turret strategy in Nova Prospekt

[icedragon9]

Hello to everyone at the Half-Life2.net forums. I'm new here (I registered today).

This being my first thread, I wanted to ask how did you get passed the part of "Nova Prospekt" where you had to position three turrets around this chamber which was divided into two long hallways to defend yourself against waves after waves of heavily armed Combine. I have recently just bought HL2, and I was playing that part of the game yesterday and it took me ages to get passed that point. I must have attempted it at least six times before finally killed all of the Combine soldiers. I was wondering how you completed this part of the game, and where did you position the turrets for maximum effectiveness? The main problem which I encountered was when one of the damn Combine threw a grenade right into my turrets! I know you can prop them back up again but I was too busy defending myself.

[Jack Thomas]

As you might notice, the turrets cant be destroyed. The only way is to ''trip'' them. My tip is that put the turrets on the staircases so that they are attached between the staircases. Then they will not be able to trip them cause the turrets are ''stuck'' between the stairs.

[Sieg]

Place them a bit farther from the gates so the turrets have enough time to kill those god damn combines before they get too close. When they knock it down aim for the head with your gun and blast the shit out of them,take out your grav gun and place them back in place.

[zeocrash]

i stuck all my turrets in a cell, then hid right next to the door in the cell as soldiers came in to try get the turrets i blasted them with the shotgun. it worked a treat

[icedragon9]

I also found that you can hover the enemy grenades in front of you before blasting them back with the gravity gun.

On my third attempt, I did try hiding away in a store room with the turrets in the doorway, but the Combine threw grenades into the room from afar and then... BOOM! Forth attempt...

[icedragon9]

As you might notice, the turrets cant be destroyed. The only way is to ''trip'' them. My tip is that put the turrets on the staircases so that they are attached between the staircases. Then they will not be able to trip them cause the turrets are ''stuck'' between the stairs.

Jack, there are no staircases in the chamber. You're thinking about the room where you first get to use the turrets. I'm talking about the next place where you use them when lots and lots and lots of damn Combine come and try to kill you.

:sniper: <--- Combine soldier ;( <--- me scared

[Nutt]

I'm sure this has been covered many times, but you can easily do this without taking any damage, or even killing any Combine.

Turn the turrets around and place them back in their cupboards. Place yourself in the fourth cupboard, shotgun ready. The Combine seem more interested in the turrets, which they can't knock over, and they die quickly.

There are also places the Combine can't reach you even if they want to: barricade yourself in the empty cell, or climb up to the open cell on the upper level. (With the empty cell, they will try to move the crates out of the way if they see you go in, but they won't break them.) If none of the first wave dies, no more spawn, so you just have those three (two?) to kill. If you turn two turrets around and replace them, and put the third just outside the turret room, you can lure them in there so the turrets do all the work. (Once any Combine is attacked, the rest will go in there. Like lemmings.)

[Sam2k]

The balcony (open cell mentioned by nutt) is the easiest I find. Build a staircase from crates, take 2 turrets up and position them, then with the third you can take it up or leave it on the ground floor. Then you hide where the combine can't shoot you, keeping the grav gun on for manhacks (2/3 come), and in case the turrets get knocked over.

[someone402]

I did the same as sam2k. :thumbs:

[TopHunter2016]

What I did, was take to first 2 turrets with me, and I had 5 (!) turrets defending me! I placed the 2 brought ones on the balconies and blocked them with the table and cabinets plus the crates from the ground floor. Then I just took them with me (I had one turret "disarmed"). At the final battle I have 7 turrets (!). All I had to do is hide behind one of the comp panels and wait for Alyx to give the word.

[kupocake]

The two most important things for making this easier are, IMO:

1) Bring the turrets all the way from the first Turret encounter, that way you'll have 5 turrets. These two can also be placed on the balconies which can be effective... until the combine up there kick them down.

2) On the second floor (from where you jump down into the isolated arena in which the turret battle takes place) there is an office with a number of props items in it. Grav-Gun them down into the floor below. Amoung these objects are a few filing cabinets: The Combine cannot kick these away or grenade them apart. Put them in front of one of the gates through which the soldiers come through, and they'll be stuck behind the force field. There are also a few boxes and other things lying around in this bottom level - slow the combine down by blocking those entrances.

Remember, the combine don't attack until you deploy the last of the 3 turrets in the security office. You have as much time as you want to build yourself a little fort. I got slaughtered at this part the first time through, but plan ahead and you can get through fairly easy.

[NJspeed]

My strategy that always works well for me is go into the next 'middle' room behind the one holding the turrets where theres the big green ammo box. Then I set up two facing one way and one facing the other. I take boxes and barrels and build obstacles outside the room so the Combine can't get in.

l-----------l
T

T [box] T
l-----------l

Then when the battle starts I backup the 1 turret on the 1 side, the other 2 do a fine job. About halfway through the battle I switch the turrets so theres 2 now facing the direction where I previously had 1. It seems that the majority of Combine switch directions about halfway through the battle.

[GomJabbar]

Grav-Gun them down into the floor below. Amoung these objects are a few filing cabinets: The Combine cannot kick these away or grenade them apart.
kupoartist told this before: strangely combines seem to be unable to move or attack something blocked by filers or any other object.
Happened 2 times on the first turrets part, where a combine got stuck in front of a turret, waiting to be shot in the back.
Also, my first attempts at the second turrets parts was really hard IMHO.
Then i read some different strategies here.
What I did was bring the 2 previous turrets. Place them at the balconies before u jump and blocked them with filers.
Then applied the "hide in the locker" strategy.
I did'nt have to shoot once.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v738/GomJabbar/d2_prison_070000.jpg

[ríomhaire]

I went into I of the lockers and surrounded myself with turrets, didn't work very well.

[FaultySanity]

For the staircases - i blocked them with tables/cabinets/etc and the turrets about 15 feet behind them, so the combine pretty much sit there and get shot at.

For the prison scene when your wating on alyx, i just put them out in the hallway and monitored for grenades (in which case, you throw them back).

For the teleport scene, i acually cheated and brought the 2 old ones with me (takes awhile but i got n extra 2 turrets) from the staircases and i placed them about 20 ft away from the foors (except the left corner one, i put it on the little stairset)

[Laivasse]

Hah, where are the manly tactics!!! Exploiting loopholes in the AI, I don't know, tch tch tch.... :frown: No wonder people say the game is easy...

Been through it twice and just ahd a bare bread and butter strategy each time. One turret each facing through the gates in the direction you've come, and one at the opposite end facing through one of the other corridors. That leaves one entrance unguarded, which Freeman has to cover, while at the same time running around making sure all the other turrets are still standing. Very tough indeed.

Over a dozen reloads on first attempt ;( But idiot that I am, I didn't realise you could manipulate manhacks with the grav gun that time....that knowledge made the second time through much easier but still a massive pain.

[gobblet]

I took the turrets to furthest force-field enterance from where you enter the area, set them up facing away from that force field where they could easily kill all combine coming from just one direction and kept the ones that came behind the turrets at bay myself with regular weapons.

[kupocake]

For the teleport scene, i acually cheated and brought the 2 old ones with me (takes awhile but i got n extra 2 turrets) from the staircases and i placed them about 20 ft away from the foors (except the left corner one, i put it on the little stairset)
To be honest, I found the last turret encounter really too easy. An anti-climax after the one in the prison cell block, and you didn't really need anymore than the 3 turrets they give you.

[ríomhaire]

To be honest, I found the last turret encounter really too easy. An anti-climax after the one in the prison cell block, and you didn't really need anymore than the 3 turrets they give you.
I think that the realy cinamatic bit should be relativly easy, otherwise you can't enjoy the cinamatic properties of it. Otherwise it would be just be another annoying save-load bit.

[Laivasse]

I think that the realy cinamatic bit should be relativly easy, otherwise you can't enjoy the cinamatic properties of it. Otherwise it would be just be another annoying save-load bit.

Very much agree....I was so relieved that I got through that bit first time after reloading 20 times on the turret section beforehand.

[Agent G-Man]

I brought with me 2 turrets from that office and the 3 other turrets from the hallway area. I had all 8(!) turrets with me and it was a slaughter. They were all still standing even when I got into the teleport.

[oni_666]

For the bit where you jump down ifrom the balcony and have to setup the 3 turrets prior to the waves of combine coming, All I did was build a staircase of crates, on the left hand side, close to the forcefield blocking the entrance, I setup 2 turrets guarding the corridors, grav gunned the third upto the second floor then jumped up my crate staircase, and barricaded myself in the office using filing cabinets, I only had to hold the 3rd turret with the grav gun and that killed the 3 combine that came for me, It even shot the manhacks.

