A weenie's guide on mine laying

[Renomaki]

After having been witness to so much dreadful mine laying practices, I have decided that enough was enough, and decided it was time to share my wisdom of mine laying to the community of SS13CM.

So, with that, lets get started with the basics, shall we?

Chapter 1: Mine laying for dummies

So, you wanna lay down some mines to protect your flank, huh? Get some afterdeath kills? Well, first off, you gotta know the most basic stuff about mines.

First off, there are two sources of mines. At round start, all engineers have a vender in their prep office that allows them one box of mines (but only one, so talk it out first before snatching it). In this little box are 4 little mines that have the power to turn a battle to the marine's favor if used properly. If you have a brain, you'll know that you shouldn't waste these little beauties all willy nilly, otherwise I'm going to slap the shit out of you and question why you became a combat engineer.

Naturally, this little box won't last long, so you will need to order more through cargo, which is the second source of mines. They are able to order more mine boxes in the form of an explosives crate, which also contains grenades for the boys to play with as well. If I am correct, you only get about one mine box per crate now, which contains an extra 4 mines for you to lay. Back in the old days, you used to get em in bundles of 3, giving you up to 12 mines to lay, but due to marines dropping them all over the place like a bunny on too much fiber, that isn't a thing anymore. Lay your mines WISELY, as ordering more is expensive and wasting what you got is foolish.

To plant a mine, all you gotta do is grab one and click on it in your hand to start planting, which takes a few seconds to complete the action, When planting mines however (as of the time of this guide's creation), consider the direction you are facing when planting a landmine. It's placement and trigger beam direction depend on where you are facing at the time of installation. For instance, if you are planting a mine facing north, the mine will face north, and anything that crosses it's beam or gets on top of it will go kaboom. This will also place the mine on the south edge of a tile, which we'll discuss in further detail soon enough.

Keep in mind that, if you make a mistake during placement, a multitool can be used to disarm a mine so you can replant it.

Mines, as devastating as they are, cannot kill reliably on their own. They work great against young tier 1s and tier 2s, but against older or higher tiered aliens, they are only good for stunning them. They still do a considerable amount of damage though, so it wouldn't take too much effort to finish them off, provided you are quick to get them before a xeno drags them away to safety.


Chapter 2: Advanced mine tactics... For dummies.

So, you got a basic understand how mines work by now. You stick em in the ground, bad things trigger them, blood and gore splatters all over the place. However, there is a HELL of a lot more to it than that, and I'll explain what a lot of marines seem to not take into account when planting mines.

First off, you need to consider location. You can't just place a mine anywhere, you need to think before you lay. Mines make defending vulnerable flanks a lot easier, and can also be a great way to punish xenos for trying to sneak though unwatched places (for instance, Nexus is full of breaches that xenos like to sneak through, so placing mines at these spots is a good way to make them fuck off). What you SHOULDN'T do is place mines in the middle of FoBs, where a lot of marines might be roaming, or place them near flipped tables or barricades. You don't want any marines getting hurt should a runner try to pounce someone in a crowd.

Secondly, you need to remember spacing. NEVER CLUSTER LANDMINES IN A SMALL RADIUS. Not only is it a perfectly good waste of mines, but it also makes them harder to hide and easier for crushers to stomp on. I seen marines waste entire batches of mines clustering them in a single area, where they just end up being avoided or disarmed en-mass (or in some cases where the mines are really close together, a single alien can cause a chain-reaction and blow up several mines at once). When planting mines fields, try to space them at least 5 tiles apart so that it covers more area and is harder for xenos to clear out. Putting two mines right next to each other isn't going to accomplish much at all, and is a waste of supplies.

But even then, all the former won't matter unless you HIDE YOUR MINES , which brings us to the next tactic...

In order to ensure your mine ruins a xeno's day, you need to carefully cover it up. As of the writing of this guide, mines tend to hug the edge of a tile opposite of their facing. For instance, a mine facing north will hug the southern edge of the tile they are planted on. Due to this system, you have to really think carefully on how you are going to hide the little beeping boxes of death. Now, I'm not going to tell you which items do it best (for fear of xenos learning of my personal tricks and using it to meta against me), but if you use your head and experiment, you'll figure out some clever ways to hide your mines.

Just, ah, whatever you do, don't use wooden barricades or girders to hide mines. That is a bit powergamey and not good sportsmanship. Stick to using the junk you find around the colony, it's only fair.

