Support Kit 101

ikill4aliving · 06-06-2007, 04:39 PM

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

Gets more accurate as it is fired
Huge magazine capacity
Resupply both you and your team, making you be able to theoretically have unlimited ammo
High damage
High rate of fire
Detects invisible players
Emp grenades

Weaknesses

Overheats quickly
Reload time is a bit long
Not good against heavy vehicles
Shotgun is useless at far away distances

Support vs. Vehicles

Vs. Heavy Vehicles

You are basically an easy kill to a tank or APC driver. The only thing you can do is emp them and hope for an engineer or vehicle to come and take him out. I suggest to just emp him and hide then emp him and keep hiding.

Vs. Walkers

The support kit is actually pretty useful for taking out walkers. You can do two things: emp them and hide, or get under them and shoot at the vents. I usually emp them and then try to get under them and blow them up with my gun.

Vs. Fast Attack Vehicles (FAVs)

The support kit can take out FAVs with ease if you can get them emped or if their coming right in front of you. The only thing you really need to care about with these are that they can use their boost to make you road kill.

Weapon of Choice

Bianchi/Shuko LMG

The default gun has a couple strengths over the Ganz and the Shotgun. It doesnt overheat as fast as the Ganz and it has better range than the Shotgun. Although the LMG lacks power compared to its upgrades, it can still be quite effective.

Ganz HMG

The HMG is probably the most prefered out of the automatic guns for the support kit. It has power, but has a faster overheat time. The HMG has both range and power.

Clark 15B Shotgun

The shotgun is usefull on Camp Gibraltar and on titans. It is meant for close quarters fights and is usually used at mid range if the player is actually useful with it. Most people dont like this gun due to its lack of accuracy at mid to long range fights.

Equipment

Sentry Gun

The sentry gun is a must have for the support kit. It can detect enemies from the other side of a wall and is usefull at guarding flags. The sentry gun has unlimited ammo and has a pretty good range of fire.

DysTek Pulse Meter

This is a must on titans unless you have the Northern Strike unlock. It can mark enemies on other sides of walls with diamonds. It use to be pretty usefull, but your better off going with the IDS-1 Infantry Sonar.

IDS-1 Infantry Sonar

This unlock is usefull when guarding or watching a flag. Although it doesn't detect vehicles, it can still be usefull. It is very effective on maps that the enemy team can have huge breakthroughs on like Camp Gibraltar.

IPS Shield

The IPS Shield is a basic shield. It takes a good amount of punishment before it is destroyed. A sentry gun can be protected and still shoot while behind the shield. This unlock is pretty usefull if guarding a titan coridor.

Emp Grenade

The emp grenade is a must have on vehicle heavy maps like Suez Canal and Verdun. It stuns a vehicle dead in its tracks for about 5 seconds. This is usefull is you have a vehicle or engineer near it.

Thanks for reading my guide for the Support kit. I might make some more for other kits. Please post your comments.

Rustybaldur · 06-06-2007, 05:05 PM

DysTek Pulse Meter

and it is usefull if you are playing offensive. the IDS needs to be deployed so it is good if you are defending

**Anospa** · 06-06-2007, 06:17 PM

EMPs are incredibly useful, very frustrating for infantry when a support starts lobbing 'em. I usually toss a few then shortly follow them in with the Clark blazing.

Another use for th shield most people don't abuse enough is blocking passages. Put it right in a doorway or in the gaps of fences, or even at the top of ladders.

**Lorax74** · 06-06-2007, 07:20 PM

I use the IDS when assaulting if I'm on point, just run up and chuck it on something.

EMP nades against pubbies will sometimes net you an infantry kill and a nice piece of armor if and when the pilot dives out...

**Anospa** · 06-06-2007, 08:27 PM

Oh man, I loooooooove, stealing vehicles this way. I EMPed an APC once and then ran up to it to just take cover for a second and then start EMPing right next to it. Figured I'd just hold down the get in key just in case. My actions payed off!

ikill4aliving · 06-06-2007, 09:21 PM

yes, emping does that sometimes

ikill4aliving · 06-07-2007, 12:05 PM

I cant edit my first post so ill just add it here:

Clark RDX Shotgun

This gun can be pretty useful if you are on a map with a bunch of spots that players can hide behind but are out of range for you to get a nade into. Although it has a lack of accuracy, it can still cause splash damage.

**Tarenth** · 06-09-2007, 02:26 PM

Nothing can shoot through the shield from either in front or behind unless its a vehicle mounted heavy weapon. Putting a sentry gun behind an IPS will just cause the sentry to shoot at the shield and have its bullets absorbed.

You can use the IPS the same way as the pulse meter by throwing it on the ground, waiting for a pulse, then picking it up again. It may not be as fast as the pulse meter or give you height, but it will give you a 360 degree picture of your proximity on the minimap.

Acreo Aeneas · 06-11-2007, 08:07 PM

From experience, the Ganz HMG is much more accurate over long distances compared to the default LMG.

