6
Spoiler
I was debating whether to put this into guides or new player help. It'll go either way really and I figure at some point MiSs or someone else will decide where to put it.
I was debating whether to put this into guides or new player help. It'll go either way really and I figure at some point MiSs or someone else will decide where to put it.
I decided to start a rather basic little setup of strategic and/or tactical tips geared at sparking more team-oriented gameplay from players new and old, PUG (pick-up-gamer) or otherwise. A little one stop shop if you will for simple, sometimes shorter and to the point bits of help. I know right? Koniving short and to the point? Impossible!
My goal is to come up with one at a minimum of once a month and a maximum of once a day. They will be posted here and then edited into this starting post for easy tracking.
Remember that many of these tips are useful not only in MWO but in any endeavor you may participate in and should be useful whether you're new or think you know everything. Many of them are inspired by several television series, games, military training, personal experience or other sources and are adapted to fit MWO. Though I confess that many which appear here will be inspired specifically from the show Burn Notice (the Burn Notice marathon is what inspired me to do this).
That said, let's begin.
The First Tip: Blitzkrieg.
Spoiler
"The term “Blitzkrieg” or “lightning war” was a strategy pioneered by the Germans in World War II. It refers to a fast attack designed to inspire fear and confusion, penetrating quickly behind enemy lines."
One common goal that every fight typically has in Mechwarrior Online is to find a secure place to bunker down into and begin sharp shooting from relative safety. I call this "the default strategy." It is the one that always occurs if no one actually has a plan.
The easiest way to stop this is to attack fast and hard at the weakest or most isolated end of rival team before they can get into good positions and then systematically wipe your foes out like checking items off your list.
In Mechwarrior Online, we call this a "one-sided Stomp" when successful or "the Death Train" when in progress. Regardless of the player-created names for it, this is ultimately the smallest scale of Blitzkrieg.
The downfall is that a Blitzkrieg requires everyone on your force to have the same goal in mind. Everyone must attack, systematically and non-stop, until everything is either dead or dispersed. Communicate it early, get everyone on board, and be weary of the point of no return. If someone is going to back out they have to do it before you get started and everyone must then back out or this tactic will have the opposite effect. Once that first shot is fired in the open, you can't back out and either everyone follows suit or everyone dies.
A Blitzkrieg in MWO is considered to have failed if any enemy has the time to get comfortable in a defensive position. A good rule of thumb is if they are in a strong position for more than 30 seconds then they are 'comfortable'. Attacks must be swift, merciless, and never halting. Once the overall Blitzkrieg stops or even slows down the possibility of failure increases dramatically. The enemy will find good defensive positions and your team will be caught in the open.
Here is a visual demonstration of a lance-size "MechBlitz." Details below.
_________________________________________________________________
On the receiving end of a Blitzkrieg the worst thing you can do is panic. That is exactly what they want: Confusion.
If you are the first target of the Blitzkrieg you will probably die. If you could outrun the enemy, you wouldn't be in this position at all as you wouldn't have been the first target. Don't even bother to try. Focus on the task at hand. Immediately go in reverse away from the enemy force and begin laying down fire and spamming the Target button (R by default). If your weapons are slow to fire, be certain to twist in alternating directions between shots.
What truly matters at this point is that whether or not your team will have a chance depends on you. I say it again it depends on you as their first (and second) victims. Your objective is to stall the enemy as long as humanly possible before you die. Ideally while doing as much damage as you can. Believe it or not, accepting that you are going to die while being too stubborn to be an easy target, is the only chance you have at surviving at all.
While you can call for help, doing so may end your life sooner than later as it requires letting go of the trigger. Instead, send the MWO distress call (rapidly press R and try to encompass every enemy you possibly can, then hit R on the closest most dangerous target in hopes of missile support).
If you are not at the center of the Blitzkrieg you have time to decide how to react. How much time depends entirely on how long those less fortunate than yourself can hold out. Every second is now counting against you. There are a few options. Whatever you choose you must act swiftly and bring as much support to your action as time allows. (Set your cruise control and rally others as you move).
