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With my desperate cry to 'use the machineguns!' I am of course referring to the support kit being severely underused. Stupidly and completely unrealistically underused.

The machinegun is one of the most important kits in a standard infantry squad. It is the squad's base of fire which means it is the squad's primary means of firing at and killing enemies. That is right: if your objective is to kill as many enemies as possible, the machinegun is your weapon of choice. This kit has no teamwork tools like the medic bag, ammo bag or wrench - it is entirely geared towards killing. For this reason one would think it would be one of the most popular kits but that is curiously not the case (it is my favourite, however).

The support kit's machinegun opens up a whole slew of new tactical options, too, namely covering fire and suppressive fire. Both are essentially the same thing: Sending so much lead at the enemy that they have no choice but to keep their heads down.

At this point I was going to explain these concepts but then remembered the Full Spectrum Warrior Tactical Playbook movies. Words cannot do pictures and especially not these videos justice, so go see for yourself: http://www.fullspectrumwarrior.co.uk/gm ... aybook.php You will in fact find not just machinegun tips here but tutorials on tactical solutions to a whole range of situations your squad is going to run into. It is highly unlikely you will be able to assemble a whole squad that works this cohesively on a public server, but hey - now you will at least be able to do your part. Another reason to play tactically is that it is fun. I quickly get bored if I am just buzzing around with no real plan. Playing smart is the real challenge.

One thing I want to add to the Tactical Playbook, though, is a reminder of what you as a machinegunner are not: You are not a point man. Your weapon is a bulky one, it is inaccurate on the move and it takes a moment to bring up the sights. You should never be in the front of the squad. Be patient but wise: Wait till the riflemen engage the enemy then move up and support them. Always remember that your name is support. After your squad clears out the enemy - you being the one scoring the most kills - stay and cover the riflemen do they can securely move forward.

Now, I know what the counter-argument for the machinegun's case is. I must have heard it a hundred times: 'People do not care about getting killed in a video game so suppressive fire is of no use.' That they do not care about getting killed may very well be true, casual spare time play and all - most people do play recklessly - but that does not mean suppressive fire does not work. In fact, it only means it works even better: The machineguns are very lethal in the hands of a skilled gunner with a steady aim - those enemies are going to get suppressed or they are going to get dead!

Now, load up your game. Go forth and show public server noobs the awesome power of the machinegun, teamwork and tactical play! May your kills be plentiful!

Good reading, the SAW (on all sides) is my favorit weapon, just love to give cover and suppresiv fire.

Im also the "only" saw gunner in RGG

FINALLY! Somebody posts what's been eating away at my brain. As an infantry man my mate always takes SAW so that he can pin the enemy for the others in our squad. I rarely see more than one LMG on the field at a time.

everyone goes for sniper or marksman

Blackhawk 5 wrote:everyone goes for sniper or marksman

Yh and this good then I can have the best weapon

I love going support gunner It's just really cool to be able to lay down a torrent of fire on an enemy position.

I too am a great fan of using support weapons. Espesially on Mestia. No one ever seems to grab the PKMs, so I can nab them and lay down some seriously heavy fire!

The MGs need a scope tbh, than more people would use them.
I know for a fact the Minimi supports use of a scope.

While it would be realistic to have scopes on LMGs, I dont think it'll be implemented any time soon.

PKMN + PSO-1 = SVD with 100 round mag and the option to go full auto.