**Aruncado** · 06-21-2007, 07:08 PM

I chose support as my second kit to unlock and have recently finished it off. I agree with everything mentioned above with only one exception. The Clark-RDX is not very useful. The RoF is slow and accuracy is pitiful. It has been my experience that unless you can actually tag someone with the shot that it can't kill them in one hit. In order to use it at any kind of range your crosshairs are almost pointed at the sky and you can't really see what you're trying to hit. I'd prefer to carry something with more use and just rely on tossing grenades at hidden opponents.

Otherwise, Ganz with sentry gun and IDS for the win. Trade out for EMP grenades when dealing on a vehicle heavy map and switch for shotgun for titan defense.

Also worth mentioning is that being support as a SL will make your job easier. You can replenish your squad beacon or sentry drone as needed in order to throw another one. If you are to far away to pick up your squad beacon and need to drop a new one you can just ask the next squad member to spawn at beacon and blow it up, then resupply yourself and toss a new one at your location.

Just thought I'd add my two cents.

-Aruncado

**Ferris Bueller** · 06-21-2007, 09:42 PM

The big things for the support kit unlocks are (IMO) the shotgun and the IDS. The IDS is a must in any engagement simply for knowing where the enemy is.
The shotgun is a big booster, especially if you've still got a lot of unlocks in other kits for one simple reason: the ten kill bonus. If you can be effective with the shotgun, you get a 10 point bonus on your score for every ten kills you get per round. I usually average 2 of these per round when I play support the whole time. Combine that with squad leader/member bonuses and your normal score and you can rack 60-70+ points per round. Like I said, this is quite useful if you've got lots of unlocks to go.

The EMP grenades are quite useful when teamed up with a good engineer by your side. However, in smaller maps, can also be very useful for giving enemy troops "disco vision", temporarily making them unable to tell friend from foe and making their aim all wacky. Again, this only lasts a few seconds, so if employed in this manner, act quickly to clear the area.

The sentry drone, unless placed in a very key position is nothing more than a mild nuisance to enemies. Often times you can run right up on one that's looking at you and blow it up before it fires off a shot. However, for titan defense, these things are a must have.

I cant really comment much on the pulse meter because it's something I never use. I understand the ways it might be useful, but there are other things i'd much rather have in my arsenal for any type of engagement.

schisma · 07-24-2007, 07:57 PM

Edit: I'll figure out the formatting thing as soon as I have some more time, I know this is painful to read through.

Support is my primary class... I chose it originally because while I was trying to learn how to aim with the assault rifles it became very frustrating to constantly run out of ammo. I have grown to love it very much, for more reasons than the unlimited ammo. I haven't mastered it or anything, but I've done well enough with it to find a few uses and workarounds that aren't usually talked about. Queue lengthy devotion:

Foreword: I don't understand why support complains about run and gun so much. You have detection tools, use them! The pulse scanner is obvious, but people tend to forget you can pick up the IDS. I can run, throw it down as far in front of me as possible, and by the time I run over it (tapping G), it's already released one pulse, showing me if anyone is in the near vicinity. Assuming you have someone spawn in, or the rare time they really do sneak up on you, then there are several ways to react.

1.) HMG's: If you spend some time with the ganz and use the burst principle (which eliminates the overheating issue for me), it's a damn good snipe weapon. When I say burst, I don't mean fire 2-3 as you're running, I mean fire enough to dial it in then drop to bursts. I tend to disagree with the people that vehemently object to it's use as a run and gun weapon. While it is a bit much to expect to destroy an assault 1v1 in a surprise situation, a little bit of creativity on the support soldier's part can flip the odds.
When I am tagging along with my squad on the cap-and-move strategy, I just hang towards the back. This has multiple effects. It allows the assault to engage first, who are more geared towards it. If I see them engage an enemy I can immediately crouch and start laying suppressive fire, or clean up any lingering enemies. I can't count the number of times i've had 2-3 assault with me, someone gets the jump on the from around the corner (or with rockets from range), and I have the opportunity to return fire, clean up, steal a SM's kit, and revive them. Until 2 months ago, this was the entirety of my experience with assault, yet I usually had 4-5 revives per round.

If you do get stranded on your own and encounter an assault/eng around the corner, circle strafing is your saving grace (unless they're using that dirty voss!). More than half the time I'm able to get them to drain their clip without inflicting fatal damage. The short reload time is more than sufficient to allow me to crouch and dial in a killing volley. If you don't have luck with this, the LMG is very easy to dial in quickly. One of the often overlooked options is the pistol (moreso on pac than eu). It only takes a few shots to the upper torso/head to drop them.

To recap: Ganz is pro. Learn it and love it. It took me forever to get good results with it, I almost just resorted to sticking with the starter guns. Don't make that mistake.