"The term “Blitzkrieg” or “lightning war” was a strategy pioneered by the Germans in World War II. It refers to a fast attack designed to inspire fear and confusion, penetrating quickly behind enemy lines."
One common goal that every fight typically has in Mechwarrior Online is to find a secure place to bunker down into and begin sharp shooting from relative safety. I call this "the default strategy." It is the one that always occurs if no one actually has a plan.
The easiest way to stop this is to attack fast and hard at the weakest or most isolated end of rival team before they can get into good positions and then systematically wipe your foes out like checking items off your list.
In Mechwarrior Online, we call this a "one-sided Stomp" when successful or "the Death Train" when in progress. Regardless of the player-created names for it, this is ultimately the smallest scale of Blitzkrieg.
The downfall is that a Blitzkrieg requires everyone on your force to have the same goal in mind. Everyone must attack, systematically and non-stop, until everything is either dead or dispersed. Communicate it early, get everyone on board, and be weary of the point of no return. If someone is going to back out they have to do it before you get started and everyone must then back out or this tactic will have the opposite effect. Once that first shot is fired in the open, you can't back out and either everyone follows suit or everyone dies.
A Blitzkrieg in MWO is considered to have failed if any enemy has the time to get comfortable in a defensive position. A good rule of thumb is if they are in a strong position for more than 30 seconds then they are 'comfortable'. Attacks must be swift, merciless, and never halting. Once the overall Blitzkrieg stops or even slows down the possibility of failure increases dramatically. The enemy will find good defensive positions and your team will be caught in the open.
Here is a visual demonstration of a lance-size "MechBlitz." Details below.
Spoiler
Starts with the Alpha lance and without a word from us the entire team follows suit. In a matter of 40 seconds a Thunderbolt, Highlander, Muromets and Atlas D lay waste to 4 Stalker mechs; 3 of them were meta Miseries with AC/20s. My own actions nearly cost us this Blitzkrieg and definitely cost us two lives (including my own).
Starts with the Alpha lance and without a word from us the entire team follows suit. In a matter of 40 seconds a Thunderbolt, Highlander, Muromets and Atlas D lay waste to 4 Stalker mechs; 3 of them were meta Miseries with AC/20s. My own actions nearly cost us this Blitzkrieg and definitely cost us two lives (including my own).
_________________________________________________________________
On the receiving end of a Blitzkrieg the worst thing you can do is panic. That is exactly what they want: Confusion.
If you are the first target of the Blitzkrieg you will probably die. If you could outrun the enemy, you wouldn't be in this position at all as you wouldn't have been the first target. Don't even bother to try. Focus on the task at hand. Immediately go in reverse away from the enemy force and begin laying down fire and spamming the Target button (R by default). If your weapons are slow to fire, be certain to twist in alternating directions between shots.
What truly matters at this point is that whether or not your team will have a chance depends on you. I say it again it depends on you as their first (and second) victims. Your objective is to stall the enemy as long as humanly possible before you die. Ideally while doing as much damage as you can. Believe it or not, accepting that you are going to die while being too stubborn to be an easy target, is the only chance you have at surviving at all.
While you can call for help, doing so may end your life sooner than later as it requires letting go of the trigger. Instead, send the MWO distress call (rapidly press R and try to encompass every enemy you possibly can, then hit R on the closest most dangerous target in hopes of missile support).
If you are not at the center of the Blitzkrieg you have time to decide how to react. How much time depends entirely on how long those less fortunate than yourself can hold out. Every second is now counting against you. There are a few options. Whatever you choose you must act swiftly and bring as much support to your action as time allows. (Set your cruise control and rally others as you move).
- You can skirt around and close in on their backside, trapping the enemy forces between yours.
- You can keep some of their team suppressed, significantly weakening their charge hoping that they chicken out.
- Or you can come fully stocked with all the artillery and air strikes you can muster with a sadistic grin on your face.
