The green/grey box of death! (GBoD)
Upon seeing the green box of death, you can almost be sure that a bomb will swiftly be placed upon the target, or a Hellfire Missile will soon be ripping through the air. This usually means Air support is up, and on the way.
Now a neat-o little trick is that you can see enemy lases with your GLTD! So next time you see a GBoD on a friendly Tank, Teamchat that he/she is lased and should move to a covered position to avoid the bomb/missile, until the spotter is eliminated.
Laser movement!
The GLTD works like a gun. Upon pressing the fire button once, the box is 'shot' from the GLTD and it will travel then settle on a object. This settling time varies with distance. The longer away the target, the longer it will take the box to travel to the target. Commonly with vehicles or buildings, the lase will seem to 'snap to' the object. This helps show that the target has successfully been tagged, and the pilot/gunner can see the box follow the target. The bomb/missile will track to this target regardless if it is moving.
One important thing to remember is that lasing a moving target is extremely difficult. A spotter should wait for the vehicle to come to a stop so he can assure the laser is stuck to it. If a vehicle is driving perpendicular to the spotter's position, getting a laser hit can be possible and quicker (if the vehicle is driving toward him).
If the laser fails to stick to the target, simply re-click for another shot. This removes the old lase box, but ooo cool, another one has arrived
Pressing the button Once!
Yes we know you are trigger happy, but please, just press it once. I know, its tempting! "OOooooo green boxes shoot from my binocs, eat it Taliban!!" One click is all you need to assure the death of a fully manned tank. If you keep clicking on the button sending a laser out, it will destroy the one on the way to the target, starting it over again. Kinda like a Yo-Yo. The lase sends, but does not have enough time to settle before being sent again! This makes gunners/pilots REALLLLY mad, especially when they are risking AA and HMG fire. This is hard to explain, but if you were the gunner/pilot you would know what I am talking about. Also, by sending it fast and repeatedly, a enemy spotter can see your box drifting, leading him to your location!
Confirming and calling in the strike!
A nice way to finish off your hard work as a spotter is to add the nice phrase 'Sending Laser Target'. You can send this vocal command by pressing 'T' or the secondary menu, and selecting the middle bubble. This does not send the lase! Some people believe it is, but all you are doing is saying that you have a target that needs to be downsized
. Only send this once the box is attached to the target to avoid any confusion. For Air support outside your squad, it is nice to report the general area the lase is in for the pilot's help, in general Keypad format. If the air support is in squad, simply put a marker by the lase also to improve accuracy and speed. (If Squad Leader. If not follow keypad order) Failure to give the location will only show your dot flashing, and the pilot can only guess where the target is from you. Coordinates are key!!When the air support confirms, send another lase just to make sure it doesn't disappear on them. Boxes live for roughly 30 seconds after being placed. This should be plenty of time, but maybe you realized that the A-10 still needs to warm up, or the Apache is reloading. Just confirm again with the Sending Laser Target prompt. But no spamming!
Known Bug:
Some people get a glitched GLTD where the box is shown being sent, but only for a split second before it disappears. This can sometimes be fixed by resetting the GLTD by putting it away then taking it out again. If it continues, this really isn't that big of a problem. Experienced spotters should be able to estimate the time it takes the box to reach the target, and assume it is intact on the target. The gunner/pilot should be able to see the lase.
Feel free to post any tips or comments you have!
