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RPO nerfed/not working well?


Sublime

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This is purely anecdotal and I have not run tests. Ive shot RPOs and never specifically inquired to results. last night in a firefight with only infantry, me Russian with vet crack recon troops and him US i got an rpo team about 100m from a small country house with a US hq unit in it. small one story house. the RPO fired twice. the first shot was a direct hit and caused no casualties. Im no expert but my understanding of such things, especially in a house and a small one would be at least some casualties but probably everyone dead? Anyone else have problems with RPOs? (second shot missed)

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antaress73,

 

That strikes me as being exceedingly odd. After all, the TB warheads are specifically designed to defeat troops in covered positions (buildings, pillboxes, entrenchments), whereas HEAT isn't. I noted with interest that the RPO-M didn't obliterate the truck, which, of course, has lots of openings to reduce effective blast containment. That BRDM-2's side armor didn't come out very well, though.

 

Regards,

 

John Kettler

Edited by John Kettler
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John, the video you provided looks like an interesting sales pitch for the weapon, but it really never shows a rocket warhead from the time it leaves the tube until it strikes a target. Those explosions could have been planted or caused by something else.

 

Interesting that the Russians use the theme song from the movie "Exodus" in the film's opening.

 

https://youtu.be/32YPozK5Y-0

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In-game RPO is rather weak. It is quite a terrifying weapon that  should be able to level a small village-type building in one shot and take out a wall on a larger structure. Look for Caucasus anti-terror ops vids for references of what happens to a house when Shmel buzzes in.

 

Currently, it appears to be not that different from a vanilla RPG, but with sketchier results vs armor.  

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Nidan1,

 

Fair point. Let's go to the other end of the spectrum, a Russian soldier who makes incompetent look good getting into action during some sort of live fire range quals. Amazingly, he's a terrific shot! In the vid you can quite clearly see the shots looping to and hitting, directly, or close enough not to matter, the numerous and varied targets.

 

 

Regards,

 

John Kettler

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Nice video, I had the chance to be 30-50 meters away from a RPO blast, Not a good experience. Surely just the shock wave and noise would break a soldier on the receiving end. Those things are nasty, Usually engineers of a company are issued those but more often a battalion attachment. Both videos show it correctly, If that round hits a village home that home is done, If the people inside somehow survive, They will be dizzy and crying. We would call these things, Shoulder mounted howitzer. Well atleast my squad did :) 

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Did à test . A platoon of RPO (10 two men teams) against a US reconnaissance platoon in some standard 2 storey houses. So far, after three battles, 72-1 in casualties in favor of the Russians. They are very effective. Some shots took out 5 soldiers at a time. Three houses were flattened.

Edited by antaress73
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Did à test . A platoon of RPO (10 two men teams) against a US reconnaissance platoon in some standard 2 storey houses. So far, after three battles, 72-1 in casualties in favor of the Russians. They are very effective. Some shots took out 5 soldiers at a time. Three houses were flattened.

Thanks for the test antaress73. It seems the RPO is modeled fairly well after all.

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Did à test . A platoon of RPO (10 two men teams) against a US reconnaissance platoon in some standard 2 storey houses. So far, after three battles, 72-1 in casualties in favor of the Russians. They are very effective. Some shots took out 5 soldiers at a time. Three houses were flattened.

What was the range?

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odd. so it must have been a fluke in my battle. considering the house had the HQ team firing back and had been shot with at at least 500 rnds of AK and PKM ammo the windows were probably all shattered and helped negate the effects. fluke then.

This was odd though because it was a crack team one man killed. range about the same as antaress. and it was the single tile single story country house looking building.

Edited by Sublime
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  • 1 month later...

Are RPOs supposed to used for engaging enemies at relatively close ranges? I am asking because I am sharing the same impression with @Sublime here. They are quite ineffective at medium ranges. Ofter miss by large margin, even when they are ordered to fine first shot unsuppressed. 

Mission 4 of the Russian Campaign is one where I expected RPOs would be devastating. I have deployed them to good positions for medium range engagement but they where not helpful when I need them. If they are designed for closer ranges maybe it would made sense to embed them in platoons.