The Second Tip: My terms, not yours. (Taking control of the field)
Spoiler
"Taking control of a situation isn’t always about having the tactical advantage. If you can convince your enemy to want the very thing you need, it’s as good as calling the shots yourself. And if what you need is to relocate your enemies away from their advantageous position, you better steer the battle away from that direction and lure them as far as possible."
If the enemy has a superior position, then the most foolish course of action is to fight them on their terms. Lure and bait the enemies or make it clear that you will not fight on their terms and they will be forced to relocate. It requires a bit of patience, some coffee, and maybe a dashboard full of cheap magazines but at least you'll catch up on your celebrity gossip before you ultimately win on your own terms.
Instead of a video, for this I have a true story.
"Taking control of a situation isn’t always about having the tactical advantage. If you can convince your enemy to want the very thing you need, it’s as good as calling the shots yourself. And if what you need is to relocate your enemies away from their advantageous position, you better steer the battle away from that direction and lure them as far as possible."
If the enemy has a superior position, then the most foolish course of action is to fight them on their terms. Lure and bait the enemies or make it clear that you will not fight on their terms and they will be forced to relocate. It requires a bit of patience, some coffee, and maybe a dashboard full of cheap magazines but at least you'll catch up on your celebrity gossip before you ultimately win on your own terms.
Instead of a video, for this I have a true story.
Spoiler
Koniving, on 21 April 2014 - 02:12 PM, said:
I saw a familiar face from my merc unit on the enemy team while pugging (dropping solo). I'm in Alpha lance. I asked him, "Hey there, you alone or got a group?" "Group, 4." None of them are faces I know, so they're with the Steiner unit he also drops with. That meant assault mechs. We had mostly heavies, mediums and lights. I'm quite literally the only assault and I'm in a Highlander 733 designed as a missile boat. Bad situation to start with. So I asked Alpha lance "Do we have a premade?". We had a group of 2 + me and a disconnect. Asked Bravo. "Bravo, premade?" No other groups on our team. (If there isn't one in Bravo then Charlie will not have one). So I took command. "Listen up, we know the other side has a group and we've only got a two man. We've also got 2 D/C's. I know who it is and chances are they've Sniper's Ridge." (We're on Alpine; it's the large mountain in the middle-ish closest to their side.) I told our guys if we engaged them there we'd have no chance. I assigned locational orders, I had them rush out across the lowest end of the mountain toward a series of two sections of cover.
I chose this area because we had two layers of mech-height unclimbable cover. Most of their mechs were not jump capable and the ones that were quickly fell into our trap when the time came. It took 4 minutes, but the enemy left their position (unable to fight us from there) and charged at us. They kept trying to breach north and south. I assigned myself and Alpha to the North, Charlie and Bravo were alternated between South and center. Instructions that anyone in ranged Jagermechs or Blackjacks get behind the second line and hill hump (it could be climbed, unlike the main hill, giving them the height needed to shoot at them and the ease of escaping when needed.
The fight lasted 9-ish minutes. By the end of it while we did have some badly wounded mechs and many out of ammunition, we lost 4 players -- one who didn't cooperate and died for it (and the whole time told us how stupid we were until he quit) and a few who were guarding the line. With no LRMs left in my LRM boat Highlander (733), I raised my single AC/2 and ML and led the charge near the end. The entire enemy team was wiped out.
My unit mate on the other team couldn't believe it. As adversaries they outdid us in tonnage, outdid us in weapons, and originally outdid us by getting to the meta position. However we took them away from there, fought on our terms, and his team had no communication aside from his group and no one was coordinating their side. Later he told me, "I felt like I was playing against a 12, well 10 man premade. We tried everything but it was too well guarded. No locks for missiles. No line of sight for the guns. All we could do is try to edge the corners and SPLAT! We'd lose another one."
