Ascend remains one of our favorite free-to-play shooters, in part because of the fast-and-furious pace that Hi-Rez is making tweaks and adding new stuff. The last two updates made major changes that have jolted players out of their comfort zones with disruptive new gear and modes, giving us a ton of new tactics to make use of and counter. Here are some of the best game-changing things I've seen and done in Tribes that just weren't possible before.
Blitz mode isn't complex on the surface: every time your flag is captured by the enemy team, it respawns at a new location -- often times one that's easier to defend (and consequently harder for enemies to grab). This simple mechanic changes nearly every tactic, from where to place a defensive turret to the routes you take to get speed for a quick flag grab. On the Drydock map, one flag location is set up in the middle of the main bunker, or as I call it, the meat grinder. This bottleneck funnels enemy flag carriers into a tight spot which is perfect for my sadistic need for spamming Juggernaut mortar shells and Brute fractal grenades. I racked up a ton of explosive kills quickly while my team turned a zero-to-four score into an exciting five-to-four comeback.
Playing the Technician can feel like you're juggling 10 things at once. You have to defend the generator, repair base turrets, replace your own deployable turrets as they're destroyed, repair the base radar dish, all while avoiding and killing every piece of enemy shazbot flying your way. The new repair kit -- a belt item that will automatically repair any base structure near where it's deployed -- allows me to be in two places at once. I plop down the little machine next to a turret and attend to other repairs or the defense of our generator while it does the busywork. Likewise, I've found that placing a repair kit next to my deployable light turret helps give it a little extra time to put the hurt on the enemy -- it won't save the turret from a direct Spinfusor hit, but every little bit helps.
An alternative to the deployable light turret, the new EXR rocket turret is a great mechanism of destruction for the second or third Technician on the battlefield. The advantage of an EXR becomes obvious in the halls of a generator room when combined with other Tech's light turrets. Tight corridors make the rockets' splash damage more effective, and each rocket has enough knockback to disorient unprepared invaders. I try and place these turrets in tight corners that are harder for the enemy to quickly check on their way to the generator. They may not be terribly lethal on their own, but a few rockets to the backside will give you and the light turrets some extra time to frag the intruder.
This is by far my favorite primary Technician weapon: the TC24 fires short-ranged explosive rounds, and carries four shots per magazine. The damage is lighter than the fan-favorite Thumper, but the high fire rate (due to a lack of reloading after every shot) makes it an excellent choice when I'm stuck in a tight spot against jerks trying to blow up my generator. The TC24 has great splash damage, and the sheer size of the projectile size makes it easier to score Air Mail accolades against those annoying players hovering in the sky, and those hits give just enough knockback to keep the enemy on their toes while trying to return fire. The best aspect of this weapon is that it allows you to use the air to your advantage, much like the TCN4 SMG does. My favorite position is directly above the enemy, raining down one explosive clip after another.
Yes, Permafrost and Dangerous Crossing are old maps to the Tribes universe, but now you can play them in Tribes: Ascend quick-play rotation. Dangerous Crossing is my new (old) favorite -- steep rolling hills make it easy for heavy and light classes to move quickly to the enemy base, which is quite possibly the simplest base design in any Tribes: Ascend map. The base only allows for side-to-side flag capture routes, there is no generator, and only a solitary base turret. This means more people are defending an already easy-to-defend flag, and the result is a spectacular game of CTF.
Sentinel was my favorite class early on -- I loved the power of sniping down attempted enemy flag carriers just before they could get their hands on my precious piece of cloth. Unfortunately, my micro-aiming skills aren't the best, so I need a gun that makes every hit count. This is where the new SAP20 sniper rifle comes in handy: it's a modified version of the older Phase Rifle that uses more energy per shot and has a smaller clip size, but the tradeoff is a whopping 575 maximum damage per shot -- if you connect, they'll really feel it. The only real downside to this beauty was the constant whining of players I shot right out of the sky.
When the enemies get close, nothing helps defend your favorite camping spot better than a powerful shotgun. The aptly named Accurized Shotgun is a satisfying alternative to the Sentinel's Nova Pistols and Falcon SMG. It has better accuracy than any other shotgun, still and packs a nice punch. I love using this gun on bulkier, easier-to-hit heavy classes after I weaken them down with my SAP20 -- a well placed shot can land a total of 560 damage, just enough to put some doubt into anyone looking for a revenge kill.
没有评论:
发表评论