Stacking Up

In Army bootcamp, we learned how to clear a building quickly and efficiently. Just like the tutorials in FPS games, we had a "killhouse", a building full of targets that we had to sweep through and "shoot" (no ammo was used :/... safety concerns and whatnot) targets. While learning, however, our killhouse was simply sandbags on the ground (Called a "Glass Wall Killhouse"), outlining "rooms and walls". We could not step over a sandbag, or we failed the exercise, and we were not permitted to simply "walk through" areas where doors were, either. Instead, we stacked up, like so...



...and entered like a damn train. One after the other, BAM BAM BAM... One goes right, the next goes left, etc. As we stepped into the room, we turned our respective direction, swept the room roughly 90 degrees, and moved toward a corner. By the time you've stepped in and started your sweep, the guy behind you is stepping in and sweeping the other way, hopefully killing anything behind you.





The reason for all of this song and dance is that by knowing what you're doing and where you're going, you can execute this effortlessly, and you can engage any target in the room quickly, while not getting in one another's way. Also, the rapid entry forces the targets inside to choose between firing at the door entrance, or trying to track the guy that is moving AWAY from the door, and toward the corner of the room.

To an extent, Blacklight is a glass-wall killhouse, due to HRV. If you know a target is in a room, stacking up outside of the door prevents them from getting an angle of fire on you until the actual entry itself. A potential weakness of this tactic lies in the fact that the enemy has HRV, too, and they may possibly know that you're outside of the room they are in. They may sight up the door, waiting to hold the trigger down... or even toss a grenade outside. For this reason, the front man should be heavily armored, so as to best survive the likely initial hits that may occur as they slide toward the far corner.

Prior to entry, the REAR man should activate their HRV, and give locations of known targets, in case anything has changed since the last use of HRV. Locations should be given based on the location of the door. As you turn and enter, you are entering straight, but you are stacked up with a number of different facings (Pointman is aiming at the door, in case the target gets brave and decides to come out spraying, rear man is facing the room so as to see with their HRV...) so everything should be based off of the facing as if you were walking through the door, and into your buddies living room. Based on that orientation, a target might be "Far right corner", "Far left corner", "Near left/right", "Center", etc.

In the Army, we couldn't see through walls... and our front man wasn't any more armored than the rest of us. This was all very much based on the element of surprise, with some basis in shock and awe. That front man was reliant on the "OH SHIT!" moment the targets had when we kicked in their door... we couldn't give that away by screaming "NOW!" or whatever XD. So instead, the silent "ready" check was a lean back. That's it... just a quick lean, which was repeated til the end of the line, then a returning lean forward. Once the lean went to the back and made its way back foward, the SECOND that front guy got that forward lean, we hit the targets hard.

Of course, in Blacklight, they can't hear us, and we can't feel a lean, so a simple "GO!" works XD

Whoever is in the rear makes the call... not the front man... you know why? HRV. That crap takes a second to pull up and to put away, and that rear guy is unable to fire. HRV should be set for "Push and hold" anyway. Push... hold... and KEEP HELD as you give information. You're the last one in, and you can move while HRV does its thing.

(HRV goes up!)
"Two targets, Far left corner, center!"
*Releases HRV*
GO!
*Stack begins entry procedure*
(HRV goes down in time for rear person to enter the room)

Congrats, the room is now clear

Very interesting, but such co-operation is very difficult and would require practice and the PUG level of play in BL:R is not worth such effort when simple quick reactions and simple tactics are useful. I am not saying this is useless I am saying it has applications and things to keep in mind, its application listed is not practical IMO.

I'll be purchasing to get us our own private server for days of practice.
However, I agree, BLR makes you have to change plans from plan a to b and then you make it up as you go, but with the procedure of practice you have with another member in the clan.
It's also good to practice together to understand how each of us plays. We all have our different playing style, It's important to know your teams play style and to correct their play style.

I don't play this game (yet)... but if available.... couldn't you just toss in a nade or two??? lol

Recoil315 wrote:

I don't play this game (yet)... but if available.... couldn't you just toss in a nade or two??? lol

You most certainly could, Recoil. Grenades are always a help, but trust me when I say even a High Explosive grenade wouldn't replace even two people stacking up and entering a room.

There are a number of grenades that could further add to this tactic available in Blacklight. Electric grenades, gas grenades, digital "smoke" grenades (They KIND OF work like smoke), or even EMP grenades that render targets effectively blind. Grenades are, as I saw it put on one forum, "your friends when you have no friends".

So what if you have friends with you? In the "PUG" nature of the game, that "friend" is a "mobile obstacle that is unable to kill you" at best. Far too often, the guy next to me that is laying down rounds likes to stop and run off the SECOND I try to flank a target. This usually leaves me with the original target, plus the target's buddy across the map. I wind up crossfired, and it's over.

Don't think that this tactic takes much time to actually execute, either. It's actually very quick when everyone knows their role.

UnspokenSound wrote:

I'll be purchasing to get us our own private server for days of practice.
However, I agree, BLR makes you have to change plans from plan a to b and then you make it up as you go, but with the procedure of practice you have with another member in the clan.
It's also good to practice together to understand how each of us plays. We all have our different playing style, It's important to know your teams play style and to correct their play style.

It's very difficult to tell people about combat changes on the fly, Dizzle. Case in point, look at Contract Wars... when we play that, do we not scream frantically? How far does that get us? XD

"HE'S AT THE ROCK!"

"HE'S IN THE TREE!"

"OMG! THEYRE EVERYWHERE!!!"

No plan survives first contact with the enemy, and adaptation IS important... however, you don't have time to lay everything out for people in the field. Practicing and ensuring that everyone knows what they need to be doing and when makes things go much smoother. When it comes time to adapt, they can change directions on the fly, but only if they know how first.

TheTechPunk wrote:

Very interesting, but such co-operation is very difficult and would require practice and the PUG level of play in BL:R is not worth such effort when simple quick reactions and simple tactics are useful. I am not saying this is useless I am saying it has applications and things to keep in mind, its application listed is not practical IMO.

Not everyone has, or can develop the quick reactions required to make solo tactics "work" for them.

I heard you say "then they shouldn't play Blacklight" from here...

I'm not saying EVERY door/room you come to, you need to stop... stack... surge... and clear. I'm saying that when the time comes, it's nice to know that the guy next to you already knows what to do to ensure he is helping you, and not merely taking up space.

Blacklight has too many elements of team play for everyone to think the entire enemy team needs to be taken on by them and them alone.

Well i will Re-Download it again. But, one problem i had when i had the game on standby was i didn't know what to click to get to the gameplay. Currently installing.

GreekFire wrote:

Well i will Re-Download it again. But, one problem i had when i had the game on standby was i didn't know what to click to get to the gameplay. Currently installing.

When I was new, I used to click "quick join" or whatever it was.

Then I'd find myself surrounded by high level players.

That's the best part, after level 10 at level 11 you get smacked in the face by like level 30s.

Oh joy.

O.o , pretty nice