America's Army/Timing tips for Close Quarters situations

I don't care whether you're among the 1337 pipe [players] or you prefer to hang out in the snow for 5 hours on the side of a mountain, there is one thing in CQB which can turn the most timid camper into a fearsome CQB champ. This thing is timing.

In a game where the sounds are very distinct and the tactics very precise, the one thing that is crucial is to know when to make your move. Unlike an outside map where you are trying to evade your opponent or neutralize them from a distance before moving up, CQB is the exact opposite - you must destroy your enemy before he comes back to bite you in the [buttocks]. An example of this being when you hear an enemy take out a grenade. Do not run away - charge his [buttocks] and throttle him while he has no weapon. So, with that now running through your minds let's get started, shall we?

How to time entries correctly
A common mistake in Weapons Cache (WC) is people who sit in SR because of the big bad OPFOR up there who they think will kill them. These are the same people who get wiped out by one grenade 30 seconds later. In CQB you cannot stand still. The ideal thing to do here is to run up the stairs, gun ready and throttle the [person without a father] before he knows what hit him.

When you know there is an OPFOR near you and he knows you are near him, do NOT use grenades. I say this because one of two things will happen:


 * 1) He will rush you while you have it out and kill you.
 * 2) He will run away and when he comes back he will kill you.

This can be used the other way around as well.When the Opfor pulls out a grenade you can rush him and exterminate him.

Grenades in CQB only work for surprise situations, NOT for when you are pinned down.

Whenever you enter a room after exchanging fire with an enemy, here is how the procedure should go:


 * 1) Listen for where the OPFOR may be, I recommend using headphones for CQB because there is no distortion of the sound between the speakers and your ear.
 * 2) After locating the OPFOR, open the door and enter the room, put the crosshair in the exact spot where you expect them to be and open fire.
 * 3) If he is there, neutralize him if he is not, do not stay there - keep moving.

Killing enemies from a set position
I didn't know how to title this any other way. Let's use the maintenance tunnels of pipeline as an example - you come out of the north maintenance Tunnel into the main maintenance tunnel and as you come into the primary maintenance tunnel you observe an OPFOR shooting at you and it appears he has you pinned down.

The ideal plan here would be to pop back out and shoot, but that will get you killed like a fat guy eating a pastry. This scenario will always go one of two ways so it is important to know how to deal with these two threats. The enemy will do one of two things: Charge your position or throw a grenade.

The very first thing to do when you encounter an enemy in a situation like this is to find shelter, in the tunnels it would be behind the corner.

If the enemy charges you:


 * 1) Listen for his steps to be approaching you.
 * 2) Wait till he is at about a medium-short range away from you.
 * 3) Step out, standing at first, start shooting. Sink to a crouch and keep shooting until he and any others charging you are dead.

If the enemy throws a grenade:


 * 1) Listen for him to take out the grenade.
 * 2) As soon as you hear him prime it step out and start shooting while moving forward.
 * 3) Keep moving forward, if he disappears behind a corner, go into run mode as he will throw the cooked grenade at you.
 * 4) While he is running away from his own grenade get clear of the blast area, raise your weapon, and throttle his behind.

Close encounters with OPFOR
This is a scenario that usually gets people killed. You walk into a room and an OPFOR is standing about 4 feet away from you. A firefight ensues involving you both circling around shooting at each other.

The logical thing to do here is to keep shooting. Actually this is the wrong thing to do because once you run out of ammo you will be left defenseless. Shoot at the enemy until you have 10 bullets left, then stop shooting altogether but keep circling him. He will most likely run out of ammo. Once he does so, kill him while he is reloading. Take your time, do not waste your ammo. Reloading takes 8 seconds. This is more than enough time for you to finish him off.

OR

Quickly set your mode to single-shot and open fire.

SAWs during a close encounter
The SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) is probably one of the least effective weapons in the game unless used properly. Many people do not use it properly and this is why this next tactic works much of the time.

People are afraid of SAWs in CQC (Close-Quarters Combat) because it has almost 7 times the amount of ammo per magazine than the M4 or M16 and because it has a higher rate of fire. However, given the rate of fire of the SAW and the 5.56 bullets per second, it is shooting this makes for some pretty bad kickback. Unlike the M-16/M-4's kickback system, the M-249 has a vertical rise to it. Even then, most people usually get their [buttocks] handed to them in a fight with a SAW. Really it is a lot easier to take a SAW out than it is to take out an M-4.

All you have to do when fighting a SAW is crouch and shoot in bursts or auto at the OPFOR's stomach. Unless he can jerk it down pretty fast and keep it there, he is not going to kill you. In fact, if you drop down soon enough and start shooting at the right time you can kill the [TOS Violation] and never get a scratch all because he'll shoot right over your head.

If you're the one holding the SAW, fire in bursts to adjust your aim properly.

Suppressing enemies with friendlies (AKA leapfrogging)
This tactic is also very simple but hardly ever used by the masses. When you start shooting at an OPFOR who is covered by an object or a corner, he will most likely duck back and then pop out later to kill you when you are rushing him. Well there's a much easier way to deal with this threat and here's how it works:


 * 1) One person shoots at the OPFOR in short busts, not full auto (even if the option is available) until the target takes cover.
 * 2) The second person (and third if there is one) move up while the first person keeps shooting.
 * 3) As soon as the second person reaches a spot right before he will make contact with the OPFOR, the first person stops shooting.
 * 4) Second person neutralizes threat and moves on.

