| Raptor | Date: Saturday, 2013-03-09, 16:09 | Message # 1 |
Group: Commander
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| Let’s be honest: most of us are used to Swat4. So here are my hints when you
start with Arma2 (as usual most of the stuff applies to combat in
open/urban terrain in general):
Body Position
Leaning works here, use it! Whenever you hold, you should automatically go to
crouch! This way you halve your own target silhouette for the enemy and
you get a more stable shooting position. Moreover it’s easier to use
cover/concealment. Remember that it is better to lean and shoot from the
side of cover than to stand up and shoot above. Remember to support
your weapon whenever possible if you engage middle/long range (in ACE).
Prone is a different issue. It’s an even better shooting position, especially
for some weapons like LMGs and sniper-rifles. But it takes away your
mobility! Therefore it shouldn’t be used within grenade range of the
enemy! Also if you prone and move between objects (e.g. inside
buildings) you can easily hurt yourself! (not really a smart feature in
my eyes, but we have to deal with it)
Distance to your team mates
In CQB we are close together. When I enter a door and move to the right, I
want to know my #2 directly behind me heading to the left before I got
shot in the back.
In open area however my #2 is pretty useless if he sticks to my back. If I
get suppressed by an enemy MG, he is suppressed too. If a sniper aims
at me, he is in the sight too. If I get hit by an enemy
grenade/explosive, he’ll get hit too.
Basically the distance to your teammates is determined by the range possible
threats could show up: in urban terrain you are closer together (still
not as close as in CQB), in open terrain you can keep a good distance of
about 5-15 meters to each others (depending how the terrain looks
like).
Situational awareness
Stay alert and focused! As soon as you leave the briefing screen you are in a
combat zone. No matter if you grab equipment at the base, ride in a
humvee towards your missions objective or walk through a compound that
you have cleared 5 minutes ago: you’ll always might encounter an
unexpected threat! It’s like being the RG in Swat4: most of the time
nothing happens. But when, then you have only (split-)seconds to take
the right action.
Also in Swat4 the team can pretty easily hold and cover for minutes while
one player is afk. In Arma2 this is very difficult up to impossible.
Enemy forces might use this time to flank or even surround your unit.
And when the enemy attacks, no one else but you can move your ass to
cover. In Swat4 we have almost always the initiative, we can determine
when and where the action starts. In Arma2 this is rarely the case.
A related issue: try to keep your orientation all the time. Keep visual
contact to your teammates, especially your leader and/or buddy! (Don’t
laugh. No Headcam like Swat4, but a more loose and open formation...it’s
very easy to lose contact with your team. Especially in a forest.) Hold
ALT to just turn your head looking around while keeping your weapon
pointed to your AoR, and release the key to turn back to your AoR in
split-seconds.
Know where is North all the time, in case you need to report the general
direction of dangerous contacts very fast or follow the order for an
emergency evasion maneuver of your leader fast. Wind directions are
preferable to the clock-system (12 oc, 3 oc, left/right side,etc.) since
this can be misunderstood in open areas easily. Use your compass for
exact bearing. Know the direction of the wind all the time, in case you
have to deploy a smoke nade quickly or take a fast shoot across mid/long
range. Know the next covered position around you in case your current
position comes under attack and you need to make a quick run. Keep an
eye on your flanks and rear.
Gear
In Swat4 we mostly use SMGs and flashbangs. Both are almost useless in
open/urban terrain. Instead we use sniper rifles to engage at long
range, LMGs to put suppressive fire at the enemy, smoke to conceal our
movements and various grenades, rockets and other explosives to blow up
the enemy. Realize that a different environment requires different gear
(beside different tactics)!
Another issue: make sure your gear doesn’t get too heavy. In Swat deployments
we usually grab the eq, jump out of the swat truck and move into the
target building/area. As soldier in Arma2 you might have to carry your
gear to the battle first, possibly across kilometers. Not really handy
if you arrive at the battlefield and fall to the ground totally
exhausted. On the other hand you are kinda screwed if you run out of
ammo after the first 2 or 3 enemy contacts. Think about which gear
you’ll probably need, and which not. And think about supplies in time,
before you have to fight the enemy with bare hands and good will.
Remember that you can grab stuff from downed enemies.
Retreat
In Swat4 we usually have to finish the mission asap once it started,
especially in hostage scenarios. Injured operators can’t be treated. In
Arma2 however it’s a valid option to retreat from the enemy, patch up
wounded mates or grab new ammunition if possible/necessary, and then
attack the enemy from a different direction.
Remember the Basics
No matter of the differences, we still rely on the same basics, e.g. team
work, communication, situational awareness, right gear for the job, use
of cover/concealment, AoR, etc.
"Teamwork is essential, it gives them someone else to shoot at."
