Battlefield Modern Combat: Online Strategy Guide Version 0.42 Copyright 2006, TJ Nardi (MS3FGX@gmail.com) ================================================================================ = Contents = ================================================================================ 1. Introduction & Overview 1.1...Modern Combat Background Information 1.2...Online Multiplayer 1.3...About This Guide 2. Conquest 2.1...Backstab 2.1.1...Flag 1 - MEC Base 2.1.2...Flag 2 - Supply Depot 2.1.3...Flag 3 - Edge of Town 2.1.4...Flag 4 - Mosque 2.1.5...Flag 5 - Town Hall 2.1.6...Flag 6 - Anti-Air Base 2.1.7...Flag 7 - US Base 2.1.8...Tips for Victory 2.2...The Black Gold 2.2.1...Flag 1 - OLIN 1 2.2.2...Flag 2 - OLIN 2 2.2.3...Flag 3 - MAR 3 2.2.4...Flag 4 - MAR 4 2.2.5...Flag 5 - MAR 5 2.2.6...Flag 6 - US Base 2.2.7...Tips for Victory 2.3...Bridge too Far 2.3.1...Flag 1 - US Base 2.3.2...Flag 2 - Western Dock 2.3.3...Flag 3 - Overpass 2.3.4...Flag 4 - Eastern Container Area 2.3.5...Flag 5 - Chinese Base 2.3.6...Tips for Victory 2.4...Cold Front 2.4.1...Flag 1 - Chinese Base 2.4.2...Flag 2 - Bunker Nest 2.4.3...Flag 3 - Vault 13 2.4.4...Flag 4 - Ruins 2.4.5...Flag 5 - EU Base 2.4.6...Tips for Victory 2.5...Dammage 2.5.1...Flag 1 - The Temple 2.5.2...Flag 2 - Parking Lot 2.5.3...Flag 3 - Collapsed Tunnel 2.5.4...Flag 4 - Dead End 2.5.5...Flag 5 - Office Buildings 2.5.6...Tips for Victory 2.6...Deadly Pass 2.6.1...Flag 1 - MEC Base 2.6.2...Flag 2 - Northern Bunker 2.6.3...Flag 3 - The Square 2.6.4...Flag 4 - Oasis 2.6.5...Flag 5 - Ruins 2.6.6...Flag 6 - Market Place 2.6.7...Flag 7 - US Base 2.6.8...Tips for Victory 3. Capture the Flag 4. Vehicles 4.1...Light Jeeps 4.1.1...Desert Patrol Vehicle (DPV) 4.1.2...Fast Attack Vehicle (FAV) 4.1.3...Light Jeep Tactics 4.2...Heavy Jeeps 4.2.1...Humvee 4.2.2...Eagle MTV 4.2.3...Otokar Akrep 4.2.4...Heavy Jeep Tactics 4.3...Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) 4.3.1...LAV-300 4.3.2...Combat Vehicle 90 (CV 90) 4.3.3...BMD-3 4.3.4...BMP-2 4.3.5...APC Tactics 4.4...Anti-Aircraft Vehicles 4.4.1...M6 Bradley 4.4.2...ZSU-23-4 Shilka 4.4.3...Anti-Aircraft Tactics 4.5...Tanks 4.5.1...M1A2 Abrams 4.5.2...Leopard 2 A5 4.5.3...T-90 4.5.4...Type 98 4.5.5...2S25 Tank Destroyer 4.5.6...Tank Tactics 4.6...Boats 4.6.1...Sea Ark Stinger 4.6.2...Light Patrol Boat 4.6.3...Boat Tactics 4.7...Helicopters 4.7.1...AH-6J Little Bird 4.7.2...AH-64 Apache 4.7.3...AS-665 Tiger 4.7.4...UH-60 Blackhawk 4.7.5...WZ-9 4.7.6...Mi-24 HIND 4.7.7...Helicopter Tactics 5. Misc 5.1...Version Information 5.2...Credits ================================================================================ = 1. Introduction & Overview = ================================================================================ Welcome to my Battlefield Modern Combat Online Strategy Guide. In this guide, I aim to give useful information and tactics to those playing online multiplayer. This game is easily my favorite console FPS of this generation, and without a doubt my top pick for best online game on the PS2. I hope you find the following guide useful, and I wish you luck on the battlefield. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 1.1 Modern Combat Background Information - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Battlefield Modern Combat is a specially designed version of Battlefield 2 for the PS2 and XBox. While it retains much of the PC game, it has many tweaks and changes that make it better suited to the consoles. Some important things have changed in the console translation, as you might expect. The console versions are limited to 24 players online, compared to the 64 in Battlefield 2. Modern Combat lacks any airplanes, though it does have a number of helicopters. Because of the fewer players and lack of airplanes, all of the maps are new for this game. Modern Combat also has a few less classes than it's PC counterpart, and the squad and commander system has been completely removed. Modern Combat does have the advantage in the single player mode, however. For the console version, the developers put a much larger effort into the single player than they have for any of the PC games. As a result, there are a number of new features in single player that are worth checking out. For example, Modern Combat adds the "Hotswap" ability, which allows you to warp into the body of any friendly force on the field at a press of a button. It also adds a number of challenge modes to keep the player busy. It is worth noting that Modern Combat originally started as a multiplayer only game, but was delayed by a year to add the single player mode. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 1.2 Online Multiplayer - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As anyone who played the PC Battlefield games can tell you, the focus of the series is entirely on the multiplayer. While the PC games have always included a single player mode, they have classically served no purpose other than target practice before you sign online. Even with the single player advancements for the console version, the online multiplayer is still the draw of the game. In Modern Combat's online multiplayer, players can chose between playing either "Conquest" or "Capture the Flag" mode, on any of 14 maps. At the start of the match, the player selects which team he will play on and which class he will use. Between the modes, maps, and classes, there is an almost infinite amount of ways to play. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 1.2 About This Guide - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have decided to take a break from my more technical Guides, and write about a game that I simply enjoy playing. My interest in Modern Combat started all the way back in March of 2005, when I took part in the public Alpha test for it. Even though the game was in a very early form, I immediately recognized it was going to be something special; and I honestly had more fun in that test than I did in any online game I played before it. Even though I am writing this Guide for fun, I am still going about it the same way I have with my other works. This Guide is written entirely in Vim, and was spell checked with Aspell. I manually maintain an 80 character width with carriage returns, and as always, it has been big fun. ================================================================================ = 2. Conquest = ================================================================================ Conquest is the classic Battlefield multiplayer mode. In this mode, two teams face off in an attempt to control as much as the map as possible. Players must capture and hold "control points" which are scattered around the map. Score is determined by "tickets" which will count down as players are killed, or control points are lost. Tickets cannot be regained, but the rate at which the tickets deplete can be slowed by holding control points and keeping your team members alive. Each control point has it's own advantages and disadvantages, and through this, the game brings strategy into the mix. Do you spread your team thin and protect every control point on the map, or focus all of your efforts on the ones with the most strategic assets? A Conquest game is over when the time limit is up or one team runs out of tickets, which ever comes first. In the case of the time running out, the team with the most tickets at the end of the match is the winner. The following section will cover every map in the game, in relation to Conquest mode. Each control point will be covered, with a run down of it's assets and a general attack and defense strategy. Finally, I will also give some important tips for each map. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1 Backstab - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Backstab, the US faces the MEC in a battle to capture and hold a small village. There are two main capture points in the center of the village, and three others clustered around it. The unique part of Backstab, and one that often brings complaints, is that the MEC has two HIND helicopters, while the US has no air power at all. However, there is an anti-air base located very near the main US base, and that is going to be a key element in holding off the MEC helicopters. While the MEC forces have air superiority, the US does have two M1A2s, the only tanks on the map. The HINDs are a threat for a number of reasons. Not only do they have heavy weapons that can wreak havoc on the US tanks, they can also carry a number of soldiers into the center of the map very quickly, much faster than the US can get there. That is important in Backstab, because the map is divided into two main areas by a river, with the MEC on the South bank, and the US on the North. This river runs the width of the map, and can only be crossed by two bridges. One large bridge for vehicles, and one smaller bridge for infantry. This river is the most important aspect of Backstab, for both the MEC and the US. For the MEC, crossing the river and getting troops into the village is vital for success. But the US, having their base on the same side of the river as the village, need to hold that river against attacking forces. The two bridges act as natural choke points, and holding them is critical for the US team to win. As you can imagine, the main bridge is going to be the center of a lot of combat, so be ready. For the US, your best bet is to mine the bridge, and perhaps place one of the M1A2s nearby, to damage anything that comes too close. To counter this, the MEC on the other hand, should use the HIND helicopters to drop forces over the river, and avoid a land based attack over the bridge. The US only needs to hold flags 4, 5, and 6 to start draining the MECs tickets, so the US team should only be concerned with capturing those points and guarding the bridge. The MEC need to prevent this, so there should be constant efforts to drop forces behind the US at base 6, to break the ticket drain, and maintain a presence on the North side of the river. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.1 Flag 1 - MEC Base - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: MEC Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Rocket Turret Helipad Vehicles: Two Mi-24 HINDs Two Otokar Akreps The MEC Base can't be captured by the US forces, so there is not much sense in defending it too much. There is a risk of the US team stealing one of the HIND helicopters, but that isn't likely to happen unless the US team is already well on their way to winning, otherwise, they will be too busy fighting in the village. The MEC Base and the surrounding mountain area is a good location for snipers, as the cover is very dense, and there is a clear line of sight down into the village. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.1.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not applicable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.1.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The best bet for defending Flag 1 is to mine road leading up to the base, and make sure at least one of the snipers in the mountains keeps his eye's on the HINDs. If they aren't coming up the road in a vehicle, they will be sneaking up the hill towards the helipads. Not much force should be allocated to defending Flag 1. The biggest risk is the US stealing a HIND from the pad, but they should be in the air most of the time anyway. If the US escapes with a HIND, it could seriously impact the battle, so don't be afraid to take it down if need be. It is better that it is destroyed than the enemy using it against you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.2 Flag 2 - Supply Depot - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Machine Gun Emplacement Vehicles: BMP-2 (MEC Only) The Supply Depot is very close to the MEC Base, and will likely be the first point the MEC team captures. It is of little strategic importance to the overall battle, as it is too far away from the center of the village to use as a spawn point, and too close to the MEC Base for the US to easily defend. However, it spawns the BMP-2, which can be very effective against infantry in the village, assuming you can get it into the village before the US sets up defenses on the bridge. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.2.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When capturing Flag 2, your biggest threat is sniper fire. There is very little cover, and plenty of good sniper positions surrounding it It is a good idea to use a vehicle to capture it. Ideally you would want a M1A2, but given the distance from the US Base, you are probably not going to be able to get one there easily. You will likely have to settle for a Humvee, which will be fine against light arms fire, but keep your eyes open for the HINDs. If you must capture it on foot, make sure you have backup around you, and keep moving. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.2.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The machine gun emplacement can slow down any infantry attacks from the North, but more than likely the attackers will have some form of vehicle anyway, so it isn't worth using manning emplacement when you could be hitting the oncoming vehicles with rocket fire or laser guided missiles instead. Placing mines around the flag is a good idea, as the most common attack is to come up fast with a vehicle and park it as close to the flag as possible. You could also put some C4 down on the flag, though it is more likely that the attackers are going to be moving around the flag rather than sitting still, to avoid fire. The adjacent building provides a few opportunities to stop attackers. It has openings facing the North, and also the flag itself, so you can fire down on enemies in any situation. The building also holds this point's Ammo and Health Crates, so a strong defense can be based out of this building indefinitely. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.3 Flag 3 - Edge of Town - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Vehicles: Civilian Car This point is also likely to be captured by the MEC early on, since it is within walking distance of Flag 2. But unlike Flag 2, Flag 3's proximity to the center of the village means the US will likely make numerous attempts to capture it during the battle, especially if they have already captured points 4 though 6. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.3.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flag 3 is in an open area, with multiple paths in though the surrounding buildings. This makes Flag 3 difficult to capture for an attacker, as there is absolutely no cover or "safe" area. If you are attacking Flag 3, your best bet is to come up in an armored vehicle, perhaps even an M1A2, and hold on the flag while keeping a close eye on your surroundings. Attempting to capture Flag 3 by yourself is generally going to end badly, so have some backup when you go in. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.3.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are defending Flag 3, place mines all around the flag and any path to it large enough to permit a vehicle. Firing down on attackers from the buildings surrounding the flag is also very effective, especially if you have an engineer to hit any heavy vehicles with rocket fire. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.4 Flag 4 - Mosque - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Vehicles: Humvee (US) Otokar Akrep (MEC) Flag 4 is almost always the center of the action in Backstab. Both teams should send forces into Flag 4 at the very beginning of the match, as holding 4 is a serious advantage for both teams. The main bridge from the South side of the river comes literally to the front door of the Mosque, so it is both an important base to have when defending the bridge, and also the first base to fall under attack if the enemy breaches those defenses. The Mosque has two floors, with the flag out on a balcony on the second floor. There are two entrances to the ground floor, one facing the bridge, and another on the side facing away from the center of the village. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.4.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flag 4 is without a doubt the hardest capture in the entire map. There is only one path up to the flag, which just happens to be a blind corner that leads you to the far end of a large open room. Even worse, the Health and Ammo Crates are located in this room, so defenders have no need to ever leave. Defenders are going to be guarding this path heavily. There will most likely be C4 at the opening of the room, so keep your ears open. If you hear C4, hit the wall near the opening with a rocket, or throw a grenade in. Another common defense is to have infantry on the sides of the opening, so as soon as you enter the room, you are directly in their line of fire. This is very effective, since by the time you realize an enemy was waiting by the door, they are already shooting you in the back. You can neutralize anyone waiting by the door with a flash bang tossed into the room. This will blind anyone laying in wait, but be careful you don't also blind yourself and your teammates. Finally, there might be an enemy waiting on the far side of the room laying prone with a rocket launcher or machine gun aimed right at the entrance. Throwing in a flash bang, grenade, or C4 charge is not going to get him, due to his distance from the entrance. Your best bet is to send in an engineer with his rocket launcher at the ready facing the far wall. It will be a match of reflexes to see who kills who first. Rockets and C4 do massive damage, but take a long time to get reloaded. So if you can get them to waste their C4 charge or rocket, you will have a window of opportunity to rush in and take out the defenders with faster firing weapons. If it wasn't obvious, don't bother attempting to take Flag 4 alone. You will almost certainly get mowed down. Take as many people in as possible, but don't all go in at the same time, send in one or two soldiers first to scope out the defenses, then have the rest of the team follow. Sending everyone in at once can be a big mistake if they have a C4 or rocket waiting for you. Once you get through this room, head out to the balcony to find the actual flag. It is very important to stay prone when out on the balcony, as snipers have a clear shot at anyone standing by the flag. You will want to get behind the flagpole, and keep your aim on the doorway you just came out of, as that is the only way they can get out to you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.4.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Defending Flag 4 is very easy due to the layout of the building. Simply focus all defenses on the entrance to the room on the second floor, and you can't miss. Setting up C4 charges at the entrance is a good way to slow down any attackers. You should also have a few soldiers prone around the room with various weapons aimed at the entrance so you can hit the attackers from multiple angles at once. It is also very effective to have a machine gunner kneeling on one or both sides of the entrance into the room, to take out attackers as they run past. Finally, if they do manage to get though to the balcony, some C4 charges planted on the flagpole and surrounding flag poles will take them out, as they have no choice but to kneel or lay behind the flagpole to protect themselves from snipers or attackers coming though the door. Speaking of snipers, it is a good idea to have at least one keeping his eye on the balcony of the Mosque. He will have to be a good shot though, as the window of opportunity is very small. An attacker with any sense at all will go prone as soon as they get out in the open, so the sniper only has a brief moment as the enemy runs out the door facing them to take the shot. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.5 Flag 5 - Town Hall - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: None Vehicles: None Don't be fooled by the lack of assets or vehicles at Flag 5, the Town Hall can be just as important as Flag 4 in the overall battle. It is a critical spawn point when trying to capture Flag 4, and is also within walking distance of the Command Computer. Troops standing on the Town Hall's balcony can also fire at the balcony of Flag 4, as well as the bridge and the area around Flag 3, while remaining fairly well protected from the view of snipers to the South. The balcony of the Town Hall has a clear shot at the main road coming from the MEC base, so engineers waiting up there could do heavy damage on any vehicles coming towards the bridge before they even got close enough to see it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.5.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coming at the Town Hall straight on is usually suicide, since you can get fired on by defenders on the balcony, as well as snipers and forces on the rooftops. You are better off trying to sneak up towards the door by coming up to the Town Hall buy the small alley on the river side. This will protect you from fire to the North, but you are still at risk from snipers to the South, so keep moving. While making the approach to the Town Hall, try and toss a few grenades up into the second floor and balcony area, either from the front of the building, or though the windows in the back. There is only one entrance to the Town Hall, so everyone will know where you are coming from. A common spot for campers is on the left side of the front door, so you might want to throw a grenade that way before entering, or have one person go in first and attack anyone waiting there, while another runs the opposite way to get to the second floor. Once on the second floor, you will want to first look down the hall to be sure nobody is waiting at the far end. You might also want to follow the hall all the way down to the end of the second floor, towards the back of the building. While doing this makes sure nobody is waiting to pop out while you are standing on the flag, it also wastes precious time, so you will have to decide how cautious you want to be. You might want to send one person though the hall to clear the area, while another dives right on the flag. When you get on the flag, you will be out on a balcony much like that of Flag 4. At least here, there is partial cover from snipers at Flag 2 or the mountains, but it would still be foolish to stand out there. You will want to dive to a prone position as soon as you get out on the balcony. Throwing a few smoke grenades would be a good idea as well. As there are two doors out to the balcony, capturing the Town Hall alone can be dangerous. You would be wise to have a second person along, so each one of you can watch one of the doors. If you are alone, using C4 on the doorways would be a good way to protect yourself from anyone that gets too close, as well as throwing the occasional grenade into the second floor. Whatever you do, make sure to shift your gaze between the two doors, so you don't get attacked from behind when you are looking at the other door. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.5.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is only one way into the Town Hall, so the job of defending it is made that much easier. Right outside the front door there are vertical pillars, placing C4 charges on them and waiting for a group of attackers to approach the front door is a good way to weaken their numbers early on in the assault. On the inside, you will want to have at least one, possibly two, people waiting on the left side of the door. As the ramp up to the second floor is on the right side of the door, 90% of the enemies coming in will make a mad dash in that direction, and forget to check the left side. A soldier with a rocket launcher or machine gun (or one of each) on the left side of the door will be presented with an easy shot for those who didn't check their surroundings first. There is a similar opportunity on the second floor, as there is a small recess to the left of that doorway as well. It is also effective to have some soldiers wait around the bend in the hallway on the second floor. Most of the attackers will simply run directly to the balcony door, and not bother to clear the second floor, hiding just out of sight and coming up on them as they try to capture the flag is a good way to catch them off guard. Toss out a grenade or use a rocket if there is more than one person on the flag. It is also effective to place C4 charges on and around the flag. Since the balcony is so small, it is impossible to get completely out of range of a C4 charge placed on the flagpole, so at the very least, you will weaken anyone out there. You can also use the machine gun emplacements on the rooftops to the North to your advantage, as they have a clear line of fire on the flag, and you can pick off anyone out on tight confines of the balcony. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.6 Flag 6 - Anti-Air Base - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Repair Pad Two Stinger Turrets Vehicles: M6 Bradley (US) Otokar Akrep (MEC) This control point is located close to the US Base, is one of the first that the US will capture. While the Anti-Air base is too far away from the village to serve as a good spawn point, and there is little view for snipers, it makes up for these by spawning the only M6 Bradley on the map, which is an extremely effective tool against the attacking HINDs. It is important to capture the Anti-Air Base, and actually man it with soldiers on the Stinger Turret and M6 Bradley, to protect the skies over the village. You have to avoid the temptation to grab the Bradley and use it to attack enemy infantry in the village, as that is not where it's real strength is. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.6.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Anti-Air Base is an easy capture, especially early on in the battle. Simply come up fast with a light vehicle, and hold on the flag for a bit. If you are attempting to recapture it after the enemy has had it, be very careful of mines on either side of the flag, and the long grass surrounding it. The grass makes enemy mines near impossible to see when driving a vehicle. It is better to jump out of your vehicle as you get close to the flag, and let it roll over to the flag unmanned. If it doesn't explode, then you can get back into it, or just go prone next to it for cover. Getting cover here is important, as the enemy will occasionally have a sniper in the mountains to the West, which can easily target both infantry standing at the flag, and heavy vehicles approaching it for a capture. To defend against this, park your vehicle on the West side of the flag, and kneel or go prone on it's East side. Throw a few smoke grenades while you are at it, and you should make a tough target for any snipers that might be waiting. However, there is always the chance that the vehicle could be targeted with a laser guided missile, and the resulting explosion will more than likely kill anyone on the flag. If it wasn't obvious, convert this flag as fast as possible. Also keep a sharp eye on the two trenches on the East and West sides of the flag. Enemies can hide down there out of your immediate sight, and fire up at you or throw grenades and C4 up on the flag. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.6.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Anti-Air Base is very close to the US Base, so you will likely face an attempt to reclaim it quickly. It is important to get some defenses up before this happens, or else the US team will just roll right over you in M1A2s, and have this flag base in minutes. Set up mines all around the flag, and the road coming up from the US Base. More often than not though, the US will come up to the Anti-Air Base via the shortest possible route, a straight line. While standing at the flag, look towards the US Base, about 100 feet away there will be a tree almost directly in line with the it. Place mines on the West side of this tree. As the US comes up past this tree in their Humvees, they will get taken out before they even get within capture range of the flag. Placing C4 on the flag, and waiting in the trenches on either side will also be effective to take out attackers that come up quick and don't check their surroundings. Tossing up some grenades or a flash bang will also give them trouble. If you have time, getting a sniper up in the mountains to the West is also effective, but he won't be able to cover much other than the Anti-Air Base itself, so putting somebody there for the whole match would likely be a waste of a soldier. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.7 Flag 7 - US Base - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: US Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Repair Pad Vehicles: Two M1A2s Two Humvees Like the MEC Base, the US Base cannot be captured. This is the main spawn point for the US's vehicles, so some sabotage or helicopter attacks here can really make things difficult for the US team. There are air defenses at the US Base, plus you would have to pass the Anti-Air Base at Flag 6 to get there, so it probably isn't worth the certain death to attack it from the air. You could drop soldiers into the US Base to steal the M1A2s, but the tanks have limited use when compared to the HINDs anyway. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.7.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not applicable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.7.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There isn't a huge risk of attack at the US Base, but just to be safe, you mine the road into it, to both prevent the MEC from rushing in with light vehicles, and to take out the M1A2s if they enemy captures one and tries to escape with it. The bigger threat with the M1A2s is not the enemy stealing one and getting away, but stealing one and staying put. If the enemy manges to steal one, or both, of the M1A2s, and camps them at the Repair Pad, they can inflict massive damage on the US team, especially if the US team doesn't have anywhere else to spawn. To defend against this, place mines close to the Repair Pads and M1A2 spawns. Make sure they are close enough to take out anyone that doesn't know they are there, but not so close that your teammates can't get around them. If the MEC does manage to steal the M1A2s, your best offense is a laser guided missile, as nothing else will damage them enough to destroy them if they are camping on the Repair Pad. It is probably a good idea to always have somebody on guard at the US Base, if for nothing else than to serve as a lookout while the rest of the team is out fighting in the village. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.8 Tips for Victory - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It takes skill and cunning to achieve a victory at Backstab for either team. Here are some tips for both sides that will help you ensure your team comes out on top. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.8.1 US - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Never ignore the Anti-Air Base. Capture it and man it. Don't just use it as a spawn and take the Bradley out into the battlefield. Keep a man on each Stinger and at least one in the Bradley. With the Anti-Air Base, you can protect the entire area North of the river from air attacks, and seriously limit the MEC's offensive capability. 2. When manning the Bradley, stay close to the Repair Pad. You can't expect much backup from the rest of the team, as they will have to keep defenses up on the front line, so you might get banged up by the occasional attack. 3. While the Bradley should always be kept out of harm's way, as your team gains control of the village and starts holding the bridge, it is usually safe to move the Bradley up closer to hit the HINDs before they even cross the river. Try positioning the Bradley on the bank of the river to the West of the village. This will line you right up with the MEC Base, and give you a clean shot at the approaching helicopters. Unfortunately, the sun is right there, so you will have to pick out the HINDs as they come at you with the sun in your eyes. 4. Send both Humvees into the village fully manned. One goes to Flag 5, and the other to Flag 4. Capturing these two points at the start of the match will make the battle a lot easier. By the time your men get their in the Humvees, the MEC forces will likely have already dropped in from the HINDs, so expect some fire when you make a run for the flags. You should outnumber the MEC forces on the two flags, as at least two soldiers would have jumped out of the choppers to capture Flags 2 and 3 already. Use this to your advantage. 5. Unless you are far behind in the ticket count, don't bother attacking the bases on the South side of the river. You only need to capture the points on the North side of the river to imitate a ticket drain on the MEC, so once you have captured Flags 4, 5, and 6, mine the bridge and bring in the M1A2s close enough to fire on any vehicles or infantry approaching the South side of the bridge. Keep the Anti-Air Base manned and at the ready to stop any attacks from the air, and you will be assured victory. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.8.2 MEC - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. The HINDs are the best advantage the MEC team has, so make use of them. Fully crew both HINDs, and fly them North towards the center of the village, and drop as many soldiers as possible on Flags 5 and 4. 2. Never bail out of a HIND unless you are certain you will be destroyed. The HIND is a transport primarily, but just because you have dropped all of your passengers doesn't mean you can't take some shots at incoming M1A2s, or enemies on the balconies of Flags 4 and 5. Besides, crashing the HIND only means it is going to respawn back at the MEC Base, and give the US another chance to steal one. 3. Keep low in the HINDs to avoid anti-air weapons from getting a lock. The Anti-Air Base at Flag 6 is behind a line of buildings, and can only get a shot at you if you are fairly high up. 4. You simply cannot allow a stalemate at the river. If you don't get over the river and claim at least one base on the North side, a ticket drain will start, and you will eventually lose. Do anything possible to get across the river. 5. Try dropping soldiers on the North side of the river from the HINDs. Even if the US team has the Anti-Air Base manned, you should still be able to get your men out of the chopper and on the ground before they get a lock on you. 6. Swimming across the river, especially on the far East and West sides of the village, is also a good way to sneak in and attack them from the sides. Just make sure you are not being watched, as you will be a sitting duck if the enemy starts to fire on you while you are attempting to swim across. 7. If you have captured Flag 4, you should immediately direct all fire to Flag 5. The US team will try and recover Flag 4 by spawning at 5, so if you pound it hard enough with missiles and other heavy weapons, you can seriously undermine their efforts to recapture Flag 4. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2 The Black Gold - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Black Gold starts with the MEC held up on an off-shore oil rig, and the US at a small air base on the mainland. The US is completely separated from the MEC and the control points by a large body of water. Crossing this natural barrier and getting US forces on the rig is essential to make any progress. Once the US gets on the rig, they will need to start capturing control points, and hold off the MEC forces. The oil rig is divided into two platforms, OLIN and MAR, which are connected by a large elevated walkway. The US needs to secure at least OLIN, but to really drive this one home, they need to get on the other side and capture the rest of the control points from the MEC. The MEC will put up heavy defenses on MAR to make sure this doesn't happen, and that walkway is going to be the first line of their defensive strategy. However, even though the separation between the two platforms of the rig make it easier for the MEC to defend their side; the US has the advantage of 3 helicopters at their disposal, to the MEC's single HIND. The choppers can be used to drop troops, as well as for offensive assaults. Proper use of the US's air superiority is going to be a deciding factor in this battle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.1 Flag 1 - OLIN 1 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Vehicles: None This is the first control point on OLIN, located on the Northeast corner of the platform. It is the closest to the US Base, so will generally be the first one the US team captures. OLIN can be accessed from the air, and also the water, as ramps below lead up to it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.1.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can be stealthy and lead a small team up though the bottom of OLIN, and try to capture this point from the water, but it is much faster to just drop in on it from the air. The flag at OLIN 1 is surrounded by barrels and large shipping containers, so cover is not a problem here. Just stay low, throw some smoke grenades, and you should be protected for the most part. However, a good sniper on MAR can still nail you, don't get too comfortable. You should also check to see where the enemy helicopter is when attacking, as a helicopter attack means almost certain death. There is little the enemy can do to protect OLIN 1 beyond some scattered C4 and a skilled sniper, so keep your eyes open and stay low, and you should be alright. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.1.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OLIN 1 is tough to defend, so expect it to come under constant attack. Your best bet is to hide a few C4 charges on the flagpole, and around anything an attacker might hide behind for cover (the barrels, the two shipping containers, etc). Keep an eye out for any helicopters approaching, as they could either be on an attack run to weaken the defenses, or about to drop soldiers in to make an attempt at a capture. Neither is good for you, so get a sniper or engineer to take out any helicopters that get close. A few soldiers down prone with their weapons aimed at the two ramps up to the rooftop should be able to cover most attacks from the surface level, and a soldier waiting inside of the building the flag sits on can usually come up behind any attackers heading up to the roof undetected. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.2 Flag 2 - OLIN 2 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Vehicles: None The second control point on OLIN, located on the Southwest corner of the platform. OLIN 2 has very good cover, and can serve as a sniper spot, though not an ideal one. The open shipping container provides a safe haven from rocket attacks and snipers, and is a great vantage point to cover the flag. However, the grate floor of OLIN 2 can be shot through, so don't stand still for long, as an enemy can shoot you from below without you ever seeing them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.2.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The path up to the flag at OLIN 2 is a very dangerous one. There are plenty of places the enemy can ambush you, and you will be in near constant view for any snipers on MAR. If possible, attack OLIN 2 from the air, by dropping as many soldiers on it as possible. If you can't do that, then come in from below on a boat, which will at least make it harder for the defenders to see you coming. Once you get close to the flag, keep your eyes open. Enemies can be hiding in the shipping container, and they will have a perfect shot to take you out when you go for the flag. Face the opening of the container as you come at it, and if possible throw in a grenade or flash bang before you even get close enough for anyone inside to know you are there. Enemies can also be hiding on the side of the container, in the grouping of crates facing MAR. Be very careful. It would be a good idea to call in some air support right before you actually try to get on the flag, or at least throw some flash bangs in the area of the flag. Also, due to how tight the area around the flag is, a C4 charge placed almost anywhere in the vicinity of the flag can take you out. Another good reason to send a few grenades into the area before you move in. Once you get on the flag, stay low, as snipers high up on MAR can easily see down onto the flag. Try to get some cover behind the crates or door of the shipping container, but at the same time, keep your attention on the East side of the flag, as enemies may rush at you once they realize what is going on. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.2.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first thing you might want to do when setting up defenses for OLIN 2 is to have snipers on MAR keep their eye on the flag. You don't want one of your snipers just staring at the thing for the entire match, but the occasional glance over while he is going about his headshots would help out. Beyond that, keeping a soldier hiding in the shipping container is guaranteed to take out at least a few of the people who will attempt a capture during the map. For the rest, C4 charges around the flag and on crates in the area should stop them pretty quick. Keep in mind that the floor the flag sits on can be shot through, so if you are below the flag and see some attackers coming up, or sitting on the flag, open fire on their feet. Most of the time, you will have nearly killed him before he even figures out where the fire is coming from. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.3 Flag 3 - MAR 3 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: MEC Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Helipad Vehicles: Mi-24 HIND (MEC) MAR 3 is the first control point on MAR, located on it's Eastern side. Above this control point is the helipad with the HIND, so it is of high tactical importance to the MEC team. MAR 3 is also the closest control point to OLIN, and is the first one attackers will come to after crossing the walkway. As such, MAR 3 is likely to come under frequent attack after the US team has captured OLIN. There is very good cover all around MAR 3, plus it has the stairs to the top of the helipad right there, which overall makes MAR 3 the best spot for snipers on this map. Use this to your advantage if you are holding MAR 3, and fear it if you aren't. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.3.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The best way to approach MAR 3 is fast. Come across the walkway as fast as possible, then make a mad dash for the two ramps leading up to the flag at MAR 3. As you make your approach, throw in a grenade or flash bang. Expect to see a few enemy soldiers milling about when you get on the platform with the flag, so be ready to take them out. Since MAR 3 is under the helipad tower, you might have a few enemies on the catwalks above you, so take a quick glance up the tower before you get too comfortable in the area. Once you take out anyone who was in the area, dive prone and get on the Health Crate next to the flag. It is close enough that you can still get a capture while being healed at the same time. Throw a few smoke grenades, and the shear amount of objects around the flag should cover you nicely until you convert the flag. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.3.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More often that not, attackers are going to approach MAR 3 from the ramps on the front of the flag platform. Placing C4 charges on these ramps, and waiting for the first wave can do some damage to their forces before they even get near the flag. Charges placed on the various crates and objects around the flag will also do wonders, as well as a charge placed by the Health Crate, to make any campers think twice. Use the catwalks above MAR 3 to your advantage as well. Most people don't think to look above them, and will just focus on the flag ahead, so a sniper or engineer placed above the flag (say, halfway up the helipad tower) can get a few kills on some very surprised attackers as they dive on the flag. You can also use the height advantage to drop down some flash bangs, to really confuse matters below. One important thing to remember though, if you are under attack at MAR 3, get the HIND out of there. You don't want to lose the flag and the helicopter, so get that thing in the air. In fact, it could do a bit of offensive firing on the attackers trying to capture the flag while you have it up and about. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.4 Flag 4 - MAR 4 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: MEC Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Vehicles: None This is the second control point on MAR, located on it's Southwestern side. MAR 4, as you might have guessed, is the next in the line of control points for attackers coming from OLIN. The building the flag sits on is similar to that of Flag 1, so most of the same tactics apply here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.4.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Flag 1, MAR 4 is best attacked by air. Strafe it a bit on the approach, then drop out a few soldiers to go down and convert the flag. If the coast is clear enough, circle the helicopter around a bit, covering the ramps up to the roof with the machine gun, to slow down any defenders that might try to get up there and take out your teammates. Cover on top of MAR 4 is light, and snipers on top of the helipad at Flag 3 can easily see you nearly anywhere on the roof, so you are definitely going to want to get as low as possible, and throw all the smoke you have. Sending the chopper that just dropped you over to the helipad to clear it of any snipers would be a very good idea. If you can't get your air support up there, and a sniper is trying to take out your group, have everyone keep moving in the smoke cloud, and fire up at the helipad. Only a madman would sit still while multiple enemies are firing on him and he doesn't have a clear shot, so you might be able to force a retreat out of him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.4.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As with Flag 1, keep a close eye on the skies above. Soldiers dropping in from helicopters are a big threat to MAR 4. But, you certainly should not ignore the ground routes. There are two ramps to get up to the roof of MAR 4, both of which are located on the West side. Have your group cover these ramps, from above and below, and you will cut off all foot traffic. Place a few C4 charges on the ramps as well, in case some attackers manage to make it though the soldiers you have posted at the bottom of the ramps. If you are holding Flag 3, get some snipers and engineers up on the helipad or the catwalks around it to cover the flag itself, it anyone manages to get past the ramps, or are dropped in from a chopper. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.5 Flag 5 - MAR 5 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: MEC Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Vehicles: None You might have been able to guess, but if not, this is the third control point on MAR, located on the North side of the platform. MAR 5 is the only control point on the rig that has the flag on ground level. As you might expect, this puts MAR 5 at great risk to rush attacks. The flag does have some cover, however, as it sits between two large shipping containers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.5.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAR 5 is one of the few control points where an approach from the water can work to your favor. Dropping your group in from the air also works very well due to the open nature of the control point, but however you chose to engage it, make sure get your helicopters to lay down some fire before hand, to take out any defenders that might have been hiding in the area. As the flag is surrounded by taller structures, keep your eyes open for any defenders on catwalks or roofs in the area. Not to say you should ignore the ground level, as soldiers can be hiding in the shipping container, and pop out just when you come up on the flag. The flag is very close to the Health and Ammo Crates, so as soon as you get close enough, dive right on top of these crates. Then, while facing the flag, bounce a few smoke grenades off the shipping container opposite of you. This will blanket the entire flag area with smoke, and keep your profile a bit more difficult to see for any defenders that might be watching at a distance. Just as you rushed in, beware of defenders rushing in, especially if they have Flag 4 or 3. As the flag is in a sort of corridor formed by the shipping containers, you only have the front and back to watch, so divide your group in half and have them cover opposite sides. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.5.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unless close combat is your thing, you might want to keep some distance between the flag and yourself. Covering the flag from one of the higher structures around it will prove very effective, as you can fire down in between the two shipping containers, and leave them nowhere to hide. The tight confines of the area between the two containers also means that a C4 charge or a rocket detonated on either container would take out, or at least badly damage, anyone on the flag. Bouncing a grenade off one wall also works well. C4 charges prove very effective on Mar 5, due to the nature of the attacks you will be facing. You know everyone is going to rush at the flag and dive between it and the Health/Ammo Crates, so putting charges in this area, and hiding out of sight a safe distance away can grind the attacker's morale to nothing pretty quickly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.6 Flag 6 - US Base - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: US Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Two Helipads Two Stinger Turrets Vehicles: AH-6J Little Bird Two UH-60 Blackhawks Four Sea Ark Stingers The US Base is the largest on the map. It spawns the most vehicles, and has the best defenses. It also cannot be captured. It is only fair though, considering the advantage the MEC has by being out in the middle of the ocean. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.6.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not applicable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.6.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It can't be captured, but it is a rare match where the MEC doesn't try to attack the US Base. After all, the helicopters are the main method of transport to the oil rig, and if the MEC manage to take out one, or even both, of the transport choppers with the HIND, they will buy themselves considerable time to get across to OLIN and start converting the control points. To protect yourself, keep the Stinger Turrets manned while helicopters are leaving the US Base. Also, have the Little Bird escort the Blackhawks at all times. While it is a rather insane tactic, the enemy might make a stealth approach to the US Base by boat, in an effort to sabotage or steal the helicopters. This is not going to happen too often, but all the same, always keep a few soldiers on the ground whenever the helicopters are on the pads. They can cover their teammates and the helicopters as they are loaded up, and then they can jump in right before take off. