It's Amazing What You Can Learn

[Jythier]

I just played, no, commed a game on the newbie server that was non-competitive mostly to learn the tech trees and try stuff.

Here's some things I learned:

Carriers are drones. I can use them to scout without leaving the base. (someone told me this but I might have found out myself)

There is no tech race with maxed money settings.

4 miners are a must when the other team doesn't have anyone to attack them... except I don't really need more money, do I?

Teleports are key - without them, you can't get where you want to go nearly as fast.

I started off trying to keep it simple on HiHigher with IC... teleport, outpost, refinery. Except I couldn't find the refinery button, so I can't really build one, can I? Is that something specific to IC, or what?

Anyway, onward with the story, I move out to the middle and place my teleport high and my outpost low. I don't know why, I've just heard the sealing the middle is a good idea. The middle sector had an exp rock so I built an expansion complex in there.

I did not learn how micro miners. That will probably be important in a real game.

I did learn, however, that expansion gives us TTs and HTTs. So I researched them, and then I further realized that I had no weapons for them. So I researched the EMP missiles.

I found that my opponent had built pretty much every techbase, but that I had expanded out farther - so I took the next sector past my outpost with a teleport.

I hopped into a HTT and went against his tactical laboratory... and was obliterated. He defended easily in a something ship. It was a ship, it was shooting me, whatever.

After getting back to a base 2 sectors away, my carrier spots a battleship, and is then destroyed... I figure, he's out somewhere, I can try again. The green door was actually pointing right toward the aleph, so I hopped into my HTT again and successfully captured his Tac. Then I researched stealth bombers (because that's what tac is all about, apparently) and went to bomb his garr and a supremacy center.

The next thing I learned is this - never. ever. ever. Ask for a bomber, stealth or otherwise. Just... no. No.

Let's not speak of this again.

Anyway, I suck at bombing. I missed. It turns out, it's best to actually select what you're trying to hit. Then, I didn't have enough missiles to destroy the thing because of the misses. Yes, multiple.

Just don't give me a bomber, okay?

So, another HTT run later, I'm trying to capture a shipyard. I bring down the defenses, here comes a battleship... and where are the doors?

I learned that you should always know where the door is before you try to capture a base.

And that it should probably be pointing towards the aleph.

After his battleship destroyed me, we called it a draw, as it was really just a game to explore and learn what it's like to be in a bomber/HTT/battleship/commander's seat.

Which brings me to my final thought -

I should probably stay out of the commander's seat for quite a while. A lot more practice is in order, and really, I'm not that great at RTSs. Or FPSs. But it's such a great game, how could I not play it?

Thank you to my opponent and thank you to everyone who doesn't give me a bomber.

[Elzam_]

Oh no man. Jimen is gonna be ALLLL over this... On the bright side, excellent man! Glad you learned stuff!

[Zero_Falcon]

QUOTE (Jythier @ Mar 28 2010, 11:25 AM) I should probably stay out of the commander's seat for quite a while.

IMO, for newbies in a hypercomplicated game like Alleg, yes, you should stay out of the commander's seat.

I've played for almost 3 years and I still cannot command well.

Secondly, carriers as substitutes for scouts? This will not be true for a 'real' game/main game (that is, games with a sufficient number of people for it to be truly fun imo, say 10v10 or more. In alleg, the more the merrier)

IMPORTANT:
QUOTE (Allegwiki)Newbie games are NOT the right place to learn to play the game. It's good to get accustomed to the in-game environment and... that's about it. If you spend all your time on newbie games and none on the main games then you are bound to acquire some really bad habits that are quite hard to root out later on.[/quote]

Nevertheless I think you should read this: http://www.freeallegiance.org/FAW/index.php/Newbie_server

And speaking of bad habits, don't go wasting money on a slow-butt carrier to do the scouting for you when you have something better called the scout.

But then again, I'm glad you're putting in your efforts to learn Allegiance, albeit it's insanely steep learning curve

EDIT: on reading your post again I can see you're probably not using some targeting commands, as well as other basic controls. Jythier, I hope you've joined AFS, it shortens the time you take to learn alleg, as the old CDT-1 did to me http://www.freeallegiance.org/FAW/index.ph...e_Flight_School

[minigun]

26-august 03 did you create an account and forget about it for 6 years?
do tell....

[Psychosis]

QUOTE (Jythier @ Mar 27 2010, 10:25 PM) I should probably stay out of the commander's seat for quite a while. A lot more practice is in order, and really, I'm not that great at RTSs. Or FPSs. But it's such a great game, how could I not play it?

excellent, now learn to play the game, then you can go back to commanding

[cashto]

You certainly do learn a lot sitting in the comm seat -- even in a silly game such as that one. In the future be aware you can even start a one-team game to expore the techpaths without any interference whatsoever.

IC and GT both lack refineries -- but to make up for it, miners can dock helium at techbases. With other factions, miners can dock at techbases, but they won't unload their helium. Usually only refineries and outposts have this ability.

As you probably figured out, the only things you can solo in an SB are things that you can kill with two missles. You'll almost never get a chance to put a 3rd missle in, unless you brought help.

[Malicious Wraith]

The best way to learn how to command is through the F3 menu, hopping around with the minimap on the main game.

[TurkeyXIII]

The main difference between commanding a newbie server game like that and a primetime main game is the number of people constantly yelling at you.

[Slice]

QUOTE (Zero_Falcon @ Mar 28 2010, 12:17 AM) IMO, for newbies in a hypercomplicated game like Alleg, yes, you should stay out of the commander's seat.

I've played for almost 3 years and I still cannot command well.

Allegiance is a game, everyone should have the right to command. Its not very encouraging to tell someone they shouldn't command.

[NightRychune]

When a poor commander can be hugely detrimental to the enjoyment of the game for 20-40 people, yes, they really shouldn't command