Tips for a new player

[Josef Nader]

Righto, I was a bit late to the Ostfront party and I was quite disappointed that I didn't get in on the ground floor with RO. I spent several dozen hours squinting across a battlefield through my ironsights and taking potshots at enemies (and occasionally friendlies. Hard to pick them apart from range...) and scoring the occasional kill in between my constant respawning.

So, I'm doing my best to get good at RO2, but I'm horribly outclassed. Admittedly, the only other online shooter I played religiously is Team Fortress 2, and that's like comparing Looney Tunes to Enemy at the Gates.

So, my appeal to all you long-time RO players, help me suck less. What are the most important tactics for a new player to master quickly, and what are the biggest noob blunders I can avoid?

Starting out, I'm sticking to regular rifleman so I don't eat up a more useful class with my horrid flailing.

Protips? Tricks?

Cheers, guys.

[teemu92]

Welcome to the forums, i would say that at start you should learn the maps, i am not sure you could make a own server and just walk around the maps and learn the paths. Knowing where to run & where the enemy usually is waiting for you is really important in my opinion.

Also just learn to use alot of cover, try to get familiar with leaning or the cover system! i personally have a hard time using the cover system since its my first game with a feature like that, well i played a little brother in arms hells highway, but still.

All i can think off at the moment Yep, good luck in the game and its nice to see this many new players interested in the series!

[Josef Nader]

I figured out the cover system very quickly, and I must admit I'm falling in love. It just works. It's lovely, and it's very immersive to see all my team mates actually ducking behind walls and popping up to take shots as opposed to just squatting behind them and taking potshots.

I'm working on learning the maps, which is the first step to success in most FPSs.

I can pull of headshots and kill the baddies well enough. However, I understand that you have to do more than just kill enemies to be good at RO2. I'm looking for advice on how I can actually contribute to my team as opposed to just trying to rack up a high K ratio.

That's what I love about TF2 as opposed to most other shooters (and what I'm looking for in RO). Players can contribute significantly without needing to be the best shot on the server, or know all the best camping spots, etc. A single medic can make or break a team on TF2 without firing a shot because he does his job well.

I digress, how can I contribute to my team beyond simply killing people shouting in funny accents?

[Funkyb]

My advice is to take it slow, pretend that it's real life. This game prizes itself on how much of a sim it manages to be. It's better to crawl and live than run and die. Don't advance unless you know your flanks are secure.. Play to your strengths, don't clear buildings with a rifle..

You can always go MG and cover your friendly's flanks. Like in Apartments you can keep enemies from getting behind your lines rather well. A good MG can lock down a side of the map.

Move intelligently, cover your friends, and watch your back. Try to expose yourself as little as possible.. run when trying to get from cover-to-cover in the open, crawl to pop up somewhere the enemy isn't expecting. Always be smart about how you choose your windows.. this game is all about maximizing your field of view while simultaneously minimizing yourself as a target.

Good luck!

[Landrik]

Learn when to hang back and when to charge in.

Keep in mind where your other team mates are.

If you're defending the propaganda house (for example) and a grenade lands in the room above the stairway and it takes out more than one guy, there's something wrong. Keep appropriate spacing when defending and make sure all the entrances are covered. (to the best of your ability, of course)

Because of class restrictions and the pro's and con's of each class, bear that in mind. Riflemen should cover stretches of ground and generally be picking people off. (Enemies in windows, covering hallways, etc.) Assault troops should be covering stairways, tight corners, and other areas riflemen aren't suitable for. MGs try to suppress and deny areas to enemy movement. Of course it can rack up kills for you, but also bear in mind it attracts a lot of attention from the enemy! Pick the best spot, even if it's already taken. MGs are invaluable on the battlefield if placed well.

But of course, with any class, be sure to watch the capture zones and jump in if needed! No use picking off the enemy on the flanks if your team needs help capping.

[FoulCreature]

I've only got one good tip for you. Get in cap! Only exception is if you're playing Marksman, MG, AT, Tanker or Commander. Biggest mistake you can make is camping in spawn and sniping with your rifle. Sure you will probably die more but that's how you win the game - by capping points.

[Josef Nader]

Awesome guys, thanks for the advice.

I'm discovering I'm quite a good assault trooper. I tend to be very aggressive in FPSs, preferring shotguns and other CQC weapons. I main Heavy and Spy on TF2, and I find it very satisfying to bust into a room and pepper the riflemen or machine gunners with a spray of automatic fire. I tend to get out-sniped pretty quickly as a rifleman, and picked off pretty quickly as a machine gunner. I've never managed to get marksman, but I figure I'd be about as good as a rifleman (i.e. picked off very quickly).

I'm thinking about trying Squad Leader once I know the maps better. I'm already leading charges into enemy buildings and one of the first to kick down the door. Smoke 'nades and the ability to coordinate charges would come in handy.

Any tips?

[vanelle]

Enter a buidling quiet; hearing your foot steps or running gets you killed
And do not tend to engage a bolt action on long distances you'll loose definitely.

And use the blind fire ?
Will be some good supression without exposing yourself.

[a E z.]

Originally Posted by vanelle

Enter a buidling quiet; hearing your foot steps or running gets you killed
And do not tend to engage a bolt action on long distances you'll loose definitely.

And use the blind fire ?
Will be some good supression without exposing yourself.

I agree with the first one. However, the second one: it really depends where you are. I've killed so many people by them doing this and me just shooting them through the wall.

[Atavax]

so i haven't played ro, and today i was doing pretty well, way more kills then deaths, i was elite rifleman and because i was pretty sure this game had a steep learning curve, i was wondering if the elite rifleman is like the ro2 equivalent of a noob canon? seems pretty strong, easy to aim, he get plenty of shots incase you miss, kills in 1 or 2 hits... not really seeing a downside to the gun...

[Josef Nader]

Originally Posted by Atavax

so i haven't played ro, and today i was doing pretty well, way more kills then deaths, i was elite rifleman and because i was pretty sure this game had a steep learning curve, i was wondering if the elite rifleman is like the ro2 equivalent of a noob canon? seems pretty strong, easy to aim, he get plenty of shots incase you miss, kills in 1 or 2 hits... not really seeing a downside to the gun...

Not really. While it is semi-auto, it's accuracy still can't hold up to the bolts, which are the end-alls in big, open maps like FallenFighters. In tight maps like Apartments sure, the semi-autos and full-autos are going to dominate but when you get a little distance between you and the target the rifle starts to suffer next to it's slower-firing kin.

[Luthreidrome]

i'm a semi-experienced RO player but I've been trying the commander class and I can't seem to figure out how to use the radios it doesnt give me an option to interact with them. Do you have to rack up a kill first or something?

[Josef Nader]

Originally Posted by Luthreidrome

i'm a semi-experienced RO player but I've been trying the commander class and I can't seem to figure out how to use the radios it doesnt give me an option to interact with them. Do you have to rack up a kill first or something?

You sure you're the commander? I can interact with the radio right away.

You may need to place an artillery marker first, not sure...

[maloncanth]

I'm actually brand new at this but if there was one habit I've learned the hard way and found effective so far, it's to take the shot immediately. Even if I'm in the open myself or holding a weapon unsuited for the range, or whatever. I find even when I'm plainly outnumbered or disadvantaged, being decisive and taking the shot immediately actually helps my survival even if I miss and of course, it sometimes results in a kill.

[MadTommy]

My two tips:

1. Don't run around unless trying to cover open ground. Walk around crouched in buildings, silence is your friend.

2. Shoot the buggers through walls! I'm getting lots of kills this way.