Flashbangs compared to grenades
In a scenario where you will face more than one OPFOR shooting at you with a chance of your being hit, it is ideal to use a grenade to disperse the enemy. This is another tactic which is employed but not to the success of it's user.

Flashbangs overall are much more effective than grenades for several reasons:
 * 1) They have a much shorter fuse, OPFOR will not have time to get away.
 * 2) They have a wider area of effect compared to a grenades.
 * 3) They lower the CEM of nearby OPFOR for a longer period of time.
 * 4) They can blind and deafen multiple enemies, where a grenade will leave them wounded if it doesn't kill them.
 * 5) You do not run the risk of killing friendlies or yourself with a flashbang.

Flashbangs are a much better supressive tool than grenades. When throwing a grenade it has the same effect as the artillery barrage in the movie Galipoli. The artillery stops ahead of time, allowing the Turks to get back into their trenches from where they slaughter the charging Australians. The grenade has a 6 or 7 second fuse and any OPFOR with an IQ higher than 68 will know to run when he hears the ping from you cooking it off. By the time you go in, they will already be back in position to tear you up.

Flashbangs, however, lower the CEM and have a 3 second fuse which renders OPFOR stunned for up to 30 seconds if it hits them full on. Even if it doesn't blind them, the deafening sound lasts longer than a grenade's blinding effects and reduces the CEM for a much longer time so when you enter that hot spot their chances of missing you are much greater, plus nearby OPFOR may not even hear you.

Using the M203 A1 Grenadier in close quarters
Probably the most awkward weapon in a CQB map but also the most destructive if used correctly. The main problem faced with using the 203 in CQB situations is the arming distance: it will not arm in under "40 meters" (or so they say). Unlike outside maps where this problem is non existant, there are limited areas of use in close quarters maps. Even then, a well placed 40MM grenade from the M203 can catch any OPFOR by surprise leaving them either wounded or neutralized.

While being a grenadier indoors is a separate skill you will have to master I'll give you some tips right here so as to get you started:


 * 1) Keep the crosshair high. To maximize the distance between you and your target object keep the crosshair high. This gives you an extra few feet in which the grenade will probably arm.
 * 2) When shooting high, crouch; when shooting low, stand. If you're standing on the basement of main pump room in Pipeline right next to the primary valve and you want to hit the ceiling, you should crouch and shoot at the highest point possible. If you're on the catwalk above primary and shooting down on it, first, find the longest and widest angle of attack and aim as far downstream as possible. Then shoot from the standing position. This will maximize the arming distance.
 * 3) Be ready to become a rifleman. Should you find yourself in a situation where your role as a grenadier is no longer necessary, be ready to take up arms as a riflemen. Before even entering the target building make sure your rifle is set to burst mode. Enter the building in rifle mode and do not switch to grenadier until the opportunity presents itself.
 * 4) Barrage the target. Whereas one 40 MM grenade hit on a target outdoors will do the job, sometimes it may take more than one in CQB to complete the task at hand. I say this because of two things:
 * 5) Your first shot may be a dud.
 * 6) You may have wounded enemies but not killed them. If you do not finish them off you run the risk of getting fragged or shot later on.

One-door standoff
These occur often in maps such as Pipeline, Pipeline SF, Weapons Cache, Weapons Cache SE, Insurgent Camp, and some areas of Radio Tower.

The name says it all - a group of you are stuck in a room with a contingency of enemies on the other side of a door or portal and it's the only way through. We've all wound up here - SR, the door near the offices above tertiary, main entrance on Pipeline, east vent room in Pipeline, break room in Pipeline, radio room on Insurgent Camp, basement room on Insurgent Camp - it's all good. So, what to do now?

Well here's the best thing to do:

Communicate to one of your teammates to watch the door at an angle of attack equal to that of the suspected position of the enemy. Pull out a flashbang, open the door, have the friendly fire on that position and close it. Another thing that will save you many keyboards, keep bruises off of your hands and lower your blood pressure in general is to buy headphones. Before going through that door listen for a while for any signs of enemy activity. As soon as they get near that door become god and open the heavens on them - in lead form. When they realize where they are getting shot from we can expect them to retreat or die a hero by charging in.

Both situations are favorable because no matter whether he pretends to be George Patton or a sneaky Taliban fighter you can charge through that door and go on to claim your prize. If he backs off and you run through chances are you can catch him with his tail turned and any other teammates trying anxiously not to gun him down in an effort to save their own lives.

The last thing I can recommend is for when you're in a mischivous mood and feel like playing some practical jokes. We've all heard of the bucket of water over a door joke, now it's time for the rebounding grenade in the face joke. Any player with experience will cook off grenades, and in this situation, for quite some time. If you know the person with the grenade has multiple friendlies backing him up, do the thing that always gets me laughing - when he opens the door, slam it in his face. While you didn't get a kill (the game isn't about kills anyway :P) you will have the satisfaction of knowing you made his own plan blow up in his face (no pun intended), possibly taking a few of his teammates with him.

Copied from http://forum.americasarmy.com/viewtopic.php?t=43250 original article by -psydude-

Surprise Retreating
Sadly, I got caught with my pants down with this trick once in Bridge Crossing. I turned the corner on Middle Bridge and came face to face with one OPFOR. We fired at each other and we both missed(Imagine that). Then he ran, while reloading, back behind the other side of Middle Bridge. I came out from my side, and ran towards the corner he ran behind, my gun down(I was running). The second before I touched the corner, an AK-47 was shoved in my face and everything turned red. =] So, don't run towards corners with your gun down, because they are really good places to get killed... or to kill someone.