GRRR Squad Forum

Match vs. Grrr Nutz on Sunday 27/11/2011 @ 20:00


Match

Sunday 27/11/2011 @ 20:00
Game Type: 8v8 Conquest (3 reserves/rotating-seniors and one specatator)
Suggested Maps: Seine Crossing, Grand Bazaar and Tehran Highway.
Match Description: Pre-season internal game consisting of one infantry, one mixed and one with heavy tanks but no air - all DoGaming maps.
Comms: Everyone in one Teamspeak channel GRRRSQUAD2 (41.181.111.238 - grrr04n). Please try be online at least 30min before!
Moral of the story: Play patient structure and break the frantic habit; focus on avoiding being downed.
Comments: Nutz have a lot to prove so expect they will be zealous. Once we have them on the backfoot, we can relax the structure slightly.

Match Practice

Thursday 24/11/2011 @ 20:30
Teamplay, squads, loadouts and tactics as below please.
Let's experiment with Special Forces loadouts and discuss motion sensors.

Team

I want to try a new structure and new combinations to finalise a high level game plan based on common sense for BF3. Some of the senior guys are missing one map to make way for rotation. I know you guys are keen to play, but I also think I have a decent idea of what you can bring to the table. Where players are missing a map, please join anyway and spectate the other squad to give guidance in-game and tell us what you see post-game.

Hubris (Spectating only)
Dragonne (Seine/Bazaar - not Tehran)
DryMan (All)
j0n0 (Seine/Tehran - not Bazaar)
pmurgs (All) - Head of Tank Security
L3pr3c4un (All) - Tank Driver, please pick your gunner from the rotating seniors for each map
Lee (All)
NoMaD (All)
Paul (Bazaar/Tehran - not Seine)
Phatso (All)

Strats & Tacs

Ideally, we want to hold three of four flags and bleed our enemy out from where we can get revived/resupplied/repaired. We will not be laser designating any targets, so stick to RPGs and offensive/survival tank perks. Let's focus on keeping each other alive and let the strategy sort the flags out. Defend from range and avoid CQB as much as possible. Do not over-hurry to attack or defend except on the initial map start rush, your ticket is important and we have the firepower/xp to win it.

Team play: Always try to have the point man covering front, the second man covering left, the third covering right and the fourth supporting and covering the rear when on the move as a squad (practice is required). All flags/strongpoints should be attacked by a minimum of two sides simulataneously (coordinate with voip!) and always make an effort towards setting up an "L" shaped line of defence when holding an area so we create kill boxes.

Call your spawn and wait for at least 3 seconds before going in again! Call out your contact and tell others going into the danger zone about what they can expect. Communication will give the team precious moments (distraction/suppression) in which to escape a death trap for a res, ammo or a new angle. Watch the tracers and use your intuition re escaping rockets and grenades. Do not hang around edges and be aware of what's behind you too - rockets dish out splash.

Strategy: One 4-man and two 2-man squads; each element fulfilling defence and attacking responsibilities respectively. Off the bat, Alpha and Bravo work together to secure a forward position. Alpha continue to attack back flags while Bravo hold the front line and wait for reinforcement by Charlie; who by then have capped back flags and have secured armour and transports for an assault and close off tank attack routes to our flags.

Tactics: Both elements will roam between points - Alpha responding to new threat, Bravo holding the front line and Charlie holding attack routes to our flags. No flag camping, set up around flags and on attack routes to watch for cappers. Use buildings, short burts from cover and avoid being seen at all times - lets keep our enemy guessing by minimizing spots. Try to avoid contact when under-strength or outgunned, rather take a deep breath, regroup, replan/position and contact again.

Hax: Our enemy will attack in squads, so if you get contact expect that others will be there or start firing pretty much immediately - take cover, shoot rockets into choke-points and throw grenades on dead bodies to break the chance of a res train. Move fast, but don't rush into a corridor of fire - we must be guerrillas out there so duck in and out of cover and don't be afraid of engaging then giving up ground to move to another angle off attack to keep them off balance and attacking a new area blind.

Special Forces: Assault players to consider using a tube on Seine Crossing to clear buildings and the Mass-12gauge on Grand Bazaar as a CQB demolisher. Support players to consider using mortar on Seine crossing if we manage to push them back to holding one flag. If squad leaders are feeling their squad is getting a beating, send the squad to support another squad and designate a player to go ultra-stealthy ninja-recon for a spawn beacon place - best left up to veteran ninjas.

Squads

* Confirmed squad leaders for Nutz game - further changes to squad leaders in the season are possible.

Alpha Squad (vanguard): Phatso* (Assault), DryMan (Engineer) - DryMan leads CBQ
Bravo Squad (front line): Lee* (Assault), NoMaD (Support) - Nom leads CQB
Charlie Squad (tank & security): L3pr3c4un (Support), Pmurgs* (Assault), and rotating seniors (Engineer Repair or Engineer Mine depending on need)

Alpha Squad: S-Sprint, S-Explosive
Bravo: S-Flak, S-Frag
Charlie: S-Flak, S-Suppress, S-Ammo, S-Explosive
Tank: Up to you Leppy, but I don't think you should play with INV. I like the idea of smoke.

Squad play: Alpha and Bravo are two 2-man fireteams in loose formation, working together and squad hopping for last ditch spawn effort. Alpha squad will equip and aim to place mines to secure armour approaches on the enemy's side of the map (resupply mines in a quiet moment and spam). Alpha and Bravo to avoid bunching - except to regroup/resupply in safety before attacking again. Only place mines when your CQB skills are not required elsewhere.

