New Player Guide
From NS community wiki
Hello, you may be a brand new player and very very confused about what's going on. Have no fear, we're here to help!
Contents |
Installation
1. Purchase Half-Life on Steam (U.S. $9.99).
2. Download and install the latest Natural Selection from here. Restart Steam for it to appear in My games.
Congratulations, you are now ready to play.
Starting out
As a new player the easiest way to become familiar with the game is likely going to be playing as a Marine as this will come naturally to most First Person Shooter fans. You will be equipped with a weapon as soon as you spawn and will be able to jump right into the game. There will be a Commander who can give you orders and supplies. The hardest part is learning the maps, however you can view a map and your location in-game (default C).
After awhile you should get the hang of moving around and interacting with the map and environment. From here you can learn tactics for maps and how best to help your teammates during the game. After a few rounds you should get an idea about how most maps are laid out and what points you need to control. You should also keep an eye on what a commander builds and researches which will show up on the corner of your screen while you play. This will help you know what is being done at your base and what upgrades are coming. If you want to be a commander at some point then keep this in mind because it will give you a base idea on how to begin a game and how to proceed. Once you have gotten an idea of how most games proceed you should be able to move on to the Kharaa if you like or start learning how to be a Commander.
Also, using the name "NSplayer" is not advised as some hosts automatically ban/kick players with this name.
Playing as a Marine
First and foremost as a new player starting as a Frontiersman (Marine) you will want to see what is going on in the game. Ask the commander where you should go and what you should do. If you do not receive a quick response or a waypoint then you should follow the next group you see moving out of the base. Initially you should not need more ammo then you are given when you spawn. You need to be aware that you are likely to die a lot as the game progresses however when you need health or ammo you can use your right click menu to request it from the commander. If you see a phase gate you will know if it works by the bright glow. You can use this (E default) to move around quicker and if you see many people using it then do so as help may be needed where they are going.
The only structure you will normally use in the base will be the armory but for now you should move on. In most servers you are likely to hear a lot of Voice Comm chatter from players and the Commander on what they need or what is happening. For the time being just try and listen to what is said and if you have questions about a location someone is talking about or anything else you should ask. Use your map (default C) to help you get around as many of the maps can be somewhat disorienting to begin with. Start with the intention of just helping your teammates and following them. Get used to firing your LMG (Light Machine Gun) in short bursts as the ammo goes quickly and the muzzle flash can easily obscure your vision making it harder to track an enemy.
Most of the time you will likely just be running around the map. When you see a resource tower location (indicated by the white smoke from the ground) you should see if a resource tower (RT for short in game) is needed by asking or using the right click menu, (do this by moving over to the request order option). This will alert the commander and if he has the resources he will likely drop one. You will need to build it (Hold E) to make it operational. If you think you may be attacked just walk up and build it for a moment, it will then change from mostly translucent to solid and will now have full health. Otherwise if any structure is damaged while it is translucent like that it will be immediately destroyed and your team will only receive part of the total cost back.
The beginning of most games will have a few people in base building the needed structures and most of the team spreading out in the map building more RT's. This is critical early game to help dominate the map and get a resource lead. If you look at the top of your screen you will see the resource counter for your team. Once a few RT's are constructed most of your teammates will have moved toward a hive location to secure it. Likely you will run into skulks at this point and will need to defend yourself. In some cases they will attempt to Parasite you and will move on attempting to ambush you later. Parasiting means you are visible to them all the time wherever you go on the map. This is important to remember if you are trying to sneak somewhere as now they can see a circle in front of them indicating how far away you are.
By now your team should have secured a hive and will be moving on a second. Depending how you are doing you will want to help defend areas be they RT's or the recently taken hive, or help move on the next hive. You should try and be aware how the team is going about this. Often enough running in will just get you killed and will not help. Are they waiting for weapons or siege guns? Are they tossing grenades and going in? Are they waiting for something else or just keeping the Kharaa busy while some people attack the other hive. You should ask for instructions any time you are uncertain what to do and try and help while you learn what is happening.
Soon enough you will start seeing weapons and equipment start to be dropped. To begin with is the welder. You should see one of these drop early in the game. These are used to weld points such as vents closed and repair armor on marines and buildings. Weld locations are clearly marked on the map and as you walk around. Just walk up and "fire" the welder and you will see a small white bar on the bottom of your screen showing your progress. If you have one you should see if your teammates need welding periodically as you go. Once you select the welder and are close enough a small colored circle will appear below the Marines around you. Weld anyone not in the green as that will help them stay alive longer. Note that as your Armor is upgraded, welding becomes more and more important. Also, Heavy Armor relies on welding to replenish the giant amounts of armor each one has. Should you see a building under attack you should probably try and wield it once the attacker is killed or driven off.
