Warframe, the very nice F2P-Title available on the PS4 and PC is built around what is called a "tile set". Basically, these are different building blocks that can be mixed and matched to create ever different levels - albeit with the same parts. There are seven relatively unique tile sets, and while you'll often come across familiar areas during your missions, the game keeps it fresh by randomly changing the arrangement - and it's actually quite easy to get lost, because you thought you knew the way.
What's more, Warframe has different types of missions, and in this post, I will take a look at one that, as is my experience playing with randoms, seems to be a bit misunderstood:
SURVIVAL
Logic would dictate, that you'll try to keep your Tenno-ish Deeds unknown for as long as possible when engaging in a mission. An alerted enemy is a tougher enemy, and all that. Not so in Survival. Your goal is to draw attention, specifically away from another Tenno Operative doing sneaky things somewhere just out of sight. The longer you manage to do that, the more sneaky stuff your operative will get done, of course, but that part is admittedly kind-of omitted by the game.
Your Survival is measured in five minute segments, with a five minute minimum to successfully finish the mission, and every additional five minutes netting you increasingly rare rewards. The timer starts after you, hesitantly but intentionally, trigger the alarm, and the enemy will do its very evil best to kill you. Your Goal: Survival! (So, yeah, that was kinda obvious, but I couldn't resist.)
Which sounds not that hard, given that the tile sets come with many handy bottlenecks, where one could set up and dig in. Which is why, simply out of spite, the evil enemy turns off all life support systems. (How do you know they're the evil enemy, by the way? Shutting off life support even for their own guys in order to get to you is a very clear indicator. It's a check mark. A pillar of Evil Enemy-ness.)
With time, quite literally, running out, Lotus, that Cyber-Honey with the Helmet on, manages to teleport life support capsules into your vicinity. For some reason, though, she cannot teleport them all to the same place, but the game did need a reason to keep you on the move, and this one is not as bad as some I've seen.
So what you do, is you run around the level, trying to stay alive against endless waves of increasingly evil enemies, while finding and then activating life support capsules. Life support is constantly draining, and it is in your best interest to keep it above zero. It is called life support. Every capsule you activate increases the life support running time by 20-30% , but the hordes of enemies can get pretty distracting, so don't just start looking for the capsules once you start taking constant damage because there's no more air.
Because once it's gone, your mission is over. Capsules - and the smaller, dropped-by-enemies personal life support modules that regain everyone 4% when picked up - will stop working, your shields and health will drain, until you have only 5 health points left, but even those will go away after five minutes of vacuum (which is quite impressive, really).
On the other hand, don't activate a capsule until life support has drained to around 70% - anything added to over 100% will be lost, and you might come to regret those lost seconds of precious oxygen. Capsule drops will become less and less frequent the longer the mission continues, so you need to find a balance between keeping it up and not wasting any.
After five minutes of running and killing and killing and killing, your extraction becomes available. You'll still have to reach it, but it will be there waiting for you, which apparently seems to be the General Call to Flee for many of the newer players. Granted, once you hear "Extraction", people unaware of Survival's possibly endless mission length, could be forgiven for heeding the siren call of freedom - especially if you managed to net a nice mod for your collection. If you die and fail the mission, everything you picked up (except for the things you "picked up" in way of experience) will be lost, and the way to the Extraction Point will be filled with enemies.
In Survival, enemies will follow you and appear where you are, even if you don't do anything but stand around the extraction pods, waiting for your teammates to do all the heavy lifting and get you some more XP and Survival Rewards.
But still, there's really no reason except "I really need to use the bathroom, RIGHT NOW!" for a team of three or four Tenno to not remain, and last until minute ten. After ten, things might get tricky for newer or lower level players, but for the love of Pete, don't start a 60-second Extraction Timer with at least half of the team waiting near the pods at 8:50 min. Just don't. Do remember, however, that once you decide to bail out, there might be tight hallways teeming with enemies between you and a successful mission. If you get downed, you can be revived or revive yourself (eventually), and if just one of you makes it out alive, it's all good. But if at any given time all players are down, the mission fails and all those nice rewards are gone, gone, gone.
Wow. That was a lot of reading, and in these literally challenged times, too. So, here is a complete Survival Mission in two videos, going strong until minute 20. This is also the "easiest" Survival Mission, but by the end, the enemies are pretty damn tough.
That's me with three Randoms, playing a Level 20 Loki Warframe, toting the Braton Rifle, Sicarus Pistol and the Orthos Heavy Melee weapon. Notable Mods are an Aura Energy Recharge (with a raise in Warframe Mod Energy), a 45% increase in Shield Recharge, 120% Extra Health, and the 30% increased Maximum Rifle Ammo.
And yes, I am that bad. Also, I was not really used to the heavy weapon with its long strike animations, so you'll see me hitting air quite a lot after I actually had wanted to stop striking anything quite some time before...
Warframe on PS4 - Survival Mission Gameplay pt. 1 and 2
For all your PS4 needs, especially the European needs, head over to Amazon UK - best deals in Europe (mostly). For TV or Movie Streaming needs, as well. Yes, I do buy there myself. Exclusively. Unless I find a better deal, elsewhere...
Seriously, though. Merry Christmas to all that celebrate, and Happy Holidays to all, like me, that simply enjoy a few free days. I'm trying to be nice here, don't spoil it...
