Farming
In all honesty, I think the farming in Tribes 2 are a HUGE part of what has always made the game so awesome. It adds so much variety, and a need for tactics to the game. It just amazes me sometimes how so many people neglect proper farming. I'm not saying I'm an expert at farming, but I at least understand the basics. So here's my shot at a quick guide.
I. Why Farm?
Okay, farming is like a HUGE part of base defense, and without proper defenses set up, you can pretty much kiss the match goodbye. It annoys me how score whores just focus on killing and offense so much. It usually leaves the one person trying to play as a team to farm. And farming alone really SUCKS.
Anyways, you farm to protect your base, and without the turrets / sensors / other defenses, you just can't do it. No matter how skilled. I hear people talking about the Rape Train, and how you just can't stop it.. I disagree. If you have I say 3-4 good farmers on a team, forget it, the gens and flags stay PUT.
MPBs (if available) / Inventory Stations -
These should be the first thing you set up. They help put more spots for your team to hurry and gear up, and usually are in a more convenient area for them as well. For invs, keep them easy to reach, but hidden and safe from the onslaught. Don't put them out in the open, they die easy, and are a very tempting point bonus for your attackers. These also come in quite handy should your Gens go down.
Base Turrets -
The ones that come standard in the map. These are a big part of your first line of defense and need to be in working order at all times. STAY AWAY FROM THE MORTAR. I seriously HATE mortar turrets, I don't see why ANYONE uses them! If you are trying to properly farm with small turrets, sensors, and what not DON'T PUT UP A MORTAR TURRET! It only shoots at the enemy, no matter where they are! Nothing F***S up a good set up like a Mortar turret!
So yea, use the AA or Missile Turrets on maps with plenty of scouts and vehicles flying. If its a more ground oriented area, go for the Plasma or ELF if it's in an area where a lot of flag traffic may be.
Clamp Turrets -
These lil guys can put the brakes on any offensive if used properly. For me, I LOVE clamps. They can be hidden, stick about anywhere, and don't miss nearly as much as other turrets. 4 shots from a clamp kills a scout.. So 4 clamps on the flag will usually blast a scout dead in half a second.. I try to keep my clamps close together, and in such a formation as to if you can see one clamp, you can see another. This usually allows at least two clamps to fire on an enemy at all times. Very bad news for a scout trying to grab your flag.
DON'T put your clamps on a slanted surface!! Just cuz it sticks and looks good, doesn't mean it's going to work! If you ever control a slanted clamp from the CC you will see that the shot is WAY OFF when its on a slanted surface. Try and keep them Completely straight! And try to place them in hard to see, or high of the ground locations. Keeping them off the ground will help them stay out of the way from stray mortars (I hate mortars).
Landspikes -
These are great for softening up a target. Their low fire rate, and projectile speed make them really only good for close range however. But place them in a spot where Heavies traffic, and it'll make your job of keeping them out of your base ALOT easier. Plus take a good chunk out of their hides before they reach your clamps ;D NEVER Put them out in the open, as they are easy to spot and easy to kill.
Again NEVER place them slanted, they won't hit CRAP.
Sensors -
Pulse sensors give your turrets an early warning and more range, also they help your LD snipers spot any hiding enemies off in the distance. Try to place these about 100-200m out and around your base.
Motion Sensors are a huge need if there are cloakers a coming. They get those sneaky bastards before they can sneak past your clamps. I try to keep about 2-3 Motion sensors within 10m of my clamps.
CAMERAS. Some may not know this, but the Deployable Cameras make enemies packing a Sensor Jammer Backpack detectable by your turrets! It renders that pack useless, and puts your turrets back into action! I usually set these up in the same manner I do my Motion Sensors.
Mines -
Use mines around your flags and Gen Rooms. The enemy is usually in such a big hurry to get away from your team and the turrets you SHOULD have set up, they sometimes forget to watch where they step. And one well placed mine is a nightmare for any would-be flag capper or Gen Raper.
MARK YOUR MINES! Mines do not distinguish between friend or foe, so take the extra mila-second to hit your beacon key (Default "H") next to the mine. I try to use green since Tan is the color for inventory stations. I hate running into my base, looking to get a pack real quick, turn the corner where there is a Tan beacon, only to step on a mine. USE GREEN PLEASE!. Plus it's easier to spot.
HD and Mortars -
KEEP YOUR DAMN MORTAR ROUNDS AWAY FROM MY BASE!!! Seriously, a farmer works sooo hard to set up all these defenses, then you got doofus with the big green gun, trying to shoot the one LO and he blows up the whole frikken defense system. All for ONE DAM KILL. I HATE THAT.