I chose this area because we had two layers of mech-height unclimbable cover. Most of their mechs were not jump capable and the ones that were quickly fell into our trap when the time came. It took 4 minutes, but the enemy left their position (unable to fight us from there) and charged at us. They kept trying to breach north and south. I assigned myself and Alpha to the North, Charlie and Bravo were alternated between South and center. Instructions that anyone in ranged Jagermechs or Blackjacks get behind the second line and hill hump (it could be climbed, unlike the main hill, giving them the height needed to shoot at them and the ease of escaping when needed.
The fight lasted 9-ish minutes. By the end of it while we did have some badly wounded mechs and many out of ammunition, we lost 4 players -- one who didn't cooperate and died for it (and the whole time told us how stupid we were until he quit) and a few who were guarding the line. With no LRMs left in my LRM boat Highlander (733), I raised my single AC/2 and ML and led the charge near the end. The entire enemy team was wiped out.
My unit mate on the other team couldn't believe it. As adversaries they outdid us in tonnage, outdid us in weapons, and originally outdid us by getting to the meta position. However we took them away from there, fought on our terms, and his team had no communication aside from his group and no one was coordinating their side. Later he told me, "I felt like I was playing against a 12, well 10 man premade. We tried everything but it was too well guarded. No locks for missiles. No line of sight for the guns. All we could do is try to edge the corners and SPLAT! We'd lose another one."
The Third Tip: A Light Plight. (Being pursued and a fool's chase.)
Spoiler
"When you're being pursued by multiple vehicles you are at a disadvantage. They can outmaneuver you, flank you, or box you in. It helps if you have a team of your own. With all their attention on you, your team can easily wipe them out."
If you feel you don't have a team, you're playing the wrong game.
That said when you're chasing a light mech that is drawing a lot of attention to it, chances are it has a team ready to do you in. It is smarter to let the light go than to compromise your front line.
The situation takes a whole new turn when it's light versus light combat. It becomes closer compared to dog-fighting in VTOL aircraft than tanks on the field. As with any dogfight, your goal is to remain behind your enemy for as long as possible. Remember that their goal is exactly the same as yours with the roles reversed. Keep them off your back, stay hot on their tail, line your shots carefully and disable their means of propulsion (mainly legs).
It is important to always be ready to break off and resume at a moment's notice. A moment's notice in this case being the sight of an Atlas becoming a 29 meter tall roadblock with streaks and your name on its warheads.
Light combat; chasing a superior enemy light for 6 minutes on and off; (pre-HSR / lag compensation).
"When you're being pursued by multiple vehicles you are at a disadvantage. They can outmaneuver you, flank you, or box you in. It helps if you have a team of your own. With all their attention on you, your team can easily wipe them out."
If you feel you don't have a team, you're playing the wrong game.
That said when you're chasing a light mech that is drawing a lot of attention to it, chances are it has a team ready to do you in. It is smarter to let the light go than to compromise your front line.
The situation takes a whole new turn when it's light versus light combat. It becomes closer compared to dog-fighting in VTOL aircraft than tanks on the field. As with any dogfight, your goal is to remain behind your enemy for as long as possible. Remember that their goal is exactly the same as yours with the roles reversed. Keep them off your back, stay hot on their tail, line your shots carefully and disable their means of propulsion (mainly legs).
It is important to always be ready to break off and resume at a moment's notice. A moment's notice in this case being the sight of an Atlas becoming a 29 meter tall roadblock with streaks and your name on its warheads.
Light combat; chasing a superior enemy light for 6 minutes on and off; (pre-HSR / lag compensation).
The Fourth Tip: Paint is a weapon. (Intimidation.)
Spoiler
"There is a reason armies wear uniforms even though they make them easier to spot. Sometimes that's what you want. Uniforms suggest organization, power, and numbers. These, in turn, inspire fear. And as any good operative knows, there is no more effective weapon than fear."
People say that painting your mech is a good way to draw attention. It is known that at some point a pilot's confidence in his mech will be high enough to start giving it some colorful love. It is a declaration, "I am not new. I know what I am doing," or at least that is what they want you to believe. After reading this, you may catch yourself being more cautious around an enemy with paint just as you may have always been. If that same enemy was basic green you wouldn't have even hesitated. Be honest. You know it's an easy kill! Now imagine this pause of caution times two, times four...or even times twelve. Now without your own numbers, your mech's legs will be stained brown. That's not paint, by the way. Here's a change of pants.
