Battle Doctrine by Legend Slayer www.dropshipcommand.com 1. Small Unit Tactics 2. Special Tactics --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Small Unit Tactics --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Efficiently handling a small unit requires different tactics and strategies than commanding a large force and whole economies. Some of the basic concepts remain the same however. Detailed below are some guidelines, tips, and strategies for managing and maneuvering a small unit. Recon Do the Unexpected Organizing Lances Concentrated Fire High Ground Terrain Cover Divide and Conquer Refitting String em out... Mines Hit and Fade Submitted Tactics Recon - Reconnaissance is one of the most vital parts of warfare. If you don't know an enemy is coming, then you can't defend against him. Recon gives you a good overall sense of the battle and can be the edge you need to turn a sure victory for the Clans into a major defeat. If you have to assault a base or objective, and you have a lot of time, recon the area all around and in the base. If you know what you are facing, then you can plan a much more effective assault than a head-long charge. Reconning the whole map reveals many things, including Container Stacks full of weapons and components that will make a hefty sum if sold or be a valuable asset to your company. Make sure to study your mission briefing and area map carefully. Going into a mission half-cocked is a sure way to lose. Camera Drones are a good way to reveal terrain without risking a precious 'Mech or vehicle. Although the may be shot down, the enemy usually has to come into visual range to do it, providing for a good airstrike ambush. Sensor Probes are also useful, as they detect all contacts within a large area. They are not as useful as Camera Drones, however, because they can not detect units that are powered down. Organizing Lances - Organizing your units properly is also another key tactic of MechCommander. Sticking an Atlas in a Recon lance wont do you much good. Nor will assigning a Catapult to a close-support lance. I have had the most success by assigning all my in-fighters with heavy armor to F1, my long-range support 'Mechs to F2, and all my Recon units to F3. Try to put 'Mechs of the same capabilities and speed together, because if you put slow Mechs in with fast Mechs, the enemy may use the String 'em out and Pick 'em Off tactic on you as your faster 'Mechs get farther ahead of your slow ones. Take the High Ground - Hills and mountains not only enhance your Recon abilities by providing a good view of the surrounding area, they also hinder the movement of enemy vehicles, giving your 'Mechs more time to pound them before they get into range. Although 'Mech movements are not effected by hills, it does give your 'Mechs ample time to spot and prepare for enemy 'Mechs. Divide and Conquer - The Divide and Conquer tactic seeks to split the opponents forces. Dealing with half a company is much more easily than fighting it as a whole. If 2 of your 'Mechs each engage a 'Mech, you will take less damage and defeat them faster. Also, getting someone behind an enemy 'Mech increases your chance of salvage and eats through the weak armor faster than the front. Try to use this tactic as often as possible String 'em out and Pick 'em off - This strategy utilizes the different speeds of 'Mechs and vehicles to give you an advantage. Instead of taking those Atlas's and Hollander 2's on at the same time, run away from them. The Hollanders are faster and will reach you a good deal before the slow, lumbering Atlas's. This will let you engage them one at a times, giving you a huge advantage of being able to chew up the Hollanders without the Atlas's heavy covering fire. This tactic lets you take out faster 'Mechs first, and slower units last, and is a very good example of a Divide and Conquer strategy. Hit and Fade - Run in, hurt the enemy, and retreat without getting hurt. This tactic is more difficult than it sounds. Timing, firepower, ranges, and speed all play a role in Hit and Fade, and must be carefully thought out. Recon is also a vital part of it, as you can decide to hit the enemy where it hurts the most. This is usually used in base assaults. Taking out an assault 'Mech or two and then escaping back for repairs before the enemy can bring about his full might is a good way to whittle away defenses before taking the base. Learn to use this tactic effectively, as it saves many a problem from occurring. Do the Unexpected - Doing the Unexpected is a good way to catch the computer by surprise. Think of how the mission designers accomplished the mission and the way they built the mission to be beat. Then do something they didn't think of. Assaulting that base head-on