Anyway, since it's Christmas, I thought I'd bring you a little present. Thus, let me introduce you to...
Fine, okay, I didn't make it. But it's free, so it counts as a present. Because I said so.
Warframe is a Free-to-Play, Sci-Fi Co-Op Heavy 3rd-Person Shooter, and it's available on PS4 to EVERYONE. Yes, no PS-Plus needed. Interested? You should be. Read on and watch the vids to get set with all of the info you need to start out. Because, while Warframe is quite a good game, it sadly does almost nothing to explain how things work. I will try to change that, but, as I've been told, I am not always right. I'm sure that violates a law of nature somewhere, but it is the truth. There's also still stuff I don't know or haven`t seen yet, but since this article is mainly to provide people with a place to put their feet and not be swept away, it should suffice. If you want, head over to the Warframe Wiki, but be warned, the Wiki is mostly for the PC version, which is usually a bit ahead of the PS4 when it comes to fixes, events, balancing and stats. Finally, this is my personal impression and my personal opinion. Nothing more. Maybe, arguably, significantly less, but it is what it is.
What's it about?
I'm not quite sure. You play as a Tenno, which I guess means "Space Ninja" in a language yet to be made. Your goal is to fight back against Evil. Space Evil. Ninja-Style. It all happens in our familiar solar system, but presumably far, far into the future. You shoot and kill baddies. What more do you need to know? Also, there's an in-game codex with lots of answers, if you really want to know...
The Tenno-You wears a Warframe, an exoskeleton. It looks pretty sleek. It also has powers.
There are many different Warframes with many different abilities (four to each) available, but you only get one of three for free. You can choose which at the end of the tutorial mission, so choose wisely. Actually, choose either Excalibur or Mag. Probably Mag. Loki might sound cool, but where almost every other Warframe has a devastating Area of Effect Attack, killing lots of enemies, Loki's "Ultimate" makes all the guns in his vicinity jam. Yeah.
Don't get me wrong. As I have been told by more experienced members of the Warframe Community, Loki is amazing, especially when complementing a steady crew, and even more so in the later, harder missions, but I did choose him, and I mostly felt like that guy that always comes late to the party. So, I'd advise you to choose either Mag - because it is the most expensive to buy if you don't choose it for free - or Excalibur, which is apparently the hardest of the three to get through the game without paying. Of course, all of this becomes moot, if you don't mind spending a few bucks, and in that regard, Loki, Excalibur and Volt are the three cheapest to get.
The Three Choices - well, actually, Volt has been Replaced by Mag, so...
How does it play?
Well. It's a 3rd-Person Shooter. It comes with a primary weapon (mostly a Rifle), a secondary weapon (mostly a pistol) and a melee weapon (you start with a sword). You can aim-down-the-sights, you can jump, dodge, crouch, sprint, slide, grab ledges, wall run and do some nice combo moves. You can use your Warframe powers.
Every Planet of the System has missions, and missions range from Killing all Enemies in a certain level, to assassinating a Boss.
It's best to be played with up to three friends, since the missions, even early on, can get pretty hard. If you want to see some Solo Gameplay, scroll down to the last three videos for a taste of gameplay with horrible commentary. By me.
What's the Premium/Paying Aspect?
It`s not that bad, actually. You can buy Platinum with real money, and use that Platinum to buy new weapons, Warframes, a Robo-Buddy called a Sentinel, new Skins and Resources. You can speed up the building time for stuff that you will eventually build with resources. You can do a lot. And I won't lie to you, it's not cheap. Then again, there are people that threw hundreds of dollars into that Simpsons Build-a-City F2P mobile game, so the audience is there I guess. When you start you get a small amount of Platinum for free (more if you're a US PS+ member), but, sadly, not enough to really buy something good. It's a free taste, and it's useful especially early on for some small stuff, like weapon slots.
BUT, you can get pretty much all of the stuff you can buy by simply playing the game. It will take a while, though. To build stuff, you need blueprints and resources and credits. All of those can be earned and bought without ever spending a dime. But it will take some time to get them. Well, quite a lot of time. Yes, it's a grind, quite literally, but if you have a few friends to play with, it's a FUN-grind. No, I'm serious. This is not a pay-to-win game, but the incentives to buy with Platinum (a free equipment slot and a supercharge to your purchase) are there - and for such a fun game, the devs do deserve something, right?
How do you get to kill stuff?
Anxious, are we?
Alright. First, you download Warframe, then go through the update
process. As with many F2P games, content is constantly added, so there
are mandatory updates.
Then you play the tutorial, choose your
Warframe (don't choose Loki unless you're planning on running with a crew, did your Warframe research far beyond what this article provides, plan on playing Warframe for quite some time and really like being stealthy with a rather steeper and less immediately rewarding learning curve), and then you can go on missions. There's only one mission on
one Planet available at the start, so once you enter the Main Menu and
select "Play", you choose Mercury, Mission 1 and you can start.
There are a few things to be looked at before, though:
First,
default setup is to automatically look online for people to play with.
You can change that in the lobby by pressing "Triangle" and selecting
options from open matchmaking to playing solo. Enemy Strength scales
with player numbers, so if you have friends to play with, set your
Online Connectability to Private or Invite Only. Having buddies is not
only good for fun, buddies can also revive you if you die. If there`s
people with you, once your health reaches zero, you bleed out. During
bleed-out, your buddies can revive you, while you can still use your
pistol to keep the baddies of their backs.
