https://www.realitymod.com/forum/guide- ... 25036.html
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Disclaimer: With every guide, I assume that your primary objective is to support your team. There are times when the Spec-Ops class is not the ideal choice to help with overall victory of your team. I write this disclaimer because players often misuse the Spec-Ops class or choose the class in circumstances when it is completely unnecessary. After reading this guide, you will be able to tell when to use (and not use) the Spec-Ops class.
Additionally, I'd like to warn Squad Leaders that forcing your squad members to use any class but Spec-Ops without asking why they are using Spec-Ops is counter productive. Please ask your squad member why he/she is using the class and if the their response is not satisfactory in relevance to mission at hand, have your way with them.
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The Spec-Ops class brings 3 advantages to squad and the team: Mobility, Element of Surprise, and Harassment. We will examine these 3 elements of combat in the PR universe and learn how the Spec-Ops trooper can supplement them.
Sun Tzu was right. You need to know yourself and the enemy. There are various aspects of skill that sit outside the game and you must utilize them all. I will color these skills in RED TEXT throughout this guide, so read closely.Sun Tzu wrote:Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril.
Know Your Role
The most valuable rule that you need to abide by when playing Spec-Ops is that you're playing a role. Your primary weapon is not superior to other classes (in some ways, it is inferior). Your sidearm does not offer any significant advantages. Your specialized tools (2 M2 SLAMs & 2 Smoke Grenades) will not sway the battle in any direction. You have no body armor.
With these limitations, however, comes a very important advantage: you are forced to work with what you have. Often times this will stir up incredible ideas that actually work. Your team mates heavily rely on their specialized abilities such as throwing fragmentation grenades, using grenade launchers, suppressing with heavy weapons, etc. Without these special abilities, your team mates will often have to fall back and re-arm or, in most cases, get killed.
Consider this example (and be honest): When you're carrying an M249 SAW, how much time do you spend calculating enemy approach routes, line of sight, secret passages, firing angles, and the noise your weapon makes? If you're like most players, the answer is not so often. (Know Yourself)
Now consider this example: As an engineer, how careful are you about cover when engaged in an open and flat environment? Chances are, you're very careful about this because you cannot return fire due to the limitations of your shotgun.
And finally consider how much more effective you would be if you used the careful movement of an engineer in open terrain and the dominant firepower of the M249 SAW... You would become an asset - and that's what the Spec-Ops trooper is.
So this is the most important rule of deploying as Spec-Ops: you're role.
Any green trooper right out of basic can place a SLAM on a tank and run away. Not anyone can single handedly deliver such a blow to the enemy that it will hinder their ability to reinforce a position and will ultimately result in your team taking a control point.
So here are some dont's when playing the role. Obviously, there are a lot of things that you should not do and I dare not list them all here. The topics below will give you the big picture (I hope).
Do not bog yourself down with prolonged firefights.
Your team mates have a squad leader, command truck, APCs and much more to reinforce from in a stalemate. Your M4 Carbine will not make the difference in an infantry engagement and could make things worse. Your blimp on the mini-map tells your commander and all adjacent squads that there is an infantryman attacking or defending a certain flank. With your limited gear, you won't be able to live up to this role and might actually cause a break in the flank.
If you want to support your allies in a firefight, take a wide flank on the enemy and begin drawing fire. The enemy will undoubtedly engage you. Do not focus on getting a kill. Instead, draw some fire and move. Draw some more fire and move again. By diverting 3-5 infantryman to engage you, the enemy is weakening their front line and giving your grunts the advantage.
Remember, the enemy is probably on comms too. Most players like to exaggerate a threat because people prefer a tough enemy - they like a challenge. Use this to your advantage by moving, firing and them moving more. It will seem like there is more than one of you and you can count on your enemy to relay this to their squad. (Know Your Enemy)
Do not use the M4 Carbine in an assault role because it has a scope.
This is somewhat connected with the topic right above, but it deserves it's own topic. The M4 Carbine scope is definitely cool, we all agree. However, it doesn't offer that much of an advantage over regular iron sights.
If you can't use iron sights, learn to use them. Once you learn you won't care about the difference.
The range of the M4 Carbine is inferior to standard issue assault rifles. You will also do much less damage to enemy soldiers, particularly those that are wearing body armor.
Do not engage targets when you are completely sure they will be eliminated by friendly forces.
If you see 5 enemy soldiers en route to a control point defending by a horde of friendly troops, do not engage them. Relay their position by spotting them or informing your commander officer and move on.
Your allies will likely take care of the threat and you will not give away your position. Enemy troopers often remember where you were last and will come looking for you with a vengeance. (Know Your Enemy)
Don't overestimate your skill either. If you engage 10 enemy soldiers, you will probably lose. You may be good, but you're not superman. (Know Yourself)
Do not destroy enemy assets that are not an immediate threat to friendly troops.
