Squad leaders:
*Communicate with your commander via the commander voip channel (default key binding is "V"), tell him your squad number before you relay an order or request (as it will make it easier to know what squad you command, commander only sees your name, not what squad you are in, when you talk), and let him know what your squad is doing.
*Always keep things focused, press caps-lock to bring up your squad menu, and place orders as to what you want your squad to do, that way they have a visual cue as to what they need to accomplish.
*take the initiative. if you see that other squads have flags secured, but say the hotel is weak, order your squad to move in and defend.
*Keep in mind NOT to use vehicles that do not have enough seats for your squad to spawn in on, there is NOTHING more irritating than having a squad leader you cannot spawn on, because they are having a good old time in a 1 seater jet.
on the flip side of that coin, grab APCs and BLackhawks whenever you get the chance, as these have 6 seats and your squad can spawn directly into some armor.(that is unless you cannot fly/drive effectively)
*Keep an eye on your squad's kits, make sure you have the right classes for an effective squad, six medics or 3 spec ops is not needed. a good squad combo is at least 1 Medic, 1 Support, 1 Spec-Ops and 1 Anti-Tank and you can round out the rest of the squad with whatever is needed at the time, but make sure you have those 4 key classes, or prepare to fail.
*At all times remember that your squad can spawn in on you, and act accordingly.. retreat, regroup and annihilate.
Rushing into the action is great fun, but when you are wiped out along with your squad, it gives the enemy repreave and most likely you will have a long distance to travel back to your objective.
Squad Member - Medic:
*your first priority is your squad leader, keeping him on his feet should be your primary concern, as he can spawn in the entire squad.
*Make logical decisions as to who to save and when.
it might be awesome (and your buds will appreciate it) if you run out and ressucitate a fallen squaddy after he gets mowed down by a tank's mounted cannon.... but why not wait until that tank has moved, or shifts focus. there is no point in giving him a two for one ;)
and on the flip side of that, you are a medic you should be throwing yourself into enemy fire to revive your squad, just make intellegent decisions on when you should be doing that.
*When in a battle, pinned down, or simply taking an area.. setup a mini health station. throw out med kits as soon as they recharge, this will make it easier for your squad to advance, and if you aren't around they can nab some health that you left for them.
*If you are a medic, you should NEVER EVER have to be asked for health. it's your job, your duty as your chosen class to have that health kit out and heal your squad as they battle. again don't wait to be asked for health, take the initiative and fullfill your role.
Squad Member - Support:
*Your M249 is next to useless as a combat weapon, even in single shots and bursts the accuracy is nill at long range, horrible at medium, and decent at close range.
however you need to approach the class with the realization that your gun is for SUPPRESSION, keeping the enemy back, and wearing down their health.
(most of my points come from damage assists rather than kills. this is not a bad thing, and should not be thought of as such)
*Elevation is your friend, Hills, Silos, Cranes, Building roofs.. anywhere that lets you rain hot lead down on your enemy and keep them occupied is where you need to be.
*As with a medic, you should NEVER EVER have to be asked for ammo, don't wait until your squad is running dry, CONSTANTLY throw down ammo and have your ammo kit out while your squad is fighting or has downtime (legging it to another flag etc)
*Also as with the medic, you need to create ammo stations when you are pinned down, taking a position etc.. throw ammo out everywhere you can when they recharge, this makes it easier not only for your squad, but your teammates who might not have a squad.
*Grenades! use them, and use them often! remember your primary weapon is next to useless for infantry combat (when not used in a suppression role) instead rely on the fact you can lob 5 grenades, and can rearm yourself with a press of a button
(unlimited nadeage)Squad Member - Sniper:
*here again (as with the Support) Elevation is your greatest ally, Buildings, cranes, Hills (especially grassy hills where you can blend in) are where you need to be.
