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Greetings. This is Dslyecxi from the Arma community group ShackTactical.
In co-operation with Bohemia Interactive, I'm creating a series of videos to explain some of the basics
of Arma 3. In this video we'll be covering a number of tips about how to operate effectively
as an infantryman, to include situational awareness, positioning, dealing with contact
and how to put effective fire on the enemy. We'll start with the most fundamental aspect
of survival, which is that of 'situational awareness'. This simply means staying aware
of your surroundings, knowing how to scan for threats and maintaining a high level of
awareness all around you - even when things are getting chaotic. One feature in the Arma
series, that sets itself apart from others, is the ability to look around independent
of where you're aiming. This can be controlled in two different basic ways. The first is
by holding your ALT key, which enables free-look mode, and the second method is using
a headtracking device like TrackIR, to allow you to look around while still retaining aiming control.
Whatever method you use, try to keep your head on a swivel. Threats can
come unexpectedly from all directions, and when you move, you need to be looking around
so you can react to danger with the shortest possible delay - and the greatest understanding
of the tactical situation and the movement possibilities that are available to you.
Take a look at this scene. What do you see, what should you be looking for first.
Think of it from the perspective of 'cover' and 'concealment'. Cover being an object that can stop common
types of enemy fire like rifles and machine guns, while concealment is simply something
that makes it harder and impossible to be spotted. The enemy will occupy positions that
give them a tactical advantage. They will gravitate towards cover first and concealment second.
Scan these sort of features first: stone walls, buildings, tree trunks, and so forth.
Look for signs of movement - however small. Sometimes the enemy will be easy to
spot, particularly when they are caught unaware - such as when they cross an open terrain
or sky-lining on a hill. Other times, they will be prepared for you, stationary and in
good cover and concealment. You really have to work to spot them. Now, as to moving in
this kind of hostile environment, first of all: plan your routes carefully. Avoid moving
for prolonged periods in open terrain and always be looking around so you know where
you can take cover if you suddenly take contact. If you do need to move across open terrain,
do so with an element of friendly forces covering you as you move. You move up, find a good
position, and then you cover for them as they move up. Repeat this as needed to cross large
patches of open terrain. This is known as 'bounding overwatch'. Think of it like walking
carefully on a slippery surface, where you always want to keep one foot on the ground to preserve
your balance. In this case, that's one element of soldiers covering, while the other element,
or elements, move. It helps to prevent you from figuratively busting your face from haste.
Remember that movement draws the eye and attracts attention. Moving slowly, or
taking a lower posture, can help to make you harder to spot. Be aware of the environment
you're moving in - to ensure you don't accidentally sky-line yourself, or place yourself in a
highly contrasting situation. When there's no cover and concealment to be found, get low.
At the very least you'll be a harder target to hit.
Now, none of us really came to Stratis to go on peaceful nature walks. You're going to take enemy contact at some
point, and what you do in those first seconds is crucial. What you did prior to that point,
your moving techniques and the tactical decisions you made, those set the stage for what you're
able to do when the bullets start flying. Make sure you move and make decisions that
help to put the odds as high in your favor as possible. Contact happens in two basic
forms: either a 'soft contact', which is where you see the enemy without them seeing
you, or a 'hard contact', where fire is being exchanged or received. Soft contacts
are easy. If you see the enemy before they notice you, make a hasty assessment as to
what you'll do about it. If you want to fight, find good ground nearby. Or use your better
concealment or cover as an advantage over the enemy - and use that to ambush them.
If you're too small of an element to win a fight, simply use the opportunity to move unseen
away from the enemy. Pick your battles and put the odds in your favor whenever possible.
The tougher situation is that of hard contacts, where you weren't necessarily expecting a fight.
If you suddenly take fire, your priority is to improve your position. The enemy tends
to wait until you're vulnerable before shooting at you. Where you're standing when you take
fire is a killzone. You don't want to stay there. Move for nearby cover and concealment,
and make sure you're teammates are doing the same. If able, fire a few hasty shots
in the general direction of the enemy. Even if you're not quite sure where exactly that is.
