Natural Selection

Table of Contents
Welcome to Weggy's Natural Selection FAQ. I'm by no means an expert at this game, but this FAQ could be considered a sort of crash course for the newbies. Maybe some of the vets could pick up a few tips as well. So move to your waypoint soldier, and lets get started.

Natural Selection is a Half Life Modification in which 2 teams - the Aliens, and the Marines, try to kill each other off completely. Sounds simple enough - but its much deeper than that. Natural Selection is a very unique blend of Real Time Strategy and First Person Shooter. You need to acquire resources for resource nozzles to build more structures, and to become more powerful. If you like First Person Shooters, you'll have a pretty decent time with this game. If you like Real Time Strategy, you'll like it a fair amount. If you like both, this game will occupy unhealthy amounts of your time.

Marine Weapons
Suit up soldier! These are the tools at your disposal to rid the Kharra from the earth.

Slot 1 Weapons
Light Machine Gun (LMG)________________________________________________________

Damage     : 10 Clip Size  : 50 bullets Maximum Ammo: 50 | 250 Armory Hump : 25 bullets Fire Rate  : High Accuracy   : Medium Cost       : Free Requires   : Can't drop

Get used to this weapon. 90% of the time, you'll be using it. It's a pretty good weapon as well, especially with weapon upgrades. The only bad thing about it is the 50 round clip. You tend to chew through that pretty often.

Shotgun________________________________________________________________________

Damage     : 170 (17 damage per pellet, 10 pellets fired) Clip Size  : 10 shells Maximum Ammo: 8 | 40 Armory Hump : 4 shells Fire Rate  : Medium-Slow Accuracy   : Very Low Cost       : 10 Resources Requires   : Armory

Mmmm... Shotgun. My favorite weapon in 1.04, and by far my favorite weapon in 2.0. Skulks rarely, if ever, survive more than 1 shot from this beast. It is also the ultimate anti-redemption weapon. If your being pestered by redeeming aliens, outfit your marines with these - they wont be redeeming for long.

Grenade Launcher_______________________________________________________________

Damage     : 125 (Double Damage to Buildings) Clip Size  : 4 grenades Maximum Ammo: 4 | 40 Armory Hump : 2 grenades Fire Rate  : Slow Accuracy   : N/A Cost       : 20 Resources Requires   : Advanced Armory

Tha-tonk... Boom! The grenades have a slight arc to them, so this gun may need a bit of practice to use. It is extremely effective for destroying alien buildings, however - especially those turrets. Just bank the nades around the corner and stay out of trouble.

Heavy Machine Gun (HMG)________________________________________________________

Damage     : 20 (Half Damage to Buildings) Clip Size  : 125 bullets Maximum Ammo: 125 | 250 Armory Hump : 62 bullets Fire Rate  : Very Fast Accuracy   : Low Cost       : 15 Resources Requires   : Advanced Armory

A gun that has really lost its effectiveness in 2.0. Though still very potent, the HMG has some faults. The first being its quite innacurate. Though you could still hit an Onos on the other side of the map with no problem, a Skulk down that hallway is gonna give you some problems. It makes up for this in damage per bullet, but thats ammunition thats lost. It also takes a PAINFULLY long time to reload, which kinda sucks. And finally, it now only does half damage to buildings, making this just as effecient as killing them as the LMG. Bummer. Still, these gun can dish out the hurt, and id recommend it against Aliens without Redemption. If they are Redeeming however, it should be Shottys and GLs all around, with maybe 1 or 2 of these as support.

--- Slot 2 Weapons ---

Pistol_________________________________________________________________________

Damage     : 20 Clip Size  : 10 bullets Maximum Ammo: 10 | 30 Armory Hump : 5 bullets Fire Rate  : Medium (Its semi-automatic - click fast) Accuracy   : High Cost       : Free Requires   : Can't drop

A pretty damn good weapon that you'll use every once in a while. It does more damage shot per shot than the LMG, and is much much more accurate. Its mostly used as a finishing weapon, if your LMG ran out of ammo. However, it is also very accurate, so it may be a better choice if something is very far away.

Welder_________________________________________________________________________

Damage     : 4 Clip Size  : N/A Maximum Ammo: N/A Armory Hump : N/A Fire Rate  : Constant Accuracy   : N/A Cost       : 5 Resources Requires   : Armory

Not really a weapon, although it can be used as such. Its main use is fixing armor, structures, and welding specific points on the map shut (indicated by the weld icon). Its damage is burn type damage - it will do virtually nothing if you just tap somebody with it, as the burn will wear off quite fast. But if you hold it to someone for an extended period, the burn damage will build up, and it will hurt... a lot. Thus, the Welder is a great building killer. Welders also have the ability to burn through webs, clearing the way for the team.

Mines__________________________________________________________________________

Damage     : 125 Clip Size  : 1 mine Maximum Ammo: 5 mines Armory Hump : N/A Fire Rate  : Very Slow Accuracy   : N/A Cost       : 10 Resources Requires   : Armory

Essentially a grenade you plop on the ground. Mines are proximity based now. They also can do damage to any friendly in the area, including structures. So be careful with them! They're a great way to defend areas before you have time to put up turrets. A great, very very rarely used tactic is to set up mine "traps". The Redeeming Onos pissing you off? Lay down a bunch of mines in 1 spot. Lets see him try to redeem from that!

--- Slot 3 Weapons ---

Knife__________________________________________________________________________

Damage     : 30 Clip Size  : N/A Maximum Ammo: N/A Armory Hump : N/A Fire Rate  : Slow Accuracy   : N/A Cost       : Free Requires   : Can't drop

Well, it's a... a Knife. You stab and slash things with it. It hurts. When fighting a Skulk, if you run out of both LMG ammo and pistol ammo, you may want to pull out your knife, as most likely the Skulk will die in 1 slash. Those cases are rare though - learn to be a better shot! Its main use is for knifing alien structures, save offensive chambers. It takes a lot of ammo to take down something like a resource tower, much more than you can dish out practically. Even though a gun might do damage a little faster, when you factor in reloading, and the fact your vulnerable, its much better to knife the structure. Its also fun to knife aliens who are gestating. HUMILIATION. ^_^

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================================================================== Marine Equipment

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--- Armor Additions ---

Jetpack________________________________________________________________________

Cost   : 10 Resources Requires: Jetpack Research, Prototype Lab

Jetpacks allow your Marines to move swiftly across the map, as well as allowing them to navigate vents and other hidden corridors. Jetpacks have been nerfed from their 1.04 equivilant, but they are still quite potent. The new jetpacks have less fuel, and significant in-flight adjustments are no longer possible. Thus, you will have to land every once in a while. But practice a lot with these - a proficient jetpacker can get to one side of the map in about 1/3rd of the time a regular marine could. Hover in the air and pick up speed.