If you done it right, xenos will never see it coming, and much salt will be yours to shake upon your fatty foods. Done poorly, and a xeno with a brain will just walk around it and quietly mock he who placed it.

Chapter 3: Tips and Tricks for COMPLETE MORONS!

1: A lone mine can be as effective as a mine field. Even if it doesn't kill anything, it'll still scare the shit out of any unsuspecting xeno that triggers it, and might even make it paranoid of traversing the area again if there happens to be a lot of garbage in that area.

2: If a mine you planted exploded, and you still have some mines to spare... Why not replant it in the same spot? This tactic works best in indoor areas, where the tiles get damaged by the mine going off. Xenos will assume the mine has already been blown and thus that the area is safe to cross. Make them realize how wrong they really are.... (just don't forget to cover the mine after doing so)

3: Runners are the weakest type of xeno there is, to the point that even the elders of this caste tend to die to a single mine. This makes mines the best counter against the speedy little sneaks.

4: As said before, most higher ranking or older xenos are able to survive a single mine blast (with crushers being completely immune to them). However, all but the crusher can't resist a mine's stunning ability, so if you are able, try to finish them off if able.

5: Even though crushers aren't harmed by mines, it still makes them go blind for a brief moment every time they step on one. Keep this in mind when dealing with crushers fucking with your mines.

6: Xenos aren't the only thing that trigger mines. Animals, dead xenos and IDless humans also trigger them. So for the love of god, stop dragging Mr. Wiggles around so carelessly through a damn mine field! I seen people do this with mines in plain sight for fucks sake, so for the love of god, unless you KNOW it is clear, DON'T DRAG THEM THROUGH MINEFIELDS.

_________

That about wraps up my guide on mine laying. I hope this improves the quality of our mine layers, and ensures that all those mine boxes the RO orders stop going to waste all the damn time due to marines squandering them in ways that make me wanna cry.

[NoahKirchner]

There are three sources of mines, some in secure storage (big dome just west of LZ2) planetside. One box.

[darklizard45]

Xeno's worst nightmare and crusher's minesweeping job

Oh... that reminds me as a crusher allways clear any mine that you find no matter how silly it is or how obvious it looks
One less mine means one less xeno dying for not paying attention to the ground

[Renomaki]

There are three sources of mines, some in secure storage (big dome just west of LZ2) planetside. One box.

Noah, that is supposed to be a SECRET

SHAME....

[NoahKirchner]

Noah, that is supposed to be a SECRET

SHAME....

I mean I've been bugged enough to break into secure storage that at this point it's burned into my brain, so.

[Eenkogneeto]

Remember that obvious mines work as a more reliable deterrent than hidden ones in terms of protecting flanks.
A hunter sets a hidden mine off, goes 'ow' and goes and heals, but now has a guaranteed way in. But if it's obvious he'll mentally go 'well don't go there' and forget that it wont actually kill him.
I place 4 mines NW of lz2 every round, three unhidden covering every tile in, and one under the tree. More often than not not a single ayy ever comes through that way as a result.

[Renomaki]

Remember that obvious mines work as a more reliable deterrent than hidden ones in terms of protecting flanks.
A hunter sets a hidden mine off, goes 'ow' and goes and heals, but now has a guaranteed way in. But if it's obvious he'll mentally go 'well don't go there' and forget that it wont actually kill him.
I place 4 mines NW of lz2 every round, three unhidden covering every tile in, and one under the tree. More often than not not a single ayy ever comes through that way as a result.

The only downside to that is the fact that a crusher is bound to be called in to deal with those mines, which is sad, because I get where you are goin.

Physiological warfare can be very effective in defense, but it won't deter everyone. Some xenos are more clever than others.. And some marines are just too darn stupid to look where they are goin when dragging puppies around.

[Sad_Corn]

I want to remember that if your ID is inside a PDA, the landmine will trigger

I learned that by going to the FoB as a doctor, and stepping on three mines at the same time

If you want to peform surgeries at the plnaetside as a doctor, dispose your PDA first

[TopHatPenguin]

If you're assaulting the hive you want to place mines covering your rear and flanks, for example on LV 624 the north eastern tunnel towards the north of the pred temple, if you make it past there place mines in the tunnel by the crashed shuttle and by the pred temple.

Offensive mines are hellish for any would be hunter/runner trying to flank and are also great if the marines have to retreat as it means the aliens have to slow down and wait for a crusher to come along or get blown up by the mines. (Or take the long way around)

[Renomaki]

If you're assaulting the hive you want to place mines covering your rear and flanks, for example on LV 624 the north eastern tunnel towards the north of the pred temple, if you make it past there place mines in the tunnel by the crashed shuttle and by the pred temple.