2.) Clark shotgun: It took me 4 months to warm up to this gun. Originally I only used it on titan through field upgrades, or when I mistakenly picked it up through someone else's kit. It's the last support unlock I chose (leaving RDX for field upgrades). When I saw that they were improving it in the patch, I started playing with it more. After my first few days of trying it in close quarter situations (been using it for about a month), it's my primary weapon for 70% of the maps I play on.
At close range, everyone knows that this gun destroys. Thanks to my crappy dsl connection, it took me a while to learn to lead with it (many painful deaths in the lieu). Once I did however, wow!
It's a very intuitive weapon, which leads many people to dismiss it. However, I have had a great time with it. With a little practice, i'm almost as deadly at mid range as close. Learn the spread, learn how your angle of fire is going to affect it. I can consistently land about half the spread on someone up to maybe the 30m mark (not very good with the BF distance scales). This means that instead of one shot, it takes two, MAYBE 3 to kill them. Oh dear, what will I ever do. This is considering 100+ latency during peak times, too. Anyone who can aim a Baur can outstrip even that with enough practice, I'd be willing to wager.
The final point I'd like to bring up is the oft-overlooked psychological factor. Just like when you see pocket rockets flying, you stop advancing, the sound of a shotgun firing tends to be a great rush deterrent. I've had several times where a group of contacts will rush the squad in a staggered/wave formation. I've noticed that if I can stop that first guy at close range (assuming my squadmembers didn't manager to for whatever reason, reviving, facing other way, whatever), the group will generally hang back and try to attack me at range. This gives my SM's extra time to turn around, finish reviving, launch some rockets, whatever it is those guys do. Rocketing them before they rush can have a similar effect, but that is one of the situations that usually spurs a rush, someone trying to get into the 20 yd range.
All that being said, it does have long range limitations, but most maps have specific objectives that can eliminate that factor. (I.e. instead of defending a base with multiple lines of fire from greater than 30yds, you make a great flag rusher). Long range with the clark has forced me to spending more time with my nades out, and after working out the kinks of an FF on server, i've become much more accurate and deadly with them as a result. As always though, you have to consider your objective. If your SL wants to operate primarily for range (suppressive fire or clearing an encampment from range to setup a rush for another squad), do the responsible thing and get your ganz or assault rifle out. It is one of those situational weapons, just not nearly to the degree that most people make it out to be.

3.) Ammo hub: keep it out at all times, no matter where you are or what you're doing. Many SL's consider it to be your primary role, unfortunately (maybe next patch will fix that! keke), and if you miss that one moment that someone runs out of rockets and dies because you weren't paying attention, the SL is justified in asking you to switch kits. Don't spoil it for the rest of us!

4.) Dystek: I didn't really understand this tool until I joined TG and started trolling old forum articles. Turns out I had no comprehension of what the netbat system was. Once I figured it out, it quickly became a favorite. If you're going to be run and gunning with your squad, it's damn near invaluable, though a little practice with the deploy-pickup-deploy on the ids can serve similar use. Nothing like scanning as you come up to a corner and find out there's a whole squad waiting on the other side for you, your SL will love you longtime if you prevent those nasty ambush situations.

5. IDS: One of my favorite toys, hasn't left my kit since I unlocked it. It's benefits are obvious, but don't limit it's use to defensive positions. As I mentioned in point 1, laying it out long enough to give you that first pulse makes it a huge advantage in run-and-gun offensives.

6. EMP grenade: Sadly, this is my most neglected asset. Other people have written better reviews and made some great videos on effectively using them. When you get the personal grenade upgrade, they're ridiculous against heavy armor on infantry maps. I've been emp locked in a walker on Berlin for well over 1 minute before, rendering me useless and a very easy target for an opportunistic recon soldier. I'm equipping them more often now. In the past I'd just spawn eng if a vehicle took me out and introduce them to my Pilum, but the more I play the longer it is between deaths and respawns, so I'm trying to incorporate it into my support playstyle. Learn them early on, don't do what I did. Oddly enough, I've had more luck with them against infantry than armor, since I started playing TG. This is due to the superior squad coordination, so it's pretty common to find 3-6 guys to lob one in the middle of. It may not be deadly, but if you have any SM's near, it allows them to clean house. It's also useful for those times when you're using an HMG and someone gets closer than you expected. If you know it's coming, it's not that hard to compensate and aim without the reticule. I don't have a ton of assault experience, but they seem to have trouble aiming through the distortion. Maybe I just need to spend some more time facing off against the 3rd and 7th to change my perspective

.

7. Shield: IMO, the least useful tool available to you. I've seen people use them brilliantly, but it's not my bag. I'm bad at picking good spots to deploy one, though I've had a time or two where it's been a great help setup on a crate to allow me to crouch fire just over the top. Most of the time I use this I end up being rocket bait, however, so I've kind of left it alone. I'm sure with a little creativity it can be very useful, and please let me know if you've had better luck.

8.RDX rockets: Ridiculously situational. If I have an HMG equipped, I don't bother. In squad play it's a selfish thing to use the majority of the time. However, there's several niche uses. They've been discussed on the RDX shotgun thread, but by far my favorite is when I see someone coming around the corner on ids. Tossing a grenade gives them time to run back, and if you're using an HMG your odds aren't that great for engaging them head on when they turn the corner. Loading a few on your side of the wall has worked well for me in several circumstances, as the hissing isn't that noticeable outside of 5m and they don't see the glow.

9. Sentry gun: Ugh. I've had the worst time with this gun. I've seen people use it to great effect, though it's usually only good against people who aren't that bright and will run at it headon. I have a hard time getting kills with it, so I'll leave that for someone else to cover, as it's a problem with my playstyle and not a problem with the tool itself.

Okay, so that was ridiculously long, but I hope it's semi-helpful. Don't hesitate to point out any errors you notice in my observations, I love feedback, it's the easiest way to become a better player.