I would'nt consider it exploiting the game or cheating though, In the same situation, I would have done the same thing, instead of do the "manly thing" and face waves of combine head on.

[algi]

The turrets can be knocked down by the Combine in hand-to-hand combat, by grenades and by shotgun shots. This last one was the motive of my strategy. In one row: metal barrel, wooden box, turret. (Certainly it looks towards the barrel.) The metal barrell can't be shot throough by shotguns and the box cushions it preventing from tipping and taking the turret with it.

There are only two barrels. But certainly among the former ideas there are more superior than this. (But this is accomplishable with the things at hand, you don't have to bring anything with you.)

[marcelobarros]

I died a couple of times before finding an easy way to do it:

Just leave the turrets where they're.. those vertical glass crates in the first room, remember? Leave them there.. press the open button and make sure they're armed. Now enter the single space left, like you were a turret yourself. Crouch to hide even more and wait for the soldiers..

They'll take a time to find you and when they do, they'll have to pass a couple of turrets that will shoot them down. Even if they try to trip it, it won't be possible (the space is too short). Only grenades can be a threat, but it's unlikely that a solder will fire a grenade right into the space.

But you'll have to be ready anyway: put your shotgun and be aware the soldiers. When they show their little heads on front of you, looking for you or trying to kill the sentrys, blow their heads up! In case they fire grenades.. use the grav gun. And in the meanwhile, a few grenades will do a lot of damage because they'll pack together in a short time...

[oni_666]

Here's a pic showing how I did it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/oni_666uk/fight-the-combine-waves.jpg

[Vorac1ous]

What I did in the 1st sequence was set them up in the middle of each flight of stairs, then used grenades & Crossbow to get the Combine that knocked or tried to knock down the turrets. I got 3 health each time I needed to get health, worked out very nicely(got out of that section w\ 97 health I think).

For the 2nd sequence, I set all 3 turrets near the chargers, & I crouched in the middle of them, that also worked fine.

[VirusType2]

I didn't have time to read everyone's post, but the prison is my favorite level.

the part where it is your first time being able to use the turrets is my favorite part of the game.

I play it on HARD skill level, and they hardly pull any punches. Its a freaking blast man.

Its hard, I die alot. they run up and knock the turrets down, and come by the handfull to take you out, needless to say you have your handsfull.

Its really fun. the shotgun is the weapon of choice, but I never have enough ammo. the submachine gun grenade launcher takes out some, and the six shooter can take a few, the crossbow is a slow weapon, but its 1 hit wonder.

What a great game.

[VirusType2]

I died a couple of times before finding an easy way to do it:

Just leave the turrets where they're.. those vertical glass crates in the first room, remember? Leave them there.. press the open button and make sure they're armed. Now enter the single space left, like you were a turret yourself. Crouch to hide even more and wait for the soldiers..

They'll take a time to find you and when they do, they'll have to pass a couple of turrets that will shoot them down. Even if they try to trip it, it won't be possible (the space is too short). Only grenades can be a threat, but it's unlikely that a solder will fire a grenade right into the space.

But you'll have to be ready anyway: put your shotgun and be aware the soldiers. When they show their little heads on front of you, looking for you or trying to kill the sentrys, blow their heads up! In case they fire grenades.. use the grav gun. And in the meanwhile, a few grenades will do a lot of damage because they'll pack together in a short time...

I didnt' see you had posted this. I did something like this and had wonderfull results hiding in the turret hole.

thats a great idea to leave them in place.

genius. I'll do that next time. :thumbs:

[Penfold]

In the prison sequence:

Firstly I tried to hide myself in one of the turret 'cupboards', but this did not work well as soldiers kept throwing in grenades, and too many would come at once for me to keep reloading my shotgun.

I then placed all three turrets in a cell entrance, with me behind them. This worked pretty well, although I had to use a fair amount of quick saves/loads when combine soldiers threw grenades in, but for the most part the turrets mowed all the soldiers (and manhacks) down, with me popping up every so often to help out.

