Spitter/Prae Questions (Trying Not to Suck)

[Marine Tickler]

Hello I am finally getting good enough as a xeno to not just die outright and actually contribute so I have a few questions:

1. Is it possible to macro toggle xeno spit type? So that I could neuro spit and then acid spit them?

2. Do spits travel like bullets until they hit something or are they floor targeted? In other words is it worthwhile to just blindfire spit at offscreen targets in the hope you'll tag someone?

3. Does the body targeting icon (head torso legs arms hands groin etc) affect spitting or is it just for melee slashing?

4. Are downed marines harder to hit with spit than upright marines?

5. Does spit range increase as you evolve and/or upgrade? What about spit damage?

6. Does praetorian acid spit do more damage than spitter acid spit, assumming both max upgraded?

7. Does neurotoxin do ANY permanate damage of any type (damage that requires medicine) or does it just "wear off" after some seconds. If I am a sentinel, is it worth taking potshots at marines even if I have no hope of closing with them for capture or slashing?

8. Does spitting while moving effect accuracy? Not the target, but while your xeno form is moving?

9. How much protection does moving around provide? Do xenos as large as praetorians get a dodge bonus if they're a moving target?

[manezinho]

Hello I am finally getting good enough as a xeno to not just die outright and actually contribute so I have a few questions:

1. Is it possible to macro toggle xeno spit type? So that I could neuro spit and then acid spit them?

2. Do spits travel like bullets until they hit something or are they floor targeted? In other words is it worthwhile to just blindfire spit at offscreen targets in the hope you'll tag someone?

3. Does the body targeting icon (head torso legs arms hands groin etc) affect spitting or is it just for melee slashing?

4. Are downed marines harder to hit with spit than upright marines?

5. Does spit range increase as you evolve and/or upgrade? What about spit damage?

6. Does praetorian acid spit do more damage than spitter acid spit, assumming both max upgraded?

7. Does neurotoxin do ANY permanate damage of any type (damage that requires medicine) or does it just "wear off" after some seconds. If I am a sentinel, is it worth taking potshots at marines even if I have no hope of closing with them for capture or slashing?

8. Does spitting while moving effect accuracy? Not the target, but while your xeno form is moving?

9. How much protection does moving around provide? Do xenos as large as praetorians get a dodge bonus if they're a moving target?

1. Not that I am aware of.

2. They should IIRC.

3. I think it just decreases your chance to hit, better to aim at the chest. It does the same damage/effect.

4. Not sure.

5. Not sure about upgrade but when you evolve, range increases. Damage increases on both evolve and upgrade IIRC.

6. I believe so.

7. Wears off, nothing serious. And no don't spit as a sentinel unless you can capture or just disable a lone marine.

8. If you're good at aiming, it shouldn't.

9. Not sure.

[Forst]

► Show Spoiler

Hello I am finally getting good enough as a xeno to not just die outright and actually contribute so I have a few questions:

1. Is it possible to macro toggle xeno spit type? So that I could neuro spit and then acid spit them?

2. Do spits travel like bullets until they hit something or are they floor targeted? In other words is it worthwhile to just blindfire spit at offscreen targets in the hope you'll tag someone?

3. Does the body targeting icon (head torso legs arms hands groin etc) affect spitting or is it just for melee slashing?

4. Are downed marines harder to hit with spit than upright marines?

5. Does spit range increase as you evolve and/or upgrade? What about spit damage?

6. Does praetorian acid spit do more damage than spitter acid spit, assumming both max upgraded?

7. Does neurotoxin do ANY permanate damage of any type (damage that requires medicine) or does it just "wear off" after some seconds. If I am a sentinel, is it worth taking potshots at marines even if I have no hope of closing with them for capture or slashing?

8. Does spitting while moving effect accuracy? Not the target, but while your xeno form is moving?

9. How much protection does moving around provide? Do xenos as large as praetorians get a dodge bonus if they're a moving target?

