So I'm really enjoying Domination, especially the way things always seem to go completely FUBAR as soon as we put a well conceived plan into operation. And then how we manage to extricate ourselves and complete the mission.
So while I enjoy the normal way we air lift in the MEQ, add some ammo, a MASH tent etc and then snipe assault our way into the town, I've also been thinking about other ways we can complete missions. I know some weapons can be over powered such as endless artillery attacks and masses A10 assaults but it might be fun to try out a few new methods, just for fun and variety. This occurred to me after I joined Benny last night, who was trying to find a way to successfully take a town on his own. He had dropped several ammo crates and planned to move between them and engage the enemy from different locations, so as not to get pinned down. So I got thinking about different methods to assault targets.
One example I was thinking about was to run in a couple of snipers (ghillie suits etc) by chopper to observe the target town. Then we deploy some artillery and the snipers can call in specific hits on the enemy artillery, tanks, shilkas etc. Then the team can move in on foot and engage the soldiers. So no carpet bombing but artillery as an alternative to hand held anti armour weapons such as MAAWs and Javelins.
Or running in an engineer tent/truck and using tanks with smoke screen support from infantry etc etc. Just some different ways to take the target towns. Some of them will be complete disasters... Ok all of them will be complete disasters, but it will give us new and interesting ways to get wiped out :D
That's sounds great mate fancy running it tonight ? I will more than happy help of course.
Well it's an idea as and when we get a group that fancies a change. It doesn't have to be tonight specifically.
I've yet to find a way to use armour, that doesn't result in getting smashed by an RPG-7 trooper hiding in a bush 2km away.
Is it just me, or is the Abrams seriously fragile?
Smilo let's see how tonight goes but I think it worth a good try.
Okey Dokey lets see what people want to do and maybe run a spotter artillery attack?
Regarding armour, I've read up on how it's used in ArmA and it seems that tanks are more about fire support than direct assault. Experts use a term 'Hull Up', which I think means only the hull of the tank is visible over the terrain. The body of the tank is below the skyline and therefore presents a much smaller target. The tank then attacks it's target/s and reverses, jinks left or right and finds another 'Hull Up' location to fire from. This seems sensible as from memory I think I've often been blown up in a tank when I'm either side on to the enemy or cresting hills and getting shot in the underside. And generally I have little or no infantry support as we're often low in numbers. A tank with six or seven infantry in close support might be a whole other battle?
The guides can be really useful for other stuff too. It seems there is often a right way and a wrong way to do things. I've been practising with the A-10 and always used to get shot down as I passed over an enemy town. I read up and now as soon as I have dropped bombs or fired a missile I bank hard left or right and drop countermeasures. It seems that it's easy to shoot a plane from behind but not so easy to lead it when it's flying sideways on to the enemy. I also read that heat seeking missiles mostly ignore flares when the plane is flying away from them as the planes jet exhausts are by far the hottest target. But fly side on to an enemy and the flares become the hottest source and are much more effective.
Apache helicopters use another similar technique that Benny and i sued last night. The chopper hovers below the skyline and 'pops up', acquires a target, fires and drops back down out of sight. we managed to take down two tanks, a Shilka and a couple of jeep's this way. And of course as soon as we flew in over the town a RPG guy shot us down.
Another little tip is that all players in ArmA are right handed and so if they position themselves to the right side of cover only their right shoulder and head have to be exposed in order to aim their rifle. if they are at the left side of cover (wall, rock etc) then they have to expose their whole body in order to get their rifle clear of the cover they are using. this makes them a much bigger target. I had no idea about that either.
How many more tips and tricks there are in ArmA makes my mind boggle. Seems the game has some real depth.
I will be around from 7:30 onwards get the server kicked off locked at 8pm :) see you there Cmd: Smilo :)
i should be on tonight within the next hour or so :)
dam it..... i want to play.....have fun
Well the surgical artillery strike went well, although I didn't get to see the explosions. All you get when you activate the artillery computer is the map screen with fire controls. Still it was good fun. I was worried that we'd be overpowered. When we park the supply truck next to the artillery we get endless rockets. So carpet bombing the whole town would be an option but not much of a challenge. Keeping artillery strikes specific to threats like tanks, D30's etc. seems to balance nicely.
I'd like another go one night where someone else is firing so I can see the effect :wink: