/tg/Station 13

As an engineering main, I've found that the prevailing strategy among my wrench-based peers in the game is to spend the preponderance of engineering assets on the FOB.

My basic argument is this: a quickly assembled base at the front line is going to be far more helpful ensuring a marine win than a super FOB entirely removed from the fighting.

Super FOBs almost never make a large difference in the course of the game. For one thing, when the fighting reaches the FOB, the marine team usually isn't large enough to man anything larger than a skeleton FOB.

By contrast, engineering resources spent on the front lines actually can make a difference. Take the TL-102 smartgun. In about 5 seconds, a single engineer can multiply the firepower available to the marine vanguard. This can be incredibly useful. In my experiments doing this, I was actually able to get kills with this strategy and possibly even save unconscious fighters with covering fire.

Then there are barricades. Barricades are useful to people under fire. Most of the people under fire are the front line marines. Therefore, most of the barricades should be on the front line. Change my mind.

Engineers should be more proactive in helping the marines. What do you all think?

halitosisman wrote:Change my mind.

I can't.

halitosisman wrote:Take the TL-102 smartgun. In about 5 seconds, a single engineer can multiply the firepower available to the marine vanguard.

Please don't tell people this, there's only 1 roundstart tl-102.

halitosisman wrote:

Spoiler:

As an engineering main, I've found that the prevailing strategy among my wrench-based peers in the game is to spend the preponderance of engineering assets on the FOB.

My basic argument is this: a quickly assembled base at the front line is going to be far more helpful ensuring a marine win than a super FOB entirely removed from the fighting.

Super FOBs almost never make a large difference in the course of the game. For one thing, when the fighting reaches the FOB, the marine team usually isn't large enough to man anything larger than a skeleton FOB.

By contrast, engineering resources spent on the front lines actually can make a difference. Take the TL-102 smartgun. In about 5 seconds, a single engineer can multiply the firepower available to the marine vanguard. This can be incredibly useful. In my experiments doing this, I was actually able to get kills with this strategy and possibly even save unconscious fighters with covering fire.

Then there are barricades. Barricades are useful to people under fire. Most of the people under fire are the front line marines. Therefore, most of the barricades should be on the front line. Change my mind.

Engineers should be more proactive in helping the marines. What do you all think?

My views?
Everything does depend on what's going on in a certain round.

If you do have squads going to very different places, it's better to have a stronger central FOB.
Not everyone will die, but there's a huge chance for a fallback to happen and a reinforced FOB will be meaningful.

All squads going to the same place? It's when a secondary FOB is better. More of an "all-or-nothing" situation.
And it's when usually if things get FUBAR, there will be no one to defend a "superFOB" by landing zone.

Relatively new engineer player here but having tried to setup frontline FOBs I have a few comments on why this is

1. FOB can require more work to properly fortify if the FOB engineer did a shitty job.
2. A lot of materials and turrets get redirected to miners bear the FOB.
3. Forward FOBs are hard to setup. Frontlines are constantly shifting so building can lead to you being suddenly overrun or left behind. Furthermore if the frontline moves far away from you marines aren't inclined to stay behind and defend you which leads to a lot if deaths by Runner/Lurker.

I would suggest if you want a frontline FOB to pilot, as an engineer, the TAD to where you want the FOB. Caded with plasteel you have two turrets with which to expand from and an emergency escape in the form if the TAD if you get overrun.