"Magnum" goes through the basics in Battlefield 3.
http://www.simhq.com/_land3/land_165a.html

Great write up, Mag! Loved it! I always felt the Engineer (my favorite class) was the under-appreciated class in the BF3 series, so it was good to see it get a high-five in your article.

Great guide, I've never played games like this except Arma2 and found out the hard way that battlefield is very different. Look away for a split second you're dead

Would have been useful a few days ago lol.

Very much agree about jets, i tried some fun with them but in a second youve crossed the whole map its impossible to navigate when the ground passes instantly and no trackir, also jet controls are clunky it only supports joystick #1 and free look you need to hold another button at the same time as the hat, and its too sensitive - and your controls stop working when in free look.

For infantry it's cool though 64 players is too much respawning to enjoy IMO. I like 4vs4 Squad Rush that is great with a few friends.

I must say though that your rules are a bit harsh. Kicking banning should be for team killers and abusives. Lots of new players like me just trying to learn the game, weapons, and the maps as its all new for some, can't always get our tactics focused and getting kicked just makes it worse. It is after all a game which should mean quick fun.

I can't really disagree with any of that.

Pro-tip for Jets: You can use the cannon to collapse certain buildings. That building next to the B objective on Operation Firestorm (Rush) is a spot where defenders like to camp. It can collapse on top of them with enough firepower dropped on it. I unlocked Stealth by doing just that with the A-10. (got a teamkill unfortunately as well, but didn't know he was in the building) On the same map I think there is another smaller building near A that can collapse too.

If no vehicles are spotted, and no enemy planes are in the air, make strafing runs on those buildings until they collapse. If someone in a tank is also dropping rounds in that area, it won't be long before some campers get squished.

I spent an entire rush match flying in an A-10 doing that. Only got 3 kills, but it really helped deny the enemy use of tanks and planes.

Pop flares and break hard when the locked on noise gets persistent. In F-18s and SU-35s you can use the afterburners to extend away from MANPADS.

You're pretty much out of luck if no one spots enemies for you. It can be hard to see unmarked vehicles in time to line up attacks, especially in the short amount of time you usually have. (due to small maps)

Don't get killed due to target fixation! If you're screaming down raining fiery death upon a tank, don't crash into the ground or a building trying to finish it off. Break off and come around for a 2nd pass. If your buddies haven't finished it off, you should be able to kill it then. Vehicle Destroy Assist points are better than a death and a crashed airplane.

You can land jets, but if you're disabled then it is really going to suck getting it down safely.

I find heat-seekers to not be very practical. It seems better to just use the cannon. They take so long to lock on, and you have to keep the enemy in the middle of your HUD the whole time, that often he's able to break away before you can shoot. If he has flares, you might as well forget it. A few good hits with the cannon can disable a plane. Some players just give up at that point and bail. Your mileage may vary when it comes to heat-seekers.

Other Tips from Me:
1. (Support) Drop an ammo box next to every player you come across,(works even better when they are grouped! $$$) especially on defense where people tend to camp more. I like to drop boxes next to snipers who are plinking away at people. They may not be able to hit anything, but they give you points everytime they resupply that ammo.
2. Spotting: It can never be stressed enough. ALWAYS spot when you see an enemy.
3. (Engineer) You can actually repair helicopters in flight if you're a passenger. I haven't done it myself, but I hear it works for sure in Little Birds.
4. (Assault) You can actually earn enough points to win the MVP medals by mainly healing and reviving people. I was 2nd MVP even though I only went something like 4-7, but I revived and healed a CRAPLOAD of people. Got the medic ribbon that match too. If you aren't the best shot, maybe stick back and wait for teammates to die or get wounded and get some quick points. Dropping medikits near where players tend to group is good for points too.
5. (Recon) The starting semi-auto rifles I reckon are better put to use as "Designated Marksman Rifles". Don't try for long range sniping with them. Move with your squad and engage at medium and short range. If you're quick on the trigger you can do some real damage. You don't always need a scope with those rifles either. In close quarters if you can get the drop on someone, you can often win with the semi-autos. Place radio beacons in SAFE and USEFUL locations. Don't place them somewhere where the enemy will likely find it and sit there waiting for someone to spawn on it with a big grin on their face.
6. (Engineer) Choose your launcher wisely. If you know the map you're on won't have air vehicles, don't take a Stinger or Igla. If you're getting hammered by tanks, and the enemy only has noob jet pilots flying overhead, switch out to an RPG when you respawn.

That's it for me for now. These may not be the most expert of tips, but they seem to help me out when I play.

3 bullets of rules don't seem to harsh to me at all... I mean those 3 bullets are common sense really... but yet some still do it:



Nothing I can't stand more to see a match start, someone jump into a buggy or whatever and drive off from the spawn point as their fellow squad mates are chasing after the vehicle for a ride. lol

and finally... if you or others think my simple rules are to harsh, thats great...your right of course, but we are SimHQ... simple, play by our simple rules or don't join the server... plenty of other wild and free servers to join.

