Resupplying Etiquette And Art

Calling a resupply or grabbing ammo getting you kicked? Unused ammo getting left behind? Low oxygen missions seem impossible? Solve these issues and many more with this basic primer on the usage and placement of resupply.

Introduction - Workplace Friction

"Etiquette? Art? What are you an Elf!?"

Well hold up you Leaf Lover, we may be Dwarves but we are not animals. It is the same reason I showered yesterday, and that there is always ammo waiting for you at the resupply pod; a basic level of respect.

I used to ignore it as well until my squads leader kicked me out by "accidentally" filling out a transfer form on my behalf and "accidentally" submitting it to management.

But it taught my a valuable lesson; if you behave like an animal, most Dwarves will gladly treat you like one.

I can give you some pointers to follow, but I find it easier to ask myself "What would Karl do?"

Hate The Player Not The Game

Etiquette is a set of unwritten guide lines that when followed is considered to be friendly and good team play. This section will discuss the most common ones related to resupplying along with the some reasoning and concerns behind them. As some of these best practices are not immediately obvious to new or even veteran players.

Taking more than one ammo resupply from any supply drop is considered to be one of the most taboo things a Dwarf can do. By doing so you will directly disadvantage a member or your team, almost always will be wasting part of the resupply, and it is considered to be excessively selfish. In many cases you will draw the ire of your team and even be kicked if you are caught doing this.



Because of the random nature of any given mission this is an understandable situation. And the solution is simple. Communicate with and ask your team if you can. Double dipping in itself is not a big issue. The issue is doing it and not asking or telling; as it throws off Dwarves who were not ready to be down an ammo resupply with no warning.


If you are completely out of ammo and you need it to survive. Communicate that to the team and take the ammo. If you fail to communicate your intention you are rolling the dice on building team distrust or receiving a kick.


Call another resupply, and get the ammo off that one. Generally if it is that hectic the team will need the spare resupply anyway. As it is statistically rare you are the only one running low on ammo.


Communicate with and ask your team if you can. This a dire situation for any team, and if there is no active swarm it requires team discussion and some level of thought.


This overrides everything, last dwarf standing can do anything to save the round. Drop new supply pods, use all the ammo; anything goes.

Note: Active communication is the key to avoiding any double dipping issues. If your lack of communication is causing you or your team problems consider using voice chat; being unable to type because of hectic game play is not an excuse for bad communication. (Exceptions: Physical limitations, cognitive limitation, environmental limitations and language barriers.)

Resupplying when you have more than 50% ammo capacity across all equipment is considered bad form. All resupply charges yield a 50% ammo increase based off total weapon ammo. Any weapon or equipment that is above 50% ammo capacity is in effect wasting some of the supply.



Switch to and use other weapons or equipment. The key is to try and evenly use ammo across all equipment to optimize resupply.


Your shield can absorb a good deal of damage. Hunt for Red Sugar, or wait until you have used enough of your ammo to optimize the resupply. 


Hunt for Red Sugar, or wait until you have used enough of your ammo to optimize the resupply. Using a resupply for health only should be a last resort option, but is acceptable providing it does not force a double dip later.

Hoxxes Hospitality

Hosts take on extra responsibilities that normal players do not have to consider. While these are minor they are still important for a smooth mission. It is good practice to keep these guidelines in mind while hosting.

Monitoring ammo is important because some players don't like to call for resupply and will defer to others to make that decision.

This can be done by equipping the Laser Pointer and monitoring the white pips by each players icon.

If the majority of  players have two or less filled ammo pips a resupply can be called. This is not an exact metric and can be bad when aiming for 100% efficiency, but it is a safe decision in most cases.

If a player uses a resupply charge with more than two filled ammo pips then that resupply is in most cases being wasted. When this happens you should question the players actions and communicate how it is a problem.

If it happens often and is done by the same player you may want to remove that player from your mission. As other players may better use the resources than a player that wastes the limited supply.

Kicking a player should always be a last resort after communication has failed. The downsides to removing a player is not readily apparent but there are some effects it will cause. Some of these downsides include but are not limited to:

    • The loss of manpower used to complete objectives and gather resources.
    • The most current resupply charge used by the removed player being also removed.
    • The morale of the rest of the team may be effected depending on the lead up to the kick.




Most random players do not care about the rules you typed out into your servers name. Some may not even understand the game terminology referenced or language used. In fact because of the nature of quick join players many have never even seen your rules, and have no idea what your expectations are.

If there is something you don't want a player doing (like double dipping) the optimal method is to actively communicate it and make sure that it is understood and reciprocated. Relying on one method of communicating that is not 100% effective and kicking without warning is unreasonable.

There is also a side effect of Green Beards not understanding why they were removed from a mission. If a player never knows why they were kicked, they will never learn, and the community will suffer.


No, you should always kick if you feel removing a player will make the mission better for everyone else. The key message is communication can solve a lot of resupply issues before they become problems later. The sooner a problem players is removed the better for these reasons:

    • The team benefits from the potential of better player joining.
    • The team will have spare ammo resupply charges.
    • The host can do less player monitoring.

Pebble-O Picasso Would Be Proud

The art or resupplying while not complex requires some understanding of team cohesion and game mechanics. This section will cover some of the basic tactics related to resupply pod manipulation and usage.

Calling a resupply pod is a simple task. It is something players become better at as they gain experiences and a more robust game sense. However for new players it can be daunting and met with disappointment from more experienced team members. Henceforth this section will discuss guidelines to follow when deciding if is is the correct time to call for one.



