A guide to proper sharking

[milosh]

Please read and discuss BEFORE saying I am bete noire and thus know nothing about sharking, kthx.

A Guide to Proper Sharking - bete noire

Table of Contents -

I. Introduction

i. Preface

II. Sharking Fundamentals(For Beginners)

i. "rep three times and die"
ii. "don't mine"
iii. "time"

III. Exceptions to the rules(Intermediate)

i. Mines
a. Where not to mine
b. When and where to mine
c. The push, pass, mine
ii. Learning to bomb
iii. A different approach to timing
iv. How to deal with special ships
a. Javelin
b. Warbird
c. Lancaster
v. Working with beginners

IV. Advanced Sharking Techniques(Experienced)

i. Location, Location, Location
a. Control the high ground
b. Protect the terrier
c. Positioning > Flag
ii. Custom Key Definitions
a. Attaching
b. Repels
c. Shark Key Settings
iii. Custom Graphics
a. The Repticle
b. Custom bullets
iv. Aggressive vs. Defensive
v. The power of distraction
vi. Conservation: The winning word
vii. Under

V. Basing Strategy: Where the Shark Fits In

i. Prioritization
ii. Chemistry
iii. Full scope
iv. Flag room battles
a. Camping vs. Pushing
b. Resolving the "under" issue
c. Ears and lobes
d. Momentum and positioning
v. Cramming
a. Camping vs. Pushing
b. Re-visiting conservation
c. Bad mines
vi. Holding mid-base
a. Mining the main tube
b. Left and right sides
c. Reacting to a main tube breach
vii. Communication: Distracting vs. Informative

VI. Closing Comments

[milosh]

A Guide to Proper Sharking - bete noire

I. Introduction

i. Preface -

The purpose of this guide is to promote and increase the Trench Wars basing community. It has been designed mainly for intermediate players; however, if properly understood it can be a valuable resource for beginners. Advanced players may find some value in it as well, but no guide can be considered the end all of all guides. There are some topics not discussed as well as some possibly controversial. If you would like to submit a question, comment, or suggestion, I can be contacted at miloshtw@gmail.com or in Trench Wars. Again my earnest hope is that such guides will increase the level of play and number of players in Trench Wars. If you share this dream I strongly suggest that you make use of the available Trench Wars advertisements created by "Desai" and "The Unliked One...". Links are provided below.

Desai's Subspace Continuum Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXqS2WCN2Xc
The Unliked One...'s Trench Wars Poster:
http://www.trenchwars.org/downloads/...ing/poster.jpg

Also to aid in understanding some of the terms I use I've made a diagram of the flag room.

[milosh]

II. Sharking Fundamentals(For Beginners)
This section is intended for those who are new to basing and sharking.

i. "rep three times and die" -

I couldn't begin to estimate how many times I've heard this understatement. Although its a vast misconception of the depth of sharking strategy, it obviously holds a fundamental truth. Your main job is to repel for your team three times and then die so that you can get more repels. This tells you nothing about where or when to repel, laying mines, or throwing bombs which is why it's commonly paired with the following.

ii. "don't mine"

I'll come right out and say that this is absolutely false; however, the connotation trying to be conveyed by it is true. Usually this is stated when your teammates have become terribly frustrated by dying from your poor mine placement. Use your common sense. Do not mine anywhere that will endanger your teammates or give the other team an advantage in any way. This generally means inside the cram or anywhere outside the flag room entrance that could possibly be repelled at your team mates. It also includes mining on the flag or on the side of the flag room that your team has occupied. Other specifications are mostly common sense which is fully developed by experience.

iii. "time"

Shark timing cannot be summed up in one sentence because its rules change depending on the variable factors in play. In its most basic explanation timing means waiting for the other shark to die before spacing three repels across five seconds then dying as quick as possible. By not repelling at the same time as your partner you don't waste repels and by spacing them it protects the team and terrier while your shark partner spawns and attaches.

[milosh]

III. Exceptions to the rules(Intermediate)

i. Mines -
a. Where not to mine - We have already been over a brief explanation of where not to mine, but even so I feel that this needs to be stated with great clarity. I feel the best way to stress this point to satisfaction is with instructional screenshots.

