Ennui
The Freeman
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2003
- Messages
- 22,715
- Reaction score
- 119
I have to say that this game has the best multiplayer infantry combat I've ever experienced. I think the sweet spot seems to be 20-40 players on Conquest. Seine Crossing is a cluster**** with 64 players but with 15 or 20 it really opens up. I've just had some incredible moments... when you get into the swing of the game, you know, and you find yourself on one of those servers where both teams seem to have some clue as to what's going on, and the next thing you know you're fighting desperately back and forth with an enemy squad or two over a control point. The immersion is just incredible, and I think they've really accomplished a strong tactical aspect that was sorely lacking in infantry combat of earlier titles. What you do really matters - if you hang back and provide covering fire for your two squadmates to advance, you might save all three of you from getting mowed down by a single guy with one magazine. There are strong advantages to flanking, there are infinite tactical uses of cover and lanes of fire, etc.
Last night I was defending the East Bridge objective (C) on Seine Crossing more or less on my lonesome (I had one squadmate with me) against two full enemy squads (their team was much better than ours, I was fighting basically over the single point our team could control). They took it from me but not before the most blistering two minute firefight of my life. When I spotted them moving up towards my position, maybe 100m out, I opened up and got suppression on 2 or 3 of them at least, but no kills. Clip ran out and I fired an M320 in the direction and got a kill. Reloaded quickly and fired another; another kill.
At this point I saw the other squad moving up a couple dozen meters to the right of the remnants of the first squad, trying to get out of the single lane of fire I had that covered both directions and flank up the bridge to kill me. I tried to deny them with suppression but the odds were too great - I emptied another magazine in their direction, killing the most exposed guy but narrowly diving back into cover with my life as they all returned fire and chips blew out of the concrete wall I was sheltered behind. At this point my heart is pounding in my ears and I'm breathing heavily, and I'm pretty sure I physically ducked my shoulders when diving to prone just then. I feel pretty good about myself since I've already killed three of them and that's pretty awesome given the odds. But now I'm worried, because I only have two rifle grenades left, I'm running low on ammo (about 2 full magazines left and some change), the enemies I killed are either being revived or respawning right now and every single one of the bad guys down at the end of the bridge know exactly where I am to within a couple of meters. Help from my team is nowhere in sight... they're all camping in random parts of the map hoping for a turkey shoot.
I stayed prone and crawled around the edge of the wall, so that I am looking down the sidewalk on the bridge with the concrete wall immediately on my left covering me. In order for them to come take the point and get me, they have to come around the corner I'm aiming at, which is only 50m away at the most. I was worried that they would guess my plan and send a grenade or two in my direction (which is the best counter to my strategy) but the one grenade they did toss ended up short. I panicked a little bit at the lack of visibility and fired my last two rifle grenades a bit wildly, injuring somebody with the second one but no kill. Moments later I spot an enemy coming around the corner down at the end of the bridge, and I open up with tight, controlled bursts. He falls almost immediately, within the first few shots, and the rest of my magazine tears into his two squadmates directly behind him, both of whom also fall almost immediately, all three dead within a few seconds. I quickly reload and heave myself off the ground and charge towards the remaining bad guys down at the end of the bridge, firing wildly in their direction. There were still three or four of them down there and I was instantly riddled with holes... but damned if I didn't make them fight for that objective.
Got a little carried away there, but moments like that are what makes this game phenomenal to me.
Last night I was defending the East Bridge objective (C) on Seine Crossing more or less on my lonesome (I had one squadmate with me) against two full enemy squads (their team was much better than ours, I was fighting basically over the single point our team could control). They took it from me but not before the most blistering two minute firefight of my life. When I spotted them moving up towards my position, maybe 100m out, I opened up and got suppression on 2 or 3 of them at least, but no kills. Clip ran out and I fired an M320 in the direction and got a kill. Reloaded quickly and fired another; another kill.
At this point I saw the other squad moving up a couple dozen meters to the right of the remnants of the first squad, trying to get out of the single lane of fire I had that covered both directions and flank up the bridge to kill me. I tried to deny them with suppression but the odds were too great - I emptied another magazine in their direction, killing the most exposed guy but narrowly diving back into cover with my life as they all returned fire and chips blew out of the concrete wall I was sheltered behind. At this point my heart is pounding in my ears and I'm breathing heavily, and I'm pretty sure I physically ducked my shoulders when diving to prone just then. I feel pretty good about myself since I've already killed three of them and that's pretty awesome given the odds. But now I'm worried, because I only have two rifle grenades left, I'm running low on ammo (about 2 full magazines left and some change), the enemies I killed are either being revived or respawning right now and every single one of the bad guys down at the end of the bridge know exactly where I am to within a couple of meters. Help from my team is nowhere in sight... they're all camping in random parts of the map hoping for a turkey shoot.
I stayed prone and crawled around the edge of the wall, so that I am looking down the sidewalk on the bridge with the concrete wall immediately on my left covering me. In order for them to come take the point and get me, they have to come around the corner I'm aiming at, which is only 50m away at the most. I was worried that they would guess my plan and send a grenade or two in my direction (which is the best counter to my strategy) but the one grenade they did toss ended up short. I panicked a little bit at the lack of visibility and fired my last two rifle grenades a bit wildly, injuring somebody with the second one but no kill. Moments later I spot an enemy coming around the corner down at the end of the bridge, and I open up with tight, controlled bursts. He falls almost immediately, within the first few shots, and the rest of my magazine tears into his two squadmates directly behind him, both of whom also fall almost immediately, all three dead within a few seconds. I quickly reload and heave myself off the ground and charge towards the remaining bad guys down at the end of the bridge, firing wildly in their direction. There were still three or four of them down there and I was instantly riddled with holes... but damned if I didn't make them fight for that objective.
Got a little carried away there, but moments like that are what makes this game phenomenal to me.