The TTP Document (version 1)!
So after a little bit of work, I have finally put together a TTP document, read, and enjoy.
So after a little bit of work, I have finally put together a TTP document, read, and enjoy.
Quote:So for a while, I've wanted to write something like this. But that already exists, so I'll just settle for addendums for it.
There are a few things I really want to talk about, and I'll possibly add stuff in the future. I'd add something like "I'm not an expert so don't @ me", but I was in the Infantry for 8 years, I'm still a soldier, I have like 4000 hours on ArmA 3 and probably close to the same between ArmA 2 and OFP, so I'm about as close to an expert as you're ever going to get.
Contents
Friendly Fire/Firing through friendlies
Bounding/Combat Movement/Cover
Medical procedure
Picking up weapons.
Command and Control
Tanks
Friendly Fire
This has been happening a lot. Like a lot, a lot. Essentially, its a discipline issue. Don't shoot unless you are 100% sure its the enemy. In a choice between shooting a friendly and getting shot by an enemy, I'll get shot by an enemy first. If you are properly positioned to engage the enemy, then you should have cover you can duck back into if you hesitate and it turns out to be enemy anyway. I get that sometimes we are in fairly similar outfits to the enemy, but then it means you need to sort your situational awareness out. Ask the team leader where friendlies are if you don't know where they are. Don't shoot unless you are 100% certain. If you have to, get a second opinion. If we the scenario permits it, and we have lasers on and the enemy clearly doesn't, then don't shoot the dudes with the lasers.
As a sub subject on this, firing through/over friendlies. No, don't do it. I am guilty of this as well, and I need to get better at it. When you get into a fight, get on a line with your friendlies. If there are friendlies within the centre half of your screen, don't fire. Don't take that opportunity to fire over someone's shoulder, because they'll step into it. Gunfights are done from linear formations, otherwise friendly fire happens.
And one last thing on this section, if you are passing friendlies, pass behind them. It is your responsibility to stay out of others line of fire. If you absolutely have to go in front of friendlies, tell them about it. Just a call of "Coming through" on local is enough, just remember tunnel vision is a thing and you might not get friendly fired.
So in summary:
Don't fucking shoot unless you know they are enemy.
If you aren't sure, take the risk and wait until you are sure. If you get shot because of it, remember that you didn't ruin someone else's night.
Bounding/Combat Movement/Cover
Bounding is a thing we don't do nearly enough. It should be something as simple as the team leader saying "bound by colour teams" and it should happen. One team stays in position, and tells the other team "covering" or something the like, and the other team bounds to the next bit of cover, where they tell the first team "covering". The bounds can be as long or as short as you feel necessary. You can scale it up as far you need to. If you need to, it can be done in pairs, or between squads.
Combat Movement. Really, there should be 2 sorts of combat movement. Move to, and At All Costs. At All Costs is the standard ArmA multiplayer movement, you go there and try and force your way there no matter what, and its what we generally use everywhere. However, the default should just be Move to I totally need a better name for this). Under Move to, if you come under fire, then you should stop, move into cover at your position, or back up the route, and then work out what is happening. If the opponent is something you can fight through, say a single AI rifleman, then you can fight through it (probably by bounding. If however, any time anyone sticks a nose out they get suppressed, then you should withdraw and find another route. Now this has happened a few times recently, but the most of the time, we just bull through. In reality, infantry combat is 2 sets of soldiers suppressing one another, trying to find a route that is unguarded so they can get close to the enemy, or get to their objective. Our nights tend to go pretty well when we do this, but we don't do it often enough.
Also, if you are defending a position, and you get completely suppressed, then your next choice should be to withdraw to another position. There is no point staying in a position where you are just going to get killed.
Also SMOKE. Smoke everywhere when you need to withdraw, or assault.
Finally, Cover. Use it, but also when we stop, take whatever cover we have. Rocks, trees, the ground itself, don't just stand in the open.
Medical procedure
If you aren't a medic, then don't crowd round a casualty. The closest person who can reach should go, pull the wounded into some form of cover, and then provide first aid until a medic arrives. Everyone else should fight. If you are the last person, and everyone else is down, don't go to help people, you keep fighting. Unless they are lucky, those who are down are already dead, don't join them. If you manage to not join them until help arrive, they may survive. The first part of combat medicine is winning the fight. As the person first aiding someone, all you need to do is stop any bleeding and give them a heart rate, if they aren't bleeding but their heart is going, then you can leave them for a medic. It might be worth marking them with a light stick if its night.
Picking up weapons
Unless your commander says yes, don't do it. I cam across a G3 and 8 magazines on a mission the other night. Someone, who had a full combat load, decided they needed to pick up an AK. You don't just leave your rifle lying around on a battlefield because you wanted something better. You only pick up another rifle if you are out, or you are armed with something like a pistol or Mac-10. The mission maker chose those weapons for a reason, and frequently it helps with IFF. In the same mission I watched someone gun down 2 friendlies who were armed with enemy weapons.
If you start with G3s, but fancy an AK, then so help you god you'd best have less than 20 rounds left for that G3 when you pick it up.
On a somewhat related note. The missions give you a shitload of ammo, start using it. That 200 rounds of 5.56 is doing exactly zero good in your magazines, and if you run out, either someone else has more to share with you, theres a resupply point, or there is plenty of ammunition lying around. And even a miss helps, as the AI definitely get suppressed. Even if you can't see the target, shoot in the general direction everyone else is shooting. It helps. Your guns have automatic, use it! What are you saving that ammo for, Christmas?
Command and Control
If you need to, nominate a pointman and also a second in command. There's no point getting overwhelmed if there's 7 other people you can drop tasks onto.
Also, I have started trying to be more mission command focused. I like to tell my team leaders what I am hoping to achieve and a vague outline of how to do it, if you have a suggestion on how better to do it, then go for it. If I want to destroy a position, then alpha and bravo are good to work together independent of me to decide one is suppressing while the other flanks. If one of the AFVs decides to move through the breach in the minefield to help hold the bridgehead and provide cover for the infantry, go ahead. The commander shouldn't be almighty all the time.
Tanks
Overpressure is a thing, the main weapon should be held under strict control whenever infantry are near. Also, don't take cover behind or near the tank without letting the commander know. The first thing a tank crew does when taking fire is full reverse, and if you're there, you have nobody to blame but yourserf. I did have something else but I don't remember right now.
Lead me, Follow me, or Get out of my way.