Copyright: Bharat "Faceman" Kulamarva 2001 ----------------------------------------------- Faceman's Flashpoint Fieldbook OPERATION FLASHPOINT WALKTHROUGH by Faceman a.k.a Bharatma This is just a simple WT for the campaign missions and some weapons and vehicles stuff. This is the first WT I'm writing, so do not expect wonders from me. However, should you have any questions, suggestions or corrections you can mail me at faceman-bjk@gmx.net Special Thanks to "The User" for the SCUD-grid complaint. (Oh now you did it! I have to thank someone. I hate that. If you want to make me unhappy again, mail me and contribute to this WT). I. THE CAMPAIGN - FLASHPOINT 1985 1.TRAINING Just follow orders. I sure don't have to tell you how to walk properly. 2. FLASHPOINT In your first real mission you'll learn two important rules. A.)"If you wanna grow old, stay out of the road" B.)If you are carrying a lousy M16 and there are M1A1 tanks to support you, why would you bother to attack in blind rage? So take cover and let the others do most of the work. No heroics, understand? Move slowly towards the villlage and eliminate everything the others have leftover. When all enemies have died or retreated you are victorious. tip: If you're lying inside a bush (the black spots on the map), you're almost invisible. Even soldiers at distances of 50m and less won't spot you. 3. COMBINED ARMS This is an opportunity to practice, what we've learned in the last mission. Stay down! Don't get to comfortable in that village, because there will be T80 tanks closing in. So get in and get out fast, preferably through the wood, as this is the safest way. 4. CAMPING Follow orders and more importantely follow Srg. Bergmann until you're on patrol. Do the patrol-thing on your own: Run through the wood and exit it at Ch50. You will notice 3 Russians, take them out. Then there's one SpetzNatz on the southern edge of the wood. Dispose of him and return to the jeep. There may be other enemies, but don't worry, the supporting M113 will deal with them. Wait for the others and return to Le Moule. 5. ALERT Get into the tent and trade in your M16 for the M60. This puts us to another rule. C.) Take all the equipment you can get. Heavy? "Heavy means reliable. I always go for reliability." After you disembarked the M113 take cover and then "kill them all and let god sort them out". Wait for reinforcements, board truck. Done 6. MONTIGNAC MUST FALL This mission is the mother of all screw-ups. Seizing Montignac is as easy as taking candy from a baby, but you get orders to withdraw. So you'll have to engage Russians near Provins while retreating. No matter how hard you try, they'll blow up your truck. Consequently the Blackhawk will be shot down by a Hind and you'll be on your own for the next mission. So remember rule A and hide in the western woods, the others will die anyway. 7. AFTER MONTIGNAC This one is the first really tough mission and it outlines, what is so special about OFP. This mission is pure adrenaline and pure fright. Do NOT pick up binoculars or LAW from the fallen, you'd get spotted. Exit the forest at Df56. Run zig-zag to the bushes at Df57. Now prone through the bushes all the way to Dg58. Enter the next forest, keep an eye out for enemies inside the woods, too. By now Papa Bear should have told you about the alternate evac point. Exit the wood at Dh63. Now cross the road and get to that second evac point. 8. RESCUE Take out the Binoculars and watch for a UAZ arriving from the right. Then assist in the attack, covering the right flank. Try to steal a machinegun from one of the dead an hide in a bush as there will be Russian reinforcements arriving in a Ural from down the road Gun them down as they are disembarking. Before you board the truck SAVE and pray that the nearby BMP does not spot you and blow you to pieces. After exiting the truck stay alert for enemies and continue to the meeting point with the civilians. 9. UNDERCOVER Nothing special. You'll be detected at the second checkpoint. Try to stay alive and move to the woods. Now continue south to the resistance camp. The leader is in the big tower (ramp up and inside). 10. NIGHT PATROL After the retry-point is set keep you're eyes open for SpetzNatz coming for the east. Use the NV goggles and the binoculars. Kill 'em and get a good nights rest. 11. HOLD MALDEN Get into that machinegun and start gunning them down. When they begin bombarding back out to the north and hide in the bushes. Take down some Russkies from safe distance and wait until there's order to retreat. Move quickly to the north and watch out for those paratroopers. 