*Keep in mind this is NOT COUNTER-STRIKE, you will not be racking up the kills with your rifle from miles away.
in fact that's the very opposite of what the sniper should be used for... snipers make excellent spotters (use your popup rose and select spotted), and it is definately much harder to make a kill in BF2 regardless of no scope sway.. simply because most units are body armored and can take anywhere from 2-4 hits to take down (and the random innacuracy on the rifle makes things even worse).that being said, Pick your targets, use your rifle to pick off weakened enemies that your squad is engaging, or weaker classes (like the medic, spec-ops other snipers and Engineers who have no body armor)
*Snipers make good solo/lone wolf classes, I would not recommend having a sniper in a well ballanced squad as you want to be with your men at all times, a sniper can spot just as well without being in your squad.
*You carry 2 Claymore anti-personnel mines, place them facing ladders leading to your position, or doorways etc. (a lot of people don't realize they have these) the claymore is like a proximity mine (but will go off even if you or your team goes in front of it), when something passes in front of it, BLAM very effective.
Squad Member - Anti-Tank:
*you are the most effective anti-armor weapon in the game. with all the cover in BF2 (from buildings to barrels and foliage) taking out a tank has never been easier. you should be popping up from cover take your shot, start reloading, sprint (reloads while sprinting) to another area and hit the tank again, rinse repeat.
*Your sub machine gun is next to useless in combat, you are the only infantry that can take out armor, and like a game like C&C your sub machinegun is extremely useless for anything besides a melee weapon (lol). stick closely to your squad and realize what your role is, you are as screwed when you see infantry and you have no anti-infantry backup, as your squad is when they see a tank rolling towards them when they are legging it to another spawn point.
*Your rockets are useless against infantry unless you score a direct hit (which is easier than it sounds) there is NO splash damage from your rockets (this is for gameplay), or at least it's so little you can fire a missile an inch away from infantry and they won't even have a scratch on em.
Squad Member - Spec-Ops:
*Get in a boat and head towards the enemy HQ, you are the only class that does not show up on radar, and the only class that can blow up the enemy commander's UAV hut (therefore depriving him of UAV drone scans) Artillery (he cannot hit your team with artillery fire) and Radar (commander cannot launch scans for your units)
*Most things take 2 C4 charges to destroy (c4, UAVhut, Radar, tanks, etc) Bridges take 4. make sure you have a support infantry nearby (or in a pinch, commander supply drop) or else you will be running outta C4 in a hurry.
*take note of enemy movement and tactic patterns, and use your C4 to exploit them. (for instance placing c4 on the inside sides of the cracks in the walls at HOTEL, and blowing them up as infantry enter) (on the flip side, change up your own tactics often)
General tips:
*If you see armor spawn (tanks APCs etc) let your squad know to get into it, and take control of the asset. (armor can mean the difference between taking a flag and losing it)
*Stay with your squad at all times, make sure your squad leader is always your spawn point (by selecting the green bubble in the spawn menu).
*When faced with armor/snipers/choppers/bombers, Warn your squad and disperse, staying bunched up only guarantees you and your squad a swift death.
*Buy a mic and get on VOIP, I cannot stress this enough. the ingame communication is great, but really nothing beats VOIP for teamwork, as well as immersion.
*Whenever you see an enemy (any enemy, infantry/armor/air/etc) MARK IT with your command rose. when you use the SPOTTED circle to spot an enemy, they appear on radar for a short while, and is immediately visible to all members of your team (not just your squad) not enough people do this.
* when you see your squad is missing one of the 4 essential classes, let them all know you intend to change on your next spawn (and depending on the situation, you might want to suicide and spawn on your squad leader right then and there) don't worry about a score hit for suiciding, in fact don't worry about score at all... in this game all that matters is that your squad/team wins.
*If you plan on changing classes for some reason, LET YOUR SQUAD KNOW... orginization is key, no one minds changing, but if we don't know we have no medics, or no Anti-Tanks, things can get hairy.
*Use your grenades often, especially when on foot, throw nades at flags when they are trying to capture it.
*if your squad is taken down, GRAB A MEDIC KIT (from your dead medic most likely, or even an enemy medic) AND REVIVE YOUR SQUAD LEADER, I cannot tell you how important a tactic this is, and I have yet to see ANYONE besides myself do this.
*capture flags as a squad, the more men you have at a flag, the faster you can secure that flag, stop the ticking of your team's tickets and respawn there if needed.
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