There's a quirk in Battletech called Distracting. It's a psychological effect and it does work against players even in Mechwarrior Online; it works by getting into their heads. A group of enemies with the same faction tag alone will make some nervous pilots (disconnect from the game) abandon their mechs; even if those faction members have nothing to do with each other.
A group of battlemechs with the same paint scheme who act with precision will cause panic and confusion in everything they face. This is what they want. The sooner you begin to think you will lose, the sooner you seal your fate.
The greatest way to match an organized force is to organize your own forces. You may not have the visual flash to instil fear, but sometimes the surprise of an unruly bunch of pugs being united in greater numbers can overwhelm even the most disciplined of soldiers.
"There is a reason armies wear uniforms even though they make them easier to spot. Sometimes that's what you want. Uniforms suggest organization, power, and numbers. These, in turn, inspire fear. And as any good operative knows, there is no more effective weapon than fear."
People say that painting your mech is a good way to draw attention. It is known that at some point a pilot's confidence in his mech will be high enough to start giving it some colorful love. It is a declaration, "I am not new. I know what I am doing," or at least that is what they want you to believe. After reading this, you may catch yourself being more cautious around an enemy with paint just as you may have always been. If that same enemy was basic green you wouldn't have even hesitated. Be honest. You know it's an easy kill! Now imagine this pause of caution times two, times four...or even times twelve. Now without your own numbers, your mech's legs will be stained brown. That's not paint, by the way. Here's a change of pants.
There's a quirk in Battletech called Distracting. It's a psychological effect and it does work against players even in Mechwarrior Online; it works by getting into their heads. A group of enemies with the same faction tag alone will make some nervous pilots (disconnect from the game) abandon their mechs; even if those faction members have nothing to do with each other.
A group of battlemechs with the same paint scheme who act with precision will cause panic and confusion in everything they face. This is what they want. The sooner you begin to think you will lose, the sooner you seal your fate.
The greatest way to match an organized force is to organize your own forces. You may not have the visual flash to instil fear, but sometimes the surprise of an unruly bunch of pugs being united in greater numbers can overwhelm even the most disciplined of soldiers.
The Fifth Tip: Who do I shoot?
Spoiler
"Target selection is one of the least glamorous but most important elements in any strategy. You want to take out the people your opponent depends on, the ones his organization can’t function without."
In conquest, that would be the light mechs. In any other fight, that is NOT the light mechs. Don't chase them, don't let them break the front line. Just shoot them when it is opportune and do not let them bait you.
Instead for Assault and Skirmish you should focus on the real threats. You'd be surprised that they are usually not the assaults on the front line but that team of 2 to 4 heavies and mediums coming in from the corner of your eye.
Of course, this is unless your enemy isn't much brighter than the common ant. In that case, take out the ones that shoot the most. If it has PPCs and ACs or LRMs it has to die someway or another and sooner rather than later. Kick the enemy when they are down to quickly dispatch those enemies who would otherwise shoot you in the back the moment you spare them. The sooner they drop, the better your chances for victory.
(Two matches last night I really wish I was recording epic conclusions with 3 lights and 1 medium up against a lot of foes.)
"Target selection is one of the least glamorous but most important elements in any strategy. You want to take out the people your opponent depends on, the ones his organization can’t function without."
In conquest, that would be the light mechs. In any other fight, that is NOT the light mechs. Don't chase them, don't let them break the front line. Just shoot them when it is opportune and do not let them bait you.
Instead for Assault and Skirmish you should focus on the real threats. You'd be surprised that they are usually not the assaults on the front line but that team of 2 to 4 heavies and mediums coming in from the corner of your eye.
