How to Avoid Annoying Your Team Mates

[Bommando]

I am starting this thread as a resource for players to access basic tips about tactics and game mechanics to avoid annoying their squad mates. I still see a lot of experienced TG players making fundamental mistakes that get them or their team mates killed.

Please feel free to add to this thread, but please make sure that you are posting tried and tested information before you do, so as not to mislead people.

Misunderstanding the Damage Model.

Please stop firing basic weapons at armoured targets unless your direct intention is to distract them or you have a death wish.

APCs and Tanks take NEGLIGIBLE or NO DAMAGE from:

• Frag Grenades.
• Rifle Rockets.
• Rifles and Machine Guns.
• Mounted Machine Guns.
• Fixed AA Emplacements (the one with the dual cannons).
• APC Mortars.

I repeat: DO NOT use these weapons to fire upon hard targets unless with the express intent of directing their attention to you. Your team mates will get very annoyed if you cause their death because you can't keep your finger off that trigger.

Worth special mention are the APC mortars. Because of their devastating effect against infantry, people have the misconception that they have a similar effect against armour. WRONG. Each direct mortar hit does a single unit of damage, so unless you target is already on fire, you are wasting your time. Please reserve APC mortars for their intended targets like infantry, buggies and fixed emplacements.

Note that only tank-mounted machine guns do damage to air targets. APCs and FAVs do no damage to air targets.

Playing Rambo.

If you see a cluster of enemies on the UAV, or you have just lost your flag, please for the love of all that is holy, throw frags before engaging. Most of your squad mates will precede an engagement with grenades. While we admire your confidence that you can single-handedly pistol an entire enemy squad to death, a more likely outcome is that you will get caught in the blast radius of a friendly grenade. Think first, watch your minimap and engage superior numbers with area effect weaponry for maximum carnage.

This goes for knifing as well.

Crossing Fire Lanes.

If your squad is engaging the enemy from an entrenched or enclosed position, stay out of friendly line of fire. Take up a position to support your team mates without standing in front of them. People get very upset when they miss an opportunity for a kill or worse, kill you due to your lack of spacial awareness.

Don't Leave Flags Undefended.

This goes for both COs and SLs. If your team has bleed or holds strategically important flags in a non-bleed situation, STOP ATTACKING! A defending squad will cause much more damage than an assaulting squad 90% of the time and unless you have a very good reason for wanting that shiny new flag, you should not abandon flags.

Use Your Minimap.

So much information in such a handy little square.

Medics, Support players and Engineers should be listening and watching for support requests from other players. VOIP is often inefficient for communicating needs, so a lot of players will mostly use their commo rose to make such requests. Your team mate will appear as a Medic Cross, Ammo Circle or Wrench Circle depending on the request and your role. Seek them out and help them.

Also, Medics and Support players will see orange and red borders around team mates who require their services without them even asking. Look for clusters of enemies in orange or red and drop your hubs near them to keep them happy.

Spotting Enemies.

Spotted enemies and UAVs are highly advantageous. So many times I will say "contact spotted" and I will hear someone say "where?" Come on dude, it's freaking flashing red on your minimap and appears on your HUD as a red diamond. I don't have time to give you details while I'm being shot. Sometimes you will have time to give a cardinal direction with the spot, so you should do so if possible.

Also, if you don't have a clear shot on an enemy, please spot them, so a team mate can do so. Remember that you can actually successfully spot an obscured enemy by spotting slightly above them, even if you don't have a visual. Do this as often as possible.

Don't Jack My Ride.

If an Engineer gets out to repair their vehicle, don't drive it away. If you are nice enough to hold it for them while they do so, then fine, but please give it back once it's at full health. This goes for people in turrets as well. Sometimes, I will stop an APC at a strategic choke point and get in the mortar. You'd better have a damn good reason if you drive it away. More importantly, you really shouldn't be in a vehicle's driver position unless you're in the same squad as the gunner, so you can communicate. Sure, sometimes the circumstances require you to be there, but please consider your actions before you drive off with it.

Delaying Spawn.

Hold Spawn Issues.

[Zoraster]

One very minor point: If you can get yourself in a position to hit the weak spot with an assault rifle (i think this is especially true for the Baur), then you can do quite a bit of damage... up to about 30% of its hitpoints, in fact.

There are only a very limited number of times when this is really a good idea, but very occasionally, it's worth trying to do.

Other than that, this should be required reading for anyone playing the game.

[Revark]

Originally Posted by Zoraster

One very minor point: If you can get yourself in a position to hit the weak spot with an assault rifle (i think this is especially true for the Baur), then you can do quite a bit of damage... up to about 30% of its hitpoints, in fact.

There are only a very limited number of times when this is really a good idea, but very occasionally, it's worth trying to do.

Other than that, this should be required reading for anyone playing the game.

This works on the walkers very nicely. The vents in the under carriage. BUT, I only try this as a last ditch attempt. It will usually just get you stepped on.

Good write up though.

