SgtMuhammed

I hope against hope that it is a bug. Right now it is one of the issues that is really ruining my enjoyment of the game.

For me it may be just things that haven't been patched yet. I love infantry and want them to act like they should. I hope the current problems with them are just issues that can be fixed rather than problems that are part of the system. I love the setting and have waited for years for a good modern combat game.

It seems somewhat better. I think the changes in LOS make the difference though because they still run around like idiots.

You know Berli, I am sad to say I am getting that same vibe.

I'm just glad that we are talking about more productive issues rather than how BFC sold us out to the ghosts of Command and Conquer.

Yes

That is actually pretty close to what I do against individual buildings or in initial entry. It seems that multipart buildings are different. Even when the designer wants to put open spaces, like an airport terminal, units still want to act like they are in individual buildings.

I may be mistaken but I believe that the early explainations of the Aquire order intimated that you could give the squad and aquire order like a move order to tell them to aquire things from either a vehicle or another squad. I could be way off but that was my expectation rather than how it is now. (My googlefu is weak or I would search for myself.)

I think this is a general problem. Either that or there is supposed to be a lot of clutter on the roof but you just can't see it. In that case it is way too abstracted.

Funny, it reminds me of one of my biggest gripes when I was OPFOR at Hohenfels. The M1s and M2s all had their MILES sensors on the turret. You might be able to see a third of the vehicle but still not be able to kill it because the "target" was out of LOS. Maybe CMSF is a MILES simulation.

What if those buildings are occupied?

I usually try to put them in something light and colorful to bring out their eyes. Something with that I am going to kill you and damn if I won't look good doing it kind of vibe. Lots of scarves and belts but something that breathes. Seriously though. I don't know if extra small arms ammo adds much weight but the Javelin does. I usually only give my guys the Javelin if they will be fairly static or if I think the vehicle might die so I better get it off before it gets lost. If my infantry is going to be assaulting a position then they just go with their standard issue as I don't want them to be bogged down with extra weight, especially as the Javelin is useless in CQB. So far I have rarely had squads need to stock up on small arms. Usually by that time the battle is nearly over or they are so heavily engaged that withdrawing or bringing up a Stryker that close would be suicide. In any case I have yet to have a squad run out. If I can get them to a good position I will split off an AT team and give them all the Javelins so that I still have a manuever element that isn't burdened by the extra weight.

You forgot to mention the enevitable: Joe #1: Let me borrow your CLU. Joe #2: No way man I'm signed for this thing.

I think that the current system has different routines for when you can be seen and when you can see. I don't think the squad can see something till the center of mass can see it but it can be seen as long as one of the soldiers is in view. Still what you say makes sense as well. Either way it is something that needs to be addressed.

No. So be sure you get what you really want. Can be annoying if you grab 7.62 and your guys don't use that type. Here's a problem I had recently. 4 man MMG crew tried to get into a Hummer to get the 7.62 it was carrying. The team was too big so I had the driver dismount leaving the vehicle empty. Crew was still too big. End result was that they ended up running out of ammo bacause they couldn't get in the hummer and couldn't split into teams to have someone else get in and get the ammo. I guess they just weren't smart enough to figure out that they all didn't have to go through the same door. Can't figure out though why my four man crew couldn't fit into a 4 man hummer.

It seems to be feast or famine with my Javelins. Either I suffer a failure rate of over 50 percent or they are nearly perfect. Often playing the same mission over will give totally different results. Most of my failures seem to be of the hitting short variety. Sometimes only a few tens of meters in front of the firing position.

Adam, Even under hunt they display the behavior I am seeing. In Normal Dude's airfield mission I lost a couple squads as they blithely hunted into the middle of a section of building filled with a Syrian infatnry squad. No attempt to return fire or pull back they just slowly moved forward with weapons at the ready. It was only when what was left of the squad reached the middle of the room that they began to even take cover. In any case no one returned fire or seemed to have any idea that they were surrounded by enemy troops. I could see the enemy when no one was selected but they were invisible when the squad under attack was selected even though they were the only squad that could have had LOS to the enemy. I can accept losses if my tactics are bad but if you do it right and your units repeatedly act like they are brain dead then something is wrong.

