Chamber Discussion

micr0c0sm · 03-14-2007, 02:32 PM

Reading a thread on the I&S forums made me want to get some chamber discussion going on TG.

http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/...owtopic=100740

I don't want direct replies to that thread, but I do want peoples opinions on 3.2 specifically in regards to chamber balance.

I want people talking about the benefits and drawbacks of each chamber, in as many situations as possible, when concerning an individual lifeforms role and the teams role.

For example, I argue that SC is a great first chamber for skulks who are focusing on hitting RTs , and possibly map control due to SoF. For the team, you lose the speed of response that MCs usually provide. For the early fade, you are not so much the uber-agressive map denier, so much as the scalpel for the surgery of your team (promotes communication, etc).

Now obviously there can be 3x the analysis on JUST the first chamber being SC and skulk / lerk / fade / gorge roles and benefits. You can talk about map control, res control, pace control, ambushes, response and denial, individual 1v1 or 2v1 field fights, etc. And as the game progresses (usually signified by a1/w1 followed by 30-60 seconds later hive2) the discussion grows exponentially. But you understand the context I am trying to outline. So post away!

p.s. My current view: All three chambers are balanced and viable in any order of the game, the only requirement is a bit of planning and teamwork and individual restraint (part of teamwork) to prove the balance. I like this because it shows the potential of a very varied game while still being balanced, kinda reminds me a bit of the dynamicism of 2.01, but without the need for teamstacks to make it an even game.

micr0c0sm · 03-17-2007, 05:35 PM

Now that I think of it, this seems to be a better wiki entry, and maybe this thread could be closed or discussion about the wiki entry. I'll get to it someday.

ChopStick · 03-19-2007, 11:22 PM

Well micr0, you have brought up a big issue here so I'm just going to deal with a small part of it; maybe if we all address a small part of it we can make that wiki entry.

How your first chamber choice affects your second hive defence:

Movements:

Movements are a great all around chamber for any lifeform. When defending your building second hive movements allows for quick movement to the building hive from well placed mcs around the map. This means your lifeforms can be out hitting nodes/containing marines but quickly get back to the hive if a pg goes up or a pressure team is coming. More importantly however it allows for the movement out of the building hive. This is key for allowing aliens to go back to the main hive and heal quicker than with a gorge. Another situation that may also arise is your entire team ends up in the building second hive and marines do a rush on your first hive. With movements this is not a big problem.

In the event of a siege movements allow your gorges to effectively heal the hive and lifeforms without running out of energy. Your skulks can grab celerity for direct attack or, more effectively, silence and flank through vents. Your fade will have celerity which means they can dart in and out quicker and will take less damage. And your lerk will either have celerity or adrenaline; either way a well placed movement chamber allows for excessive gas. So everyone gets something with movements first.

Sensory:

Your second hive defence with sensory is best sumarized by: "the best defence is a good offence". With well played scs, or a hive gorge with sent of fear, your main goal is preventing any siege/push on the second hive.

In the event that a siege is established, a lerk with sent of fear and a focus fade creates a very effective combo for killing marines. Skulks with cloaking will initially be a nuissance but most commanders will make building an observatory near the siege an early priority. If sieges do get up, healing will be harder since gorges will eventually run out of energy (and this also means lifeforms won't be getting healed). The loss of your fade will spell almost certain failure of the hive defence. So in terms of second hive defence vs. a siege sensory is probably the worst chamber.

Defence:

Defence chambers are going to be incredibly useful for your second hive defence. While your skulks suffer a little with the lack of silence (flanking ability), your higher lifeforms will be tough to kill. Low hp lifeforms can heal at dcs as supposed to wasting the gorges energy.

In the event of a siege, a single gorge and chamber can heal a hive rediculously fast. While the gorge will run out of energy eventually, lifeforms can still heal either off of local defence chambers or with regeneration. The sucess/failure of the siege will depend on if the marines can create enough damage to overcome the rediculousness that is the healing power of defence chambers.

Comments/disagreements welcome.

Kerostasis · 03-21-2007, 02:07 PM

General suggestion: Any time someone adds info to a Wiki entry, stamp it with the NS version you are commenting on. That way when people come back in a year and say "why is he telling me Onos only have 800 health?" they can look at the version-stamp and see, "Oh, hes talking about v2.01 and I'm playing 3.2!"