Leaving Marines behind at the start
Posted November 22nd 2007
At the start of the level you're with a load of Marines who'll head for the two hogs when you make to leave. I usually leave these guys behind so I can get some serious foot-based soldiering going, rather than partaking in the vehicle-based chaos the level seems designed around. Here are two ways of ditching them.
(1) Drive off quick
The quickest and simplest way is to run to the door and open it, then board the chain-gun hog and pull away, driving off before anyone boards. Edge through the door as soon as the gap becomes wide enough. Marines will board the other hog but it tends to end up left behind. By the time you get to the arch just before seeing your first covies, it should be ok to dismount and start proceeding on foot if you want; the other hog probably won't be turning up now. I normally dismount just before the arch (ideally before the loading point, otherwise the action tends to freeze unpleasantly). If you do that, the Marines holding out tend not to run to man the hog.
(2) Destroy the troop hog then drive off
A drawback of that method is that sometimes Marines may turn up in the other hog after a while, particularly if you do a lot of shooting not far from the arch. Maybe they get attracted along by the gunfire or something. If you want to make completely sure that you won't have any followers, destroy the troop hog before leaving. It can be quickly done with 4 melee attacks to the base of the windscreen after jumping up on the bonnet. If you prefer to use a weapon, aim at the frontal seating area, which seems to be the most sensitive part. 4 shotgun shells or just over 2 AR clips will do, unless you've got the Tilt skull on in which case the hog seems twice as resistant. Do your damage before Marines get in, because after that the damage dynamics alter.
If Marines board the chain-gun hog in the meanwhile, it's easy enough to get them dismounted shortly after pulling out, and you can then drive off without them. They'll end up just standing around because Marines in this level generally won't follow you unless they've got a ride - something I consider a rather thoughtless design shortcoming as it makes them useless if you fancy tackling things on foot (unlike in 'Assault on the Control Room' where Marines would happily run along with you).