Introduction
Why Teamwork Matters in Among Us
Among Us would be my earliest memories of playing. I was a Crewmate, so most of the gameplay was running from station to station blissfully unaware of the silent betrayals that were going on around me.
I trusted people who did not deserve to be trusted, blamed people for crimes they didn’t commit, and communicated absolutely poorly to my team. Suffice to say, it did not end well.
I learned that it was, after all, a team game. Being part of that crew to figure out who the Impostor was or being an Impostor trying to wipe out the crew members draws the line of difference between winning and losing.
And even while working against the team-most Impostors do-it is absolutely vital to know how to blend and work within those group dynamics.
It will enlighten you on the major teamwork strategies regarding both roles and how you can perfect your chances for success through enlightenment in communication, observation, and cooperation.
Table of Contents
2. Crewmates: How to Work with Your Team
2.1 No Talking Allowed-Communicate Without Breaking the Silence
In Among Us, members will share limited communications. There are only a few times when crew members are allowed to talk: at the emergency meetings, and after a body has been found.
That makes teamwork really hard because sometimes some information should be delivered right away.
Facts speaking. In a conversation, one is expected to stick to verifiable facts of the place one finds him himself, activities one does, and what others are doing. Stick away from general statements that give no basis for the conversation.
Patterns: Well, ideally, in the initial rounds of the game you ought to develop some patterns that other players immediately look for-another way of saying this is that you always act from one side of the map.
If your behavior is predictable, it will not be too hard for other players to convince themselves of your innocence’s.
To the point: “Meetings are timed,” so let’s get to the punch-line-the more said, the less likely to be understood and thus, the more one has to explain something to such an extent that an over-explaining player can even appear suspicious of something.
For instance, in one of the games, I was to play the Impostor since at some point, I couldn’t make myself clear on what I was doing.
I was too costly to get my story authenticated by the Crewmates, hence losing the game. From now on, all my statements shall be very brief and to the point so as not to suspect anything.
2.2 Task Coordination and Maximization of Efficiencies
Tasks completed by the Crewmates is definitely a sure win. No matter how people receive tasks, coordination of tasks ensures that these tasks are completed in the least time possible to ensure survival.
How to coordinate tasks:
Group of activities: You see fellow crew members walking in a certain direction to do some work; you go with them. Grouping activities for their completion saves time and offers an alibi when at those areas.
Visual Identification of Tasks: Some activities create some sort of visual output – a good reason you should be able to identify innocent crew members like scanning in Med Bay or shooting asteroids-try pointing them out when you, or other people do this.
Report to others on your progress, and report in the meeting what you have completed and which ones are still not finished for you.
In this manner, other people knowing will alert them to the fact that you are trying to get something done.
Another game that really stands out to me was one in which we had an extremely efficient crew team.
We communicated our task lists at every meeting, banded together for the riskier areas and used our visual tasks to prove innocence. It was one of the smoothest wins I have ever seen, and it really did make a difference how each person actually had teamwork on board.
3. Impostors: Coordinative Strategies for Cooperative Deception
3.1 Coordination with Other Impostors
Being an Impostor, coordination with other Impostor(s) could be of equally high or even more importance than convincing the Crewmates. Coordination is what makes you get rid of as many Crewmates as you can without getting caught.
Coordination must be achieved by
Divided: Sometimes, impostors should rather divide the effort instead of sticking together and thereby risking being identified in a group. One can focus on sabotaging systems, while the other can focus on isolating the Crewmate for a kill.
Do fake tasks wisely: Make sure that you and your fellow Impostor don’t fake to achieve the same goal at the same time. This may be seen as an activity on the part of the Crewmates.
Two kill together. Two Impostors can make a double artificial coordinated killing actions. One Impostor kills a Crewmate then waits there for other killers to come and slaughter all witnesses while the timing is everything to this action.
I actually stuck close to the Impostor for most of the game because I was running out of time and almost saw them get caught also because we separated after that in the hopes of spreading a little confusion instead of suspecting an area, and we double-coordinated on ending the game with a kill each that sealed our win.
For an Impostor, winning becomes the game where you need to fit in with the crew without a hitch. You would stay in play pretending you were working on things and even participating in conversations that would not raise your identity .
How to blend:
Act to work: Choose what sort of work nobody will ever notice like wiring or diversion of power. Waste some seconds thinking about how much time it will take for the Crewmate to do it so that you fall in that time bracket.
Talk: Join arguments. Neither be too harshly loud nor too quietly quiet because people may think you suspicious to either of the parties.
Tame suspicion easily: When one is accused, do not flare up at once. Posit your alibi calmly and, if possible, bring the limelight to some other person. Do it quite subtly so that one gets no feeling of trying something.
There was one time when in the session, a crew mate wrongfully accused me of which he had no ounce of evidence against me. I did not freak out or get offended; calmly asked holes in their story and hinted them silently that they were trying to shift attention. The accusation died out pretty fast, and then I won it all later on.
4. Sabotage: How to Maximize Chaos
Impostors will often sabotage ship systems. This sabotage type gives impostors scopes of being killed efficiently while keeping it challenging to the Crewmates. They require timely and thoughtful strategies for the sabotage to go through.
4.1 Strategic Sabotages
Some sabotages will be worth more than others in a given situation. Here is how to get the most out of them:
Lights out: Lights out blocks the view field. It helps a murderer in creating a safe gap for isolating and killing the Crewmate without anyone noticing.
Reactor and Oxygen Sabotages: In one place, it either disperses the Crewmates or coordinated efforts. Take that chance to kill singular Crewmates or keep the group away from dead bodies.
Doors: Closing of doors cuts off the Crewmates from the rest. Good time to kill.
It is with reference to time in sabotaging. Sabotaging at wrong time or too frequently invites suspicion among the people. It, on other hand may not at times lead to proper occasion for emergency meet.
Desirable time to sabotage:
Right before meeting: Sabotage will make sure that the crew members are already in the crisis before a call to an emergency meeting. This gives them some time to impersonate.
After kill sabotage :After being killed, sabotage will ensure that the body will remain unknown to the crew for an extended period of time. Then you will have an advantage to escape from the killing room.
There was once a game where I was the Impostor. So, I went ahead to do my lights-out sabotage. Both of the Impostors, me and my friend, can start picking off crews one by one, while the rest start panicking to get the lights fixed. At this point, they know what’s going on, but too bad for them.
5. Reading the Room: Observe Player Behavior
Perhaps the greatest skill you can develop in Among Us, whether you play as a Crewmate or an Impostor, is the interpretation of the other players’ behavior. Really observe how other players move and behave and how they respond to given situations. These can really give you some pretty interesting insight into who they are.
5.1 Indications of Possible Activities
As a Crewmate, never relax too much and look out for behavior not adding up. Among the big indication behaviors of such suspicious activities is listed in the following:
Doesn’t complete tasks: this is one of the common behaviors of impostors-they just hang out around the tasks without completing them. Keep an eye on those who spend too much time in a single area, or those who seem not to contribute anything to the progression of a task.