If you HAVE to use your mortars, use them on the enemy, not my damned turrets. And I can't say it enough, NO MORTAR TURRETS. The enemy is running to OUR base, we don't need a big @$$ trail of Green explosions following him!
Anyways, I hope this small guide is a quick help in learning to set up defenses for your team. Anything to add, or if you disagree, go ahead and post. Thanks guys! Have Fun!! AND KEEP YOUR DAMN MORTARS OUT OF MY BASE!! FFS
I. Why Farm?
Okay, farming is like a HUGE part of base defense, and without proper defenses set up, you can pretty much kiss the match goodbye. It annoys me how score whores just focus on killing and offense so much. It usually leaves the one person trying to play as a team to farm. And farming alone really SUCKS.
Anyways, you farm to protect your base, and without the turrets / sensors / other defenses, you just can't do it. No matter how skilled. I hear people talking about the Rape Train, and how you just can't stop it.. I disagree. If you have I say 3-4 good farmers on a team, forget it, the gens and flags stay PUT.
MPBs (if available) / Inventory Stations -
These should be the first thing you set up. They help put more spots for your team to hurry and gear up, and usually are in a more convenient area for them as well. For invs, keep them easy to reach, but hidden and safe from the onslaught. Don't put them out in the open, they die easy, and are a very tempting point bonus for your attackers. These also come in quite handy should your Gens go down.
Base Turrets -
The ones that come standard in the map. These are a big part of your first line of defense and need to be in working order at all times. STAY AWAY FROM THE MORTAR. I seriously HATE mortar turrets, I don't see why ANYONE uses them! If you are trying to properly farm with small turrets, sensors, and what not DON'T PUT UP A MORTAR TURRET! It only shoots at the enemy, no matter where they are! Nothing F***S up a good set up like a Mortar turret!
So yea, use the AA or Missile Turrets on maps with plenty of scouts and vehicles flying. If its a more ground oriented area, go for the Plasma or ELF if it's in an area where a lot of flag traffic may be.
Clamp Turrets -
These lil guys can put the brakes on any offensive if used properly. For me, I LOVE clamps. They can be hidden, stick about anywhere, and don't miss nearly as much as other turrets. 4 shots from a clamp kills a scout.. So 4 clamps on the flag will usually blast a scout dead in half a second.. I try to keep my clamps close together, and in such a formation as to if you can see one clamp, you can see another. This usually allows at least two clamps to fire on an enemy at all times. Very bad news for a scout trying to grab your flag.
DON'T put your clamps on a slanted surface!! Just cuz it sticks and looks good, doesn't mean it's going to work! If you ever control a slanted clamp from the CC you will see that the shot is WAY OFF when its on a slanted surface. Try and keep them Completely straight! And try to place them in hard to see, or high of the ground locations. Keeping them off the ground will help them stay out of the way from stray mortars (I hate mortars).
Landspikes -
These are great for softening up a target. Their low fire rate, and projectile speed make them really only good for close range however. But place them in a spot where Heavies traffic, and it'll make your job of keeping them out of your base ALOT easier. Plus take a good chunk out of their hides before they reach your clamps ;D NEVER Put them out in the open, as they are easy to spot and easy to kill.
Again NEVER place them slanted, they won't hit CRAP.
Sensors -
Pulse sensors give your turrets an early warning and more range, also they help your LD snipers spot any hiding enemies off in the distance. Try to place these about 100-200m out and around your base.
Motion Sensors are a huge need if there are cloakers a coming. They get those sneaky bastards before they can sneak past your clamps. I try to keep about 2-3 Motion sensors within 10m of my clamps.
CAMERAS. Some may not know this, but the Deployable Cameras make enemies packing a Sensor Jammer Backpack detectable by your turrets! It renders that pack useless, and puts your turrets back into action! I usually set these up in the same manner I do my Motion Sensors.
Mines -
Use mines around your flags and Gen Rooms. The enemy is usually in such a big hurry to get away from your team and the turrets you SHOULD have set up, they sometimes forget to watch where they step. And one well placed mine is a nightmare for any would-be flag capper or Gen Raper.
MARK YOUR MINES! Mines do not distinguish between friend or foe, so take the extra mila-second to hit your beacon key (Default "H") next to the mine. I try to use green since Tan is the color for inventory stations. I hate running into my base, looking to get a pack real quick, turn the corner where there is a Tan beacon, only to step on a mine. USE GREEN PLEASE!. Plus it's easier to spot.
HD and Mortars -
KEEP YOUR DAMN MORTAR ROUNDS AWAY FROM MY BASE!!! Seriously, a farmer works sooo hard to set up all these defenses, then you got doofus with the big green gun, trying to shoot the one LO and he blows up the whole frikken defense system. All for ONE DAM KILL. I HATE THAT.