If you come across a shotgun then try and get used to it. These are moderately priced for a single gun and can come in very handy. However, multiple shotguns are extremely effective for almost any circumstance. Don't be afraid if you die, it will simply fall to the ground and anyone else can grab it and use it. Be warned, although they have nice damage and good spread of fire, the reload time is slow and the time between shots is crucial. Mines can be critical and you will usually be told where to place them, in most cases around a Phase Gate in a hive. Once your Armory is upgraded (takes a few minutes) you will see Heavy Machine Guns (HMG) and Grenade Launchers (GL) appear. Both of these weapons do a great amount of damage. The HMG is rather straight forward and you should note how long it takes to reload. It also does half damage to buildings, so save the ammo for Alien units if you have a Shotgunner or GL nearby. The GL is an excellent weapon and comes in very handy. Note how far the grenades bounce and how long they take to explode. Also note how long it takes to reload and how quick it can go through ammo. They deal double damage to buildings. Don't be afraid to make an ammo request if you are down to a eight rounds or so in reserve.
Depending on how your team is doing you should see a Prototype lab come down soon. This can only be built once your armory is upgraded and your commander has the required res. Furthermore, your commander still has to spend the resources to research Jetpacks and Heavy Armor (HA) separately from each other and from the cost of dropping the building. This is expensive and most commanders will ask what a team would like before they research one or the other. HA is an additional 200 armor for you, makes you immune to spores (green gas from Lerks) and slows you down a little. DO NOT think you are invincible all of a sudden. You are tougher but you can still die and you lose 15 res (Cost of the HA) when you do, not to mention prime targets for Devour from an Onos. However, the armor boost allows you to stand toe-to-toe with Lerks and even Fades, assuming you start with full armor. Jetpacks can take some getting used to certainly and you need to learn where to look as it determines where you are going. Get used to the time it takes to use up all the fuel and how long it takes to recharge as this is critical if you don't want to just fall to your death on accident.
By now your team should be pushing on the 2nd or last hive and you should have it easy from here on out. Otherwise you may be in a critical battle over a center area or resource area. Keep going and don't give up regardless and keep learning the map. If you notice an area that is not seeing a lot of enemy activity then you should consider checking it out and seeing if the Kharaa have build any Offensive Chambers (OC's) in the area. If not then maybe you can sneak in and ask for a phase gate and your team can attack them from somewhere else.
That should get you through most games and get you used to the weapons that you will come across. Now lets go over the enemies you will face. First keep in mind all Kharaa have 2 base attack options and 1 more per hive. They have 3 types of towers they can use. A Defensive Chamber (DC) will heal them and allow them to have extra armor, regenerate or be returned to the nearest hive if badly wounded. A Movement Chamber (MC) will allow them to move and attack faster and the upgrades available are moving faster, moving silent or having more energy to attack. A Sensory Chamber (SC) will cloak all Kharaa even if moving as long as they are in it's range. It will allow them to cloak, see all enemies (like motion tracking) or do more damage per attack (called focus).
Type of enemies and abilities
Skulks: These are the base type of enemy you will face. All kahraa spawn as this and the attack options they have are Bite, Parasite, Leap, and Xenocide. A normal skulk bite will do decent damage and without an armor upgrade 2 bites will kill you. Parasiting is what allows them to see you around the map without scent of fear (Motion track from SC Tower). Leap allows the skulk to jump a long distance and do damage when they hit anything. Xenocide allows them to explode, you will hear them scream just before they do so. Learn how long it takes so you know if you have time to shoot them or run. They move very quickly but have low health and armor so keep that in mind, a few rounds will put them down so aim and don't spray. Try and engage them in long halls where they will need to run at you. Expect them to be hiding in vents or above doorways as ambushing is their standard.
v2 cigs coupon: These Kharaa are the builders. best electronic cigarette brand The Kharaa do not have a commander but most Gorgies will act as one for their team. It costs 10 res just to change from a skulk to a Gorge and this is important as killing one means they lose this res which is very important early game. Their attacks are Spit, Heal, Bile Bomb and Web. Now the base Spit does a decent amount of damage on it's own and a gorge with adrenaline (from a MC allowing them to attack faster) can do a lot of damage very quick. They can heal themselves as well as other Kharaa and structures so keep them in mind when you attack them. Bile bombs is a short range attack but it does a lot of damage to buildings, but only to buildings. Keep them in mind as they can use this from high up and quickly take out any structure. Web will slow you down almost to a stop for a few seconds but it can be taken out with a welder or grenades. You will see this as a white line on the ground or on walls. Gorges are best charged and killed quickly otherwise it will just heal itself. Be careful if it is trying to draw you into an ambush as it runs away.
