Choke Points:
"And from there, we will funnel them into the mountain pass we call the Hot Gates. Now, in that narrow corridor, their numbers will count for nothing." - Leonidas, 300.
choke points are locations on a map where an enemy will pass, but which is too narrow for more than a fraction of their numbers to engage effectively. Choke points abound on the MWO maps. the entryways to the Caldera on Terra Therma. the saddle pass and tunnel in Crimson Strait. the Cave and narrow passages of Forest Colony. every map has several major choke points that restrict the ability of a force to employ their numbers effectively. i have lost track of how many times i have seen even highly skilled players get bottled up in the Saddle or stuck in the doors of the Caldera, where most of one side can focus their fire, but the other side is stuck uselessly behind one or two mechs in the front. it is a recipe for disaster.. especially if those that are in the choke point get fixated on fighting there. choke points let a much smaller force stop a large force. they become 'conga lines of death' because the forces at the front in the choke point take damage from the concentrated fire far faster than they can dish it out. and then the ones behind them take their place. they can be real meat grinders.
by now, you should be asking. "so what can i do the avoid this problem?" Sun Tzu, in his
Art of War, called choke point's "hemmed in ground." and his advice still holds today.
"On hemmed-in ground, resort to stratagem." that is, if you have to pass thru a choke point, be smart about it and try to exploit the situation in ways beyond just marching thru and getting stuck. the simplest stratagem for them is to employ what the modern military calls a
thunder run.. just put the pedal to the metal and rush on thru until you are out of the choke point and have more room to maneuver. while this is likely to result in a fair amount of damage to your forward units, and will put you in the midst of the enemy, it will be far less damage than if you get bottled up in the choke point trying to clear the enemy away first. another useful stratagem is flanking. leave a few of your own to keep the enemy focused on the choke point, then send most of the rest around another route to hit the enemy somewhere unexpected. that said, be wary of the enemy, because often they are doing something similar. and never be afraid to turn the table on the enemy. often if you employ a stratagem of pulling back out of the choke point, an enemy will try to follow you, and then you can catch them in the choke point and pound them with concentrated fire.
the main thing to remember is not to get stuck. if there are people in front of you and no room of either side, don't just mill around behind them looking for a clear shot, pull back and look for another route. and if your in the front, keep in mind where you are and how many of your side are there and how many you are facing. don't let yourself be caught in the choke point just because you got in a fight.
Edited by mithril coyote, 28 April 2014 - 09:58 AM.