Jetpacks are also the ultimate Onos counter. Whereas they can Devour Heavy Armor in one bite, Jetpackers can whiz around an Onos, pummeling him to death. They can also be effective in a rush - see the commanding section for details on that.

Heavy Armor____________________________________________________________________

Cost   : 15 Resources Requires: Heavy Armor Research, Prototype Lab

Massive amounts of Heavy Armor is often the game finisher. A Marine equipped with Heavy Armor will become slightly slower, and have their armor increased to a whopping 200. Each armor upgrade increases this amount by 30. This armor absorbs 95% of all damage, and is immune to Lerk Spores. Meaning, these are walking tanks. A few things to remember though - avoid Oni at all costs, or travel in large groups to get rid of them before they get close. They can gobble up a Heavy Armor instantly. Thats a LOT of resources gone, even more when you've equipped him.

Speaking of equipment, Heavy Armor is the front line assault team. Outfit them with more advanced weapons than LMGs if possible. Also, under no circumstances, should Heavy Armor travel alone, and be without a welder. That 200 armor can be widdled away pretty quick, and are just as vulnerable as any other Marine when it runs out. Travel in packs. Weld each other often.

As a Comm, keep them outfitted. They will occasionally need health packs, as each attack slightly damages their health. Ammo can also be a problem, since they're taking down a hive most likely. If your going to drop more than 10 packs of ammo, you might as well just drop an armory, since the cost is the same.

--- Assisting Items ---

Med Pack_______________________________________________________________________

Cost    : 2 Resources Requires : Nothing

This handy little guys are the only way for Marines to restore health. Don't hand them out like they're nothing though - those 2 resources add up fast, and its sometimes better to just let the Marine die to save some resources. Of course, you should probably heal those Marines who you've invested in - such as with more powerful weapons or equipment.

Ammo Pack______________________________________________________________________

Cost    : 2 Resources Requires : Nothing

You'll probably hand these guys out once in every 10 games. Players like to get full ammo before heading out. If for some reason you do run out, you most likely used your ammo poorly, such as on structures (excluding Hives and Offense Chambers). If the Marines are not far from the base, just tell him to head back and load up at the armory. People attacking Hives though, do tend to run out of ammo - keep them stocked if necessary!

Each pack gives the ammo equivilant to 2 "humps" at the armory. The only exception to this is the LMG - ammo packs still give 100 bullets for these. I suspect this was because you used to get 50 bullets per hump at an Armory, and this was one variable that was simply overlooked.

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================================================================== Marine Structures

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A team without structures to provide them with various benefits is going to lose very quickly. These are essential to your team, and you should guard them well.

--- "Build" Category ---

Resource Tower_________________________________________________________________

Cost        : 15 Resources Function    : Gathers Resources for your team Can be placed: On an open Resource Node Durability  : High Requires    : Nothing Upgrades    : Electricity - 30 Resources - Electrifies the RT to zap aliens Resource Towers are some of the most important buildings for both sides, and should be protected well. Each tower gathers one resource point every few seconds. A team without resources will be killed quickly.

Electricity is so so. I'm not that big of a fan of it. It can kill Skulks with ease, but once the 2nd hive goes up, Gorges can easilly Bile Bomb it to death. Fades can Slash, back off, and heal til its dead as well. I would only recommend Electricity if you have a node is some far off corner you don't think will be discovered for a bit, and is harder to access with something other than a Skulk or Lerk. So, for the most part, hardly ever.

Infantry Portal________________________________________________________________

Cost        : 20 Resources Function    : Spawn Point Can be placed: Near Command Chair Durability  : Low Requires    : Command Chair Upgrades    : None

Probably the most important building. These little guys revive you when you die. And you will die. A team without an Infantry Portal, well, won't be able to respawn. Guard these buildings the closest of them all.

Armory_________________________________________________________________________

Cost        : 15 Resources Function    : Dispenses Ammo Can be placed: Anywhere Durability  : High Requires    : Nothing Upgrades    : Advanced Armory - 30 Resources - Lets you drop HMGs and GLs

This building dispenses ammo for whatever gun you have equipped. Your team will spend a lot of time around this one. Not defending it, but "humping" it. Thats not my word, its the slang NS Players use to refer to players getting ammo. Usually way to much ammo. You do not need 50 | 250 ammo for your LMG. Its likely you'll die before you use it all. 175 is usually what I get, and I very rarely run out of ammo. Make sure you do get maximum ammo for all the dropped weapons, especially the HMG and Grenade Launcher, as they chew through it very fast. In NS 1.04, you used to move slower depening on how much ammo you had - im not sure this is still in 2.0.

Command Chair__________________________________________________________________

Cost        : 20 Resources Function    : Allows access to the Commanding Interface Can be placed: Anywhere Durability  : Very High Requires    : Nothing Upgrades    : None

Lets Commanders Command. This has the highest HP of all Marine buildings, so it should take a while to kill. If the Command Chair is about to be destroyed, build another ASAP! Otherwise, you're pretty much screwed.

A little known bug about the Command Chair is that upon entering, you get full HP. If your playing on a LAN and can communicate well with players, this will let them heal without wasting res on med packs. Don't try it in public servers though, as likely some idiot will get in and not get out.

Turret Factory_________________________________________________________________

Cost        : 15 Resources Function    : Allows Turrets to be built Can be placed: Anywhere Durability  : Medium Requires    : Nothing Upgrades    : Electricity - 30 Resources - Electrifies the TF to zap aliens Advanced Turret Factory - 15 Resources - Allows Seige Cannons

Lets turrets be constructed. Turrets can only be placed around the Turret Factory. Also, if the turret factory is destroyed, all turrets in its radius will be deactivated - not good! Because of that, put this guys along walls and corners to reduce the amount of angles it can be attacked at. Also, use turrets to cover all exposed sides, as the Turret Factory will block fire from the turrets. The last thing you want is a huge turret farm taken down by 1 Skulk who was able to find a blind spot on the Turret Factory. Because of this, I DO recommend Electrifying them when possible. After all, a Skulk could keep chomping on 1 turret to make a blindspot.

Upgrading to the Advanced Turret Factory allows Seige Cannons to be built. For details on these beasts, read the appropriate section.

