Lord_Xan
20 Apr 2005, 18:00
The ideas in here have been banging around in my head for a while, so I thought I'd finally share them. This should give players a broader tactical overview than the individual tips in Cat's ONS guide.
Playstyle
Knowing your playstyle can be quite beneficial as it allows you to concentrate on what you're good at. More importantly, it helps to make your ONS games more fun as you'll get a greater sense of accomplishment out of your games. :)
The way I'm approaching this is by looking at your score, your deaths and your net efficiency, as well as the relationship between those three numbers.
Categories
Newbie: Low score, High deaths, Low/Negative net efficiency
This is admittedly the worst place to be. The low score and low/negative net efficiency means that you're not contributing a great deal to the success of your team. Don't be discouraged though! Take a step back and ask yourself if Onslaught is really your type of game. If you feel it is, it's time to brush up on your skills. The most important areas to practice in are:
Aiming and weapon usage
Vehicle usage
Map knowledge
Once you have a good feel for the above three you can start to bring everything together. Concentrate on reading the match and trying to predict what the opposing team will do next. As with DM and CTF it can be very useful to spectate some of the better players.
Points to improve on: All
Assault Specialist: Low score, High deaths, High net efficiency
Your style of play is quite aggressive and you like to get down and dirty with the enemy. Naturally your score is mostly made up of frags.
The best place for you is in the front lines. Push hard and make sure that you engage the enemy as often as possible. This will give your teammates the time they need to capture nodes and open up the enemy core.
If you're a bit rusty, consider hanging back a bit and playing more defensively. Usually when playing defense you'll see less combat, but remember that things can get VERY congested at your primary node. If the enemy is attacking that, expect them to come hard and fast.
Points to improve on: Node capture, Gameflow prediction
Initial Capture specialist: High score, High deaths, Low net efficiency
You are primarily a node capturer and destroyer. Your low net efficiency and high deaths mean that you're not as skilled in combat as some of the other players.
The best thing for you to do is to attack and capture nodes at all costs. Don't worry about dying a lot, just keep pushing for those nodes. Your work is vital to the success of your team. Avoid combat as much as possible.
Points to improve on: Aim, Vehicle usage
Defender: Low score, Low deaths, Low/Negative net efficiency
Your low deaths means that you prefer to hang back when things get hectic. However, while there you are not contributing as much as you can.
Consider playing a bit more agressively, but not overly so. Defense is a good position for you as you'll be able to work on improving your net efficiency. If you happen to be close to a node, either attack it or capture it. Don't go out of your way to capture nodes. Remember that defense includes healing damaged nodes! This can be of GREAT advantage to your team.
Points to improve on: Node capture, Aim, Vehicle usage
Secure Capture specialist: High score, Low deaths, Low net efficiency
You absolutely excel at node capture and destruction but seldomly engage in combat.
Consider playing more of an assault role. Your low deaths means that you can risk more in order to complete your objectives. Do be trigger-happy though - your low net efficiency means that you'll have a hard fight on your hands if you continually engage enemies or engage multiple enemies at once. Try to pick off stragglers around frontline nodes.
Points to improve on: Aim, Vehicle usage
Monster: High score, Low deaths, High net efficiency
The pinnacle of Onslaught skill. You are a monster, excelling at capturing and destroying nodes, as well as wholesale slaughtering of enemy players.
Go all out. You are an expert with all or most weapons and are comfortable in any vehicle. Multi-task. Push forward to capture nodes, defend vulnerable nodes, assist teammates in combat or assaults, etc.
Points to improve on: Not much really, but practice to keep sharp
I've tried to cover most of the scenarios you can find yourself in, so let me know if any are missing. Hopefully some of this will be useful to someone.
Playstyle
Knowing your playstyle can be quite beneficial as it allows you to concentrate on what you're good at. More importantly, it helps to make your ONS games more fun as you'll get a greater sense of accomplishment out of your games. :)
The way I'm approaching this is by looking at your score, your deaths and your net efficiency, as well as the relationship between those three numbers.
Categories
Newbie: Low score, High deaths, Low/Negative net efficiency
This is admittedly the worst place to be. The low score and low/negative net efficiency means that you're not contributing a great deal to the success of your team. Don't be discouraged though! Take a step back and ask yourself if Onslaught is really your type of game. If you feel it is, it's time to brush up on your skills. The most important areas to practice in are:
Aiming and weapon usage
Vehicle usage
Map knowledge
Once you have a good feel for the above three you can start to bring everything together. Concentrate on reading the match and trying to predict what the opposing team will do next. As with DM and CTF it can be very useful to spectate some of the better players.
Points to improve on: All
Assault Specialist: Low score, High deaths, High net efficiency
Your style of play is quite aggressive and you like to get down and dirty with the enemy. Naturally your score is mostly made up of frags.
The best place for you is in the front lines. Push hard and make sure that you engage the enemy as often as possible. This will give your teammates the time they need to capture nodes and open up the enemy core.
If you're a bit rusty, consider hanging back a bit and playing more defensively. Usually when playing defense you'll see less combat, but remember that things can get VERY congested at your primary node. If the enemy is attacking that, expect them to come hard and fast.
Points to improve on: Node capture, Gameflow prediction
Initial Capture specialist: High score, High deaths, Low net efficiency
You are primarily a node capturer and destroyer. Your low net efficiency and high deaths mean that you're not as skilled in combat as some of the other players.
The best thing for you to do is to attack and capture nodes at all costs. Don't worry about dying a lot, just keep pushing for those nodes. Your work is vital to the success of your team. Avoid combat as much as possible.
Points to improve on: Aim, Vehicle usage
Defender: Low score, Low deaths, Low/Negative net efficiency
Your low deaths means that you prefer to hang back when things get hectic. However, while there you are not contributing as much as you can.
Consider playing a bit more agressively, but not overly so. Defense is a good position for you as you'll be able to work on improving your net efficiency. If you happen to be close to a node, either attack it or capture it. Don't go out of your way to capture nodes. Remember that defense includes healing damaged nodes! This can be of GREAT advantage to your team.
Points to improve on: Node capture, Aim, Vehicle usage
Secure Capture specialist: High score, Low deaths, Low net efficiency
You absolutely excel at node capture and destruction but seldomly engage in combat.
Consider playing more of an assault role. Your low deaths means that you can risk more in order to complete your objectives. Do be trigger-happy though - your low net efficiency means that you'll have a hard fight on your hands if you continually engage enemies or engage multiple enemies at once. Try to pick off stragglers around frontline nodes.
Points to improve on: Aim, Vehicle usage
Monster: High score, Low deaths, High net efficiency
The pinnacle of Onslaught skill. You are a monster, excelling at capturing and destroying nodes, as well as wholesale slaughtering of enemy players.
Go all out. You are an expert with all or most weapons and are comfortable in any vehicle. Multi-task. Push forward to capture nodes, defend vulnerable nodes, assist teammates in combat or assaults, etc.
Points to improve on: Not much really, but practice to keep sharp
I've tried to cover most of the scenarios you can find yourself in, so let me know if any are missing. Hopefully some of this will be useful to someone.