Human Tactics

The Human team employs traditional FPS gameplay and tactics, against the Alien team, which follows non traditional FPS tactics. This leads to the unique gameplay style of Tremulous. Many players will complain that the humans are "Too Weak", "Too Hard", "Have no chance". In reality, however, the human team holds its own advantages, advantages that can be exploited with the right tactics and strategy. These tactics are not always self evident, some take a very long time to master. This guide should be of assistance to most beginning players, as well as most seasoned players.

Use that Medkit!
Humans die easily in Tremulous, especially when they don't use their medkits.

You get a new Medkit each time you visit a Medistation and regain 100 HP. You should use your medkit on every attack run.

The medkit takes a few seconds to kick in and using it at an appropriate time is difficult to master. Here are some tips, assuming you are up against skilled alien players:
 * If you do not have a Helmet, always use your medkit immediately upon dropping below 97 HP. A Dretch headbite does 96 HP of damage, so a human with less than 97 HP and no helmet is extremely vulnerable and an easy kill for a skilled dretch.
 * If you are poisoned by an Advanced Basilisk or any other alien that has touched a Booster, use your Medkit immediately. The only other way to stop the poison damage is to stand on a Medistation.
 * If you are below 100 HP and anticipate taking damage, use your medkit right away. This will allow you to regenerate faster when you are actually taking damage, increasing the utility of the medpack, your survival time, and your ability to concentrate on fighting the aliens.
 * In general gauge your medkit use based on the armor you have and the aliens you will be facing, to maximize the amount of HP you can use it to regenerate. For example: a human in a Battle Suit who expects to fight exclusively against Tyrants has no reason to use his medkit if he is above 80 HP - a tyrant attack does 40 *HP of damage, so he will require three swipes to die regardless of whether he has 81 or 100 HP.
 * Use your medkit even if you're heading back toward a medistation. This will dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes to heal back to 100 HP.
 * It is important to note that a medkit will only heal the amount of health initially required to reach full health. For example, if you are at 80 hp and use a medkit, and then get slashed by a tyrant down to 40 hp, the medkit will only heal you up to 60 hp because, initially, only 20 hp was required to reach full health.

Although a human should begin every excursion from his base with a medkit, it is not necessary to return to base immediately after the medkit has been used. Medkits are useful for prolonging a human attack only if the attackers are willing to continue attacking after using their medkits.

Clip Management
This section assumes you are fighting on your own - when you are in a group of humans, you will need fewer rounds in your clip to fight effectively, because you can count on damage from your teammates.

By using manual reloads (default keybinding r) before aliens are within striking distance, you can survive longer by minimizing the amount of time you are both defenseless and in immediate danger. Clip management should always take priority over total ammunition management when you are soloing, because you're far more likely to die due to an untimely reload than you are to die due to running out of ammunition.

Clip management and reloading is very similar to HP management and medkit use. You should make decisions on when to reload considering how many rounds you have left in your clip, how many clips you have left in total, and what enemies you expect to be facing.

Know your weapon's damage per round and the HP of the enemies you expect to face. You will need these two bits of information to calculate whether you can kill approaching aliens with the number of rounds remaining in your clip. If you know that you don't have enough shots remaining in your clip to kill an alien class that you can hear coming down the hall, you should reload.

For example: you are holding a shotgun with four rounds remaining in your clip and you hear a goon approaching. At this point, you should reload immediately. You would need near 90% accuracy to kill the goon before having to reload - an extremely difficult challenge considering the shotgun's large spread. To be able to kill a dragoon with a realistic accuracy level, you should always have 5+ or 6+ shots remaining in your clip. Yes - this means that you will often waste up to four rounds in your clip by manually reloading, but remember: four wasted rounds is an attractive alternative to the almost certain death that accompanies a reload in the midst of close-quarters battle with a dragoon.

Skilled alien players will wait for a human attacker to exhaust his clip on a building, and then charge in while he is reloading. Keep this in mind when you are assaulting an alien base - don't stand in one place to shoot and reload, instead unload your clip, retreat slightly to reload, and then return to keep firing.