**Uranium - 235** · 07-24-2007, 08:57 PM

LMG INFORMATION:

EU -
150 rounds per magazine * 4 magazines = 600 rounds
Reloads slightly faster
1 more damage per bullet

PAC -
200 rounds per magazine * 3 magazines = 600 rounds
Smidge more accurate

The differences are minor, but are there!

BTW in my experiences the sentry gun is just a matter of luck. I've had it drill me with laser-accurate fire from beyond the fog... and I've sometimes wandered right in front of an enemy sentry gun and it doesn't even recognize me for a good 5-10 seconds. It also is pretty much completely unable to aim up or down, so dropping it somewhere flat is about the only time it'll get kills for you.

Support is probably the single best kit in the game. Unlike the other kits, Support is the only one that has the potential to be useful in almost any situation. While Assault's revives and healing is irreplaceable, Assault kits are pretty much 'stock'. You take your defib, your rockets, and generally whichever rifle you like the most as they all behave similarly enough. Smoke, Radar Grenade, and the shotgun attachment are simply unrealistic choices.

Support has two dramatically different types of weapons with contrasting roles. Support can easily lock a vehicle down indefinitely, and their 'gadgets' are really the most varied and useful overall in the game.

EMP - While it's obviously not very useful if the map has few vehicles, if you are expecting armor to attack you they are invaluable. Engineer kits aren't extremely common, and one support player can keep an APC safely suppressed from cover for however long it takes someone to destroy it. One of those tools that you'll never use 75% of the time, and absolutely love for the other 25%.

IPS - I generally have some good success with the shield, however the sheer overpowered lame that are rockets can hurt you - but then again, as support you're typically rocket bait any time you're using your LMG anyway so it's not a big deal. The best use I found for the shield is a grenade bunker, as frag grenades will harmlessly explode on the other side of it. If you're covering a chokepoint with limited visibility (a corridor at the end of a corner, or at the top of a ladder) the shield will save you from the grenade barrage that will be sent up to you.

Sentry Gun - Situationally useful. Nice to get a few easy kills with, but it's pretty luck-based and you have no control over how stupid or smart the drone will act. I've found it most useful simply set up somewhere obscured (ie: in a bush, in wreckage) and with clear fields of fire. The sentry isn't designed to really give you kills, but at both ends of the sentry gun I've recognized it to be effective at limiting accessibility to an area. The Sentry also seems to be very resilient to explosives as well, as I know it can survive at least one hand grenade, possibly two.

Pulse Meter - Supposedly it shows contacts up on your HUD, but I usually only see them on my minimap. The range is indeterminate and while I have certainly used it to great effect, sadly it's overshadowed by the IDS.

IDS - Best gadget in the game. Extremely hard to locate (read: impossible unless you happen to stumble across one by chance), long range, what's not to love? The only reason I don't like it is that it's so powerful it means I pretty much have to REALLY restrict myself as, like the defib, it will more or less permanently clog an equipment slot.

**Tarenth** · 07-25-2007, 05:38 AM

People swear by it and they have a good point.

Squad Leader + Otus Drone + IDS = Golden

Slap that IDS on the Otus and you have an automatic 360 degree pulse meter with minimap revealing capabilities that follows you where ever you go.

Ganz + IDS + EMP Grenades + Otus is a VERY nice SL kit since you'll be resorting to your 5 'meat missiles' in your sqaud to do your dirty work for you.

2 Para · 07-25-2007, 06:08 AM

I've used the IDS & Otus method before, but it seems to not last long at all before it needs replacing, often when im not even in combat.

06-06-2007, 04:39 PM	#1 (permalink)
ikill4aliving Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 909	Support Kit 101 Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths Gets more accurate as it is fired Huge magazine capacity Resupply both you and your team, making you be able to theoretically have unlimited ammo High damage High rate of fire Detects invisible players Emp grenades Weaknesses Overheats quickly Reload time is a bit long Not good against heavy vehicles Shotgun is useless at far away distances Support vs. Vehicles Vs. Heavy Vehicles You are basically an easy kill to a tank or APC driver. The only thing you can do is emp them and hope for an engineer or vehicle to come and take him out. I suggest to just emp him and hide then emp him and keep hiding. Vs. Walkers The support kit is actually pretty useful for taking out walkers. You can do two things: emp them and hide, or get under them and shoot at the vents. I usually emp them and then try to get under them and blow them up with my gun. Vs. Fast Attack Vehicles (FAVs) The support kit can take out FAVs with ease if you can get them emped or if their coming right in front of you. The only thing you really need to care about with these are that they can use their boost to make you road kill. Weapon of Choice Bianchi/Shuko LMG The default gun has a couple strengths over the Ganz and the Shotgun. It doesnt overheat as fast as the Ganz and it has better range than the Shotgun. Although the LMG lacks power compared to its upgrades, it can still be quite effective. Ganz HMG The HMG is probably the most prefered out of the automatic guns for the support kit. It has power, but has a faster overheat time. The HMG has both range and power. Clark 15B Shotgun The shotgun is usefull on Camp Gibraltar and on titans. It is meant for close quarters fights and is usually used at mid range if the player is actually useful with it. Most people dont like this gun due to its lack of accuracy at mid to long range fights. Equipment Sentry Gun The sentry gun is a must have for the support kit. It can detect enemies from the other side of a wall and is usefull at guarding flags. The sentry gun has unlimited ammo and has a pretty good range of fire. DysTek Pulse Meter This is a must on titans unless you have the Northern Strike unlock. It can mark enemies on other sides of walls with diamonds. It use to be pretty usefull, but your better off going with the IDS-1 Infantry Sonar. IDS-1 Infantry Sonar This unlock is usefull when guarding or watching a flag. Although it doesn't detect vehicles, it can still be usefull. It is very effective on maps that the enemy team can have huge breakthroughs on like Camp Gibraltar. IPS Shield The IPS Shield is a basic shield. It takes a good amount of punishment before it is destroyed. A sentry gun can be protected and still shoot while behind the shield. This unlock is pretty usefull if guarding a titan coridor. Emp Grenade The emp grenade is a must have on vehicle heavy maps like Suez Canal and Verdun. It stuns a vehicle dead in its tracks for about 5 seconds. This is usefull is you have a vehicle or engineer near it. Thanks for reading my guide for the Support kit. I might make some more for other kits. Please post your comments. __________________ \|TG-Irr\| Irregulars Intelligence Officer

