Rollercoaster

Notes

Another high speed map, due to the hills both bases are within easy reach of each other. Enemies come thick and fast and usually their first goal will be to get the base power down and keep it down. Then, while you are vulnerable, they will try and establish a relay system for flag captures with someone waiting for the capture to be completed so they can grab the next flag for capture.

With the forcefields protecting your inventory stations the key to the map becomes the solar panels. Keep at least one functional at all times and your team can be assured that they can resupply as required. Consequently active repair and defence is the key. Because of the prevalance of scout attacks then the chaingun becomes a very important weapon on this map.

Defence - internal

There isn't a lot of interior to defend. Place turrets inside the inventory room in case of a complete breach of the defences. Four can be squeezed in there in each corner and provide a quite solid level of killing capacity. Once they are established it is best if the deployer moves to bolster the external defence.

Defence - external

Heavy on the flag. Bring an inventory station and hide it behind either one of the ramps to the flag platform or the pillars supporting the roof over the flag platform. Careful placement should prevent most attackers from seeing it long enough to deploy turrets and the like. Mine the flag when deploying things and put up turrets around the flag. Again try and use the platform pillars to obscure your turrets from most of the fire. And vary their positions periodicly to keep the enemy off balance. Finally place a sensor jammer on the platform - it makes targeting that fraction more difficult for long range snipers. Once deployment is complete use a shield pack to give you enhanced endurance from attack.

Medium with repair pack - provide flag defender support. Repair them as needed and bring replacement inv stations as needed. Once battle is fully joined do replacement turret deployment around the flag, rather than taking the heavy off the flag.

Two Heavies with repair packs, mortars, plasma guns and chainguns. Each takes a solar panel apiece. Their role is purely to keep their respective solar panel functional. If a scout is attacking with rockets then the defender can shield the panel with their own body while shooting with the chaingun. It might be worth co-ordinating with the inventory station defence to perhaps keep only two turrets inside the inventory room and put a turret up near each solar panel to help with the defence.

Medium with either a repair pack, inv station or ammo station. Their job is to repair roof installations and the turrets or to resupply the solar panel defenders as required.

Offence

A medium with sniper escort should try and establish an ammo or inv station just inside the last ridgeline near the enemy base. That way people can keep buying discs and resupply. Care must be taken to not lure the enemy over to the station. If possible putting up a secondary station behind the enemy base is worthwhile as well.

Light with energy pack for flag running.

Lights with energy packs, ELF or chain guns should go midfield for tangling up attackers and stopping enemy flag runners. Secondary role is to provide cover for our flag runner.

If we have the manpower, load up an LPC with two heavies and cordinate with the lights for an assault. One heavy should carry an Inv station, the other an ammo pack. The aim is to establish a temporary base inside their inventory room. Slap up turrets and try and hold that area for as long as possible. This will require destruction of the solar panels to work. Mine their destroyed stations too.

Failing that a heavy, with ammo pack should deploy to just behind the enemy ridge. A light should go in with a targetting laser and quickly paint targets for destruction. One light should stay with the Heavy to provide defence and support. If we have the manpower perhaps a medium as well to deploy an ammo station near the heavy for reloads.

Try and co-ordinate attacks and don't go in as stragglers. A concerted wave of attackers hitting at once is much harder to deal with than individual attackers spread out. On this map that is even more important than normal.

As often as possible two lights should use scouts to help keep the power down. If they go with a repair pack then they can park their craft out of sight of the enemy base and repair any damage suffered. This will extend their operational lifespan. Crucial is sending two lights as soon as the match starts in scouts - don't waste time grabbing anything from the inventory station, just grab a scout and go.

Repair Priorities

Flag defence
Solar Panels
Inventory Stations
Turrets, especially the base plasma turret
Vehicle Pad
Pulse sensor

Tips/Tricks

• When sniping, use discs as much as possible. The laser gives away your position quite quickly.
  
  
• Parking an HPC in front of a solar panel can provide a mobile barrier from enemy fire. A concerted attack will destroy it but it should work well for halting lighter assaults.
  
  
• It is possible, with practice, to fly a scout through the flag platform area - under the roof. I am told you can even bounce the scout to pick up the flag as you do it but I have never managed this yet. But most importantly you use this to run over a stubborn flag defender. Not even a shielded Myrmidion can withstand this and it makes a good way to clear the flag platform for a grab attempt.
  
  
• Don't underestimate the utility of kamikaze strikes. If a heavy is defending the solar panels a little too well then crash a scout into the panel and the heavy.