:P <-Me :sniper::sniper::sniper: <- Turrets :borg::borg::borg: <- Soldiers

[MarcoPollo]

Its all about the headshot my friend!

[Noobulon]

I didn't know about any of these funky exploits you can do! :o

I just worked out this fairly straightforward solution:

http://img135.exs.cx/img135/1917/gunpositions6gd.jpg

Any dudes coming from the corridors to the left of this pic were mullered by the gun pointing that direction. They always died just before they could knock over the gun facing away from them, which was taking care of guys coming from the other direction.

Both of those guns protected the one looking straight down the corridor. With this setup I could get through the whole section on Hard fairly comfortably without firing a shot.
If done like this the section wasn't the awful 'difficulty spike' many were making it out to be.

[ishootfools]

wow...i just did it the normal way and beat it the 3rd. time around

[DoctorWeeTodd]

The first siege with the turrets went without a hitch, and I was playing on hard! All you have to do is watch out for manhacks and possibly grenades, so get the gravity gun ready. I never had to try any stupid exploit.

The second ecounter was extremely frustrating and hard. Died many , many times before I pulled it off But I figured out a solution to evade the manhacks and close encounter blasts. Basically instead of putting turrets wide in the open, place them in the corners NEXT to the cells where Combine can't see when they first enter. Prop them up with objects as well, this will stop melee attacks and make them evermore stable. I also had alot of fun just running around holding a turret, so I didn't have to aim.

In the third you can't really hide the turrets, the only place where they actually seemed effective was in the back of the teleporter shooting at enemies below, while everywhere else was left exposed. Don't depend on the robots and get you own guns ready.

Hopefully you'll get through it.

PS: I did making a staircase to the upper row thing for the second siege. The trouble is sometimes they don't shoot fast enough and don't have much open gound, so enemies would go past them and through the other side. Also it's a bitch trying to get up there again to prop them again when your stairs are wrecked.

[Jintor]

There was something that the guy in the speedrun did....

Let's see. He made a ladder up to the second floor, grenaded it over when he was up there, and then hid in a cell hacking messages into the wall with his crowbar.

[Penfold]

A little off-topic:

There was something that the guy in the speedrun did....

I've been meaning to download a speedrun of HL2, do you mean this one? http://speeddemosarchive.com/HalfLife2.html

It's certainly a whopper - 1.1gb :eek:

I got the HL1 speedrun and watched it - I never realised the game could be exploited so much, he missed whole chapters!

Anyway, feel free to carry on talking about Nova Prospekt strategies now :D

[Sieg]

Hmm,I really liked noobulon's idea,but where are you suppose to hide?
I took only one turrent with me on the cell level,but four was just enough,I place them in the middle of the halls facing both ways,I get some boxes and make a littly fort to protect the torrents which wasen't needed at all,then heal my self up and pick up anything I can get from the combines,I used my grav gun to suck the manhacks and blast them back at combines,then fnish them off with some SMG bulltes,mainly because I diden't want to waste my shotgun bullets.

[BlackDeath]

Never used a turret! I hid in the lockers that u take them out of! Combine comes in and u shoot em in the head from a crouched position! Plus all their guns pile up in front of u so theres plenty of ammo and the HEV and MEDS are 3 feet away! LOL! :thumbs:

[Alix Mcdean]

Take all turrets into an empty cell. Place 2 at the back of the cell, one at the door. Chill out next to the turret at the door with your grav gun out incase some idiot decides to nade, that way you can grab the nade and send it out before it explodes inside the cell ruining your turrets.

Worked for me.

-Alix

[Sieg]

Never used a turret! I hid in the lockers that u take them out of! Combine comes in and u shoot em in the head from a crouched position! Plus all their guns pile up in front of u so theres plenty of ammo and the HEV and MEDS are 3 feet away! LOL! :thumbs:
Where is the turret fun in that??

[$kelet0r]

Combine cant jump over any obstacles
So i brought all the tables and filing cabinets from the upper level blocked all the entrances that the combine use place all the turrets at the one entrance that couldn't be blocked and wipe out just one wave to progress.
Placing all the turrets in their cabinets and waiting is like 10 minutes of boredom

[Kitfox]

The first Nova Prospect Turret part is easy.. on hard mode after you are finished that one.. take one of the turrets and take it along withyou to the next part.. it works wonders. Stick all 4 turrets in the small corridorwith the hev and health station. Just watch out for granades and man hacks and your all set.

