Speed doesn’t always mean fast and Stop can mean WIN.
Slow IS a speed believe it or not but many people think when you say speed, you mean fast. Speed has its place but only when that speed is coupled with a coordinated, swift and orchestrated plan. Battlefield confusion gets people killed and as they say ‘Friendly fire, isn’t friendly’. When the bullets are flying, the adreneline pumping and everyone running towards or away from something, the one tactic that is hardest to employ is slowing down and sometimes stopping.
To the causual observer, real world military action looks swift, clean and deadly. What the casual observer doesnt see, is that the plans have been poured over, trained on and executed by disciplined troops. Like a deadly rattlesnake, unless its coiled to strike, it has no reach and is vulnerable and in order to coil for the strike you have to be willing to stop and pull your unit into position.
As more than a few of us play games like Medal of Honor in a multiplayer environment the issues of not having control over a unit or being able to coordinate completely with other players become clear. A standard breakdown of discipline happens as 12 players on your side devise a way to get done what they think needs to be done. 12 different plans means countless ways to get dead, players spread out all over the map, few covering a buddy and almost no communication. In the real world the end result is a plane full of flag draped caskets, luckily for you it just means a respawn and maybe that ‘loser’ animation to deal with.
Stay Put
Here’s one that never ceases to amaze me and yet I fall prey to it myself in the chaos when I just jump into a game with players I do not know. A plan of ‘take and hold’ turns into ‘take and run to take another and then run back to retake the first’, rinse and repeat. On an objective map holding a location is the goal and arguably it is tactically and technically easier to setup a defense than it is to assault a dug in enemy.
Try this one out next time you’re playing objective based maps, take a position/flag and then set up shop. This works best if you can find 2 or 3 friends doing the same. With 12 men on your side and a typical 4 objective map you should be able to control your objectives and keep from having to retake them. The bonus here is that if you’re not running all over the map, you’re not making yourself a target and you’ll be taking away the big mass strike score chain items away from your enemy.
Games arent real life and real life isnt a game but sometimes sound advice in reality can really improve your gaming. As always, your results may vary depending on the people you’ve got around you and your own skill and discipline. Lead by example and those around you may start to follow.
See you in game.
Mark Christianson is the Editor-In-Chief of OffDutyGamers.com