Biggest thing I have learned so far is patience. Even with heavy armor modern weapons are just too deadly to go rushing pell-mell about the map. Assuming a Stryker company with no heavy armor assaulting into urban location: Bulk of unit is left out of LOS while HQs, Snipers, and FO's are dismounted to peek forward. If no good terrain then troops dismount under vehicle smoke. (I am dying for arty smoke and can't believe they left it out.) Vehicles are pulled back from dismount teams to avoid undue attention and casualties from ATGM splash damage. The dismounts are primarily there to spot ATGMs, hopefully before they take out my Strykers. Doesn't always work out that way. Concentrations of enemy infantry are hit with any arty support while an entry force of a couple squads backed by Mk19 or MGS Strykers pushes to viable foothold location. Normally at the edge of the map although terrain may place it anywhere. The key is to find an area that can only be fired upon by a small portion of the enemy. This area is also hit with arty to hopefully supress any RPG armed troops. ICVs move in fast and drop troops behind smoke. While dismounts secure foothold the taxis pull back to avoit RPG attack and to provide either direct support or to seal flanks by preventing enemy movement. Normally further advances are made from this initial position but I always try to keep an eye out for areas that seem weakly defended for possible flank attacks. I always try to keep at least a squad in reserve. Once a foothold is achieved it is largely a matter of advancing my infantry with Strykers providing overwatch and fire support. I try not to push the Strykers too close to the FLOT unless a squad is pinned down and needs to be rescued. In such cases I will bring up Strykers to support by close in direct fire. Unfortunately this can easily result in the loss of the Stryker but usually it gives the squad enough of a boost to be able to complete their mission. If terrain is too open then I try to keep everyone back as far as possible and advance by stages to bring the target in fire range while hopefully remaining out of range of enemy supporting fire. Entry team is dispatched as normal but only after a prolonged longrange saturation of the area if possible. If not then the entry point and surrounding positions are blasted with as much firepower as possible and troops are moved in as rapidly as possible using whatever terrain and smoke are available. Usually pretty costly as I prefer more methodical tactics. Open terrain with no heavy support is generally death for an all Stryker force. General Maxims: Speed is life. Poking around with Strykers will generally just get them killed. Know where you want to go and get there fast. Firepower saves. Get every gun you can firing. If one has no target give it one. Without smoke the only way to advance your infantry is under a curtain of lead. Patience. If it is going to take 10 minutes for your arty to come in then wait 10 minutes. Unless under some major time constraint it is always better to wait and make full use of your assets. It does you no good to have a bunch of left over arty but not be able to take the objective because you have run out of infantry. God bless the M1. Even if it dies it usually lives long enough to tell you where the REALLY bad guys are and allow you to act accordingly. I generally find the MGS to be somewhat useless because of its small ammo load and quirky fire routines. Even in overwatch they rarely seem to fire unless I give them a specific target.

AIUI, infantry do not come with IR or TI sensors installed as standard. Yet. As to the rest of your post may I suggest "combined arms". It's a rather new concept, so you may not have heard of it, but it works quite well. </font>

It is all part of the armor bias at BFC. They want to deny infantry its rightful place as lord of the battlefield. Blast works really well against tall walls now but is still useless in buildings.

So whether or not a system is the best often has nothing to do with who buys it.

What type of doctrine are you beginning to develope for the use of your Strykers? I will post my own later. I just want to see what people are doing with their new force mix.

Played it again with the 1.03 patch. Noticably better. Looking at the pictures of the airport I am pretty sure that the terrain between the runways slopes down into a ditch. Anyway, I like what you are trying to do with the hangers but they are like little unit traps. I have had several units get stuck in the space between the hanger and the embankment. Perhaps you should just use heavy buildings. I have also noticed something strange. If I order a squad into a hanger usually only one guy will enter the building while the rest will just sit outside. That one guy is stuck for the rest of the mission most of the time. Does the 82nd still use the 60mm mortar? If they do hopefully they will be put in in a later patch along with arty smoke. Man that F15 is powerful. I had it drop its bomb on the building in between the long hanger and the terminal. I kept my guys in the wooded area behind the big apartment complex (at least that is what it looks like to me) by the industrial area. Bomb hits and half my units start cowering even though they are over 500m and two rows of buildings away. There are some really wierd LOS issues inside the Terminal. I had several squads get mowed down by units they appearantly could not see because they never returned fire. This happened to both sides. I never saw a case where both sides were blazing away. It was always one side firing and the other guys just taking it. My guys are absolutely deadly with their AT4s. Had one guy stop while sprinting, fire his AT4 from about 150m, kill a BTR and then continue to his position. I also had the horrible experience of moving almost an entire platoon up only to realize that no one had any AT4s and they were about 10 meters from the ass end of a BTR. Again no one used a 203 or anything else. Anyway, most of the problems are systemic rather than just scenario related. This is one of my favorites. By the way, what time is it set at? Rune sent me a night battle and it is absolutely pitch black, you have a hard time seeing your own guys. Your's isn't nearly as dark.

Will we get arty smoke in 1.04? I hope Infantry will use their 203s more in 1.04. The only time I see them use it now is if I give them an area fire command. I have also yet to see my infantry use hand grenades.

The best answer is as high as you need to be to see the target. The more you can see the more things that can potentially see you. Unless you are absolutely sure that nothing can see you it is best to minimize exposure.