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[jupider]

...I kind of suck at this game. I've managed to meet Sergeant/Cacodemon rank by presumably blind luck. The only 2 games I've managed to "finish" have been melee-based builds (One of them a Vampyre); I have had 0 luck on a ranged (i.e. pistol/shotgun) build. I've also delved into the recently-unlocked UV and N! modes, but have had absolutely no luck in even getting through even the Phobos 1 level (I know, pathetic!)  In any event, I've been browsing online, and have seen that what few UV builds I've studied start with

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

EE>EE>Int>Int

And I'm just wondering: Is this the kosher way of getting ahead in this game?

[Klear]

You should stick with the easiest difficulties as first. It took me a long time to get the hang of HNTR, much less UV. And I've yet to beat the game on n!...

I'd recommend focusing on getting most of the bronze/silver badges. You'll be steadily getting better and before you know it, you'll take up your first diamond.

[ParaSait]

Yeah, EE is probably the best opening move for a vanilla UV game. Because you're getting a much-needed early chaingun and you need it to be effective at kicking ass.
As for sucking at this game -- practice, you WILL get better at it, really. :P And it may seem counterintuitive, but if I've had a DoomRL hiatus and my skills have rusted a bit, a good way to get started again is actually to play HMP or UV. It'll be incredibly hard but it trains/warms up your skills as rocket speed, at least if you're really trying.
(note: I play this game for years and years now and I myself can count the amount of UV games I ever actually won on one hand... so it's not like I'm incredibly good at it either)

[LuckyDee]

Yeah, it's a tough world in there, but practice indeed helps a lot. Two other things:

1) milk the forum for every single drop of information you need; as you can see there's always people around who'll be glad to help you out
2) Watch a couple of Game Hunter's video's (which I'm to lazy to try and find, since they aren't where I expected them to be. Found GrAVit's instead, here), to me it really helped having someone actually talk me through the mechanics and stuff.

As to your EE/INT opening: on my first games I mostly played a Scout, which can start with INT (so without having to go through EE first); this gives you the advantage of seeing stuff before it sees you at the earliest opportunity. A masterless build may then be most sensible, Scout master skills are at their best once you get the hang of running, dodging and other defensive plays.

[Klear]

Oh yeah - if you really want to transition to UV, you might want to practice with AoMC, which is easier than standard game, but it will give you an idea for how many enemies are there etc.

[Evilpotatoe]

You don't know about cornershooting, do you ?

For a more complete tutorial about the game, just check out dtsund's guide
I think it's more than what a beginner needs to pwn the game
Btw, the wiki is also a very valuable source, for all undocumented information.

Concerning build, if you want to improve, I'd advise to avoid intuition. Rather take SoB, HR or Fin->WK. (My first success were with Iro, but this skill is quite useless once you know how to avoir beeing hit)
Intuition makes things easier, and sometimes helps you to understand monster's behaviour, but will also (most of the time) prevent you the need to think. Not the best way of learning.

[Klear]

Intuition makes things easier, and sometimes helps you to understand monster's behaviour, but will also (most of the time) prevent you the need to think. Not the best way of learning.

I'd say that undestanding monster's behaviour's quite important. Later on you'll learn to live without it and take more useful traits, but Int2 is still a very good choice if youre still learning.

[2birds1stone]

...I kind of suck at this game. I've managed to meet Sergeant Major/Mancubus rank by presumably blind luck. The only 2 games I've managed to "finish" have been melee-based builds (One of them a Vampyre); I have had 0 luck on a ranged (i.e. pistol/shotgun) build. I've also delved into the recently-unlocked UV and N! modes, but have had absolutely no luck in even getting through even the Phobos 1 level (I know, pathetic!)  In any event, I've been browsing online, and have seen that what few UV builds I've studied start with

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

EE>EE>Int>Int

And I'm just wondering: Is this the kosher way of getting ahead in this game?

If you've finished a game, you probably don't suck; you may not be good, but you're certainly climbing a lot faster than you think. The game is relatively difficult, and will punish bad play quite brutally (as an aside, this took me a while to realise, but the vanilla game almost never kills you through bad luck, assuming you're going for a non-achievement win). I used to assume I suck, but I soon noticed that forum posts often featured more experienced players than myself struggling with similar issues to mine.

As for base entry, it's actually one of the harder levels in the game until you figure out a few tactics to take it relatively safely; particularly nasty is when base entry rolls the map with lots of trees and less cover than normal.

You should stick with the easiest difficulties as first. It took me a long time to get the hang of HNTR, much less UV. And I've yet to beat the game on n!...

I'd recommend focusing on getting most of the bronze/silver badges. You'll be steadily getting better and before you know it, you'll take up your first diamond.

Disagree with the first part; I've only ever played HNTR once, and it was for a speedrunner badge. I feel playing exclusively harder difficulties progressed my skills quicker in the early days of playing than HNTR would have (though I have yet to beat N! outside of a lucky AoOC run)

Definitely agree with the second part; I've always stepped my goals up in baby steps, first the easy bronze badges, then silvers and winning a game, then a few challenges, etc..

[Sambojin]

It depends on what you're going for. If it's just the win/full-win, then I tend to think that HMP/UV is the best thing to learn from. I rarely play on anything else.