To call a resupply pod a team must have 80 Nitra in reserve. Once the Nitra requirement is met anyone can call the pod by pressing the 5 Key.

Doing so will show a hologram resupply pod that can be placed. Once it is placed a marker will appear and the pod will arrive in several seconds. Make sure to keep clear of the marker as the pod will incapacitate any Dwarf standing on it.

Note: The default binding for summoning a resupply pod may be different depending on platform and control method.


There are a couple instance where a resupply can be called with no hesitation by anyone on the team. These instances are as follows:

    • The teams ammo reserve is an average of 50% or less.
    • A wave has or is going to start.
    • Before triggering a Dreadnought.
    • In a low oxygen mission, when there is no safe way to get oxygen in time.


Certain missions have a team of Dwarves staying in a set area. In these missions resupply pods can be called the instant there is enough Nitra to do so. The reasoning behind this tactic is that in some cases instant ammunition access can make the difference between winning or losing the round. Mission types where this is acceptable practice are as follows:

    • On-site Refining
    • Salvage Operation
    • Point Extraction

Clustering multiple resupply pods together can seems like a good tactic for easy access to ammunition. But doing so can cause unintended problems.

By clustering pods a swarm of enemies or heavy hitters like Dreadnoughts and Bulk Detonators can choke off an entire teams ammo supply. With the added downside of making some ammo charges difficult to access.

Fortunately the solution to this problem is simple; only call resupply pods when needed OR spread them out so the chances of losing all access is rare.

Resupplying when on the move is problematic. It is caused by bad communication and planning. While it is more common in Escort Duty it can also be caused by a team fragmenting across a large cave system.

It should be avoided as doing so forces Dwarves to backtrack, split up, and be more vulnerable when grabbing ammunition.

To counteract the problems caused by this all backtracking should be done as a team or at least in pairs. By doing so this will prevent a lone Dwarf from getting incapacitated by random enemies.

Since resupply charges yield 50% more ammo across all weapons, utilities, and grenades a player should practice using their resources more effectively. This can be as simple as using them right before a resupply, or as complex as a predictive method. This section covers some quick and simple ways to use spare utilities right before resupplying; as it is easier to understand.

Driller
Engineer
Gunner
Scout
Impact Axe: Axes can be thrown on the ground around the resupply pod to be picked up later. Satchel Charge: Satchel charges can be used to quickly mine resources or as a trap for enemies.
Proximity Mine: Mines can be thrown near choke points. Platform Gun: All un-platformed minerals can be platformed, and various types of structures can be built.
Zipline Launcher: Create zip lines that can be used later (escape routers, resource access, etc...) Shield Generator: Shield the resupply pod or other Dwarfs.
Flare Gun: Light up the surrounding area.
Note: Depending on mission and grenade type throwing them randomly may be pointless. If you have a hard time optimizing grenade usage try double throwing instead of single throwing at swarms.

In low oxygen missions resupply pods serve a dual purpose of providing ammunition and oxygen. They can save a Dwarf from asphyxiation when no other source is near by.

By tactically requesting resupply pods a team can create a network of oxygen check points. In effect nullifying the Low Oxygen mutator.

Special care needs to be taken when doing this as Nitra is a limited resource and it may not be optimal in certain mission types.

However any mission where the team stays around a singular area can benefit from the aforementioned network.

Conclusion - A Solution?

And that is everything I know, well at least without a Smart Stout.

Follow my tips and you can avoid the horrible fate and smell of being kicked to sanitation. But don't worry your green bead about all this. I think I found a better solution to our problem.

From the look of this photo some sketchy Engineer hacked Molly with an illegal overclock. At least that is my best guess, how else could they have enough Nitra for all those pods.

Lets head to the bar and see if we can track this Dwarf down; I got a lot of questions and I need them answered before "Management" finds them. And maybe, just maybe, ammo will never be a problem for us again; Rock and Stone!

Guide Patch Notes

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Complex feedback or section suggestions? Visit my group discussion! Posting is publicly open.

Thanks For Reading!

A community this great definitely makes the effort behind these guides worth it. Thanks for taking interest in it and getting all the way to the end.

If you enjoyed this guide, please consider giving it a Like and or Favorite! Truth be told I hate asking, but it seems to be the trend.

Rock And Stone!

[Sterlander]

This is one of the most well written and formatted Steam guides I've ever read, very well done

[legobob4ever]

if you triple dip your just asking for trouble

[terg]

I'm assuming this (double-dipping) applies moreso for 3+ players? If it's just you and a buddy I'm guessing it's triple-dipping that becomes a problem lol.

[Shiro]

All good tips, but I would note it's perfectly acceptable to call in a row (not a cluster, a ROW) of resupplies for boss battles like Ommoran Heartstone or The Caretaker. Usually 4 on an Ommoran and 5 on a Caretaker would be sufficient (Nitra permitting, of course). In the latter's case they can also act as a defence wall.

[pootis]

this is a very useful guide, thank you.

[ShugoTheRipper]

Do it.

[tesco meal deal £3.99]

this guide is ass, im going to take all the ammo for myself

[.rar Cat]

How feminine can you get

[AtomicCollapse222]

Tip: When you have used all four racks from a Resupply Pod, you can bury it by cutting out the floor below it so it is no longer an obstacle. Since it has collision, people won't even notice if you get it at least close to flush with the ground.

[ShugoTheRipper]

How do you think I feel? It is such a problem it warranted the creation of the guide.