How to play 0.86?

[iAstralProject]

So it's now very clear to me that this patch must be played in a almost completely different way. After much frustrationa dn deliberation I've decided to stop being a stubborn *** about it and try to adapt to it.

I'm looking for tips, especially from the Devs, on how 0.86 was meant to be played or what people are finding to be effective methods to play with. This new game dynamic has me dying way way too much and making me very upset that Op. Flashpoint 2 isn't here yet.
I'm obviously missing something.
1 thing I do know. Flanking is a very important tactic now. Much more important than before.
Now if we can just get those apc's and humvees to actually cover the infantry!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Snazz]

What do you seem to be having trouble with?

[Trooper909]

1 thing I do know. Flanking is a very important tactic now. Much more important than before.
Now if we can just get those apc's and humvees to actually cover the infantry

Exactly that your whole team must be effective.APC's never get there roll is infantry surpport not main battle tank.advice? its basicly the same as allways just play smart work as team etc
maybe you had a bad team for a few rounds?

[X1 Spriggan]

No flanking here

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5ckIx27wTSk&hl ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5ckIx27wTSk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]

[cyberzomby]

Yea the LMG's can be a killer! Ive noticed this yesterday as well. Many a times where we just patrolling as a squad, me as a medic, when suddenly after 2 bursts half the squad was down

Been thinking about how to adept to this. I think sending out a point man or a scout is a solution. This way you draw out the LMG, so the rest can flank, or spot the LMG (or enemy troops) in time. The rest of the squad is safe somewhere and the point man gets killed or spots the enemy so the rest can flank around.

[motherdear]

one of the main things i have noticed is, keep you spreading, when crossing a road either do it fast with one guy providing overwatch (your MG) and then crossing or do it as the whole squad together to minimize the time being exposed, this makes it possible for you to not all be picked off at the same time, to shoot back and suppress the enemy MG while your survived infantry move with cover and then frag the enemy while they are being suppressed by the mg and are lying still not seeing you hopefully.

SO
1. keep spreading and remember your overwatch
2. while on the move use the MG as a suppression factor instead of a killer.
3. use your surviving infantry as flankers
4. keep your medic safe till after the engagement
5. use smoke if a street is bugged down by a MG
6. enemies that are being suppressed have a hard time coping with a grenade landing on them
7. GET ON MUMBLE, this enables you to be much more mobile and deadly on servers such as TnT because you can use apc's as transport and cover. has saved my *** numerous times.

that's the way i have commanded my squad since the patch came out and it has worked great keeping casualties to a minimum and keeping the response time to a threat down.

[Masterbake]

I think the LMG is definitely more realistic now, and it does make you more careful crossing roads etc. However the problem is just that there are so many of them.

If you can make 9 squads, and each one can have 2 LMGs due to the squad bug, thats more than half the team with them. I know that's unlikely, but it's still quite normal now to have one in 3 infantrymen wielding it, which is crazy. The devs need to fix it so that you can only get one per squad, and if possible, as I've mentioned before, that squad has to have at least 5 people in.

[Masaq]

Masaq's tips for Infantry Combat in 0.86

General Tips:

1. Your Squad's LMG is the second most important man in your squad, after the SL. You should not be running an infantry squad without an LMG, and between them the Officer, Automatic Rifleman and Medic kits are the three "must have" kits for an infantry squad.
2. Move slowly. You cannot appropriately respond to threats if you're putting yourselves at risk too fast. You need to know what's around you, and you need to be able to respond to it. Ideally, your AR should be able to provide supressive fire on the biggest threat within moments.
3. Watch your spacing. The enemy AR is just as lethal as yours is! If you are too closely bunched up, one-to-two bursts will mow you all down just as effectively as a single grenade or IED.

Supression, Fire and Manouver:

1. On contact, your AR should adopt a good firing position (ideally from behind some form of cover) and supress the enemy. That means placing sustained, accurate fire on the target so the target's primary concern becomes just staying alive.
2. You do not have to actually see your target to supress them. Steady, sustained fire from an AR and a rifleman or two, spaced over a 10-15 meter target area, will keep most people's heads down. Don't stop firing just because the target has hidden - your fire is what made him hide!
3. With the target supressed, the rest of the squad are able to move from their position to one from which they are able to kill the enemy. Use of smoke, cover and concealment will allow them to do this in as much safely as can be hoped for.

Arcs of Fire, Covering Fire:

1. Ideally, the squad should have a 360' field of vision; ie, people in the squad should be looking in different directions.
2. This should be achieved without excessive radio spam saying "I'm covering North" "I'm looking East" etc. Just look left and right, see where your squadmates are looking - then look in a different direction.
3. As part of this awareness, watch where you're walking/running. Nothing is more frustrating than stopping, crouching, taking careful aim at a target... and then having to hold the shot because one of your squad just walked into your sights. Or worse, taking the shot and having it plough into the back of their head. Do not wander into a friendly's line of fire!
4. When crossing wide expanses, split up. Half the squad should stay back - ideally your "golden three" - the Squad Leader, AR and Medic. Medic should watch their back, AR and Officer should cover the other three squad members as they cross the exposed ground.
5. Once they are safely across the road/field, confirm that they are able to cover you - they may have walked into contacts on the other side - and then cross yourselves. This method means that if the first group get mown down, you can either fall back and place a fresh rally (you have the SL safe) or you can smoke the area and recover them (you have the Medic safe). Supressive fire can immediately be bought to bare on the hostiles targetting your squad (you have the AR safe).

Smoke:

1. Smoke is a great tool, and vastly underused. Start using it correctly and you'll live longer.
2. Use smoke ahead of your position to conceal your position.
3. Use smoke behind or away from your position to mislead the enemy as to where your position actually is.
4. Use smoke on a hostile position to blind them as you attack or fall back
5. Always smoke an area before attempting to recover critically wounded comrades! They aren't going to go anywhere - take the time to place smoke, supress and clear the hostiles still firing at you, and then move in to recover. Remember that if someone has been hit, the ground they're lying on is obviously within the enemy's view!
6. Remember that smoke is big, visible from miles away and will attract fire. If your aim is stealth, smoking needlessly is the last thing you should do. Conversely, if you've been spotted and you're trying to leave the area - not being seen is better than being seen, so smoke.
7. Tanks and APCs hate being surrounded in smoke, and will often withdraw if heavily smoked.
8. Tanks and APCs will often fire at smoke in the hope of mowing down whoever is behind it. Use this to your advantage - chuck smoke in one direction, run in the opposite direction. If they're firing at the smoke, they can't fire at you.

More might be added as I think of it.

[Napoleon_TR]

Masaq;1064565']

Masaq's tips for Infantry Combat in 0.86

General Tips:

1. Your Squad's LMG is the second most important man in your squad, after the SL. You should not be running an infantry squad without an LMG, and between them the Officer, Automatic Rifleman and Medic kits are the three "must have" kits for an infantry squad.
2. Move slowly. You cannot appropriately respond to threats if you're putting yourselves at risk too fast. You need to know what's around you, and you need to be able to respond to it. Ideally, your AR should be able to provide supressive fire on the biggest threat within moments.
3. Watch your spacing. The enemy AR is just as lethal as yours is! If you are too closely bunched up, one-to-two bursts will mow you all down just as effectively as a single grenade or IED.

Supression, Fire and Manouver:

1. On contact, your AR should adopt a good firing position (ideally from behind some form of cover) and supress the enemy. That means placing sustained, accurate fire on the target so the target's primary concern becomes just staying alive.
2. You do not have to actually see your target to supress them. Steady, sustained fire from an AR and a rifleman or two, spaced over a 10-15 meter target area, will keep most people's heads down. Don't stop firing just because the target has hidden - your fire is what made him hide!
3. With the target supressed, the rest of the squad are able to move from their position to one from which they are able to kill the enemy. Use of smoke, cover and concealment will allow them to do this in as much safely as can be hoped for.

Arcs of Fire, Covering Fire:

1. Ideally, the squad should have a 360' field of vision; ie, people in the squad should be looking in different directions.
2. This should be achieved without excessive radio spam saying "I'm covering North" "I'm looking East" etc. Just look left and right, see where your squadmates are looking - then look in a different direction.
3. As part of this awareness, watch where you're walking/running. Nothing is more frustrating than stopping, crouching, taking careful aim at a target... and then having to hold the shot because one of your squad just walked into your sights. Or worse, taking the shot and having it plough into the back of their head. Do not wander into a friendly's line of fire!
4. When crossing wide expanses, split up. Half the squad should stay back - ideally your "golden three" - the Squad Leader, AR and Medic. Medic should watch their back, AR and Officer should cover the other three squad members as they cross the exposed ground.
5. Once they are safely across the road/field, confirm that they are able to cover you - they may have walked into contacts on the other side - and then cross yourselves. This method means that if the first group get mown down, you can either fall back and place a fresh rally (you have the SL safe) or you can smoke the area and recover them (you have the Medic safe). Supressive fire can immediately be bought to bare on the hostiles targetting your squad (you have the AR safe).

Smoke:

1. Smoke is a great tool, and vastly underused. Start using it correctly and you'll live longer.
2. Use smoke ahead of your position to conceal your position.
3. Use smoke behind or away from your position to mislead the enemy as to where your position actually is.
4. Use smoke on a hostile position to blind them as you attack or fall back
5. Always smoke an area before attempting to recover critically wounded comrades! They aren't going to go anywhere - take the time to place smoke, supress and clear the hostiles still firing at you, and then move in to recover. Remember that if someone has been hit, the ground they're lying on is obviously within the enemy's view!
6. Remember that smoke is big, visible from miles away and will attract fire. If your aim is stealth, smoking needlessly is the last thing you should do. Conversely, if you've been spotted and you're trying to leave the area - not being seen is better than being seen, so smoke.
7. Tanks and APCs hate being surrounded in smoke, and will often withdraw if heavily smoked.
8. Tanks and APCs will often fire at smoke in the hope of mowing down whoever is behind it. Use this to your advantage - chuck smoke in one direction, run in the opposite direction. If they're firing at the smoke, they can't fire at you.

More might be added as I think of it.

Art of the Infantry Combat..