Well, it'd probubly be a bit less accurate. But with 300 rounds of 7.62x54mmR to spread around, who cares?

definately agree on the support kit being under-used and that it is a great weapon with grenades in the kit as well

however i have to disagree on the effective of cover/suppressive fire with this weapon in this game
as of .5 support weapons are much more accurate and have less recoil; however, at medium-longer ranges, as i am unloading at say enemies behind a rock or building, they can still pop out and headshot me because of 6 reasons
1. lag, 2. instant sighting, 3. most rifles are more accurate then SAWs in this game-this matters in 100m+ engagements (and in .6 many will have scopes), 4. as you mentioned-no fear of death, 5. the ability to stand from crouching instantly while sighting and not losing any accuracy, 6. blurring and "shock" effects only happen when bullets are hitting very close to you, not when they are flying close your head

with #6 (the most important IMO) perhaps the whizzing effect could be made a very loud, scary "WHOOSH" like it was in Americas Army-in that game the SAW really did keep your head (and accuracy) down

I use the support kit often-especially on infantry-heavy maps. Earlier today on the TG server on Mao Valley, i went 48-10 using mostly the m249 and sometimes antipersonnel. in one instance i killed 7 enemies within 20 seconds, but i did not "set up" and cover a squad's assault-i was simply running and gunning.
i pretty much use the SAWs like assault rifles with huge clips, higher ROF (m249), and with slightly more prone shooting
IMO the support soldier is the most like John Rambo in the game: and thats why i love the kit

the problem though is that when you've got a support gunner you absolutely need another rifleman to cover his flanks while the support gunner is giving covering fire for his squad. ive noticed that the sound and rate of fire of the LMG's is a bullet magnet x10 and the enemy will run hell and high water to charge up on you even if it means exposing themselves to the line of fire of 5 other weapons, all that matters to them is killing that MG. so the support gunner himself needs support to keep supporting his squad . and this is something thats really hard to get someone on a pub game to do. no one wants stand over a support gunner who gets to do all the shooting while the coverman has to look the other direction with possibility that the enemy may never actually come. its boring work, hard for me to convince someone to take up that role. but i've had so many times now where ill try to spray covering fire over an attack area only to have the enemy jump on me from seemingly out of nowhere.

LOL, you play Rambo in a realism mod!

Well, it does work on Mao, I've had great fun there charging Checkpoint Bravo near the end of a game.

To be honest I rarely even request kits anymore. The exception is the AA kit. With that I just sit around and wait for a target that never shows.
I used to care about the mg. Just not anymore. I've lost most of my interest.
I'd rather take a rifle that shoots and kills with just a few shots. It's nothing against the mg that's just the way I play lately.

Ecko wrote:The MGs need a scope tbh, than more people would use them.
I know for a fact the Minimi supports use of a scope.

So true and with the huge maps now, a scope is definitely needed on the light machine guns. In 0.5, support kits were always used. In 0.6, no one barely uses them. For example, I was play Jabal and I requested a support kit and it said, "one of four" kits used... I was like, "Huh? I thought people liked the support kits". Though the scope can wait a little bit longer. Devs have more worries on other things.

Those Full Spectrum Warrior playbook plays are nice. I bet we can do something like those playbook plays for 0.6 to make it look attractive to newcomers of the mod! We can also do that overhead commander view at the end of the movies too, but that feature is gone in 0.6.

I'll help with a "How to ask for a helicopter extraction/insertion" followed by a "Don't stand underneath the chopper when the pilot can't see a damn thing underneath him" video.

eddie wrote:FINALLY! Somebody posts what's been eating away at my brain. As an infantry man my mate always takes SAW so that he can pin the enemy for the others in our squad. I rarely see more than one LMG on the field at a time.

I agree, since I cannot get my hands on a sniper rifle, I go for the Support role in the game most of the time. If I cannot get it, I wait till no one is requsting kits, then you can get any kit you want... As long as its a kit that is avalable in the map.

The SAW is my main weapon when in a squad, lone wolfing with that thing is not an option, you will get murdered and your weapon stolen.

I find that the best way to suppress anybody is to kill someone near them, and then continue putting accurate fire on them. I do that best with a rifle.

Maverick--113 wrote:I find that the best way to suppress anybody is to kill someone near them, and then continue putting accurate fire on them. I do that best with a rifle.

Or you can shoot their buddy and lob a grenade at them and laugh as their body goes flying into the air.