Turret_________________________________________________________________________

Cost        : 10 Resources Function    : Static Defense Can be placed: Near Turret Factory Durability  : Very Low Requires    : Turret Factory Upgrades    : None

Turrets. They shoot at people. Though these turrets are pretty weak, they can usually take down an Alien before he does any significant damage to one. Provided you mass them, as you should. Use these to defend your base, res nodes, hives, and any other location you deem to be important.

Also, Turrets now do half damage to Oni.

Seige Cannon___________________________________________________________________

Cost        : 15 Resources Function    : Seiges enemy structures Can be placed: Near Advanced Turret Factory Durability  : Medium Requires    : Advanced Turret Factory Upgrades    : None

Oh ho... I love these guys so much. These behemoths shoot at enemy structues - even through walls! Once set up, they take a second to acquire their target, and then they let loose. Of course, as soon as an enemy hears the shot of a Seige cannon, they'll be on it like flies on honey. Make sure while the Turret Factory is upgrading and the Seige is doing its thing to place normal turrets to help defend. A phase gate to base might be a good idea too for quick reinforcements. For best results, deploy 2 or 3 of these at a time, since thats, well, 2 to 3 times less time you spend in enemy territory. A single Seige Cannon in your base can help as well, to destroy any healing or cloaking stations the Aliens set up nearby.

Seige Cannons do 165 damage per shot, and have a range of about 1 screen on the command interface. Theres nothing worse that building a turret factory, build up turrets, plop down a seige, and you learn it can't reach. So make sure you'll be in range. Also, these Turrets do not shoot at players. They can however, hurt people close to the impact, including Marines.

--- "Advanced" Category ---

Observatory____________________________________________________________________

Cost        : 20 Resources Function    : Allows access to various Upgrades Can be placed: Anywhere Durability  : Low Requires    : Armory Upgrades    : Motion Tracking - 45 Resources - Gives Marines Motion Tracking Phase Gate Technology - 15 Resources - Allows Phase Gates to be              made

These handy little buildings have a lot of different uses. First of all, they decloak any Aliens within their radius. Always have one at your base, and any other important installation you have.

They also generate energy, which can be used for a Scanner Sweep. This handy little device sends out a blue "shockwave" that allows the Commander to see everything in the radius of the affected area. It also decloaks everything in the area for 10 seconds. If your Marines are heading into an unfarmiliar area, please, please, PLEASE use Scanner Sweep. Very few Comms do this, and often times Marines get ambushed by cloaking aliens or Offense Chambers. Having more than 1 Observatory will regnerate energy faster, and thus allow you to scanner sweep more often.

A very vital function Observatories have is the distress beacon. For 15 resources, you can bring all Marines back from death almost immediatly. This is vital if your base is being beaten to bits, and your only respawning people 1 or 2 at a time.

Observatories have access to the Motion Tracking Upgrade. For a very expensive 45 resources, this is a fantastic one to get, albeit expensive. Any aliens that move will get a blue circle around them, so this could be the equivilant of a wallhack.

Finally, Phase Gate Tech lets you build Phase Gates. Fascinating. ^_^

Arms Lab_______________________________________________________________________

Cost        : 25 Resources Function    : Allows weapon and armor upgrades Can be placed: Anywhere Durability  : Medium Requires    : Armory Upgrades    : Level 1 Weapons - 20 Resources Level 2 Weapons - 30 Resources Level 3 Weapons - 40 Resources Level 1 Armor - 20 Resources Level 2 Armor - 30 Resources Level 3 Armor - 40 Resources

A very vital building. Each upgrade to your guns lets them hit 10% harder than they originally did. Each armor upgrade increases your damage resistance and raises your maximum armor by 20. Every once in a while, when you can spare some resources, be sure to upgrade something. Most people go with weapon upgrades first, since they also power up turrets. I prefer armor first though, as it lets Marines take another Skulk bite than normal. Either way, you should probably alternate back and forth between the 2. If its destroyed, you lose all your upgrades.

Prototype Lab__________________________________________________________________

Cost        : 40 Resources Function    : Allows Access to Advanced Equipment Can be placed: Anywhere Durability  : High Requires    : Advanced Armory, Arms Lab Upgrades    : Research Jet Packs - 35 Resources Research Heavy Armor - 40 Resources

Allows you to research these 2 technologies and deploy them around the Prototype Lab. Thats really all it does. Read the Jetpack and Heavy Armor sections for more details.

Phase Gate_____________________________________________________________________

Cost        : 15 Resources Function    : Instantly teleports players Can be placed: Anywhere Durability  : Medium Requires    : Observatory, Phase Gate Technology Upgrades    : None

These act as warp portals around the map. So if you put a Phase Gate in your base, and one in a hive, pressing use on the Phase Gate will warp you between them. You can have as many as you want, but dont go overboard, since you'll just cycle through all the gates you've placed until you finally get to the right spot. By that time, it may be dead. 2 or 3 is all you'll need, most likely. Recycle phase gates you don't use anymore to shorten trip time.

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================================================================== Commanding/Marine Strategies

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Okay, first and foremost. DO NOT GET IN THE CHAIR IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING! There is nothing more disheartening than seeing someone hop in the Command Chair and say "this is my first time guys what do i do". You get out of the chair is what you do.

Before you even attempt to Command, you must meet, in my opinion, 2 criteria. The first being you've played NS for at least a month. You know the ins and outs of the game pretty much like the back of your hand. You know what building does what, and when to do what. You've also most likely been involved in Marine victories. What did the commander do right in that game?

If you meet #1, theres one more step you should take. Start up a LAN game, and join Marines. Pull down your console and type "sv_cheats 1" without the quotes. This will let the game begin with no other players in the game. After typing sv_cheats 1, type "bigdig" without the quotes. This will cause all structures you drop to be instantly placed.

Use this time to get a feel for how Commanding works. "Simulate" a battle if you will. Drop 2 IPs, and an Armory. Wait for the "team" to stock up and have them move out and "secure" a res node. Get a feeling of how the res flows in a particular battle, and what you need to do.

Alright, feeling confident now? Do you have friends? Try commanding on LAN first. They'll be more forgiving than pub server players. Plus you'll have fun doing it.

If you don't have friends, my suggestion is to make some. But go ahead and try commanding anyway. Don't go with anything fancy here - this is your first time. Listen to what your team has to say, but take them as suggestions, not orders. Try your best. If you lose, well, it happens to even the best commanders. As long as people aren't saying "We had a nub comm", you did your job well. And if people say that anyway, you probably still did do a decent job. If you win, great! But know the next battle might not be as easy.

