Thread: Commander Tactics

This tactic is best utilized on infantry maps, not large open maps.

Originally Posted by |R-DEV|fuzzhead

The Tri-Factor Theory (or "Triple-S" theory) consists of doing an offensive maneuver using three principles:

*Speed
*Stealth
*Skill

No one factor is more valuable than another. If all three are done correctly and equally in the attack, then victory is almost guaranteed.



== Speed ==
*How fast your force moves, the faster your force is moving the harder it is for your enemy to attack or defend.

== Stealth ==
*How deceptive your force is during the maneuver. The more deceptive you are the more surprised the enemy will be

== Skill ==
*This is how effective your force is. The more skill your force has, the more damage you will inflict


Factors for Victory

You want to equalize all three factors, don't have more of a certain effect than the others:

*If you have more speed, then the enemy will retreat.
*If you have more stealth, then the enemy may split its forces.
*If you have more skill, then the enemy may have called for reinforcements.

Combining two factors with equal effect is usually devastating to the enemy:

*Having speed and stealth may confuse and immobilize the enemy.
*Having speed and skill may surprise and overwhelm the enemy.
*Having stealth and skill may confuse and disperse the enemy.


By having all three factors present and in equal terms the enemy will be surprised, confused, immobilized, and overwhelmed. So, in theory, you can annihilate an enemy.

One thing I would of added to this would have to be defense.

You can be fast, sneaky, and skilled, but if someone gets past you and rips the rug from under you while your at the flag, then your guys are likely to either have to rush back and retake it and defend (the enemy will likely have rally points near by if they are competent). Or sit tight on the uncappable flag while another squad tries to eliminate the threat on an entrenched enemy.

Whats good about reading Commander Tactics is that it can be implemented in almost any map. This Formula is something I try to use in maps like the forested Rebel settings, Bi Ming, 7 Gates, Al Basarah and several others. Good infantry based ones. I love the times where your able shut out a map in less than an hour and a half, and your standing on a ridge with a firebase and a SOFLAM, directing your troops visually for the final assault.

The key for being a SL with this formula is using hills, and LOS to your advantage. You want to get as close as you can, quickly, without being seen. Make sure you explain what you are about to try, and then use hills, rocks, ridges, or other forms of cover to to move in close. If you spot a enemy during your approach, make sure to put an attack marker down in his general direction.

You don't want to fire unless you can win, and if there is 12 guys out there, check your map and see if they are heading toward some friendly squad(s). If so, get commander to relay it to the appropriate squad. If not, get in position on their six and take them out from behind while the commander get forces in place to defend. Use the element of suprise to your advantage.

Defense

Its absolutely critical to order a squad to defend flags. One thing I have noticed on Quinling (and several other maps) is as soon as the Village is capped, everyone rushes to the Coal Mines. Or vice versa. There is nothing more frustrating to me when I command than watching a flag get capped, and just to watch it be deserted 10 seconds later.

If you are a squad leader, and you cap a flag, defend it if no ones around. The open maps of PR do not force bottle necks, and what not, like Vanilla. It enables the ability of wide flanking maneuvers, so just because you are heading towards where the enemies were, you're very likely to not run into them on your way.

This is for SL and Commanders alike. Defending is a crap job that may turn out to be unneeded, but remember, Project Reality is not about points, its about winning. Forget your score when you play, and play for the team, not stats.

Originally Posted by =HR=Drayu (PR 0.5)

In Project Reality the Commander position has been greatly reworked in an attempt to introduce more realistic elements and improve game play. The commander is one of the most vital positions in any map. The commander has the 'big picture' of the entire battle and can see where the front line is and is going to be. He has the power to supply his troops, direct them to targets and help them communicate between squads. Your dependence on SL's may make you frustrated, but be persistent on VOIP and most squads will come around. In Project Reality, Commanders are rare, but when you find a good one, you talk to him A LOT! Try not to get into the fight if at all possible. If you have to go into battle do not offer yourself up to the enemy very easily, rather find a hiding place towards the rear of the battle where you can use binoculars to see the battlefield and still be undercover. Using that position, you can be in your commander screen and safe or out with your binoculars to direct traffic.

A commander relies acutely on his lower ranks. What you really have to look out for is positioning yourself relative to the enemy. Never put yourself where you give the enemy an advantage:

Always go for the heart (i.e. the objective, supplies, etc.). Identify it and attack it with overwhelming power and synchronize your attacks to maximize damage. This simple principle can give you victory against a numerically larger enemy.

Make sure your:

* Orders are clear and understandable
* Squad Leaders know what you expect of them
* Plans are easy-to-follow and simple
* Men are properly equipped for the mission

Never:

* Hesitate on orders
* Leave a squad alone on the field, evacuate or tend to them.
* Try to cross an open field unless it can't be helped (yes this rule applies to officers too)
* Attack a fortified target with light weapons
* Do something stupid
* NEVER ORDER YOUR MEN TO DO SOMETHING YOU WILL NOT DO!

= Initial Thoughts =

1. Use VOIP! A silent commander is a bad commander! There is no way you can type the information fast enough for your squads to be aware.

2. Do not use assault vehicles as you are too valuable to spend time piloting or driving when you could be directing squads and using the commander abilities.

3. You should try to avoid being engaged in direct combat or even near the frontlines. Everything you can do, you can do with your command console from base.