 

 

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Nidan1,

 

Fair point. Let's go to the other end of the spectrum, a Russian soldier who makes incompetent look good getting into action during some sort of live fire range quals. Amazingly, he's a terrific shot! In the vid you can quite clearly see the shots looping to and hitting, directly, or close enough not to matter, the numerous and varied targets.

Regards,

 

John Kettler

How did you assess "incompetence?" Was it the view of the soldier rolling on to his back on the frozen ground in simulation of setting up in combat? I haven't checked the manual yet, but what does an RPO weigh 20 lbs., 30? Have you ever tried to get 40-60 lbs off your back, in the cold, without exposing yourself to fire. I have, and it ain't graceful. Based on his targeting (if they were all his hits, a lot of hits for a man with two tubes), I'd consider him to be quite competent. 

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Are RPOs supposed to used for engaging enemies at relatively close ranges? I am asking because I am sharing the same impression with @Sublime here. They are quite ineffective at medium ranges. Ofter miss by large margin, even when they are ordered to fine first shot unsuppressed. 

Mission 4 of the Russian Campaign is one where I expected RPOs would be devastating. I have deployed them to good positions for medium range engagement but they where not helpful when I need them. If they are designed for closer ranges maybe it would made sense to embed them in platoons.

 

 

Since the RPO is a rocket-propelled warhead that shouldn't depend on speed or inertia to penetrate it's target, the only time distance should become a factor is in the "To hit" calculation. I can understand how range could be a factor in actually hitting the target. I don't think I'll make the mistake of using them against an MBT though.

Edited by Vet 0369
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Vet 0369,

I assess incompetence based on how long it takes him and how agonizingly awkward it appears fro him to do pretty much everything prior to actually shooting the weapons. He doesn't seem at all to know what he's doing and certainly shows neither confidence nor assured crispness of movement. To me, he resembles nothing so much as an inverted turtle flopping about. I marvel at the restraint, coaching and support shown by his superiors as he comes into action. While I take your point about the weight he's carrying, 44 lbs in all for the Shmels, not to mention all his other gear, including body armor and helmet, everyone else in his presumed pioneer unit has to do the exact same things, and this guy seems to move at half speed, if that. Contrast his floundering with that of someone also in full combat gear, including body armor, here, starting at 3:54. He's carrying not only that load, but the additional weight of the full pack for the pair of Shmel-M. Granted, this vid doesn't show winter, but I have to make do with the video I have available. I was nothing but laudatory of the soldier once he actually was finally ready to fire. Clearly, he knows how to shoot. I have a buddy who was a decorated combat Marine (charged an MG nest) who did three tours in Iraq. I just sent him the video to see what his thoughts are. He certainly knows a thing or two about what it takes to get in and out of a substantial pack while staying low.

Regards,

John Kettler

Edited by John Kettler
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The thing is John you have to take into account "editing".  Anytime, the shot breaks and they go for another angle, you know it's all staged.  So, it's impossible to accurately gauge whether a trooper is efficient or not.  I am not saying that he isn't.  But, in an edited piece of video you can't be sure of anything.  The only time you can be sure that a video is telling you something is when it is one long take with no cuts.

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Erwin,

I get that, but if we look at the first continuous shot, we find that it is at least 1 minute until the soldier even looks ready to fire. I'd say it's longer than that, but there is a camera position change, and I have no idea what is and isn't actual time being used, as opposed to having to wait for the fire command. Regardless, he went into position head down, thus, lost control of his RPO pack, and it was downhill from there for him. When someone has to help you, let alone quite a bit, on what's supposed to be a single soldier task, then something's wrong. This goes to the heart of what I mean in rating him "incompetent" prior to shooting.

Regards,

John Kettler

 

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Problem with these ingame is that they hardly ever go in through the window, AI likes to fire at the side of the house when they fire, not at actual targets within the windows with snap shots.

This may be the best explanation.

If the RPO is area targeted against a structure, the aimpoint could well be anywhere alongside the visible face. In that case, the RPO won't be very effective.

If the RPO is targeted at an individual visible in a window, then the aimpoint would be into that window. That would be where the RPO shines.

Ken

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