Your favorite tips and tricks

[T.L.22]

On Refinery, as an alien I like to hide on the ceiling in the room that the marines more often than not camp in, the room with the ramp and the catwalks (not the room with the smartgun). You're hidden in the dark and most marines don't know to look all the way up, what with being too focused on the walls and floors. From this vantage point I like to focus pounce on the marines at random.

Now that strategy alone will get you killed. The real trick is that you don't finish the marine that you just pounced off since that would just lock you into melee and have you shot in the back by his friends. Instead what you do is leap straight back up onto the ceiling and reposition yourself for another pounce. The marine you just hit will want to heal, and the others will be looking for you, so make sure you don't attack someone who's blocking. Just rinse and repeat. If marines are camping in that room and you'll rack up that kill streak so long as you're quick on your escape. I've taken on about 5 or so marines at once and beaten them with this method.

Which brings me to my other tip as an alien: run away! Think of the alien as a bullet. If you hit the first time, feel free to mess your target up. However, if you MISS your attack, either leap onto whatever ceiling or wall is closest to you and sprint away. If you're not close to a wall then just skip ahead to sprinting away. It does you and your team no good to increase the other teams' frags. You can always set up another attack run if you mess it up, but only if you're alive.

Oh T.L., it's easy to say run away but the predator will just engage in melee or plasma you on the way out if you miss.

You're an alien. Why does anyone, nevermind just the predator, even see you coming or going? Quit running around in the open, you look stupid. You're supposed to be sneaky, like a ninja. Ninjas don't take their opponents on head on. And if those bullies are catching up to you... well, they shouldn't be. You're the fastest kid on the track team. Quit being silly.

These things keep my pace going when I play as a bug, though my preference is marine. It's so much more satisfying taking down these badass monsters when they can rip me to pieces in a moment.

[Stalker]

These things keep my pace going when I play as a bug, though my preference is marine. It's so much more satisfying taking down these badass monsters when they can rip me to pieces in a moment.

Except for those occasions when a human just bitch slaps a xeno onto the floor like it's a little girl with the apparent strength of Hercules.

I find the marines pretty satisfying to play as well, especially when there's in-fighting between other players. The double kills rack up so easily.

[brennan4]

These things keep my pace going when I play as a bug, though my preference is marine. It's so much more satisfying taking down these badass monsters when they can rip me to pieces in a moment.

Except for those occasions when a human just bitch slaps a xeno onto the floor like it's a little girl with the apparent strength of Hercules.

I find the marines pretty satisfying to play as well, especially when there's in-fighting between other players. The double kills rack up so easily.

you have to keep a certain distance. To close to be shot but far enough that they can't slap you.

[AvatarIII]

the only tip i have, as a predominantly marine player... always be ready to run away, and always run away backwards, and run away as soon as your tracker beeps. don't bother waiting to find out where your enemy is, they will reveal themselves faster by chasing you than you looking for them.
You see people who try to turn around and sprint away from aliens or preds, "because sprinting is so much faster than normal walking speed" when a) sprinting or not, you are still slower than either species, b) both species can stealthkill from behind, c) motion tracker reads forwards only, and d) your eyes only see forwards and e) it takes precious time to turn around.

i pretty much swear by this tactic in both survivor and mp.

[Corporal Hicks]

you have to keep a certain distance. To close to be shot but far enough that they can't slap you.

See where my tip is run into the heavy attack and make sure you get that counter in there.

[MadassAlex]

I play primarily as the Alien, when I can (obviously, if you're halfway familiar with me, I guess).

• The floor sucks. Use it as little as possible. When you don't have to use it, use walls, ceilings and your incredible jump distance to traverse terrain. Most FPS players, even AvP veterans, are mostly used to fighting-off gravity-found adversaries, so this becomes both a surprise and evasion tactic built into one.
• The Alien isn't so much an organism as it is a weapon, so think like one. Don't get into extended combats where possible; choose the best opportunity to strike and press your advantage.
• Think ahead. Thanks to its wall-crawling and insane speed, the Alien is the "dominant" life-form in this game. By that, I mean that it often gets to choose the circumstances of battle in interior settings. Take advantage of this and try to guess at your adversaries' thought processes. Set up expectations and subvert them at a critical moment. Marines and Predators, in comparison, can't be as aggressive as you and are forced to react to your tactics, given your superior initiative.
• Since you're the one class that has to close the distance, you're at your most vulnerable in larger matches. Adapt your aggression-patience ratio to the kind of match you've got. A full server provides a lot of opportunity to rack up the kills, but there's a lot to be wary of as well. Smaller matches or secluded map sections (such as those that appear in Pyramid) are your bread and butter.

Ultimately, this all boils down to one point:

Take the superior position. You're faster and more agile than anyone else in the game, so put the pedal to the mettle and take initiative. You are the lightning bolt that strikes from a clear sky.

[brennan4]

I play primarily as the Alien, when I can (obviously, if you're halfway familiar with me, I guess).