When soloing with clip-based energy weapons (Mass Driver and Pulse Rifle), a battery pack is essential. The mass driver's entire standard clip of 5 shots at 38 damage each is not enough to kill a dragoon, and although the pulse rifle's clip of 50 shots and 9 damage each is more than enough, its slow projectile speed means that against a skilled dragoon you will have extreme difficulty achieving the 46% accuracy necessary for the kill. Ultimately, these figures mean that once the alien team has dragoons, you are always better off buying a shotgun if you cannot afford a battery pack to go with either of these weapons.

The Blaster has a very slow rate of fire and projectile speed, but it offers unlimited ammunition and is always in your inventory. If you bind an easy-to-reach key to "itemtoggle blaster" you can use that key to easily switch between your blaster and default weapon. Pulling out your blaster can be useful in several situations:
 * Switching to the blaster from your default weapon is quite fast, and if you hold down mouse1 while switching, you will begin to fire immediately with the blaster once it is equipped. On some very rare occasions, pulling out your blaster for a quick shot may be better than reloading with your default weapon. Be warned, though: if you toggle your blaster immediately when your clip runs out, when you re-equip your default weapon you will have to wait for it to reload before you can use it again.
 * If you have a limited-range weapon such as a Chaingun, Shotgun, flamer, or Painsaw and absolutely cannot approach an alien structure or return to base for a more appropriate weapon, stand at a distance and use your blaster to damage it.
 * Aliens listen for the blaster's distinctive sound and hear an easy kill. Sometimes you can bluff with a few blaster shots and then pull out your default weapon to surprise an attacker who took the bait. This is a risky technique, however, as switching back to your default weapon will leave you defenseless for a short time.

Human Building
Humans have the option to spawn with a Construction kit, and built bases for their teams. Human bases are a required part of the game, and as such, should be given careful thought. A good builder can make or break the team.

Human builders are ultimately responsible for the creation and maintenance of their base, as well as the support of their team. While it isn't a glorious job, its needed, and can determine the outcome of a game.

Learn to duel
/bind w ”+forward;boost” /bind s ”+back;boost” /bind a ”+moveleft;boost” /bind d ”+moveright;boost”

Going toe-to-toe with an alien can be difficult, as the primary focus of most alien attacks is close range. When encountering an alien, many humans instinctively run backwards while shooting.

In most games, this would give you an advantage, as now you giving yourself a few extra seconds to gun them down. However, in Tremulous, the aliens are so fast you really don't get much extra shooting time, plus you are running in a straight line, which makes you a very easy target. The best thing to do is move left or right just as they charge. Then their slash misses, and they have to reorient and try again. Also, try running TOWARDS Marauders. Their high jumps mean that they usually fly right over you and bash into walls. If you know how to dodge like a matador, you can take down even the mighty Tyrants with no armor and a rifle.

Another important tactic for fighting most aliens, but Dragoons especially, is the jumpdodge. A jumpdodge is simply jumping at the time of an alien attack to protect your vulnerable head from attack, and to allow your body armor to shield you from full damage. It is essential when fighting helmetless against dragoons to keep a high level of stamina for jumpdodging - if you have Light Armour but no helmet, a jumpdodge will allow you to survive one dragoon chomp and continue fighting.