Of course, this is unless your enemy isn't much brighter than the common ant. In that case, take out the ones that shoot the most. If it has PPCs and ACs or LRMs it has to die someway or another and sooner rather than later. Kick the enemy when they are down to quickly dispatch those enemies who would otherwise shoot you in the back the moment you spare them. The sooner they drop, the better your chances for victory.
(Two matches last night I really wish I was recording epic conclusions with 3 lights and 1 medium up against a lot of foes.)
Spoiler
At one point we had a total of 9 enemies in our vincinity. If only you could have heard our target selection. Taking the enemies we had and churning out priorities, gauging who was the bigger threat and where to hit the target. There was a mech that literally died from a leg shot (due to ammunition explosion).
Stalaggtke might even be able to share his side of the story.
Here, we frequently made hit and runs against heavier units whenever we thought we could get away with it in between partial base captures.
At one point we had a total of 9 enemies in our vincinity. If only you could have heard our target selection. Taking the enemies we had and churning out priorities, gauging who was the bigger threat and where to hit the target. There was a mech that literally died from a leg shot (due to ammunition explosion).
Stalaggtke might even be able to share his side of the story.
Here, we frequently made hit and runs against heavier units whenever we thought we could get away with it in between partial base captures.
The Sixth Tip: Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you..yet. (The friendly approach.)
Spoiler
"Sometimes the best way to approach an enemy is as a friend."
When an enemy mech is occupied with an absorbing task such as sharp shooting from cover, chances are they will not notice your approach from behind even if they hear your footsteps. That is unless you blow your own cover by shooting first. Get into the perfect position before you fire, and you can buddy-buddy with your enemy to take out their friends before you take them out.
(An example).
Naturally, if you are discovered before you can get into your ideal optimum range, always have an exit strategy.
"Sometimes the best way to approach an enemy is as a friend."
When an enemy mech is occupied with an absorbing task such as sharp shooting from cover, chances are they will not notice your approach from behind even if they hear your footsteps. That is unless you blow your own cover by shooting first. Get into the perfect position before you fire, and you can buddy-buddy with your enemy to take out their friends before you take them out.
(An example).
Naturally, if you are discovered before you can get into your ideal optimum range, always have an exit strategy.
The Seventh Tip: Bullet Proof Door. (So they got themselves some tough armor? Lets deal with that.)
Spoiler
"Every decent punk has a bullet proof door. But people forget that walls are made of plaster."
The same is true for battlemechs. For every reinforced 'tough' spot, a sacrifice was made somewhere. For example an Atlas that has taken over 110 damage to his front center torso and still has armor, probably didn't even have enough to block a machine gun bullet on the rear side.
If an enemy mech seems unusually tough, that extra armor had to come from somewhere. Probe body parts (especially legs and arms) for weak points. Typically a back is much weaker than the front; and if it isn't, then someone skimmed the legs.
Some food for thought...
Think of where most people shoot a certain kind of enemy. Is it where you shoot? If you were that enemy, would it not have the highest defense? Where do people not tend to shoot it? If you were the enemy, would you have lowered that armor to make for more tonnage? Have you tried it? Is it weak? Why aren't you shooting that instead?
"Every decent punk has a bullet proof door. But people forget that walls are made of plaster."
The same is true for battlemechs. For every reinforced 'tough' spot, a sacrifice was made somewhere. For example an Atlas that has taken over 110 damage to his front center torso and still has armor, probably didn't even have enough to block a machine gun bullet on the rear side.
If an enemy mech seems unusually tough, that extra armor had to come from somewhere. Probe body parts (especially legs and arms) for weak points. Typically a back is much weaker than the front; and if it isn't, then someone skimmed the legs.
Some food for thought...
Think of where most people shoot a certain kind of enemy. Is it where you shoot? If you were that enemy, would it not have the highest defense? Where do people not tend to shoot it? If you were the enemy, would you have lowered that armor to make for more tonnage? Have you tried it? Is it weak? Why aren't you shooting that instead?
The Eighth Tip: Tying Up Loose Ends.
