Standard infanteer gameplay tips

Firstly, and most importantly: GET MUMBLE AND USE IT. Most game servers are on the PR Mumble master-server, it beats the crud out of teamspeak, and it's the only way you can effectively co-ordinate with other squads (IE telling the APC you want in, or the Chopper where to drop you off, hearing a team-mate say NO, THERE'S GRENADE TRAPS THERE!).

Of course, this means you HAVE TO HAVE A WORKING MICROPHONE, and of course have vBF2's VOIP setup properly. A dumb player is like having a dumb soldier in the army - of limited use in a war-zone.

Grunts:
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1. Join an appropriate squad. Picking the right squad is one of the most important things you can do for your team. Don't join an infantry squad thinking you're going to be jumping into APCs, Tanks, Etc. Don't join a VOIP squad if you don't have a mic or speak their language. Don't join an infantry squad called "Firebase Defence" and then think you're going to be going off running into the front lines. Don't join an infantry squad thinking you're going to get the sniper/heavy anti-tank/whatever kit. Don't join an infantry squad in the middle of nowhere when you're at the main and have no way of hooking up with them when there's another squad nearby that needs members.

2. Leave rubbish squads. It's a sad fact of life that a squad with 4/6 people is gonna get filled up quicker than a squad with 1 person in it, even if that one person is awesome. Hanging around in a squad where the leader doesn't go for the squad-leader / (or civvie for insurgents) kit is helping no-one, and is merely sucking other players into a waste of time. Likewise if the squad-leader doesn't put down rally-points, set movement markers, relay information, or play tactically you know he needs to hit the books before he comes back into the game as a squad-leader. Hanging around in a rubbish squad is *worse than lone-wolfing*, because it takes up a squad-slot, pulls other players out of squads, and lets other slackers take kits they shouldn't have access to.

3. Stick with your squad; but don't stay so close that one grenade kills you all. If your squad isn't playing properly, you should've left them and found / made a new one. The fact that you're now IN an appropriate squad means you have to stick to them like glue. The further away from your squad you are, the less accurate "bearings" become; which means "infantry at 135 degrees" is misleading if you aren't in the same position as whoever called it out, or vice versa. Calling out contacts, being close to people with the correct kits to take out armour, having ammo and medical help provided - all of these rely on you being within visual range of your squad. If you get separated from your squad (usually by dying) - hold your spawn and see if the squad-leader can put down a rally point nearer to him. If that isn't possible, ask your squad-leader to organise a pick-up for you; or ask someone in a transport vehicle to give you a lift via Mumble. If that isn't possible, ask your SL what he wants you to do. Sometimes a long-walk-back is the only option, and it gives you plenty of time to think what you did wrong in order to get greased, and what you can do better.

4. Pick appropriate kits. Make sure there's at least one medic in your party, and if there's not, man-up and be that medic. The Squad-Leader should tell you what he needs. Civillians have terrible spawn-times, so although their medical expertise are vital for insurgent forces, it's a bit more forgiveable not to have a civvy in your squad. All of the kits have their uses, all have their value. Don't pick a kit unless you know SPECIFICALLY what you are going to do with it. And no "I'm going to 0wn people!" doesn't count. Don't take a Light Anti-Tank (L-AT=Anti-Tank Rifleman) unless you both know how to fire it, and know in advance what resistance you are going to meet that *needs* a L-AT. Don't take a "specialist" kit unless you know there are walls / mountains that specifically need grappling, or locked doors / civillians that need breaching rounds. Don't take an Anti-Air kit unless the air-vehicles are already in the sky near where your squad is operating. Don't take Marksman kit unless you know your squad is going to be camping open ground. Conventional armies get limited kits from crates (usually deposited by vehicles near to locations for firebases); insurgents have pick-up kits at key locations, as well as spawning on the caches. Taliban can request limited kits from the caches.

