Dirtbag said:
Blood Gratch - S&D and Assasination. Advantage ISA.
Phyrus ride - S&D. Advantage ISA. (Their base is a much better sniper perch as well).
V. Hammer - S&D. Advantage to whichever team defends the towers in the big courtyard area. Much harder to stop advances to the back towers. Can't remember which faction gets those.
Tharis Depot - S&D HUGE Advantage ISA. Covering outside vs. indoors is much easier.
Radec Academy - S&D Advantage ISA. Helghast plant is more exposed from like 270degrees.
Assassination / Capture and Hold, advantage Helghast (the library has more cover then the opposite film room).
Wow. I disagree almost completely.
For Blood Gratch there are a lot of good assassination points on both sides of the map, and the middle. Assassination is always about zone control and escape routes. For S&D the helghast just have to hold the stairs in the second room to keep all action contained in that room. The few ISA that might make it into the other area can be dealt with by turrets and snipers.
PR - The Higgs can get to the plant area on their side faster than the ISA can on theirs. Holding the back near the Higg C&H spot gives you an insane sniper vantage and the mounted gun. Setting up a small camp there means that the Helghast can influence more then 75% of the map, and will have eyes on all approach vectors.
V.Hammer - This one depends on the proficiency of the tacticians. For a successful plant the destroyers need spawn points in both towers whereas the defenders only need a spawn in one. Both sets of towers can be sniped and bombed with ease (from within the other tower). But if your tactician sucks then it is a longer journey (for both teams) to the back set of towers. The (dis)advantages come from the actual location of the plant point in the towers and the access into the towers. You favour the front towers, but the plant point can be sniped from most of the map, whereas the back towers are more protected from snipers, but it is almost a straight shot up the stais to the plant point meaning the planter can easily be attacked from outside the towers (and a grenade will usually land near the back as well).
Tharsis - If the Helghast can control the upper area when defending they have the ability to just carpet bomb the entrances - and a person perched on top of the plant area can actually shot down (through the grill) at both planters. A sniper/RL can also hit the planter on the Helghast side from outside of the room). For the ISA side, if the Helghast hold the upper walkway and the back alley (where the snipers can shoot from one end to the other), then it is just a matter of getting the right most bomb placed and victory will follow.
Radec - Both sides are annoying for S&D. It is easy to set up camp in the hallways and the room itself. The difference is that the Higgs can set up camp in the room adjacent to the ISA defend area which provides them with a solid staging area, whereas the ISA can only try to hold the downstairs (which limits them to one access point) or the library which is better. For Assassination the library is deceptive as it allows people to get above you easily and bomb you. Radec is a difficult map for assassination and the best area is actually that area where the two underground tunnels intersect (but not down in the tunnels). As this gives you an escape back into your base if needed and the ability to move around on two floors. Turrets and the mounted gun will make a frontal assault difficult.
The different maps are very well balanced if you play to their strengths and with the appropriate number of players. But if you want to play a specific way then you will be struggling in certain maps.
I actually just finished a match on PR, as Helghast, where I feel like I schooled the other team. I decided to play as an Assault with Spot and Mark. I then proceeded to pick up a sniper rifle and go to town. Seeing as it would almost always take two shots to take me out, I was the perfect antisniper!