When dueling an alien, pick a location that works to your advantage. In all cases, higher ground is superior because it will protect your head from attack. Make sure not to fight aliens going up a ramp or stairs, where it will be easier for them to score headshots. Here are additional tips specific to different alien classes:
 * Dretch - Dretches have difficulty closing on humans in large open areas. If you fight them in halls with low ceilings and smooth walls, however, they can use their wallwalk ability to avoid your shots and target your head. Be aware of situations where your head is on the same level as another object, such as a pipe or ledge, because dretches can use these objects as platforms for easy headbites. In general, stay away from walls because dretches can climb them to easily get at your head level.
 * Basilisk - Treat basilisks much like dretches - avoid small enclosed areas and walls to minimize the advantage of their wallwalk ability. However, if you know that you are fighting against only one basilisk, if you can keep it in front of you it may be advantageous to put your back to a wall to prevent the basilisk from grabbing you in an area that is out of your line of fire.
 * Marauder - Rooms or hallways with many obstructions, such as pipes and rafters, make it difficult for marauders to jump freely and will help you survive.
 * Dragoon - Optimal location for fighting against dragoons is largely dependent upon individual playstyle and preference. Some players prefer confined spaces where they can limit the dragoon's maneuverability and therefore aim better. Others prefer large areas where they can better predict the dragoon's movement and evade attacks more efficiently. You may want to avoid fighting dragoons in areas where they can easily pounce to safety.
 * Tyrant - Similar to the dragoon, there is really no single best location for fighting a tyrant - if you are alone, fighting a skilled tyrant will likely result in death regardless of the battle's setting. Being large, tyrants are often vulnerable at bottlenecks where their movement is impeded by collisions with walls or other aliens.

Attacking in waves
You may notice that enemy tyrants or dragoons take turns attacking and running away. This is mainly done out of necessity (they're too big to attack simultaneously without blocking, and their large hitboxes make them bullet magnets). But, it's also a very good way to maintain offensive momentum.

Humans should focus more on grouping together for safety in organized rushes (individual humans aren't as fast or strong as individual aliens). A group of 3 humans with appropriate gear can intimidate even the strongest aliens and penetrate the alien base effectively. However, a concentrated, all-out attack does have its drawbacks:
 * Lots of humans in a small area are likely to shoot each other.
 * It is probable that the humans will run out of health or ammunition at different points, and retreating individually weakens the group and leaves humans alone and vulnerable to alien attack.
 * Vacating the base can leave it vulnerable to an attack.

A potential solution is for 2 or 3 humans to hang back “in reserve”. These reserves can go in after the first group is repulsed. They also deal with aliens trying to chase down wounded humans retreating from the first attack.

An effective, but difficult to maintain, strategy is to maintain *constant* pressure on the aliens. Make them worry about base defense. Don't give them a chance to spread out and launch attacks on your base.

Using Jetpacks
Humans with Jetpacks are much, much harder for aliens to kill. You know how frustrating it is to kill a dretch that's running all over the ceiling and walls? That's how aliens feel about flying humans.

Jetpacks are especially important for builders:
 * Builders don't have to buy expensive guns, so can afford a jetpack pretty easily.
 * Builders often need to sit in one spot to repair structures. Being able to hover makes this much less dangerous.
 * Jetpacks give builders the ability to build repeaters up off the floor.

Jetpacks can be used to take command of high-ceiling areas. The idea is to discourage aliens from using those areas for movement. Aliens will typically team up to try and take down a jetpacker, either by using wallwalking dretches or pouncing/sniping goons. A single human can usually keep multiple aliens busy, which allows teammates to attack along other routes.

The lasgun works best in the same situation that the jetpack works best - large, open areas. The lasgun+jetpack combo can be very effective. The lasgun's large ammo supply, combined with no reloads, makes the lasgun a perfect “discouragement” weapon (it's pretty good for killing those wallwalking dretches too).

However, it is extremely important to keep in mind that in many maps (such as Atcs), “camping the skies” is actually more harmful than doing nothing. At most maps, a jetpacker high in the sky can only inflict minimal damage on an alien as it passes under him, and removes one gunner from either base defense or attacking the enemy base. Jetpacks are best used for building in hard to reach areas and attacking alien structures in hard to reach areas. Unless the human base is under an impenetrable siege from multiple high-level aliens and attempting to attack from the ground would be futile, jetpacks are never a good choice for combat.

A jetpacking human that could put his credits to use helping his teammates attack the alien base is generally viewed as a disgrace to his team and a poor Tremulous player.

