Game types
From Aleph One Wiki
There are eight game types available in Aleph One. All modes but single-player require a network or Internet connection. Any of the network/Internet game types may include Team play.
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[edit] Single Player
Also called "Solo," this is the most basic, and the most obvious, game type. The player progresses alone through the game, often referred to as a Scenario, using such things as Pattern Buffers and Terminals, which are most commonly found in single-player levels.
[edit] Co-operative
Co-operative ("co-op") games are essentially single-player games, but played with more than one player. The same gameplay is available in co-op games, but not all single-player levels are accesible directly via the Co-operative Setup Network Game dialog. Only those levels flagged as "co-op" by a scenario designer will be directly accessible; however, co-operative games may occur on "solo" levels if the previous level had an exit that led to a single-player map. E.g. Marathon Infinity: "Rise Robot Rise" is a co-operative level that leads to "Poor Yorick," even though the latter is not available in the co-operative gather dialog.
[edit] Problems with Co-op Mode
Co-op has a few caveats. For instance, rather than in single-player, dying results in the player respawning at the beginning of the level (as opposed to respawning, fully armed, at the last pattern buffer), armed merely with the Magnum. The player must locate his body to recover his ammunition; however, as a penalty for dying, some of his ammo will have disappeared. Furthermore, if the body falls into lava or some other inaccessible region, it can't be recovered and the player must re-arm himself in the current and future levels, or by looting the corpse of another fallen player.
Co-operative mode is generally considered to be relatively uninteresting, largely because of the above issues. Difficult levels become more difficult, rather than less, in co-operative mode, because of the respawning system.
[edit] Every Man For Himself
The traditional game type, Every Man For Himself (EMFH) can be played on almost every net level (but, unlike Doom and its bretheren, not on most single-player levels). The vast majority of games played are standard EMFH; team play is generally not used because of the difficulty in distinguishing friend from foe, as well as the inability to disable friendly fire. EMFH is the only gametype that changes depending on the scoring system by which it is defined; under the time system (the standard), killing an enemy gains the player 1 point, while dying subtracts a point. The player with the highest score at the end of the time period -- traditionally 5-7 minutes -- is the winner. The score system is comparable to more modern games; players battle to reach a certain number of kills, and the first person to do so wins. Dying does not reduce your score, but suiciding does.
[edit] Tactics
Strategies for EMFH can generally be broken down into two categories: fight or flight.
Fighting -- the more common, and generally more sensible strategy -- generally involves finding a gun that you are comfortable with, and then seeking out players to kill, putting the preference on scoring points rather than dying less. This strategy has many benefits, mostly because you encounter the most people and can possibly score many points. However, this is a good way to run into people that are much more threatening than you.
Fleeing or camping, on the other hand, avoids this problem. Rather than running around looking for carnage, you let it come to you by remaining in one area. This can be in a highly trafficked area, or on a high perch overlooking the central battleground. In either case, camping is generally considered cowardly, though depending on the map, it's the best way to win (Coriolis Loop's "Controlled by Gamma Light is a fantastic example). The problem lies in potentially not finding a position that warrants you many kills; though you don't die often (because people don't pass by you much), the opposite holds true, and you don't score many points. You may be outstripped by someone who's particularly murderous using the combative approach.
[edit] King of the Hill
King of the Hill (KOTH) is a multi-player game type that introduces a different, time-based goal: to gain the most time staying on the hill in a map. The "Hill" must be added to the map by the map creator, and it must be flagged for King of the Hill play. If the former does not happen, no one can score during a KOTH game; if the latter does not happen, the game can't be selected as KOTH in the gather dialog. The motion sensor will have a compass beacon that points to the direction of the hill, and the map often has annotations that indicate where the hill is. Note that Team KOTH normally gives time to players on the same team, no matter how many are on the hill; thus, two players on the same team standing on the hill at the same time for one minute will add two minutes to their team score. A Lua script is neccessary to modify this behavior for "one per team" scoring.
[edit] Tactics
Basically, the only tactic that really succeeds at KOTH is grabbing a big gun, then charging onto the Hill. More defensive strategies tend to cost too much time. However, in games where a player realizes that he is vastly outstripped in skill by other competitors, that player might resort to "spoiling." Rather than actually attempting to win, the spoiler instead stays away from the combat and constantly fires on the hill. Because spoilers are rarely killed, this gives them an unchecked ability to basically ruin the competition amongst other players.
[edit] Kill the Man With the Ball
KTMWTB is also a time-based game type. In this game, players vie for control of the Ball, an item resembling a skull. The player with the longest time holding the Ball wins. The Ball, when held, affects the player's physics: the player may no longer run, and he may use no other weapons while holding the Ball. If the player uses either trigger while holding the Ball, he drops it, and may resume normal functions. This gametype is not particularly popular, mostly because of how vulnerable the player is when carrying the ball, and also because minor disparities in skill are magnified immensely, so someone who is a bit better than the rest of the players is almost certainly goin to win by a large margin. KTMWTB maps are also fairly rare and not often very good; some maps have places where the Ball-carrier can hide very well, thus making the game even more unbalanced toward the player with the most experience.
[edit] Tag
Is yet another time-based game type. The winner is defined as the person who is "it" the shortest amount of time in the game. The first person who dies is the first person to become "it." One "tags" another player when one kills him while "it." If a player commits suicide, that player automatically becomes "it." Tag can be played on any map supporting EMFH, but is generally unpopular because disparities in skill once again make themselves very apparent.
[edit] Capture the Flag
This game mode is fairly new to Marathon, implemented by the developer known as "Benad." This is one of two "score-based" modes, and must be played in teams. One team scores a point when one of its players takes the other team's "flag" (normally represented by the same skull used in KTMWTB) from the opposing team's base to their own base. In the original game type, the flags have the same characteristics as the Ball. CTF is only possible on maps designed for it, which must be flagged as "CTF" in a special editor (namely, Pfhorge or Benad's modified version of Pfhorte).
This game mode was often shunned until a player known as W'rkncacnter created a Lua script that modified EMFH to play like CTF. There are many differences between the "Benad CTF" and the Lua version, many of which take advantage of newer additions to Aleph One's Lua API:
- The Ball/Skull is replaced with the two "chip" items often encountered in single-player games. Players may now run and shoot normally while carrying the flag. The motion sensor now has a beacon that points to the appropriate locations (the location of your flag if the opposing team is carrying it; the location of the enemy flag if no one is carrying your flag; the location of your base if you are carrying the flag).
- There is an overlay at the top of the screen that shows both teams' scores, the capture limit (if any), the status of each team's flag, and the name and health of any team mate within a certain arc of your front view.
- Maps may use any Marathon 2/Infnity-compatible editor, rather than the special Pfhorge or Pfhorte 2 applications required by the Benad version of CTF. In this way.
- A team may only score if its own flag is in its base; a team's flag returns to its base automatically after a preset amount of time.
There are other differences, and because of all this, there was a resurgence in the CTF game type. Many more maps were made for W'rkncacnter's version. It is the advised (and developer-supported) way to play CTF.
[edit] Rugby
Rugby inhabits a unique niche in the Aleph One game community: never has a single working Rugby map been released to the public. Rugby is supposed to play similarly to a one-flag CTF game: both teams try to score in the appropriate zones by using a unique ball. Rugby play requires the "Rugby" game flag to be added to the map by its creator, and only Benad's editor supports this flag and game type.
[edit] External Links
- Aleph One game type scripts (including W'rkncacnter's CTF)
- Magenta Filter, the largest and most popular CTF map pack.
