Fire Discipline

[WhiskeySix]

The following text was written by Shafik as part of a TGU effort to freshen-up some of our standard operating procedures (all of which should be reviewed). Given the number of new faces to PR, I thought this one in particular was worth reemphasizing.

Fire Discipline

In our virtual world of Battlefield 2, you will often need to keep your Squad's approach quiet, and a single Squad Member who decides to open fire without warning can often send the entire mission down the tubes. Stealth is a big part of the game, and even more so in the latest Project Reality modification. We will use Fire Conditions set by the Squad Leader to let all members know how to handle all enemy sightings to and on the objective. This discipline is a very simple; one every Squad Leader should be able to implement with minimal effort. Prior to any movement or mission, the Squad Leader should set one of three possible Fire Conditions:

1. Open Fire (aka Green, engage at will, Free Fire)

Team members may engage the enemy at will using their own best judgment while adhering to the Squad's current objective. If they choose to fire, it's good form to advise other team members that they are about to engage the enemy, effectively warning them to seek immediate cover.

In Game: SL: "OK, guys. Let's set ourselves up in a line stretching north-to-south here... spot and engage all contacts!"

Priority: Removing all threats to the squad/objective.

2. Return Fire Only (aka Yellow, engage immediate threats ONLY)

Team members may engage hostile targets, but ONLY in self-defense. When enemy forces are spotted, team members should

1. Ensure their safety (either by seeking cover or by continuing movement away the threat)
2. Spot the enemy.
3. Make a quick Contact Report.
4. Wait for Squad Leader's orders.

When in Return Fire Only mode, the most important thing is for the squad to keep moving towards the waypoint and avoid getting mired in a strategically unimportant fire-fight along the way. A classic example would be if your squad is moving as quickly as possible to support another squad already engaged an active fire-fight: where the most important thing is for the entire squad to arrive at the destination healthy in as little time as possible. It's used where the element of surprise at the destination isn't paramount.

In Game: SL: "Listen up! We need to assist Squad 2 and we need to get there fast. Keep moving and don't engage unless you absolutely have to - RETURN FIRE ONLY. Let's go!"

Priority: Speed. Getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible while sustaining as few casualties as possible

3. Hold Fire (aka Red, Fire by orders ONLY, super-ninja-mode, Predator-stealth-mode)

Team members will hold their fire and will NOT engage targets without a direct order from their Squad Leader. If they spot enemy forces, they should seek immediate safe cover and send a Contact Report, and await further instructions. If enemy forces fire in their general direction without seeming to know your exact position (often called Ineffective Fire), team members DO NOT return fire unless ordered. This is used when moving into position before starting an attack on an unsuspecting enemy position.

In Game: SL: "Listen up, guys. We're gonna try to flank around the North and take the Crash Site behind their back. Move slowly and QUIETLY. HOLD YOUR FIRE."

Priority: Stealth/Surprise. Using as much time as necessary to moving from point A to point B without being spotted by the enemy.

General Fire Disciplines

1. Use Common Sense. In other words, if at anytime the personal safety of youself or a team member is jeopardized due to the enemy spotting or firing directly (Effective Fire) upon the team, they should immediately engage with aggressive suppressing fire.

2. Do NOT engage from the Squad Leader's position or from a friendly Rally Point. When spawning on the squad leader during an active fire fight, do not immediately engage the enemy. This will draw attention to your squad leader's position and severely jeopardize the sustainability of the attack. (Note: with Project Reality's introduction of Rally Points, this is less critical, but still an excellent practice)

3. Do NOT draw attention to yourself with unecessary gun-fire. This is especially critical when using Support MG's (tracers) and un-silenced rifles.

4. Leave a small "footprint" on the battlefield. If the enemy can't hear you or see you, they can't locate you. If they can't locate you, they can't kill you. Play quietly and in the shadows. Engage medium/long range targets (30m+) with single shots or controlled-bursts. This increases accuracy, but equally importantly, it maintains one's anonymity.

Final Notes

The names given here should give you an example on how to communicate the same idea in different ways. If you can think of simpler ways to do this do not hesitate. The key is that ALL Squad Members know what the current situation and Fire Condition is, regardless of what you call it. After a bit of practice using this technique, it becomes almost second nature and makes it much easier to maintain good fire discipline, which often can make a critical difference to the overall success or failure of the mission. We encourage all players on any TacticalGamer public server to understand and utilize this Fire Discipline SOP as much as possible.

[Atomic Dog]

This is an excellent write up. Thanks for sharing!

[asch]

Nice. May have to look at replacing the SOP with this.

[BrotherCaptain Gaius]

I definitely like this. I was reading through the SOPs and it struck me how cumbersome and impractical many were, often being out-of-date or not relevant to PR. And in anything military, practicality is king. This write-up definitely helps, IMO.

Personally, I'd add the bit about engaging from the SL's position to Rally Points as well, particularly since RPs are even easier to destroy now. They need to remain hidden.

[freekyE]

This is exactly what we teach in the basic TGU courses....though this is a well written concise guide. Thank you for sharing.

[Beatnik]

+reppage for another great post Dude.

I'd change "Do not fire from the SL's position" to include Rally Points (i.e. do NOT spawn and fire from Rally Points). It's common sense, but you still see it sometimes. Very frustrating when that happens and our RP is easily located.

[WhiskeySix]

Originally Posted by Beatnik

I'd change....

I would too, but I can't edit that post any more <nudge> <nudge>

[Beatnik]

Done and done.

[Riki_Rude_BTYC]

I agree, I use this with my squads at all times. There is nothing I hate more then ALMOST geting into a fantastic position, only to have someone start shooting randomly and give us away.

There also needs to be something about not shooting vehicle weapons until you are in position. I hate driving an APC and people are jsut shooting randomly, same goes with the BH, quite annoying.

Nice post!

[Belhade]

I've been guilty of violating this, it's usually a matter of trying to spot an enemy nearby and mistiming the key-mouse combo.

[Coridon]

Originally Posted by WhiskeySix

When in Return Fire Only mode, the most important thing is for the squad to keep moving towards the waypoint and avoid getting mired in a strategically unimportant fire-fight along the way. A classic example would be if your squad is moving as quickly as possible to support another squad already engaged an active fire-fight: where the most important thing is for the entire squad to arrive at the destination healthy in as little time as possible.

This is one of the most thrilling experiences in game when you can pull it off successfully. I've been trying to practice this when I SL on USMC side of Al Basrah. Oftentimes we'll be moving through a narrow corridor and be ambushed. I'll yell out for the squad to push through and keep moving, that we'll heal up and resupply once we're out of the kill zone. It normally comes out with me screaming "DON'T GET PINNED, KEEP MOVING, DON'T GET PINNED HERE!!!!". I have the squad move quickly to the flag, set up defensive positions and make those guys come to us.

Now I just need to get it in my head to do this on all maps, not just Al Basrah...