4. Always request an officer kit as soon as you spawn so you can place down assets when needed.


= Communication =

As a commander, COMMUNICATION is of the utmost importance! You can never communicate too much on the battlefield. As commander you should be aware of how to communicate with squads.

== VOIP Usage ==
By pressing the commander chat key (default V), you will talk to all squad leaders at once. If you highlight a squad or several squads by holding control and clicking the squads, and then use the Squad Talk key (default B), you will talk with just those squads. Battlefield information for one squad may not be necessary for other squads. Be sure to talk to all squads when necessary and only selected squads when necessary.

Communication Tactics

* You should be telling squads what they are to be doing, defend this flag, attack that one, hang tight, take cover, etc.

* Announcing when assets are available is important, but don't forget about vehicles. As the fight progresses, most squads stay near the front fighting it out. They end up forgetting about tanks or helicopters or APCs that may spawn at the main. As commander, you should be relaying to all squads that these vehicles have spawned and are available. Tanks can be as deadly as arty when used in the right hands; it is your job to put them in the right hands!

* You should always be clear and to the point. Try to get your point across to the squad leader clearly in as few sentences as possible.

* Always complement squad leaders for effective completion of an objective.


Commander Strategies


* Be sure to tell squads what you need. If you need one squad as transport (helicopter), let them know. You will have an easier time if you set up your squads appropriately.

* When directing your squads, know their location! The worst thing you can do is send a squad across a map when there are closer objectives for that squad. If you need to send a squad somewhere, make sure you tell them why, or you make sure they have transportation.

* Always have a few squads assaulting and the rest defending flags that you have taken. The best way to win a map is not offense, but rather defense!

* Always have your assets ready to deploy for squad leaders when they ask for it, nothing better to get them to follow your orders than to supply them with what they need.

* MAP KNOWLEDGE! You should know which flags you need to make the tickets run! Know the order of the flags to be captured!

* Use tactics; don't send squads directly into battle. Think flanking, think pinching, don't be a Rambo with your weapons!

* When near the front lines stay near a squad so that if you go down you can be revived.

* Remember you can select multiple squads using the shift key.

* Remember it is only a game, have fun!

This was written for v0.5, so I edited out some things.

I'm writing up another one for the larger maps with armor and CAS. Be back soon. :9

Defense needs to be The Forward Offensive Attack Force that gets there and Neutralizes that was there. Take the fight to the Front lines and Push them all the way back to their base and set up camp, defense as you will, at their last Front door.

A strategy that I like to use for the more open maps that have armor and close-air-support (CAS) is the following:

The key to maps like Kashan, Quinling, Al Kufrah (sp?), and other such maps is getting your assets to work together. The best infantry squad can get obliterated by enemy armor, the best tank squad can be turned into wreckages by enemy CAS, and the most elite flyboys can get shot down by ground forces. It is absolutely essential to use everything at your disposale to combat the enemy.

When you take command, first explain to all the squads that you want positions and coordinates of any hostile AA, tanks, APCs, and/or troop movements. In that exact order (unless there is no air support, then the AA is not top priority).

Try to get the tank squads to work in support with the infantry. Move the tanks to high ground, if at all possible, so that they can get a good view of their surroundings. High ground also limits options of places to hide for the enemy. You have to remember that tanks have a tremendous range advantage against infantry, and the closer they get the more likely they are to get blown up.

If air assets are avaliable, have them hold in a recon pattern, and attack targets of opprutunity until ground forces specifically designate or spot a target. Make sure to tell them to not go deep into enemy territory, because that is a good way to have a valuable person waiting 15-20 minutes for another asset because he just got shot to hell. Make sure that you tell your squad leaders when CAS is avaliable, and when it is about to make its attack run. Not much is more frustrating then watching the plane fly harmlessy overhead because the Laser Designation expired.

If you are lucky enough to get a dedicated transport pilot, make sure you set down the landing zones out of the way of the flag. It does not have to be rediculously far, but make sure that its a good concealed clearing. I don't know how many times I've been in a helo, glad to get a fast ride, only to get a tank blow us to shit because some pilot thought that landing on top of the flag. I'd rather hump it out on foot for 500m then to be screaming at the screen as the death count ticks down. For extractions, same rules apply. Being able to quickly transport troops around the battlefield is going to be keystone for your plans structure.

As with any commanding tactic, communication is essential to the theory. If any one of the three assets, air, ground, and armor, fail to work as a team, then you are almost certainly doomed for failure. So do not be afraid to use VoIP. If you think you are talking to much, then you are probably doing it right, as long as you are keeping the chatter about the round you are playing on.

Might not be as good as the others, but its 9:30AM and I didn't sleep at all last night.

Originally Posted by ***COMMANDER***

Defense needs to be The Forward Offensive Attack Force that gets there and Neutralizes that was there. Take the fight to the Front lines and Push them all the way back to their base and set up camp, defense as you will, at their last Front door.

This is an awesome strategy for Fools Road, Al Kufrah, Kashan, and many others. The problem is that any competent squad leader/commander can devise a plan to get around you.

On Kashan I can usually put a tank watching the roads coming out of the mains, and they can smash anything that comes past. I remember one of my best rounds was in Kashan, and I was in a concealed spot in the hills to the south of the road coming out of MEC's main. We slaughtered them everytime they passe. We took out all their tanks a few times, along with numerous APCs and support trucks.

The pure tan ground and azure horizon were soiled with black columns of smoke licked at the sky from burnt out wreckages that had bodies strewn about them, their limp limbs contorted at akward angels.