If they don't make it,
well, you can revive yourself. You get 4 free revives a day, reset at
0:00 GMT, but if you run out, you can spend a small amount of Platinum
to recharge. Since you have a bit of free Platinum already, it's not
that big of a deal at first. But it's good to know, especially since if
you die and forfeit the mission, you ONLY get experience. Resources,
Weapon and Warframe Mods, anything else you picked up will be gone.
Second,
there are a few options you might want to look at: Specifically the
control options, for inverted y-axis for camera movement (if you're so
inclined), and something very, very useful for pulling off advanced
wall-running maneuvers. The Video later on will show this more clearly,
but in short, if you like to be able to aim while wall running, you need
to set "Hold Jump/X to wall run" to OFF.
One more option of
interest is the Maximum Ping for open matchmaking. We all hate laggers,
and setting this option to a lower value than the default 300ms will
alleviate that somewhat. But it will also limit your matchmaking pool,
so be aware.
And lastly, the way to activate your powers: either via the touchpad - which requires a certain dexterity if you want to keep moving and aiming while swiping in a direction; or via the D-Pad and then activate it with L1. Both have disadvantages, but you'll have to try them for a bit to really see what they are. Okay, fine, the touchpad can sometimes choose the wrong power to go off, and it's kinda hard to swipe with your index fingers, while the D-Pad and L1 option makes it really hard to slide and adjust your aim. But that's just me.
What now?
Now that you've been through a mission or two, it's time to look a bit more closely at what this game and its features have to offer. But don't worry, enough with the reading, here come my personal intro videos, with horrible commentary. By Me.
First off, is a look into the menus, the Arsenal where you choose your loadouts and the markets:
WARFRAME - AN INTRO VIDEO - THINGS TO KNOW - The Menus and Stuff
Second, here's a look at the Play Screen, the Mission Selection, Mission Types and the different Resources of different Planets:
WARFRAME - MORE THINGS TO KNOW - Missions and Resources
Finally, here's a how-to on doing some of the more Advanced Moves in Warframe. This is especially useful, since the game does nothing to explain all those. This is also where the option change concerning wall-running comes into play.
WARFRAME - MORE THINGS TO KNOW - Advanced Maneuvers
A few Tips:
Of course, this is not all, and there's still so much I don't know about. Like Clan stuff, the Clan Dojo (where you can apparently spar against other clan members, and even do some research for new weapons). Or the freshly introduced Conclave system, allowing you to fight 1v1 or 2v2 PVP. Mod Fusion and Mod Transmutation. Maximization, special builds for special missions. And more.
Still, I know more than SOMEone, so let me leave you with a few tips:
If you like Warframe, log in every single day. EVERY single day, even if all you do is log-in. Why? Because every day you log in, you enter the log-in-lottery. And the more consecutive days you log in, the better the prices get. I once got a Weapon Blueprint for logging in the fourth consecutive day. It's free stuff for a log in. Just do it.
Buy the Blueprints for Team Heal and Team Ammo, and if you can, build a few and carry them around with you on missions. You equip stuff like that in your Arsenal/Gear by selecting an empty slot and choosing the item you want. You use it by holding "down" on the D-Pad, selecting it with the Right Stick and pressing X.
Buy a Codex Scanner from the Market/Gear and scan enemies for some free XP and info on their abilities, resistances, and possible drops, to be perused in the Codex. You need to equip the scanner in the Arsenal, then use it as you use all gear, and scan enemies during missions (for all the info you need to scan the same enemy type multiple times). When used, the scanner is held instead of a weapon, so you aim with L2 and scan with R2 - but you also need to press "Triangle" to change back to a weapon that can actually shoot. The Scanner not only scans, but it also shows you un-scanned enemies and un-scanned storage containers through walls!
Don't play a Rescue Mission Solo unless it's really far below your current level, or you really, really know what you're doing. Also, don't try a Capture Mission Solo with a slow Warframe. Just trust me on this.
Invest some Money in Platinum. Support the people who made this. I'm not talking about hundreds of dollars, but you get a great game to play with friends. And it's Christmas. Let's show some love.
WARFRAME GAMEPLAY - with horrible commentary. By Me.
This is a three-parter of me playing a Solo Capture Mission. It should give you an idea of what to expect. Of course, this is just me playing an early mission Solo. Things get exponentially crazier the more you progress and the more people are involved.
For all your PS4 needs, especially the European needs, head over to Amazon UK - best deals in Europe (mostly). For TV or Movie Streaming needs, as well. Yes, I do buy there myself. Exclusively. Unless I find a better deal, elsewhere...
God, I'm probably really the wrong person to give advice, but... anyway. I like to read myself... uhm, write. I guess.
Connectivity
So, before we go to the actual game, let's check on something else: Your
connection and the possibility of lag. As a Peer-2-Peer game (one player acts like a server to host the match, the other players are his clients), lag is sadly often
inevitable, especially if you find yourself in a lobby with people from another continent.
Let's take a look at your situation:
How long will it take to come back?
First off, where exactly are you located?
If it's Australia or something, there's not much you can do about the lag, except maybe sacrifice a virginal Drop Bear, and hope to play matches only with your countrymen.
