Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 When a squad has finally gotten to the point to where they can line up and make a basic defensive/offensive firing position, they need to work on laying down what is called a "base of fire." A base of fire consists of overlapping imaginary "cones" where you are able to turn and fire quickly enough. For larger squads, your rifle usually moves from the 11 to 1 o'clock position. For smaller squads it can range from 10 to 2 o'clock. What this means is, you will only be focusing your fire in those areas. It takes a lot of discipline and trust in the man next to you to not stray from those positions. Why can't we move and shoot where we want, you ask? Because, simply, you can take your eye off your sector and get you or your buddy killed, or worse, you will fire over into your buddy's lane while he tries to move and kill him. Here is what a very simple firing position looks like as it relates to defense. The blue lines are general lanes of fire. You'll notice that the guys on the end are facing a little farther out than the ones on the center. This is to cover the flanks just in case. It may or may not be tactically sound in real life, but it seems to work in game, so I make them look like that. Now, due to Murphy's Law, the enemy hardly ever assault the center of your formation. What do you do in this situation? The squad leader assesses where the threat is coming from, and yells out "Shift Fire!" followed by the direction. This focuses the majority of the fire to an area where the enemy is, and is highly effective. For instance, in the illustration below, the squad leader sees the enemy's main element coming from the 10 o'clock position to the left. He then yells out "Shift Fire Left! 10 o'clock! Focus on the tree line!" The squad then shifts it's fire to the left and the enemy is either destroyed or pinned down enough so the SL can decide on what to do next. Notice the man on the right flank is still pointing to the right, scanning for targets. It's tempting for him to turn to where the others are shooting and get a kill, but he won't sacrifice his squad or himself for that. When moving in conjunction with another squad, this can prove highly effective while in an offensive position. One squad drops and lays down a base of fire, pinning the enemy down. But the (Lets say Bravo) squad needs to move forward. To keep from TKing his own team, Alpha's squad leader yells out "Shift Fire Left!" while Bravo squad flanks around to the right to get into a position to destroy the enemy. In any gametype, you can use this tactic to advance the whole team forward. Some people call it "Bounding." Hope this makes sense to some and we can use it in game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM_Fish Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Great post Durka - very informative I just wanted to ask you and everyone else about the AI - does it get suppressed when you lay down a lot of fire on it? I can't tell if they respond only to actual impacts when I see them drop to the deck, or just when they have lots of fire nearby. I know they try to suppress the players, but I just wonder if they can be suppressed themselves. The more I watch them the dumber they seem, with their quick aim being their main claim to fame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted September 10, 2009 Author Share Posted September 10, 2009 I believe it relies on you finding cover. If you're out in the open, standing up and firing, they won't be suppressed, but if you're down and firing, they should be suppressed. That's what I've read somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MH6~SPARTA~ Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 (edited) Great post Durka - very informative I just wanted to ask you and everyone else about the AI - does it get suppressed when you lay down a lot of fire on it? I can't tell if they respond only to actual impacts when I see them drop to the deck, or just when they have lots of fire nearby. I know they try to suppress the players, but I just wonder if they can be suppressed themselves. The more I watch them the dumber they seem, with their quick aim being their main claim to fame. From my experience, if I can get the first shot off on an enemy soldier (but not hit him), and keep sustained fire on his position, his accuracy becomes terrible, and he seems to take longer to fire each shot. So, while I'm not 100% positive, I still think the AI are affected by incoming bullets just as much as us players are (though probably not as severely). Still, they won't really duck down behind cover should you open up on them with a MG, and while you may keep yourself alive momentarily by unloading a hundred rounds on their position, they will still eventually land a hit, probably between your eyes. (Still, at least it'd be the 8th bullet that hits between your eyes as opposed to the first...) In fact, I think I'll test it out a little bit, to see exactly how AI respond (and have proof). Oh, and excellent post Durka. Edit: Results were inconclusive. Edited September 10, 2009 by MH6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadecougar Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Great post Durka! Would love to see this in action sometime! I need to to learn so much man! This is perfect! Thanks for the post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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