HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newbies

Moderators: GSH, VSMIT, Red Devil, Commando

User avatar
MrTwosheds
Recycler
Posts: 3059
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2011 8:37 am
Location: Outer Space
Contact:

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by MrTwosheds »

I have this in my BZKeys file for years now and was under the assumption it did work, sure it doesnt?
The only way I could be sure of anything In this area is by doing tests with 10 players. I did attempt this with "the public" shortly after pb6.2 was released, but it was impossible to get any coherent info through all the chat/spamming/loling etc going on in a 10 player lobby/game. It is frequently impossible to pass to f7, under what conditions this happens I have no idea.
Really? Is F7 reserved by the game itself and thanks.
No it is not reserved, sometimes it can be occupied by both human and AI at the same time...
User avatar
Red Spot
Attila
Posts: 1629
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 6:14 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by Red Spot »

MrTwosheds wrote:No it is not reserved, sometimes it can be occupied by both human and AI at the same time...
Correct, forgat about that. Just select the units, hit ctrl and use the reticle to select the teammate, that or the other way around does work .. really got to get in game again soon .. ahem ..
User avatar
Nielk1
Flying Mauler
Posts: 2991
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:35 pm
Contact:

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by Nielk1 »

MrTwosheds wrote:No it is not reserved, sometimes it can be occupied by both human and AI at the same time...
The game reserves F-Slots based on an assumption of even human distribution among teams. Why we don't nix that and push the human selection keys to different keys I don't know. Then every player could have units from F1 to F10 no matter what the human player alliance count. The reason in the past for it was screen real-estate but I highly doubt people still play 640 by 480 now.

Also pulled the posts relevant to this topic out of the previous split and back into here.
M4BHoward
Sober Scav
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2011 3:14 am

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by M4BHoward »

Red Spot wrote:I have this in my BZKeys file for years now and was under the assumption it did work, sure it doesnt?

Code: Select all

// Teammate selection
Bind("-shift -ctrl F10", "control.team.toggle1");
Bind("-shift -ctrl F9", "control.team.toggle2");
Bind("-shift -ctrl F8", "control.team.toggle3");
Bind("-shift -ctrl F7", "control.team.toggle4");

// Teammate send units
Bind("-shift +ctrl F10", "control.team.moveto1");
Bind("-shift +ctrl F9", "control.team.moveto2");
Bind("-shift +ctrl F8", "control.team.moveto3");
Bind("-shift +ctrl F7", "control.team.moveto4");
And the rest, that does work for commands.

Code: Select all

// RS-V: added key to select all grunts at once
Bind("-shift -ctrl F12", "control.team.toggle1");
Bind("-shift -ctrl F12", "control.team.toggle2");
Bind("-shift -ctrl F12", "control.team.toggle3");
Bind("-shift -ctrl F12", "control.team.toggle4");

// RS-V: added key to select all grunts minus commander at once
Bind("-shift -ctrl F11", "control.team.toggle2");
Bind("-shift -ctrl F11", "control.team.toggle3");
Bind("-shift -ctrl F11", "control.team.toggle4");

// RS-V: Teamcolor Keys
Bind("+ctrl 6", "game.teamcolors 0"); //No Teamcolors
Bind("+ctrl 7", "game.setgameprefscolors"); //Localpref colors
Bind("+ctrl 8", "game.setservercolors"); //Servers Localpref colors
Bind("+ctrl 9", "game.setdefaultcolors"); //Default teamcolors
Bind("+ctrl 0", "game.swapteamcolors"); //Swap Teamcolors
My stock version of NewKeys did not have these lines... Thanks for the tip! :)

Now I should be able to give that blast tank to the last guy in the group.
User avatar
Red Spot
Attila
Posts: 1629
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 6:14 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by Red Spot »

Play around with the console commands, you can add quite a few things to a key. Most will be pointless, but some can be rather entertaining.
There is also an other file relating to keys that has some options in there you can mostly set from the options menu .. but not all of them are in the options page ingame, iirc.
User avatar
forgottengames
Sabre
Posts: 237
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2011 9:29 pm
Location: Sol-3

