Loading...
  OR  Zero-K Name:    Password:   

Rover strategies

10 posts, 994 views
Post comment
Filter:    Player:  
sort

23 months ago
I was hoping to create a threat and discussion on all things rover strategy. I was hoping you guys could post all your weird, unusual, and best rover strategies for all situations!
+2 / -0
I start:
-If you play against Tanks early (Domi) is very gud until well micro'd emissary come from the opponent.
-Early (Fencer) / commander push can be really op as well.
- (Impaler) - spam in lobpot = op
- (Ravager) are really gud on maps with speed effect like
- (Dart) is a really cheap & fast scout.
+3 / -0
23 months ago
I made a dumb rover squads idea that especially popularized Fencers and Scorchers, as well as Ravagers unless those were used already but rarely, I have no idea. Here it is if you have the time to check it out, I could discuss each squad's strengths in particular against the current meta: http://zero-k.info/mediawiki/Optimal_rover_squads_guide
+1 / -0

23 months ago
USrankCliver5, please continue your work on the rover guide/strategies, they're very insightful and I'm curious to see what you can come up with.
+0 / -0

23 months ago
Rovers go vrrrrrrrooooooommmmmm!!!!!!!!

Also, if you have a bunch of badgers selected, press f to force fire, hold ALT and draw a line. The badgers will start shooting at equal distance along that line. This is how you make a mine field to screen for cloaked units or be annoying.

Also, badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger, MUSHROOM MUSHROOM!
+1 / -0
Rover in the pot:

Rover lacks alpha, hp or anti-mobility options making it especially poor at unit killing without taking losses. The factory is kinda schizo in that in favors either extremely open low density situations or porc fights. It works better as support factory than anything and I don't like it as solo factory in any lane.

1. Ravager strategy is based on assault, which depends on opponent force disposition and require a reclaim strategy to keep strength, a tricky problem for fast forces without survivable builder relative to other assault comps like tanks or cloaked puppies, I think it is harder to pull off than most build concepts, and ravager take specific micro to make up for its poor projectile tracking. For anything less than multi-rank deep assault columns, halberd is likely better. With new rank moves, I wonder if mixed fast assault could work (halberd ravager blitz...maybe even mix in limpet and back rank scorcher) This will take some labbing and experimenting...

2. Badger's main value is counter cloak, and probably one of the better means to win cloak-vision wars. Use "fire towards" enemy plus micro to keep a screen of mines to mess up cloaky bomb/riot/spotters. The shortish range, no alpha and low dps density (badger is quite big for its dps) means massing enough to kill is asking for big AoE losses and generally a bad idea unless opponent have neither AoE or effective ranged fire.

Shielded badger (with riot cover) can be survivable, but it means even less killing power and would probably get pushed back by tanky/arty heavy comps. At least you are safer from snitch/imp, so maybe it can be added to shieldball as alternative to outlaws.

3. Impaler is a great unit to have 1 in every "lane" if microed, and building up to 5 per area is okay as you can start alpha-ing harder defenses and reclaiming coms, but it is better to spread out to more of the map. Going beyond only make sense against heavy porc (cerb, silo, gauss forest) and/or shield unless one have a immobilization strategy in place: widow, placeholder, shockley and so on. Time to fact switch if one is going beyond that imo.
+1 / -0
23 months ago
Scorchers seem the best raider unit for early com kill, due to speed and insane dmg once closed in.

And then ofc Ravager is the king of any non-rampart/somewhat open FFA.

Ravager/stumpy in essence is the TANK of the game. By that I dont mean it is the strongest, I mean that it is JUST a tank. Not a riot/rocket tank like ogre, not a heavy or superheavy tank like mino or goli, not a lightning or fire or light or amphibious tank etc. it is just a tank.
As such almost all mobile (they are very good against static except for deso)units can trade costefficently with small, unaided groups of them. To make them usefull you either need support (add riots or scorchers for dmg, though depending on what you choose that might cost you on speed), OR you use THEM as support (can work pretty well on large open maps in the pot, essentially your raveger group roams the front line putting a stop on any enemy breakthrough and/or adding strength to your allied assaults), OR you mass them to such a degree that they become overwhelming, at which point you can destroy (almost) any target at will provided you are willing to sacricfice.
It is the last one that makes them so efficent in FFA. In FFA cost efficency is much less important then the ability to quickly shift large amounts of firepower/army value to other sides of the map, and no other unit comes close to Ravagers ability to do that. Any other raider(and yes, once you get to 20+ of them they count as raiders far more then as assaults) is suceptible to splash dmg, with R. you can just drive in, regardless of defences. Again, its strength comes from the ability to be where the enemy troops are not (or are outnumbered) and once you achieve about 2 to 1 in army size(by metal not by units) for a particular skirmish even cost efficency wont even be a problem.
These kind of rushes CAN work in the pot. Once you get to about 30-40 R. you can storm almost any position. The problem here is the follow up. This can work really well if allied troops are pushing just behind, then you break the enemy position which can give you an in into their heartland plus your guys can reclaim. On the other hand this can go horribly wrong if there is no follow up, because then you just made a big metal donation to the enemy.
Its other strength(particularly in FFA) is that just like it is not a VERY GOOD unit against anything, it is also not a VERY BAD unit against (almost) anything. WHich is important in a FFA, where I might have to build units (or just dump metal into something) without knowing what units or even which enemy they might end up being used against.

Just my 2 cents :-)
+2 / -0
23 months ago
I would not recommend ravagers to anyone unless its a 1v1 on some super open map like CCR or Inculta or Alien desert. Certainly not the clusterpot. Ravager is a pretty good assault, as well as Hermit when you look at their stats until you start to get to get attrited by heavier defenses, artillery, likhos, or in some cases skirmishers. Conserving mass and keeping your units alive in Clusterpot is incredibly important and key to getting and keeping the upper hand. Ultimately, this is the reason why Likho's, Impalers, Shieldbots (if the enemy doesnt snitch or likho it) and the longest range skirmishers and arty are so dominant. Every unit I listed can usually do damage without the enemy doing enough damage in return to kill it. Ravagers dont do that, so even if you win a fight you might come out even or even behind if you look at the reclaim you give your enemy. Ultimately, if you want to go assault heavy in a Clusterpot you'll have to use cyclops, grizzly or a shield ball of some kind to have enough health to negate attrition.
+4 / -0

23 months ago
USrankNighthawk44, I would agree with that, but I will say that there are definitely times in the lobpot where ravagers are useful. I can come up with two: 1) if you are taking back land or destroying some sort of defense system and are going to take over the newly conquered land (if you don't take over that land then yeah, like you said, you would end up giving reclaim to the enemy which usually isn't good), or 2) To destroy a big part of the enemy base as a winning move (making them resign, or again, taking over that land).
I don't mean to say you're wrong, you are right, I am just saying that every unit in the game has a good use (or should), and there is always a situation where they are useful.
+2 / -0

23 months ago
Ravager is a raider/assault hybrid. If used with this in mind, i think ravagers are really good.
+1 / -0