Squadleader tactics

**Exploding_Silver** · 01-07-2008, 07:44 PM

In playing the beta the fundamental ideas in BF still apply for squadleading

Although the game dynamics are different, with spawn on squad leader its still the same deal.

Maintaining the spawn point in good positions, is the key.

I played a game in the map 'streets' where I invited everybody else on my team to join my squad and got a full squad, I advanced cautiously to a position that was close to the capture point (CP), I then hid (cowering in a corner as ThePenguineer calls it). My squad were spawning in and a few waves of spawns* latter, we captured it. Then it was a question of wash & repeat for the next CPs, till we wiped them off the map. Did this for a few games and then most of the other side left the server. The power of the squad leader is still there with the control of the mobile spawn point

Squad VOIP is not in the beta but will be in the release
I miss the talking teamwork, but then again its only 5 weeks to release

* players respawn according to their counter from the moment they die, like in BF. So respawns are dropping in semi randomly, however from a squad leaders perspective is does feel like waves. Respawn is not delayed to the next wave when everybody comes in at the same time, like ETQW

EDIT
Its deploy ! and not spawn, gotta get used to this ggames terminology

**daithi1** · 01-08-2008, 03:09 PM

Me likey. I'm looking forward to this game, it's fun but can't get my head round it really, must play more I suppose but the squad system sounds interesting.

**Exploding_Silver** · 01-08-2008, 04:54 PM

Drone tech is good as squad leader because you can hide behind the corner and be the spawn point stuff and still get in the action by remote control,
it goes;
recon flyer > gun ground drone > mortar ground drone (mortar makes them run haha)

**WhiskeySix** · 01-24-2008, 01:14 PM

Have you guys been SL'ing at all? If so, what tactics have you found successful?

In the beta, I've found your team is typically full of either new players that sit back and figure out how the drones work, or new players that zerg the objective. In either case, I've found it most successful to hang tight and do the dirty work of defending a CP.

So my SL experience is mostly based on that... When I'm RSA (red star alliance), I'll go ground assault - this role comes with a repair torch as the first level unlock... you then get a deployable minigun, followed by a deployable sentry gun. The sentry gun is the real jewel of the kit, as it will fire on both infantry AND drones. It may not be the most lethal thing, but when placed correctly, it does get kills.... perhaps most importantly it provides early warning.

Anyway - I've been setting one of these up covering one approach to the flag, and then defending with the assault rifle. (The trick is to put the sentry somewhat "around a corner", so that OpFor can't take it out with a long range GL shot... )

When playing as WC (western coalition), I've primarily been using the airstrike role, typically with the assault kit which is a little better from range. Here I'll usually play offense... trying to establish a good forward spawn location for my squad.

What's worked for you?

**jb4** · 01-25-2008, 12:36 AM

I have been working through the kits one at a time to get a feel for them. I saw a squad using this tactic against the team that I was on and I have since used it effectively as an individual. It is most effective on oilfield or any new map that will be heavy on armor.

Each time the enemy would get their frontline pushed back, I would go in with an anti vehicle rocket kit with the EMP package. When you are fully charged you can deploy a EMP beacon on the corner of the CP that you feel will be most traveled to disable incoming armor. They will have to come in on foot. You defend the other side using your EMP rocket rounds followed by normal explosive rounds after they are disabled. Alternate that method until you get a kill or they bail on foot. You can keep reloading with nearby ammo. One person can create significant disruption, but a squad combo with AV/EMP rounds, solid placement with EMP beacons that have protection from long tank rounds and a few effective infantry can own the point. Enemy infantry have no choice but to come into a crossfire trap.

I have also seen this dealt as the final smothering death blow to the last surviving point when well placed EMP beacons shut down all the toys at the last point to allow infantry to finish things off.

**Exploding_Silver** · 02-03-2008, 08:24 AM

Squad leader hidy hole right on a CP

**Ski-Racer** · 02-05-2008, 03:28 AM

My experience is 21CW especially during the MFOTs days (which were much different than BF2 or now).

I am seeing 2 distinctly different squad leader strategies.

First, I am no longer going to call it squad leader. I am going to call it "Spawner." It sucks to be the highest ranking player in your team/clan/division because your job is normally to "run and hide with pride." By calling it the spawner rather than the SL, you rotate who has that duty. Large-scale tournaments use TS anyways so the actual captain can lead from the front and die without losing the spawn or his ability to chat.

Spawner strategy 1 is for the spawner to find some hidey hole slightly away from the objective. This is a venerable strategy seen from the BF2 days. The key thing here is for the spawner to be outside "Cluster Bomb" radius which looks to be somewhere like 40m to 50m.

I can easily imagine a 4-man squad on oifields rolling like this...
Point-man = Assualt / Ground Defense
Cover-man = Anti-vehicle / EMP
Rear security = Anti-vehicle / EMP
Spawner = Spec ops / Drone

The team spawns at a point needing defense and sets their static defense. I am a big believer in static defenses. The slang we used for this back in the DC days was "biscuits and chocolate bars" (green landmine biscuits and black C4 chocolate bars). Squad leader should definitely be Spec-ops. Basically you can combine 2 static duties...spawner and anchor (we call ringing the radius with C4 "anchoring" the flag).

Remember that the EMP pods are also now part of static defense. The AV boys should seal the perimenter of the defended point with their landmines before pushing foward.

The point-man deals with any infantry bumps and drives the APC if available.

The squad can then move out while the spawner launches his drone. He basically navigates the drone to be a permanent UAV over the defended point. After that, he moves forward behind his squad (which keeps him safer). So long as you pay attention to your mini-map, you get some advanced warning if your defended point is under attack.

Spawner strategy 2 requires a lot more coordination. Basically the spawner stays back on defense and his squadmates push forward to the next point. I say this requires more coordination because I'm seeing multiple spawners staying back on defense (each with their own squad) and this requires inter-squad coordination.

The advantage to leaving the spawner back defending is that you have some recourse if the the friendly point is attacked. Imagine 2 spawners left back while the rest of the 2 squads attack. Lots of redundancy in spawn points...a good thing.

The disadvantage of leaving the spawner back defending is that it's hard to maintain a push against a point when it's such a hike to respawn and get back to the front.

I have actually seen TG players have a row of drones between control points but this was between the WC main and first row of points on Oifield (a long distance) during a stagnating part of the round. This seems to take a lot of time to set-up and I get interrupted before getting this set-up on the Street map. I am all about speed and I think Frontlines will be all about speed and catching teams out of position as the frontlines change. (I had a real beef with the old OODA definition on the wiki.)

To me, the ideal (assuming no limit to number of squads) is to have two 3-man squads with the spawners hanging back on defense and battle buddies moving forward.

Four 3-man squads puts 12 players on the ground. Two squads for each point and a 2:1 attacker to defender ratio.

Manning the 3 tanks puts another 3 on attack. Armor always belong at the front because they are efficent killers.

The helo pilot makes 16. The helo fills in on offense and defense.

**Exploding_Silver** · 02-27-2008, 10:54 AM

we have lots of new maps to explore in the release and adjust our squad leading tactics to this new games dynamics

post away !

**DaiBoOk** · 03-26-2008, 06:09 AM

the RSA APC are good for SQL it is hard to take down if your running ground support and gives your mates a nice safe place to spawn. really gives you the ablilty get the team around effectively to fast cap points.