may seem like the way to go, but often times, sneaking around and making your own door at a lightly defended spot is often more effective. In other words, always look for a way around the obvious. Concentrated Fire - Enemy 'Mechs and vehicles are best taken out with concentrated fire. Keeping your units in Lances and attacking one unit per Lance is usually the fastest way to take them out. Concentrated fire uses the law of CLG (Combat Loss Grouping) in that once an enemy unit is destroyed, the enemy has less firepower to direct against you, hence giving your 'Mechs a longer life span and continued ability to take out more units. The more units that are destroyed, the less fire you are taking, and the more you are able to direct fire on a single enemy 'Mech. All things being equal, If you are using Concentrated Fire and your enemy is not, you will almost always win. Terrain Cover - Utilizing the advantages of Terrain Cover is a prime tactic for small units where the impact of every 'Mech that is lost is felt. As forests block all but indirect missile fire, placing missile boat Mechs (I.E. Catapult) behind forests is a good way to minimize counter-battery fire from enemy units. Ridges hinder movement for all but jump capable 'Mechs, and although it doesn't stop enemy fire, it is a good barrier to stop the enemy from getting close enough to do harm. Buildings and other man made structures also provide good cover. 'Mechs equipped with Heavy AC's, SRM's, and Pulse Lasers thrive in an urban environment, While 'Mechs with ER-PPC's and Gauss Rifles are sorely outgunned. Use these facts to your advantage while planning and preparing for a mission. Refitting - Bringing along a Refit Truck is always helpful, if you can afford the weight. Often times, Repair Facilities will be placed in a mission. Seek these out and capture them, as they provide a vital service to your 'Mechs if you left your Refit Truck at home. Refit Trucks provide mobile, in the field repair, while Repair bays are stationary. Judge the value of a Refit Truck against time, drop weight, and mission objectives. Bringing a Refit Truck into a mission where you are pressed for time does is not a good idea. Neither is bringing one to a mission where you have to defend a base, as Repair Bays are almost always provided. Try to bring a Refit Truck with you on missions where there is no time limit and heavy combat is expected, especially base assaults. Mines - Mines are a not-so-integral part of MechCommander. While they help in some missions, the weight, cost, and vulnerability of Minelayers are good reasons not to bring them into most missions. Minelayers are good for defensive missions and missions where you have to slow down or funnel the enemy. Minesweepers are useless. Just have one of your 'Mechs shoot the area a mine is suspected to be in. Get Up Close and Personal - maddened Take a look at the stock 'Mechs available to the computer. Most of them have heavy medium-range and long-range weapons loads. Why is this significant? In MechCommander anything that isn't a short range weapon has a minimum range of 50 meters. Staying inside of this range renders between 10 and 40 load units useless, and that's just for a single 'mech. So dash in and keep pounding them, stay close to those long range monsters and you should come out okay. Ambush - Stock Begin by using a small, fast recon Mech and a lance of Mechs with powerful short range weapons such as a heavy autocannon. Place the lance on open ground and give them the order to shut down. Then, send the recon Mech to find the enemy. When contact is made, run for the cover of the ambush. Wait to power up the ambush lance until the enemy is VERY close- they won't see them if they're shut down, nor will they care since the recon Mech is in their sights already. If you've armed your ambush lance correctly, it will be a short, hot firefight ending with you nearly or completely undamaged and "spare parts for everyone." Happy hunting. If you have a strategy, tip, trick, or tactic and would like me to post it for you, E-Mail it to me along with the strategy name and the section you want me to post it in. If you would like to receive credit for it, make sure to send your name (or callsign) too. