How do I climb down ladders?

[BackdireinEis]

I usually keep falling down, instead of using the ladder.
Tried going backwards, crouching, still falling down.

[The EZ Mouse]

Look towards the floor while pressing the forward key

[BackdireinEis]

Originally posted by The EZ Mouse:

Look towards the floor while pressing the forward key

Looking forward to the ladder?

[DoomMarine23]

Three options:

1. Look straight down and hold your forward movement button as EZ Mouse suggested.
2. Hold down your backwards movement button while looking in any direction.
3. Hold down your crouch button while looking in any direction.

Bonus Tips:

1. You can move up a ladder with your jump key while looking in any direction.
2. Looking behind you, lets go of the ladder, so don't do that.

[BackdireinEis]

Originally posted by DoomMarine23:

Three options:

1. Look straight down and hold your forward movement button as EZ Mouse suggested.
2. Hold down your backwards movement button while looking in any direction.
3. Hold down your crouch button while looking in any direction.

Bonus Tips:

1. You can move up a ladder with your jump key while looking in any direction.
2. Looking behind you, lets go of the ladder, so don't do that.

All of that does NOT work for me. Maybe you could record a video, showing it?

My situation is the following:
I'm standing on the highest point of the ladder and want to climb down. When I go backwards, I FALL down, don't hold the ladder.

[Atty]

Same none of those methods work for me, my dude just leaps forward and plunges down

[Shiro]

Mm I have difficulty going from the ladder down by just walking too, but I didn't try crouch. BUT, in case of big ladder, it's fairly possible for me to re-attach to it midair which obviously solves the issue, that's what I was mostly using. (Harder to work with short ladders so I still take few hp of damage here and there). Hope this helps.

[Number Eight]

Originally posted by BackdireinEis:

All of that does NOT work for me. Maybe you could record a video, showing it?

My situation is the following:
I'm standing on the highest point of the ladder and want to climb down. When I go backwards, I FALL down, don't hold the ladder.

Well, all of their answer were correct. That's how you move down when you already stick to the ladder.

To grab the ladder from top of the platform in order to go down, that was always the tricky part in Quake II.
When you step back towards the ladder, you have to do so very slowly while crouching. And if you still won't grab the ladder, (and that will happen most of the time) try pressing move forward mid-air to grab the ladder before you fall down.

Lift platforms that activate by proximity sensor instead of button were always tricky to use as well. Both are designed for reaching the previous or required elevation, rather than taking safe path down without taking fall damage.

BTW I've always wondered why does such thing as ladder even exist in Strogg architecture. Maintenance units hover in the air. They do not need lift or ladders, and military units have upper limbs replaced with weapons and can't hold onto the ladder.
Even guards and enforcers who have only one arm replaced, will have it extremely inconvenient.

[Shiro]

Originally posted by へいはち:

BTW I've always wondered why does such thing as ladder even exist in Strogg architecture. Maintenance units hover in the air. They do not need lift or ladders, and military units have upper limbs replaced with weapons and can't hold onto the ladder.
Even guards and enforcers who have only one arm replaced, will have it extremely inconvenient.

Tvtropes suggests guards are "minions", found operating various consoles thanks to being cheap/disposable and having a working hand. Perhaps they are also ones using the ladders+vents and doing the maintenance (alongside better-fitting but more expensive and bulkier Technicians), sure it's not convenient for them to climb but since when Strogg cared of convenience for their lowly soldiers? They can use it, can do maintenance and that's all that matters.

(Wish guards had the ability to climb ladders and into vents in-game, but can't expect much from 1998 game after all.)

[Number Eight]

Originally posted by Shiro:

since when Strogg cared of convenience for their lowly soldiers?

Not the convenience, but the entire purpose of replacing part of their bodies with cybernetics is to maximize their efficiency. Having ladder as means to reach certain places for units with only one hand is extremely inefficient.