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I have been giving a large amount of thought to the use of fireteams lately. It has been very difficult to get rid of expectations of squad behavior that I learned in the BFx series. I think I have come to some conclusions about Fireteams (FT = FireTeam). I am going to state some opinions on how to best utilize FTs in ETQW. This is not a rule or Standard Operating Procedure at this point. At some point, it would be nice if we could get some agreement among the community as to what a SOP for FTs should be. To that end, here are my thoughts on FTs.

FTs in ETQW are flexible and help promote teamwork. They should be used often. FT VOIP allows you to communicate mission info with your FT without interrupting the entire team. For example, when breaching a room, The lead guy of a small FT can use FT VOIP to call "Mines clear, enemy down, I count 2 spawn hosts, medics get in here now before they respawn! I will cover while you plant!" or target down, or other mission specific info that is only relevant to the FT. This keeps Team VOIP open for critical SITREPs, communication between FT leaders and cooperation among spawn waves. The level of VOIP cooperation among a FT should be high.

There are several ways in which FTs should be used in ETQW.

• Social
• Special purpose (usually a single mission attempt)
• Enduring (usually campaign length)

Social
Sometimes friends want to play a casual game and chat a bit while playing. They can make a FT for this purpose. This will often lead to them coordinating in some fashion – but if it does not, that is OK too. Using FTs to have a chat with someone is totally acceptable as long as it does not stop you from working as a good teammate.

Special purpose
You make a FT to complete a specific mission and disband when the mission is complete.

Some examples:

• When escorting The MCP make a FT called MCP and ask all engys and medics to join.
• When destroying an objective make a FT called Destruction and request that soldiers working on planting and medics join.
• When building something request medics and engys to join a FT called building.
• When hacking request cov ops and medics to join a FT called hacking.
• When transmitting request medics to join a FT called transmitting.
• When defending you may want to make a FT for infantry that are fighting close to the objective. The goal of the fireteam may be the last line of defense for one of the main objectives listed above. You could call the FT CQC for Close Quarters Combat and then focus on being the infantry presence at the point of attack.
• The engys on the ground could make a FT of engys with a medic or two to keep up the deployables.
• The Field ops can make a small FT for coordinating airstrikes while defending. This is devastating against the MCP, 3 FOs can keep the MCP under constant barrage if they coordinate.
• 2 solders can take out just about anything if they work together and time their attacks right.
• Perhaps a sniper spotter combo if you have a pilot in the air working with a sniper.

If you have other ideas for special purpose FTs post them up.

Campaign
This is a FT that is meant to last the campaign. You can choose whatever missions you want to work on. You should tell the team what you are focusing on if it is not the primary objective.

Typically, FTs of 4+ people will focus on the primary objective. Occasionally these will be support people like pilots and tank crews. The cohesiveness of the squad often builds over time, if you find the same people are joining special purpose squads, you may want to go ahead and keep the squad together.


How to be a good FT leader

Know your tools

The FT leader can disband a FT when the intended mission is over, or rename it, or repurpose it by choosing another mission.

The leader can make the FT public or take it private so that only invites will come in.

The FT leader can set waypoints that are visible on the map to teammates.

You will need to coordinate the actions of your FT with the rest of the team. Use team VOIP to announce the intentions of the FT or to explain what the FT is doing so those who are supporting know how to best help.


FT leading style: Command and Control
There are lots of things that the FT leader should control. The FT leader can control how far the FT advances, where they hold ground, where you regroup and how you approach the objective. Those of you familiar with how squad leading in the BF series at TG will know exactly how this works with an accomplished squad leader. There are various styles that are unique to squad leaders. Some are more vocal than others, some are calm, some are aggressive, and others are slow and methodical. Some mircromanage while other work democratically and allow FT members equal input in strategy. Each style has its strengths and weaknesses. Regardless, FT leaders are in control of their FT. If they ask or order you do something, you should do it. If they are incompetent, suggest ways for them to become competent or make a FT and do a better job yourself.

FT Tactics
There are two basic tactics to keep a FT together when assaulting an objective. One is to advance, hold, regroup, then advance again. This advances the group in stages methodically. Another way is to have your FT respawn to catch the next spawn wave all together if your assault on the objective fails. You can hit the respawn button in the limbo button or bind /kill to a key. With both methods you assault the objective with full force.


Please feel free to critique and add. Constructive criticism is welcome. the purpose of this post is to continue the pressure on those of us that are TG tagged to up the level of teamwork and tactics.

Superfast

Great writeup this. I also feel we need to use fireteams more to achieve certain objectives, we are not doing that enough as it is.

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