The fire you're receiving is stressful and disruptive, if you can return the favor
to the enemy - and make them think they might get hit as well - you'll improve your situation.
Once you're in a better position, try to narrow down where the enemy fire is coming from.
Look for muzzle flashes and smoke, or if the enemy is using tracers, follow them
back to the point of origin. Use the stance adjust feature to expose as little of yourself
as possible to enemy fire. And once you have identified their positions, shoot them.
Have your buddies shoot them. Things become rather complicated at this point. I've written about
this in my tactical guide, in a section called 'The Evolution of a Firefight'. I'd recommend you
reading it if you want more detail. The short version is that when the fighting starts,
return fire as you move, find better cover, and once you're settled, begin to refine
your knowledge of the enemy's situation and engage them as best as possible - while you
or your team leaders determine the next course of action.
Now, as to shooting, there are several factors to accuracy. The primary ones are stance, movement, fatique
and wounds. If you're tired or hurt, your weapon sights will not be as stable. If you're standing,
you'll have a higher amount of sight sway than when you're crouched or prone.
It's the same with movement, you'll have a harder time being accurate if you're moving while shooting.
The further away the enemy is, the more important it is to be low to the ground
and in a stable stance. Keep in mind that you can also use the 'hold breath' feature
to give yourself an extra bit of aiming precision for a short period of time. Your bullets will
drop over range. Each weapon is zeroed towards a specific range and some have adjustable
sights. You can see the zeroed range in the upper right of the HUD. If the target
is closer than that, your bullets will strike slightly high, and if it's further, the bullets
will fall below your point of aim. Look for puffs of dirt and dust to help you adjust
your aim as you fire. And adjust your sights if needed to be more accurate. Keep in mind
that every shot doesn't need to be at a perfectly visible enemy. If you can't directly see
the enemy, but you know roughly where they are, shoot at positions that look like they
could be good positions for the enemy to take. If you see a patch of bushes, and notice there
is enemy fire coming from that area but you're unable to spot the shooter, put some rounds
in the bushes. It's entirely possible you'll be able to hit somebody you couldn't see
- simply by paying attention and thinking through the situation from their perspective.
Be liberal with your fire. This is not to say that you should just blow through magazine
after magazine, firing wobbly from the hip while screaming. But rather that you shouldn't
be too stingy with your ammo when it's the literal difference between your virtual life
and death. We're infantry after all, not snipers. Our rifles have 30-round magazines,
so that we can put more fire out and thus have a greater chance at hitting things.
Not so that we can make 30 single-shot kills. If you're a machine gunner, even better.
Those lengthy belts of high-capacity magazines are designed for suppressing and killing the
enemy with high volumes of fire. You've got plenty of ammo. Spread it around. Make sure
every enemy gets their fair share. Now when you can see the enemy clearly, take your time
and make more precise shots. When you can't, make up for this lack of knowledge of their
precise position with extra bullet volume - sort to speak. Whatever happens, make sure
you maintain your situational awareness and avoid tunnel vision. Just because you're
taking fire from a given position, doesn't mean that there aren't other enemy elements
trying to flank you. For every enemy you can actually see, assume there are at least three
others you don't see. And try to anticipate how they will attack or flank you - and do
your best to cover those avenues. Alright, that wraps up this Community Guide.
Hopefully you'll be able to apply some of the concepts we talked about towards your combat experiences
on Stratis. Good luck and good hunting.
For more Community Guide videos, be sure to subscribe
to the official Arma 3 YouTube Channel. For other Arma 3 updates, keep track of the official
website, Facebook and Twitter pages.
If you'd like more in-depth tutorials on large-scale
multiplayer gameplay of Arma 3 and the previous Arma games, I'd also recommend you to check
out my personal Channel here.
This is Dslyecxi and I'll see you on Stratis.