Alright, enough on that. Lets get to details:

--- Commanding-Specific Strategies ---

Hotkeys, hotkeys, hotkeys______________________________________________________

Ns 2.0 has a very nice commanding hotkey setup. The command buttons on the bottom are in a 4x3 grid. Well, instead of clicking each one, use your keyboard. By default, you have hotkeys to match the grid. Those being QWERASDFZXCV. See how they form that same grid? Use them well, they're much faster than fumbling around than the mouse.

Squads_________________________________________________________________________

Forming players into Squads can help keep you organized. To make a squad, highlight the players by clicking and dragging the mouse, and letting go when all you want are selected. Then hit CTRL+1, for example. You can have up to 5 squads, so CTRL+5 would work as well. To access all those players, just hit the corrosponding number on the keyboard.

Building Squads________________________________________________________________

Your not limited to just people when making squads. You can make building squads as well. Many people put Observatories in Squad 5, so they can quickly and easily scanner sweep without tracking those little buggers down on the map. This works great with other buildings as well, such as the Arms Lab.

Select All_____________________________________________________________________

See the picture up top of the little guy? That selects every Marine. Use this to give the entire team an order.

I need a Medpack Stat!_________________________________________________________

When someone requests a medpack or ammo, a button will appear on the side indicating as such. Press the jump key to zap to him instantly. Keep in mind a Medpack costs 2 res, and it may be cheaper just for him to die.

Move to your waypoint soldier__________________________________________________

Give people waypoints. It will let them know EXACTLY where you want them.

OMG COMM DROP ME A HMG LOLZ____________________________________________________

Yes. You will find people like this. Keep in mind 1 HMG costs as much as 2 Turrets... or 1 IP. Avoid handing out weapons to stupid people that will just go rambo and die. Your team should be more than welcome to make suggestions, but not orders.

Scaaaner Sweeeeep! *Bing!*____________________________________________________

Use the Scanner Sweep liberally. Most people just forget about it, and that hurts the team. If they have sensory chambers, use it whenever entering a new area. If they have the others, just use it randomly around the map to see where they're building up, especially in Hives.

Everyone shut up so I can hear the Hive!_______________________________________

Not exactly sure if this is intended, but you can easilly determine the Hive location by moving over to one of the possible spots. If you hear the throbbing sound a Hive makes, well then you've just found it. It is very soft though, so listen carefully.

Build Orders___________________________________________________________________

Before you start dropping stuff like a madman, decide on your build order. Are you going to make 1, or 2 IPs? Observatory or Arms Lab? Try to determine what best fits your team. The build order I usually do is 2 IPs, Armory, Observatory, Turret Factory, Turrets. Thats my "anti-sensory chamber" setup. But if the aliens drop one of the others, i'll usually forego the Observatory and Turrets and get an Arms Lab up. Then start upgrading. There is no perfect order, you just have to adapt to the situation.

Communicate!___________________________________________________________________

You depend on the team, the team depends on you. Talk with them. Let them know your strategy. They dont have hive site that tells them "Resource Tower is under attack!". You are their all-seeing-eye, so keep them informed of whats going on. Using Voice Comm is HIGHLY recommended.

--- Marine Strategies ---

Turret or not to Turret, that is the question__________________________________

Some people like to Turret the home base. I usually don't like to, unless the Aliens have Sensory Chambers. Otherwise they could pretty much just waltz in undetected. Neither choice is bad, just different.

Mines__________________________________________________________________________

Mines are a mixed bag. They do stop smaller aliens quite well. They of course, need to be replaced after they have detonated. Mines aren't all the uber weapon they were in 1.04, due to them hurting friendlies now. I rarely use them, but they can be a quick defense if your being attacked by aliens, and need to buy time to set up Turrets.

Mmmmm.... res *drools*_________________________________________________________

Its not so important that you have 6+ resource nodes like the Aliens. You can easilly pull off a successful game with only 3 nodes. This lets you defend the ones you have very vigorously. It is of the utmost importance that you get the double res node on the map, if it has one. Many do. Tanith, Hera, Mineshaft, Origin, Veil, and Caged come to mind. Having those 2 nodes in 1 place will allow you to concentrate your defenses in just 2 spots - the base and there - instead of 3 or more.

Weld those vents shut!_________________________________________________________

Something I rarely see people do is welding vents shut. On your map, you'll most likely see little stars on it, which corrospond to icons around the map. These are welding points. Most likely they weld vents shut, but other times they can do things like open doors. On maps like Bast and Eclipse, where vents lead to Marine start, I always drop a welder to close the vents ASAP. Restricting the number of ways the aliens can attack is a good thing.

Shotty Rush____________________________________________________________________

Is the Hive close? You may want to consider a Shotty Rush. Drop 1 IP, an Armory, and as many Shotguns as you can afford. Make SURE everyone stays together. Yell at teammates who wander off. Once everyone is loaded up, move on out. This is a huge gamble though. If it succeeds, you will win. Theres no way any Aliens can get a Hive up that early to stay alive. If it fails however, you'll have a very small base with virtually no res to expand it. I like Shotty rushes when the Hive is close, but I don't do it all the time. Did you know, assuming all pellets connect, it only takes 40 shots to take down a Hive? Thats only 1 clip for 4 people. And those are with un-upgraded weapons!

Hive Lockdown__________________________________________________________________

It is very important you lock down a Hive. 2 Hives you can handle, but the Aliens get their big guns on the 3rd. Early in the game, move your troops to a Hive and get it secured. If you can get a Hive and the double res node, all connected by Phase Gates and protected by Turrets, theres a very good chance you're going to win.

HA Train_______________________________________________________________________

Heavy Armor trains are devastating. If you outfit a lot of people with Heavy Armor, and good weapons, and send them all to a Hive, the results are usually quite good. Some things to remember though - ALWAYS move in a group. ALWAYS give them Welders to repair armor. ALWAYS scanner sweep their route. ALWAYS give them health when needed. ALWAYS give them ammo when needed. And last, but not least, mix up the weapons. Shottys are cheap, and very effective at both buildings and enemies. Half of my HAs have Shotguns, usually. HMGs are good against enemies, but not at buildings. One quarter of my HA train has HMGs. Finally, Grenade Launchers are good against buildings and large groups of enemies, but they have a long reload. One quarter of my HA train has GLs. This should be a pretty unstopable force.

Seige!_________________________________________________________________________

So you just can't get in that Hive to kill it eh? No problem. Kill it from outside. First, get near the Hive. Not in the same room as the Hive of course, but the room right next to it. Before sending anyone there, make sure you have resources - at least 75. Plop down a turret factory and upgrade it. Plop down normal turrets for protection. Plop down a Phase Gate. Every time you hit 40 res, plop down another normal turret. Once the TF is done, plop down 2 seiges. That should take care of things pretty quick.