[Dark Viper]

Originally Posted by Bommando

ote that mounted machine guns do NO DAMAGE to air targets either. This is a common mistake with BF2 veterans who are used to mounted .50 cals doing huge damage to air targets. This is not so in 2142. Please save your gun for soft targets for which they are intended.

The MGs ontop of tanks will do damage to gunships and dropships.

[Bommando]

Originally Posted by Dark Viper

The MGs ontop of tanks will do damage to gunships and dropships.

Are you certain? I get no hit indicators and no decrease of the enemy's health bar when I fire them at air assets. Very rarely, you may hit an exposed crew member in a transport. Could this be it? I will test this to make sure.

[Exploding_Silver]

Squad leader verbal orders
Squad leaders are giving verbal orders for a reason, its to meld 6 guys into one working unit, this is the thrill of squad play. So don't ignore whats being said and go off doing your own thing. If the SL orders 'were moving north now' then stop what you are doing and start moving. If the squad leader is down and calls for a medic then you could be that guy that immediatly goes over to revive him. If a squad leader orders 'tank incoming we have a railgun here, use it' then be that guy who runs for the railgun. A good teamplayer is noticed by all on TG servers.

[InfernoBLT11]

Originally Posted by Bommando

Are you certain? I get no hit indicators and no decrease of the enemy's health bar when I fire them at air assets. Very rarely, you may hit an exposed crew member in a transport. Could this be it? I will test this to make sure.

Yeah man, this one is a confirmed fact. The tank's autocannon does decent damage to air target, not as much as the Walker AA but with higher rate of fire and longer burst time.

[Yoyi]

Originally Posted by Bommando

Don't Leave Flags Undefended.

This goes for both COs and SLs. If your team has bleed or holds strategically important flags in a non-bleed situation, STOP ATTACKING! A defending squad will cause much more damage than an assaulting squad 90% of the time and unless you have a very good reason for wanting that shiny new flag, you should not abandon flags.

Thank you. Been barking up this tree for a while. Don't push if you don't need to.

Goes mostly for pubs as TGers are more prone to not care if they have to deffend a spot even if there is not much action going on.

A couple of support guys can be devastating when dug in and with medpack next to them.

I know is a game and all but I get more satisfaction by winning the round than going down in a haze of bullets.

[Zoopy_T]

On Titan, it's usually a good idea to use APC mortars against other APCs. Since APCs are mobile spawn points, usually people hop out of the APC, thus you kill infratry. But This is a rarity in itself and is usually best to avoid in both Conquest and Titan.

Also I am also positive that the Tank's machine gun does damage to gunships, but the FAV does nothing to the gunship (altough this possibly could of been patched out, I have never tried in patch 1.1)

[Fehmart]

Yes, it has also been my experience that tank MGs will damage aircraft.

[CrOssBowEd_LoBstEr]

amen to the crossfire thingy you said. i hate it when im about to blast a guy and somebody runs in my way, so all the enemy has to do is shoot at the guy in front of me and kill us both. this happens to me at least 5 times a day.

[ThePenguineer]

I am often surprised as to how many people do not know or use the Commo Rose to request Medics, Supplies, and Repairs. It is rather aggravating playing a support kit and having a fellow SM ask by VoIP for help without them using the Commo Rose to help figure out where they are. Sometimes the name thing doesn't come up when people speak, so if you didn't play BF2 here, the likelihood of me recognizing your voice is pretty low.

The Commo Rose: Help your medic help you.

[Zoopy_T]

Originally Posted by ThePenguineer

I am often surprised as to how many people do not know or use the Commo Rose to request Medics, Supplies, and Repairs. It is rather aggravating playing a support kit and having a fellow SM ask by VoIP for help without them using the Commo Rose to help figure out where they are. Sometimes the name thing doesn't come up when people speak, so if you didn't play BF2 here, the likelihood of me recognizing your voice is pretty low.

The Commo Rose: Help your medic help you.

Most of the time when you call medic, repairs, or supplies using the commo rose everyone ignores you (usually not teammates, but sometimes). Best is to call out on VOIP and use the commo rose after you call out.

[HatefullSix]

Originally Posted by Zoopy_T

Most of the time when you call medic, repairs, or supplies using the commo rose everyone ignores you (usually not teammates, but sometimes). Best is to call out on VOIP and use the commo rose after you call out.

That is the method I find works the best. Additionally, I've found that calling for a medic after going down works best if calling in game, using VOIP, then calling in game again.

[Sharpish]

Originally Posted by Bommando

APCs and Tanks take NEGLIGIBLE or NO DAMAGE from:

• Frag Grenades.
• Rifle Rockets.
• Rifles and Machine Guns.
• Mounted Machine Guns.
• Fixed AA Emplacements (the one with the dual cannons).
• APC Mortars.

Erm, if you hit the vents of a tank with an APC mortar, (I think) you can bring the tank to half-health... I only do this as engineer so I can blow it away with rockets once done.