Since I've seen a few people strugging w/ this mod early on, I wanted to create a separate thread to post up some tips on winning in Obscurity, based on my experience. Make no mistake, this mod has a steep learning curve. But once you've gotten a handle on things, it can be quite a fun challenge! It's kind of long (I've tried to make it as short as possible while putting in as much helpful info as I could), so read up and enjoy!
As Marine:
* As we all know, Predators are virtually invisible. Therefore, you should always keep an open ear on things. If you hear debris move, chances are it's not a coincidence and the Pred is lurking nearby in crouch mode.
* Since they're almost impossible to see, you're not even gonna see them in iron sight until they're no more than 5-10 feet away from you. By then you'll already be dead! Don't waste your time just using a gun. Lure the smelly alien into traps, such as tight corridors, shops, and places where you can "set up shop" (C4, clays, lazers).
* If you're good at sniping in CoD4, feel free to grab a sniper rifle w/ a scope + iron lungs perk. as stated, iron sights are almost a waste. With a scope and being zoomed-in, you'll be able to see the pred's that much better.
* A stray Marine is a dead Marine. If you're running w/ a group of Marines and stray just a TAD bit off course, like a cheetah chasing down gazelles, the slowest one left behind makes for an easier target for the predator. Work together as a team and don't let this happen to your fellow marine!
As Predator: * TAKE YOUR TIME! Even I should adhere to this advice once in a while! Since you have superhuman strength, you'll more than likely abuse and take advantage of your speed and flight capabilities. Use your arsenal more (press and hold "4," then move your cursor around to select which function you want to use). Here's what's included in your predator's cannon (or w/e):
a. Tornado - Gathers up nearby debris and spins it around in tornado. Helpful to fool Marines thinking you're crouching and moving in that direction. b. Static (red background w/ small dots) - Creates a fake static sound effect, the same one used when the Predator is on the move. Good to shoot in the direction of camped Marines, thinking their "trap" or camping spot has been infiltrated. c. Stun ("!" exclamation icon) - Will temporarily disorient a Marine by throwing his aim off balance for a few seconds. Good for close range combat for a marine you're having trouble knifing. Must be aimed directly onto target. d. Hallucination (swirl icon) - Makes the Marine go crazy! He'll start to scream bloody murder! He'll also hear the predator knifing and whispering to him, creating the illusion to that marine that the predator is right behind, or right next to him! Watch in hilarity as he starts shooting at thin air and running all around! Must be shot directly at the marine. e. Tracking (footsteps icon) - As the name implies, it will track a marine so he'll be visible through fog, and walls. Similar to bloodlust. MUST be aimed directly at the marine. f. Pull (arrow over the head icon) - Can be aimed within a 5 foot radius or so to "pull," or launch the Marine closer to you. g. Teleport (curly arrows) - Will transport you the predator into the spot where a marine is standing. He will then be transported to a separate location. This is a great tool to use when two marines are standing close together. Aim and fire at the one, teleport to his location, then immediately turn and knife his partner!!
* POSSESS!!!! If a Marine camps too long, he will be vulnerable to having his body taken over by the filthy alien predator. To possess, you must be in 1-2 feet of him(roughly close enough to touch) . Next, press "6" to put away your gun and then extend your arms out by pressing your "fire" key (left-click). After 2-3 seconds, he will die as you take over the poor soul's body! Can be done through walls!
Once you have his body, you will then have access to his entire kit: primary, secondary weapon along w/ grenades and clays/C4, etc. However, you MUST BE CAREFUL still! When running, you still make the static noise! If you run close to another Marine, you'll startle him and he'll shoot you first, ask questions later!
Tip for Marines: Always keep Tabs (literally, hit Tab often) on who lives and dies, and more importantly, to see the location of your teammates. If you see a Marine close to you, but NOT listed as a green arrow on your map, guess what? HE IS POSSESSED!
Tip for Pred's: Shoot the camped marine w/ the "Tracking" icon (so you can see him thru the walls), go to the wall he's at, extend your arms, and VOILA! Possessed Marine!