Keeping troops alive during this time is very important. Be liberal with medpacks. Having 1 trooper welding everyones armor is a good idea as well. Just hold your position until you get those turrets up.

Jetpacks... the freshmaker!____________________________________________________

Yes, Jetpacks got nerfed. But they are still very potent as Onos killers. Most likely, when aliens have resources flowing, most will go Onos. Use this to your advantage. They have no anti-air capabilities, other than jumping and attacking in mid-air... which is quite funny.

One often neglected use of the Jetpack is the Jetpack rush. It is extremely potent, and can be accomplished with only 2 or 3 people. Outfit your group with Jetpacks and Shotguns. Have them fly to the nearest Hive, and land on top of it. Then just fire point blank into the Hive. I've found that Aliens rarely set up offensive towers inside their Hive area, since the constant influx of players make them pretty much useless. Even if they do set them up, their shots will be blocked by the Hive. Also, getting to the top of a Hive can be quite a challenge for an Alien. They are suspended from the ceiling, and often a bit of distance away from the walls. Skulks wont be able to get up there quickly, and die to 1 shotgun blast - Lerks can't do enough damage fast enough if the Comm is spamming medpacks - and its gonna take a lot of skill as a Fade to blink up there.

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================================================================== Alien Lifeforms

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--- Skulk - 2 Resources ---

Recommended Upgrades: Regeneration, Silence, Cloaking (Assassin) Carapace, Celerity, Scent of Fear (Grunt)

The lifeform everyone spawns as. I hope your good at this one, or otherwise your Alien career will be best spent as a Gorge. They have the ability to climb along walls and ceilings, allowing them to get into perfect ambush points. They move very fast, and are practically breaking the sound barrier with Celerity. They don't have much health, so avoid going up against a Marine at long range - because he'll kill you before you get anywhere near him.

Bite - 75 Damage_______________________________________________________________

The main attack of Skulk. It takes 2 to kill a Marine, and each armor upgrade they have allows them to take 1 more bite. Obviously, its a melee only weapon, so you'll need to get close. Biting also blocks your view temporarily, because apparently the Skulk's eyes are in the middle of its mouth... despite they're actually on his head. Anyway, get good using this weapon, because it's lethal in the right hands.

Parasite - 10 Damage___________________________________________________________

A handy little "attack". Basically, its a projectile you shoot out from your mouth, where upon contact with a Marine, they become parasited. Parasited Marines show up on your team's hive sight, so they know exactly where the Marine is at all times. Parasited Marines rarely live long, as your team can know exactly when to ambush him. If travelling with a group, they then give away the location of the entire group. The only way to remove the parasite is to die. You should parasite Marines whenever possible, especially those you know you won't be able to kill.

Of course, Parasites do an insanely small amount of damage... so if your able to parasite somebody to death, it should prove quite embarassing. ^_^

Leap - 4 Damage________________________________________________________________

Another one of the Skulks attacks that really isn't an attack at all. This attack makes the Skulk leap through the air very quickly, greatly reducing travel time. Leap can hurt someone however. That 4 damage can strike multiple times, depending on how long your pressing against someone while leaping. Still, its usually a better idea to use Bite.

Xenocide - 200 Damage__________________________________________________________

This is what makes Skulk useful in the end game. Xenocide takes away a large portion of your energy, but basically turns you into a time bomb. Upon activating, about 3 seconds later you'll explode violently, obviously killing yourself in the process. Of course, hopefully there are enemies in the area when you do this.

A very potent combination is to use Xenocide, and then Leap IMMEDIATLY after. This will let you get into position very quickly, and allow you to pretty much bypass any defenses.

--- Gorge - 10 Resources ---

Recommended Upgrades: Redemption, Celerity, Scent of Fear (Builder only) Regeneration, Adrenaline, Cloaking (Battle Gorge)

The backbone of the Alien team. These are the only lifeforms that can build, so they are essential if you want to win. Since everyone gets an equal amount of resource flow now, anyone can go Gorge and help the team. This is a great way for newbies to get used to the game, since you can help the aliens out, even if you suck at fighting. Read the Alien Structures section for more information.

Spit - 25 Damage_______________________________________________________________

The main attack of the Gorge, which you should probably never use. It moves pretty slowly, making it hard to hit any enemies. Its the only long range attack the Gorge has however. You should avoid all combat as a Gorge unless you have some help, but in case you do run into a Marine, the following attack is probably the one you should use.

Heal Spray - 16 Damage_________________________________________________________

This should probably be your weapon of choice as the Gorge. It allows you to heal all players and structures, which is a nice touch. It has an area of effect, meaning you can heal multiple things at once. This is a pretty good attack against a Marine. Since it is area of effect, you can dance and jump around like an idiot without really aiming. This is going to make you pretty hard to hit, so hopefully you'll be able to kill him before he kills you.

Bile Bomb - 200 Damage_________________________________________________________

A very under-used attack. If you played 1.04, you probably knew how potent this attack was as a Fade. Be warned though - in 2.0, it does not damage people, only structures. Theres nothing funnier than seeing a Gorge trying to Bile Bomb a Marine to death. It is still an extremely effective weapon, however. Since it has an arc like a heavy ball, you can Bile Bomb turret farms and other structures from a safe vantage point. It also has a pretty large area of effect, allowing you to take out many things at once, or take out a turret from behind cover. A single crafty Gorge can take down any Marine structure with this attack, provided nobody comes to intervene - so have an escape route handy.

Web____________________________________________________________________________

Not really an attack, but a potent defense nonetheless. A Marine caught in a web wont be able to shoot, and have his movement slowed to a crawl. This effect lasts for quite a few seconds. Obviously, this will cause any assault to pretty much stop in its tracks, and the victims will be easy prey. Each string of webbing will disappear after it has entangled someone, so they will occasionally need to be replaced. Also, there is a limit to how many webs each time can have, so don't go crazy. Welders and Grenade Launchers can destroy webs.

To use webs, simply fire at the points you want the web string to connect to. So if you want a web to stretch from the floor to the ceiling, simply fire at the floor, and then at the ceiling. Note that there is a limit to how long the string can be.

Webs and Offense Chambers can be lethal weapons. Simply create a web trap for Marines to stumble upon, and then put an offense chamber nearby.

Webs are also lethal to Jetpacks, since they'll simply fall if they hit one - and thus easy prey for Skulks, Fades, and other lifeforms.

