Smoke and range question

[orwell]

For the US side, what role does smoke actually play in combat? Should I pop smoke often, or is that just for retreats? What about open field combat, are my troops equipped to fight through smoke, and I presume sandstorms, no problem? Or have I just blinded the whole situation so that fire is 'spray and pray'.

Also, where can I find information about ranges and such, or at least estimated ones? I don't want to transport my troops to a point so far off it's ridiculous, but at the same time I can see a few guys in the trenches with heavy machine guns and RGPs, and don't want to send my sardine cans to the cooker just yet. Or at least I assume my strykers aren't gonna like being hit with RPGs and MG fire that much, can they take it? I assume it's not unrealistic to be told this kind of stuff in advance, I would think your commander would know how before you need to worry about AK fire hitting your troops on the ground. Is there any sort of 'tactical school' thread? Or should I just blindly charge and try to figure what, if I can, make the game display distance information and guess from there.

[JasonC]

On smoke, usually it is use to break contact, or to isolate some enemies by smoking others, to prevent all the enemy firepower from working against yours. Your *vehicles* generally have IR imaging and can see through modest distances of smoke - this is particularly true of the AT weapons (M-1s, Brads). You could smoke more in firefights with those I suppose - depends on the enemy (recent model MBTs will have their own thermal sights, Syrian infantry generally will not).

On distances, RPG hits become frequent inside about 250 meters, and Strykers do not like getting hit by RPGs. Hit are possible out at 400-500 meters, but quite rare, and usually the enemy won't try at that range because the attempt will expose the RPG, which 50 cals then wipe out etc. Your mileage may vary however.

As for the heavy MGs, you have much less to fear from those. The mdoeling of Stryker ceramic armor is very generous in the game, arguably to unrealistic or even silly levels. I've seen Strykers bounce 30mm cannon fire, let alone HMGs. The HMGs are mostly a threat to your dismounts, or to any unarmored vehicles (hummers). At close enough range you might have to worry about the AA caliber ones (14.5mm I mean). Generally speaking though, it is the RPGs that dictate how close you can push the vehicles.

Obviously, after you've engaged a while you might risk closer approaches, to drop off assaulting infantry or just to get up close and personal with a particularly offending enemy unit, that you want to 50 cal to death. Or to run round a flank that seems open etc. The grenade launcher vehicles like closer range themselves etc.

Frankly, I can fight pretty well at range with the US - though I tend to prefer the heavy teams (M-1s and Brads). For the mediums (Strykers), it is important to dismount the Javelins and use them for ranged firepower, but those and the 50 cals on the "tracks" are the main killers in my experience.

As for where to get tactical tips, there is a whole sub-forum for such things, the third in the section ("Strategy and Tactics Forum"). Sometimes people post here anyway - this is the general or catch all section - but reading through that forum (including older posts there) may answer a lot of your questions.

[flamingknives]

32mm for the 14.5mm AP

55mm for the 30mm AP

Both at 500m.

The Stryker ceramic armour is supposed to be proof against 14.5mm at point blank, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that it would stop a 30mm at angles or longer ranges.