12. DEFENDER Lay your first two mines as you like then place the third about 200m up the road. If some tanks evaded the first mine they're going to return to the road later. Get back to your commander and grab a LAW plus all the ammo you can get. After some big explosions finish the rest of the tanks with the LAW. Be quick, your first shot will give away your position and you're likely to need two LAWs per tank. 13. TANK TRAINING Get in M60 as driver and move to the training grounds. After the training order your driver to go to next waypoint (1,9) and meet up with your commander. Keep formation (1,1) until you spot the BMP, get rid of it. You will now learn another important rule, let's call it D.) Never use cannons/explosives against infantry, if you're inside a tank use the MG, that's what it's there for. Now let your gunner take out all the enemy infantry and you're done. 14. BATTLE AT HOUDAN Following orders and mission plan should be easy. When it comes to attacking the border zone your primary objective is to stay alive. There's no chance you can take the border zone with a lousy M60 and without support. Get to safety and wait for RTB order, then RTB. 15. INTERDICTION The mentioned RPG-platoon is right in front of you. Wipe 'em out. Continue to the ledge and hit the dirt. Prone down using the bushes in the south of sector Fh60 as cover. Dispose of enemy patrols if necessary but try to remain undetected. Put a Satchel Charge to the first tank and put the second in front of the last bush, where the second tank comes to the end of his patrol. Retreat to the hill again. Then wait for the second tank to reach the bush and touch off both bombs. Send the radio messages to TWO and THREE and then back out. There may be an enemy squad at the location of the RPG-soldiers. Take them out and retreat to the north. 16. SPEARHEAD Another M60 mission, oh well. Watch out for RPG soldiers target them first. The tanks should be no problem, just remember Rule A and let the others do most of the job. When you have seized Lolisse repair at the repair truck if necessary. Then hold the city. If you experience problems with assaulting forces try following tactics. Go down to the beach and target your enemy. Then move up until you're sure you have a good shot. Fire and immediately reverse. Continue until all enemy forces have been eliminated. 17. PATHFINDER Pray that your mates are able to destroy the first Shilka and begin looking for a LAW or RPG on a dead (hopefully Russian) soldier. Then continue as planned and eliminate the second Shilka, if your lads don't manage to do so. Get down and wait for the choppers to finish their job. Then roam around and kill any remaining enemies. 18. TANK RALLY At last, the M1A1. This tank can sustain multiple hits and compared to the enemy force in this mission it is indestructible. Take Chapoi and La Riviere and toast all enemies while you're at it. This mission is simple! 19. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Do as told and you should not encounter any enemies in this mission. So go there and back and do not get shot! 20. TAKING COMMAND Another learning mission. Familiarize yourself with being in command. To repel the attack make sure you're LAW soldiers target the BMPs and all others are engaging someone (engage at will). Meanwhile keep your head low and take out some Russkies yourself. 21. SCOUTING Get your squad into the jeep. Remember Rule B and let the APCs do the first job. Continue then along the road. The enemy base is at De25. Stopat the top of the hill and prone forward until you spot the base. Get back into the jeep and to base ignoring all enemy attacks. This leads us to rule E.) Never stop for enemy infantry, if you can just drive by. It's safer to drive by at 50 mph and getting shot at two or three times without possibility to return fire than stopping and being a perfect target while disembarking. 22. TURNING THE TIDE This is the first mission where you can changing your gear is possible AND makes some sense. Take the M21 sniper rifle and a LAW (remember rule C?). This will be your standard setup for most of the future missions. Take cover in the bushes, move towards the valley, but keep an eye on the left flank. Make your way through the vally by sniping most of your enemies. When your almost at the enemy base, radio Bravo for support and snipe the surprised guards. Tell your LAW soldiers to target the BMPs, but be prepared to deal with them yourself. 