--- Lerk - 30 Resources ---

Recommended Upgrades: Regeneration, Celerity, Scent of Fear

Meant as a long distance support class, this guy can also function alone if your good. Spores are lethal to the Marines, since they can make a large group of them easy prey. Spikes are the only long distance attack aliens have early on, and can take down turrets from relative safety. Umbra and Primal Scream allow you to be useful in the end game helping out the bigger guys. You probably won't get as many kills with the Lerk as other classes (if your doing your job that is), but you'll definently be helping out the team.

Spike - 16 Damage______________________________________________________________

Insta-hit projectiles that are pretty potent little weapons. You can shoot them pretty quickly, and they take little energy. Marines tend to have more armor than you do though, so don't try to go toe-to-toe with one unless your hidden, or he's weakened.

Spores - 14 Damage per second__________________________________________________

A great attack you'll be using a lot as a Lerk. This creates a cloud of gas at wherever you shoot, making life quite uncomfortable for any Marines in the vicinity. It doesn't damage them all that much, but it will probably take off about 1/4 of their life - leaving them easy to prey to the rest of your team, unless the commander starts to waste resources on Medpacks. So either way, you win.

A very potent, albeit a bit annoying attack is to hide in a vent near the Marine base and shoot spores everywhere, in particular the armory. If they want to get ammo, they'll get hurt - if they wait for it to wear off before getting ammo, that will be a lot of wasted time - and if they run off without getting ammo at all, they'll run out pretty quickly. Bast and Eclipse come to mind for this strategy.

Spores also do not stack - so be sure to spread them out! If you want to further damage Marines in a spore cloud, switch to spikes.

Umbra__________________________________________________________________________

This shoots out a cloud just like Spores, but this is one you'll want to shoot at your teammates. This cloud blocks 2/3rds of any bullets that pass into it. A Lerk spraying Umbra is pretty much required if you want to take down any turret farms. The cloud only lasts for 3 seconds, so replace it often. If a Hive or other structure is being shot, casting Umbra on it will make the attackers' jobs much harder. Umbra does not effect non-bullet weapons.

Primal Scream__________________________________________________________________

A handy little attack that increases the movement speed, energy regeneration, and attack speed of any alien in the area. It also only lasts a few seconds, so be sure to scream again every once in a while. Any aliens that are effected will scream in reply, which just sounds cool if theres a lot of friendlies around.

--- Fade - 50 Resources ---

Recommended Upgrades: Carapace, Adrenaline, Scent of Fear

My personal favorite class, provided I have Adrenaline. The best way to use these guys are as Guerilla troops - blink in, do some damage, blink out, and heal. This guy is pretty much the only alien that can solo and do it well. Turret farms without phase gates easilly fall to the prey of the Fade, since you can keep widdling away at them until they die.

Slash - 80 Damage______________________________________________________________

Basically, a slightly more powerful version of the Skulk's bite. Unlike the Skulk however, you can almost always get close to use it - use Blink to almost instantly get in the enemy's face, and then just claw him to death. The main attack of the Fade, get used to it.

Blink__________________________________________________________________________

Oh man, I love this skill. This lets you move through the air at near light speed - just point and shoot. This lets you get into vents usually off- limits to higher classes, and lets you get pretty much anywhere very quickly. It uses quite a bit of energy, so try to have Adrenaline. Also, avoid holding the button down unless you REALLY need to get out of somewhere fast. Tap it for better results.

Metabolize_____________________________________________________________________

A skill that lets you heal yourself a small amount. And well, thats pretty much it! It will repair armor as well, so it lets you get back to 100% fighting condition anywhere on the map.

Acid Rocket - 50 Damage________________________________________________________

The only powerful ranged attack the aliens have. This attack is often essential to finish the game, to "snipe" turrets the Marines may have set up in their base. It has a good amount of splash damage, and moves a little slow. It acts pretty much like a rocket launcher from any FPS, so try to jump and aim for the floor around your enemy.

--- Onos - 100 Resources ---

Recommended Upgrades: Redemption, Celerity, Scent of Fear (Heavy Armor Counter) Regeneration, Adrenaline, Scent of Fear (Standard) Carapace, Adrenaline, Scent of Fear (Kamikaze Onos O_o) Regeneration, Silence, Cloaking (Scare the **** out of                                                      people!)

The heavy hitter of the alien team. Essentially walking tanks, they are the only effective counter to Heavy Armor. They are not the be all, end all unit though - they still need help from other lifeforms, especially Lerks, if they want to be effective. So just because you have 100 res doesn't mean you should use it all!

Gore - 90 Damage (double versus structures)____________________________________

Funny how most of the slot 1 attacks for aliens are melee type attacks. This is pretty much your standard melee attack, except its quite powerful, especially against structures.

Devour_________________________________________________________________________

This attack is just so much fun. Walk up to a Marine, and CHOMP - devour him whole. A Marine will lose 3 HP per second that is given to you. It also keeps the Marine out of commission for a pretty long time. This is the best and pretty much only effective counter to Heavy Armor that the aliens have. If you are killed during the time you are devouring a Marine, he will pop back out. Also, if you Redeem back to the hive, you will expel your tasty snack.

Stomp__________________________________________________________________________

Tired of all those pesky Marines running around you, making them pretty hard to Gore or Devour? Give em a good ol' stomping. This attack sends out a shockwave that freezes any Marines it hits for 3 seconds. They cannot fire during that time either. This of course makes them easy prey to Devour or Gore, so use it liberally. Stomp and Devour is an extremely effective way to kill Heavy Armor.

Charge - Incredible Damage_____________________________________________________

Charrrrrrge! Using this attack slowly drains your energy until its gone, and really boosts your running speed. Anything you run into during this time will be hurt, a lot. It works a lot like Leap, the more time you have pressed against something, the more it will be hurt. You can easilly mow through an entire squad before they knew what hit them.

If your having trouble keeping "pressed" up against a building or player, try crouching. This cuts your movement speed in half, but doesn't reduce the damage.

A very evil way to use Charge is in conjunction with a Sensory chamber. Attacking will usually uncloak you - but Charge works a bit differently. You only "attack" upon activating Charge. So, if you wait around a second, and then recloak, you can charge all you want completely cloaked! Adrenaline is pretty much essential if you do this, since you won't have as much energy as you usually would.

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================================================================== Alien Buildings

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--- "Advanced" Category ---

Resource Tower - 15 Resources__________________________________________________

Just like the Marine Resource Towers, these guys collect resources for your team. Losing one is not as much of a crushing blow it is to the Marine team, since Aliens tend to have a lot more. Still, they should be protected well.