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.7 Tips for Victory - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With a good team, Black Gold is a tough, but enjoyable map. You will really want to have good helicopter crews for this map, on both sides. Control points tend to change hands rapidly in the heat of battle, so keep an eye on your surroundings, and the situation at hand. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.7.1 US - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Protect the helicopters at all costs, especially the Blackhawks. Losing a fully crewed Blackhawk not only costs you a lot of time, but it can really hinder the morale of the team. 2. While the Blackhawks aren't defenseless, they should not have to face the HIND when in route to the rig. If the HIND is attacking the Blackhawks, the much faster and agile Little Bird should be sent in to take care of it, and the Blackhawk pilots should just focus on performing evasive maneuvers while still maintaining a heading towards the rig. A good Little Bird pilot can literally fly circles around the HIND, so make sure you have a good man in the pilot seat. 3. Once you have captured OLIN, the battle will begin to cross over to MAR and start converting some flags. The MEC will fight you heavily to stop this, and it is not uncommon to see a stalemate on the walkway between the platforms. If this happens, trying to cross it on foot is almost certainly suicide. But if you really want to, throw in smoke grenades to obscure your group from the enemy, and stop once and awhile to take cover behind the boxes and objects scattered on the walkway. If you are nimble enough, you can get on top of the walkway by jumping of the platform at Flag 2. You will be a lot more visible this way, but you might just catch defenders on the walkway off guard, and buy yourself an opportunity to get the first shot. 4. Attacks across the walkway on foot are dangerous, and they will expect an air attack. If you feel daring, drop down under OLIN and grab one of the boats and cross over to MAR below all the action. You can come up to the top of MAR from ramps located below it, and if you are sneaky enough, can get in right behind the enemy, who will generally be focused on the walkway. 5. Never leave any helicopters behind at the US Base, they will likely get stolen and used against you. Even if the Blackhawks don't have anyone to transport, they can still be used for offensive attacks against the enemy. 6. If you are flying around and see the HIND spawn on the helipad, either blow it up, or let one of the soldiers onboard jump out and grab it. Whatever you like, as long as they don't get it up and use it against you. While you are up there, feel free to use their helipad to repair your own craft. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2.7.2 MEC - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. The first thing you should do is get a two man crew in the HIND, and meet the approaching US aircraft over the water. Try to get as high as possible and shoot down at them. Target the Blackhawks first, even though the Little Bird is more likely to take you out. If you manage to splash one of the Blackhawks, you have just saved your team a lot of trouble, but going after the Little Bird is just going to waste time as the Blackhawks make their troop drops over OLIN. 2. The US will almost always go in to capture OLIN first, and ignore MAR. You should send a considerable amount of your forces to OLIN to attempt to start converting flags before the US team arrives, and hold off any US effort to get on the rig. The longer you can keep them off the rig, the better, as the US will have their tickets drained until they get control points on it. 3. While running over the walkway to get to OLIN, throw a few C4 charges on the ground and any objects you pass. They might come in handy soon. 4. Don't get too discouraged if your team is pushed back onto MAR, and the US gets OLIN. This happens in almost every match, so it isn't really a big deal. What you don't want to do is start making desperate attempts at getting back on OLIN. For the time being, focus everything you have got on keeping MAR. 5. While most of the team should be holding their ground on MAR, if you can spare a few soldiers, a stealth mission over to OLIN 1 in a boat can often catch the US team by surprise. Most of the US team will be spawning at OLIN 2, to try and get as close to MAR as possible, so you might just catch them with their pants down. 6. Snipers are hugely effective when defending MAR against attacks from OLIN. Make good use of the high ground and cover afforded by the helipad and various catwalks surrounding the area. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3 Bridge too Far - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bridge too Far puts the US against the Chinese in a battle to hold a port facility. This is a fairly small map, with only 3 control points available to capture. It is a true test of skill between the two teams, as both the assets available and the control points are in near perfect symmetry. The map consists of two main bases, connected by a long stretch of highway between them. At the center of this highway is one of the control points, with two other control points to the Southwest and Southeast of it. With the close arrangement of the control points, and the system of roads, Bridge too Far is well suited for tank combat, and is actually one of the more vehicle-centric maps in the game. While infantry is certainly not to be ignored, it will take proper use of your team's vehicles to really come though in Bridge too Far. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.1 Flag 1 - US Base - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: US Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Stinger Turret Repair Pad Helipad Vehicles: AH-64 Apache Two M1A2s Three Humvees The US Base is on the far West side of the map, almost directly opposite the Chinese Base on the East. There are multiple routes out of the base, including a rail bridge, a broken bridge which can be jumped, and the main highway. While the US Base cannot be captured, the amount of vehicles that spawn there, and it's close proximity to other control points mean it will almost certainly be attacked during the match, likely multiple times. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.1.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not applicable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.1.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You will want to mine all of the roads into the base, but this can be tricky, as the last thing you want to do is trap your own forces inside the base with misplaced mines. Make sure to put any mines in the probable path of any incoming vehicles, but placed so that a driver that knows they are there can steer around them. This is not really a problem on the rail bridge or the highway, but can be tough on the broken bridge, since anyone attempting to jump that bridge will have to get going pretty fast coming out of the base, likely too fast to see the mine markers in time. It is probably best to only lightly mine the broken bridge, if at all. Helicopter attacks against the base are a way of life on Bridge too Far, so make sure you make a run for that Stinger if you hear an incoming helicopter. You should have the Stinger manned regardless when your team is first mobilizing, but it is probably overkill to keep a man on the Stinger for much longer than that if there is no apparent threat. Rarely does a Bridge too Far battle end without the enemy stealing a M1A2 or two and using it against spawning US forces. They also have an aggravating habit of then parking the stolen tank on the helipad or Repair Pad, and thus rendering themselves near invincible. If this happens, get to cover, and have a sniper target it. Nothing else is going to do much good. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.2 Flag 2 - Western Dock - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Grenade Launcher Repair Pad Vehicles: Humvee This is the closest control point to the US Base, and the US team will have this captured in only a minute or two at the start of the match. The Repair Pad, Health/Ammo Crates, and distance from the US Base make the Western Dock a very nice control point for the US team, and they will have a tendency to fight harder to keep it during the battle than they will for other control points on the map. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.2.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The East side of the flag is almost certainly going to be heavily mined, so don't go in there with a vehicle unless you can destroy the mines on your approach. You should approach the flag from the South side of the shipping container that is in front of it, as the mounted Grenade Launcher can't hit you there. You can also try to get in from the South entrance of the garage next to the flag. This will get you a nice shot right at the flag for a rush attack, and is usually not well defended. The enemy won't place mines at both doors to the garage, as it would keep them from using the Humvee that spawns there or the Repair Pad. If you are attacking from the US Base, jumping over the bridge in a vehicle will get you killed 9 times out of 10, as the first thing the Chinese will do when they capture it is cover the opposite side of the bridge with mines. You are much better off taking the rail bridge, which is usually not mined, or at least, not mined as heavily as the broken bridge. It's tight, but you can get an M1A2 or Humvee over the rail bridge, and sneak right up behind them. After you get over the rail bridge, taking a left and heading towards the broken bridge is going to be expected, and this area is likely going to be mined in preparation of such an attempt. Instead, take a right after coming off the rail bridge, carefully maneuver your vehicle around the shipping containers and you will be able to come up on the South side of the garage, ready to take advantage of that generally poorly defended entrance. Keep in mind though, that getting the M1A2 though the garage opening and into the flag area can be tough, and if you don't come at the garage door at the right angle, you can get stuck. This is a very embarrassing and vulnerable way for the enemy to discover your presence, and one in which I have unfortunately found myself a few times. If you came in a Humvee, that is much easier to get though the garage and onto the flag, but beware of a Humvee spawned and sitting in the garage. Running into the back of this vehicle at full speed as you come into the garage isn't going to help anyone. It is better to just fire the M1A2's cannon though the garage at the flag, while some infantry go ahead for the capture. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.2.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Western Docks are best defended by mines surrounding the area, and the flag itself. It is very easy to block all vehicle access from the East with only a few mines placed on either side of the shipping container. Similarly, if you are defending against a US attack, mining the broken bridge will almost guarantee you plenty of vehicle kills. If you dare to get that close to the US Base, drop a few mines in the center of the rail bridge. The color and surface of the bridge makes it near impossible for the enemy to see these mines in time. Placing mines at these points will completely cut off the Western Dock from vehicles, leaving only infantry and helicopter attacks a risk. There isn't much you can do about helicopter attacks beyond hope your snipers or friendly helicopter protect you. But infantry attacks can be slowed with the mounted Grenade Launcher on the North side of the shipping container. However, it can only reach the Northeast quadrant outside of the flag, so you will need to have a few soldiers by the flag to protect against anyone else coming in. Ideally you should have some C4 on the doors to the garage to block any infantry or light vehicles from trying to get though, but if not, at least keep an eye on the area. Placing some mines in the area around the South door that are far enough away from the opening to allow you to get the Humvee out, but close enough to be in the path of a vehicle approaching from the rail bridge can help, but mines are highly visible in the sand surrounding the Western Dock, and can't always be trusted, especially if the attacker is making a slow approach in the first place. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.3 Flag 3 - Overpass - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Two Machine Gun Emplacements Vehicles: None The Overpass is just what it sounds like, the overpass of the highway that connects the US and Chinese Bases. The flag here is in the exact center of the map, and both teams are going to rush at it full speed with their tanks and light vehicles. You don't want to hang out at the Overpass too long without a vehicle, or good defenses. There are two Machine Gun Emplacements, one facing each base, so no matter which team holds it, they can have a mounted machine gun facing right at their attackers. Another example of the almost perfect symmetry of this map. While not technically part of this control point, the Command Computer is located just North of the Overpass, within easy reach of any infantry spawning there. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.3.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first threat when attacking the Overpass from the surface is the Machine Gun Emplacements. A good gunner can take out a light vehicle before it even gets close to the flag, so you will want to either come at the flag in an armored vehicle, or take evasive action while approaching in a light vehicle. Rather than coming straight at the flag from the highway, it is a lot safer to come up one of the four onramps that surround the flag. The two South ramps face both Flags 2 and 4, so if you have already captured one of those, take the vehicle that spawns at either of those control points and come up the ramps fast. This will not give the gunner in the emplacement a chance to fire at you for long, and should allow you to rush in. Of course, rushing in is likely just going to get you killed, since mines are very effective on the Overpass, and will be used heavily. In fact, you may get killed by a mine on the ramp before you even get up to the flag. A smart enemy will deploy mines on the road even at a considerable distance from the flag, as the majority of the vehicle traffic is going to go over the same predictable paths. Rockets, grenades, tank fire, and helicopter fire are all effective to clear mines away from the area surrounding the Overpass, and you should blanket the area with as much of it as possible to make sure you have neutralized all the mines before you head in there with a vehicle. Snipers are a very big threat on Bridge too Far, so trying to take the flag on foot is probably not going to end well. If you have cleared all the mines, get on the flag in a vehicle, ideally a tank, and just wait it out. Watch out for the noise of a laser designator, and if you hear it, bail out and run for cover. Getting behind the overturned truck should protect you from the missile impact. Finally, one of the best ways to capture the Overpass, if perhaps the most risky, is by air. Sure, you could drop some soldiers on the flag, and let them run around it getting hammered by sniper fire. But if you have a good pilot, it is much better to take the helicopter in low next to the flag, and hover as close as possible to it. If he has a steady hand, he can capture the flag without anyone having to step foot on ground. If you attempt to capture it from a helicopter, you are going to want to make sure the enemy helicopter is not around (perhaps attempt the capture after you have downed him), as getting attacked from above as you hover over the flag will almost certainly be the end of your piloting career. You will also want to keep an eye out for tanks, as hovering right over the road puts you within the elevation range of the main cannon. It will only take one well placed cannon shell to take you out, so try to avoid that. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.3.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The long straight roads, combined with the Machine Gun Emplacements and tall buildings surrounding it give the defender plenty of options on how he wants to protect this flag. Mines scattered in the road and on the onramps will take care of a good deal of the incoming attacks, and keeping the machine guns manned will help with the infantry and light vehicles. Snipers and engineers on the roofs of surrounding buildings can also take out incoming helicopters and tanks. There isn't a whole lot to defending the Overpass, the only difficulty comes from keeping all these defenses maintained and properly used when under fire from multiple tanks and perhaps even a helicopter or two. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.4 Flag 4 - Eastern Container Area - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Repair Pad Two Machine Gun Emplacements Vehicles: Humvee (US) FAV (Chinese) This is the counterpart to Flag 2, and is located directly opposite from it, on the East side of the map. As with Flag 2, this control point is located very close to the main base, so the Chinese will likely have this captured quickly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.4.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This flag here can be captured from a helicopter like at Flag 3, but given the amount of buildings and structures that surround it, you are much more likely to get your rotor stuck on something and blow yourself up. It would be better to come at the flag using a tank or light vehicle, making sure to avoid any land mines setup on the West side of the control point. You will be coming head-on into the Machine Gun Emplacements, but in practice, they are rarely manned. The L shaped garage next to of the flag has two openings, one facing West, the other facing North. The North opening is generally mined, but the West opening holds the Repair Pad, and like at Flag 2, the enemy is going to be leery about setting up too many mines in this area. For the most part, they will only place one or two mines on the West side of this opening, and leave the East side open so they can pull in their vehicle for repairs. It should be easy enough to disable the defenses on the Eastern opening, and rush in though it. Snipers on the buildings surrounding the area can pose a problem, but there isn't really anything you can do about that considering how high they will be. Most of the time you won't even be able to see them. Once you get close to the flag, you have two options for holding it. If you are in a vehicle, especially a tank, you are probably better off parking it close to the flag and keeping your eyes open for approaching defenders. You should have a gunner for this, to keep infantry back. A good sniper can hit the driver of a light vehicle, so try to keep the vehicle moving slightly, to make a harder target. You might also want to throw some smoke around the vehicle to obscure the windows. If you are in a tank, then the only thing you need to worry about is a laser designator. If you came in on foot, dive behind the sandbags to the West of the flag. This will cover you from light arms fire, and it will keep you out of sight from passing vehicles, which might confuse your pursuers long enough to let you capture the flag. Snipers from above are still a threat, but you can only hope for the best and throw some smoke around you. No matter how you approach or attempt to capture the flag, the helicopter is always a possible threat. If you have an engineer in your group, have him take a few shots at the helicopter if it attempts an attack. If you are in a vehicle, make use of the mounted machine gun on it and open fire. While it doesn't do massive damage to a helicopter, the rate at which it hits the craft is likely to make the pilot nervous, and either make a mistake, or give up the attack all together. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.4.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are multiple paths into the flag at the Eastern Container Area, so defending it is a bit harder than at the other control points. Effectively planting mines is going to prove very important when trying to hold back the enemy. As Bridge too Far is a primarily vehicle-based map, infantry attacks are not nearly as common as vehicle attacks. You will see a lot of rushes with light vehicles, and the occasional tank will saunter up. The rule here is put down as many mines as possible in all of the openings to the flag area. There is only one vehicle that spawns at this control point, so you don't have to worry about blocking in your teammates like you would at the main base. In fact, even if you mine every ground path into the Container Area, you can still get the spawned vehicle out. If you are daring enough, get up some speed and take the vehicle up the ramp that leads to the rooftop of the building to the West of the flag. If you get it going at just the right speed, your vehicle will crest over the wall at the end of the ramp, and come down on the dock behind the building. Too slow, and you will hit the wall, too fast, and you will go swimming. If you can pull it off, the enemy will never expect it coming, and you can get out of the base and come in right around behind the attackers before they even know what hit them. When not doing your best "Dukes of Hazard" imitation over this building, you will find it has a nice vantage point of the flag below, and will allow you to fire down on attackers, even if they have gone prone behind the sand bags of the Machine Gun Emplacement. You could also place a few C4 charges behind the sand bags, and wait for an attacker to hide behind them. By the time they hear the beeping, they will already be nose to nose with the detonator. Essentially, watch the area behind the Machine Gun Emplacement very closely, as it is a very common, and very effective, hiding spot for the enemy when trying to capture the flag. Speaking of that, you might want to man the Machine Gun Emplacement, but again, pure infantry attacks are not too common here. Though you could use it against incoming light vehicles if you aren't completely confident in your mines. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.5 Flag 5 - Chinese Base - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: China Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Stinger Turret Repair Pad Helipad Vehicles: Two FAVs Two Type 98s WZ-9 This is the Chinese counterpart of the US Base to the East. The Chinese Base is nearly identical strategically to the US Base. They both have the same assets, comparable vehicles, and are both within a river jump of a neutral control point at the start of the match. The only real difference is that the US Base has 3 ground routes out, while the Chinese Base only has 2. Like the US Base, vehicles can leave the Chinese Base via the main highway, and a broken bridge. But there is no counterpart to the rail bridge at the US Base. However, it is possible for infantry to cross the river via catwalks on buildings to the South of the base. These connect up to buildings behind Flag 4 and make for a stealthy approach. Be careful though, as this catwalk is one of the view structures in Modern Combat that can actually be destroyed with explosives. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.5.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not applicable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.5.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While the deficit of ground routes over the river is a disadvantage when trying to get out of the Chinese Base, it does have it's advantages when trying to defend it. As the catwalks can only be crossed via infantry, and only light vehicles can jump the broken bridge, this leaves the main highway as the only means to bring tanks into the Chinese Base. The way the Chinese Base is laid out, you could start firing on an enemy tank almost as soon as they cross the bridge, while it is still fairly far away. To protect against light vehicles, mine the broken bridge, but keep in mind this will limit your ability to quickly move the FAVs across the river if you need to. Even so, it is very common for the enemy to jump the broken bridge in a Humvee, turn right and run along the docks for a bit, then come out behind the helipad. From there, they may attempt to steal or sabotage some vehicles, or just get cheap spawn kills. So you should not only mine the bridge itself, but plant a few around the docks to the South, and in the area behind the helipad and tank spawns. Occasionally there might be a helicopter attack, so have soldiers ahead give a warning when a chopper is seen heading West towards the base. Then get a man on the Stinger, and be ready for him. Snipers on top of the buildings and the large oil tanks Northeast of Flag 3 should also be able to target any incoming aircraft well before it gets within firing range of the base. Finally, if you are really paranoid, you can set C4 charges on the catwalk to the South of the base, and blow it up if you think the enemy might try to sneak over it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.3.6 Tips for Victory - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Since both teams have nearly identical assets available, there aren't really team-specific tips for this map. Instead, here is some general advice that will help either team. 1. Good snipers are very effective on Bridge too Far because of the large open area and variety of high perches to fire from. Good sniper positions include the large oil tanks to the North, the tall buildings on the East and West sides of the main island, and the large crane to the South. You can get on top of the oil tanks on foot, but to get to the higher positions like the buildings or cranes, you will need to get dropped there by helicopter. 