Re: Squad Leader Tactics

**Virigoth** · 10-25-2006, 03:05 AM

Slightly on topic:

Spawn Becons can be destroyed with one shot from the sniper upgraded rifle. It even gives you a nice icon when you look at it through the scope.

I've done that 4 times during our games tonight

**Exploding_Silver** · 11-12-2006, 07:06 PM

Just to reiterate there is a bug with the beacon that sometimes you cant place it, there is no beacon down and your squad cant spawn on you either. Even if the SL respawns the bug is still there

Tonight I was killed as i was placing the beacon, I heard 'squad beacon is active' but it was not on the map.

The only way to get around it is to leave and rejoin the squad so someone else is squad leader or create a new squad and everyone joins your new squad

**Acreo Aeneas** · 11-13-2006, 11:57 PM

I didn't see this mentioned, but even if you didn't unlock the SLSB (Squad Leader Spawn Beacon), your SMs will still spawn next to you (magically) if they so chose.

But the one thing that I dislike is how some SLs place their beacons in the worst bottleneck zones. The SMs spawn and get spawn killed instantly because it's a hot zone upon touchdown. The placement of the SLSB is crucial, in my mind at least. Anyone else can attest to it?

**TheFatKidDeath** · 11-14-2006, 12:59 AM

Originally Posted by Exploding_Silver

So what tactics really work for squad leading ?

Let’s hear all your ideas in this thread

I’d like to start with the obvious big difference from BF2, the squad beacon
This is what I have worked out so far;

For the beacon to work it needs to have sky above it. You can sometimes put it down but no-one can spawn on it. You can check if its spawnable by looking at the spawn screen, if its got a red circle around it then its no go. The beacon doesn’t work on the 1st floor balcony of a tower block. The beacon does work on the metal stairs & platforms on the outside of buildings.

If you are defending a flag you can hide the beacon very close to the flag, and if it goes neutral, your guys can respawn in right into the capping distance at that critical moment. Above head height at the flag is good because attacking players capping your flag always keep low behind cover.

Have you ever got into the action and died, gone to the spawn screen and the beacon’s gone…oh no attack over. I have remapped the spawn screen to ‘left tab’ from ‘enter’ key, so that I can quickly tap the spawn screen and check the beacon is still alive. Also tell your guys to say if the beacons down. If its down then you need to go back to BF2 type tactics and back off from the action & hide around the corner.

Arty has a wide area of affect and will almost certainly destroy your beacon. Arty is only in conquest but not in titan. They affects beacon placement.

If you loose your beacon, then get another from commander supply box or support guy.

When defending you can in effect have three spawn points, - the flag, backup plan - the beacon, then back up to the backup - yourself. If its titan you can also have APCs and dropships as spawnpoints. These dynamics of more than 2 spawn points are really promising.

When attacking you could, with a bit of luck, get on the flag yourself and place the beacon, then go hide and be the backup to the beacon. Your guys respawn right into capping distance, if they get crushed & your beacon is destroyed then the attack is still on because you are still alive nearby. Make sure you call for ammo for a new beacon and get your guys in there again.

The beacon makes a noise that astute players will follow to destroy your beacon. So a quite corner is not always the best. The noise of gunfire covers the beacon sound very well, so very close to a busy flag can work.

Bushes and grass hide the beacon well.

Inside the titan is the only place where the beacon does not need sky above to work. When attacking titan the trapdoors you can go down from the roof lead to a safe from grenades corridor, put the beacon there. When defending titan consoles, put the beacon by the console behind the glass window, safe from hand grenades.

Support personal shield (red thing) to cover the beacon ? haven’t tried this one yet

Have you seen those large metal tubes you can walk through, I think (not certain) the beacon works in them and its safe from arty.

Take a flag, put your beacon down on it and move out to next flag, if the flag goes neutral your guys can respawn on it and maybe take it back.

I’m not sure how EMP affects the beacon.

You cannot place a beacon if you are the only person in your squad !

Well that’s quite a lot about beacons, please comment on this and any other aspect of squad leader tactics that occur to you.

.

When I'm squad leading I like to use the spawn beacon as a way point between two points be it silos or flags. The beacon allows me to cover two points without having to move back and forth.

For example, if we have to move to cap another flag, I will move with the squad halfway to the next flag and drop the beacon and then move back to the previous flag that we took. This allows me to do two things:

1)Defend the original flag. I usually stay back at the original flag on D and advance the squad. Laying the beacon at the halfway point allows me to do this rather than go with the squad and all our hard work going by the wayside because the opposing team took the flag we just capped.

2)If the squad needs to spawn, they can do that on the beacon which is closer to the next objective rather than having to come back and spawn on me. Also two flags or silos can be defend much easier if the beacon is placed at one site.