06-06-2007, 05:05 PM	#2 (permalink)
Rustybaldur Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: home... FO Posts: 30	Re: Support Kit 101 DysTek Pulse Meter and it is usefull if you are playing offensive. the IDS needs to be deployed so it is good if you are defending __________________ when every thing seems rotten, there someting you have forgotten ;)

06-06-2007, 06:17 PM	#3 (permalink)
Anospa Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Northeastern University (Boston) Age: 21 Posts: 3,797	Re: Support Kit 101 EMPs are incredibly useful, very frustrating for infantry when a support starts lobbing 'em. I usually toss a few then shortly follow them in with the Clark blazing. Another use for th shield most people don't abuse enough is blocking passages. Put it right in a doorway or in the gaps of fences, or even at the top of ladders. __________________ 3rd SFD \| 2142 Guide Index Check out my live broadcasts! \| Submit a Ribbon Nomination Proud to have been an IRRegular! "Brittle?! Dude you just took a localized tactical warhead to the face." -Eroak

06-06-2007, 07:20 PM	#4 (permalink)
Lorax74 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Bridgewater, NJ Age: 34 Posts: 6,356	Re: Support Kit 101 I use the IDS when assaulting if I'm on point, just run up and chuck it on something. EMP nades against pubbies will sometimes net you an infantry kill and a nice piece of armor if and when the pilot dives out... __________________ TG-9th Lorax74 Get on TeamSpeak!

06-06-2007, 08:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
Anospa Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Northeastern University (Boston) Age: 21 Posts: 3,797	Re: Support Kit 101 Oh man, I loooooooove, stealing vehicles this way. I EMPed an APC once and then ran up to it to just take cover for a second and then start EMPing right next to it. Figured I'd just hold down the get in key just in case. My actions payed off! __________________ 3rd SFD \| 2142 Guide Index Check out my live broadcasts! \| Submit a Ribbon Nomination Proud to have been an IRRegular! "Brittle?! Dude you just took a localized tactical warhead to the face." -Eroak

06-06-2007, 09:21 PM	#6 (permalink)
ikill4aliving Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 909	Re: Support Kit 101 yes, emping does that sometimes __________________ \|TG-Irr\| Irregulars Intelligence Officer

06-07-2007, 12:05 PM	#7 (permalink)
ikill4aliving Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 909	Re: Support Kit 101 I cant edit my first post so ill just add it here: Clark RDX Shotgun This gun can be pretty useful if you are on a map with a bunch of spots that players can hide behind but are out of range for you to get a nade into. Although it has a lack of accuracy, it can still cause splash damage. __________________ \|TG-Irr\| Irregulars Intelligence Officer

06-09-2007, 02:26 PM	#8 (permalink)
Tarenth Join Date: May 2006 Location: California Posts: 2,146	Re: Support Kit 101 Nothing can shoot through the shield from either in front or behind unless its a vehicle mounted heavy weapon. Putting a sentry gun behind an IPS will just cause the sentry to shoot at the shield and have its bullets absorbed. You can use the IPS the same way as the pulse meter by throwing it on the ground, waiting for a pulse, then picking it up again. It may not be as fast as the pulse meter or give you height, but it will give you a 360 degree picture of your proximity on the minimap. __________________ My sanity is not in question... It was a confirmed casualty some time ago. \|TG\|Tarenth Battlefield 2142 Mirra World of Warcraft Light, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of the people I had to kill because they ticked me off.

06-11-2007, 08:07 PM	#9 (permalink)
Acreo Aeneas Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: DePaul University (Chicago) Age: 22 Posts: 3,994	Re: Support Kit 101 From experience, the Ganz HMG is much more accurate over long distances compared to the default LMG. __________________ Acreo_Aeneas Former 9th Member "People usually see me and ask if I speak Chinese. I respond by asking if they speak American." "Tomorrow's high-end tech today? Why bother, it'll be old when tomorrow arrives anyways."