2. If you are a sniper that wants to get on a high perch like the crane or tall buildings, ask your teammates to drop you there. Don't take the chopper yourself and just bail out over your destination. This is a pointless waste of a helicopter, and really pisses off the rest of the team. That chopper could do a lot more damage than a single sniper, if it was used properly. 3. The broken bridges are a great way to quickly get over the rivers, but are also easily mined to destroy anything that crosses. Every time you approach to make a jump, keep in mind that the other side might be a death trap. Before you make the jump, consider what is on the other side. Is the control point beyond it currently, or was it recently, held by the enemy? If so, you might want to rethink your approach. 4. Because of the lack of overhead cover in most areas of this map, artillery strikes are highly effective. Make sure you get to the Command Computer before the enemy does, as you don't want to be on the receiving end of a strike. The team that holds the Overpass will have the upper-hand when it comes to getting to the Command Computer, so consider that when deciding which control points to go after. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4 Cold Front - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cold Front has the Chinese fighting to take over a large European Union installation in a cold, mountainous area. The Chinese are severely outnumbered in terms of control points, so they need to fight as hard as possible to convert some points as soon as possible. The EU team has the advantage in terms of defensive capability in the match. Most of the control points on Cold Front are on high ground, and are surrounded by various natural or man-made obstacles, making the approach very dangerous for approaching enemy vehicles. Not only that, but the only road out of the Chinese Base passes right under a heavily fortified enemy installation, complete with mounted weapons that have a clear shot at the entire area. However, the Chinese have the only helicopter in the map, which can deliver their forces deep into the map faster than the EU can get there in their ground vehicles. By targeting the weakest defended control point with the helicopter, the Chinese can establish a presence within enemy territory, and spread out from there. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.1 Flag 1 - Chinese Base - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: China Assets: Ammo Crate Repair Pad Vehicles: WZ-9 Two Type 98s The Chinese don't have a whole lot to work with in this match. Granted they get the only helicopter in the entire map, but that is pretty much the only thing they have going for them. The two Type 98s are powerful, but not exactly ideal for the mountainous terrain they need to be able to navigate. The road out of the Chinese Base is a real gauntlet run, with most of the EU forces targeting it at the start of the match. There is a frozen river which you can take instead of the main road, which leads North, deep into the middle of the EU's territory. This is a nice, but very obvious, path out of the base; so watch out for any traps the enemy might setup on it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.1.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not applicable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.1.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The only tangible advantage that the Chinese team has is their WZ-9 helicopter, and the enemy knows this. That is why it is critically important to protect the WZ-9 from enemy sabotage. A rush attack to steal, or at least damage, the WZ-9 is the most likely attack on this base, so be prepared for it. Try to throw down some smoke when you and your teammates are boarding the chopper, to make it harder for any snipers hiding in the forest to take you out. Placing a few mines at the entrance to the base is a good idea to keep out any vehicles that might take a direct route in to get a quick shot at the chopper, but such an attack is not likely to happen until later on in the match. Your best defense is a good offense, so make keep a close eye on the tree line around the base, to be sure no infantry is trying to sneak in. Perhaps the best thing to do though, is to simply get the chopper loaded and in the air as fast as possible. Don't leave the WZ-9 sitting there, get it out of the base as soon as it spawns, to make it less of a target for ground forces. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.2 Flag 2 - Bunker Nest - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: EU Assets: Five Health Crates Five Ammo Crates Five Machine Guns Two Grenade Launchers Stinger Turret Vehicles: M6 Bradley (EU) BMD-3 (Chinese) They don't get much heavier defended than the Bunker Nest. Between it's natural high-ground and rough surrounding terrain, to the massive amount of mounted weapons surrounding it, there is no easy ground route in. The various bunkers in the area also give good cover when attempting to attack with a helicopter or artillery strike. Overall, the Bunker Nest lives up to it's name, and is one of the most difficult to attack control points you will ever encounter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.2.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are few good ways to actually attack and capture the Bunker Nest. In fact it could be argued that you are better off just letting the enemy have it, and capture all the other points to make up for it. But let's assume that you are a glutton for punishment, and want to attempt an attack on the Bunker Nest. What would be the best method? Well, given the sheer amount of mounted weapons the Bunker Nest has, and the rough terrain that surrounds it, it is more likely that all of the enemies will simultaneously decide to pop off for a snack than you making a successful direct attack with infantry or light vehicles. A tank would provide more cover if you were attempting a ground assault, but considering how slow the progress will be navigating the approach with a tank, the chances are good you will get picked off by a rocket or laser guided missile before you even get close. Another problem with ground vehicle attacks is that the flag itself is located in such an area that it isn't possible to pull up along side it with a vehicle to capture it. Well, you can get the vehicle there, but you aren't going to be getting it back out, much less move it, so it isn't a terribly wise attempt. So attacking with a ground vehicle is all but suicide, what else is there? Well, statistically speaking, given the ratio of ground to air weapons, a helicopter attack is the safest vehicle assault you can make. "Safe" might not be the best term, but you have a better chance of actually doing something constructive when going in with a helicopter than a light vehicle. Let us assume that the defenders have manned both the Stinger turret and the Bradley. Destruction of your helicopter is almost assured in this situation, but likely not before you can drop off your passengers and bail out yourself. Rockets from the ground are the more pertinent threat, so try to keep moving. Drop everyone right on top the flag, and hold onto it for dear life. Finally, there are breaks in the tree line surrounding the Bunker Nest to the North and East. Trying to get vehicles though these breaks would be a waste of time, but if you can get enough infantry to rush though at once, you have a good shot at catching the defenders off guard, and making an attempt at the flag. You may have a shot at causing a distraction at one side of the Bunker Nest, and then attacking from another side. For instance, making a vehicle attack from the South will draw most of the defenders to that side, and might just give you an opening to come in from the North with infantry and/or the WZ-9. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.2.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Defending the Bunker Nest is about the easiest task you can have to take on in this match. First and foremost, keep all of the mounted weapons (or at least the ones facing the enemy installations) manned, including the Stinger Turret. Also man the Bradley/BMD and keep it within the base. If you see any light vehicles or infantry coming up from the Chinese Base or surrounding area, open fire and take them out before they even get in range of attacking you. A rush attack with the helicopter is one of the most dangerous situations that you may face at the Bunker Nest, so keep a sharp eye out for the WZ-9. Taking it out with the Stinger Turret is likely going to take longer than it will for the pilot to drop his passengers on the flag. Have snipers outside the base try to take it out with their laser designators before it even gets close. When it does get to the base, it is likely going to be coming in low, so you might have a good chance of nailing it with a rocket launcher if you have a good aim. If you can knock it out with the first shot from the rocket launcher, you might be able foil their attempt at getting infantry on the flag. Be prepared for any infantry assaults coming from the hill to the North, or the road to the East. Speaking of the road to the East, place a few mines on it, just in case any of the enemy is suicidal enough to take a vehicle up it. Most importantly, keep the based defended evenly. Place soldiers on all sides, even if there is no apparent threat at the moment. A surprise attack can pop up at any time, and if you aren't prepared for it, the enemy can roll right over your defenses. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.3 Flag 3 - Vault 13 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: EU Assets: Four Health Crates Four Ammo Crates Six Mounted Machine Guns Vehicles: M6 Bradley (EU) BMD-3 (Chinese) While Vault 13 has a decent amount of bunkers and mounted weapons, it has a large road that goes right past the flag, running North to South. This makes Vault 13 very open to vehicle attacks. Vault 13 also lacks a Stinger Turret, which means the Bradley has to stay behind as air defense. Though this isn't such a bad thing, as the view from Vault 13 covers most of the map, and the Bradley should be able to lock on to the enemy helicopter at a considerable distance pretty easily. This control point is important due to the fact that the Command Computer is held within the main bunker of the compound. The team holding this control point has essentially exclusive access to the artillery strike. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.3.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- None of the mounted guns at Vault 13 can really get a good shot at vehicles or infantry coming up the North-South road. This opens up Vault 13 to convoy style vehicle attacks. Obviously, you are going to want to watch out for mines, as they are generally pretty heavy on this road. The enemy knows full well how vulnerable they are if this road is left open. You may find taking the Northern end of the road safer, as it is in a more secluded area than the Southern side, which is in clear view of Flag 2. Though the biggest threat comes from the small outpost just outside of the South end of the road. This contains a Repair Pad, as well as Ammo and Health Crates. A small team of soldiers, along with a tank, positioned here can completely block off the South end of the road. Helicopter attacks on Vault 13 are effective, as long as the enemy didn't keep the Bradley there. If the Bradley is stationed at Vault 13, then it's missiles will have locked onto you long before you get close enough to drop any of your crew. Or if not the missiles, then the 25mm cannon certainly will have you. It is also possible to sneak a team of soldiers up the East side of the area. Infantry coming up this hill can rush in and grab the vehicles that spawn right on the edge of the hill, and then proceed to use them against the defenders, while moving them forward to convert the flag. Not exactly sporting, but gets the job done. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.3.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mines, Mines, Mines. That is one of the most important things you need to keep in mind when defending Vault 13. The North-South road is a massive liability, and it needs to be completely blocked off from the enemy. Position a tank and a small group of solders at the outpost to the South of Vault 13, to stop any enemies from coming up the South side of the road. Then focus your attention on the North side, to keep an eye out for approaching vehicles. Keep the Bradley here at Vault 13, both to defend it against air attacks, and to cover the air over Flag 2. Infantry attacks are common, so keep soldiers in the lookout bunkers, and have them man the mounted Machine Guns in them. They should be able to spot any advancing infantry, and with any luck, take them out with Machine Gun fire before they get close enough to do any damage. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.4 Flag 4 - Ruins - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: EU Assets: Four Health Crates Three Ammo Crates Two Mounted Machine Guns Stinger Turret Repair Pad Vehicles: M6 Bradley (EU) Leopard 2 A5 (EU) FAV (Chinese) The Ruins are the remains of a bombed out town situated in the middle between Flags 3 and 5. All of the destroyed buildings can be entered and used as cover, and some even hold mounted Machine Guns Infantry assaults are a big threat here, due to all the blown out buildings that can be used for cover or hiding. The Ruins are well defended against air attacks thanks to the Stinger Turret, and yet another M6 Bradley. There is a road going though the Ruins, running East to West, which will need to be mined to hold out the enemy. The frozen river leading up from the Chinese Base also runs though the Ruins, going North to South. This should be mined as well. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.4.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If approaching in a ground vehicle, you can either get to the Ruins via the frozen river, or the East-West road that runs through the town. The road will almost certainly be mined, but you might just get lucky and have a clear path on the frozen river. At the very least, mines show up better on the ice than they do on the road, so even if they do mine it, you have a better chance of avoiding the mines or bailing out before the vehicle hits them. Once inside the town, it is usually a good idea to ditch the vehicle, and go in on foot. Using the buildings to hide in, and give you cover if you encounter the enemy. You can come up right behind the flag from an alleyway to the Southwest of it. The Ruins are going to be host to plenty of close combat battles, so you might want to go in as an engineer, and use the shotgun to make short work of any enemies you catch with their guard down. Once you get on the flag, you will want to watch out, as there is a building directly across the street from it which has a mounted Machine Gun on it's second floor. This gun may be manned as part of their defenses, and if it isn't when you first get there, it's likely a defender is going to jump on it when they figure out what is going on. Throw some smoke to cover you and your teammates, and go for cover behind the vehicles that spawn next to the flag. Just watch out that they don't blow up the vehicle, and take you along with it. While avoiding fire from the buildings around you, keep a sharp eye on the bridge high overhead on the East side of the flag. Snipers can position themselves up there and get a clean shot at almost any area in the map, the top of your head included. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.4.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first thing you will want to do is mine the East-West road, and the frozen river. This will keep out most of the vehicles. After you have done that, you will want to put soldiers on the mounted Machine Guns, and the Stinger Turret. This will defend against both infantry attacks on the flag, and a helicopter troop drop. Protecting the center of the town is good, but you probably will want to extend a perimeter around the town as well. Get a few soldiers on the outskirts of town, possibly in a light vehicle, and throw a few mines in the trees surrounding the town itself. The buildings give the enemy plenty of places to hide away as they make their approach, and often you will find the flag is being converted before you even realize the enemy is there. It would be a good idea to always keep at least 2 soldiers on the flag, so that the enemy can't sneak up on it. You should also place some C4 on the base of the flag and surrounding area, so you will have an insurance policy if the enemy does manage to get though and take up positions on the flag. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.5 Flag 5 - EU Base - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: EU Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Repair Pad Vehciles: Eagle MTV Two Leopard 2 A5s Considering the heavy defenses at the other control points, it is pretty ironic how little the EU Base really has. There are no mounted weapons, and no anti-aircraft defenses. The only thing this Base has going for it are the two tanks, and the Repair Pad. The tanks are of limited use on this map. Granted the close proximity of the EU Base to Flag 4 means you can roll the tanks right in to attempt to take back the control point if the Chinese grab it; but other than that, the wild terrain and the prolific mines make the tanks more of a liability the farther they stray from the Base. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.5.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not applicable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.5.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The threat of attack on the EU Base is pretty low. The only time you might see a serious attack here is if the enemy has captured every other control point, and pushed your team all the way back to your main base. If this has happened, you might as well just go get a sandwich, since there is nothing I can tell you to recover from that situation. Unless of course, the opposing team also decided this was a good time to get a sandwich, in which case you might have a opening. At any rate, if you were to be attacked here, the helicopter is the most likely way the enemy would approach. The EU Base has no established anti-aircraft defenses by itself, so you might want to bring one of the Bradley's over and park it in the center of the base. With the clear line of sight in the front of the base, you would be able to target the helicopter pretty far out, and perhaps even take it down before it gets close enough to do anything about it. Placing mines on the road leading out of the base is probably not going to do a whole lot other than give your teammates a hard time when they try to get the tanks out of there. Still, there is always the chance that the enemy might try a rush attack in light vehicle, and come right up the road into the base. In which case, a mine or two might prevent that. On the other hand, if the enemy is thinking, they would drive the vehicle right up the hills on either side of the road, and avoid any possible mines you have setup on the road. Teach them what they get for thinking, and place mines on the hills as well. If the enemy does make it in, either via the helicopter, sneaking up on foot, or rushing in with a vehicle, they are almost certainly going to try and steal the tanks. The best way to prevent this is to simply not leave the tanks laying around, and always have them out and in use. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.6 Tips for Victory - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cold Front can be a tough one for the Chinese, so it is important to use every possible advantage. At the same time, while the EU team is sitting pretty at the start of the battle, a good Chinese team can quickly roll over their defenses if they don't watch what they are doing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.6.1 EU - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Air defense is important at essentially every control point on the map. To address this, you are given a number of Bradley's. Make good use of them, place them at vantage points where they can cover at least one control point (in some places, you can cover two control points at the same time), and keep them hidden from enemy fire. Don't wait for the helicopter to attack either. As soon as you see it, wherever it is, try and take it down. 2. While the EU team doesn't get a helicopter, they certainly get enough weapons to use against it. You have enough Bradley's (assuming you have the control points where they spawn) to cover the entire map evenly. Make sure to space out the Bradley's so there is no "safe" area where the enemy can fly to when being targeted. 3. Obviously, when the match starts, you will be drawing tickets from the Chinese team. All you really have to do to win on Cold Front is just to hold the majority of the control points. There is no reason to do anything other than defense unless you are trying to recapture a control point. Even then, some control points just aren't worth fighting too hard for. 4. Don't spawn kill the Chinese team at their base. Just because the EU team starts with all the control points, doesn't mean you have to pound the enemy so hard they can't make it out of their own base. It is just plain unfair. The EU team already has enough of an advantage without bringing cheap tactics into it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.4.6.2 China - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. The helicopter is the most important asset the Chinese have, so make use of it. Specifically, use it to drop soldiers on the enemies control points, and take the occasional shot at some enemy emplacements. Don't waste too much time firing on the enemy though, the more important thing is to keep dropping troops where they are needed. 2. The EU team has plenty of anti-aircraft weaponry, and your helicopter is the only target there is on the map. To avoid it, stay as low as possible, and always keep moving. Do your best to keep the helicopter in one piece for as long as possible. 3. The only way to get snipers on top of bridge next to Flag 4 is by dropping them from the helicopter. Get a sniper or two up here at early on in the match, and they can do a lot of damage. They have a clear shot at nearly the entire map, which will prove useful in both defense and offense. 4. Make sure to take out the Bradley's when you see them. Snipers can both spot them and their crews at a distance, and then lock onto them with a laser guided missile. 5. The frozen river running though the middle of the map is an excellent way to get troops and vehicles around, without having to face the brunt of the enemies weapons. Since the road out of the Chinese Base goes right under the mounted weapons at Flag 2, jumping onto the frozen river as soon as you get out of the Base can save you from getting pummelled before you can even get a shot at the enemy. 6. Above all else, you need to start converting control points to stop the ticket drain as soon as possible. Your best chance is to load up the chopper and fly to the control point that looks to be the worst defended. Get it, and hold it. After that, you can work on capturing the next one. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5 Dammage - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dammage puts China and the United States against each other in a battle to conquer this flooded city. This is a "Double Assault" map, which means that every single control point can be captured. If you don't keep up the defense, the enemy can push you right out of the battlefield. The map is divided laterally by a large river, completely separating the North and South portions, save for a single bridge to the West. There are a number of small boats however, which can move infantry across the divide a bit more covertly than driving over the bridge. All of the control points are on the same road, which forms a large semicircle. This, combined with the lack of any helicopters, makes enemy movement patterns very predictable. Accordingly, mines and ambushes are almost assured in many areas of the map. Aside from the main road, most of the level is flooded. In the streets there is only a foot or so water, which means you can still drive a vehicle through most of it. It also means that the small boats scattered around can take to the flooded roads as well. This is the only time you are going to see boats and Humvees going head to head, or where you can take out a boat with mines. In fact, mines will prove to be very effective here, as they are extremely hard for the enemy to spot under the water. The lack of overhead cover makes this a good map for artillery strikes, but they don't make it easy to call one. The Command Computer is on a sunken cargo ship in the middle of the river. You will need to take a boat to get to it, or attempt to swim. Since this is a Double Assault map; a good defense is just as, if not more, important than taking the offensive. After you convert a flag, it is important to leave a small defensive force behind, or else the enemy will have it back in a few minutes. You will only need 3 control points to initiate a ticket drain on the opposing team. With the natural division of this map, it is possible to capture all of the Northern control points, and then just cut off traffic across the bridge and make sure no boats get across the river. On the other hand, you could just attempt to knock the other team right off the map. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.1 Flag 1 - The Temple - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: China Assets: Health Crate Two Ammo Crates Grenade Launcher Machine Gun Vehicles: Two Humvees (US) M1A2 (US) Two FAVs (China) BMD-3 (China) This control point starts under Chinese control, and is very important to their team, as it spawns a considerable amount of vehicles. The Temple offers considerable defenses, both in it's natural design, and it's mounted weapons. While the mounted weapons don't actually face the flag, they can cover the North and East approaches, which should slow down advancing forces. The Temple is situated as such that it lets the team holding it completely cover the bridge, the only land route over the river. For this reason alone, it is worth fighting to keep this area under your control. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.1.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The defenders are likely to have manned the mounted weapons, as well as place cover on the ramp leading up to the top level on the North face of the Temple. Your best way in is to sneak in from the hill to the South. You will need to get up there without being seen by the defenders of course, but if there is some commotion up by the bridge, or they are focused straight ahead, you should be able to slip in without too much trouble. If your group holds tight to the Southern most wall across from the bridge, you can get far enough away that the defenders at the Temple probably won't even notice your approach. There is a closed off tunnel and overturned tractor trailer directly opposite the bridge which provides good cover, and an excellent staging area to launch the sneak attack from. Once you are in, move slowly up the West side of the structure. This will let you get in behind anyone who might be prone covering the North ramp, as well as the soldiers manning the mounted weapons. Toss in a smoke grenade or flash bang to startle them, and take these guys out all in a quick strike. Then have your whole group take up positions on the flag for the conversion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.1.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The design of the Temple allows you to block off the most obvious access routes very effectively. Place soldiers on the mounted weapons to cover the approach routes towards the compound. You will also want to cover the ramp on the North face with a soldier or two, and a few well placed C4 charges. Placing C4 charges on the flag and the surrounding area is also a very good idea. After placing them, you can hide somewhere (perhaps the small hut facing the ramp), and detonate them once the enemy is trying to convert it. The Southern area is a big hole in your defenses. Granted the soldiers on the mounted weapons can cover most of the Eastern approach to the compound, it is still possible for a small team to sneak in on foot behind the Temple. Your best defense against this is simply to have a few soldiers patrol the rear of the Temple once and awhile, so that anyone trying to sneak in won't have the element of surprise for very long. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.2 Flag 2 - Parking Lot - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Vehicles: Humvee (US) FAV (China) BMD-3 (China) The Parking Lot is an interesting structure. It has two floors, with the flag up on the top level. Vehicles can access the top level via a ramp, though it will almost always be mined if the Chinese are holding it, since their vehicles spawn on the bottom levels. If the US has this control point though, their vehicle spawns on the top, so mines on the ramp are not always possible. The bottom floor is a small and dark, and can play host to some nasty surprise attacks, especially since there is a stairway on the South side that comes up from street level. The Health and Ammo crates are also located on the lower level. The high mountain that borders the Parking Lot on the West side is a favorite spot for snipers, which can do massive damage, both defensively and offensively, so keep a close eye on this area, no matter what your business is at the Parking Lot. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.2.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are a number of ways you can approach the Parking Lot, and each has it's own risks and merits. The fastest way in is to rush towards it in a light vehicle, drive up the ramp on the West side, and park the vehicle right next to the flag. If you have a few teammates in the vehicle with you, you can have this control point captured in mere seconds. However, you are more than likely going to hit a land mine before you even get up to the top level. Mines are common on the road leading up to the Parking Lot, on the ramp, and even around the flag. The only time you might be able to pull off such an attack is right after the enemy has captured it, which means they might not have had time to setup defenses, or right after an artillery strike. You could always have infantry go in and clear the mines, but if they did that, they might as well just get themselves on the flag, and save some time. So, combining an artillery strike with a rush attack in a vehicle is one good way in, but that is going to involve some good timing, and having both a vehicle and the artillery strike at the ready. Sounds too complicated. You are probably going to have a lot better luck coming in on foot. You will avoid the prolific mines, plus you can keep a low profile until right before the attack, to get the crucial element of surprise. There are a few ways to come at the Parking Lot on foot. First, you could just waltz right up the road, up the ramp, and onto the flag. This would work well if the enemy is asleep, or all dead, but any other time this is probably just going to get you killed. You also run the risk of walking right into the line of fire of the BMD-3 if the Chinese are the defenders. You could instead make your way up the mountain to the West. This is a good way in, since you have a bird's eye view of the situation, and you will be able to watch the enemy's movement and determine the opportune moment to strike. You could also leave a sniper or two up on the top after you go down to convert the flag, so they can provide you with cover. Finally, one of the best ways in by foot is the stairway leading up from the street on the South side of the Lot. You can have a bunch of your teammates rendezvous down on the street, out of the enemy's sight, and then all rush up to the top level and make a dash for the flag. No matter how you get onto the top level, you are going to be at risk when you are converting the flag, because of how open the area is. To protect yourself, jump into the dumpster next to the flag, and move all the way to the back of it, towards the corner facing the flag pole. Then kneel down or go prone inside of it, facing the opening you jumped in through. This will allow you to convert the flag while remaining completely hidden from the enemy. Make sure the coast is clear when you jump in or out of the dumpster. You don't want to tip the enemy off to your hiding spot. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.2.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Parking Lot is a tough one to defend, because the flag area is wide open, and there a multitude of ways to get to the upper level from almost every direction. You will need to address each attack vector to achieve a good defense here. First of all, you will want to mine the road leading up to the Parking Lot, as well as the ramp going to the upper level. A few mines around the flag itself aren't a bad idea either. Ideally, you would want your line of mines to start all the way at the end of the road, where it leads down to the water. This way, the vehicle gets destroyed far outside of the base, so no survivors from the blast can make a dash for the flag. This also saves you from having to constantly drop mines, since the advancing enemy is going to hit them all in series, giving you a few kills before you have to go back out there and drop a new line. Similarly, this will also protect you better from a convoy style attack then a few mines right outside the Lot would. Once you feel the area is pretty secure from vehicle attacks, you will want to move you attention over to the eventual infantry attack. A few will likely try a frontal assault up the ramp at some point during the battle, but the stairs to the South provide the enemy with the best chance at success, so that is where the more dangerous attacks will be coming from. You could plant some C4 on various levels of of the stairway, and hope that you will manage to catch the attackers at the right moment to detonate, but that is probably never going to happen under realistic conditions. You would have a better chance planting the C4 at the top of the stairs and the surrounding area. When the attackers come up the stairs, they are likely going to stop at the top for a few seconds to survey the area or go prone to shoot at the defenders. This is the perfect time to catch them with the C4. You might even take out the whole group in one blast. However, to think you will be able to stop every attack before they even set foot on the upper level would be optimistic to the point of foolishness, so you will need to setup some defenses for the flag itself. Since there is very little cover around the flag, planting a few C4 charges within the capture radius is almost guaranteed to take out the attacking force. You will also want to place a C4 charge or two inside of the dumpster next to the flag, to take out any clever enemy that took up a position inside of it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.3 Flag 3 - Collapsed Tunnel - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Vehicles: Pickup Truck Humvee (US) FAV (China) The Collapsed Tunnel offers essentially nothing in and of itself to the team that holds it. The vehicles it spawns are not terribly useful, there are no mounted weapons there, and it has no natural features to protect it from attack. What it does have however, is location. It is centrally located between Flags 2 and 4, making it a great point of departure for attacks against those control points. It is also the closest you can spawn to the Command Computer sitting off-shore. Another indirect advantage of holding the Collapsed Tunnel is the Repair Pad tucked away at to the East, on the dead-end street. This is the only Repair Pad on the entire map, and while you don't need to have the Collapsed Tunnel in your team's possession to use it, it will certainly make things easier if you do. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.3.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The only serious threat when attacking the Collapsed Tunnel are the mines that will almost certainly be littered around every road leading up to it. Since the defenders have nothing else in their favor, they are going to be relying heavily on these mines to hold back the brunt of the attacking forces. I would go so far as to say that attempting to approach the Collapsed Tunnel in a vehicle while it is being held by a competent team, is just a waste of a good vehicle. You may have a shot if they just recently captured it, but if the enemy has been holding that positions for a respectable amount of time, there are probably dozens of mines in every direction. Your best way in is on foot. But approaching on the West road is going to give the defenders plenty of time to fire on you with small arms, or the occasional rocket. You are better off taking a lower key approach. Try coming at the Collapsed Tunnel from the flooded street level to the West. There isn't enough room between the shipping containers scattered around to bring a vehicle through, but there is enough space for a decent group of soldiers to get around all of the obstacles. Once through the clutter on the street level, you will end up on a collapsed overpass which leads up to the control point. If you take this incline, you can get much closer to the flag before the enemy gets a visual on you than you could if you come at them on level ground. Now, you can get a vehicle though the flooded street to the East of the collapsed overpass, but that also means the enemy might mine this passage. Besides, the only realistic way to get a vehicle on this side of the Collapsed Tunnel while it is captured is if your team is already holding Flag 4, in which case it would be better off to simply launch a infantry assault from Flag 4 in the first place. Once you actually get to the flag area, you are going to want to use some explosives to neutralize any defenders that are hiding inside of the outcropping. Throw in some grenades or fire a rocket at the side wall next to the flag. Tossing in some smoke or a flash bang would also be a good idea. When you try to convert it, there are two good ways to go about it. First, you can go prone under the large piece of the wall that has fallen down to the East side of the flag. There is just enough room to crawl in here and get close enough to the flag to start converting it. You are easily spotted by infantry coming up the collapsed overpass in front of you, however. The second way to convert the flag is to simply go prone in the dark corner of the outcropping, right on the Health Crate. This will give you good cover from infantry coming at you from the front, and give you a little health boost if they do manage to land a shot on you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.3.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Collapsed Tunnel has nothing to offer the defender. Instead, it gives the attackers plenty of routes in, and nice open shots at anyone who might be in there defending it. You need to cut off the land routes in by scattering mines across the roads that face any control points the enemy holds. Put the mines in a zig-zag pattern, so that vehicles coming down the road can't simply turn out of the way of them. Considering how narrow the roads can be, this will completely cut off all traffic. After that, you are going to want to place some soldiers with machine guns inside the sand bag emplacement that surrounds the flag area. By keeping the soldiers farther in, they are protected from rocket fire at the sand bags, and will be very difficult to hit with small arms if they are down prone. It will also give the attackers a nasty surprise when they jump over those sand bags and attempt to get down on the flag. Gratuitous use of C4 charges will also prove highly effective in the close quarters environment here. If any attackers make it inside your perimeter, you can blow them right back out again. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.4 Flag 4 - Dead End - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Two Ammo Crates Machine Gun Vehicles: Sea Ark Stinger Humvee (US) LAV-300 (US) FAV (China) The Dead End is...well, it's the dead end of the main road that runs though the map. This control point is accessible both from the main road and the river. You can also get to it through the ruble that is in the flooded street to the West of the flag. The flag is right in the open here, so defenses are a problem. Plus, it is far away from the action, so you are going to find that nobody wants to hang around here for two long. Because of this, expect this control point to change hands pretty often during the match. However, if the US holds this control point, they will get another LAV-300 to add to their arsenal. For this reason alone, the US will tend to be holding this area whenever possible, and it will likely be the first flag they convert at the start of the match. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.4.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The best way to approach the Dead End is by the water. You run too high of a risk of getting killed by taking the main road, especially if you aren't holding all the control points along the way. Ideally, you would use the LAV-300, which can ride right up onto the flag and use it's weapons to clear out and defenders in the area. Of course, the battlefield has a tendency to be less than ideal most of the time, so you might have to make do with a light boat. On the bright side, if you come into the area on a boat and jump out, you don't run the risk of getting killed by a mine hidden under the water like you do in the LAV-300. In either event, watch for defenders on the upper levels of the office building on the North side of the flag. You will also want to check the Eastern wall of the flag area, as soldiers can hide behind the objects scattered around there, and pop up when you go for the flag. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.4.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Defending the Dead End is a lot easier if you hold the control points on the North of the river, or at the very least, Flag 3. But even if you don't, you can still setup a decent defensive line with mines and proper positioning of infantry. The most obvious area to place mines is the road leading in from the North. You will want to place mines across the road, both at the end that leads into the flag area, and up around the bend, where the road is narrowed by the destroyed bus. You will also want to scatter some mines in the flooded street around the flag and towards the river's edge, which should protect you from ground vehicles, as well as boats. Once you have your mines placed, you will want to take up defensive positions around the area. There is a single mounted Machine Gun at this control point, which is located on the upper floors of a office building looking over the flag area, and the road. To get up to it, use the ramp located on the Western side of the building. This vantage point will allow you to not only sound the alarm when the enemy is approaching, but also fire down on them before they even get close to the flag. If you are looking for some up close and personal combat, the sand bags and assorted objects that are laying around to the East of the flag provide good cover for infantry. You might not want to be sitting there if the LAV-300 is attacking, but if you are facing a light vehicle or infantry, you can pop out and do a lot of damage. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.5 Flag 5 - Office Buildings - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: US Assets: Health Crate Two Ammo Crates Machine Gun Grenade Launcher Vehicles: Sea Ark Stinger (US) Humvee (US) LAV-300 (US) FAV (China) This is easily the best control point on the entire map. It spawns the most versatile array of vehicles, and offers the best defensive layout. The flag is located in the center of a group of 4 buildings. You can get to the flag from alleyways to the East, North, and West. The alleyways are not large enough to easily fit a vehicle, so you will have to move around on foot once inside. There are also two mounted weapons, which can be used both offensively and defensively against enemy boats and land vehicles moving around the area. You will find that this control point is generally not captured during the match, unless the US team is very unorganized or outnumbered. This is due to a number of factors. One is the previously mentioned defensive layout, and another is the fact that few vehicles spawn here when it is under Chinese control. From a armament standpoint, the Chinese have a lot more to gain by staying at Flag 1 and holding it down than attempting a daring raid on this area. Before attacking the Office Buildings, you should really analyze your current situation and determine if it is worth your time and effort to attempt to capture it. In many cases, the best course of action might be to let the enemy hold this area, and just worry about defending your existing territories. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.5.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If your enemy is prepared, expect a fierce battle to capture the Office Buildings. If you are coming in on a boat, you are likely going to face more problems then if you had moved in by land. The enemy is going to be able to see you approaching from far out, and is going to be prepared by the time you get close. Not only that, but the time it takes you to beach the boat and get out is the perfect opportunity for the enemy to wail on you with their mounted weapons and rockets. As such, you might find it better to sneak in on foot. The enemy is going to be covering the bridge to the West with their mounted weapons, as well as the infantry that will be spawning in the area.To sneak in, you should hug the South-most wall of the map, and come at the Office Buildings from behind. You will find a footbridge here that connects the two islands together. If you start your approach from the other side of the small river to the West of the control point, the enemy likely won't see you coming. Once you get behind the buildings, you can fan out and approach the flag though the alleys. Once inside, you are going to want to move cautiously, there are quite a few areas where the enemy could be camping. You should throw some smoke or flash bangs into the center area around the flag to try and disorient the defenders. While you are at it, might as well throw in a grenade as well, a dead defender tends to be better than a disoriented one. While on the subject of grenades, the tight alleys in this area make explosives highly effective. This is a problem for you, since if you are leading in a tightly knit group of soldiers, and the enemy sets off an explosive in the alleyway, there is a good chance everyone is going to get killed. To avoid this, your best option would be to have one or two soldiers go into each one of the different alleyways, and all move towards the center together. With your forces spread out evenly in every direction, the enemy simply can't engage you all at once, and is going to falter on their defense. Have everyone keep firing on the flag area, to neutralize any of the defenders. Keep a close eye on the sandbags near the flag, as well as the outcropping to the West of the flag, as these are favorite hiding spots for defenders. Once you have the area clear, get everyone onto the flag, and throw some smoke. Your biggest threat here is the enemy spawning and making a quick attack with an explosive and taking out your whole group. A well placed rocket from the Northern alley can end your attempt in an instant. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.5.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is one of those control points that is almost too easy to defend. Unless you really slack off here, you should have no problems keeping the average assault out. The first thing you are going to want to utilize are the mounted weapons. These will give you a good shot at the main routes into the area, those being the river and the bridge to the West. Keep both of these weapons manned while the control point is under attack, to keep back the more aggressive attackers. On the other hand, the mounted weapons will do little good against an attacking force that isn't rushing in with a big loud vehicle. It is quite easy to sneak into the Office Buildings if the defending force is not careful. Because of this, you will want to have a few soldiers on patrol around the area, paying especially close attention to the Southwest corner of the island. There is a footbridge here that attackers will often use as a covert way into the area. Placing C4 on the bridge and positioning snipers on the hills in front of it should slow down any forces that may try to cross. You certainly don't want to neglect the inside of the cluster of buildings when it comes to defenses. Placing C4 inside of the tight alleyways will prove very effective at taking out advancing forces. However, C4 isn't going to be enough on it's own, especially if there are multiple waves of attackers (which might happen if this is the last control point you are holding). You will want to place a few soldiers inside the center of the buildings, surrounding the flag. If they arm themselves with rocket launchers, machine guns, and grenades, they should be able to put up a strong defense, hopefully strong enough to hold the enemy back until the team respawns outside of the buildings. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.6 Tips for Victory - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dammage, being a "Double Assault" map, is naturally pretty chaotic. You need to really keep an eye on the situation as a whole if you are going to succeed here, as it is easy for the battle to get away from you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.6.1 US - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. The first thing the US team should do at the start of the match is take the LAV-300 and capture Flag 4 by coming at it from the water. You will be able to get here much faster than the enemy, and establish a presence on the North side of the river. In addition, you could also try taking the Sea Ark Stinger towards the Northern end of the bridge, and attempt to capture Flag 2. But keep in mind that the enemy will probably be in that area by the time you get there. 