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by forgottengames »

Thanks for the guide, man. I wish that strat players would learn to use team-only filters and more professional tactics that were better communicated to their squadmates...
User avatar
Red Devil
Recycler
Posts: 4398
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:10 pm
Location: High in the Rocky Mountains

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by Red Devil »

an interesting game; sometimes, the only winning move is not to play.
User avatar
Zero Angel
Attila
Posts: 1536
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 12:54 am
Contact:

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by Zero Angel »

forgottengames wrote:Thanks for the guide, man. I wish that strat players would learn to use team-only filters and more professional tactics that were better communicated to their squadmates...
This is why, I believe, that voice chat is *essential* to play at your best. Knowing when your teammates are pulling out of combat, who they're following, what the status of the enemy base is, what weapons each enemy is armed with is key to making good decisions like when to engage, who to prioritize (as a target), what to prioritize (as an objective), when to execute a tactic (like a flank, covering an escape, etc).

A lot of us strat players use Teamspeak, as it seems much easier to be verbose about what's going on in the battlefield due to the higher level of sound quality and ability to maintain communications even when the game is interrupted.
M4BHoward
Sober Scav
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2011 3:14 am

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by M4BHoward »

Zero Angel wrote:A lot of us strat players use Teamspeak...
Sounds like a good idea... Which version do you recommend (2 or 3,) and how does it work anyway?
User avatar
Zero Angel
Attila
Posts: 1536
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 12:54 am
Contact:

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by Zero Angel »

Teamspeak 3 is the best version. Install and run it. Click on 'join server' and enter this as the server address you want to join.

ts3.chicagoshardcoregamers.com

Join the server, double click on the 'Battlezone 2' channel to enter it, and if your mic is set up properly you should be able to talk to us (if you have no mic, you'll only be able to hear us, but you can still text chat).

Also, click on the 'bookmarks' menu item and add the server to your bookmarks so you can quickly join it next time you launch TS3.
User avatar
MrTwosheds
Recycler
Posts: 3059
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2011 8:37 am
Location: Outer Space
Contact:

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by MrTwosheds »

And if your not using team speak DO NOT do the following...
Use your keybound text buttons to fill the chat screen with the same demand, telling me you need 2 pods 8 times in rapid succession will not get them built quicker.
Use your ability to type quickly to write a small essay on why you need 2 pods right now or how not having the gun of your choice is going to cost us the game.
Both of these idiotic actions simply destroy a teams communications and seriously disrupt a commanders ability to do what you want him to do.
2
will suffice as a request for 2 pods.
ch
will suffice as a request for a chain gun....
If a commander has to read a passage as long as this post, because you want 2 pods! he is not fighting or observing the state of play.
In future I will be using /ignore on anyone who is incapable of understanding this.
How to help your team in strat....SHUT THE F*%K UP!!!!
User avatar
forgottengames
Sabre
Posts: 237
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2011 9:29 pm
Location: Sol-3

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by forgottengames »

How to really play Strat for Newbies (according to Zero Angel and the {bac} Clan):

1. Attack enemy units ASAP, regardless of position or threat posed.
2. Travel to the end of the map to attack the opponent's deploying scavengers 1500m away.
3. Rush the enemy recycler after above steps are complete and if invulnerability is not enabled.
4. Be a complete high-and-mighty about your purported BZ2 strategy skills.
5. Ignore the fact that you've only deployed your recycler.
6. Flame other players who disagree with your tactics.

Thanks to players like you, Zero Angel, I've had to start every strat match with 5 minutes' recycler invulnerability and remove all vehicles, only allowing for pilots to spawn at the beginning. Build your base, THEN attack the enemy base. That's what an FPS+RTS is all about, isn't it? Otherwise it's no fun, isn't it? You might think I'm trolling or griefing, but I'm only telling the truth, and I believe many other seasoned players agree with me. So yes. Put this in your APC and transport it.
User avatar
Zero Angel
Attila
Posts: 1536
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 12:54 am
Contact:

