Post by kalbaern on Mar 11, 2009 10:31:13 GMT -5
I heard about last nights "outing" here and the TPK (Total Party Kill ... for those not familiar with the phrase yet) at the end. I'm going to make a few suggestions based on something my Dad used to say. "Never pick a fight .... pick a win". In a nutshell, this means don't rush ahead blindly. Pick your terrain. Lure one or a few enemies and not a whole mob.
Our AI (Artificial Intelligence) scripts used by our creatures are better than you'll find in most places. Most semi-intelligent creatures here also recieve a random assortment of weapons when they spawn in. This means you can never really know what exactly awaits you. Their melee fighters will rush in as their archers pepper you from a distance. Their healers will try and heal their wounded and their mages will cause mayhem everywhere. I'll list here some of the better tactics to use in our encounters.
Luring creatures from the main body:
When spotted by a hostile creature .... they will usually attack. The idea is to let one or a few spot you and withdraw. With luck they'll come and see "who" was wandering around their lair. Most creatures are overconfident. They'll not sound an alarm until they've gotten a closer peek at you. Sending out scouts to find/remove traps and lure back smaller more easilly defeated groups is the way to go here. However, opening up on a creature with ranged weapons and spells will simply alert any of his "friends" in the area. Creatures here "call out" for help whenever attacked. If the creature is far enough removed from his allies ... then the call go unanswered. If they are within "earshot" of his plea .... it's gonna get messy quick in most cases.
Assign roles to each character in a group prior to battle:
Decide ahead of time what everyones role in a possible battle will be. Who will lure prey and scout, who will handle traps and locks, who will heal while the rest bleed., etc... Offensive casters need to coordinate when and where they'll use their mass effect destructive spells. A little planning goes along ways here or on any server of this type. Those using ranged weapons need to learn patience as well. Firing a volley too soon can alert the targets friends. Think along the lines of "Bunker Hill" and wait until "you see the whites of their eyes" when you can.
Pick your terrain well:
Most areas have some sort of terrain you can use to your advantage here. Having the "higher ground" is always a benefit in a fight here. using narrow places and the corners of corridors so only on or two enemies face you at once is always a good thing. Finding a narrow place that a fighter or two can hold as the rest use ranged weapons in support makes for short fights more often than not.
Use traps:
If you have a rogue or any PC good with traps in your group, load them up. Give them any found traps and let them either lay a "softening line" that you can lure a mob into or have them place traps behind the group incase a retreat is called for. Either way, be patient and let them do it. If they don't get used, so be it. They can easilly be later recovered afterall.
Lastly, when all else fails ... "RUUUUUNNN!!!!!":
Not every encounter you may face is likely to be conquered the first time out. Knowing when you've met your match and falling back is an important strategy. All too often I see players that just never give up. Those are usually the ones that later complain the loudest of areas or encounters. More often than not, waiting and going back with a few more friends or gaining a level will change the outcome. Be patient.
Many of us will meet new players here and elsewhere that simply lack the practice with the above tactics or the game mechanics overall. Teach them. It's that simple. We were all new once afterall. Teach them IC as well when you can. It goes along ways towards forging lasting friendships and makes for good RP opportunities.
Our AI (Artificial Intelligence) scripts used by our creatures are better than you'll find in most places. Most semi-intelligent creatures here also recieve a random assortment of weapons when they spawn in. This means you can never really know what exactly awaits you. Their melee fighters will rush in as their archers pepper you from a distance. Their healers will try and heal their wounded and their mages will cause mayhem everywhere. I'll list here some of the better tactics to use in our encounters.
Luring creatures from the main body:
When spotted by a hostile creature .... they will usually attack. The idea is to let one or a few spot you and withdraw. With luck they'll come and see "who" was wandering around their lair. Most creatures are overconfident. They'll not sound an alarm until they've gotten a closer peek at you. Sending out scouts to find/remove traps and lure back smaller more easilly defeated groups is the way to go here. However, opening up on a creature with ranged weapons and spells will simply alert any of his "friends" in the area. Creatures here "call out" for help whenever attacked. If the creature is far enough removed from his allies ... then the call go unanswered. If they are within "earshot" of his plea .... it's gonna get messy quick in most cases.
Assign roles to each character in a group prior to battle:
Decide ahead of time what everyones role in a possible battle will be. Who will lure prey and scout, who will handle traps and locks, who will heal while the rest bleed., etc... Offensive casters need to coordinate when and where they'll use their mass effect destructive spells. A little planning goes along ways here or on any server of this type. Those using ranged weapons need to learn patience as well. Firing a volley too soon can alert the targets friends. Think along the lines of "Bunker Hill" and wait until "you see the whites of their eyes" when you can.
Pick your terrain well:
Most areas have some sort of terrain you can use to your advantage here. Having the "higher ground" is always a benefit in a fight here. using narrow places and the corners of corridors so only on or two enemies face you at once is always a good thing. Finding a narrow place that a fighter or two can hold as the rest use ranged weapons in support makes for short fights more often than not.
Use traps:
If you have a rogue or any PC good with traps in your group, load them up. Give them any found traps and let them either lay a "softening line" that you can lure a mob into or have them place traps behind the group incase a retreat is called for. Either way, be patient and let them do it. If they don't get used, so be it. They can easilly be later recovered afterall.
Lastly, when all else fails ... "RUUUUUNNN!!!!!":
Not every encounter you may face is likely to be conquered the first time out. Knowing when you've met your match and falling back is an important strategy. All too often I see players that just never give up. Those are usually the ones that later complain the loudest of areas or encounters. More often than not, waiting and going back with a few more friends or gaining a level will change the outcome. Be patient.
Many of us will meet new players here and elsewhere that simply lack the practice with the above tactics or the game mechanics overall. Teach them. It's that simple. We were all new once afterall. Teach them IC as well when you can. It goes along ways towards forging lasting friendships and makes for good RP opportunities.