2. The LAV-300 is easily the greatest advantage the US team has on this map. It can go anywhere, and it's weapons and armor make it devastating against an enemy that will primarily be using light vehicles or be on foot. In light of this, when deciding which control points to defend the most heavily, you should fight to keep the two spawn points for the LAV's, namely, Flags 5 and 4. 3. You initial control point, Flag 5, is excellent in terms of defensive assets as well as available vehicles. Because of this, you should always have a defensive presence there, as not to let it slip into enemy hands. If the decision comes up to either return to Flag 1 to defend it or capture one of the control points to the North, you will almost always be better off diverting your forces to defense. 4. If you manage to capture Flag 1, you will get access to an M1A2. Many players will use this as justification to constantly attempt to capture it, despite the generally heavy defenses. However, it is important to remember that the US team can easily get access to the two LAV-300s, which while lacking the firepower of the M1A2, prove highly effective thanks to their flexibility. It simply isn't worth the effort to try and capture Flag 1 just for the M1A2 alone. 5. You only need 3 control points under your team's control to start the ticket drain on the Chinese team. This is very important to remember, since it is much easier to capture and hold the smaller control points on the North side of the river than try and wrestle control of Flag 1 from the Chinese. Let them keep Flag 1, and just focus on capturing the territories to the North. 6. To that end, you could try a diversionary maneuver; in which you would send some light forces to Flag 1, which will cause the enemy to ramp up defenses there. This may allow you a bit more freedom to convert the territories to the North. If you move fast enough, you could have Flags 4 and 3 captured before the enemy even realizes that they are being toyed with. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.5.6.2 China - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Much like the US team, the China's initial control point is worth holding on to. It doesn't offer quite as much as Flag 5, but it is a good source of vehicles, and is an excellent vantage point to guard the only land route to the Northern side of the map. The team that holds Flag 1 essentially has control of the bridge, so you are going to want to hold it. 2. At the start of the match, the US has the clear advantage in terms of naval craft. They will be able to make it to Flag 4 faster than your team is going to be able to get there. Because of this, you will want to rush across the bridge and capture Flag 2 at the very least. You want to stablish a presence on that side of the map, so the US team doesn't roll right over the area. Of course, you need to also maintain defenses to the South, both to hold Flag 1 and to secure the bridge. 3. The high speed offered by the FAV, and the Chinese's teams proximity to the road mean that you should be able to get a fully loaded FAV onto Flag 3 before the US arrives (while their LAV-3000 let's them cross the river directly, it is slow over ground). 4. As you have initial control of the bridge, use this opportunity to place mines down it's length. Once you cross over and capture Flag 2, you will also want to place some mines across the flooded street leading to the East. This will help hold back the US team, which by this time is going to be holding Flag 4 at the very least, and will have two LAV-300s. 5. Capturing Flag 2 will give you access to a second BMD-3. While it can't take to the water like the US LAV-300, it can at least match it on land. Because of how common mines are on Dammage, and due to all the flooded areas and ruble, moving the BMD-3s around is often unwise. They will serve you much better in defensive capacities. You could place one outside of Flags 2 and 3 for example. You could also place one on either end of the bridge, which combined with mines, would make it neigh impassable for the enemy. This would be highly effective if you have control of the Northern areas, as the only remaining threat would be from the water. 7. In their rush to move on to the Northern parts of the map, you might just find that the US team will foolishly leave Flag 5 unguarded at the very start of the match. It could be risky, but it might be worth it to put together a small group of soldiers to attempt a sneak attack on Flag 5 within the first 2 or 3 minutes of the battle. If you manage to capture Flag 5 while the US team is still in-route to the other control points, you can almost assure a victory. 8. While stealing is often a waste of resources, Dammage is one map where it might just be worth your time to sneak in and steal one of the US's LAV-300s. Forget about trying to get the one at Flag 1, you are almost certainly going to get killed in the attempt. But the chances of you snatching the one that spawns at Flag 4 are pretty good. You can hide in the ruble to the West of the flag, or up in the office building by the flag, and rush in as soon as it respawns. While getting a hold of a LAV-300 and using it properly could tip the whole battle in your favor, you shouldn't spend too much time hanging around Flag 4 waiting for it to pop up. Don't forget that you are laying in wait outside of an enemy control point; as soon as the LAV-300 spawns, your first concern should be to convert that flag, then make your escape in it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6 Deadly Pass - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deadly Pass puts the United States against the MEC in a battle to secure a large town. The town is surrounded by desert and mountainous terrain which will play host to fierce battles between mechanized units. Both teams are also equipped with helicopters, which will prove valuable both as offensive weapons and for quickly moving infantry. High in the mountains to the North and South of the town, there are bunkers which will provide some additional assets. The bunker to the North provides a good vantage point to fire down into the town, and the Southern bunker holds the map's Command Computer. At the start of the match, both teams will rush forward with their helicopters and light vehicles. In this race, the MEC team has the slight advantage, as the HIND is a transport helicopter while the US only has the Apache. Of course, if the Apache can manage to take down the HIND before it drops it's soldiers... Once inside the town, both sides are going to fight to capture and control as many Flags as possible. In this map, defense is really key. Once your team has captured a control point, you need to hold onto it. If you don't setup defenses on them, they will fall back into enemy hands within minutes, which will really take away your team's momentum in the battle. While the majority of the combat will take place inside of the town, there will be some battles to be fought outside of it as well. The bunker to the North is a control point, which obviously you will want to hold if you intend on causing a ticket drain on the enemy. The bunker to the South contains the Control Computer. Artillery strikes can be devastating on this map, as so many units will be crammed inside of the city walls. Of course, that also means you may run a high chance of killing some of your teammates in the blast. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.1 Flag 1 - MEC Base - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: MEC Assets: Health Crate Two Ammo Crates Vehicles: Otokar Akrep ZSU-23-4 Shilka Two 2S25s Mi-24 HIND The MEC Base is located on the extreme East of the map. It is so far away from the action, that leaving without a vehicle is essentially inconceivable. You will want to make sure that vehicles are completely manned before leaving the base. This is especially true for the HIND, which can drop soldiers into the heart of the town very quickly. This will prove to be a considerable advantage, as the US team lacks a transport helicopter to do the same. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.1.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not applicable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.1.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Since the vehicles for each team are pretty well matched to each other, and the base is just so far away, theft is very unlikely. The only thing the enemy might try to swipe would be the Shilka, which can be devastating on infantry. They might also make an attempt to get the HIND, which would increase their mobility on the map, but you should have that in the air most of the time anyway, making theft almost impossible. Still, run a line of mines down the main road leading into the base. It is not very likely that the enemy is going to come down there in the course of a standard (and fair) battle, but you might as well have them there just in case. In truth, the only serious threat of attack comes from the Apache. For this reason, you should have the Shilka near the base whenever possible. Or at least have it located far ahead, so it can fire on the Apache if it tries to make it back to the base. A ruthless enemy might launch an attack on the base with the Apache as soon as the match starts, hoping to prevent your team from capturing any territories in the town and pinning you down. Given the amount of vehicles and infantry that would be spawning at the base, if this scenario were to occur, it is very unlikely that a single Apache could hold the entire team down. While a good pilot would certainly be able to make things much harder, you should be able to counter it with rockets or laser guided missiles (in the event it has destroyed your vehicles). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.2 Flag 2 - Northern Bunker - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Two Machine Guns Two Grenade Launchers Vehicles: DPV (US) Otokar Akrep (MEC) This control point is located high in the mountains to the North of the town. It is accessed by two narrow roads that extend down the mountain to the East and West. This means that forces can get there from either side of the map fairly quickly. Accordingly, it has a tendency to change hands pretty often, especially when the majority of the teams will be fighting in the city below. While the Northern Bunker doesn't have much to offer in terms of vehicles, it does offer a number of mounted weapons that just so happen to be pointed right at the town below. The Machine Guns are not really effective at this range, so they are better suited to defending the area from enemy forces advancing up the mountain. The Grenade Launchers however, can be fired at such a trajectory that they will fall inside of the city walls. Naturally, you have no control over where exactly these grenades will fall, however. You should only attack in this manner when you are sure their are no friendly forces in the approximate impact area. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.2.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Despite it's simple appearance, the Northern Bunker can be tricky to capture successfully. Still, as long as you know the enemy is likely to be defending the area, you can capture this control point pretty quickly. The first obstacle in your way will be the mines. The roads leading up to the bunker are very narrow, which makes them perfect for laying mines. Generally speaking, you will see more mines on the East side of the bunker than you will on the West. With that in mind, you should be able to safely take a light vehicle up the West side of the mountain, and get right into the flag area. If you need to approach from the East, you should forget taking a vehicle on the road. Instead, drive up the Northern face of the mountain, and jump out when you get close. Then you can proceed in on foot. No matter which way you approach, you should cover the open windows in the bunker with some fire. Ideally, you would want to hit it with rockets or toss in some flash bangs or grenades. Even if nobody is manning the mounted weapons, there is still a good chance somebody is inside the bunker. Alternately, you can approach the flag from above by taking a light vehicle up on top of the mountain. You will need to start your approach down at the foot of the mountain, then drive up the mountain going parallel and above the road. When you reach the peak, you will see an area with some trees. From here, you can drive your vehicle off and land directly on top of the flag. You can also jump out of your vehicle at the trees, and fire down on the defenders before dropping down yourself. You should determine the best course of action based on the perceived defenses. While we are on the subject of attacking from on high, you could have the helicopter drop you onto the bunker as well. This is very effective at getting a soldier inside, but you could get a lot more soldiers on the flag by jumping a DPV or Otokar Akrep off the ridge. Of course, if you have some skilled soldiers, it might not matter that their numbers are low. Once you are down on the flag, regardless of how you got there, you will want to stay on your toes. Enemies could be hiding inside of the bunker, which gives them the upper hand in any firefight that might take place. Especially with the opening that looks down on the flag's West side. If you are under fire from a defender shooting though that opening, your best bet is to throw in a grenade, and get down low against the wall. This will either blow them to bits, or cause them to leave the bunker. Either way, your situation is better than before. Even if you don't see anyone in the area, you should go prone down in the bush that is in the corner by the flag. Throw a few smoke grenades around you, and you should be pretty well hidden until the flag is converted. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.2.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The narrow roads leading up to the Northern Bunker make for excellent natural defenses. Simply mine both of these roads, and you will dramatically cut down on the amount of enemies that actually make it to the flag. Of course, the occasional enemy will realize that driving up the roads is not working, and will approach on foot or otherwise make it in without hitting the mines. To defend against enemies that approach up the Northern face of the mountain use the mounted Machine Guns or the Grenade Launchers. This should make short work of anyone on foot, though you are going to want to watch out for return fire. You will also want to place some C4 around the flag itself to protect against attackers that manage to get through your front lines. This will come in handy especially against attackers that drive a vehicle up the mountain and land it on top of the flag. The best place to plant the C4 would be on the ground, up against the walls surrounding the flag. Planting a charge under the bush in the corner is a great way to hide it. Of course, you need to be around to hit the detonator, which leads us into the most important aspect of holding the Northern Bunker. You should always have at least one person inside the bunker to guard it. Given the hiding spots inside of the bunker, and the cover it offers those who are inside of it, even a single person can do a decent job of defense here. At the very least, he can alert the rest of the team to an impending attack. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.3 Flag 3 - The Square - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Two Health Crates Two Ammo Crates Machine Gun Vehicles: None The flag here is in the very heart of the city. There are numerous buildings and hiding spots surrounding the flag, making this control point easy to defend and a nightmare to capture. This control point is critical to the overall battle. Whoever holds this area has the clear advantage in any battle within the town. From the Square, infantry can move out and launch attacks on the smaller and more difficult to defend control points surrounding it. Because of this, both teams are going to focus on this control point at the start of the match. It will also play host to some fierce battles throughout the entire match, as both teams try to claim it for themselves. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.3.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I feel sorry for you, I do. It would have been a lot better if you managed to grab this control point at the start of the match, and just held onto it. Now you are going to have one hell of a time getting it back, assuming the defenders are at least halfway decent. Have you considered just capturing and holding all the other control points, and initiating a ticket drain? Well, if you really want to try and capture the Square, then you might as well come up with a good plan of attack. The worse possible thing you could do would be to have everyone run in and try to do their own thing. You are destined to fail without organization here. First of all, let's cover the viable ways into the area. Most of the openings in the walls surrounding the Square are located on the Western side. There are ways through at the Northwest and Southwest corners, as well as one in the direct center of the Western wall. Coming in from the center of the Western wall is going to be very visible to the defenders, and you are likely to take a lot of fire. The Northeastern path provides good coverage from enemy fire, but watch out for the barbed wire that is strung across it, it does hurt. The Southwestern opening is perhaps the most covert way in, as the approach to it leads you though some back alleys rather than though the heart of the town, however, the opening itself is directly in-line with the mounted Machine Gun, which can obviously be a problem. Moving on to the other side; there is a small alleyway that leads into the Square on the Southeast corner, which will drop you very close to the flag. There is also a low wall that can be jumped on the Northeastern corner, directly facing the flag; making it a good entry point for a flag rush. In addition, in the extreme Southeastern corner of the town itself, you will see a half destroyed building. If you enter the ruble of the building, you will see there is a doorway inside. This will lead you inside of one of the buildings that face the center of the Square. From this building, you can exit on the ground level and head for the flag, or you can go up the ramp to the second floor, which will give you a good vantage point to attack any defenders while your teammates attempt to convert the flag. While you can't get a ground vehicle inside of the Square, dropping troops in from a helicopter will be very effective. Not only will you be able to drop the troops safely inside the perimeter, but you can also lay down some covering fire before and during their attack. In fact, no matter how the troops get into the Square, having the helicopter around for support fire is going to be very helpful. It will prove especially useful when the defenders start firing down on the attackers from the balconies surrounding the Square. It's much easier to fire on these from above in a helicopter than trying to use small arms fire from ground level. You can also fire on the opening to the Southern building, which can pin down any enemies that were hiding or spawned inside. OK, so let's assume you have managed to get inside and most of your group is still alive, what now? Well, with all the nooks and crannies here, and the balconies, there is a very good chance that you are going to get fired on, even if you don't actually see any defenders at the moment. There are a number of favorite hiding spots as you move into the Square, which you are going to want to systematically check as you progress towards the flag. The first places you want to look are the balconies on the top of the buildings on the North and South, paying special attention to the Northern balcony, as this is home of the mounted Machine Gun. Snipers like to pop up on the Southern balcony as well. Next, you will want to check the lower floor of the Southern building. Enemies can peek out from between the large pillars here, and hide in the corners of the opening. Of course, there could be an enemy inside the building itself. Tossing a grenade or flash bang into this area is always a good idea as you move into the Square. Finally, there is a area directly to the North of the flag, right next to the low wall, which is a perfect hiding spot for a soldier down prone with his weapon aimed at the flag base. It is a small dark alcove with a number of pillars in front of it. You should fire a rocket into this area, or throw a grenade in, even if you don't think there is anyone inside. It is very hard to see somebody hiding here as you run up, and it is better safe then dead. You will always want to keep this area in mind, because it is easily the most dangerous hiding spot in the Square. A clever defender will wait here until you and your teammates go prone down on the flag, and then open fire with a rocket. If you are entering the Square by jumping over the low wall, make sure to turn around and face this alcove as you move past, otherwise you might just find yourself getting shot in the back with no way to defend yourself. If you managed to get in safely, take out any defenders that where hiding in the area, and got to the flag; all you have to do now is survive. I hope you have brought a few friends with you, because you want to convert this one as fast as possible. In the meantime, throw down some smoke, get low, and try to keep moving. Keep a sharp eye on the entrances to the Square that are closest to the flag, as many a defender have made a last minute save by rushing in through one of these entrances and opening fire on the base of the flag with an explosive. Finally, keep your ears open for the sound of an approaching helicopter, as it can end your assault in a single shot. This is another reason it is a very good idea to have your team's helicopter above you if it is at all possible. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.3.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There really isn't much to say here. All you have to do is hide somewhere and shoot as the enemy funnels in though the predictable entrances. The best way to handle defense is to predict where the enemy will be coming from. If they have captured Flags 5 and 6, then they were probably going to be coming from the Western openings, if they have Flag 4, then they will be coming from the Southwest alley and ground floor of the Southern building. The enemies entrance is not too hard to predict, so you should be able to focus all of your fire on the most likely vectors for attack. The mounted Machine Gun is quite effective to defend most of the entrances, as well as the flag, though it takes time to sweep around to the different targets. You are better off holding the Machine Gun on the entrances most likely to see some action, and let the infantry handle the others. Placing C4 at the various entrances, as well as the base of the flag itself, should come in handy. Though with the number of entrances, you are going to want to have a few people handling the job of planting the charges and waiting to detonate them at the right moment. Make use of the ample hiding spots that present themselves to you here in the Square. The balconies are a great place to fire down on attackers from, and waiting inside the Southern building to pop out when an enemy enters the Square should work nicely. Wherever you are hiding, you can make your attack more effective by first throwing a flash bang towards the advancing enemies. This should completely disorient them long enough for you to rip them to shreds. Just make sure you are far enough away that you don't blind yourself, or your teammates. That is always an embarrassing way to go. Last, but certainly not least, you would do well to keep your helicopter close by the Square, so it can be called in when you find yourself under attack. Not only can it decimate infantry trying to make it into the Square, it can also attack and hopefully destroy the enemy helicopter that may be accompanying the infantry assault below. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.4 Flag 4 - Oasis - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Vehicles: None The Oasis doesn't really offer anything material...at all. There are no vehicles here, no mounted weapons, there isn't even a Repair Pad (even though it would make sense in such an open area). The only thing you stand to gain by capturing the Oasis is a spawn point that is close to the town, while still remaining outside of it's walls, and thus just a bit safer to spawn at. This control point also lines you up for the fastest route into Flag 3, which is very important if you are staging a large attack on it. Unfortunately, the open area here makes it a prime target for snipers. Snipers can fire down on you from the mountains to the South (including the bunker there), and even from the upper levels of the buildings surrounding Flag 3. As such, it would be wise not to hang out at the Oasis too long, and instead just use it as a departure point for areas of more importance. The Oasis is nearly impossible to effectively defend completely, and very easy to capture, so don't get to upset when you lose this control point, as it is likely to change hands many times during the match. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.4.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You only have a few things to worry about when attacking the Oasis. Snipers and land mines are the most likely to get you killed, though a well placed C4 charge certainly isn't out of the question. If you are approaching the Oasis from a vehicle, you definitely shouldn't come at it from the dirt road. It is almost certainly going to be mined. You should approach from the East, over the hill, or from the South, coming down the mountain. A great way onto the flag is to take a light vehicle and approach the flag at full speed from the West. If you get going fast enough, you can hit the small hill that is behind the Health and Ammo crates and jump right onto the flag. If you get the speed down right, you will land right next to it, and can have it converted in seconds with a full vehicle. Which brings us to the most common defense at the Oasis, land mines at the very base of the flag. Since the area is so open, defenders will often not bother trying to cover all the ways in with mines. Instead, they will simply place them all around the flag, which will take out anyone who moves a vehicle into the conversion radius, no matter how they approached. These mines also double as anti-infantry weapons, if the defenders fire at one of them while you are standing on the flag. Because of this, you should fire an explosive at them before you get close. You want to clear them all out before you stop on the flag, in a vehicle or on foot. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.4.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here at the Oasis, the only thing you can really do is lay mines around as much of the area that you think vehicles might come through. You certainly want them on the dirt road, you will also want to put them on the tops of the hills to both the East and West, as the enemy loves to jump them with light vehicles. Most importantly, place the mines around the flag itself. This way, no matter how the vehicle got in there, they will be destroyed once they stop on the flag. If you combine the mines on the flag with a C4 charge, then you have a defense system that can stop anything in it's tracks. Having the added C4 is good for two reasons; you can now take out infantry with the resulting blast and you can also manually detonate the mines if the enemy vehicle manages to be just far enough away from the mines not to trigger them (this happens infuriatingly often). You should also have at least one sniper in the surrounding area keep an eye on the situation. A well hidden sniper can nullify any infantry threat, in the event that the explosives on the flag were not available. Snipers in the mountains to the South of the Oasis should have a clear shot down at anyone on the flag, though their view of the rest of the map is not going to be too good. Because of this, if holding the Oasis is of a higher priority than usual (for instance, if you are behind in tickets and control points), you should put one sniper on the mountain doing nothing but defense for the flag. Any other time, you should just have one of the snipers out in the field run his scope over the area every so often. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.5 Flag 5 - Ruins - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Vehicles: None The Ruins are pretty much exactly what they sound like; the foundation of a destroyed building, surrounded by slightly less destroyed buildings. Inside of what is left of the most damaged building is the flag. The tight confines of this area make it difficult to get a vehicle in close enough to be of any use, and also means explosives are going to be the weapon of choice for any defenders. Bombed out buildings surrounding the flag give decent cover for those defending the area; but for the most part, defending the Ruins is like defending sand. The only way to really defend the Ruins is to keep killing everyone who gets within 100 feet, there really isn't much you can do to setup a line of defenses like you can at some of the other control points. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.5.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Capturing the Ruins is pretty much just running blindly into a firefight. There is really no way to tell what the enemy has in store for you, and even if you could see what their defenses were like, there isn't a whole lot you could do about it anyway. The only thing you can do is thrown in some flash bangs, smoke, and grenades ahead of you and your teammates. This should stir things up a bit, and give you a window of opportunity to rush in. You are going to want to stay aware of any enemies camping in the area. You are likely to find one in the building facing the North side of the flag, as well as inside of the foundation itself. Defenders love to go prone behind the opening where the flag is, so you should make sure the foundation is clear before you settle in for the conversion. In fact, you can convert the flag from behind the low broken wall to the South of the flag base. This is good because it keeps you out of sight, but your visibility is very low, so it is easy to get killed there. Alternately, it is possible to get a vehicle into the capture radius of the flag if you come at it Eastern side. This let's you come in quick and start the conversion immediately, but while the vehicle is stuck in there, your mobility is very low. It is extremely easy for an enemy to just walk up and place a C4 charge on your vehicle as you spin your tires trying to get moving again. Also, since there is really only one way to get a vehicle onto the flag, it is easy to place a landmine in the exact path you would need to take to get in there, so your chances of survival aren't too hot in any event. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.5.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Defense of the Ruins consists mainly of shooting the enemy until they are dead. While other control points are so designed so that there can be a clear method of defense, the Ruins are pretty much just a few busted up buildings sitting next to each other. The best you can do is place C4 charges inside of the foundation and around the flag, then have you and your teammates hide in the ruble surrounding the area. You can then simply detonate the C4 and fire out at the defenders from the decent cover offered by the ruble. Grenades and rockets are very effective in the tight confines of the foundation, as are smoke and flash bangs. Though be sure you aren't so close as to hit yourself with any of them. The upper levels of the bombed out buildings don't really offer a good view of the flag itself, but they can be useful to snipers shooting at enemies that are approaching from a distance. You should also place a few mines around too, just for the passing vehicle or person that attempts to capture the flag from a vehicle. One mine in both arms of the L shaped area between the foundation and the surrounding buildings should insure nobody gets close enough in a vehicle to do any damage; and a few going from the archway to the Southwest and up the dirt road leading to the Northeast should catch any enemy vehicles that pass through. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.6 Flag 6 - Market Place - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: Neutral Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Vehicles: None The Market Place is pretty much exactly like Flag 5, except it is a bit more open, specifically in terms of vehicle access. You can drive a vehicle of any size right up to the flag here, and a good pilot could even bring a helicopter down in the open area in front of it. Therefore, the Market Place is harder to defend effectively, as the open area gives you no cover at all. There are a few nooks and crannies you can hide in, as well as some of the rooftops, but for the most part, defending the Market Place is going to involve one on one shooting matches with the enemy. Or maybe the enemy's tank...which is bad. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.6.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's best to come up on the Market Place fast. Since the area is so wide open, you are going to be visible for quite awhile before you arrive; so the longer it takes your group to get within attacking range, the longer the enemy has to prepare. There are two ways to do this effectively. You could either drop in from the helicopter, or come in though the South archway with a light vehicle. Now, the problem with the South archway is that it will almost certainly be mined, so unless you have some infantry go ahead and detonate them a second or so before you rush in, you are taking a very big risk. Even if you make it through the archway, expect mines to run all the way up to the base of the flag itself. Now, if you want to have a little more force, you could also come in with a tank, using the main cannon and ideally the machine gun to clear the mines as you approach. With no cover inside of the Market Place, the enemy can do little to defend themselves against a round from a tank cannon, so clearing the infantry should not be a problem at all. Laser guides missiles could be your downfall, however. If you really want to come in on foot, then the best way to do so would be to come in from the North, hugging the Eastern wall until you get inside of the actual courtyard. This will make you less visible to any defenders that have taken up positions near the flag, buying a few more seconds before they open fire on you. Once you are inside the courtyard itself, there are two ways to go about the conversion. You could sit on the flag out in the open, and just hope you convert the thing before you are killed (which is really your only choice if you came in with a vehicle), or you could go about it the slightly safer way. If you head North a bit from the flag, near the Health and Ammo Crates, you will see a door. Going through this door will lead you up to a small balcony that overlooks the flag itself. If you go prone here, you will be inside the capture radius of the flag. This offers you more cover than just laying on the ground would, plus the enemy won't think to look there when they run towards the flag trying to stop it's conversion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.6.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As I mentioned before, the Market Place is completely accessible by vehicles of any size; so unless you want to choke on a 120mm shell, you are going to want to setup a line of mines at both the North and South passages into the courtyard. Not only that, you should run a line of mines between both openings, running clear through the center of the courtyard. Also make sure you drop a few around the flag base. You will also want some soldiers to take up positions around the courtyard, so they can fire on any attacking infantry. There are a few very nice spots here that you should make use of. The walkway on top of the South archway not only offers a great view of the courtyard and the Northern approach from Flag 5, it also doubles as a lookout tower to spot approaching vehicles. To the North, you can have a soldier or two go prone behind the Health and Ammo Crates. This is a very shadowy area, so it is hard to get a bead on the soldier laying down there to return fire. This position is very effective against enemies that are attacking from Flag 5, as they probably won't think to look behind them once they enter the courtyard. As soon as they run past you, open fire on them for massive damage. Finally, you can have a few soldiers ducking behind the long row of tables on the East side of the courtyard. When they pop up it can catch the attackers momentarily off guard, giving your soldiers a split second advantage. You should place C4 on the base of the flag, as well as the balcony above it. This will allow you to take out anyone converting the flag, no matter where they are standing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.7 Flag 7 - US Base - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Control: US Assets: Health Crate Ammo Crate Vehicles: DPV M6 Bradley Two M1A2s AH-64 Apache The US Base is essentially identical to it's MEC counterpart; both in terms of geographical location relative to the rest of the map, and vehicles. Just as the MEC Base, the US Base cannot be captured. But it is still important to have defenses here to protect your team's vehicles. Members of your team will always be spawning here, so that they can man the vehicles when the appear, so they will need to be protected from attack we well. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.7.1 Capturing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not applicable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.7.2 Defending - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The trick here is to be able to defend the base and the surrounding area without putting your own teammates and vehicles at risk. That means mines can only be used sparingly here, just a few on the main road leading in. Make sure that space out enough that your own vehicles will be able to maneuver though them safely. C4 is almost out of the question here, as there is almost no way to place it without putting your team in risk and have it remain effective. You will want to have some soldiers on hand as a last line of defense for vehicle theft. In the event that one of the vehicles is stolen, they will need to act quickly and destroy it. If the enemy escapes with an M1A2 or the Apache, it could heavily impact your chances for victory. Even worse, they could turn the vehicles directly around on you and start destroying the other vehicles and attacking your infantry. Laser guided missiles are the most effective at quickly destroying the stolen vehicles, though rockets and mines can also be very helpful, assuming the soldiers using them are skilled enough to deploy them effectively. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.8 Tips for Victory - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With as much going on in Deadly Pass, you will want to play this one as coolly as possible. You want to get a hold of control points early, and focus on defense, rather than trying to rip control point's from the enemies hands. Obviously it won't be possible to get the first capture on every control point, but each team has their own subtle advantages that will grant you just a bit more breathing room if they are taken advantage of. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.8.1 US - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. The DPV is the fastest ground vehicle on the map, so make use of that to get your soldiers to a distant control point to establish a front line. You should take the DPV to Flag 4 before you do anything else. You will be able to convert this quickly before the enemy reaches it, though holding it might prove a bit difficult considering the wave of enemies that will be on their way. Alternately, you could take the DPV and capture Flag 2, which would be much safer, though not as strategically advantageous. 2. While the Apache is going to prove invaluable in this battle, the enemy's HIND is more useful in terms of troop transport. Don't bother trying to use the Apache to drop soldiers, it is more effective to keep the Gunner in his seat than having him jump out. In fact, one of the most effective things you can do with that Gunner is take out the HIND itself, if you manage to take it out when it is carrying a full crew, not only will you rack up the points, but you will do a great service to the team by stopping that attack force before it touches down. 3. The M1A2 is the only true tank on the map, giving the US team the advantage in any ground skirmishes. Use this to your benefit whenever you see enemy ground forces. They might not realize it, but their armor is simply not enough to protect them from the M1A2. 4. You should move the Bradley up towards the town, but there is no reason to actually bring it inside. Keeping it outside of the town walls will help protect you from attack while still giving you a clear shot at any aircraft above the control points inside.An excellent position is near the South Bunker. This puts it far enough away from the town not to be visible, and gives you an excellent view. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.6.8.2 MEC - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. The MEC has a key advantage with the HIND. While the US has their own helicopter, it cannot carry as many soldiers as the HIND. Exploit this by dropping a full load of soldiers into the center of the town as fast as possible. The speed of the HIND in combination with it's crew capacity will let you get a decent force on areas of importance such as Flag 3 before the US team will be able to. 2. The US team has the clear advantage on the ground, thanks to their M1A2s. Your 2S25s can damage them from a distance, but will be torn apart in direct combat. Because of this, the MEC team should make heavy use of mines at any control point they hold, or really, any area they can get access to. Since you can't directly fight the M1A2s, maybe you can get lucky and blow a few of them up with your mines. 3. While the Shilka is designed as a anti-aircraft weapon, it is very effective against infantry, and can even put a hurting on a tank if you hit it's weak spot. You certainly shouldn't neglect it's anti-air capability, since the enemy can do some serious damage with a good pilot; but don't be afraid to take the Shilka into areas like Flags 6 an 5, where it can get in there and really knock down the enemy's numbers. ================================================================================ = 3. Capture the Flag = ================================================================================ I will be honest, I have only played around 3 CTF matches in the entire time I have owned Modern Combat. Still, I do intend on covering this mode eventually, after I have finished the Conquest section, and spent some more time playing CTF online. ================================================================================ = 4. Vehicles = ================================================================================ Vehicles are part of the heart and soul of the Battlefield series. The very concept of the series has been to fuse first person shooting with vehicular combat. It is no surprise then, that much of the combat and tactics in the game revolve around vehicles, and the teams ability (or inability) to properly utilize them. Too many people online just jump into a Humvee and take off by themselves, or take a helicopter, just to bail out over the control point they wanted to reach. These players don't realize that by wasting a vehicle like that, they can seriously change the dynamics of the battle. In this section, I am going to list every vehicle in the multiplayer component of Modern Combat. I will give the vital statistics for each one, as well as a brief description of the vehicle itself. Then for each vehicle class, I will list some important tips to remember while using those types of vehicles on the battlefield. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.1 Light Jeeps - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Light Jeeps have minimal armor, and provide little cover for the driver and passengers inside. Their strength comes from their high speed and ability to travel off-road. These vehicles should be used to move around the map quickly and out of the way of larger vehicles and battles. Taking one of these into a well defended area can be suicide if you aren't careful, and a bit lucky. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.1.1 Desert Patrol Vehicle (DPV) - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: United States Positions: Driver Two Gunners Weapons: MK19 Grenade Launcher M2 12.7mm Machine Gun The DPV is very fast, and very agile. It is designed for off-road use, and can handle large jumps and wild terrain. The first gunner uses the front-mounted MK19 Grenade Launcher. This weapon fires explosive grenades that do decent damage. The range and firing rate of the MK19 is considerable, and it can be used to damage infantry and light vehicles as the DPV itself approaches, clearing the path ahead. The second gunner uses the M2 Machine Gun mounted on the top of the vehicle. This is effective against infantry, but lacks the punch to really damage armored vehicles. An important note about the DPV, it's weapons can only be rotated 180 degrees in front of the vehicle. This means the gunners cannot hit targets behind or at right angles to the DPV. The driver needs to be constantly aware of this limitation, and make sure he keeps the vehicle facing the targets the gunners are trying to hit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.1.2 Fast Attack Vehicle (FAV) - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: China Middle Eastern Coalition Positions: Driver Two Gunners Weapons: Type 87 Grenade Launcher W85 12.7mm Machine Gun The FAV is very similar to the DPV, but a bit stockier. Both vehicles are armed with nearly identical weapons. The only major difference between the two vehicles is that the top mounted Machine Gun on the FAV can rotate 360 degrees around the vehicle, rather than the limited rotation of the DPV's Machine Gun. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.1.3 Light Jeep Tactics - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Keep these vehicles off the main roads whenever possible. This will help you avoid mines and larger vehicles. 2. Attaching a few C4 charges to the front of a Light Jeep, then running it into a group of soldiers or another vehicle and detonating it can be a devastating attack. It can also be a nice insurance policy if an enemy steals your vehicle. Keep in mind however, that if the C4 charges stuck on your vehicle get hit by a bullet or are otherwise damaged, they will go off and kill you and your passengers. Always embarrassing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2 Heavy Jeeps - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Heavy Jeeps are a bit larger and slower than the Light Jeeps, because of their heavier armor. Not only do they have better armor, but they also provide more cover to the soldiers inside. While they don't have enough armor to survive a tank shell, they can take a few hits from some of the larger weapons and keep rolling. Still, don't get careless just because it has a little more armor then the Light Jeeps, keep on the move. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2.1 Humvee - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: United States Positions: Driver Gunner Passenger Weapons: M2 12.7mm Machine Gun The Humvee is known throughout the world as the premier military truck. It's fast, strong, and versatile. Like in the real world, the Humvee in Modern Combat is an excellent vehicle in almost any situation. It is fast and maneuverable, and holds more soldiers than any other vehicle in it's class. It is also the only Heavy Jeep that has a passenger position. The player riding as the passenger can use any of his weapons or equipment that he could while moving on foot. This seemingly minor feature puts the Humvee way ahead of any of the other Heavy Jeeps in terms of versatility. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2.2 Eagle MTV - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: European Union Positions: Driver Gunner Weapons: M2 12.7mm Machine Gun The Eagle MTV is almost identical to the Humvee, with the only difference being the lack of a third position. This takes away a lot of what makes the Humvee so flexible, and puts the Eagle at a serious disadvantage to it. Even so, the Eagle is a good vehicle, and works well in light offensive and defensive roles. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2.3 Otokar Akrep - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: Middle Eastern Coalition Positions: Driver Gunner Weapons: Kord 12.7mm Machine Gun Similar to the Eagle MTV, though smaller. The reduced size makes it a bit more maneuverable, but overall, there isn't anything that really makes it stand out. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2.4 Heavy Jeep Tactics - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. The size of the Heavy Jeeps make them good for running over infantry, and the armor means that their frantic small arms fire at you will do nothing more than make you laugh like a mad man. 2. The passenger position in the Humvee opens up a world of strategic possibilities. For example, try having an engineer back there with his blow torch out, and you can repair the Humvee without even having to slow down. Or have him drop mines while you are driving down the street. This not only makes for very rapid deployment of mines on roadways, but also has the added benefit of giving the driver assistance points when the mines take out an enemy. 3. All the Heavy Jeeps feature a top mounted Machine Gun with 360 degree rotation and considerable elevation. They make for decent anti-air weapons, though if you have the option, you should go with a dedicated anti-air weapon instead. 