• The floor sucks. Use it as little as possible. When you don't have to use it, use walls, ceilings and your incredible jump distance to traverse terrain. Most FPS players, even AvP veterans, are mostly used to fighting-off gravity-found adversaries, so this becomes both a surprise and evasion tactic built into one.
• The Alien isn't so much an organism as it is a weapon, so think like one. Don't get into extended combats where possible; choose the best opportunity to strike and press your advantage.
• Think ahead. Thanks to its wall-crawling and insane speed, the Alien is the "dominant" life-form in this game. By that, I mean that it often gets to choose the circumstances of battle in interior settings. Take advantage of this and try to guess at your adversaries' thought processes. Set up expectations and subvert them at a critical moment. Marines and Predators, in comparison, can't be as aggressive as you and are forced to react to your tactics, given your superior initiative.
• Since you're the one class that has to close the distance, you're at your most vulnerable in larger matches. Adapt your aggression-patience ratio to the kind of match you've got. A full server provides a lot of opportunity to rack up the kills, but there's a lot to be wary of as well. Smaller matches or secluded map sections (such as those that appear in Pyramid) are your bread and butter.

Ultimately, this all boils down to one point:

Take the superior position. You're faster and more agile than anyone else in the game, so put the pedal to the mettle and take initiative. You are the lightning bolt that strikes from a clear sky.

Very well put.

[Richardus]

Alien
•Attack opposed players who are fighting each other when they are most vulnerable  to attack
•Be stealthy and patient (which can be hard when voice says "5 min" reaming) which kind of ruches you.
•Keep on move
•Don't go out in the open
•Remain in packs with your teammates
•Use your environment e.g. walls and  ceilings

Marine
•Fire upon opposed players who are fighting each other when they are most vulnerable  to attack  - using grenade would be handy
•If someone going to heavy attack you give them a good nudge which could buy you some time to open fire or block their light attack, which the usually do in response
•Keep your flash light off when in the open as this can give your position away from  a distance
•Stay with your team
•Keep on move and stay alert
•Avoid close quarter corridors as you are asking to be tail attacked from above

Thanks for tip Hunter158 really useful

[IRL_Calibre]

the thread  asked for tips & tricks but here's my guide for nub Marines..

Keep moving  - even from side to side when making a stand (camping)

keep checking behind you 180 degrees regularly. if making a stand it's best to choose an area where you're not  vulnerable from behind!

always pick up a secondary weapon, ALWAYS! I use mouse wheel up & down to switch between it and my pulse rifle - I prefer usually sniper / shotty depending on map, very rarely would I pick up the "flamethrower" or, "smartgun".

allocate the health stim to a quickly accessable key - I use "Q" as I use a traditional WASD key set up, this means quick healing without losing movement.

always health stim (if required) / reload (always required!) at the first opportune moment. if playing Species Death match find other Marines to cover you while you do both actions if required.

it's best to keep your torch off as much as possible in death match.

You can move at THREE speeds, when you walk you can hear way more than if you Jog (default) or sprint (because of your heavy breathing & grunting which blocks out alot of ambient sound & gets worse the more you exert yourself) - get a good set of headphones!! also, always remember YOU CAN'T SHOOT WHEN SPRINTING   you can instantly open up on your target when walking or jogging

learn to Block (hold melee key) & counter (tap melee key)- if you sucessfully counter with a knock down, don't move your mouse as it auto aims you directly on your victims head just press fire.

It's quicker & more effective to Block-->Counter--->switch weapon than it is to Block--->Counter--->Reload

Some times it's better to Block--->counter--->Heal * don't worry someone else will finish off the xeno/pred you knocked on its butt * and live to fight another day, than it is to Block--->Counter--->switch weapon/reload.

a well timed strafe jump, left or right, will a lot of the time save you from a heavy attack death. Much better than trying to counter punch, which usually equals death 99% of the time in multiplayer! also a strafe jump is good for avoiding plasma... sometimes.. also you can shoot pred mines to trigger them.

[Xeno Killer 2179]

Marines:

General

1.Turn off you flash light if you don't think anyone has seen you. I've spotted countless marines from a distance thanks to the shoulder lamps alone.

2.Always make regular weapon pick ups when safe. I always grab grenades and a shotgun I like to keep handy for close encounters.

3.Watch out for laser beams and hidden enemies. I've been killed a number of times by preds who ran past me, cloaked around the corner and got a stealth kill as I walked past.

4.The smartgun and sniper should only be used in special circumstances. They are less effective than the shotgun and pulse rifle most of the time.

[AcidGlow]

My tip - use a lag switch.   

[Taxemic]

Know your opponant and be unpredictable.

[brennan4]

Know your opponant and be unpredictable.

But if everyone takes your advice and is unpredictable, how can you know your opponent?

[Taxemic]

Know your opponant and be unpredictable.

But if everyone takes your advice and is unpredictable, how can you know your opponent?

I don't ride such a high horse that I expect 'everyone' to take my advice, but if someone did - well...it might just help win a match or two. And if you know that your opponant is being unpredictable, that can improve your chances too.The thread is called "Your favorite tips and tricks". I posted mine. I'm sorry if I've confused you.

[Adey]

As a Pred when you are in melee and there is a bit of distance between you and your opponent, at the point where your HA's wont hit and there is that awkward moment when you both are strafing with your block on, catch your opponent off gaurd by initiating a HA and run towards him/her just as your HA starts, you will find if they LA it wont connect, works really well on all enemy species especially marines who are good at countering. Thats my little tip for dominating in melee. Enjoy...ps only preds can sprint heavy.