1.21 buddy aid / pick up weapons

[Scipio]

From the 1.21 readme.txt

Buddy-aid will not pick up heavy weapons from a different Team.

This means that not every friendly soldier who comes along can pick up weapons from any wounded/dead friendly soldier? Why that?? I thought it was a feature, not a bug. Indeed I wonder why it impossible to exchange weapons & ammo between friendly units if they are close together.

[Pvt. Ryan]

I don't know whether or not it is realistic for a regular squad to pick up an MG. It happened to me the other day and they had no ammo for the MG, so I had a guy holding a weapon he couldn't use.

[TheVulture]

It can also cause problems when the rest of the team is still alive but someone from a different squad performs buddy aid. Suddenly you have an MG team that has lost its MG to another squad and can't get it back.

Maybe picking up heavy weapons via buddy aid should be allowed only if no member of the original squad is alive, although that would also have people complaining about bugs where they can only recover weapons sometimes, and the reason why isn't obvious.

Whichever option you chose is going to be imperfect.

Agree on the sharing ammo though. One PBEM I had some syrian special forces running around with RPG-29s (very nice weapon). One squad lost its AT gunner, and the weapon wasn't recovered during buddy aid (damaged, presumably) but was still lugging around several RPG-29 rounds. Another squad had used up all its ammo, and had a now useless RPG-29. And of cousre there is no way to transfer ammo from one squad to the other, short of getting one squad killed off and ripping the ammo off their corpses (although I don't know whether looting RPG rounds from a different squad via buddy aid is possible or not).

[slug88]

(although I don't know whether looting RPG rounds from a different squad via buddy aid is possible or not).

Unless it's been changed for 1.21, I'm quite sure that it is.

[phil stanbridge]

Doesn't this simply mean that an infantry squad will not necessarily be able to pick up the Javelin (for example) and use it perfectly.

[Scipio]

'Pick up' and 'use perfectly' are different pairs of shoes. I don't know how difficult it is to handle a Javelin, but I suspect that you need at least some basic training. This is generally true for most weapons that are more complicated to use than a club. I guess there's a reason for the 'craftsmen'.

From this point it surely makes sense to limit the pick-up feature. But I think an 'exchange-of-stuff' between two units is more needed than ever.

I very common problem: you order a unit to get something from a vehicel, notice that you have made an error, but don't have a chance to undo.

[phil stanbridge]

I very common problem: you order a unit to get something from a vehicel, notice that you have made an error, but don't have a chance to undo.

Yes I agree with this and an 'unload' type of command would be good.

[flamingknives]

I'm pretty sure that it refers to dedicated weapons teams like AGLs, HMGs, MMGs and ATGW rather than squad weapons.

[MikeyD]

I was a bit surprised too when this change was implimented. But I can see why. When 3/4 the way through the battle you find yourself with a single squad carrying two M240, a Javelin, three AT4s and an M32.

[Wengart]

When 3/4 the way through the battle you find yourself with a single squad carrying two M240, a Javelin, three AT4s and an M32.

Always come prepared.

[Pvt. Ryan]

I was a bit surprised too when this change was implimented. But I can see why. When 3/4 the way through the battle you find yourself with a single squad carrying two M240, a Javelin, three AT4s and an M32.

And a chaingun and a plasma rifle.

[Dietrich]

When a squad/team suffers casualties, I have that squad/team tend to its own WIA/KIA. Thus I only occasionally come up against this 'problem'.

Even before this change was implemented, as often as not the squad/team doing buddy aid would not pick up worthwhile weapon(s) from the WIA/KIA. Even when a SAW gunner was WIA/KIA, the soldier doing buddy aid on him virtually never picked up the M249. So now, I guess, any M249 not in an unwounded soldier's possession is as good as a write-off. :-/

[Pvt. Ryan]

I don't believe the M249 is classified as a heavy weapon.

[Field Marshal Blücher]

I was a bit surprised too when this change was implimented. But I can see why. When 3/4 the way through the battle you find yourself with a single squad carrying two M240, a Javelin, three AT4s and an M32.

I call those "hero squads!"

[MattMulder]

Maybe this buddy-aid pick-up weapons thing restriction is normal, cause it would mean that you could use a half-squad to pick up any RPG or MG left behind on corpse, then this squad would become virtually godly in terms of firepower. Imagine MGs RPGs and Javs put together in a 6 man squad. that sounds gamey to me

[Field Marshal Blücher]

Maybe this buddy-aid pick-up weapons thing restriction is normal, cause it would mean that you could use a half-squad to pick up any RPG or MG left behind on corpse, then this squad would become virtually godly in terms of firepower. Imagine MGs RPGs and Javs put together in a 6 man squad. that sounds gamey to me

This is the case with some of my "hero squads." In one scenario as the Syrians, I had a two-man rifle squad. Both men carried RPGs with an ungodly amount of ammunition for each and a PKM.

[Scipio]

I agree that unlimited pick-up leads to strange results. But it sounds to me like an enhanced craftsmen/weapon training system & carry limit is rather more needed than a pick-up restriction that feels to me somewhat artificial. As always, it's surely easier to demand as to realize.

[cool breeze]

Firstly, Thanks BFC for the changes to syrian Arty and crewed weapons set ups! I cant wait to see it in action! (my computer died with terrible timing).

And...

Can we PLEASE get a cheat coded version in some patch that lets us unlock pick upable heavy weapons from other squad casualtied teammates? as in code that alows the super squads of 1.20. Those squads are really cool.

Thanks!

[tyrspawn]

Question: is it possible for who has received buddy aid to get up? Also, if they disappear does that mean that they are now WIA instead of KIA? IS there any event in which they get buddy aid but don't disappear, implying KIA?

[Battlefront.com]

Heavy weapons can be picked up by members within the same unit, so that's not changed. What is no longer allowed is members of a different unit picking up heavy weapons from another unit. Honestly, it should never been allowed since (as stated in previous posts) it creates all kinds of unrealistic situations and undesirable results.

Buddy Aid is only performed on those soldiers who are no longer fit for combat (Red and Brown). When they disappear they usually become WIA casualties when Buddy Aid is performed, more often KIA when Buddy Aid is not performed. Those who have minor wounds, and are able to continue (Yellow), do not receive Buddy Aid.

Steve

[Ryujin]

Also, if they disappear does that mean that they are now WIA instead of KIA?

To hopefully clarify, KIAs are collected from the battlefield and their ammo is redistributed. KIAs (brown circles) are not in anyway "brought back to life" by "buddy aid". In the case of a KIA it is a much faster collection of the body.

As Steve said, WIAs (red circles) have much longer medical aid administered and are evacuated, which greatly improves their odds of surviving their wounds.

[Pandur]

so does this also do away with the vehicle crews you can rearm on their dead comerades with rambo like loadouts like a 2 man BMP crew with two PKM machine guns and two RPG´s each. boy i love those units. the scavengers are allways good for a suprise late game