* Phasing - Instead of using doorways and windows to escape or enter, you can 'phase,' or warp, thru the wall - silently - like a ghost. Simply put away your gun by pressing "6," then press and hold "Spacebar" to warp through the wall. Tip: Can be a deadly combo to use when superjumping towards a building. Jump towards the wall w/ the building full of Marines, and when you're about to hit the wall, quickly press and hold "Spacebar" to jump through!
* Spiderman! Speaking of superjumping towards a wall, you can "stick" to any building simply by press your "Use" key (default: F) to latch on w/o falling down!
Bah! This is way too long! But I've hoped you all can benefit from reading the above. Any Q's, just respond back.
POST 2
Figured I'd write up a follow-up, this time largely based on the Marines Perks..... But first a word on the newest additions to the Predators arsenal which I neglected to mention: Vision (Eyeball icon) - It acts as a stationary camera. Shoot it in an area where you think Marines may be hiding w/o actually entering the building beforehand. Move your mouse around to get a 360 degree viewing angle of the surrounding area. Press and hold your left mouse to return to your body. Fireball - Whilst mainly used for finishing off downed Marines, in exploding their bodies up in a small fireball, it can also be used as a distraction on live Marines. However, while it will place them on fire, it will not damage them, health-wise. * NV - This is one of my biggest pet peeves that the modders have implemented only recently. In the past, NV was enabled by default. Not only is it disabled by default now, but replaces the once fan favorite "double tap" perk, in Perk 2. I've tried to reason w/ the modders to bring it back the way it was (seriously, NV is an add-on now for a group of highly trained marines??!!), but they wouldn't budge. However, that being said, can be a life saver to have enabled, since the weather is constantly changing and gets dark real fast. * Perk 4. In Obscurity, Marines now have a FOURTH perk to help them better defeat the stealthy predator. They are: a. Hunter - When you shoot the Predator, he will bleed. Thus enabling you to spot him a bit better. b. Medic - A life saving perk, LITERALLY! If a Marine gets slashed, but isn't yet dead, there's a chance you can revive him! However, you must be ABSOLUTELY quick, as most Pred's will want to finish off the poor Marine before you, the Medic, can heal him. With the Medic perk equipped, Press "6," bringing out your Health Needle, and quickly run over to the downed Marine, and stab him (left-click) until he stands up! Note that as a Medic, you can heal yourself, at the expense of losing the needle. When down screaming in agony, quickly press and hold your "Use" key (default: F) to heal yourself. Also note, that, in my limited experience as medic, I believe you will not only lose the needle, but your primary weapon and be left w/ a pistol. Medics are rare, indeed, as you absolutely need to be Johnny on the spot to save your teammates. More importantly, it puts you in harm's way since you need to be close to all of your fellow Marines. c. Laser - In this author's opinion, the most essential Perk in your and your teammates survival. It looks (the switch you hold) and acts like C4, basically. Press "6" to bring out the laser tool, go up to a wall, and throw down a straight-line laser, as you would C4, by left-clicking. If a Predator trips the laser, not only will it alert you by beeping (audio-wise), but also visually, as the Predator will be seen briefly w/ small yellow Orbs circling him, enabling you to kill the beast much easier. Visually, the yellow orb looks like the yellow dots/orbs seen when firing off a shotty round. Kinda small, but definitely visible. d. Battle Hardened - Removes smeared blood from your visors. e. Incendiary Grenade - Replaces your regular "Frag grenade" w/ a (literally) cooked grenade, lol! Instead of exploding shrapnel, this grenade sets off a fireball; which, if hit upon by a Predator, will make him visible and damage, or cook, him (he'll only take minor damage, however), and yell out in agony! It's why I said "cooked grenade," since after this author kills an unsuspecting predator in said manner, I usually type in chat: "How do you like you Predator cooked? Medium rare? Well done?" LOL! f. Hustle - When enabled, it simply makes you and the rest of your team run faster together. If I think of any other useful tips, I'll let you guys know.