ArmA 2 Tactical Vignette #1: Leapfrogging a Marine Squad onto Hill 368 (Part 2)

In order to close with the enemy, I need to move my Marine squad through a big open area on which the enemy can deliver fires from the cover and concealment of hill 368. Yeah, barely comforting to know that the enemy can shoot the crap out of us without being seen. I guess that's why they call them danger areas.

I tried to move my squad through the danger area in different ways and in this entry I will write about what happened when I did it in the wrong way.

Please don't do this to your squad!

I deployed my squad in a line formation (to maximize our firepower towards our front) and I moved with them forward until enemy contact.

Race to the swift ... death. Click the image for an expanded view

Among all the things wrong with my squad sprinting straight into a potential curtain of flying hot lead, there is something particularly insulting on how I moved my squad ahead: I didn't alert my squad of the danger ahead ("all, danger!"). The virtual minds of my squadies were clueless. As far as they were concerned, it could have been a sprint to the chow hall.

I was surprised to find out that upon contact, my squad stopped immediately to take shots at the enemy. Not a bad reaction for the AI.

But I didn't notice they have stopped and I continued firing and moving for a little while. As a result, I found myself considerably ahead of the squad.

Sometimes your squad just needs to stop and smell the cordite. Click the image for an expanded view

This is exactly when all the brown stuff hit the fan. The Marines of the squad tried to catch up with me and off course when they move they don't aim and they don't shoot. The situation deteriorated from bad to hopeless in a matter of seconds.

You think you have problems? Click the image for an expanded view

It was a catastrophe. I threw a couple of smoke grenades to withdraw and hide my shame from the enemy.

Don't look at me, I'm tactically hideous! Click the image for an expanded view

In the next entry, how all went better when I moved using bounding overwatch.

Stay tuned.

Cheers,