Which formation is best?

[David Shipley 0]

Formations. There's a dozen of them. Can anybody say which formation is the best? The best for a certain situation, maybe?

Which formation to use for what situation?

I guess 'Form (Staggered) Column' is what you want when trying to be stealthy, and 'Form Wedge' for assault or defense. But the rest seem pretty much the same to me (though 'Form Vee' was a sight to see).

Also, does anyone use those 'Team Blue' and 'Team Red' things? I guess they could be consided "fireteams," and I find them VERY useful in combat. For example: red team watches the battlefield, while blue team advances; one covers the other by immediately taking out threats to the advancing team.

If you can't tell yet, I used to get massacred a lot before I learned all about "team-play."

Nowadays, I find that even if I do get shot at first (I'm in the advancing team), my squad suffers little or no casualties before the guys in back kill the punk who shot at us. :-)

I guess this is how the military does things.

Teams are fantastic. And they're even better in ambushes (e.g. one distracts, and another fires when the time is right)... but that's for another forum post.

P.S. You guys are great.

[Guest]

Moving to General

[cam0flage 0]

I use column for advancing through unknown terrain, but there's one bad thing about it: If you are ambushed you will be probably killed first. I wish OFP could work like in real life so that the leader would be in the middle. Otherwise, column is a good formation; there's not so many targets available for the enemy if they open fire from the front. When I encounter enemy, I switch to line formation right away, so I can get all members of my squad to fire at the enemy.

[Mr B 0]

I almost always use line formation. It's useful for both defences and offences. In defence, it's useful because of the large amount of terrain you can occupy, and because of the ability to bring all of the squads weapons to bear at once. In offence, it's very handy because it prevents flanking. It is hard to effectively flank a formation that large. A small column can be easily flanked.

Just my thoughts. Oh, thanks for the ideas about teams. I never thought to use them in supporting roles. But just a question, do you ever find it hard to remerge with a team? eg merge team red and team blue into team white and still include yourself?

Cheers

Mr B

[Guest]

Advance by bounds - column or staggered column

Advance by echelon - echelon or line formation

Advance by rushes - line formation

[Bordoy 0]

I mostly use line formation. sumtimes i use vee, if i dont want to die first.

Sumtimes in missions i use teams, in mount and disembark if i dont want the driver and/or gunner to disembark. Also i use teams to flank.

Mr B to merge two teams press ` then 9,9,1 to make everyone team white.

` is the button with ¬ on it as well

[Jamesia 0]

I always use line formation, 'cos it means that all of your mean get equal oppurtunities to fire, and it means that you can storm the enemy easily and you can create WW1 style rushes.

[Mr B 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Bordoy @ Jan. 03 2003,20:57)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Mr B to merge two teams press ` then 9,9,1 to make everyone team white.

` is the button with ¬ on it as well<span id='postcolor'>

Thanks for the tip Bordoy.

[waffendennis 0]

well i can give you a tip:

If there are any enemy tanks or soldiers with grenades or kind of explosions dont get your team to close to eachoter because 1 grenade can take out your whole squad so i gues a line will be great:D.

[DestroyerX 0]

Almost always 'line'.

I didn't used teams so far, gonna try it.

[bn880 5]

Well, I don't know what the point of saying it is but, I find column to be most practical in most OFP missions. It's not like you have to worry in OFP about someone outflanking you from behind etc.

[bwenke75 0]

I usually move the squad around in a V. For me it seems like they notice enemy to the flanks better that way. Then when engaging I change to the line. I also have never used teams.

[shadow 6]

The team colour-selection comes in handy when you got multiple types of vehicles or mixed supressed and non-supressed weapons under your command.

I.e.

I tend to give my silenced soldiers 'blue' and the others a different colour i.e. 'red'

I give apc's one colour and tanks a different colour.

I find it easier to figure out where my particular units are that way.

[ralphwiggum 6]

i don't have military team tactics experience, so i just do whatever i feel appropriate at the moment.

usually, when advancing in area i deem to be safe, i just go for column.

near the objective, wedge,

then when i know where enemies are, i usually go for line.

i do use team feature, but not that exptensively.

[TaNK_Em 0]

I personally like V formation, I use the teams when i am flying and have a gunner and dont want him to get out so i tell helo team to go green people geting out blue.

[walker 0]

Hi

There have been several dicusions on this subject in the past.

I wrote a couple of pieces here

Tactics use of the squad in CoC

It is aimed at CoC users but it applies to normal OFP tactics and uses exactly the same hot key combinations.