If you HAVE to use your mortars, use them on the enemy, not my damned turrets. And I can't say it enough, NO MORTAR TURRETS. The enemy is running to OUR base, we don't need a big @$$ trail of Green explosions following him!
Anyways, I hope this small guide is a quick help in learning to set up defenses for your team. Anything to add, or if you disagree, go ahead and post. Thanks guys! Have Fun!! AND KEEP YOUR DAMN MORTARS OUT OF MY BASE!! FFS
Comments
And yes the diversity of what can be done by players of all skill levels is what makes Tribes and Tribes 2 fun. Its what all the hardcore people dont get when they kill games like Tribes Vengeance and Legions with their closed beta input.
I'm starting to realize the more hardcore. The less they get it. They end up killing the very thing they love.
Mortar turrets are situational. There are places where deployable turrets just don't work, and a mortar turret can do the job better. Or where you've used up the deployable ones somewhere else and still need something hefty for area defense.
If you're repairing stuff and want to switch kits, drop your repair pack first, preferably somewhere someone won't accidentally run over it. Behind the inventories is good. (I have Drop Pack bound to "p".) Odds are that if you just repaired the base, you'll need to do it again momentarily, so having the floor littered with repair packs is a Good Thing.
In the past, cameras weren't always coded to reveal jammers. It may depend on the mod. It was one of those bugs that kept coming back.
In fast mods like Classic, spread turrets out. By the time the turret wakes up, the capper is long gone. So figure out the approach and exit paths and lay out long lines of turrets. This also makes them more resistant to all getting killed with a single mortar.
Similarly, put sensors along the approach and exit paths. Then check your command screen frequently to watch for cappers setting up. This gives you lots of warning.
Use a hand-held Elf to pull cappers down into your turret field, and to blow their skiing, forcing them to fall into obstacles. This depends on you seeing them coming from a long way off, so again, get those sensors out.
So I'm farming on Arm Pit. I set up a triple redundant line of turrets. A line of Spikes outside, a line of Clamps just inside, and another line of clamps at the flag.
Impenetrable.
Til some idiot who I won't name blows them all up and sets some clamps in a horrible firing position. By the time they lock on, the enemy is gone! GAH!
So fine we work together and I get a defense set up anyway. A heavy joins the D. And uses a mortar. Alot.
:'(
People, please. Spread the word about this thread! Farming is one of the hardest and THE most unloved role in a team, but it usually makes all the differance. Oi...
You are also in a position to make the enemy waste ammo and time. Exactly how to do this depends on the map. I usually keep repairing a turret even though the enemy is spamming his ammo on it. Or fake repair one turret half way and drop down to repair something else. It really works and is complicated.
I also farm in heavy 90% of the time. Not many people do so, but I farm in heavy and juggle a shield pack so I can retake the base if need be. I also find that having a distance weapon (the mortar) is pretty effective vs offense which is something few utilize. I dont give a crap about walk speed because I usually just DJ everywhere all the time. I also carry a shocklance in heavy, replacing my missile launcher which I find to be useless unless the enemy team is completely raped. I use the shocklance to kill dumb heavy offense. I mortar and grenade the crap out of everything that gets near me. I prefer conc nades, but carry flares if my team cant flare for base turrets well enough.
Spider clamps and land spikes can be effective, but really, they suck compared to plasma turrets and sensors. Remember that. Spider clamps are also more suited inside. I would rather have my HD have all the clamp turrets for the generators. Putting out pulse sensors (not in standoffs) and motion sensors/cameras (in standoffs) is more important than putting out a matrix of clamp turrets. You wont see the benefit of this if your LD suck.
I honestly think the primary role of any farmer should be putting out sensors and repairing base turrets / playing HD / HOF when needed. Any good HO team in competition wont be affected drastically by clamp turrets and land spikes are even worse. They will eat up cappers, so if you can get them out in quick fashion go ahead. I just think other turrets are more important by far.
if u have 3TM 1HO (just take it as example) vs 1TM 3HO, your HO cant rape them, but even your 3TMs cant keep the stuff up.
so, after a while the "rapetrain" kicks in....
if u also have 3HOs, they cant keep up the rape, so the "offense" skill will decide...
beside, u can defend the flag without any stuff, as long as u can "control" their offense.
but, if they have more O then u, u are busy with farming, u wont get their base down for long, they will just keep coming, and after a while ur defense is so disrupted so they can easily cap.
if u play offensive style, they dont come like a stream, so u can better kill them, and IF they et away with flag, u have alot ppl on the way/at their base who also can try to retrieve.
so pls, go O instead of Farm
but, one thing i have to admitt, on 25v25 pubs, u can use more then one TM, but always keep in mind, the more O the better.