Onslaught For Dummies (an introduction and reference)

[Purity_the_Kitty]

Well, I noticed something yesterday; we had a huge inflow of new players! So...I think it's a good time to put together our best Onslaught advice in as undiluted a form as possible. We should probably also pin this thread, if it goes well - just so we can direct newbies to the forums and give them a good introduction to Spam Vikings Onslaught.

Objectives - For those who don't know Onslaught, the objective is to destroy the other team's power core. This is done by building power nodes one by one following links, in order to gain control of a link to the enemy's power core. Once this is done, you can attack it and deal it damage.

Nodes - Nodes are those platforms with the holograms above them; they always look the same regardless of the map (at least so far). These have health bars, visible by looking at them (regardless of whether or not your team controls it, you can see its health). To build a node, step on the platform. Once its health bar reaches full for the first time, it becomes active. After it takes damage, it won't go inactive until totally destroyed.

Linking - LINK THOSE NODES. To build a node faster (and they build very slowly on their own), shoot it with the secondary fire of the Link Gun. Remember that the link gun's power increases exponentially when other people form a chain with you; the best way to link is o -- o -- o --( ) where the small o's are guys and ( ) is the node. Linking up in stars or other patterns is less effective for building the node. When people are dodging around, however, efficiency isn't always the most important thing; dead guys don't build nodes.

Tips on Linking - IGNORE THE ENEMY until the node is built. If they're shooting at you, and not the node, try to get it built. Dodge around, keep linking that node. If it goes up, help can spawn, or at the very least you can get a vehicle to help deal with the enemy. That, and it also helps your team out immensely.

We need someone better than me to talk about overall strategies. I tend to go with the flow when I see the map and what my teammates are doing rather than just call out a starting strat. Torlan-style maps are obvious; attack on 2 fronts, putting greater pressure on wherever their defence is failing, while making sure your defence stays strong. Larger maps tend to require a lot more thought.

Combat and Delaying - Delaying enemy vehicles is GREAT. If you're alone and on foot, and see several enemies, try to hold them up if you're not doing anything else at the moment, or are on defence. You don't have to kill them, in fact when it's 5 or 6 on 1 you're doing to die, but gaining 30 seconds or even a whole minute by firing grenades or mines or even bio or flak shells from behind some rocks can really help, as can just jumping out and spamming rockets before ducking back behind something. Don't worry about killing them; just make them come after you, then hide again and attack them from another angle. This works best on maps with a lot of cover and few vehicle paths, like Dawn.

[Gorzakk]

Help your team not your score. Link up, heal vehicles, and back up your team-mates. Dont waste vehicles! If you get a tank stuck shoot at the floor nearby and blow it up. Dont let it fall into the hands of the enemy. If someone is camping with a hellbender DONT get in and drive off with it. If you are in a tank DONT use your friendly scorpions for target practice, you will irritate the hell out of the scorp driver. People can ride on mantas. If there are few vehicles around jump onto the manta roof and look to see if anyone else can drive it.

NEVER EVER EVER get in a levi and then GET OUT of it to defend against attacking raptors. Someone will steal it and devastate your own team with it.

Most importantly have fun and dont worry about being crap. :cheers: Its never how good you are its how fun you are to play with.

[zeus]

Linking - LINK THOSE NODES. To build a node faster (and they build very slowly on their own), shoot it with the secondary fire of the Link Gun. Remember that the link gun's power increases exponentially when other people form a chain with you; the best way to link is o -- o -- o --( ) where the small o's are guys and ( ) is the node. Linking up in stars or other patterns is less effective for building the node. When people are dodging around, however, efficiency isn't always the most important thing; dead guys don't build nodes.

Is this true about the formation?? I have read in other places that the formation does not matter, just the total amount of people linked. If so, that is a very helpful peice of information.

As far as strategy goes, I think that it is hard to give out map specific information because you never know who you are playing with on a public server. So, even if you had the perfect strategy it may not work because no one else knows about it.

However, a couple of things to look for. After a while you start to recognize the maps and know some of the tips and tricks of them. But, when you first get into a map, study the node links a bit. Look for anything obvious such as choke points. These can kill you if you are not paying attention.

Keep an eye on the minimap all the time because you never know what is going on in other places of the map. If I notice that node is repeatedly being hit, the next time I spawn I may go to that node to see if it needs to be healed. Remember what purity said above, a node is linked until it is completely destoryed, so you need to prevent that. Take 10 seconds out and heal a damaged node.

Another thing to look for is how offensive or defensive minded your team is. Sometimes, you need to modify your normal attack behaviors for the good of the team. We got caught the other night on the ShipDock map. We had their power core down to 50% and we lost beacuse everyone was attacking their core and no one was defending. Then everyone went into panic mode. ;)

Another thing to keep an eye out for is changing your pattern of attack. Alot of people, just like in DM, tend to follow the same pathways around a map. What this allows for, however, is a bit of prediction. So, people who are camping tend to rack up the points because they know how their oppenents are attacking.

