[XOs, Operations teams et al.]

Thanks for the replies guys, this has shed some light on the subject for me.

[XOs, Operations teams et al.]

I am curious as to what duties you use these guys for and also what duties are they used for in RL. Also HQ units (company and above), what is their use in game? I remember from the CMx1 days they had a thousand uses (spotting for mortars, taking over for KIA platoon HQs etc.) but these days with the new C2 system I am not so sure.

[Performing effective reconnaissance.]

It's not gamey in the sense that you can't select a squad or team with a Javelin and specifically tell them to use the missile on the enemy infantry. The AI is in charge of deciding what the appropriate engagement weapon is for the most part. In my experience the AI will only fire a Javelin if you have your team target some sort of vehicle or bunker, or in some cases enemy units inside a building. In the latter instance its hard to tell what motivates the AI to use or not use the Javelin with a "Target" command.

As for real world employment... well in combat you use what you have to get the job done. However there are all sorts of tactical and practical considerations that go into a squad/platoon leader's decision to employ a weapon system. Using a Javelin to take out a Toyota pickup with a bunch of enemy fighters riding in the back 300 meters away is probably bad use of your available combat power, particularly if you think there might be armor in the area or a bunker that needs to be demolished. However, if you have a squad being mauled by a heavy machine gun on the back of that pickup then it might just be tactically justified to blast it with the fancy 100k missile.

It just all depends on doctrine, the tactical situation and battlefield conditions. I've heard of instances of air strikes being called in on snipers!

Ever since I read this thread I've had Javelins taking out anything with legs, HMGs, ATGMs, HQ teams etc. This is all done with target commands, mind you my infantry are always out of small arms range, but they always use their Javelins. This is really just for kicks, I realise you can't go using up all your Javelins on any target you spot. But from what understand it wouldn't be considered gamey to take out that hidden recoilless rifle you just spotted with a $100,000 missile, rather than loose a $4 million tank next turn, would it?

[Performing effective reconnaissance.]

Would it be gamey to use your Javelin to take out enemy ATGMS or infantry once spotted?

[The Blue Bar Returns!]

All hail the blue bar! I felt something playing today, something I haven't felt since the CMx1 days. It was almost spiritual.

That'll do BFC, that'll do...