06-21-2007, 07:08 PM	#10 (permalink)
Aruncado Join Date: May 2007 Location: Florida Panhandle Age: 24 Posts: 875	Re: Support Kit 101 I chose support as my second kit to unlock and have recently finished it off. I agree with everything mentioned above with only one exception. The Clark-RDX is not very useful. The RoF is slow and accuracy is pitiful. It has been my experience that unless you can actually tag someone with the shot that it can't kill them in one hit. In order to use it at any kind of range your crosshairs are almost pointed at the sky and you can't really see what you're trying to hit. I'd prefer to carry something with more use and just rely on tossing grenades at hidden opponents. Otherwise, Ganz with sentry gun and IDS for the win. Trade out for EMP grenades when dealing on a vehicle heavy map and switch for shotgun for titan defense. Also worth mentioning is that being support as a SL will make your job easier. You can replenish your squad beacon or sentry drone as needed in order to throw another one. If you are to far away to pick up your squad beacon and need to drop a new one you can just ask the next squad member to spawn at beacon and blow it up, then resupply yourself and toss a new one at your location. Just thought I'd add my two cents. -Aruncado __________________ .......... Become an alumni \| TGU Instructor \| Attend TGU today! INSTRUC-TERROR? What the heck is that? What is TGU doing?

06-21-2007, 09:42 PM	#11 (permalink)
Ferris Bueller Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Orlando, FL Age: 26 Posts: 4,947	Re: Support Kit 101 The big things for the support kit unlocks are (IMO) the shotgun and the IDS. The IDS is a must in any engagement simply for knowing where the enemy is. The shotgun is a big booster, especially if you've still got a lot of unlocks in other kits for one simple reason: the ten kill bonus. If you can be effective with the shotgun, you get a 10 point bonus on your score for every ten kills you get per round. I usually average 2 of these per round when I play support the whole time. Combine that with squad leader/member bonuses and your normal score and you can rack 60-70+ points per round. Like I said, this is quite useful if you've got lots of unlocks to go. The EMP grenades are quite useful when teamed up with a good engineer by your side. However, in smaller maps, can also be very useful for giving enemy troops "disco vision", temporarily making them unable to tell friend from foe and making their aim all wacky. Again, this only lasts a few seconds, so if employed in this manner, act quickly to clear the area. The sentry drone, unless placed in a very key position is nothing more than a mild nuisance to enemies. Often times you can run right up on one that's looking at you and blow it up before it fires off a shot. However, for titan defense, these things are a must have. I cant really comment much on the pulse meter because it's something I never use. I understand the ways it might be useful, but there are other things i'd much rather have in my arsenal for any type of engagement. __________________ \|TG-6th\|Ferris Bueller Important TG Reading \| Support TG - Become a Supporting Member \| TacticalWiki - Your TG Guide Kicked/Banned? READ THIS FIRST! \| Complete list of TG Admins \| Think Someone Did A Good Job? Nominate Them For a Ribbon! Report Problem Players/Appeal Your Ban \| Learn TG - The TG Mentoring Program __________________ "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity." -Lazarus Long