**Exploding_Silver** · 11-17-2006, 10:32 PM

Hiding the beacon with medpacks / ammopacks can save it for those extra few valuable seconds before your guys spawn.

**LuckyStrike** · 11-18-2006, 02:40 PM

Originally Posted by BHack

Thanatos:

The real drawback, from what I can see, and I may be wrong - is that if your beacon gets destroyed, the Squad members can not spawn on YOU. So, if you loose the beacon, you've effectively lost all foward spawn capability.

Then you need to get a SB resupplied and place it again or die and respawn. When you respawn your squad members should be able to respawn on you. There is a bug where this is not happening and the SL has to leave and rejoin the squad or start a new squad.

**Tarenth** · 11-19-2006, 05:01 PM

For the love of all you hold dear do NOT put your squad beacon on something high and narrow like the top of a wall.

Spawning on the beacon will drop you near the beacon, but not on it. This means sometimes you drop on one side of the wall, other times you drop on the other side of the wall, later you might drop on the wall, and then there are times you'll just hit the wall and fall to your death. If the place you put the beacon on is 'just wide enough' to tap it you'll pop out of your drop pod and start plummeting to your doom. Nothing kills a squad spawn better than death by fall 3 seconds later.

If you're going to hide the beacon on top of something make sure there is enough clearance below it to deploy a shute so you don't get killed.

**Dick Blonov** · 11-19-2006, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by Exploding_Silver

Hiding the beacon with medpacks / ammopacks can save it for those extra few valuable seconds before your guys spawn.

Great tip!.

Thanks.

DB

**=Sarc=** · 11-19-2006, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by Tarenth

For the love of all you hold dear do NOT put your squad beacon on something high and narrow like the top of a wall.

Spawning on the beacon will drop you near the beacon, but not on it. This means sometimes you drop on one side of the wall, other times you drop on the other side of the wall, later you might drop on the wall, and then there are times you'll just hit the wall and fall to your death. If the place you put the beacon on is 'just wide enough' to tap it you'll pop out of your drop pod and start plummeting to your doom. Nothing kills a squad spawn better than death by fall 3 seconds later.

If you're going to hide the beacon on top of something make sure there is enough clearance below it to deploy a shute so you don't get killed.

Very good point. A prime map for this problem is Camp Gibraltar. Once you're outside the walls, there's no way to get back in except suicide.

**Yoyi** · 11-20-2006, 03:18 PM

Another note on beacons.

Don't drop them in the deep end of the pool. If your becon drops in any mass of water deep enough to swim your beacon will not function AND you wont be able to destroy/get it back and will have to remake squad to get it to work. I think is similar to the bug silver was talking about.

**KoopaTroopa** · 11-21-2006, 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by =Sarc=

Very good point. A prime map for this problem is Camp Gibraltar. Once you're outside the walls, there's no way to get back in except suicide.

On the other hand, that makes for sweet April's Fool shenanigans. Be the SL, run up a catwalk, and jump-throw your beacon as far outside the wall as you can.

Your squadmates will not be pleased.

**TheFatKidDeath** · 11-21-2006, 06:07 PM

I've found that alot of squads will take the shortest route to a flag rather than taking the safest. I try to move and position my squad around a flag rather than a direct assault. Depending on the situation, I'll break the squad into two mini squads and attack from different directions. I'll use the spawn beacon as a re-spawn if I die. I'm also trying more often to use the "Move" icon to show the squad where to re-position.

**Exploding_Silver** · 11-21-2006, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by TheFatKidDeath

I've found that alot of squads will take the shortest route to a flag rather than taking the safest. I try to move and position my squad around a flag rather than a direct assault. Depending on the situation, I'll break the squad into two mini squads and attack from different directions. I'll use the spawn beacon as a re-spawn if I die. I'm also trying more often to use the "Move" icon to show the squad where to re-position.

I agree, take a longer route around to the back door, dont just get shot at the front door like everyone else.
To do this you need to tell your guys the exact route to take, hence the move command. 3 or 4 move commands can really work with verbal control over your guys
"we're moving out in 20 secs get ready"
"double time at the back"
"hold at the waypoint till the others catch up"
"wait here and get your run energy back"
"lets all move out together to next waypoint now"
this can all work, but it is easier to just them into an APC and you drive the route you want

**Acid** · 11-21-2006, 06:35 PM

Also: don't put them in any clump of trees. Your squad will hit the top of the trees and plummet down to die.

**Relmar** · 11-22-2006, 05:07 PM

Please please please don't put a beacon next to the wall at the out of bounds border on camp gibraltar!

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