Again, addressing what Purity said above, delaying can be a great tactic. If you can distract 4-5 guys at a locked node and prevent them from attacking, you give your teammates that much more time to work with. However, I am not advocating spawn camping because that just gets annoying. Though a lot of people would view that as a valid tactic.

And repeating what Gorzakk said, don't worry if you are not a great player. Chances are, you are better than a stock bot. And, this is not a death match game, it is a team game. Try to help your team out. If you are just playing around, please don't shoot your own teammates off of vehicles or disrupt them. Even if you are not playing seriously, they probably are.

[Zax_Gentoo_Box]

A few tricks of the trade I've noticed...

When you're weapon is almost out of ammo (talking 1 or 2 shots left) THROW IT. If you do, next time you hit a locker, you'll get more ammo. Example being the Link Gun. The locker might give 130 for the link gun, but if you don't throw it, you'll only get 70.

LINK DA TANK! This goes greatest for Primeval, as you only get the tank from the middle, but it's for all maps.

Steal enemy vehicles you see lying around. Cicada, raptor, manta, LEVI, it don't matter the size, STEAL IT. Who knows? Maybe their strategy depended upon that vehicle. Now that you have it, it won't spawn at their base.

This is the one personal to me. Please, please, PLEASE do not use vehicles that you don't know how to drive. Til a few days ago, I didn't know how to drive the SPMA. I didn't get in one because it as aggravating. I learned, then I drove. Don't drive then learn. One of the most important things this goes with is the CICADA. On a map, people who play with me regularly might say I sound kinda like a broken record, so I just decided to shut up about it. The cicada needs a gunner. The gunner needs to know what their doing. The pilot needs to know what he's doing. If any of these is missing, you'll be shot down faster 'n' a monkey in a barrel that ain't moving.

My 2 cents.

[DW_WailofSuicide]

Some notes on Linking:

Linking nodes alone will get you a high score. It doesn't matter if you're good at killing other players -- If you spend the entire game hanging around and linking your team's nodes you will be valuable to have around and won't do too shabby in the score department. Remember that every second your nodes remain up gives your teammates another second to take the enemy's nodes down.

The most efficient linking pattern is indeed a line. Every person linked gets a 150% bonus in power from the person behind them. This means 1 person linking another person is as effective as 2.5 people firing separately. 3 people in a chain are as powerful as 4.75, and so on. However, keep in mind that oftentimes it's easier to just link the node -- Trying to link up with other people can waste a half second or more, and if the chain gets broken you have to relink.

A note about the above: The additional 50% bonus to each link in the chain only applies to the link gun secondary. The link gun primary fire has a power exchange ratio of 100% (not 150%). This means that when 5 people are shooting at a node with link primary, the damage done will be exactly the same whether those 5 are shooting separately or whether 4 are linking the 5th person. This doesn't mean that offensive linking is useless -- It's just that it requires specialized situations to really be useful. Example: When you're attempting to fire at a protected enemy node and there is only one position you can fire from without exposing yourself to enemy fire -- Link the person who is occupying that spot.

[DW_Ifondlesweaters]

One issue we need to school noobs on: don't bitch about spawncamping!

See "Vic" thread.

Also, make sure you always have at least 3-4 pair of dry socks because this jungle mud will rot your feet.

[Frenczy]

And also yell HEAD SHOOT alot when you are playing it get the blood pumping. LOL

[Namu]

My current understanding of the link gun is that it does not matter which formation you are in, you get the same boost. As for offensive with the link gun, I am pretty sure you get the same boost. This is just from what I have seen during our practices and tests. I know there are some sties that show extreme details about this, maybe we can get these posted in here.

I really hope they fix that in UT2007, the whole no points for linking others. It is these people who really turn the tide in the games. Definently die with your vehical, that is a game killer. Unless you know when the right time to get out is, die with that thing, b/c you will cause your team to hop to nodes.

Travel in pairs or small groups. You see that manta sitting there, hop on it, wait for someone to spawn and go as a team. The chances of accomplishing whatever it is you want to do will increase if some peeps have your back.

Have patience!!!!!! We will always have people who are playing for their own gain, are noobs, or are just there to piss people off. Loosing your cool and shouting out in voIP will help nothing ( I know I am a victim of this when someone jumped out a full levi and gave it to the enemy on grit nights) Just sit back and rember it is a game! (Right whurly :P)

[Zax_Gentoo_Box]

To quote a great Sergeant in Saving Private Ryan: Two men ya take the oppurtunity one man is a waste of ammo.

I also love this quote from the PS2 verion of Call of Duty2: Cuz we're the infantry, and God... loves... the infantry!

Off topic. But still cool.

[DW_Bomzin]

Should I link the node
short answer Yes
long answer see below. Taken from somewhere