Offense Tower - 10 Resources___________________________________________________

These potent little guys fire spikes that do 50 damage. They are very accurate, and 1 tower can hold off 1 or 2 Marines by itself. Its usually best to put them in groups of 2 or more though, so they can quickly kill any Marines before they do significant damage. You can also stack these on top of one another, but be sure to put the one on top slightly back away from the direction Marines will be attacking from, since the top tower could block the spike from the bottom one. These are the only static defenses the Aliens have, so when in doubt of what to build, spread these guys around. Offense Chambers only do half damage to heavy armor, as of 2.0.

Hive - 40 Resources____________________________________________________________

The most important building for the aliens. Each Hive allows the aliens to use another one of their attacks, have access to another upgrade chamber, and have another place to spawn. They have quite a bit of life, and the constant influx of players should keep them well defended - a few offense chambers couldn't hurt, however.

--- "Upgrades" Category ---

These chambers, in addition to having their own benefits, allow your team to purchase upgrades from them for 2 resources each. Each upgrade has up to 3 levels, represented by 3 or more of the respective chambers. You can only have 1 type of chamber per Hive, and as soon as 1 is dropped, the current Hive is "locked" to that chamber. So if someone built a Sensory chamber in the first 5 seconds of the match, the only upgrade tower you could have and purchase upgrades from is a sensory chamber until the 2nd Hive goes up. So choose wisely, and ask your team which one they want before building one!

Defense Chamber - 10 Resources_________________________________________________

These chambers heal any players or structures in their range. They are useful to set up portable "healing stations" at points throughout the map, as well as protecting offense chambers. The upgrades are as follows:

Carapace   : Increases your amount of armor and damage absorbtion at the cost of a slightly decreased movement speed. A higher level will increase your armor and damage absorbtion. Regeneration: Constantly restores your health and armor. A higher level will increase regeneration. Redemption : Once your life drops below the Redemption threshhold, which is              roughly 30%-40%, the Redemption process will begin. In a few seconds, you will be instantly zapped back to the Hive, saving your life. A higher level will decrease the amount of time needed to complete the Redemption process.

Movement Chamber - 10 Resources________________________________________________

My personal favorite 1st Hive Chamber, these give you a large energy boost when in their vicinity. They also let you teleport to any built hive instantly by simply pressing use on them. The upgrades are as follows:

Silence  : Allows your movement and attacks to be silent. A higher level will increase how silent you are, until you are completely silent. Adrenaline: Increases your energy regeneration rate. A higher level will increase that regeneration rate. Celerity : Increases your movement speed. A higher level will increase this movement speed.

Sensory Chamber - 10 Resources_________________________________________________

These chambers cloak any structures or players in its area. When cloaked, structures and players are roughly 90% invisible, so you can often run right up to a Marine and slash or bite him while cloaked. Cloaked offense chambers are a nasty surprise as well. Attacking will end the cloaking process. To re-cloak, you will need to stand still for a few seconds. The upgrades are as follows:

Cloaking    : Unlike Sensory Chamber cloaking, this is only activated while standing still. A higher level will decrease the amount of              time you need to stand still to cloak. You can walk while cloaking and remain so. Scent of Fear: Basically motion tracking for aliens. A very good upgrade, the only good one for sensory in my opinion. A higher level will increase the detection range. Pheremones  : A horrible upgrade, this basically leaves a trail of gas behind the Marines. I suppose you could follow them with that, but Scent of Fear can do this and much more. A higher level will increase the length of the trail.

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================================================================== Alien Strategies

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==================================================================

Skulk Rush!____________________________________________________________________

In 1.04, it was pretty much a requirement that the entire Alien team rushed the Marine base at the start of the map. It usually didn't kill them, but it slowed them down a lot. If you can get a lot of people to rush at the same time in 2.0, it can really surprise them. Still, since Marines get some res per kill, make sure its worth it.

Gorge Rush!____________________________________________________________________

Surprisingly, a very effective strategy! Heal spray heals friendlies as well as being an attack to your enemies... so what happens when you have a huge group of Gorges all heal spraying each other, running right towards your base? Well, the group is going to be near impossible to kill with just LMGs. After you've killed all the Marines, have 1 or 2 people go Skulk to kill the IPs. Extremely effective when done well.

Res Rush!______________________________________________________________________

The "standard" strategy in public games nowadays, because its easy and super effective. Too effective in my opinion. Everyone runs to a node. Goes Gorge. Drops a res tower. Go back to Skulk. It almost an instant, your team has captured every available node on the map.

Stealthy... like the Ninja_____________________________________________________

REAL ULTIMATE POWER!! Well, not really. If a Sensory Chamber is dropped first, its going to greatly influence how you play the game. Oddly enough, its the most defensive of all the chambers. Use Cloaking and Scent of Fear to hide outside their base and prevent them from expanding. Drop the chambers inside your hive and in other critical areas, so Skulks can get right in the enemies face before decloaking. It's really not a good idea to attack head on during this time, as you'll most likely just give the Marines more resources.

You have Movement, so MOVE_____________________________________________________

I love movement chambers so much at the first Hive. Their upgrades make Skulks very, very deadly. You wouldn't believe it at first, but silence really makes you a more effective killer, especially if you attack from behind. You could kill an entire squad of Marines without them even knowing! Celerity is a great upgrade for the Skulk as well. Theyre already hard enough to hit, theyre REALLY hard to hit when their speed has been upped. Celerity is also great for Gorges to run away from danger, and to get around the map faster. Celerity Skulks should go on the offensive, while Silenced ones lie in waiting. Once your team has Lerks and Fades, they'll have access to Adrenaline right off the bat, making them much more effective. If you go with the "standard" Sensory, Defence, Movement combination, you'll most likely be hurting in the later game, since Sensory loses its effectiveness once the Marines get an Observatory.

Defense that isn't so defensive________________________________________________

The Defense chamber is actually probably the most offensive based chamber. Regeneration can let a Skulk with patience eat an electric resource tower. Carapaced Skulks last significantly longer than normal, and your speed isn't reduced all that much. Redemption is pretty much useless until later game. No matter what chamber your team decides to go with for their first, they are all viable. There is no magical order, save the next strategy. Just use the ones that you have to your advantage.

Defense. 2nd Hive. Always.___________________________________________________

If you didn't drop a Defense Chamber for your first Hive, you must, and I stress this very much, drop one for your second Hive. You need some Oni to break the Marine stongholds, and Oni are pretty much useless unless they have Defensive upgrades to back them up.

