Special People, or: Tips and Tricks for the USCM Specialist

[Egorkor]

Let me give you some interesting info about B18. First off, it's not somewhat stronger. I have survived an elite ravaged, ancient hunter, mature runner, an elite queen and a drone slashing me for 7 minutes. If that's only somewhat strong then i don't know what "strong" means. And B18 is great for the guys who like melee. Get the riot shield and machete and you can kill anything save for maybe an ancient empress.

you cannot survive it that long, period. it took a minute for a ravager, drone and a hunter to slash up a deathsquad guy - and that was preupdate. deathsquad armor is either equal or sturdy. trying to melee with aliens is pointless since they will always run away unless they're thinking they can take on a machete, B18 is also prone to huggers, it takes two smart runners to take out a b18 spec in less than 10 seconds.

[Egorkor]

SADAR things here because I thought it's too much for this thread, but a bit too small for a guide I believe.
regardless, viewtopic.php?f=94&t=8322

[Casany]

you cannot survive it that long, period. it took a minute for a ravager, drone and a hunter to slash up a deathsquad guy - and that was preupdate. deathsquad armor is either equal or sturdy. trying to melee with aliens is pointless since they will always run away unless they're thinking they can take on a machete, B18 is also prone to huggers, it takes two smart runners to take out a b18 spec in less than 10 seconds.

I was exagerating, it was more like 2 minutes. And yes, B18 is not hugger proof. But it's still pretty damn useful.

[Renomaki]

That is it's only real flaw.. The helmet might block a few more huggers, but other than that, it really doesn't have much going for it.

Hence why I only say it is slightly stronger than marine armor, because really, the real armor factor is more in the helmet than the armor itself, since aliens don't really go for kills unless it is late in the game or they are already swarming the marines and have no need for more hosts.

If only something was done about the huggers, then maybe B18 armor might have more of a use other than the illusion of protection.

[Kreydis]

After playing 2 rounds of SADAR. I see no reason for you to go anything but SADAR. Even the incompetent as fuck RO knows how to order SADAR ammo over black market crates usually. As long as you can not FF, you're going to destroy any alien that has the misfortune of not seeing you / thinking you won't fire point blank.

[hawkshot86]

So played my first two rounds of specialist and definitely love the sniper rifle. I agree it could be stronger, but it's great at suppressing and defending bases. No T3 wants to wander around when a sniper is taking pop shots at them.
So definitely find that sniper is a good support weapon, not great at killing aliens but great at putting out big damage amounts and setting T3s up to die from pulse rifles/grenades/whatever. It's also great at confirming kills that otherwise would be dangerous or difficult to finish off.

As for the FF issue, error on the side of not shooting into friendlies. And shoot from the sides of the main assault force, not from directly behind your marines. This increases your number of opportunities to shoot and decreases the FF chance.

Emptied all 4 mags in both games and only had one FF incident where I got excited and shot before I checked if the lane was clear.

As for what weapon is best/most efficient, it's always more fun to use whatever you find the most enjoyable.

Also had my first predator duel. It was fun. I died like a boss.

[Renomaki]

As for what weapon is best/most efficient, it's always more fun to use whatever you find the most enjoyable.

As much as I'd love to use the smartgun whenever I got spec, you have to remember that there are 3 other specs on the ship, and each one is going to pick their own weapon that'll affect the balance. You have to realize that rushing to use your fave weapon isn't always going to be a good idea, and it might be best to wait a minute before picking a weapon and ask the other specs what they are bringing, as well as asking your SL what he might want you to bring. Communication is key to ensuring you have the right balance of spec weapons.

I know it sucks, but I like being a team-player, and knowing what the current set up is helps ensure I don't end up letting my platoon down by dragging an extra sniper rifle when we already have two snipers on deck. Hell, despite what people say, even having too many SADARS is bad, simply due to the fact that getting ammo for everyone would be way to expensive.

Too much of ANYTHING is bad, as me mum would say, so take everything in moderation.

[hawkshot86]

As much as I'd love to use the smartgun whenever I got spec, you have to remember that there are 3 other specs on the ship, and each one is going to pick their own weapon that'll affect the balance. You have to realize that rushing to use your fave weapon isn't always going to be a good idea, and it might be best to wait a minute before picking a weapon and ask the other specs what they are bringing, as well as asking your SL what he might want you to bring. Communication is key to ensuring you have the right balance of spec weapons.

I know it sucks, but I like being a team-player, and knowing what the current set up is helps ensure I don't end up letting my platoon down by dragging an extra sniper rifle when we already have two snipers on deck. Hell, despite what people say, even having too many SADARS is bad, simply due to the fact that getting ammo for everyone would be way to expensive.

Too much of ANYTHING is bad, as me mum would say, so take everything in moderation.

Agreed completely I always try and ask what the specalists are rolling. 4 snipers would be a disaster lol

[Monoo]

Regarding things I've seen in recent rounds: if you're in a bad spot and know you're gonna die, please make sure your equipment is safe and secure in the hands of the USCM. It's some of the most valuable and effective weaponry in the Sulaco's armament, and should be spared at all costs. That means absolutely no chasing after five xenos by yourself when you're a slash away from paincrit. You aren't invincible.

Side note: the RP rules state that random standards are not qualified to handle specialist equipment. If you're a standard, don't loot your dead specialist. Pass it on to storage or to the hands of someone more capable.