Whats the difference between the three branches and which is easier for a new player.

[Cato]

Ie are there some areas that some specialists can't get to, are there things you see doing one skill set that you WON'T see with the other and is the experience different? lastly which is easiest for a new player?

I have the game but Im wonderring what to play as and which mods to apply.

[deagleonfire]

I guess the easiest to play is the "soldier" one (dont know the exact name, I havent played in years). The one that is all guns and no psi powers.

Also, only memory I have is that sometimes you will have stuff (loot) lying in unreachable places, that I guess you can only grab if you have the telekinesis psi power, but I wouldnt base my choice on that alone. Not much information I know but hoefully this will get the conversation going :p

[ps47.3dfx]

pick marine or navy for the first playthrough, osa/psi guy plays a lot differently, and is only recommended for experienced players.

[Kommissar K]

The three branches dictate what starting skills you get in the game.

Marines - Direct combat oriented skills
Navy - High Tech skills
OSI - Psionic abilities

Beyond these focuses though, they play no serious role in what the player can or cannot do. In theory, a marine could train the psychic abilities to do what an OSI character can do. Mainly, this matters for high difficulty playthroughs, where the cost of upgrading is significantly increased, and thus the ability to train becomes more scarce.

[Yeshuash]

To be as blant as posible:
Marines = warrior
Navy = rouge
OSI = mage

[deagleonfire]

Rouge, seriously ?? English isnt my first language and even I know that's it's ROGUE !!
*shoots self*

[ps47.3dfx]

also, it's OSA.

[VSS]

Blant? I can't tell if he meant bland of blunt.

[Feo]

I always seem to pick OSI but with just enough implants for basic weapons and hacking.
Even this time around again I pick OSI after telling myself to try one of the others. I'm not too far in and can hack up to level 2, I didn't bother picking up basic weapons this time, going to try playing through without them.

Plus there is always the wrench if I run out of psi :)

Next time I will definately try one of the other branches tho hehe.

[deagleonfire]

Originally posted by MAMMU:

Blant? I can't tell if he meant bland of blunt.

Haha I thought I read bland the first time.

So I just installed the game yesterday and daaaamn the interface is so small at 1920x1080 (doesnt help that I play sitting 5-6 feet away from the tv). I just picked Marine

[e5c4p3artist]

Your choice only matters in the early game. If you are playing on Normal or Easy, you will receive enough cybermodules to customize your character the way you want a few hours in, even earlier in some respects.

For example, I chose OSA. I am just finished with the first level (MedSci) and have 1 in standard weapons (I can use a pistol), 2 in hacking (I can hack security computers and crates), and 1 in research (I can research all the items I've found so far).

If I had chosen Navy, I'd have already had the hacking, but I could have used my cybermods to purchase the Psi powers that were granted by default for OSA.

If I had chosen Marines, I would have already had the standard weapons skills, but I could have used my cybermods to purchase the hacking and Psi powers.

You can't really screw up by making a "wrong" choice in the beginning. Unless you forget to grab the basketball. ;)

[Cato]

Originally posted by e5c4p3artist:

Your choice only matters in the early game. If you are playing on Normal or Easy, you will receive enough cybermodules to customize your character the way you want a few hours in, even earlier in some respects.

For example, I chose OSA. I am just finished with the first level (MedSci) and have 1 in standard weapons (I can use a pistol), 2 in hacking (I can hack security computers and crates), and 1 in research (I can research all the items I've found so far).

If I had chosen Navy, I'd have already had the hacking, but I could have used my cybermods to purchase the Psi powers that were granted by default for OSA.

If I had chosen Marines, I would have already had the standard weapons skills, but I could have used my cybermods to purchase the hacking and Psi powers.

You can't really screw up by making a "wrong" choice in the beginning. Unless you forget to grab the basketball. ;)

Oh ok thank you that explains alot :)

[Matuse]

Personally, I find Navy to be the easiest start. Psi hypos and other replenishments are extremely rare early on, so you don't get to use those psi powers very often before you run out. Marines can let you start out with a decent weapon, but you again run into ammo problems, and more significantly, maintenance issues. What good is a grenade launcher when you only start out with a couple of grenades and can't fix it when it breaks? You end up saving it and saving it "just in case", and before you know it, you've found one on the Von Braun without ever having used the one you started with.

A navy start means you can immediately start hacking open the security crates and alarm panels, which finds/saves a ton of bullets for the pistol. Being able to turn off turrets and cameras right from the get-go is immensely helpful. You can also hack the Val-U-Reps to get better selections and better prices.

The real trick with the game is surviving long enough to turn on the elevators. Once you've cleaned out the engineering deck and are able to get to Hydroponics, you'll have picked up enough cyber modules, weapons, and nanites to be in good shape for the rest of the game. But until then, you're constantly juggling degrading weapons, limited ammo supply, and meager stats.