Second, is your Connection good?
Are you using the same connection as others, like a shared home-network?
If so, do others use a lot of bandwidth while you are playing?
Especially uploading anything can severely restrict your internet speed.
Third, is your NAT open? You can test this by testing your connection on PS3 or Xbox 360 from the System/Network tab on the dashboard. If it says there
might be a problem (moderate NAT Type 2), google to find out how to open your NAT (PS3 / Xbox 360).
An open NAT will not solve all your problems, but it may very well
improve your connectivity.
All of that done, then okay. It's just that some the problems people encounter seem like a bit of lag to me, and there are some things you can
do to minimize it.
Be Open to New Relationships
If you are open to other people joining you in your party, change your
Party Privacy to Open, so players from matches you are in can just join
you or you can join them. You do that in your Multiplayer SvM lobby before you start searching for a match.
If you find some random you had a good match with, that will allow you to easily team up.
Trust me, it helps.
General - Preparation
The Six P`s: Proper Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance.
Learn the maps.
It's crazy how much you can miss because there is a
timer running down and objectives to do and people to kill. Go into a
private match with a buddy and just run around, get to know some hiding
places etc.
It helps to know which routes to avoid or ambush.
But do not, not ever, go and try Spawn Killing/Trapping people.
Even if it's done to you, be better than that.
Use your Mic. And don't be afraid to just start talking. A lot of people
are shy, but even if they don't respond, they can hear you if you call
out enemies. And if all else fails, just try to stick with your
teammates. It's always good to have backup.
Find a buddy to play with.
There's this thread on the Ubi-forums to post your tag or look for others' : http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.php...co-op-SvM-with!
Having even one person you can coordinate with is of immense help.
Don't play TDM.
Seriously, though, the objectives force people into action, away from hiding points and into the fray. Team Deathmatch, especially with all-spy teams, often end in nothing but looking at people through walls and waiting until someone moves.
Then again, what do I know?
Game Modes:
Spies vs. Mercs Classic/ Hardcore 2v2:
2v2, Spies versus Mercs (Hardcore has a "level 20" minimum requirement)
Two 10-min rounds, one round played on each side
Unlimited Lives
Respawn Timer: 20 seconds
Pre-set classes
Spies have no lethal long-range weapons and only
Night-Vision Goggles, but a stun crossbow and several gadgets
Mercs have Guns with flashlights, frags, gas grenades, mines and an ammo-pack.
Three consoles are located on the map. Spies need to hack them (one at a time) and upload the data, then the Hacker needs to remain in the
designated area and alive until the upload is complete - then you move on to the
next.
Mercs need to stop them, stop the hack on the consoles by killing
the hacker or forcing him out of the zone. If the Hacker gets killed,
the hack can be continued by hacking the same console again within 15
seconds.
Hacking all three consoles ends the round. If the team that plays as
spies the second time gets more consoles than the other team in the
first round, the match ends immediately as soon as the "winning hack"
is finished.
If a hack is in progress, round time is extended until the hack has finished or failed.
In a tie-breaker, the progress bars of unfinished uploads decide, unless both teams get all three consoles - I think that would end in a draw, but I've never seen that, so I don't know.
Things to know:
Stick together, communicate and think. Don't throw away your life.
Flashlights give Mercs away when used, but Spies are pretty fragile when caught out in the open.
Night-Vision will let you see in the dark, but not through walls.
Spies vs. Mercs Blacklist:
4v4, customization, suit powers, spies have guns, too. Read on for more info on loadouts, etc.
Two 10-min rounds, one round played on each side
Unlimited Lives
Respawn Timer: 20 seconds
The objectives and conditions are the same as in Classic, but the customization, the "Suit Powers" and the bigger teams, make this mode something else, entirely.
Additional Info:
Dead Mercs look at cameras placed throughout the level while waiting
for a respawn; Cameras can be cycled through (and deactivated temporarily by the Spies).
Dead spies look at
teammates, but can control the camera.
Things to know:
Stick together, but not too close to both get killed by one
burst/mine/remote camera.
Communicate, help each other out, and
compliment your team-members' playstyle and equipment.
Extraction:
Capture the Intel
4v4, Spies vs. Mercs, customization, suit powers, lethal spies. Read on for more info on loadouts etc.
Two 8-min rounds, one round played on each side.
Unlimited Lives
Respawn Timer: 20 seconds
Spies need to defend a piece of Intel set at a specific location.
Mercs need to capture the Intel
and bring it to an Extraction Point.
If the Intel-Carrier is killed, Spies
must "reset" (interact) with the intel to get it back to the original
location.
Mercs can pick up the Intel on the ground and continue for the Extraction Point.
Mercs carrying the Intel
cannot sprint, but can fire weapons, activate suit powers and place gadgets.
A round ends after 5 captured Intels. The Match ends if the second-round Merc team
captures more Intel than the first team did in the first round - or if time runs out.
As long as a Merc is carrying the Intel, round time will be extended until the Intel is extracted or the Intel-Carrier is killed.
Ties result in a Draw.
Things to know:
Spies need to pick their places and their fights, try to defend the Intel from being captured, and quickly readjust when the Intel is on the move.
Mercs should
stick together, cover each other and check their corners and their
backs.
It's never a bad idea - for both teams - to think about a designated extraction
route with booby traps.