5. Build things up! If you want to spawn at a firebase, someone has to first get out their shovel and build it. If you want to use the .50 calibre heavy gun at a firebase, someone has to first build it. If you want to use the AA, hide in a foxhole, or enjoy the safety offered by a wall of razorwire - someone had to build it. This takes time, and it takes longer if everyone doesn't use their shovels and pitch in. A properly defended firebase is a game-winner, and a squad (4 or 5 shovels) can build up a massive fortress in no-time with a little patience. AND it makes your score look good too, as if you really needed another incentive.

6. WATCH YOUR STEP!!! If you trip over a friendly grenade trap and get yourself killed, that's YOUR FAULT. Don't punish someone else just because you can't look where you're going. Mine-layers can place skull-and-crossbones icons on the map, but there is a limit to how many of these they can place, and they don't expire, which means friendly grenade traps and mines can be ANYWHERE and UNMARKED. If you're running out of an area at full speed trying to get to the enemy, it's a safe bet a GOOD player has placed traps to stop the enemy running INTO the area by the self-same obvious route. You getting yourself killed like this not only costs the team a ticket for your life (if you're not an INS faction with no ticket-loss), but it also hurts the trapper's respawn time, and it takes a FRIENDLY TRAP out of the game, and notifies the enemy of the position of trappers. Because YOU couldn't watch your step, you've hurt yourself a little, but the team a lot more. If you see a grenade trap, go PRONE and move through it until you are a SAFE DISTANCE away - that way it won't go off. All of the above applies to anti-vehicle mines too, and of course TRIP FLARES.

7. Don't be afraid to call out contacts, but keep chatter to a minimum. Between mumble, squad VOIP, commander chat, and listening to in-game effects to hear where vehicle noises and gunfire are going off - there's a lot to concentrate on. Hearing 5 people yammering on and on only makes things worse. Infantry that's taking aim and about to fire at you is a helluva lot more important than a tank that's miles away and can't even see you. "Infantry, 150 degrees" is all you need to say. "Grenade trap here!" is all you need to say. "Plane overhead" is all you need to say. Also, when you hear "infantry, 150 degrees" - get your head down, your sights up, and start looking in that direction ready for action. If your whole squad's facing that way, be the ONE guy to turn around and check out the 6 O'Clock position, or any other contact reports other people say out.

8. Smoke is your friend. Once the smoke is fully deployed, there's no way in hell anyone's seeing through it. Don't be afraid to chuck a smoke grenade into a street that's being covered by the enemy, and wait for a few seconds. Better for the whole squad to make it across one street in perfect safety than to risk a squad-mate and then the squad's medic out in the open. Likewise, you might not be able to damage a tank directly below you, but a smoke-grenade on it means they're going to have to move their position before they take a shot. If you're a grenadier, firing a smoke grenade a great distance between you and your target is a great way of saving your squad if you can't nail them with an explosive grenade.

9. Take out assets quickly and effectively, THEN MOVE ON. Nearly all infantry kits have incendiary grenades for taking out caches, etc. Firebases and hideouts can be taken out by knifing (or 'punching' if you are coalition and have restraints) the "radio" attatched to them 3 times. You will take damage from it going down, but that's better than leaving it up. It takes *TWO* supply crates to build a firebase - if you come across two enemy ones together, incendiary-grenading one can prevent them from building / rebuilding a firebase there. Rally-points can be knifed to take them out. Once you've taken the assets out, you're generally free to clear out of the area. There's no point in getting stuck in a pitched battle over worthless remains. A game doesn't end the second the cache / firebase is down, and the longer you stand around feeling good about yourself, the better the enemy's position gets.

10. Obey your squad-leader, or find a new squad. Squad-cohesion (people sticking together) relies on this, and while a squad-leader might be idiotic or otherwise incapable, he is in contact with the commander (if there is one) or with the other SLers via mumble's captain channels, he is the only one who can set your rally points or build firebases / hideouts, etc. If he isn't organising the right kits, or organising pick-ups and transport for stragglers / people forced to respawn at main; if he's getting you all killed - if there's any problem at all - you're doing yourself, the squad, and the team no favours at all by staying in his squad. If he won't listen to reason, find a better squad or make a better one yourself. There are plenty of rubbish squad-leaders around, but this comes back to point #2.




With thanks to Ace42 for this tutorial