In the flagroom:

These mines are useless as they will do no damage or damage to your team.

[milosh]

If the enemy team is in the ear don't put useless mines blocking their escape. they are easily repelled and will only cause your teammates frustration.

[milosh]

At the flag room entrance:

If your team chooses to line and mine this is a good formation, but otherwise these are obviously in the no mine zone.

These mines are generally useless and can be used against you by enemy sharks; We'll discuss this in greater detail later.

[milosh]

Attacking the cram:

Don't mine on attack is a principle for a reason. If you're rushing the cram and mining make sure that your mine is high enough to be within the angle of safety. Here's an example of what not to do.

[milosh]

Wasteful Places:

Don't put mines in the middle of no where or in places where they can be easily repelled or left alone. Here's an example.

[milosh]

Main Tube Throat:

These mines won't slow the other team down much and will cause your teammates a lot of grief. I see experienced sharks laying these all the time. It's a tragedy. Don't do it!

[milosh]

b. Where and when to mine -

Now that you know a few examples of what not to do... here are some better options.

In the flag room:
I've pointed out that one of these mines is the least useful since it can be repelled towards your teammates at the flag.

In the ear:
These are the spots you should aim for in the ear.

[milosh]

At the flag room entrance:

Emp Clusters

Spear Heads
These can be repelled at the cram if the enemy sharks work together, but they generally won't take the time to do it.

[milosh]

Main Tube Throat:

Hole Clog
This isn't extremely useful and I wouldn't particularly recommend it. It is more effective than laying the useless teamkilling mines I demonstrated earlier. It is most effective when the other team hasn't breached the main tube in over a minute.

[milosh]

Main Tube:

These are the three most useful mine formations in order of importance...

The Brick Wall
This will generally catch an enemy terrier off guard once, but not twice so use one of the alternate methods below after a successful TeK using this formation.

The Push and Shove
This has a lower rate of success than the other two formations, but can be fun to use against newer enemy terriers.

The Element of Surprise
I advise using this formation after getting a successful Tek with the brick wall since the enemy terrier won't be expecting to see mines so soon.

[milosh]

c. The push, pass, mine -

Momentum is a big part of all sharking aspects. After all, you spend most of your time pushing people around. When you catch somebody coming towards you or past you quickly a repel can completely change their direction unexpectedly. This can possibly allow you to thrust past them in the direction you've repelled them and lay a mine. This technique is highly valuable but should not be overused and should be executed with great caution depending on your location in case you happen to miss. There will be more discussion on this in section V.

ii. Learning to bomb -

A shark bomb drains nearly all of your given energy which means you should utilize it carefully. Often bombing can become a distraction from your main purpose - winning. If you find yourself staying alive so you can lob another bomb at the cram you're probably a victim of this. Also if trying to bomb impacts the effectiveness of your repels, I'd suggest directing your thoughts elsewhere. Bombing into a cram, whether in a shark or javelin, requires proper timing. Because throwing a shark bomb is more difficult and slower than using a rocket in a javelin, there are less oppurtunities to bomb a cram in a shark than in a javelin. You have to anticipate a gap in the enemy shark pair's repels due to one of them dying on attach, being killed by a warbird, or just repelling speedily. When this gap comes you're also going to have to be fairly close to the cram, have a bit of momentum, and have close to full energy. All of these factors must be present to throw a bomb properly which is why it rarely occurs. If you can't be sure you'll be able to throw your bomb at least to the angle of safety(illustrated below) do not even attempt to throw a bomb. Generally five spiders are more affective than a single shark bomb, so it's more productive for you to die and obtain three more repels for those spiders than possibly killing, emping, or mispositioning your teammates. Throwing shark bombs is also directly coupled with energy efficient repels(This will be discussed more in section IV,ii) and grows easier with experience.


The angle of safety(at this angle your bombs cannot be repelled back at your teammates)

[milosh]

After a TeK, sharks tend to throw a bomb down the main tube on their way down. I did this for 3 years even knowing its ineffectiveness. It has about a 1 in 100 chance of hitting the terrier, so in my opinion those odds aren't worth your entire energy bar. Use a repel to bomb or push, pass, mine the enemy terrier instead. More discussion on this in section V.

Image of tube bombing