Taking a Titan Hallway - Discussion

[Virigoth]

I wanted to start a discussion on some tactics to use for taking a defended hallway. And by defended I mean one defended the TG way. Squad of 3-6 with supports, medics and possible recon mixed in the equation. The whole goal is to gain a foothold in the hallway beyond the initial killing zone stage, so that a team can begin the push down the hallway towards the console.

Specificly this discussion is about the long corridors leading to console 1 and 2, not the short upper ones which are easier to take out.

Problems:

0) Enemy has advantage of being setup and having weapons trained in on the entrance.

1) Enemy support + sentry guns will take anything running foward in a second. APMs or C7 will take out anyone who makes it to cover in middle of corridor.

2) Enemy grenades will take out anyone who stays in the entrence.

What we have is a situation where you're dammned if you do and if you don't. If you try to rush the hallway, you'll get chopped to bits or blown by APM/C7 out of cover. If you stay in the entrance you'll get naded and shot to bits.

We can seperate this in roughly two general problems ignoring APM/C7 since it will account most likely for 1 or 2 deaths which a medic can defib back.

a) Nades, and b) weapon fire

The grenades can be avoided if you do not stay in the initial killing zone since this is where most of them get thrown to. So the question of succeess in taking a console lies in how to avoid the massive amount of fire coming down the hallway and move forward out of the nade zone and establish a foothold in the hallway.

In my opinion a possible way forward would be:
1) Two assaults fill the hallway with smoke. We're talking about 4 smoke grenades worth of smoke thrown all over the hallway. Two smoke grenades create dense enough smoke cover not to see anything through, four of them thrown in different places should make it hard for enemy gunfire to be accurate.

2) A pair of supports rushes forward to the middle bulkhead cover, chucking EMP grenades and then immediatly starting supressive fire.

3) Assaults go moving towards the bulkheads throwing nades/firing rockets deeper into the hallway, then rushing past the supports the moment the frags blow. The objective is to get past the defending support teams, and start firing in their middle and drive fire toward themselves. By this time the smoke will be clearing in the hallway so supports can stop firing blind and can aim at targets not obscured by assaults rushing in.

4) Reminder of the team moves in defibs ready and raises any dead team members close to the entrance. The team begins regular assault down the hallway.


Some things to note:
- Assault rockets can be preset to a correct range to hit the regular defense positions before going into the hallway. All it takes is logging onto an empty server, and ranging the distance from hallway entrance to the console intersection and remembering the distance. Then finding a similiar range in the titan hangar bay to be used later to preset a range.

- A cloaked recon could be used to rush past the defenders in a smoked hallway and tossing a nade from behind or trying to C7 a console. I don't see this working out too well in most situations.

[jepzilla]

Well, if we're talking corridors 1&2, the problem is getting around the corner and getting an established position. The attacking squad can throw grenades at least as far as the defending - a little more because the hallway slopes down towards the console, I think - and cover can be provided against weapons fire with the deployable forcefields. But of course, that still leaves you vulnerable to rockets... although there aren't always defenders with rockets! Given the variety of different equipment that the hallway might be defended with, I don't think a single shrinkwrapped strategy will do!

A couple things to consider- first, you don't have to take the corridor in one rush. Second, various items can be left behind. Remember that med boxes heal everybody around at a certain rate, and the effect is additive; while a single medic healing people is less effective than in BF2, several are far more effective. Also, as BaracudaMagoo discovered, the AE defuser has quite a range. Another thing to consider is having some medics hold back by the entrance to revive the inevitable victims of grenades or RDX/APMs.

I'd like to try out a first rush in which the supports deploy their forcefields across the corridor, and supply crates and med packs are dropped behind it. Then follow that with a second assault which tries to break through the defense through the now established position. Constantly rushing in doesn't really accomplish anything- I really want to see people leaving things behind with each push to help with the next- sentry drones, force fields, crates, mines, etc...

One thing that is really critical though, and something that has been lacking even in TG squads, is some more advanced teamwork. Patience is far better than rushing in on your own over and over, so any plan really needs to start with the squad first securing the entrance so that nobody comes up the hall and wipes them out. Second, securing the area outside; I can't count the number of times on Titan defense I come up a different corridor and take out a squad waiting a the entrance because nobody was watching their backs (well, yes I can, I've done it about five times). Once you've got that done then you can start thinking about how to break through.

Other things to consider- the defenders have to split their defense across corridors 1 & 2, you can throw everybody at one. But once you've taken a corridor the defenders have to reposition. If they have any sense they will reposition to the other long corridor, if one of those consoles hasn't been destroyed yet... if you have someone with RDX, once the corridor is breached you don't need everybody in! Just one guy to guard his back while he deploys the explosives, everybody else should try to make a quick run on the other corridor before the defenders have a chance to rally! The entire premise of this thread is that breaking through an entrenched defense is hard, so try not to let them become entrenched. :-)

[Virigoth]

The reoccuring problem that I see is that even if you setup a foothold at the entrance (support shields, medpacs etc), the opposing team will rain frags on your head all day, making that spot a death trap for anyone who tries to stay there for more then a second.

My opinion is that you need to close to the first set of bulkheads so that the defenders do not have an easy option of tossing frags. A ton of smoke and some distractions should allow at least a pair of attackers to close that gap and toss a few frags of their own.

[BHack]

I'll just say that:

1. This is a fun idea, but 9/10 times it is going to fail. The odds are so against you it isn't even funny.

2. The rocket trick won't work. The ranged explosions only work when you are zoomed in. You can't pre set the range then go into the hallway and shoot. A) because if you don't zoom it won't range burst and B) if you do zoom, you've just reset the range.

If you have any chance at all, it would be getting to the second set of bulkheads and having players smart enough to spam frags off the opposing walls. If you take out a few and manage to all rush in, you have a small chance.

[Exploding_Silver]

taking a hallway is easy.....just stand back and order in Robo

[=Sarc=]

It's all about frags. It's an important unlock for assaulting a titan hallway. A friend told me that using the right-click to prime the grenade will make it faster to toss than priming the grenade with a left-click. With a right-click, your arm cocks back for the throw. Once you enter the hallway, it's a fast toss down and you can take out some defenders. Get pairs moving in then hiding behind the bulkhead is something to try. I can last a few seconds, which is enough to throw the frag and hide behind a bulkhead. Unfortunately, no backup means I didn't help much.

Running in cloaked works a bit too. I tried it once and got past the lower level consoles. Unfortunately, you're kind of screwed once you try to kill anybody. It's a nice distraction though since there's a chance nobody will see you quick enough. You could probably get two defenders looking at you running around for a few seconds. That should be enough to sneak in a couple more attackers with frags. Then follow up with more attackers with guns.

It is quite a stubborn way of winning. It really seems that EA didn't think much about how to bore through a well defended hallway. Their solution seems to just go attack and hold silos while the enemy has redirected resources to defending the titan.

[Virigoth]

Well you have to remember that titan-mode has no ticket count. So given that the ground situation is more or less OK, there is no reason why you should not attack the titan and see if you can make some headway.

Another thing I thought off..

Defenders reach a point of diminishing returns after about 4-5 people are defending the hallway. They start getting in each other's way, there are sentry guns firing on people's backs, and they are very clustered which leads to high death counts from an accurate frag.

A team for assault and another one covering their backs with a beacon set in the cargo hold should be able to put on alot of pressure.

[LuckyStrike]

I think it was jep's idea..... prepare to attack the titan right before the shields go down. When you get the 'shields critical' warning is the time to grab an APC or transport and position yourself. The surprise attack works well. Most of the enemy should still be messing with the silos while you get to the consoles.

[xTYBALTx]

Any strategy which involves hanging out an the end of coridors one or two whilst the defenders are still alive and well is really not going to work against an organized defense. Sheilds will simply imede your own squad's movement down the corridor.

I think the key is getting in there, up close to the defenders. Rush six and once they are killed rush another six. Of course, soften up with grenades and EMPs first.

A final note about EMPs: they don't seem especially reliable for taking out sentries, but because of their ability to work through the bulkhead, they are a good way to disorient the defenders before charging in. The effect seems to last for a good ten seconds as well, which is longer than a succesful frag grenade will keep a defender down.

[LuckyStrike]

Originally Posted by xTYBALTx

Any strategy which involves hanging out an the end of coridors one or two whilst the defenders are still alive and well is really not going to work against an organized defense. Sheilds will simply imede your own squad's movement down the corridor.

Get on the titan as fast as possible after the main shields go down and fight together.

[Arf]

Even if you get on the Titan right after the shields go down that doesn't mean the enemy hasn't already been spawning there. Your best bet is to wait on the CO because they can see defenders on the Titan with the scan. The CO should be fairly aware of how long the enemy has been on the Titan and thus how long they've had to prepare a defense. If there's a large group of defenders on the Titan you're better off on the ground. That will force the enemy to fight out numbered over the Silos or get off the Titan and leave it vulnerable to attack.

The best way break an impregnable defense is to not be on the Titan.

[Acid]

I would go with "order Robo in" but incase he isn't here, I guess you would have to go with one of the below:

Nades, smoke, EMP, and a few sentry guns. Have one guy sneak out enough to register a NetBat position on some guys before the smoke goes out, then the sentry gun can gun em through the smoke while your squad tries to take cover. Since we expect casualities, stick 2 meatshields in the front to take all the hits, then get as far down the hall as you can. If you get stuck half way behind one of the barriers, you are toast with a nade on top. Sucessfully clearing a coridor requires 2 squads, one to cause some damage and push the front past the doorway, and then 2nd squad to pick up the front while squad one heals and revives their own. It's like bounding overwatch with 2 squads.

[david225]

In another thread, i stated that once the shield go down, the commander usually orders squads up to their titan to defend. Most of the time, squads will go their for the own volition, leaving most of the silos undefended.
While going starwars is fun, keep in mind that it's not always the best way to win a match.

[experiment626]

Originally Posted by david225

While going starwars is fun, keep in mind that it's not always the best way to win a match.

I think this one is going to stick...."going starwars"

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[jepzilla]

Originally Posted by Virigoth

The reoccuring problem that I see is that even if you setup a foothold at the entrance (support shields, medpacs etc), the opposing team will rain frags on your head all day, making that spot a death trap for anyone who tries to stay there for more then a second.

My opinion is that you need to close to the first set of bulkheads so that the defenders do not have an easy option of tossing frags. A ton of smoke and some distractions should allow at least a pair of attackers to close that gap and toss a few frags of their own.

No reason you can't throw grenades back. My point about establishing a foothold is you can use forcefields to provide cover against weapons fire (instead of bulkheads) and you can throw grenades further than the defenders due to the geometry. Plus, you can take cover outside in the cargo bay if a grenade is incoming. And if you keep up your own nade spamming, the defenders won't be able to get close enough to spam back. Even if you can't push them off the console, enough grenades nearby will kill it. With a foothold, the console will inevitably be destroyed.

The point is basically this: if you can establish a foothold, you have yourself on at the very least, equal footing with the defenders. Except you have more than an equal position, because the geometry of the corridor works in your favor once you have a foothold (it slopes downwards to the console).