Uplink Control:
Hacking... Hacking...
3v3, mixed teams (Spies and Mercs can be on one team), customization,
suit powers, lethal spies. Read on bla, bla, bla.
One 10-min round
Unlimited Lives
Respawn Timer: 15 seconds
Five Uplink-Terminals are located around the level. One will be hackable at a
time.
Hack the designated Terminal and keep the enemy from stopping
your hack and hacking it themselves.
Once hacked, the Terminal will stay
active until one side uploads 100%.
Hacks can be disrupted by hacking
the console again.
Things to know:
Mixed teams means you can and should mix teams with Mercs and Spies.
Spies can call out enemies and ambush Mercs, but Mercs at long range (mostly) trump Spies.
Work together, communicate.
TDM:
Never played it, and never want to, so I will guess.
4v4, mixed teams (Spies and Mercs can be on one team) customization,
suit powers, lethal spies.
One 10-min round
Unlimited Lives
Respawn Timer: 10 seconds
Kill the enemy team. Often.
Things to know:
Mixed teams means you can and should mix teams with Mercs and Spies.
Spies can call out enemies and ambush Mercs, but Mercs at long range
mostly trump spies. Work together, communicate.
I would expect a lot of
times everybody runs for certain "defensible positions" and the waits.
Also, I heard that everybody tends to play Spy and people just sit around
looking through walls at each other.
The Spy:
Know your Abilities and your Gadgets and your Gear. What things show
what, do what, have what effect, counter what and so on.
Mercs are far
from helpless when it comes to intel gathering, spotting or countering
you, so be aware.
The Goggles:
Thermal Goggles show you enemy heat signatures through walls at short range in real-time.
Useful in Close Quarters, but completely blind at long range.
EMF Goggles show you electrical systems (including those of enemies) at medium range in real-time.
Useful for spotting mines and enemies from farther off, but enemies can be obscured by other electrical stuff.
Sonar Goggles show you enemy locations periodically at long range through Sonar Pulse Location.
Great to spot enemies from far-off, but only in pulses. And see-through walls can make navigation difficult.
Suit Powers:
Suit Powers - well, I call them that, but they're actually technically advanced systems built into the Torso-Armor of Spies and Mercs alike - can be triggered at any time, but need to recharge for a while before a second use.
The Intel Suit lets you tag enemies for a limited time - tagged enemies can be seen through walls from long range.
The Overcharge Suit destroys or disrupts enemy electrical systems in the immediate area.
The Digital Ghillie Suit lets you activate optical camouflage for a short time, turning you almost invisible.
Things to know:
Don't over-rely on your goggles. Sure it's cool to see through walls, but not
if you step into a mine or accidentally drop down an opening between a
few Mercs. And you never know where the shadows are.
All fall down...
Height is your friend. There`s really no counter for getting
Death-From-Aboved while walking
through a doorway, unless the Merc gets
lucky enough with his bullets (and lag) to kill the spy in-flight. You
still have to put yourself in a place where it works and you can't be
easily seen by someone approaching, though.
Height is a general
advantage for spies, since it's something Mercs cannot quickly overcome.
Man Overboard!
Railings are your friend. If a Merc comes too close to one your hanging
from, there's nothing he can do.But again, you still have to put yourself in a
place where it works and you can't be easily seen by someone
approaching, though.
Don't over-rely on Cloak. Not only because it's not really as great as
you might think against someone who knows what he's doing (and Mercs
using RFD or ATS... or the Motion Sensor), but also because everybody uses it - variety is often a key
ingredient of success.
Be a Teamplayer if no one else is. Unless you are hellbent on getting
kills (or TDM), you could just be a recon-guy with the Intel Suit and
Sonar Goggles to tag and then call out enemies (by which I mean, you use your Goggles to locate Mercs from afar, use your headset to tell your teammates about them, and once they get close enough, you tag them with your Intel Suit - and then keep calling out enemy positions), or Play
Interference/Clear Objectives with Overcharge and Trophy Systems.
Overcharge can use the enemy's mines and drones against them. Overcharge forces mines and drones to explode with all the power they usually explode with (while EMP grenades just shut them down). As such, Overcharging a mine next to a Merc can very well result in a Mine-Kill - for you.
Choose your role - offense, defense, hacker etc. In Blacklist or
Classic, if you're not hacking, try to cover the hacker or an entrance.
The Mercs have only so many ways to enter a certain area.
Be where they don't expect you to be. Mercs become careful close to an
objective, but often run past doorways and under DFA-ledges when running
towards a newly hacked console. Some people hate the
"circle-around-the-back guys", but you're supposed to be a sneaky
bastard, so there.
Stay away from corners that allow Mercs to circle around them. Usually doesn't end well.
A Trophy? On Xbox?
If Drones annoy you, put down a Trophy System. It kills grenades and
drones and can completely frustrate Mercs. But be careful where you
place it though - not too close to yourself. A Merc with RFD can see
your Toys (he can also see you if you're using your goggles or suit
power, but there's a gear item, the Infiltration Helmet, to counter that).
The Sticky Cam can be a great offensive weapon - some use it like a
grenade, throw, enter, press "detonate", all in one second. Or you can place it
over a doorway, or on a wall, and detonate when someone comes close.
Just don't expect one to lie on the ground in full light and stay there
undetected. Also, don't forget the slight delay it has before
detonation.