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Tactics --------------------------------------------------------------------------- In any game, the enemy AI is less than perfect. In MechCommander, however, the AI is a step above the norm and is sure to set the standard for future RTTS (Real Time Tactical Strategy) Games. But as I mentioned before, it's not perfect, and you can still pull a few tricks out of your sleeve to beat it. Aerospace Support - Aerospace Spotters call in airstrikes to pound your 'Mechs, but with a little smarts and speed, you can use Spotters to your advantage. Lure enemy 'Mechs or vehicles near the spotter and watch the fun begin. Just make sure you are not the one getting hit. Spotters can also blunder into their own strikes. Wait till one calls in an airstrike, then back away from the Spotter quickly. He should try to follow you and run into his own strike. Fuel Tank Mayhem - Fuel Tanks contain very volatile materials. If an enemy 'Mech gets close to one, fire at the tank instead of the 'Mech. If the unit is close enough, the following explosion should rip the Mech apart or heavily damage it. Watch out though, because this trick works both ways. Blow the Bridges - Bridges provide a means of crossing an otherwise impassable barrier (if you don't have Jump Jets that is). Blowing a bridge is a means of funneling enemy movement or stopping it entirely. Units without Jump Jets that get stuck between two destroyed sections of bridge are effectively trapped there. Units enroute to relieve a besieged base may have to take a long detour if the bridge they have to cross to get there is destroyed, giving you more time to accomplish your objective or take the base. The Decoy - Use this tactic when the enemy force is superior to your force and you need to accomplish an objective with a minimum of hassle. Get a fast, heavily armored 'Mech to lure enemy units away from the desired area. Send the 'Mech to the far reaches of the map and make sure the enemy is in hot pursuit. When the units leave the area, send the rest of your force in to mop up. Oh, and one more thing: Don't get the decoy killed, or your in a world of hurt. Bait and Switch - This tactic is similar to the Decoy, but instead of luring the enemy away from your 'Mechs, you lead them into a well placed ambush or heavy field of overlapping fire. Having all your 'Mechs alpha strike on one unit is very effective. Send a fast unit to get the enemies attention, usually just inside of long range. Then high tail it back to the ambush spot. Make sure the enemy follows you. Once the job is done, if there are still Mechs left, send the Bait back in and troll for some more victims. Get 'em from Behind - Mukow All you have to do is divide your units into a short range lance and a long to medium range lance, just categorize them into F1 and F2 (I would assume most people do this anyway). The short range units need to be armed with something like lasers. Use your short range (F1) units to get the attention of the Mechs while keeping your other units (F2) just out of range. Maneuver so that your F1 units cause the clan Mechs to turn their backs to your F2 units. Then click on your F2 units and use medium target option and just target the clan Mechs backside. This is an easy way to destroy a Mech, or groups of Mechs. Moreover, it increases your chances of salvaging the Mech that you are attacking. Texas 2 Step - Achu I found a cute lil' tactic when a lance of small Mechs come up against a big one. Just split the lance up with one lance containing one really fast Mech (e.g. commando, raven, etc) and the rest of the Mechs in another lance group. Command the second lance to guard the fast mech. then just get the fast Mech to run rings round the big mech. The big Mech will be busy doing the Texas 2-step round and round trying to shoot that pesky circling Mech while the guarding lance pummels the big mech. Damage taken is minimal because the moving Mech is hard to hit and the support lance is not even given the time of day. Bait and Switch 2 - Dominion34 Another variation on your Bait and Switch tactic that works well providing there is a forest just within the long range of the enemy Mechs. Light up a section of forest just within the enemies long range; it will usually bring them running! Or if there are some small trees (as there usually are near the edges of forests), light them up. It keeps the forest barrier there for you (tactical advantage if you are using SRMs or LRMs). It allows you to have a little more time to setup that alpha-strike at the ambush site, plus it allows you to use a slower Mech with out endangering it. Artillery Bait - Grail To destroy a group of enemy 'Mechs quickly, send a heavily armored Mech just into their sensor range and then send down artillery on yourself (or their expected location, if they tend to use long range weapons). Hold your ground, then, as the count reaches 0, move out at full speed and the artillery strike will knock most of them out. If you have a strategy, tip, trick, or tactic and would like me to post it for you, E-Mail it to me along with the strategy name and the section you want me to post it in. If you would like to receive credit for it, make sure to send your name (or callsign) too.