for finding cloakers, remember you can also use it to find non-cloakers that are simply hiding. If you know the Kharaa doesn't have Sensory, put random sweeps ahead of your marines anyway to reveal ambushes.

And every once in a while I'll be walking along, not see anything in front of me, and notice a red alien blip show up on my minimap near me. Then I have to stop and search the area and try to figure out where he's hiding. Great for finding aliens hiding in dark corners/ceilings/etc.

Thank you brother, excellent speech.

minimap also is good for squads moving forwards... have one person covering back of train/team and their viewing cone will show all marines that there is a red blip (alien) following them even if you cannot hear them (no sound/mp3z/silence)