Using Painsaws
Despite being a contact weapon and thus effective only in close range combat, painsaws can be quite devastating to your alien foes when used correctly, especially considering its relatively low cost (100 credits).

For example, Dragoons are considered as one of the more fearful aliens, as they cannot be taken down quickly by most low-tech weapons, but when attacked with a painsaw, it has only a few seconds to retreat or headchomp before being sawed completely.

The best tactic with a painsaw is having a group with you, that way the aliens are distracted and it's easy to either: 1. Sneak up on them 2. Corner and (hopefully) kill an already damaged alien.

But alien base attacks is where the painsaw, combined with the Battle Suit, really proves useful - it can take out most alien structures within seconds, and even the Overmind will not stand in its way.

B-suit (Battle Suit) or helmet with pain saw?
It really depends on what you're going after, if you're going after small aliens (Dretches, Basilisks, Grangers) it's best to have helmet/light armor so you can crouch, but with the big aliens (Dragoons, Tyrants) it's best to have a B-suit so you can last enough to finish him off.

Remember one thing though, pain saws are useless without armor, because almost all aliens deal in short range combat and will likely finish you off quickly.

The Art of Saw Rushing
The painsaw is an extremely powerful weapon against buildings, and so is the grenade. When combined, the alien base is easily toppled.

You need:
 * Battle Suit or light armor and a helmet, depending on the situation
 * Painsaw
 * Grenade
 * Medkit

You may have seen a marauder jump on top of the reactor and kill it, causing the humans to lose. The saw rush is the human version of this. You, and maybe one or two teammates can effectively rush the alien base and entirely destroy it. The key is that without creep (supplied by the OM and eggs) alien buildings explode.

Grab your gear, and try to see if there is another entrance to the alien base which isn't being used as much. Try to avoid engaging with any aliens - stealth is key. If you pull out your blaster while en route to the alien base, then nearby aliens won't be able to hear the painsaw's loud and distinctive idling noise. Rush through the door, past any acid tubes. Use the “sprint” key, which is much faster than normal running, to run to an egg and start sawing its base. It'll go down fast. Move on to the other eggs. Use the medkit when you start to take damage - usually immediately after you enter the base and run past alien defenses.

On some maps (like Atcs), the OM will be bunched against a wall next to the eggs. A good trick is to get sandwiched between a structure and a wall, which makes it harder for large aliens to attack. Before you die, throw a nade next to whatever you were killing. Last, sit back and listen to the "OMG WTF FFS WHO DECONNED OUR BASE NOOBS."

This isn't a foolproof plan. Smart alien players will place eggs up on the ceiling to avoid attack from painsaws. If the eggs are on the ceiling, ignore them and head straight for the overmind. Also take care to keep moving to avoid trappers, which will stop your painsaw rush dead.

Using a Lucifer Cannon
When using a Lucifer Cannon it is important to remember your target is moving and the shot takes time to reach the target, so you will need to make sure that you don't aim directly at your target, but aim between you and your target Y….F….T (T = target Y = you F = where to fire) when it is running towards you.

Since a fully charged shot does a whopping 265 damage and it can be prepared before an alien is in striking range, the lucifer cannon is extremely deadly in the right hands, and the only weapon that gives a human a chance to solo a skilled tyrant. A powerful tactic with the lucifer cannon is to use your helmet (and in-game sound) to identify large aliens around corners. Charge up a full blast and release it as you turn the corner. With any luck, you will have hit the alien, and, unless it is a tyrant, it will be dead. If it is a tyrant, you will need one more, non-fully-charged shot to kill it.

By firing a charged shot and following it down a hall, a lucifer cannon wielder can protect himself from oncoming aliens and create opportunities to kill tyrants with a second, partially charged blast. However, lucifer cannons, like most human weapons, are most effective when paired with other, different types of damage. A lucifer cannon-wielding human can remain in the back ranks of a human attack and deal massive damage to aliens busy killing heavily armored humans in the front.