Lerk: Lerks can fly which makes them very deadly as all of a sudden they can be in front of you. Lerks attacks are Bite, Gas, Umbra and Primal Scream. The Lerk bite is almost as strong as a skulk and can quickly take down a Marine. The gas they spew is green and does damage to your health as well as your armor. It will occupy a large area and it takes a few seconds to dissipate. DO NOT stand in it as it will kill you very quickly. Try and back out of it or charge through it if needed. Umbra reduces the chance to hit for your ranged weapons by 50% when shooting an Alien in the cloud. Finally, Primal Scream boosts the attack speed of all nearby Aliens and their Adrenaline recharge rate, and sounds similar to the Xenocide sound. Lerks are usually pretty hard to kill as most players keep flying all the time requiring you to wait for them to land long enough to get hits in or to do very well at tracking them. Shotguns tend to work best against them as they fly towards you to bite.
Fade: Fades are the normal shock troops of the Kharaa and do a lot of damage and can move incredibly fast thanks to Blink, one of their abilities. Fade attacks are Attack, Blink, Regenerate and Acid Rocket. The normal Fade attack does a great deal of damage and Blink allows them to move to where ever they are looking almost instantly. This allows them to Blink into a group of marines, kill one or two, and blink out again. Regenerate is critical as it allows them to heal a shorter distance away before attacking again making attacks on the Marine base quick and deadly, as well as recovers Adrenaline. Acid rocket is not normally used by most Fade players. It does decent damage and a little splash but most favor close in. However, it helps give them a long range attack, and it does double damage to armor, making it perfect to soften targets up before their melee. Fades have decent health and armor and the Carapace upgrade (DC armor) gives them a little more armor but most can go down quickly. Once you start seeing weapon upgrades most will die under sustained LMG fire. Shotguns and HMG's however are far more effective. Don't try and take one on alone, even with HA and a HMG as they can dance around you pretty easily and take you down in only a few blows.
Onos: These massive creatures are the ultimate in death dealing. They have tremendous health and armor and Carapace makes them even tougher. Many choose Redemption (pulls them to the nearest hive when close to death) which means you need to put alot of ammo into them quickly or they will disappear, heal at the hive and just come right back. Carapace is also favored since it adds another 300 armor. Onos attacks are Attack, Stomp, Devourer, and Charge. The normal attack does alot of damage but combined with Stomp which will stun anyone caught in it for a few seconds they can use the two to kill almost anything. Stomp will show as a white wave directly in front of them and your best bet is to always stay to their side. Devourer means they eat you outright, most will try for anyone with a HMG or GL or HA right off, Stomping first and then coming in to devour and running out. You are alive for a time and take damage and will see a white bar at the bottom of your screen. If your teammates are able to kill the Onos before it is full you will pop out and live. Charge allows the Onos to rush forward a decent distance and do a lot of damage on impact. Your best hope is to have multiple Marines with HMG's to take them down. You can kill them with LMG's but you need full weapon upgrades and alot of rounds. Concentrate all fire on them outright and chase them down. Be careful, though, sometimes they are only there to draw your fire as other Aliens come from behind and kill your squad.
Learning to Command
Commanding takes awhile to learn. Not just the build tree and costs but also on strategy and tactics. You need to know how to play both teams, how long it takes to build everything, what it costs. You need to know a lot so when you are Commanding you know how long it will take to get HMG's to your Marines so they have a better chance to kill those 2 Fades that keep slaughtering them, what it will cost and what upgrades they need right now to keep them alive. Look for other Strategies on commanding and your best bet will be to create a server by yourself and use commands for resources so you can get the hang of building. You need to know all the maps completely. When a Marine asks for something you need to be able to know right where he is. The right click menu will pop up icons you can click on to zip you to the Marine that requested it which will help you.
If you think you are ready try and find a server with a small amount of people and make sure the Marines are ok with you commanding as many servers are full of people with little tolerance for new Commanders. Ask for help if you need it and let them know you are new. A lot of Marines are very helpful and will suggest what to build and what to do to try and help you learn. Above all be adaptable and keep learning. A Commander is only as good as his Marines, however Marines are only as good as their Commander. Also, see the guides posted to help learn the theory and some nice tricks people have learned.