Spy-Dude on the right couldn't wait...
Don't go for the first enemy, go for the last-in-line. It's often better
to wait a bit before going in for the
kill, see if someone else will
come around, than to try and kill one Merc to get shot by his buddy. Not
always, but often.
Keep your ears open. Mines are Death, but they make a very distinctive
beeping sound. You can shoot mines with your guns (Boom!), deactivate them with your stun-crossbow or an EMP grenade (Bzzt!)- or, as mentioned before, take them out explosively with
the Overcharge Suit.
Don't over-rely only on your melee.
Hanging... Tough!
You have guns that can be pretty deadly
at close range on an unaware target, or even at long range with an
upgraded pistol. The key-word here is "UNAWARE". Don't try to win
shooting matches against Mercs, unless you have good cover and a quick
exit nearby.
Some fun can be had with a silenced pistol taking long-range potshots from a shadowed cover: great distraction.
It's a bit tricky, but if you catch a Merc that is cooking a grenade in his hands with a Stun-Crossbow-Bolt, he will Martyr himself - unintentionally.
If you have to attack full frontal melee, try to weave left and right,
or slide just past the Merc then press Melee. Or try to run past up to a
ledge and press Melee for a DFA.
Disable Cameras in SvM Blacklist. Every Console Area has at least one camera dead Mercs see while dead. Why let them?
Tips from "Da Pros"
oO_ShadowFox_Oo
Double tap the equipment button to quickly "Batman" a grenade at your feet, rather than throw it.
You need to learn how to play spies a particular way in this game. It's
about movement, but knowing when to stay absolutely stationary at the
same time. I find one of the most effective tactics is to try and move
into areas that mercs have just checked.
If a merc clears an area, try and maneuver yourself into a position
where you can slip into that area after they have moved off. If they
have already mentally "cleared" it, it will now be the last place
they'll look.
I am nearly constantly moving as hacking spy, trying to keep as much distance between me and the merc as possible.
Hiding in spots can be an effective tactic, but it can also be a death
sentence, because the best hiding spots are often "boxed in" - so once
you're spotted, that's it - you're done!
soldiersback
You have to play decoy and defend the hacker IN THE HACKING ZONE
There's ALWAYS a mine at the terminal you are going to hack
You are supposed to STAY HIDDEN when you are the hacker
Loadouts:
I will list two of mine, and accompany those with three different ones from Red Cell Screenshots.
You basically sit in a Vent or a deep shadow near (but not too near) your objective,
somewhere safe and hopefully outside Merc Disruptor Suit Range, call out enemies with your Goggles, while marking
them when you can, and only really engage when you see a chance, not go
actively on the hunt.
The gloves let you navigate ledges much faster to get out of harm's way.
You place a Sticky Cam to control an entrance, a
few Trophy Systems to counter drones, and are mostly just a team player.
The
Infiltration Helmet protects you from being seen when using your goggles, the
optional ID blocker pants stop reticules from turning red (nice for
shadows).
PredatorThermal:
Digital Ghillie Suit , Thermal Goggles, Infiltration Helmet
Armor Gloves, ID Blocker Pants, Sneak-Boots
Trophy System / EMP Grenades
Role: Offensive
Thermal allows you to see through walls at short range,
but you can still see the walls, so you know when there's one between
you and the prey.
The Infiltration Helmet protects you from RFD showing
you're using your goggles. But don't over-rely on your cloak.
The Sound Reduction of the "Sneak Boots" can make a sprinting at a target from behind less obvious (and might also partly counter the Mercs' ATS (Audio-Tracking) Vision Mode, but that is still unconfirmed)
The EMP grenades can stun a Merc and take out mines and drones without danger to yourself for quick attacks or escapes. The Trophy System on the other hand, can secure a perimeter from grenades and drones, which can be useful should you find yourself to be the hacker.
That said,
keep an eye out for mines, then go and kill people. Stay away from long,
straight sight lines, use the fact that you can see through walls, then
ambush people and vanish.
Here are the videos from Red Cell to go with the screenshots and show a few different ideas:
And Part 2:
The Merc:
How to Counter the Spy's Frontal Melee.
Read this and understand it, find a friend to test it, have some fun. Thanks go to oO_ShadowFox_Oo and his buddies for testing this, and, again, Red Cell for the Video.
It's all about timing, momentum and direction. The Spy will win from the back or the side, but if you have one running at you head-on, don't engage with your weapon (unless it's a Shotgun). Instead, move to meet him and hit melee. You can give yourself an even better chance of winning the "Joust" by sprinting or using Adrenaline (and then sprinting).
Look, there's something in the barrel...
It takes a while to get the timing done (and no, lag is not your friend), and if you do anything else (reloading, placing a gadget, firing your weapon), your chances of winning decrease considerably.
There also seems to be a small window of opportunity to actively counter a spy's Melee attack by pressing "Melee" just after the spy triggered his - the animation will show you take his knife and stab him.
Also note, that you have to actually aim at the spy when you trigger your melee-attack - specifically, you will not hit a crouching spy if your reticule is above his head.
If you can, get a friend into a private match and beat each others' brains out. It's good practice, and can be a great release of accumulated grief.
Something that might help with that (especially aiming the Melee), is changing your Merc Control Scheme to "Shooter", which will move the melee-button from a face-button to the aim-stick-button, enabling you to sprint, aim and kick-butt without taking your fingers of the sticks.