Murphy's Laws of Combat #9
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| Lecter | Date: Saturday, 2013-03-09, 17:22 | Message # 2 |
Group: NCO
Messages: 534
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| Good one, Rap... Ahh, I cant wait to get arma2 and jump in...
May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house
,,Not a single chainsaw was given that day...''
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| Booone | Date: Saturday, 2013-03-09, 17:59 | Message # 3 |
Group: Lieutenant
Messages: 849
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| Nice guide, it will help for a first entry much more than our usual tactical documents, which only display the tools we at our disposal. The general attitude is very different in Arma, than in SWAT. In SWAT we are usually the superior while in Arma 2 it is not uncommon for us to be the inferior.
The sticking in formation will probably get a bit easier again, as soon as we start use ACRE, as we have positional audio in fireteams and won't really use radio inside of the fireteam.
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| Luis | Date: Sunday, 2013-03-10, 16:25 | Message # 4 |
Group: NCO
Messages: 1164
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| Quote (Raptor) and flashbangs. Both are almost useless in open/urban terrain 
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| Raptor | Date: Wednesday, 2013-03-27, 12:52 | Message # 5 |
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Group: Commander
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| I already mentioned the gear issue above, but I want to highlight some points:
Smoke
Smoke is almost useless in CQB, in vanilla Swat4 we don't even have it. But
situation changes in open or urban terrain. Smoke nades are a very
effective way to conceal your movements. Ofc smoke doesn’t stop a
bullet. But it’s very hard to hit a target that you can’t see (thus not
impossible).
MG
A MG is a powerful weapon, when used the right way. It’s heavy and made
for continuous fire. Just get it in a good supported position
(preferably prone with bipod deployed), and you can fire bursts up to 10
shots with pretty good precision. Ofc not every bullet will hit, you
are not a sniper. But it’s actually enough if 1 out of 10 bullets hit.
I hear people scream “what a waste of ammo”. Well, consider 2 things.
First therefore the MG gunner carries so much ammo, often even an
assistant gunner carries additional ammunition. Second the bullets are
not really wasted. Presumed that your enemy doesn’t want to die, you’ll
suppress him with every bullet you send in his direction. If your
opponent is in open area, you’ll force him to move so he can’t return
fire. And if he is already in cover, you’ll force him to keep his head
down so he can’t neither return fire nor move out.
Bottom line: as MG gunner keep on firing until you run out of ammo or you are sure that all enemies are neutralized
(Btw I think most newcomers are also too modest when firing an AR, but that’s not such a big deal.)
Since we just had some problems with grabbing EQ recently, I’ll give an overview of the basic eq needed.
Primary Weapon:
As long as you don’t carry out a special role (e.g. sniper, MG), grab an
AR (or lighter carabine) with a fitting scope (I like CCO/red dot for
urban terrain, RCO/ACOG for open area). Watch the light conditions, many
scopes don’t work with NVGs! Get enough ammunition! Don’t change your
role without order from your team leader!
Smoke nades:
Grab at least 1, better 2 + some spare in the backpack. Especially medics should carry more.
Frag nades:
If possible grab at least 1, more when you team is facing urban terrain.
Medical Supplies:
If the ACE wounding system is in place, everyone should carry 1 bandage, 1
bandage kit, 1 Morphine and 1 Epinephrine for first aid (an exception
might be the grenadier). Let the medic carry spare supplies and
Medikits, so he can keep an overview on the available medic stuff.
Night Vision Goggles NVGs:
If one is available, grab it! Yes, if you return to the base in daylight
you were carrying about 0.6 Kg too much the whole day. Buhu, need a
tissue? On the other hand if something goes wrong and you don’t make it
home for dinner, you’ll thank God that you can move and fight in pitch
black darkness.
Binoculars, GPS, Map, Earplugs
Doesn’t weigh much, huge advantage for reconnaissance/ orientation -> grab one.
Sidearm (pistol)
Doesn’t weigh much, but it’s also not really useful in the field -> up to you
(Snipers and MG gunners should probably get one)
Backpack
Always handy to store spare supplies. But watch the size. A huge backpack offers more space, but the backpack itself is heavier.
Additional Weapons/Explosives/AT/radios/ammunition
Talk to your team leader. Also ask him for the desired weight.
Hint: if different members use the same ammo type, they can exchange ammo if
one runs low. It’s a good idea to order the same ammo type for all
operators except the special weapons ofc.
(As Marksman I often carry a M4 CCO for close range and a Mk0 for ranges
from 300 to 600 meter, both are using NATO STANAG ammunition  )
Carry the EQ of your special role
A sniper needs a rangefinder and kestrel to hit his targets. A medic
needs a bunch of bandages and similar stuff to do his job. An engineer
should carry some explosives based on the objectives. Etc.
"Teamwork is essential, it gives them someone else to shoot at."
Murphy's Laws of Combat #9
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