For a few nice early builds, here's a couple. In no particular order.

Scout. Int, Int. Go for shotguns early, but build into weapon-type after.
Rel-Rel-SM. Can still go for plenty of different masters after this. Easy arena run on UV.
EE-SoB-SoB-TH. Masterless build. Highly effective.
SoG-SoG. Pistols ahoy!
Technicians. Throw a tech-mod on a shotty. Easy early game.
Build into MFa. Very (very) strong build. Rockets and dodges and shotguns. Yay.
Fin-Jug-Fin-WK. Switcheroony with big, modded weapons and armour. Freaks with technician's quick medipacks. Still great with any class though. EE or Rel afterwards.

There's a hell of a lot of builds that work. DPS, ease-of-use, speed, damage prevention/soaking, anything. To tell you the truth, there's a few OP builds in DoomRL, but virtually any build you take has it's niche. Just focus on 1-3 weapons or character attributes and build around them. You can't have it all. Assemblies are a part of character building, but so is non-assembly modding. Just make sure you shine in a couple of areas and be happy. Or go for MAD or Vampyre and laugh.

Note: scouts with Int(2) are great when you are learning the game. It's a crutch, but you will learn a lot from using it.

[Sambojin]

Also, the BIGGEST thing I can say to a new player is. Inventory management is just as bigger part of your character build as anything else. Bigger in most cases.

You have an inventory. Use it. Most of us have finished the game with plenty of ammo and medikits and armour to spare. Yay us. But most of us have died with a few hundred shots of ammo, a couple of medikits and some spare armour "umpteen-million" times. Just use up your inventory. Whenever you want to, whenever you need to. It is your "get out of hell free" card.

I know you want to keep it. I know that there'll be that megasphere or ammo-chain on the next level. For sure. Definitely. Or maybe there won't. It's the RNG that loves you or hates you. But is it?

Just use the damn medipack. At least you won't die that particular action. Even if there's not more where that came from, you're not dead. That action anyway. Horde all you can for your particular character build, but don't die next action. Use anything and everything in your inventory so that you don't.

There are no rainy days in hell, only dead Doomguys. Use your inventory.

[Mech__Warrior]

I know you want to keep it. I know that there'll be that megasphere or ammo-chain on the next level. For sure. Definitely. Or maybe there won't. It's the RNG that loves you or hates you. But is it?

Just use the damn medipack. At least you won't die that particular action. Even if there's not more where that came from, you're not dead. That action anyway. Horde all you can for your particular character build, but don't die next action. Use anything and everything in your inventory so that you don't.

Sometimes, you won't get that option because you're taking too much damage at once and it is a waste of an action. I remember hording large medipacks from one of my AoSG runs only to be wiped out by a single Arachnoid. That plasma burst sucks when every single one connects, destroying your armor.

[runequester]

Im pretty terrible too, but I've squeeked out a couple wins.

Personally, I found shotgun builds to be pretty forgiving, particularly if you move into the Marine master trait that lets you ignore armour.

[LuckyDee]

Shotgun builds are close to excellent for the lower difficulties (indeed especially combined with MAD), when there's ammo aplenty. I believe - since I can't speak from personal experience - higher difficulties will require builds that are more ammo-conservative.

Personally, if you want to expand your horizon on lower difficulties, I can highly recommend trying a Sharpshooter build. If you want you can still use shotguns until you have the master trait, which is pretty darn nifty. Once you're there, go for WK and make yourself a storm bolter pistol. Played defensively (ie a lot of [run/]waiting), you'll kill nearly anything before it gets a chance to respond.

[ZicherCZ]

Shotgun builds are close to excellent for the lower difficulties (indeed especially combined with MAD), when there's ammo aplenty. I believe - since I can't speak from personal experience - higher difficulties will require builds that are more ammo-conservative.

Personally, if you want to expand your horizon on lower difficulties, I can highly recommend trying a Sharpshooter build. If you want you can still use shotguns until you have the master trait, which is pretty darn nifty. Once you're there, go for WK and make yourself a storm bolter pistol. Played defensively (ie a lot of [run/]waiting), you'll kill nearly anything before it gets a chance to respond.

In fact, with MAD you're fairly ammo-efficient even on higher difficulties, and I yet have to run out of ammo in a single non-Ao100 game on UV. I can highly recommend to visit Military Base, if it spawns. You'll get all the ammo you'll ever need. Phobos lab isn't too shabby either, and Halls of Carnage contain lots of sergeants as well (though you'll have to run to the exit fast).

I'm not too much in favour of a storm bolter. The reason is knockback - with SoG5 (or even 4) you'll have it guaranteed and thus you'll miss the second shot way too often (if you make the assembly from a plasma pistol of a combat pistol, you'll need even less SoG). If you happen to get a blessing in the combat pistol, try high-powering and then P-modding it for 3d6 [10/10] - with SoG5 it's 23 damage each shot - and each shot in 0.1s.

[LuckyDee]

The reason is knockback - with SoG5 (or even 4) you'll have it guaranteed

True, but in a standard HNTR game SOG5 isn't going to happen. And the fact that MSs requires EE3 compensates for a lot.