Luci cannons can be devastating even at range, but when you get swarmed by a bunch of dretches don't be afraid to aim at your feet even if it kills you at least it will take out some of them too. Because of its splash damage the lucifer cannon can be used to flush aliens out of an area. Use this feature to it's fullest extent. However, the splash damage isn't healthy for teammates and friendly structures. Lucifer cannon fire accounts for a large percentage of friendly damage, many a human base has been hit by a fully charged luci right after a high level alien died. Be careful of and respectful towards your teamates.

Using a Flamer
Due to its wide cone of fire and its powerful ammunition, the flamer is very effective at taking down dretch attack waves.

The flamer, however, can be devastating to the user if used near a wall, floor, a large foe, an alien structure, or anything that blocks it's path - your body absorbs the excess heat, and you can easily toast yourself. Most people using a flamethrower tend to always run into their flame, to prevent this without crouching (head closer to the ground=head easier to bite) hold down shift to slow walk. (Also slow walking doesn't make noise) Be extremely careful with a Flamer around teamates. It can do considerable amounts of damage to your mates (with Friendly Fire (FF) turned on at the server) and you will never know it.

Another method to effectively using a flamethrower whilst running is to run at an angle, with the flamer jet firing to either your right or left, but NEVER directly in your path. Make sure, however, that no friendlies are to your sides (live teammates or support structures) since the flamethrower is a heavily damaging weapon and kills most things very quickly.

Attack With Diversity
When attacking the alien base as a group, it is a good thing to have a diverse group in terms of weapons and armor, this greatly increases the odds of the group survival. For example, 4 painsawers with battlesuits may have trouble repelling a dretch flood, while people with helmets and flamers will easily deal with the situation (weapons effective at mid-range, and radar from the helmet).

Upgrades and armor can also be diversified to increase a human group's attack power. Battlesuits should lead the pack, absorbing damage and fending off bigger aliens, while humans with helmets, light armor, and battery packs can remain in the rear unloading lots of ammunition and using radar to spot for groups of aliens. This system works much like a conventional RPG party - the battlesuits “tank” while the battpackers do loads of damage at range.

During the late game (Stage 3 Humans versus Stage 3 Aliens), however, one of the best attack groups is comprised of only one type of weapon: the chaingun. A strong, skilled group of humans equipped with chainguns and battlesuits can easily cut a swathe through an alien attack line by focusing their fire, and at short range the chaingun is actually rather good at hitting dretches and destroying structures. Nevertheless, diversity in most attacks leading up to Stage 3 is crucial.

Attack/Defense Balance
The play balancing in Tremulous goes a long way towards dictating strategies for both teams. Aliens, with their fast movement, high hit points, and healing, tend to naturally move out from base, returning for base defense as necessary. Humans, however, generally hang around the main base or firebase on account of easy access to healing and ammo resupply. Human players often see Stage 3 as the natural point at which to sortie out and attempt to destroy the Alien base. This tendency can be the death knell of the human team because failing to attack the Alien base at all stages allows Aliens to build and maintain initiative which usually manifests in those spectacular crushing defeats where Tyrants come pouring through to crush what was heretofore an impenetrable base. Put succinctly: In general, the Human team is at an irrecoverable strategic disadvantage while on defense and must mount an effective campaign of base attacks at every stage in order to maintain a viable strategic footing.

Other quick tips

 * 1) Cover your buddies. Humans need to attack in groups.
 * 2) Weapons are a matter of preference, but some are better at different tasks than others (just observe which ones were made for what tasks)
 * 3) Always assume that the enemy knows where you are.
 * 4) Don't be a scaredy cat - it's best to die fighting than die while running away, unless, you know, the base is right there and you can escape safely.
 * 5) Remember that some aliens have range, and don't think you're invincible jetting around.
 * 6) NEVER panic, hold your ground or push forward till the death. Make every bullet count.
 * 7) Also, never use a nade near the human base - you will likely blow up your structures and teammates.