07-24-2007, 07:57 PM	#12 (permalink)
schisma Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Houston Age: 22 Posts: 18	Re: Support Kit 101 Edit: I'll figure out the formatting thing as soon as I have some more time, I know this is painful to read through. Support is my primary class... I chose it originally because while I was trying to learn how to aim with the assault rifles it became very frustrating to constantly run out of ammo. I have grown to love it very much, for more reasons than the unlimited ammo. I haven't mastered it or anything, but I've done well enough with it to find a few uses and workarounds that aren't usually talked about. Queue lengthy devotion: Foreword: I don't understand why support complains about run and gun so much. You have detection tools, use them! The pulse scanner is obvious, but people tend to forget you can pick up the IDS. I can run, throw it down as far in front of me as possible, and by the time I run over it (tapping G), it's already released one pulse, showing me if anyone is in the near vicinity. Assuming you have someone spawn in, or the rare time they really do sneak up on you, then there are several ways to react. 1.) HMG's: If you spend some time with the ganz and use the burst principle (which eliminates the overheating issue for me), it's a damn good snipe weapon. When I say burst, I don't mean fire 2-3 as you're running, I mean fire enough to dial it in then drop to bursts. I tend to disagree with the people that vehemently object to it's use as a run and gun weapon. While it is a bit much to expect to destroy an assault 1v1 in a surprise situation, a little bit of creativity on the support soldier's part can flip the odds. When I am tagging along with my squad on the cap-and-move strategy, I just hang towards the back. This has multiple effects. It allows the assault to engage first, who are more geared towards it. If I see them engage an enemy I can immediately crouch and start laying suppressive fire, or clean up any lingering enemies. I can't count the number of times i've had 2-3 assault with me, someone gets the jump on the from around the corner (or with rockets from range), and I have the opportunity to return fire, clean up, steal a SM's kit, and revive them. Until 2 months ago, this was the entirety of my experience with assault, yet I usually had 4-5 revives per round. If you do get stranded on your own and encounter an assault/eng around the corner, circle strafing is your saving grace (unless they're using that dirty voss!). More than half the time I'm able to get them to drain their clip without inflicting fatal damage. The short reload time is more than sufficient to allow me to crouch and dial in a killing volley. If you don't have luck with this, the LMG is very easy to dial in quickly. One of the often overlooked options is the pistol (moreso on pac than eu). It only takes a few shots to the upper torso/head to drop them. To recap: Ganz is pro. Learn it and love it. It took me forever to get good results with it, I almost just resorted to sticking with the starter guns. Don't make that mistake. 2.) Clark shotgun: It took me 4 months to warm up to this gun. Originally I only used it on titan through field upgrades, or when I mistakenly picked it up through someone else's kit. It's the last support unlock I chose (leaving RDX for field upgrades). When I saw that they were improving it in the patch, I started playing with it more. After my first few days of trying it in close quarter situations (been using it for about a month), it's my primary weapon for 70% of the maps I play on. At close range, everyone knows that this gun destroys. Thanks to my crappy dsl connection, it took me a while to learn to lead with it (many painful deaths in the lieu). Once I did however, wow! It's a very intuitive weapon, which leads many people to dismiss it. However, I have had a great time with it. With a little practice, i'm almost as deadly at mid range as close. Learn the spread, learn how your angle of fire is going to affect it. I can consistently land about half the spread on someone up to maybe the 30m mark (not very good with the BF distance scales). This means that instead of one shot, it takes two, MAYBE 3 to kill them. Oh dear, what will I ever do. This is considering 100+ latency during peak times, too. Anyone who can aim a Baur can outstrip even that with enough practice, I'd be willing to wager. The final point I'd like to bring up is the oft-overlooked psychological factor. Just like when you see pocket rockets flying, you stop advancing, the sound of a shotgun firing tends to be a great rush deterrent. I've had several times where a group of contacts will rush the squad in a staggered/wave formation. I've noticed that if I can stop that first guy at close range (assuming my squadmembers didn't manager to for whatever reason, reviving, facing other way, whatever), the group will generally hang back and try to attack me at range. This gives my SM's extra time to turn around, finish reviving, launch some rockets, whatever it is those guys do. Rocketing them before they rush can have a similar effect, but that is one of the situations that usually spurs a rush, someone trying to get into the 20 yd range. All that being said, it does have long range limitations, but most maps have specific objectives that can eliminate that factor. (I.e. instead of defending a base with multiple lines of fire from greater than 30yds, you make a great flag rusher). Long range with the clark has forced me to spending more time with my nades out, and after working out the kinks of an FF on server, i've become much more accurate and deadly with them as a result. As always though, you have to consider your objective. If your SL wants to operate primarily for range (suppressive fire or clearing an encampment from range to setup a rush for another squad), do the responsible thing and get your ganz or assault rifle out. It is one of those situational weapons, just not nearly to the degree that most people make it out to be. 3.) Ammo hub: keep it out at all times, no matter where you are or what you're doing. Many SL's consider it to be your primary role, unfortunately (maybe next patch will fix that! keke), and if you miss that one moment that someone runs out of rockets and dies because you weren't paying attention, the SL is justified in asking you to switch kits. Don't spoil it for the rest of us! 4.) Dystek: I didn't really understand this tool until I joined TG and started trolling old forum articles. Turns out I had no comprehension of what the netbat system was. Once I figured it out, it quickly became a favorite. If you're going to be run and gunning with your squad, it's damn near invaluable, though a little practice with the deploy-pickup-deploy on the ids can serve similar use. Nothing like scanning as you come up to a corner and find out there's a whole squad waiting on the other side for you, your SL will love you longtime if you prevent those nasty ambush situations. 5. IDS: One of my favorite toys, hasn't left my kit since I unlocked it. It's benefits are obvious, but don't limit it's use to defensive positions. As I mentioned in point 1, laying it out long enough to give you that first pulse makes it a huge advantage in run-and-gun offensives. 6. EMP grenade: Sadly, this is my most neglected asset. Other people have written better reviews and made some great videos on effectively using them. When you get the personal grenade upgrade, they're ridiculous against heavy armor on infantry maps. I've been emp locked in a walker on Berlin for well over 1 minute before, rendering me useless and a very easy target for an opportunistic recon soldier. I'm equipping them more often now. In the past I'd just spawn eng if a vehicle took me out and introduce them to my Pilum, but the more I play the longer it is between deaths and respawns, so I'm trying to incorporate it into my support playstyle. Learn them early on, don't do what I did. Oddly enough, I've had more luck with them against infantry than armor, since I started playing TG. This is due to the superior squad coordination, so it's pretty common to find 3-6 guys to lob one in the middle of. It may not be deadly, but if you have any SM's near, it allows them to clean house. It's also useful for those times when you're using an HMG and someone gets closer than you expected. If you know it's coming, it's not that hard to compensate and aim without the reticule. I don't have a ton of assault experience, but they seem to have trouble aiming through the distortion. Maybe I just need to spend some more time facing off against the 3rd and 7th to change my perspective . 7. Shield: IMO, the least useful tool available to you. I've seen people use them brilliantly, but it's not my bag. I'm bad at picking good spots to deploy one, though I've had a time or two where it's been a great help setup on a crate to allow me to crouch fire just over the top. Most of the time I use this I end up being rocket bait, however, so I've kind of left it alone. I'm sure with a little creativity it can be very useful, and please let me know if you've had better luck. 8.RDX rockets: Ridiculously situational. If I have an HMG equipped, I don't bother. In squad play it's a selfish thing to use the majority of the time. However, there's several niche uses. They've been discussed on the RDX shotgun thread, but by far my favorite is when I see someone coming around the corner on ids. Tossing a grenade gives them time to run back, and if you're using an HMG your odds aren't that great for engaging them head on when they turn the corner. Loading a few on your side of the wall has worked well for me in several circumstances, as the hissing isn't that noticeable outside of 5m and they don't see the glow. 9. Sentry gun: Ugh. I've had the worst time with this gun. I've seen people use it to great effect, though it's usually only good against people who aren't that bright and will run at it headon. I have a hard time getting kills with it, so I'll leave that for someone else to cover, as it's a problem with my playstyle and not a problem with the tool itself. Okay, so that was ridiculously long, but I hope it's semi-helpful. Don't hesitate to point out any errors you notice in my observations, I love feedback, it's the easiest way to become a better player. __________________ \|TG-Irr\| Schism Last edited by schisma; 07-24-2007 at 07:58 PM. Reason: tldr