Spoiler
"There are some fights you just can't win. A force can be so overwhelming that no tactical approach in a fight is going to lead to a victory worth having. When you can't win in a fight, sometimes you have to settle for making sure that if you lose, everyone loses. It works for nuclear weapons; it works for me."
It doesn't matter how good or bad you are, and no matter how calm, collected, or tactful you can be. A simple fact that always holds true is that some fights are impossible to win. So how can you make sure that if you lose, your attackers lose too?
Always have a contingency.
Mine is an artillery strike. It's refreshing how well it works.
In a slow moving assault and surrounded by enemies, I find that dropping an artillery strike directly on myself or ahead of where I'm going can work wonders. (One of the safest places to be when caught in a strike is directly in the smoke; unless they have an artillery accuracy module too.)
When they are busy attacking you, drop one right between their legs where they won't see it. If they are too spread out, draw them in when possible.
"There are some fights you just can't win. A force can be so overwhelming that no tactical approach in a fight is going to lead to a victory worth having. When you can't win in a fight, sometimes you have to settle for making sure that if you lose, everyone loses. It works for nuclear weapons; it works for me."
It doesn't matter how good or bad you are, and no matter how calm, collected, or tactful you can be. A simple fact that always holds true is that some fights are impossible to win. So how can you make sure that if you lose, your attackers lose too?
Always have a contingency.
Mine is an artillery strike. It's refreshing how well it works.
In a slow moving assault and surrounded by enemies, I find that dropping an artillery strike directly on myself or ahead of where I'm going can work wonders. (One of the safest places to be when caught in a strike is directly in the smoke; unless they have an artillery accuracy module too.)
When they are busy attacking you, drop one right between their legs where they won't see it. If they are too spread out, draw them in when possible.
The Ninth Tip: Reaction to Receiving a Scout's Information on Enemy positions.
Spoiler
"When you have to get information about an enemy position, you have a choice. You can watch from a distance, slow and safe. Or you can go inside and take a look, quick, but potentially fatal."
Once the team is made aware of an enemy position, you may notice their tenancy to flock to that location. At this time you'll see one of three reactions. The sort who keep their distance but watch that direction... then there are the ones who will move toward that location and encircle it. Finally, there are those who rush right at the destination with guns blazing.
Each of these three reactions have their merits and flaws. Keeping distance is good, but if you're the only one doing it you might be the only one alive in a few minutes because of that. Flanking is good, provided you know that the force you're about to flank isn't the entire enemy team as by then it'll be too late. Charging right away can, in fact, be very effective...but often you're charging in alone, the resulting sensation of loneliness is like being dead before you die...
But most importantly: Consider your course of action carefully. Observe what your allies are doing. Does everyone know about this target, or just you? Is it worth going after? If only you react to it, can you handle it?
A second of thought can be the difference between dealing handling a threat and diving into your own grave.
"When you have to get information about an enemy position, you have a choice. You can watch from a distance, slow and safe. Or you can go inside and take a look, quick, but potentially fatal."
Once the team is made aware of an enemy position, you may notice their tenancy to flock to that location. At this time you'll see one of three reactions. The sort who keep their distance but watch that direction... then there are the ones who will move toward that location and encircle it. Finally, there are those who rush right at the destination with guns blazing.
Each of these three reactions have their merits and flaws. Keeping distance is good, but if you're the only one doing it you might be the only one alive in a few minutes because of that. Flanking is good, provided you know that the force you're about to flank isn't the entire enemy team as by then it'll be too late. Charging right away can, in fact, be very effective...but often you're charging in alone, the resulting sensation of loneliness is like being dead before you die...
But most importantly: Consider your course of action carefully. Observe what your allies are doing. Does everyone know about this target, or just you? Is it worth going after? If only you react to it, can you handle it?
A second of thought can be the difference between dealing handling a threat and diving into your own grave.
Thank you. Good luck out there.
Discussion is welcome, but due to the nature of this thread I will keep my own responses to it very limited to little more than adding more tips (with videos if applicable) and then editing them in here.
Edited by Koniving, 02 January 2015 - 09:00 PM.