Gorge - not just for building anymore__________________________________________

Once you get the 2nd Hive up, Gorges have access to the very potent Bile Bomb. This is bar none, the most effective way to get rid of turret farms. If you followed the best, in my opinion, chamber order, you should have Adrenaline and Regeneration. Duck in so only 1 turret sees you, Bile Bomb it, back off, heal, and repeat. Each Bile Bomb does 200 damage to structures, which is basically shooting Xenociding Skulks. Yeah. It hurts a LOT. If they have a Phase Gate however, you'll likely find resistance. Have a Fade or a few Skulks as escort. Bile Bomb is also ideal for taking out those pesky electrified Resource Towers your Skulks were getting zapped by.

The other turret killer________________________________________________________

You need a but more patience for this one, but it works. Spiking with the Lerk. Try to get just 1 turret to shoot at you, and spike it to death. Move out a bit more so again, only 1 shoots at you, and spike it to death. Rinse and repeat, and call in the heavy hitters to finish off the Turret Factory using the blind spot you made. Turrets also have a range, so if you can range them, thats even better.

The game has been going on for 3 hours because your stupid_____________________

Some people have experienced games where the Marines have just turret farmed so much, its impossible to clear them out. First of all, your entire team using Redemption Oni just won't cut it. Redemption saves your life, but at a severe cost to your effectiveness. You often Redeem with a good portion of your life left. Then you have to heal up, and run allll the way back.

Regeneration runs on percentages, so it will make you near godlike unless your really being pounded. A Gorge following you with Adrenaline using Heal Spray certainly wont hurt. A Lerk spraying UMBRA, NOT SPORES, is pretty much essential. The rest of the team should be doing the real damage with Bile Bomb, Bite, Gore, whatever you have. Its not that the Marines are hard to kill, its just that you have to use teamwork to do it.

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================================================================== Map Specific Strategies

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ns_nancy... may you rest in peace. Best NS map ever.

--- ns_bast ---

Get the hell out of Rine start_________________________________________________

Its awful! Way too many entrances, and its slightly cramped. Not good at all for Marines. Atmospheric is a great choice. Other inventive ones are the Tram Tunnel, right in the middle. Lets see a Skulk get to your base then. Or even better, the Refinery Hive. Nice and open.

If attacking Refinery, get Jetpacks____________________________________________

Refinery has to be the worst hive in NS for aliens. Wide, wide open. Jetpacks will tear aliens up like none other, so get them.

Know thy vents_________________________________________________________________

Bast has a cool vent system that can get you from 1 place to another pretty quick. You'll be at a big advantage if you can exploit them.

Hold your breath!______________________________________________________________

Theres an underwater tunnel underneath the Feedwater Hive that leads to Refinery. It's a fast way to get there. The catch? Marines won't survive it, they'll drown. Other aliens will run low on oxygen, so they'll have to wait a second for their health to restore.

Bile from the vent_____________________________________________________________

Marines dumb enough to stay in Marine start? Goood. Dumb enough to weld the vent closed? Excellent. You see, even with that vent closed, theres a small slit you can Bile Bomb their base through. So go Gorge and run up that vent. Drop an OC and DC/MC at the top of the ramp - sometimes Marines like to sneak up the vent to kill you, the OC chamber will take care of that. And, Bile Bomb away! LMGs and HMGs are innaccurate enough that few bullets will pass through the slit. GLs will mess you up fast though, so run like a sissy if they start lobbing nades.

Funniest. Strategy. Ever.____________________________________________________

Those dumb marines... still in Marine start? Humiliate them. You'll probably need 100 res for this, so its an endgame thing. But its much more devastating than an Onos! You know that elevator near Marine start? Build a SC, if possible, near the bottom. This is mostly for you to hide if in trouble. The Marines probably have an Observatory, so you'll need to back up a bit to cloak. Anyway, take almost all your res and build OCs on the elevator. Make sure its down first :-p. You can cram 8-10 on there. Build a few DCs down at the bottom too. Now, all set up? Press the elevator button. They all rise up and spike the rine spawn to death =D. OCs getting hurt? Press the button and bring them back down for healing!

--- ns_caged ---

Relocation - risky, but it could work__________________________________________

The Marine start isn't too bad. It is mostly open. But there are some inventive spots to relocate too. One being behind Processing, in the halls near those weldable grates. You can build your base there a while before being noticed. None of the hives, except for Generator, are really open, but Generator has no nearby res nodes.

Weld Vents_____________________________________________________________________

The vents in this map provide extremely fast access to different hives. WELD- THEM-SHUT. Especially the one in Shipping and Lower Sewer. Cut them off ASAP.

Sniper_________________________________________________________________________

Have MCs? Be a Lerk. Get on top of the pipe thats near the main drag from Marine Spawn leading to sewer. Get Silence. You can snipe with Spikes from that pipe a long time before being noticed. Just be sure not to spore - it will give away your position. You may want to drop chambers up there to help you out. You can also put offense chambers up there for an unpleasant surprise.

Get that double node!__________________________________________________________

Processing is right in the middle of the map, and is a double res node. It would be nice if you could get that. If the other team has it locked down though, leave it be. Its not worth sacrificing yourself and giving the enemies res.

--- ns_eclipse ---

For the love of god. WELD HORSESHOE!__________________________________________

As SOON as the map starts, get an Armory and drop a welder. Get the vent at Horseshoe welded ASAP. Lerks can get in that in spore you to death fast, and your pretty much sunk until you get GLs or JPs - not for a while.

Resource Tower is under attack!________________________________________________

The res nodes in this map are pretty hard to defend. Use this to your advantage. If your a Marine, Electrify them at first. Also, get a rambo whos a skilled player to go resource tower hunting. This will put you at a huge advantage. As an alien, get the 2nd Hive ASAP so you can Bile Bomb those electrified resource towers.

Jetpacks, not HA_______________________________________________________________

All 3 Hives in this map are fairly open, especially Computer Core. Jetpack/ Shotties are your main weapon of choice here, not HA.

Early Turret Killing___________________________________________________________

There are a lot of oppurtunities in this map to outrange turrets, or creep out of vents to only be visible to 1. A patient Lerk can spike Turrets to death, leaving a blind spot that leaves the TF open to attack.

--- ns_hera ---

Marine Spawn = evil____________________________________________________________

Like bast, get the hell out of there. It's not a good place to be. Holoroom would be an ideal place to relocate to, since its open and has double res. You want this place. Bad. Group up and try to relocate to Holo. It's quite hard for the Marines to win without it.

Hide in the shadows____________________________________________________________

The tunnel at the bottom of the elevator near Marine spawn is an awesome place to hide and bite passing Marines, with or without cloaking. It's very, very dark down there, so use that to your advantage.

OMG J00 NUB!___________________________________________________________________

You can do some evil stuff outside of Marine spawn, where their res tower is.