I was talking about "taking off away from your squad without reason or tactics."

I was kicked from a few servers just for taking too long to change a few key binds (very difficult with this joystick config in the game being worse than 10 year old games), not a very nice introduction to the game. ARMA2 I could go make a cup of tea come back and still not be kicked.

But like you say, your server your rules. If it's a server for the BF veterens who can focus on staying together fair enough. If we're still learning we can play somewhere else like you say.

Good read Magnum. Here's my tips/observations after 10 hours of MP play:

- In Rush consider having an Assault member with a 320 using Smoke. Certain levels (Paris Metro for sure) are pretty much choked and the only way to claim them as an attacker is to Attack in Force and provide smoke cover. There are so many RPG's raining down hell that Smoke cover is the only chance. The downside of the 320 Smoke is that you have a medic with no medic bag, but they keep defib.

- The M16A4 and AK's are pretty good in single fire mode (button 'V' on the keyboard) as you get no recoil and decent accuracy. The 4x scope is pretty handy for this, and not too bad up close either. Tap tap tap.

- There are 'In capping buildings' on pretty much each map, i.e. a place where you can go inside and hide while the MCOM timer goes down. As attacker get used to finding them and as a defender use nades pretty much every time you walk by one (and the MCOM counter is moving).

- The Tactical Lights (flashlight) on the M1911 is very very bright, and if I need to reload on primary it's often quicker to switch to it and dazzle people to death.

- You can only really stab properly from behind, so while it's a cool animation you will /FailStab a few times and it's usually worth just double-tapping (just to be friendly!)

- Rush and defenders knowing how to use Mortars is a kill-box party. Switch MCOM if attacker as at the moment they are a little OP'd.

- In conquest if you're doing the 'crazy roadrunner circus' thing of sprinting to each MCOM (AH, I Just Cleaned That!) then consider a perimeter plan where you claim A, B, C but leave D and E. On a public server the other team is rarely organized enough to figure out that they shouldn't be attacking in dribs and drabs and you can get some serious 'defend' kills once you get good position. Hilltop of Caspian Border is a typically good defend stand.

- A decent Helo pilot and gunner can win a round if done right. I never get bothered by Jets but helos are a real pain.

Some more tips:

-You can toggle lights/lasers on and off with 'T'. Don't run around with it on all the time.

-Use the destructible cover to your advantage. If you're going to be in a position for any length of time, see if you can create a loophole to fire through instead of standing up over the cover like a pop up target. Those low concrete barriers are a good example of this, use a burst of fire to knock out a chunk so you can fire through it while crouched.

-If you're having trouble in CQB, take a shotgun. Even if the other guy is a bit faster on the trigger, you only need one shot in most cases.


-If you have extra buttons on your mouse (like I have two thumb buttons), put stuff like your pistol and knife on them, helps a lot.

fine by me... but just FYI... over 3000 servers you can play your way... it is wrong for a site/platoon/clan or whatever to want a set way of playing the games, and running the servers THEY pay for? You guys act like I made you do a PT test first before playing, lol... some groups actually make you try out and prove your worth before playing... so is it so hard to be asked just to play the way the game was meant to be played by design?

oh well.

Hey, I don't have the game yet but I was wondering if the server uses any third party comms like teamspeak or mumble during matches?

S

TS3 right now... hoping EA fixes the comms system (on console verision you can change from squad VOIP to team VOIP, would be nice for PC too.)

Great Read Mag! Love your part on Recon! Anyway Love the rules. Quick question is the SimHQ server PC only? I got BF3 for Xbox and will be getting Modern Warfare for PC.

you can't have your own server to run on a console... so yes, PC only.

Thats what I thought. Thanks!

That comment practically made me spew my coke right out of my mouth!

ROTFLMAO !!!

Thanks for that one, Magnum.



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"Call the waaaaaaaaaambulance!"

Lol me too actually.

I guess battlefield seems like so simple quick fun game after so much playing complex sims, was surprised it was taken so seriously.

I now know though that I was probably ping kicked in that first week due to Origin performance and not the Admins.

Well I don´t have BF3 and as long as Origin stays as intrusive as it is I wont get.

That being said, I like the article immensely as the way the Recon should be played is just the way I play it in most games. 90% Recon 10% Marksmen, Snipers are very good for getting information and keep your own squads informed about enemy squads IEDS and most importantly vehicles.

About the server stuff, Magnum is right! Server rules should be observed, obeyed and ENFORCED! I don´t like stupid rules like only 1 sniper per team, because let´s face it, those that get the sniper slot are usually not the best suited for that role. But a server were the rules are not enforced are those were abusive players and teamkillers run amok. Also teamwork and tactics always win the day.