If the battle is in the south, do not destroy a bridge that is in the north. The enemy will quickly repair it (tankers usually carry wrenches around). And now, you'll have to restock your precious 2 SLAMs.
If you see an enemy commander, do not kill him, for he will respawn shortly and swiftly note your position for the entire enemy force to handle. (Know Your Enemy) Killing an enemy commander is like killing a Mother Bear's cub. Do not do it.
Mobility
Now that we've lightly covered what you're supposed to do. Let's examine how to go about doing it.
As a Spec-Ops trooper, you have one thing that no other soldier has - the parachute. This means that you can deploy anywhere on the map as long as you have a good pilot on station.
If you have the chance to join the Pilot squad, do so. In the PR universe, pilots are a rare breed so they can be considered Special Operations just like you. They will enjoy dropping you into various interesting locations. The downside to joining their squad, however, is that you will not be able to communicate with your commander. To remedy this, join the squad, let them know that you'll be calling on them and then create your special forces squad.
Another option is to open communication with the pilots while the first spawn timer is ticking (if you play on the Tactical Gamers Server like you should be - it's usually over a minute). Tell them that you'll be calling on their help for transportation. Good pilots will confirm, crappy pilots will not - such is life.
Besides air drops, you need to rely on your feet for transportation.
DO NOT use friendly HMMVs, Jeeps, APCS (god forbid) or other friendly assets to get around. They need it, you don't. You're Spec-Ops, put on some damn Nikes and hoof it soldier!
The advantage to moving places on foot is that you will get excellent knowledge of the terrain that you could use later when not playing the Spec-Ops role.
You will be able to get everywhere rather quickly, provided that you don't waste your time on the opposite end of the map.
Moving around on foot may seem stupid to some, but after doing it for a while you will become quite used to it. You will be able to get places faster than you think and will usually have a tactical advantage on the enemy because you will have time to calculate your advance and prepare. You will also check the mini-map every 5 seconds and watch the battle unfold. This will subconsciously train you how to analyze a battle correctly. It works. Trust me.
On a side note: Traveling on foot will give you a lot of appreciation for the size of the maps in Battlefield 2 and the quality of the game itself (especially in city environments).
Element of Surprise
The majority of players in the PR universe will move in groups. Even if some players are not teamwork oriented, this will often spawn in the few spawn points that there are (squad leaders, APCs, command trucks, etc). The opposing force is used to have a front line and pays little attention to what's going on behind them. (Know Your Enemy)
The size of the terrain in PR is huge. There are a lot of craters, hills, forests and more. Even in desert terrain, you can simply duck under a mound of sand to prevent being seen. Use this to your advantage and get behind enemy lines.
Communicate with your Commander
A good Commander could always use a wild card - a trick up his sleeve, if you will. This is what you can be, but you need let the Commander know that you're up for the task.
You should always create a Spec-Ops squad and being to communicate with your Commander. Please remember that if there is already a Spec-Ops squad created, either join it or fight as a grunt for this round. Have 4 Spec-Ops squads on a team is ridiculous and pointless.
Once you have established your Spec-Ops squad, start talking to the Commander over VOIP. Let him know what you're capabilities are and how to best use you. If he asks you to drop the Spec-Ops role because he doesn't need it, say "OK" and don't play as Spec-Ops for that round. You could contest this with a few ideas, but if the Commander stands his ground on the issue just listen to what he's saying in the spirit of good teamwork.
If your Commander does not give you specific orders, start creating missions for yourself. Every time that you spawn you should either be assigned or assign yourself a mission. The mission could involve blowing a bridge, destroying an asset, create a diversion, etc.
You can achieve the element of surprise by communicating with your commander because your commander knows exactly how the battle is unfolding. He should anticipate what the enemy is not watching out for and capitalize. Often times the commander cannot send a squad of 6 to destroy a bridge because they are needed elsewhere. Sacrificing one guy (that's you), is more of a compromise.
Reconnaissance
This is going to be your most useful activity. Often times the Commander will want to know what's going at a particular flag. While you can spot the targets, it is also imperative that you communicate enemy movements to your Commander.
If you see an APC fill up with troops and move out in the direction of a friendly control point, let your Commander know so that he can prepare a defense in time.
Anything you see that is of tactical importance should be reported.
Don't clog up the comms with "There's a tank at E4" every 3 seconds. This will annoy the Commander and make it very difficult for him to listen to what other squads have to say.
Instead, gather a set of information and report it every 5 minutes. The only times that you should report something immediately is if it requires immediate attention (ie: a convoy moving out or spotting a command truck).
You can help achieve the element of surprise for your team by relaying important information that other squads are unable to gather.
Combat Support
There are times when you cannot avoid a firefight - the times when every gun on the ground will count and you could mean the difference between losing or retaining a control point.