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by Zero Angel »

forgottengames wrote:1. Attack enemy units ASAP, regardless of position or threat posed.
Eliminate anything that will threaten your income, including other players, scavengers, etc.
2. Travel to the end of the map to attack the opponent's deploying scavengers 1500m away.
Eliminate the enemy's sources of income and diminish their ability to fight back. Good pool work is a critical aspect of any strat game.
3. Rush the enemy recycler after above steps are complete and if invulnerability is not enabled.
If enemy base doesnt have sufficient defense, then attacking it to slow down their teching ability is usually a good choice, so long as you can get out alive and not drop them loose scrap to rebuild.
4. Be a complete high-and-mighty about your purported BZ2 strategy skills.
TOTALLY OPTIONAL!
5. Ignore the fact that you've only deployed your recycler.
If you want to..
6. Flame other players who disagree with your tactics.
Crying about things being unfair is not a good way to gain respect. God forbid players should personally attack anything on the field.

If you don't being 'owned' right away, go play MPI. Its an easier game mode with more adjustable difficulty than strat games which usually have an extreme level of difficulty. Plenty of games with players on the higher end of the skill spectrum have all of the above, and still end up with assault units and turrets being employed to hold ground and seige the base. Think of BZ2 strat like more 'squad oriented combat' with some RTS elements than a true RTS game.

Thanks to players like you, Zero Angel, I've had to start every strat match with 5 minutes' recycler invulnerability and remove all vehicles, only allowing for pilots to spawn at the beginning. Build your base, THEN attack the enemy base. That's what an FPS+RTS is all about, isn't it? Otherwise it's no fun, isn't it? You might think I'm trolling or griefing, but I'm only telling the truth, and I believe many other seasoned players agree with me. So yes. Put this in your APC and transport it.
I don't think you're trolling, I just think you're bitter about being utterly decimated by players far above your skill level. You can host games with 'noob rules' if you want, to make the start a little more relaxed, its just that most strat players participate in faster-paced games. Some stick through it and get better , and others demand that people change the game to suit their preferences, because their egos mistake that they're not yet good at the game as a personal failure -- and they cry about it on forums that its based on unfairness. It's not. Improve your dogfighting, commanding, and field tactics. In other words, L2P.
User avatar
Red Spot
Attila
Posts: 1629
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 6:14 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by Red Spot »

Zero Angel wrote:I don't think you're trolling, I just think you're bitter about being utterly decimated by players far above your skill level. You can host games with 'noob rules' if you want, to make the start a little more relaxed,
No you cant, as then some individuals might find it fun to wreck your game, as you do not play conform their rules ...
User avatar
MrTwosheds
Recycler
Posts: 3059
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2011 8:37 am
Location: Outer Space
Contact:

Re: HOW TO: Help your team in Strat - A guide for strat newb

Post by MrTwosheds »

Their not ZA's rules or anybodies rules, its just what happens when strats gets competitive, ZA is a nice considerate player and usually tries to make a game of it, he does not just win one dogfight and move his starting turrets to the enemy rec like some players do...
No regular players start strats in vehicles other than scouts, because its just asking to be destroyed straight away, Sabre's make turrets useless as a defence and maulers are just game over.
The general principles are.
That you don't attack the first 2 scavs, while they are collecting within the base area, this is to prevent the game failing straight away.
That you do not seriously attack the enemy recycler until one side has chain guns.
The first dogfight is critical in gaining the advantage, be the one who still has a ship at the end of it. If that is unlikely, try to get shot down near your own base so you can scav the scrap up quick to build another scout.
Full scouts are better than empties, try to be in one, build as quick as you can to get a blast tank/blink warrior, if you get that far you have a some chance of winning. Otherwise you will just have to practice being good at losing, this is an essential skill to learn, you need to know how to fight off the enemy and turn things round, it takes quite a while to learn. Many players don't bother, they are called Quiters and I hate them. :lol:
There are some fearsomely good players out there, don't fool your self into thinking your going to beat them any time soon, figure out who is worth playing with and who is not. ZA is worth playing with, some other are not and will let you know about it.
I quite like a slower paced game every now and then and am often "nice" to new players, even if they let me start in a mauler :twisted:
Post Reply