Switching the Merc Controls to "Shooter" takes some getting used
to, though, especially, if you keep the Spy the regular way (as I do).
Another benefit of the Shooter Controls is that you won't find
yourself "clench-reloading" - I have yet to get a "Clench-Melee" by
accidentally pressing too hard on the stick while aiming.
And for show-and-tell, another video from Red Cell:
Again, know your stuff. Same as the spies. There's a lot of Rock-Paper-Scissors involved, here, Counters to this, Prepare for that...
The Merc Vision Modes:
"Merc-Goggles" are always on, and give you three different options to help detect Spies.
ATS will notify you of loud sounds at long range by painting the location on the HUD (Triangle with Distance Indicator), and the direction of
other sounds (like footsteps) at short range by a small amplitude indicator on the curved bar at the bottom of your HUD, and that for all 360° around you. It's the only Goggle-Mode that notices things behind you (which the amplitude will show as negative, i.e. beneath the curved bar).
Motion Tracker pulse-detects quick motion in a certain angle in front of you. Crouching movement and movement on ledges is not detected, but the Headgear Detection Enhancer increases the pulse frequency.
And yes, it is quite reminiscent of Alien II.
RFD detects enemy electrical systems, like Trophy Systems or Sticky Cameras at short to medium range (and even through walls), as well as the use of Spy-Goggles or Suit Powers - unless the Spy wears the Infiltration Helmet. It's the only Goggle-Mode able to visually detect stationary cloaked Spies (unless they do wear that helmet).
Suit Powers:
An Injection to turn the World brighter for a while
The Adrenaline Suit lets you inject yourself with Adrenaline. The temporary boost results in more damage output, higher movement speed, brighter surroundings and a slightly increased Field of View.
It also increases recuperation from damage and stuns. It's the only equipment to successfully counter the Spy's Stun-Crossbow.
So, it's kinda hard to show that in a picture...
The Disruptor Suit, once triggered, will take out any electrical system in its effective range,
including Goggles, Suit-Powers and Spy Equipment like Cameras or Trophy Systems.
Bird of BOOM!
The Drone Suit enables you to deploy a remote controlled drone that can spot Spies and be remotely detonated for a kill.
The Drone has a limited battery life once launched.
Things to know:
Better late, than never
Mines are your friends. Use them in high-traffic areas, under vents with
the green chem-lights, around consoles in SvM, to secure your back in
Extraction, to secure your back, period. To make sure a spy over a
doorway will pay for a DFA (stay just inside to plant the mine facing
outward).
If you enter a hacked console's area, it's never a bad call to
place a mine at your back.
Be careful not to stay around your own mines, though. A Spy's Overcharge Suit will make them explode and kill you just as dead.
The Ammo Box is your friend - and that of your team. It might get nerfed, but it offers someone with two gadgets a lot of gadgets to
play around with.
RFD is awesome vs. Cloakers without the Infiltration Helmet. If someone comes up behind you, it's mostly
game over - even with ATS - the noise/movement locator. Turning around
takes too long to avoid death. But if you're looking in their direction
and they think they can hide behind a corner in cloak, you actually see
them through walls at short distances. They think they're invisible,
but have a big HUD-Marker on their heads.
The Headgear "Detection
Enhancer" helps with that.
Fire in the Corner-Office
Stay away from railings and from under ledges if you can help it. Those
are easy kills for spies, and there's nothing you can do about it once it happens.
Check them from a distance (railings), slowly inch forward looking up (doorways/ledges) or just go around.
Instead of running into a room or around a corner to clear it, why not flush any enemies out with a
gas or frag grenade?
Circle corners to get the drop on lurking spies.
Aim and Shoot at range, hip-fire is for CQC emergencies.
Stay mobile - the longer you stand in one spot, the easier to come around behind or above you.
Watch your corners. Don't look in the same direction as your Merc-Buddies. Watch the corner they are not watching.
Secure your back. Spies love to circle around and get you from behind while you are trying to get to the hacker or a console. Some mines at your back can at least dissuade them or slow them down.
An Intel Device combined with RFD gives you a good chance to detect every Spy in your vicinity, no matter their equipment.
Loadout:
Again, I will talk about mine, and show Red Cell Screens for more.
The Suits:
When it comes to the Suits, well, personally I always play with a pretty
dark TV setup, and I refuse to stoop as low as some and cheat with the
Brightness.
So I like Adrenaline. Not only does it increase your Field of View, it
also makes things pretty damn bright (compared to my darkness). It also
allows you to counter a Stun-Bolt, increases your speed to the point
where Spies are slower, increases your damage output and helps with the
counter melee striking. I like to combine it with RFD and an Intel Device, or ATS and the Flash Protection.
The Disruptor Suit is very good as support or just to piss off Spies. It
will make for some nice moments when catching a cloaked dude in
mid-sneak, and the fact that it counters all gadgets, suit-powers and
goggles can make life for spies quite hard - and, for example, stop
Trophy Systems from destroying your Drones and Grenades. I use it with
the Motion Tracker and Detection Enhancer Headgear, or ATS.