In these cases, take an unorthodox approach to the firefight. Instead of securing cover and firing at the enemy, you need to be more mobile and take more risks.
If your team is defending a flag, try to move outside of the flag and flank the enemy. The flank must be as wide as possible to ensure a good element of surprise. By hitting the enemy from the flank, you are forcing them to stop and/or divert troops to your location -- giving the grunts a break.
The riskier maneuver here is to flank the enemy and then engage them at close range. Consider the diagram below:
A lot of this tactic really depends on how skillful you are in combat situations. If you need to work on your skills, continue playing as a grunt. Every example and concept that I list out assumes that you are very capable in combat like myself. If you're not, don't waste your teams time by practicing as Spec-Ops. (Know Yourself)
Although this may seem like a simple maneuver, when looked at in detail it is very complicated. Your flanking maneuver should be fast. You should avoid a force smaller than 5 infantry if you come across them on the flank (the enemy could be flanking as well!).
Once your attack on their flank begins, the goal is to stay alive as long as possible -- and let the enemy know it. Let them chase you. Run inside buildings and wait for a few seconds, then hide somewhere else. While doing this, you should let the enemy know that you're around. This is a very difficult maneuver and will probably cost you a death, but once refined you will ultimately halt their advance because everyone will be focused on trying to get you.
This tactic also makes it seem to the enemy like their attack has failed. Most enemy troops will assume that you are not the only one. Occasionally they will go on a wild goose chase for a rally point
Harassment
The final advantage that you will bring to your team is harassing the enemy. We've already examined how your mobility will give your team an advantage and how the element of surprise will give your team the upper hand.
Harassing the enemy involves eliminating things that they will be able to rebuild later. The success of a harassment mission will result in a temporary advantage to your team and will seriously piss off the enemy troops.
Harassment falls under 2 primary categories:
1) Destroying Assets
2) Killing Soldiers/Destroying Vehicles
Destroying Assets
Taking out rally points will hinder the enemy's ability to reinforce an attack or a defense. This should be your main priority when on a mission to destroy assets.
Finding rally points is no easy task, however. You can't waste too much time combing the map so you need to know the terrain very well. You also need to know where teams usually place rallies. Think about where you would place rally points or where your previous squad leaders placed rally points. Try to memorize good rally point locations and hit those first. (Know Yourself/Know Your Enemy)
Remember to destroy the rally points with your knife - it's quiet. DO NOT attack enemies as they spawn in the rally points. They will immediately communicate to their squad leader that the rally point is under attack. Rest assured that if a squad places a rally, they are working together. The 3 enemy soldiers that you easily kill will give away your position and give you no advantage whatsoever.
The second most important asset to destroy is the bridge. Most maps in the PR universe have bridges that armor uses to cross. This will buy precious minutes for your allied troops to mobilize a defense.
The next important asset to destroy is the command truck. The command truck is the most important asset for the enemy team, but not your most important target. The reason for this is that the command truck is usually horded with enemy troops and is very difficult to get to. In desert terrain, it's highly recommended to stay away from it and relay its location to your commander and other friendly units. On the other hand, if the terrain is more forest and trees, the command trucks are often very exposed and an easy target.
The Commander will usually let you know what assets he would prefer you destroy.
Killing Soldiers/Destroying Vehicles
This should be approached with caution. There's no reason to risk giving away your position to drop a few enemy soldiers. You need to weight out the advantages and disadvantages whenever you make contact.
This strategy is usually used best when you are at high ground. Put some fire on the enemy troops and then retreat into the mountains. You will make your presence known - this is not good, but it could give the enemy the impression that there is a considerable force waiting for them in the hills.
When focused on destruction, armored vehicles are you primary target. Tanks, APCs and Anti-Air vehicles have a long respawn time so taking one out is even worth a death. Do everything in your power to avoid getting killed though. Try to track the vehicle for a while. If the enemy vehicle is engaged in a fight, wait around until the driver disembarks to repair. You can then use the vehicle as a trap.
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And that's it. Have fun!
NOTE: As pointed out by [R-Dev]Jaymz, the Spec-Ops class will be made limited in 0.7 and will be given some additional pizazz due to the kit limitation. Even with this change, everything in this guide still holds true. You will never be a useful Spec-Ops trooper unless you realize that your goal is to cause as much indirect damage to the enemy as possible.
You don't necessarily need the Spec-Ops kit to play the role. All you need is explosives to accomplish various tasks, which you can gain by snatching them off of dead enemies.
Always be creative. In real life, the military trains each soldier in his role for years. Much of these soldiers operate in similar environments in PR and use similar gear. Granted, there is the "in-game advantage" such as respawns, but a lot of the tactics and concepts that they use still holds true in-game.
. Making them a lot more CQB orientated as they should be so they're a terrible choice for more conventional, wide area combat.
There, I said it.