Offensive mines are hellish for any would be hunter/runner trying to flank and are also great if the marines have to retreat as it means the aliens have to slow down and wait for a crusher to come along or get blown up by the mines. (Or take the long way around)

Depending on the map though, it might be difficult to properly hide mines on the front lines.

Mines work best on green surfaces. You put them on something like a tan surface, and you are going to need to get more creative in how you hide them. Thankfully, I have my own patented tactic that only I know.. I'm not gonna tell what it is, it is up to you to figure out on ye own.

[NoahKirchner]

Depending on the map though, it might be difficult to properly hide mines on the front lines.

Mines work best on green surfaces. You put them on something like a tan surface, and you are going to need to get more creative in how you hide them. Thankfully, I have my own patented tactic that only I know.. I'm not gonna tell what it is, it is up to you to figure out on ye own.

Floor tiles, they either are oriented north, south, east, or west, same as mines.

[Renomaki]

Floor tiles, they either are oriented north, south, east, or west, same as mines.

Aren't Floor Tiles random in their placement?

[NoahKirchner]

Aren't Floor Tiles random in their placement?

Yes, but if you split enough of them up they will eventually be in one of the aforementioned orientations.

[Renomaki]

Yes, but if you split enough of them up they will eventually be in one of the aforementioned orientations.

That could work, but there are more clever ways to hide mines if you look around.

A little tip from me is that if you know the common junk of the area you are in, sneaking surprises under them works wonders if you can figure out how to fit em.

[Supermichael777]

place a mine on the last tile you can see an auto-turet from in its cone of fire. This is evil.

[TopHatPenguin]

Depending on the map though, it might be difficult to properly hide mines on the front lines.

Mines work best on green surfaces. You put them on something like a tan surface, and you are going to need to get more creative in how you hide them. Thankfully, I have my own patented tactic that only I know.. I'm not gonna tell what it is, it is up to you to figure out on ye own.

You don't need to hide the mines on the flanks they are there as a deterrent, and if a xeno forgets about it (Which quite often happens) then they'll go boom.

It's not exactly hard to hide mines on the frontline flanks either, with all the gear on the ground, it may as well be a minefield itself. Especially if Req drops backpack supplies or you get a hold of some sand bricks. Generally though the empty mags everywhere and other random objects on the floor serve to hide mines effectively, that is the wonder of frontline flank mines.

[Sad_Corn]

The best thing are floor tiles, they can hide an entire mine. If you want to git gud, make tons of floor tiles

[Renomaki]

The best thing are floor tiles, they can hide an entire mine. If you want to git gud, make tons of floor tiles

Not quite, floor tiles are random in their placement when crowbared from a floor, and unless you do it inside a building, a smart xeno would not fall for the massive pile of floortiles in the jungle. Might make them paranoid of the place, but only a truly stupid xeno would dare to traverse it.

[Sad_Corn]

Not quite, floor tiles are random in their placement when crowbared from a floor, and unless you do it inside a building, a smart xeno would not fall for the massive pile of floortiles in the jungle. Might make them paranoid of the place, but only a truly stupid xeno would dare to traverse it.

Implying that we actually have smart xeno players, hue.

[Renomaki]

The guide has been slightly updated to include the fact that mines explosions can trigger other mines and the fact that explosive crates no longer contain 3 boxes of mines.

Remember, good mine placement is more important than ever now that mines are not as easy to purchase in bulk. MAKE THEM COUNT.

[Imperator_Titan]

I personally despise seeing mines being hidden behind the trees in the jungle, feels a bit wrong if I'm being honest as both xeno and marine.

[Renomaki]

I personally despise seeing mines being hidden behind the trees in the jungle, feels a bit wrong if I'm being honest as both xeno and marine.

The small trees aren't too bad compared to the great tree in the middle of the map.

If I recall correctly, it is punishable to hide mines behind the large tree's leaves, since it makes them impossible to see. Naturally, you don't want to go too far when it comes to hiding mines, since you still gotta consider fairness in the game.

One should always try to hide mines under random rubbish when they can to increase their chance of hitting something, but never resort to cheap tactics like hiding them behind the great tree or building wooden barricades over them, since that is a bit powergamey if you ask me.

[TehSpoderman]

i never used this tactic but i seen some people do it. put a landmine near a fuel tank(s). can serious hurt some xenos.