07-24-2007, 08:57 PM	#13 (permalink)
Uranium - 235 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Mountain Home AFB, ID Posts: 856	Re: Support Kit 101 LMG INFORMATION: EU - 150 rounds per magazine * 4 magazines = 600 rounds Reloads slightly faster 1 more damage per bullet PAC - 200 rounds per magazine * 3 magazines = 600 rounds Smidge more accurate The differences are minor, but are there! BTW in my experiences the sentry gun is just a matter of luck. I've had it drill me with laser-accurate fire from beyond the fog... and I've sometimes wandered right in front of an enemy sentry gun and it doesn't even recognize me for a good 5-10 seconds. It also is pretty much completely unable to aim up or down, so dropping it somewhere flat is about the only time it'll get kills for you. Support is probably the single best kit in the game. Unlike the other kits, Support is the only one that has the potential to be useful in almost any situation. While Assault's revives and healing is irreplaceable, Assault kits are pretty much 'stock'. You take your defib, your rockets, and generally whichever rifle you like the most as they all behave similarly enough. Smoke, Radar Grenade, and the shotgun attachment are simply unrealistic choices. Support has two dramatically different types of weapons with contrasting roles. Support can easily lock a vehicle down indefinitely, and their 'gadgets' are really the most varied and useful overall in the game. EMP - While it's obviously not very useful if the map has few vehicles, if you are expecting armor to attack you they are invaluable. Engineer kits aren't extremely common, and one support player can keep an APC safely suppressed from cover for however long it takes someone to destroy it. One of those tools that you'll never use 75% of the time, and absolutely love for the other 25%. IPS - I generally have some good success with the shield, however the sheer overpowered lame that are rockets can hurt you - but then again, as support you're typically rocket bait any time you're using your LMG anyway so it's not a big deal. The best use I found for the shield is a grenade bunker, as frag grenades will harmlessly explode on the other side of it. If you're covering a chokepoint with limited visibility (a corridor at the end of a corner, or at the top of a ladder) the shield will save you from the grenade barrage that will be sent up to you. Sentry Gun - Situationally useful. Nice to get a few easy kills with, but it's pretty luck-based and you have no control over how stupid or smart the drone will act. I've found it most useful simply set up somewhere obscured (ie: in a bush, in wreckage) and with clear fields of fire. The sentry isn't designed to really give you kills, but at both ends of the sentry gun I've recognized it to be effective at limiting accessibility to an area. The Sentry also seems to be very resilient to explosives as well, as I know it can survive at least one hand grenade, possibly two. Pulse Meter - Supposedly it shows contacts up on your HUD, but I usually only see them on my minimap. The range is indeterminate and while I have certainly used it to great effect, sadly it's overshadowed by the IDS. IDS - Best gadget in the game. Extremely hard to locate (read: impossible unless you happen to stumble across one by chance), long range, what's not to love? The only reason I don't like it is that it's so powerful it means I pretty much have to REALLY restrict myself as, like the defib, it will more or less permanently clog an equipment slot. __________________ Last edited by Uranium - 235; 07-24-2007 at 09:36 PM.

07-25-2007, 05:38 AM	#14 (permalink)
Tarenth Join Date: May 2006 Location: California Posts: 2,146	Re: Support Kit 101 People swear by it and they have a good point. Squad Leader + Otus Drone + IDS = Golden Slap that IDS on the Otus and you have an automatic 360 degree pulse meter with minimap revealing capabilities that follows you where ever you go. Ganz + IDS + EMP Grenades + Otus is a VERY nice SL kit since you'll be resorting to your 5 'meat missiles' in your sqaud to do your dirty work for you. __________________ My sanity is not in question... It was a confirmed casualty some time ago. \|TG\|Tarenth Battlefield 2142 Mirra World of Warcraft Light, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of the people I had to kill because they ticked me off.

07-25-2007, 06:08 AM	#15 (permalink)
2 Para Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 232	Re: Support Kit 101 I've used the IDS & Otus method before, but it seems to not last long at all before it needs replacing, often when im not even in combat.

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