Have Strykers changed since Shock Force?

[rogue189]

I am running through Black Sea missions and I notice that Strykers are no longer the number 1 go to vehicle in the game and they seem to function differently.  I remember the remote operation of the .50 or MK19 was huge, but now I see that they fire with a person manning the weapon now.  As a result, I keep losing my gunners.  When a gunner dies, but the vehicle is ok, is there a way for the weapon to be re-manned if I have some spare people?   Question also applies to HUMVEEs.

[MikeyD]

The standard troop-carrying, engineer and command Strykers still have their remote .50 cal or mk19. The recon, fire support, and new mortar carrier vehicles have the pintle mount. When the remote .50 cal needs reloading the gunner is briefly exposed. The gunner is a dedicated crew member, not a passenger.

Still, in a test I did manage to kill the dedicated gunner. One of the loaded-up infantry platoon took his place and continued firing! Frankly, that surprised me! The squad leader did the reloading. Well, that was a happy discovery!

Edited February 17, 2017 by MikeyD

[grunt_GI]

19 minutes ago, MikeyD said:

The standard troop-carrying, engineer and command Strykers still have their remote .50 cal or mk19. The recon, fire support, and new mortar carrier vehicles have the pintle mount. When the remote .50 cal needs reloading the gunner is briefly exposed. The gunner is a dedicated crew member, not a passenger.

Still, in a test I did manage to kill the dedicated gunner. One of the loaded-up infantry platoon took his place and continued firing! Frankly, that surprised me! The squad leader did the reloading. Well, that was a happy discovery!

I've noticed in both CMSF and CMBS that for some vehicles if you mount up infantry when a crew member is killed or injured they will man the vehicle MG.

British vehicles in CMSF did that quite regularly, as I recall.

[Holman]

This works in the WW2 games as well.

In fact some halftracks and other carriers have only a driver, and they require passengers for the mounted MG to be manned.

[Michael Emrys]

1 hour ago, Holman said:

This works in the WW2 games as well.

In fact some halftracks and other carriers have only a driver, and they require passengers for the mounted MG to be manned.

Back in the early days of CMBN the gunner of one of my HTs got popped so I backed it up a hundred meters or so to get it out of enemy LOS and drove a jeep over to the same location. Then I had the driver of the jeep dismount and get into the HT. Voila, a new gunner! I then drove the HT back into the battle where it happily wreaked vengeance for the lost comrade.

Michael

[MOS:96B2P]

12 hours ago, Michael Emrys said:

Back in the early days of CMBN the gunner of one of my HTs got popped so I backed it up a hundred meters or so to get it out of enemy LOS and drove a jeep over to the same location. Then I had the driver of the jeep dismount and get into the HT. Voila, a new gunner! I then drove the HT back into the battle where it happily wreaked vengeance for the lost comrade.

Michael

Especially before the 4.0 engine upgrade, with the combine squad order, this was a good use for the lone survivor of a fire team.  Still can be depending on circumstances. 

[Michael Emrys]

2 minutes ago, MOS:96B2P said:

Especially before the 4.0 engine upgrade, with the combine squad order, this was a good use for the lone survivor of a fire team.  Still can be depending on circumstances. 

I reckon that's so. However, a long time ago I noticed that I had a tendency to accumulate jeeps that aside from their drivers were empty. Once they had delivered their passengers to whatever destination I had in mind for them, they tended to just sit around uselessly. So, I set my mind to finding odd jobs for them to perform. I haven't tried employing them as ammo carriers yet, so I don't know if that would work, but just having an extra pair of eyes and a gun might be useful now and then. They can also do buddy aid.

Michael

[IICptMillerII]

18 hours ago, rogue189 said:

I am running through Black Sea missions and I notice that Strykers are no longer the number 1 go to vehicle in the game and they seem to function differently.

This is mainly because the Stryker is not nearly as useful on the tactical battlefields portrayed in CMBS. When you compare the firepower and ability of the Stryker and Bradley, the Brad comes out on top. This is likely why you're seeing less of the Stryker, although I do remember seeing a fair amount of them in the stock US campaign. This all could change if the US goes through with the planned 30mm autocannon upgrade to the Stryker, and then if that vehicle is added to CMBS.

[MikeyD]

As an aside, the new hull down command makes the remote MG Stryker and the MGS Stryker more interesting to play with. The last test I did the opponent had nothing much to shoot at when engaging the RWS Stryker, and hull down command greatly reduces the 'first round hit' curse when MGS was engaging enemy tanks. Your results may vary. Its still a VERY lethal battlefield.

[IICptMillerII]

3 hours ago, MikeyD said:

As an aside, the new hull down command makes the remote MG Stryker and the MGS Stryker more interesting to play with. The last test I did the opponent had nothing much to shoot at when engaging the RWS Stryker, and hull down command greatly reduces the 'first round hit' curse when MGS was engaging enemy tanks. Your results may vary. Its still a VERY lethal battlefield.

I'm actually a bit surprised by this. I tend to avoid Strykers if I can, and I especially try to avoid the MGS. It just doesn't carry enough ammo to justify its use in my experience. Since you have had good success with it, care to share your secrets? Do you tend to use it in a more niche role or is it more a one size fits all type deal?