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Introduction Vehicle Strategies
Combat Training
Solo Mission Walk-Throughs
Armor Selection
Team Play Strategies
Weapon Strategies
Capture the Flag Strategies
Packs and Equipment Strategies
Guide Contents

Chapter 7: Team Play Strategies

Though you can play Tribes 2 as a solo or deathmatch game, most of the online servers feature team play. You'll find team play has its own set of etiquette and rules--and adhering to them is important in Tribes 2. If just a few players aren't following orders or working toward specific team goals, the entire team could pay with a lackluster performance or total rout. This section reveals some important Tribes 2 team-play strategies to keep in mind, both to assist the team and remain on good terms with other players!

Serve a Purpose

A team isn't a mishmash of deathmatch players running around doing their own thing. In games like capture the flag, there are specific purposes that need to be served in order to for the team to succeed. If everyone is running around looking for kills and neglecting the enemy flag, the team won't score and will place no better than a tie. Select a goal for yourself and concentrate on serving that purpose until you've either accomplished the task or a more important goal arises.

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Don't stand outside the base and do nothing! Select a role and help your team either offensively or defensively.
For example, practice defense or being a "farmer," which entails deploying turrets, sensors, and inventory stations to bolster defense and maintain the team's sensor net and inventory availability. Or perhaps there are some pesky enemy snipers who are giving your team fits. Equip yourself with an assassin's gear (cloaking pack and shocklance) and clear out the snipers from their positions.

Always do something to help the team. Don't explore the landscape without a purpose. Don't run off trying to score kills. Discover what your team needs to succeed--are you missing flag runners or do you need defenders? Then assume that role to assist the team. Not only will you find Tribes 2 much more rewarding, but other online players will appreciate your efforts and reward you with compliments and favors.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!

Effective communication is extremely important in a team-oriented game. Each teammate needs to know the details of many different situations. For instance, it would help the flag runners to know what the enemy has in the way of defenses. Conversely, it would benefit the defense to know what the enemy has sent across the map to attack your base. Give your teammates the details and they can adjust their role accordingly.

Let's say you're cloaked and infiltrate the enemy's defenses. However, you're spotted by a motion sensor and struck down by a series of turrets. If you describe the enemy's defenses to the team, other players can assist in the destruction of those sensors and turrets. Otherwise, you may have to deal with them yourself, and it could take much longer to complete your base infiltration. By then, the enemy could have scored an insurmountable number of points.

Use the command circuit (defaults to the C key) in conjunction with effective communication. A wide sensor net and the command circuit can be used to monitor troop movement and incoming vehicles. Communicate with your team about enemy positions and movement to allow your teammates to adjust their offense and defense accordingly. Don't forget to chat using the "team" command (instead of "global") so the other team doesn't learn of your plans.
 

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