[Frraksurred]

Excellent thread. Bringing the filing cabinets from upstairs and/or the previous turrets is a stroke of genius.

My stradegy was fairly simple and didn't require much work. I simply took all the items laying around (barrels, crates, etc) and parked them in front of the entrances (don't stack them, the turrets need to shot over your barricade). Then I parked my turrets back from the door and off to the side where the wall turns towards the cells. This made grenading them a little more difficult. Since the combine cannot climb the make-shift barricades stalled them where the turrets could easily take them out. The crates are destructable and eventually will give way, but even on the "Hard" setting allowed for most the combine to be taken out by the turrets before getting through. I took care of the one door not guarded by a turrent. I chose the door right of the health and shields. Worked well for me, but next time I think I'll go back a fetch one more turret and then drop the filing cabinets down to use as better barricades. Should make this difficult section very managable. :D

[Noobulon]

Hmm,I really liked noobulon's idea,but where are you suppose to hide?

Hide? I didn't hide, I stood by my turrets and watched them muller everyone :D

Just hang about with the gravgun out, chucking grenades and manhacks out of your face

[zzymyn]

I used the grav gun to push (it's too heavy to pick up with the grav gun) the huge green cabinets up (there are two, one down all the stairs), those blocked off two entrances, the table in the office blocks the third and the filing cabinets blocks the fourth. I also brought the 2 guns from the previous fight.

[Overwatch]

I brought 1 turret with me so I had 4. I placed the in the room with the smg ammo crate, 2 in direction and 2 in an another (with some crates in front of them). The combine didn't stand a chance :D

One thing I don't understand... why do the combine try to shoot the turrets when they are indestructable?

[Mechagodzilla]

My first time through, I had brought the turrets from the first one with me, so I had five.
With them set up like in the first picture, it was only a matter of picking them up every once and a while.

The second time through, I accidentally made an exploit, I think.
I took everything I could find and plugged one door. Then set up all five turrets in the same direction, as a wall of pure firepower.

In total, only about a half-dozen combine actually showed up. Then, I just waited a few minutes, and the sequence ended. Something about this strategy kept them from appearing.

Both times, this was on hard difficulty.

[J_Tweedy]

some people are saying how they took turrets with them from the first part to the second, so that they had 5 turrets instead of 3. My question, how do you carry two turrets at once? Or do you take one then go back for the other? What a pain in the ass.

Also, did anyone try taking a turret into the teleporter? Does it work?

[kupocake]

My question, how do you carry two turrets at once? Or do you take one then go back for the other? What a pain in the ass.
It's a pain in the ass, yes, but not quite as extreme as hauling one turret all the way there and then heading back for the other: you have to take each one in little runs, often throwing them with the grav-gun over obstacles. It's not that hard, but it can be frustrating. It's always worth it though.

[Mr.Awesome]

i placed 2 turrets, then picked up a third with the grav gun, and hid in the lockers. They still function while being held so when the combine made it past the first 2, they came face to face w/ a turret that couldn't be tripped cuz i was holding it w/ the grav gun. it made it really easy. I went thru the rest of the level just carrying the turret with the grav gun. i barely got hit and it shoots at all enemies. i saved a lot of ammo that way.

[clockw0rk]

I took the filling cabinets down from the floor before you jump down, and the table and I put the table on its side on the outside of a cell so they couldn't get in and I'd put the turrets on the filing cabinets and the bed of the cell to give them better angles to shoot from then I just had my grav. gun out to grab any grenades that popped in.

[Cole]

I went in a small little room
Very small, set up the 3 in there and hid in the back
Worked like a charm

[Jack Thomas]

I went in a small little room
Very small, set up the 3 in there and hid in the back
Worked like a charm

Hahaa! Me too. I stacked the turrets on the cell's entry and myself camped on one of the cornes with the shotgun ready. And if they threw a grenade, I used the gravity gun to bounce it back.

[Ky-Ara]

I dont understand, how can u do all of this setting up stuff before the combine arrive? I didnt save it before i got to the part cas i didnt know what i was expected, so pretty much every time I die, i have around 15 seconds to set up the turrets from scratch, presuming im right in front of them. So what. Am I better off reloading to a previous spot and try again?