4. While sticking C4 charges to the front of the vehicle and detonating when close to the target will work on the Heavy Jeeps, you are better off doing it with just the Light Jeeps. The Heavy Jeeps tend to be more useful than the Light Jeeps, and blowing them up is usually just a waste of a vehicle. Besides, the Heavy Jeeps are not as fast or as maneuverable as the Light Jeeps, which can make it harder to get close enough to the target to blow the charges while not killing yourself in the process. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.3 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These vehicles have thick armor and powerful cannons. Some also feature guided missile launchers. While their offensive and defensive capabilities are great, the APCs in Modern Combat are a bit of an enigma. In the real world, and armored personnel carrier does just that, carries troops into the combat zone while protecting them with heavy armor and powerful weapons. In Modern Combat, they got the weapons and armor right, but the APCs actually hold less soldiers than a Light Jeep! As such, they are almost useless for the task they are named for. The best you can do is drop off the soldier in your gun turret. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.3.1 LAV-300 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: United States Positions: Driver Gunner Weapons: 90mm Auto-Cannon M2 12.7mm Machine Gun The LAV's weapons are well suited for attacking infantry and light vehicles. It's 90mm Cannon is devastating against Light and Heavy Jeeps (even the occasional tank), and the 12.7mm Machine Gun works well against any infantry that might approach. Unlike the other APCs, the LAV-300 is a wheeled vehicle, rather than having treads. This gives it higher speed and better maneuverability, on road and off. But the best feature of the LAV, and one that is unique to any vehicle in the entire game, is that it is completely amphibious. You can take the LAV right into any body of water, and it will be just as effective as a weapons platform. You can use this ability to sneak into enemy territory, or take a shortcut though the water when all other vehicles have to take a land route. However, there are some important things you need to keep in mind when using the LAV in the water. The LAV is much slower in the water than it is on land, and it's maneuverability is also much worse. Also, while the LAV can jump into the water nearly anywhere, you will have to find a suitable ramp to get back up dry land. So before you dive into any body of water, be sure you know there is a way out. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.3.2 Combat Vehicle 90 (CV 90) - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: European Union Positions: Driver Gunner Weapons: 40mm Auto-Cannon M2 12.7mm Machine Gun The CV 90 is similar to the LAV-300, though there are a few major differences. It's main Cannon doesn't pack the punch of the LAV's, though it is still strong enough to make short work of Light and Heavy Jeeps. Also, the CV 90 is obviously not amphibious like the LAV-300. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.3.3 BMD-3 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: China Positions: Driver Gunner Weapons: 30mm Auto-Cannon Anti-Tank Missile While the main Cannon on the BMD-3 is not too powerful, it makes up for it with it's Anti-Tank missile. However, without a Machine Gun, the BMD-3 is not very good against infantry, and is best suited to attacking other vehicles. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.3.4 BMP-2 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: Middle Eastern Coalition Positions: Driver Gunner Weapons: 30mm Auto-Cannon Anti-Tank Missile The BMP-2 is almost a clone of the BMD-3. While it has a 30mm Cannon like that of the BMD-3, the Cannon on the BMP-2 has a very high rate of fire, which can make up for it's relatively low power. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.3.5 APC Tactics - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Despite their name, the APCs are useless for actual troop transport. You are much better of using a Light Jeep, a Humvee, or a helicopter. 2. Always have a Gunner when using an APC. The Machine Gun is very effective against infantry, and the Anti-Tank missile obviously can come in handy. 3. The armor on the APCs is weaker on the back and sides than in the front, so keep this in mind when positioning yourself in combat. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.4 Anti-Aircraft Vehicles - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These vehicles are designed to attack helicopters, but can also be effective against infantry and other vehicles. The armor on the AA vehicles is not much more than that of the APCs, so try not to get into any close combat with them. They are also quite slow, as slow as some tanks, in fact. There are only two AA vehicles in the game, but they are actually wildly different from each other. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.4.1 M6 Bradley - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: United States European Union Positions: Driver Gunner Weapons: 25mm Auto-Cannon Stinger Missile The Bradley uses it's Stinger Missile as it's primary anti-air weapon, and has the 25mm Cannon to defend against light vehicles and infantry. While the Bradley does have a Cannon in addition to it's anti-air weapon, it is unwise to use the Bradley as an offensive ground weapon. It should only be used as an anti-aircraft weapon. Never go anywhere in the Bradley without a gunner. When not under attack from ground forces, the driver can use the Cannon against low flying aircraft, in addition to the gunner using the Stinger. This can prove very useful, as it takes awhile for the Stinger to lock on, which can be a serious problem if there are multiple helicopters or the helicopter attempts to attack the Bradley. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.4.2 ZSU-23-4 Shilka - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: Middle Eastern Coalition Positions: Driver Weapons: Quad 23mm Auto-Cannons The Shilka is the ultimate anti-aircraft weapon. It's Quad Cannon can tear a helicopter to shreds in literally seconds. It is also completely controlled by the driver, making it more efficient than other vehicles, which generally need a gunner to really perform to their potential. The Quad Cannon is also very effective against ground targets, especially light vehicles and infantry. Even the occasional tank can fall to the Shilka. While the slow nature of the Stinger Missile on the Bradley necessitates being stationary and basically waiting for an aircraft to fly by, the insane rate of fire of the Shilka makes it an effective weapon against almost any target, even when on the move. As such, if there aren't any aircraft in the area, feel free to take the Shilka into close combat. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.4.3 Anti-Aircraft Tactics - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Due to their moderate armor, slow speed, and the nature of their weapons, AA vehicles should be placed at a strategic location, and kept there unless there is good reason to move them. Usually, the higher the better, though this will also make you more visible to the enemy if they try to attack you. 2. Placing AA vehicles on or near a Repair Pad is a good way to protect them incase they are attacked, but if you have them stationed in a remote location, having an engineer on hand will work as well. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.5 Tanks - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tanks are the most feared vehicles on the battlefield. While a helicopter could be just as deadly as a tank, there is just something about the imposing nature of a tank that puts fear into the enemy when it is approaching. They might not have much in the speed department, but their armor and weapons more than make up for it. Between the main cannon and the top mounted machine gun, anything on the battlefield is fair game. A good tank gunner can even knock a helicopter out of the sky with a single well placed shell. Tanks are only vulnerable to heavy weapons, such as mines and rockets. C4 is also effective, but good luck getting it on them. All of the tanks in the game are fairly similar, so there isn't much to say about each one in particular. The important concept here is, no matter which tank you are in, you can be sure you are in one of the most dangerous vehicles on the map. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.5.1 M1A2 Abrams - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: United States Positions: Driver Gunner Weapons: 120mm Cannon M2 12.7mm Machine Gun The pride of the US Army, the Abrams main battle tank is one of the most advanced military vehicles on Earth. While it's Modern Combat incarnation lacks essentially everything that makes the Abrams so powerful in the real world, it is still one of the best tanks in the game. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.5.2 Leopard 2 A5 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: European Union Positions: Driver Gunner Weapons: 120mm Cannon M2 12.7mm Machine Gun Essentially, this is a clone of the Abrams for use by the EU. Not much to say here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.5.3 T-90 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: European Union Positions: Driver Gunner Weapons: 125mm Cannon M2 12.7mm Machine Gun This tank is very similar to the Leopard, but has a more powerful main cannon, in addition to being slightly larger. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.5.4 Type 98 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: Chinese Positions: Driver Gunner Weapons: 125mm Cannon W85 12.7mm Machine Gun A clone of the T-90. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.5.5 2S25 Tank Destroyer - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: Middle Eastern Coalition Positions: Driver Weapons: 125mm Cannon This is the only tank that is considerably different from the rest. The 2S25 is smaller and faster than the rest of the tanks, and is the only tank that can only hold one crew member. Despite it's small size, it it armed with the same powerful 125mm Cannon found on the T-90 and Type 98. This gives it the power of the largest tanks, but with more mobility. However, it is not as well armored as the larger tanks, and isn't going to do well in a direct fight with one of them. The 2S25 is designed to out-maneuver the larger tank it is firing on, not face it head on. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.5.6 Tank Tactics - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. The cannon barrel on the tank can actually kill infantry if they are struck with it. Remember this anytime you are behind the wheel of a tank, because it can both help and hurt you. For example, you can swing the turret around to take out any enemy infantry that might run up to the tank (say, to place a C4 charge on it), but on the other hand, you can easily kill a friendly engineer that was repairing your tank as you swing the turret around to fire on a distant vehicle. 2. I love Modern Combat, but man, some of the vehicle physics are really bad. Perhaps none worse than those of the tank. It is very easy to get your tank helplessly stuck on something as small as a barrel. You have to avoid the natural inclination to just roll over everything you see in the tank. More often than not, you will find your tank high and dry on top of the object, with no choice but to abandon it. 3. Don't ask me why, but you can't hear the alarm that warns you of a missile lock-on when using the external camera view on the tank. Unless you are playing with the first person camera, there is no way to tell when the enemy is locking-on. 4. Like the APCs, the armor on the tank is the strongest on the front, which leaves the rear and sides as weak spots. Keep this in mind when engaging the enemy. 5. The tank is scary. Just the sight of an approaching tank is enough to get the enemy in a panic. Use this effect for a bit of psychological warfare. For example, if you want to make a diversion (perhaps to make a sneak run at the flag), send a few tanks in on the opposite side of the enemy control point. Nearly every soldier there is going to focus completely on the approaching tanks, and will let their guard down on everything else. 6. It certainly isn't fair, but one of the most damaging things you can do with the tank is to just park it on a Repair Pad, and start firing. In this situation, conventional weapons can't destroy you. The only way you can be destroyed is with a laser guided missile, an artillery strike, or getting hit by multiple rockets at the same time. You can be taken out with a land mine, but to do that, the enemy would obviously have to walk up on foot, place the mine, then shoot it with a weapon to detonate it (since you aren't moving). It shouldn't be too hard to take them out before they manage to do all that. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.6 Boats - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I can't say a whole lot about the boats. They are good to move you around, but the chances of you doing any real damage from inside one are very slim. Equally slim are your chances of surviving if the enemy decides to start firing on you when you are inside of one. So let's keep it moving, shall we? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.6.1 Sea Ark Stinger - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: United States Positions: Driver Two Gunners Weapons: MK19 Grenade Launcher M2 12.7mm Machine Gun This is the DPV of the water. Well armed and fast, but lacking the armor to go up against anything other than infantry. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.6.2 Light Patrol Boat - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: China Middle Eastern Coalition Positions: Driver Two Gunners Weapons: Type 87 Grenade Launcher W85 12.7mm Machine Gun This is simply the MEC version of the Sea Ark. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.6.3 Boat Tactics - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Boats offer about as much protection as just walking around. The only thing they have going for them is their high rate of speed and maneuverability. Use this to your advantage to protect yourself. Always keep moving, and don't move in a straight line. 2. If it is bigger than you, don't fire on it in a boat. The only thing you can damage in a boat is infantry, and other boats. 3. You can use the Grenade Launcher to fire on enemy positions on land. Just come up close to the shore, and arch the grenades into the enemy. You will be an easy target for snipers, however. 4. If you see infantry swimming in the water, you can try to run them over and get a quick kill. But watch out, since that person in the water might be an engineer, and there is no way to avoid his rocket if you are coming right at him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.7 Helicopters - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I love the helicopters. Probably my favorite class of vehicles in the entire game. Unfortunately, they are more often than not misused. People who don't know how to fly take them before the experienced pilots can get in, they takeoff without a gunner, camp at the spawn point, or perhaps worst of all, take the helicopter just to jump out at a sniper position. If you can get a good pilot on the helicopter, you instantly will make your chances of success much higher. If you waste your helicopter however, defeat is likely. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.7.1 AH-6J Little Bird - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: United States Positions: Pilot Gunner Weapons: 70mm FFAR Rockets Dual M134 7.62mm Mini-Guns The Little Bird is possibly one of the most devastating weapons in the game. It's amazing speed and maneuverability allow it to literally fly circles around the enemy in the hands of a good pilot. It's armor is very light however, and the Little Bird could even be taken down by small arms fire, if you aren't careful. In fact, due to the large glass cockpit on the Little Bird, it is pretty easy to shoot the pilot right out of the thing, even without a sniper rifle. The Mini-Guns on the Little Bird are not always easy to use effectively, the gunner has a limited range of motion, and with the high speed of the craft, you are usually past the target by the time he can get a bead on them. If you want to hit anything with the Mini-Guns, you will need to hover, which can be suicide with the weak defenses it has. If you want to really do damage with the Little Bird, stick to the rockets. They don't have a lot of punch to them, but the rate of fire is more than enough to make up for that. You are also given a healthy amount of them (200), so don't be shy on the trigger. I really love the Little Bird. I remember once during the Alpha test, I got 70 kills in it on Special Op. If you know how to handle her, you will be unstoppable once you get in the pilot's seat. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.7.2 AH-64 Apache - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: United States Positions: Pilot Gunner Weapons: 70mm FFAR Rockets 33mm Auto-Cannon This is one of the most recognizable aircraft in the world. Rightly so, as it is one of the most powerful helicopters out there, both in the real world, and in Modern Combat. Imagine a slower and beefier Little Bird, and you will get the idea of the Apache. It doesn't have the speed and dexterity of the Little Bird, but it's armor is a welcome change from the sheet-metal the Little Bird must be made of. The chin-mounted Auto-Cannon is very powerful against both infantry and vehicles. It has a bit of splash damage, which makes it particularly effective against moving infantry. However, it's range of motion is limited in that it can only rotate 180 degrees to the front of the craft and points downwards. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.7.3 AS-665 Tiger - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: European Union Positions: Pilot Gunner Weapons: 70mm FFAR Rockets AA-AG Missiles To each his own, but personally, I think the Tiger is one of the least useful vehicles in the game. Rather than be armed with a fast-firing machine gun, the Tiger's secondary weapon is a laser guided missile, not unlike the laser designator used by the sniper class. The supposed advantage of this weapon is the ability to lock on and destroy heavy vehicles in a single shot. However, in practice, you will be lucky to stay alive long enough for your gunner to lock on to the target. The slow lock on time of the weapon, combined with it's limited movement, means you will have to sit relatively still for a period of time that can only be considered foolish before it can fire. It makes a lot more sense to just attack the thing with the 77mm Rockets (which, for the record, are fairly powerful) directly. Considering the time it would take to use the AA-AG, you will often find this is a faster method of taking out the target, not to mention you can do it on your own terms, instead of siting still. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.7.4 UH-60 Blackhawk - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: United States Positions: Pilot Two Gunners Two Passengers Weapons: 70mm FFAR Rockets Two 7.62mm Mini-Guns This vehicle has been immortalized in multiple films and video games. This is the primary transport helicopter used by the US military. It combines troop transport with considerable offensive weapons to create a multipurpose vehicle that is good in almost any situation. Like it's real-life counterpart, Modern Combat's Blackhawk is primarily a transport craft. It can quickly carry 4 people (not counting the pilot) into the battlefield, while at the same time giving cover fire with it's Mini-Guns and FFAR rockets. The Blackhawk has decent armor, but it's no tank. You will want to avoid direct fire whenever possible. Unfortunately, this might not always be easy, as the Blackhawk is not a very agile craft. Speed isn't a problem, but evasive maneuvers can be hard to execute, especially in the heat of the moment. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.7.5 WZ-9 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: China Positions: Pilot Two Gunners Two Passengers Weapons: 70mm FFAR Rockets Two 7.62 Mini-Guns The WZ-9 is the Chinese answer to the Blackhawk. It has all the same strengths and weaknesses as it's US counterpart. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.7.6 Mi-24 HIND - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliation: Middle Eastern Coalition Positions: Pilot Gunner Two Passengers Weapons: 70mm FFAR Rockets 30mm Auto-Cannon Unlike the BlackHawk and the WZ-9, the HIND can only hold 1 gunner, which takes it's total troop capacity down to 3. While one person might not seem like a lot, it is a considerable disadvantage when compared to the otherwise very similar helicopters in this category. As if the lower capacity wasn't enough, the HIND is also the most lumbering of the helicopters. It is slow to turn, to ascend, slow to do anything, basically. Even it's weapons are slow. While it's FFAR Rockets are powerful, they have a low rate of fire, which just compounds the lack of a second gunner. Speaking of the gunner, he has the same cannon configuration as in the Apache, so try to keep pointed directly at anything you want him to fire on. Overall, the HIND is the worst of the large helicopters. I assure you, you won't be shooting down any F-16's here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.7.7 Helicopter Tactics - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Never, ever, EVER, waste the helicopter. That is the single most common problem you are going to run into online, people who just waste the chopper. I have seen some really stupid things out there while playing online. I can understand when an unexperienced pilot takes it up and doesn't do well, of course he didn't do well, he is just learning. We all had to learn at some point. But what I really can't stand is when somebody takes the helicopter, just to bail out over the building they wanted to snipe from. A good pilot could take that chopper and get double the points, and do more for the team, than that sniper ever will. Please, please, don't waste the helicopter, it is an important asset to the team. 2. Never takeoff without a gunner. In fact, never take off without a full crew. Even if the gunner never hits a thing (this is pretty likely), they can still bail out over a control point, or join in to help teammates in a battle below. You can even drop snipers off where they wanted to go. It's a lot better than if they did it themselves. 3. The gunner positions in almost all of the helicopters offer poor mobility, making hitting even a large target fairly difficult. Do your best to keep flying straight and level so they can lead the target. Also make sure to keep your gunners correctly oriented with the target, since they don't have a lot of rotation at their disposal to track it while you move around. 4. If you are good, you can convert many of the control points in the game from inside the helicopter. Just bring it in to a hover as close as possible to the flag pole, and keep it there. If you have a fully loaded helicopter, especially if it is one of the larger ones, you can convert a flag this way very quickly. 5. Missiles and rockets are a constant threat in any helicopter. To avoid the heat seeking missiles, you will want to fly low and fast. On the other hand, to avoid rockets, you will want to go high and attack from a distance. You will have to chose the best method depending on the battle conditions as you perceive them. 6. The passengers in the larger helicopters can use their Kit weapons, so try different combinations to see what is the most effective. For example, you could have two snipers using their rifles and laser designators out of the side doors in the Blackhawk. Or two engineers with their blowtorches, to repair the helicopter without having to stop. 7. If the enemy is attempting a missile lock on, take evasive action. Start moving erratically, and get low. Try to get behind some cover, which will make it harder to maintain lock. 8. When a missile has been fired at you, it can be avoided. Using very sharp turns, rapid changes in altitude, and flying close to buildings can all shake a missile off of your tail. 9. Finally, there is a trick you can use while flying the helicopter to perform some advanced evasive maneuvers. While you are flying, switch over to the gunner's position for a few seconds. The rotors should stop, and the craft will begin to fall. Once you switch back to the pilot position, the rotors will start again, and the craft should snap back into flight quickly. You can combine this snap effect with changes in pitch and roll to do some wild moves such as barrel rolls and loops. Practice this on a empty server or offline though, as you are likely going to crash a number of times, and the rest of the team probably isn't going to appreciate that. ================================================================================ = 5. Misc. = ================================================================================ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.1 Version Information - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.42: Covers Vehicles Covers the following Conquest maps: Backstab Black Gold Bridge too Far Cold Front Dammage Deadly Pass -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.2 Credits - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to: EA, for somehow letting a good game sneak out SECA, for selecting me to take part in the Alpha test David and Max, for fighting by my side (sometimes, anyway) Everyone I don't hate. # EOF