And here

Strategy and planning in CoC OFP

I recomend a visit to the Avon Lady's FAQ and doing a search on tactics which will yield a wealth of naterial.

Also read the relavent US Army and Marines Field Manuals. OFP is capable of any Tactical system I have seen metioned there and with the Command Engine MOD you can do the tactical and strategic work up to light battalion level.

If you click on the link to CoC and look up battle school there are links to the US Army Field Manuals.

Kind Regards Walker

[David Shipley 0]

So, I guess "Line" seems to be the dominant formation here! I guess I'll use that compared to the default "Wedge" formation - though I did, once, and one of my guys kept getting killed trying to stay in formation. :-\

Better him than me, I guess. *Laughs*

Teams ARE great. I'm surprised that so few people use them, because they completely changed my tactics in the game. I started using them when I realized it's basically unrealistic for me to use "Rambo tactics" to win missions... and how I died an average of twenty times per-mission using those tactics. After that, I started using my men more -- letting THEM die -- and fight with them rather than leaving them behind.

You can do flanking manouvers, ambushes, retreats and basically coordinate your fire better with teams.

One more example: I was playing the "Proof of Life" mission, and basically kept getting half my men killed (including myself) defeating that first gas station. I did everything from "Kamikaze 5ft Truck" to a frontal assault.

Then I used teams.

By telling Red Team to stop near the front of the base, I personally led Green Team on "Stealth" mode to to the left of the base. Positioning each man carefuly - there are two machinegun men, one rifleman and one grenadier here - I used my binoculars to locate each and every bad guy. I then I told my men to "Hold Fire" on those bunches of bad guys right in front of them.

Moving back to Red Team, I led them on a phony frontal assault of the base. Using grenades and aimed fire, Red Team took out two or three guys before withdrawing (one friendly got killed); the enemy FOLLOWED, and that was the last mistake they ever made.

"Team Green, Go, Go, Go!"

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

With machineguns firing like mad, Team Green mowed down everybody. They were without mercy.

I then charged Red Team back in, in 'Danger' mode, picking off the stragglers with Green Team's machinegun support.

It was over.

Team USA: 1 KIA. No wounded.

Team Communist Kidnappers: Twenty dead. No wounded.

Now that's team-play. ;-)

[Acecube 0]

Warning: Stupid Question! :-)

Is there any key assignement for the team colors? I find it quite inefficient to go 9-9-X and so on.

[DestroyerX 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Acecube @ Jan. 04 2003,16:03)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Warning: Stupid Question! :-)

Is there any key assignement for the team colors? I find it quite inefficient to go 9-9-X and so on.<span id='postcolor'>

No actually this is a good question. I want to know this too.

[Harnu 0]

Column for driving. Wedge attacking. Line I use for combing forests. I'll use teams when I mess aroundi n the mission editor. Like a multi pronged attack to take an enemy base.

As for defence, if I have to stay at a base and defend, I place each man individually.

[nyles 11]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (DestroyerX @ Jan. 04 2003,18:42)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">3--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Acecube @ Jan. 04 2003,163)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Warning: Stupid Question! :-)

Is there any key assignement for the team colors? I find it quite inefficient to go 9-9-X and so on.<span id='postcolor'>

No actually this is a good question. I want to know this too. <span id='postcolor'>

I'd also like to know if it is possible to predefine the color teams in the editor. I think it would be quiet interesting to suggest the player teams that way.

Does anyone know?

[David Shipley 0]

There's no way to have key assignments for each individual team, I'm afraid.

No, it's not 9-9-1. It's 9-1. Or 9-2.

Pretty easy, if you ask me.

[ralphwiggum 6]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Nyles @ Jan. 04 2003,20:38)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I'd also like to know if it is possible to predefine the color teams in the editor. I think it would be quiet interesting to suggest the player teams that way.

Does anyone know?<span id='postcolor'>

i think so. setgroup command might be it.

but that belongs in ME&S

[bn880 5]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (RalphWiggum @ Jan. 04 2003,23:20)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Nyles @ Jan. 04 2003,20:38)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I'd also like to know if it is possible to predefine the color teams in the editor. I think it would be quiet interesting to suggest the player teams that way.

Does anyone know?<span id='postcolor'>

i think so. setgroup command might be it.

but that belongs in ME&S <span id='postcolor'>

Actually I don't believe there is a way to do that... if there is I have never heard of it.

[davem 0]

Once teams have been assigned, how do I unassign them so there are no more teams anymore?