Charlie squad is a flank guard and must bolster Bravo squad (the front line) in infantry maps and on vehicle maps they must guard the tank and support the repair effort as required. As soon as the enemy tank is spotted, Charlie squad must all let loose with rockets immediately. If we can coordinate the strike, we could land three rockets and a shell on it at once to take it out before they have time to repair - even if it means enduring one wave of fire.

I would like to try pre-emptive mines from the security detail on the opening or second tank wave; but Charlie will only plant mines if we are being backcapped by vehicles.

The tank's role is to negate the enemy armour and provide a very heavy metal distraction to an infantry assault. This implies the tank plays a defensive role and only goes offensive if there is a need to cap a flag and only when coordinated with and supported by infantry. Ideally, Alpha and Bravo troops should take point and clear rooms on the tank's flank to enable it to move forward without fear of being shot in the arse or C4d (this also preserves security detail tickets).

If the tank goes down, Leppy spawns to get it and the rest of Charlie squad continue supporting the front line until the tank is back. If the security team needs ammo, Lep can drop it somewhere nearby in cover and hop back in again. The security team must stick close to the tank so the Assault player (the gunner) stands a chance of making revives. I really want to keep pmurgs on the gunner seat as much as possible (except for reviving) and leave the repairing and rockets to the security detail.

All squads must be smart about their reviving, Assault players cannot lead CBQ and any CQB action should be coordinated towards ensuring a res is available should the point man go down (assume he will). Always stack up against cover when moving into a new field of fire, like a corridor, and push with Engineers / Support and the reviving train two moments after. If you get revived in cover, get up, if not, stay down until its obviously clear. Shots on the ground from a pistol can be magic.

Roger, Roger. Will have a think

should we use FRAPS to record the game for a more in depth analysis afterwards or do you think spectating will be enough?

I like the idea of using Fraps on specific players to pass on skills, but I'm worried about the editing burden. If we can come up with a smart strategy to manage that, then I'm all for it. I think we need to test that whole idea out by recording a few public games first anyway. For now, I think the spectating will be enough.

I'm planning to spectate to watch specific players and the rotating seniors should use it to give advice post-match. I think the spectators will help us a lot in terms of getting our map strategy and squad play slick. I'll see what use a spectator can do with Fraps this week and how hectic that is to organise.

If anyone has tips or suggestions re capture, storage, editing, uploading and viewing that would be awesome.

Hmmmm, good Idea but also not sure is is plausible. I know if I run fraps my FPS drops to 30FPS.

What it could be used for is for specific training tips. How to or some sort or to show exactly the route needed to take for a specific strat.

I don't know if we could record an entire prac and analyse it

First up - Hubris, if anyone ever doubted your ability to plan and lead, I think this will change their opinion. Excellent, informative post that I know will set the tone for the rest of the season. Lets all help wherever possible and keep the conversation flowing.

(i know i have not contributed a lot in terms of threads and i hope that'll change as the year quietens down a bit /fingerscrossed).

I like the layout of 2x2 + 1x4 squads. It gives the infantry team flexibility to squad hop as needed. This will need to become something we can do with ease and on the fly as was evident in BF2 clannies (pre SL only spawn patch).

If we all read and try work with exactly what our noble kaptein has posted, we will be a very well oiled unit methinks.

Things like "front soldier takes point, 2nd watches left, 3rd watches right, 4th watches rear and provides base of fire".. As mentioned, difficult to execute, but if you eat/breathe/sleep (on the battlefield) like that, your squad will dominate.

Regarding FRAPS footage, I would advise against recording a full round. The size of that file would be huge and require editing/compression to the nth degree. Snippets of information will work well for specific areas, but not an entire around. The spectators of our practices should be able to provide enough information that we don't need to review full rounds... HOWEVER, should there be a battlelog... things may change a bit.

Catch you chaps @ practice tonight.

Here is some pointers that can help the armour squad aswell as the players around it.

1) Armour team has to play together to get the feel for each other (same as infantry sqauds) This is something that comes with time and practice.
2) Infantry Remember that it is not an agile piece of kit so consider it when running in the road. Use it as cover by all means 'but the front and back is a no no.(goes for repair man too)
3) Gunner needs to watch the opposite end of the turret. It's no use both looking in the same direction.
4) Spot! Spot! Spot! This goes for the whole team.
5) PILOTS PLEASE!!! Get rid of the enemy flyboyz. Armour has almost no chance against enemy chopper or fighter.
6) A blitzkrieg style of play can also be very effective. Armour and infantry moving together. Seen it before and if well coordinated can be deadly!!

The best will be to practice as much as possible until we all work in harmony and everything becomes natural to be an effective killing unit.
I'll post more stuff as I think of it.

Sorry if I am stepping on you toes Hubris, I think we should have a prac on Thursday to go though Hubris's strats for Sunday's game

I suggest when we organise prac people must put their names down to confirm they will be there

Thursday Prac
============
* Paul

Thanks for the thoughts Lep. I realise we're missing a strategy for the tank in terms of our assault so I'll update my post tonight for comments. I'm thinking specifically of holding back until we have their tank, then operating tactically while it's down before pulling away again.

Does anyone know the vehicle respawn time? If not I'll check tonight.

Not at all, thanks for taking the initiative Paul. I know it's a lot of reading guys, but once you get the jist of it it's easy to remember. I don't plan to change that approach too much so I will use that post as a template and mark out special things.

By the way, it looks like spectating will not be any good until the new server patch comes out. In the meantime we're forced to watch through a respawn menu. All is not lost though, Dice have confirmed a battle recorder and we can only hope it's up before DoG.

Thursday Practice @ 20:00 signup:
======================
* Paul
* Hubris

Before we even consider another practice... can we please figure out why last nights practice was a fail so that the next one won't be. And make sure we have a plan in place so we don't have the same problem again.

We have ten people in the team... seven pitched if I'm correct. Plus the Lee didn't set up the server.