[Ky-Ara]

i placed 2 turrets, then picked up a third with the grav gun, and hid in the lockers. They still function while being held so when the combine made it past the first 2, they came face to face w/ a turret that couldn't be tripped cuz i was holding it w/ the grav gun. it made it really easy. I went thru the rest of the level just carrying the turret with the grav gun. i barely got hit and it shoots at all enemies. i saved a lot of ammo that way.

WOW!! That its sooo funnny!!! Thats the best Idea ive heard thats really fast, easy to set up, and not all spread out through the area. I will be trying your strategy first, as it sounds the most reliable and comforting. Hey you know how when you press 'E' to pick up turrets and it automatically rotates them if they are in a good mood :D, does the gravity gun rotate them as well?

[UltraProAnti]

I dont understand, how can u do all of this setting up stuff before the combine arrive? I didnt save it before i got to the part cas i didnt know what i was expected, so pretty much every time I die, i have around 15 seconds to set up the turrets from scratch, presuming im right in front of them. So what. Am I better off reloading to a previous spot and try again?

Yes you can arse about all you like until you set down the 3rd turret from the cabinet in position, so you need to set them up last.

Hey you know how when you press 'E' to pick up turrets and it automatically rotates them if they are in a good mood :D, does the gravity gun rotate them as well?

Yes it does.

btw you don't need to keep going back for each gun from the earlier section - just toss them ahead of you. The only annoying part is the stairwell and the doors just before the big showdown.

[Laivasse]

Yes you can arse about all you like until you set down the 3rd turret from the cabinet in position, so you need to set them up last.

I know it's bit stupid, but I actually like to "roleplay" when I'm playing, and not making use of knowledge that I wouldn't otherwise have. To that end, I always try and behave a little as if I'm being in the situation for the first time, in order to try and make the whole thing as desperate and cinematic as possible.

If that prison shootout bit was real-life and Gordon was told there were soldiers swarming his position, then I don't think his first reaction would be to think "hmm, I'll just ignore these turrets for the moment and build a ladder to the 2nd floor out of filing cabinets." I just try and get them set up pretty sharpish, then just make do. Which is probably why I end up having to reload that part dozens of times ;(


Since this thread has popped back up, I'll just say that I used Noobulon's placement strategy (a page or so back) on my 3rd go through the game, and although it is very clever it BY NO MEANS makes things easy if you have the game on Hard. For one thing, since all your turrets are in more or less the same place, if you let one grenade go off you're pretty much finished. Wedging the turrets against the walls is quite useful, though.

[NascarFan126]

I'm on the first location where the two sentry guns are available.
Once they are knocked down, I can't get them to stand up.
Picking them up with either the 'e' key or the gravity gun, they remain in a horizontal position. Even if I look up with them, squat down and look up, they remain in a horizontal position, turned off.

[henkjan]

ok, here is what I do. after the first part where u need to set up turrets. i just take my turrets with me.. it will take a while dragging those turrets with you. but you will have 5 turrets at that hard part... and if u take all the 5 turrets with u that u will have there. u will have 8 turrets at the teleport chamber... lol verry funny

[Langolier]

I know it's bit stupid, but I actually like to "roleplay" when I'm playing, and not making use of knowledge that I wouldn't otherwise have. To that end, I always try and behave a little as if I'm being in the situation for the first time, in order to try and make the whole thing as desperate and cinematic as possible.



=O I do the exact same thing. Infact, whenever I play the original Half-Life I even make sure to "walk" everywhere unless I'm in a shootout. I play the game like I'm reading a book almost.

As for the turret thing:

I usually barricade one gate and then place the three turrets so they... meh, boring topic. :p

[Laivasse]

=O I do the exact same thing. Infact, whenever I play the original Half-Life I even make sure to "walk" everywhere unless I'm in a shootout. I play the game like I'm reading a book almost.


Interesting but unconnected thing:
in HL1, walking or crouching makes it hard for enemies to hear you but it's still risky if you get too close. However if you hold both shift + ctrl - ie, walk and crouch at the same time - you move at a snail's pace but you can stealth a huge amount of enemies. It's pretty far from "roleplaying", but it can be fun to drop a grenade down into a bunch of marines who are facing the wrong way, because you rarely get such a chance to abuse them.

Although doing that makes me feel cheap and dirty :farmer: