Mortars and why they go unused?

[Infidel Rage]

Hi yinz, so im a new player and have been playing for a few weeks now and tried quite a few different roles from rifleman to medic to mortar man and even squad leader a few times. Ive been noticing lately that many lobbies ive been in are usually void of a mortars squad and when its like that ive noticed that my team has a harder time taking and holding positions then in the rounds where my team has a mortar squad that is getting targets from the other squads such as fobs and groups of infantry. In these games where we have mortars ive also noticed that we take the victory away from the enemy a lot easier. I'll do it every time that i can if i have to because honestly i have a ton of fun dropping the hammer.

So why is it that people don't like to set up mortars?

[camo]

I agree with you, mortars make a huge difference. Most people don't do it either because they find it boring or they just don't know how.

However after you play for a bit longer you'll probably come to recognise the regular mortar guys.

[ComradeHX]

Wtf?

Mortars are almost ALWAYS used.

It's just not obvious since most teams barely communicate and friendly mortar positions are not marked on the map.

[Fir3w411]

I love doing mortars, but the job of getting a squad going and setting up the firebase, defending it and using the mortars is not always easy.

Usually infantry stumbles up on the FOB and you have to drop everything and defend. If you hold them off, they will come back (and maybe with mortar). Relocating isn't always easy because logis might not be available, squad leaves, or no other good position.

Even with that mortars are fun you just have to set up in a really good and defendable location. When you are overrun, don't build in the same location again ( I see that way too much..)

[Hurricane]

It's just something that isn't appealing to a lot of players because it's ... well it's indirect fire, that's why. A good mortar squad can actually rack up kills pretty quickly on some maps, can deny the enemy access to key positions, halt an enemy assault etc., yet people don't do it because not seeing the enemy die doesn't give them satisfaction. And of course lots of players who don't know how to operate them, altough it's really simple.

Personally it's something that I do every now and then if I want to play a rather relaxed round, or if an SL orders it of course. And while I'm actually fairly proficient with mortars, most of the time I prefer plain infantry or ground vehicle gameplay.

[RAWSwampFox]

Good Evening,

Used to do mortars all the time and still do from time to time but, the changes that have been made to mortars in the latest patch make it the most boring task ever. There was a big discussion about the ammo bag before the patch and it has been changed to a certain degree. Only having 8 shots and 2 pits really reduce their "funness". Due to the boring nature of the mortars, it's hard to fully staff a functional effective mortar squad because someone is just going to be throwing bags all round and not getting any points. I know I know that points are not everything in a game but human psychology has proven time and again that symbology goes a long long way with humans. So, no points means it's not very attractive.

That's my 2 cents.

-SwampFox

[tokyoisbeingrebuilt]

Basically what swampfox said, doing ammo runs for the mortars is what breaks it. Nobody wants to do that in a video game.

Maybe there's a way that mortars can slowly gain ammo and it's own, as to keep the balance and remove the most boring job in PR.

[fatalsushi83]

Also, for the mortars to be really effective, you need an active commander and communicative squad leaders who will mark and spot targets. Obviously, this doesn't always happen in casual games. Even designating people in your mortar squad to be spotters doesn't usually work well because they either become focusing on killing enemies themselves or just don't know how to move to good spots undetected and stay alive long enough to spot for you. So, even if you have a good mortar squad, usually its up to the other squads to make the mortars useful, which can be frustrating.

I have to say though, I think nerfing the mortars and UAV were good for gameplay. In the previous version they could dominate the map when used in combination and its never good when a few players can dominate the whole map and win the game (same thing with CAS).

[DesmoLocke]

The nerfed mortars in 1.3 don't make it as fun or as effective as mortars once were. Having a good mortar squad hitting enemy targets meant the enemy usually had a second objective to take out the mortar location. Sine mortars are not as effective now, the enemy just chooses to hide in a hardened building and not give it too much thought afterwards.

[fatalsushi83]

When used in combination with the UAV they were totally overpowered. Now that the UAV is nerfed maybe having 3 mortars wouldn't be so unbalanced.

[ComradeHX]

When used in combination with the UAV they were totally overpowered. Now that the UAV is nerfed maybe having 3 mortars wouldn't be so unbalanced.

2 mortars does the job just fine.

I had a few rounds when I took mostly newbie squad into the Allah's Castle on Op:Archer and decimated Canadian...everything, from the mortar fob they tend to build east of main to their vain attempt to charge through the open(hoping ATGM and HMG will cover them), including but not up to various transport choppers that flew towards castle.

Mortars are so easy a newbie can use it, if you give him the proper distances and elevation differences.

[Jacksonez__]

Mortars were super fun in 1.2 (3x mortars with 11 ammo)
now they are just moderate fun

Bring back 3x mortar pits but nerf it like there could be barrel overheat. So spamming grenades non stop is no no. Firing overheaten mortar would explode in your face , heh

[ghostfool84]

Mortar reloading is really boring, the automatic reload idea is not that bad i think. But they should reload automaticly from nearby crates so that there is a need for logistics.

[Hurricane]

That's what I also thought. If it was possible for mortars to slowly draw ammo from crates, ammo crates and ammo bags (within <7m for example), they'd become much more useful.

[ComradeHX]

Mortar reloading is really boring, the automatic reload idea is not that bad i think. But they should reload automaticly from nearby crates so that there is a need for logistics.

Autoreload is for battlefailed4.

Mortars were super fun in 1.2 (3x mortars with 11 ammo)
now they are just moderate fun

I find 1.2 mortars boring, because you just sit on it and click away after setting the proper elevation...etc.

Now there is only a bit move moving(reloading it and/or rebuilding it) involved, and a mortar barrage's effectiveness is more dependent on accurate distances/adjustments than simply saturating the area with mortar rounds.



I don't know if mortars are made to be more precise now, but it feels like it. Less mortar and more precision is the way to go.

[ghostfool84]

Autoreload is for battlefailed4.

Oh? Then i wish you a happy time to throw ammo bags at Tanks, APCs, Supply trucks, and CAS. Not even mentioned the auto reload when a player stands next to a crate....

If i remember correctly there was a Version where reloading from the crate worked for assets like HMG and TOW, but i dont know when.


But honestly, i dont think the way of reloading is the main problem. Even sitting in the mortar can be really boring, because you dont see what you are doing. When you are happy you get some kills on the scoreboard and some warm words form the commander but its not the same like shoot somebody or atleast see whats happening. But i dont think thats gonna happen.

[[508th_PIR] Grey]

Those of us interested in teamwork are happy to sit idle in a pit for a few minutes, or make ammo runs. A successful fire mission can be just as satisfying as a successful point assault or defense. As for the reloading mechanic, I think it's justified considering a good mortar squad's potential to affect the outcome of a round.

[fatalsushi83]

Even if I can't see my mortars landing, it's sooo satisfying when people on chat start saying "Good mortars!" or when your spotter yells "Holy shit!" after a direct hits blow up an enemy squad. Seeing the other team bitching about your mortars on all-chat is also great. Those moments are just awesome.

[CR8Z]

I see mortars used all the time. I won't usually start a mortar squad unless I see the need. Usually, it's because my squad is holding a defensive position, and we figure, what the hell! Let's see if we can help the front line break through!

Mortars are fun, useful, and used all the time. I don't see a huge change in the 1.3 mortars, except that you need fewer people to effectively man them.

[ComradeHX]

Oh? Then i wish you a happy time to throw ammo bags at Tanks, APCs, Supply trucks, and CAS. Not even mentioned the auto reload when a player stands next to a crate....

If i remember correctly there was a Version where reloading from the crate worked for assets like HMG and TOW, but i dont know when.

By your "logic" it's autoreload when ammobag is dropped on mortar too.

This is about mortar only...