=Sarc=

Regardless of class, every player should know how to disappear in Joint Operations. The game has great potential because of the lush environment. In many other games, I have always felt vulnerable when performing stealth operations. It is different for Joint Operations because there are trees, bushes and tall grass everywhere. It is simple to hide and I will go over the basics of what I do to disappear. I have identified three advantages to staying stealthy in Joint Operations. I call them the 3 C’s (Cover, Concealment and Chaos). There are also two disadvantages I have found that I call S&M (Sound and Movement). It shouldn’t be hard to remember the 3 C’s and S&M during combat. I’ll talk about the 3 C’s first then a little about S&M. The following location is the beginning area of the sniper training mission.

Cover

First, there’s cover, which is your best method of protecting yourself from return fire. I define cover as using a solid object to block direct LOS (Line Of Sight) and offer protection against the enemy. You are very safe when you use cover because you cannot be seen and cannot be shot. Just remember that indirect fire such as grenades can still harm you if the enemy knows where you are.



So, here is a spot I have chosen that has decent cover. I can see some of the buildings across the river. I also have access to complete protection from return fire by rolling left (‘Q’ is default). Alright, I’m going to pop my head up and check out the entire area across the river. Maybe I’ll spot a target.



All I have done is raised myself to a crouching position. I have a perfect view of my target area and I’ve even spotted an enemy sniper. Be careful when engaging, your body will be exposed without anything to mask you. The beauty of my current location is I can engage the enemy, go prone and roll left to disappear. Or, I can just go prone and hope I blend in with the rocks. Soldiers tend to stand out against the grass.

Concealment

The second ‘C’ is concealment. I define concealment as anything that can partially or completely mask your presence while allowing you to spot and engage targets. Be careful when using this, enemies can use suppressive fire to spray around your hiding spot and nothing will block the bullets. Now, I’ve chosen a concealed spot and I can barely see anything. This is a good thing. The tall grass provides great cover against ground units. It’s tough to spot enemies lying in the grass. Sometimes I trip over enemies because the grass is that effective in Joint Operations. I also have a tree beside me with very low branches. It further blocks my view but the advantage is it blocks view from enemies higher than me. A pilot could be in the air and would never see me. A sniper on the high ground can easily overlook my position. Now that I’m one with nature, I position myself so I have a good view of my target area, the road. It’s only a tiny window and I’ve circled it in red in the below picture.



Great, it looks like I don’t see anything. When choosing your concealment area, you’ll have to balance concealment and visibility. It just so happens I picked a spot that is overlooking part of the road that gets frequent action. Let’s see what’s coming down the road in first person view.



There are two targets taking a stroll. I’ve circled in red the tiny piece of my view where the enemies are visible. This is good concealment. When you have grass and leaves in your face that means they will be directly blocking the enemies’ view of your body. If you have nothing blocking your view that means your face is smiling to the world. Remember this when trading off concealment for visibility.

Chaos

The last ‘C’ is chaos. I define it has anything happening around you that can act as a distraction to the enemy. Players will get caught up with other dangers like a rocket helo or a BTR. Do not solely rely on this because you may be the chaos to your enemies. If you just got into the area, you can easily disappear by staying low for a while. Use this time to do some spotting and rechecking the security of your hiding spot. Teammates will be grateful for pieces of information about enemy strength and location. Enemies may be hunting for you so check your six.

Sound

First on the list of stealth disadvantages is sound. Sound is a dead giveaway of your position. A simple solution is to stay quiet. Engage when required and use silent weapons when possible. This doesn’t mean always tote the MP5 SD. It means use the knife, M203 or even frag grenades if possible. These weapons mask the direction of fire. Always remember that any noise you make could mean you’ve been spotted. The danger is worse the closer you are to enemies. Playing as a rifleman, a short burst 100m from enemies means you’ve just put on a bright orange suit. Playing as a sniper, a shot from 300m will turn a couple of heads. However, enemies close by can use that shot to pinpoint your location.

Movement

The last stealth disadvantage is movement. Of course movement is an obvious giveaway to your position but there are also subtle movements that can betray you. The first is crawling. As innocent as it seems, it can be noticeable. While crawling, the enemy can see parts of your uniform through the grass. In other words, it doesn’t look natural. If you are lying still, those parts of your uniform that can be seen could be mistaken for a brownout (those dark patches of ground, sometimes caused by explosions). Another subtle giveaway is rolling. It’s a nice way of moving while minimizing your profile but there is a split second where some of your body pops up above the grass. Take a look at the picture below.



I have identified the parts that are exposed during a roll. On the left, the rifle barrel sticks up in the air. It’s not much but could be enough to expose your position. On the right, the entire right arm is waving to the world. That would definitely give away your position. Rolls are quick but that can be even worse. If the movement is seen, the speed of the move makes it unnatural. It doesn’t look like grass swaying in the wind. This movement is even more noticeable when performed on a hillside. The torso tends to animate a little like it’s on flat ground so you stick out even more.

Advanced Concealment

Let’s take what I’ve discussed a little further. One cannot always find the perfect spot for hiding. Grass on hillsides can be sparsely separated. There might not be trees with low branches. So, let’s combine a couple of techniques together to get some decent cover and concealment. This is back on the hillside at the beginning of the sniper training mission. We need this hillside to see further. There is cover using the rocks but it’s easy to get spotted when you’re looking for targets or taking shots. There is grass but it’s not as thick as down below. If both the rocks and grass are used, it can provide decent cover and concealment. Let’s take a look at the spot I’ve picked.



It’s actually pretty good. I can get up and use the rocks to block possible return fire and my black gear can blend in with it. I’ve got grass around me to partially mask my uniform. My target areas are at 500m and 900m and from those distances I’ll be hard to find. I’m not invisible but it will take some time for the enemy to figure out where I am. In the meantime, I can spot and engage my targets then relocate. Let’s take a look at first person view.



I’ve marked off my targets. This is a good spot. I have partial concealment to my front with accessible cover and I can clearly see my two target areas!

Remember to be patient when choosing cover or concealment. It could mean staying alive until reinforcements come. Hiding has never been so easy in a game. Use this to your advantage when attacking or defending. I typically hide in the grass watching for enemies or waiting to attack. I stress that every player should learn how to disappear. It’s just a matter of remembering the 3 C’s and S&M.

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Opus

There is one other place for concealment--up a tree. There are some trees that are angled 45 deg., and are climbable. You can stand or kneel on the trunk. It's a great spot as it usually gives you a slightly higher vantage point, and you can use the leaves for cover.

When hunting snipers that are picking away at a base, I always look around for these types of trees, just in case one of them is using it as a sniping platform.

=Sarc=

I want to write another document on spotting targets. It'll basically entail using hiding techniques in this document and showing what to look for when scanning. It'll include plenty of screenshots of what enemies look like while hiding.

Apophis

Awesome article, Sarc!!!

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Mirfee

What he said. Terrific work.

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luna

Great work, Sarc- very helpful!

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TG_Bear

Very nice, thanks for the effort!

At least now I know why I still get shot when I try to roll to evade

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