The Drone... I don't like it. It's easily countered or shot down, leaves
you open to attack, and... well,
it's tempting to use it to frustrate
the other team, hunt hackers, spawn-trap and so on. But if you are good enough and
actually like to support your team and just spot people (Cloakers with the Infiltration Helmet can still be spotted by Drones and Intel Devices) and not fly up
to the first guy you see and detonate, you'll be very useful. Use it
with RFD, and bring an Intel Device and some mines to secure your "body" - or rather the approach to your body, otherwise Overcharge might make you your own mine's victim.
Equipment:
SvM Blacklist and Extraction:
Mines and Ammo Box (unless you want to be a Drone Intel guy, then you
take Mines and the Intel Device, for when your drone is down)
A fully
upgraded AR (range, damage) or a Semi-Auto Shotgun for CQC (I don't use
shotguns, but have seen some very impressive work with them), a fully pimped
pistol
The Gadget pants, the boots that let you move faster while
aiming or sprint faster
RFD or Motion Tracker for me, but I am starting to like the ATS. It's a bit different and needs getting used to, but it does tell you if someone is close pretty effectively.
TDM/Uplink Control:
Mines or Frags with the Ammo Box - Frags are
probably better offensively. Everything else pretty much the same,
except for maybe armored boots instead of the sharpshooter boots.
TDM and Uplink Control
have lots of Flashbang users or heavily Armored Mercs, so more Armor or
Flash-Protection is a good thing.
Here's what Red Cell think about that:
And Part 2:
And a Special about ATS and the Disruptor Suit:
As you can see from the Red Cell Vid and Screenshots, my Merc choices are very different - but very similar amongst themselves.
I mostly take a role to support the team, which usually means:
Assault with Adrenaline/-ATS/Mines/Ammo
or
Disruptor with Disruptor/MotionTracker -ATS/Mines/Ammo
(Sorry, I know it's a bit cheap with the Mines and ammo, but hell, they
beep so damn loud, glow with red lights and are easily destroyed. Spies
are not supposed to sprint around all the time where Mercs can put mines, but as long as they
do, there will be mines.)
By now, you should hopefully have a better understanding of what you can do, what will be done to you, and... uhm, what you can do about it. Yeah.
Now, stop reading and PLAY!
NO! STOP! Keep reading! Here comes the:
Third Party Section:
featuring a few very useful tips by the Iceman, and several Red Cell Videos
IcemanGBR
1. Stick Together -The main point that really can be a difference between winning easily
or losing badly, I find, is to stick with your teammates; for both
teams. If a Spy is hacking, don't expect them to get the whole hack done
on their own. Most of the time, they will need help to get it done. If
a couple of other Spies are just focusing on kills or their K/D ratio,
your team will most likely lose; especially if the Mercs stick
together. -Similarly, the Mercs must stick together as well. Going to a hacked
terminal one at a time is just going to get you killed if there's a
couple of Spies in the area. The more a team sticks together, the more
likely it is your team will win and everyone will get decent stats. 2. Communicate -When attacking terminals as a Spy, tell your teammate what you're
doing. If you're hacking, make sure your teammates know to back you up.
Nothing more frustrating than getting no help from teammates. -When defending terminals as a Merc, make sure to tell your teammates
about any movement you see/detect and how many Spies are in the area. If
you think all the Spies are in the area, then there's no point in all
your teammates sticking at their stations. 3. Be patient, even if you know where the opposition is - As a Spy, when 2 Mercs are patrolling together, don't rush in if you
know you can't take them both. Your teammates need you alive. - As a Merc, if you know where the enemy is, make sure they don't
escape. Often, this is to bide your time and get a teammate to cover one
side of a ledge while you go the other side. There's been countless
time where I've spotted a Spy/hacking Spy trying to do a ledge kill; I
tell my teammate while I go downstairs and to the other side of the wall
to kill them. By the time I've gone, my teammate can't help himself
and goes close to a ledge for a kill. The Spy kills my teammate and is
free to roam around upstairs.
RED CELL
Thanks to everyone for the help, but mostly thanks to ME for putting all those letters between the pictures. Because if you squint at it just right, it will turn into a 3D image of Sam Fisher's Ops-Suit in EXTREME Close-Up! With the Balaclava!
For all your PS4 or Xbox One needs, especially the European needs, head over to Amazon UK - best deals in Europe (mostly). For TV or Movie Streaming needs, as well. Yes, I do buy there myself. Exclusively. Unless I find a better deal, elsewhere...
Warframe, the very nice F2P-Title available on the PS4 and PC is built around what is called a "tile set". Basically, these are different building blocks that can be mixed and matched to create ever different levels - albeit with the same parts. There are seven relatively unique tile sets, and while you'll often come across familiar areas during your missions, the game keeps it fresh by randomly changing the arrangement - and it's actually quite easy to get lost, because you thought you knew the way.
But still, there's really no reason except "I really need to use the bathroom, RIGHT NOW!" for a team of three or four Tenno to not remain, and last until minute ten. After ten, things might get tricky for newer or lower level players, but for the love of Pete, don't start a 60-second Extraction Timer with at least half of the team waiting near the pods at 8:50 min. Just don't. Do remember, however, that once you decide to bail out, there might be tight hallways teeming with enemies between you and a successful mission. If you get downed, you can be revived or revive yourself (eventually), and if just one of you makes it out alive, it's all good. But if at any given time all players are down, the mission fails and all those nice rewards are gone, gone, gone.