1. Not that I am aware, but I'm not the best at macros.
2. I've never hit an offscreen target.
3. I aim for the eyes. Even neuro to the eye causes temp blindness. If you're not liking your hit rate, aim for the head or chest. Aim for the limbs if you're going into melee only. Broken legs in close range, sizzling brain/eye wounds at range.
4. Should be easier as they're stationary.
5. Yes and yes only for the acid spit.
6. I've never done prae but I've been outdone by them every single time I'm a spitter.
7. Depends on how much armor. I think against a fully armoured marine you can inflict incredibly minor burns if you keep spitting at them repeatedly(like 3 or more). Also, yes. Suppressing fire works great on marines as most duck behind cover against young sentinels.
8. If you're able to compensate with your aim, it'll work wonders. If you're moving around dodging fire but can't hit back you're gonna die. No bonus as far as I can tell.

[Reuben Owen]

1. Don't think so. And it's not necessary for you to be good at those (or any) caste.
2. You can hit things up to 3 squares away offscreen. Generally if you're listening you'll hear the *hiss* of the spit hitting something. If you light toggle you can hit something every now and then but offscreen attacks shouldn't be your main way of doing damage. If you want to test how far your spit hits, face a off-screen wall, spit towards it and then look to see if you hit it, it should look a little damaged. Move 1 square farther back and repeat until you're not damaging the wall.
3. I have no clue. It seems to randomly hit body parts. Anyway, Prae spit is damaging enough that most people can't take more than 2 spits without at least wanting to go away, and 6 spits without dying.
4. They're harder to hit, and you have to actually target them or it'll pass over.
5. Only for damage spit. However it isn't that noticeable. The more important thing you get from upgrading is being able to spit faster/get plasma quicker.
6. By far. A Spitter can spit at a host 10 times and they still might not back off. Prae spit will usually make them back off after the first hit.
7. It does a very small amount. I remember a few rounds where some Spitters spammed it on a nested host and they (otherwise healthy) ended up dying. But that was like 50+ spits. It's NOT worth taking potshots if you're alone. If you're with nearby Xenos, it can create opportunities of attack, esp if you feel suicidal and run in spamming spit and disarm.
8. It's harder to actually aim, but there is no coded accuracy decrease in doing this.
9. If you're a Spitter you can rely on your bit of speed to dodge shots. But that kind of thing is a last resort, like if you miss your stun shot. Don't try it out in the open until you can at least dodge shots with easier, faster castes (Runner/Hunter). If you're a Prae, it's better to use Guard pheromones as your version of it is very strong and will give you what feels like double the health. All Xenos get some form of dodge bonus, even when stationary. Or at least I've dodged all kinds of shots moving + not moving as every Xeno (except Queen, now that I think about it).

Some tips:
You want Recovery on 24/7 as a Young Prae. You get more plasma, free healing, the works.
If you want, switch to Guard once you're Mature. You have enough plasma at that point to compensate for losing the Recovery bonus and this will let you tank significantly more flying rock-like objects.
Don't spam your weak sticky resin through the hive. In an assault it will disappear as quick as weeds do and it blocks a square that could otherwise be a wall or something. Optimally you want to place sticky resin in front of the hidey hole you keep peeking out of to spit at Marines, so they don't bum rush it. If they use fire or a nade or whatever to clear it, reapply. If they try to melee it to conserve ammo, spit at them.
Prae Acid Spit is slightly slowe than Spitter's version. So if you wonder why you keep missing, that's why.
Lastly, Prae Acid Spit can be used to break through walls, even reinforced ones. It takes around 5 shots to break a normal and 9 to break a reinforced for a Prae. So technically they can break walls faster than Boilers. And I would say Spitters take around 15 shots to break a normal and 30 shots to break a reinforced wall. Significantly slower, but still useful.

[fanit937]

1. I don't play aliens, but check out this macro guide, I think "Toggle-Spit-Type" is what you are looking for: viewtopic.php?t=4875

I also recall a macro of attempting to spit every type of spit from highest to lowest cost until one of them successes. I'll try and look for it.

Edit: found it in wiki, not really what you are looking for though.
"Spit-Super-Neurotoxin-(150)\nSpit-Neurotoxin-(100)\nSpit-Weak-Neurotoxin-(75)"

[TheMusician321]

-snip-

Guide is outdated, that dun work no more.

[Dumblike]

1. I don't play aliens, but check out this macro guide, I think "Toggle-Spit-Type" is what you are looking for: viewtopic.php?t=4875

tried, not working.