23. SABOTEUR Rule F.) "A proning black op is invisible at night." Take one satchel charge extra in your gear, you won't need so much ammo in this mission. Cross the road and hide in some bush on the right side of the road. Take down the patrol, then continue to Levie. Place a charge at the northern ammo crates. Take out the patroling soldier and the two guys standing south of the Ural trucks. place a charge near the trucks and take two charges from the dead SpetzNatz. Get into the wood and touch off the bombs. Continue south through the forest and exit itat the southern border of sector Fh67. Prone down using the bushes in the south of the base as cover. Watch out for the patrol, but do NOT attack it. Lay your remaining satchel charges as you like it (Be sure to do maximum damage). Retreat to the south, when you're at the top of the hill, touch off the bombs and watch the fireworks, then evacuate. 24. GUARDIAN Put your squad into the APC and board the jeep yourself. Take the southern route (turn right at the first crossroads). I did not meet any resistance there (except for some lone machinegunners). Just remember Rule E and drive it home to the airport. <> 25. RETURN TO EDEN Take the M21 and a LAW for your gear. Coordinate the attack of your squad with Bravo and Charlie. Take the Shilka out yourself, order your team to move to another position and/or let them engage at will. Radio the choppers and attack. Another rule: G.) "It's hard to watch his whole squad die, but it's harder to die yourself." So don't whine if your squad does'nt make it. Blast away that Shilka and seize the airport. 26. HIND ATTACK Meet with your team. The enemy base is at Eg58, go there straight away. Before exiting the woods order you're squad to be stealthy. SAVE. Now stay in the forest yourself and let your team do the work. Send them to the important points of the base (the ammo depot in the northwest, the helicopters, the BMP, the fortress) and let them lay their bombs. If they encounter guards, they'll take them out theirselfes. Let them retreat into the forest and touch off the fireworks. Then evacuate to Ei61. 27. ROLLING THUNDER The first town is no problem. The road to Montignac is a minefield, so evade it and go to Montignac keeping east of the forest. Seizing it should be no problem with an Abrams platoon, as there are only a handfull of armored vehicles and a bunch of infantry there. 28. AIRBORNE Learn how to fly a chopper! All you do here is ferrying infantry. you will not be attacked by anyone and you do not need to destroy the BMPs necessarily. 29. AIR SUPERIORITY This one is fun. Get to your chopper and blast them all away. There's only one Shilka. Use a TOW to dispose of it quickly. 30. RECON The positions of the Shilkas are Ea75,Eb73,Dg73. Send one of your guys to each position and go to one yourself. Spot the Shilkas, retreat and radio for the boat. 31. KILLDOZER Another not so hard tank mission. Call in Zulu, when you've secured your first objective A. You'll need repairs by then. Call in Repair and Ammo trucks and resupply your platoon. Continue to your second objective. 32. AIR ASSAULT Divert to Buffalo Base, but spare your rockets and only use the cannon instead. At Saint Pierre attack the Shilka first, then try to dispose of the Hind. Then go for the T72s as they only need one rocket each. Stay until Zulu team has seized the town. 33. WAKE UP CALL Do exactly the same thing as in mission 30, but place satchel charges there, too. Back out, blow them up and evacuate as planned. If one of your mates get shot, be sure to cover his Shilka, too. Therefore only use our satchel charges for the Shilkas, do not ambush tanks or other armored units. 34. PLANES START Take off! 35. MAVERICK Target the Shilkas first, then the T80s. When you begin to lose fuel rapidly, ensure that you are over land and try to climb as much as you can, then eject. If you're not high enough ejecting will result in some very ugly fractures. 36. COUNTER STRIKE Simple infantry mission. I recommend taking the M21 again (and a LAW). Hide in a bush and snipe the enemies. Your squad should do the rest of the work. 37. ESCAPING FROM PRISON Obey all orders or you will be shot. Wait until nighttime. Run for the BMP and enter it. Run over some Russians and escape in the direction where it is pointing anyway. us the built in compass to determine south (by the way south is where the mountains are, north is the sea. Of course you could also sit there looking for the big dipper). Exit the BMP before it gets blown up by the Soviet forces and run up the mountains. Continue south until you meet a friendly GI. 38. INCURSION Give Gastovski a M21 and some LAWs (you won't need satchel charges). Snipe the guards at the entrance and the guards on the watchtowers along the fence. Tanks and BMPs will come looking for you and therefore breach trough the fence. Get in through one of these holes and then go southwest. Keep down at the shore, where nobody can see you. Move west until sector Be44/43. Now go north and use the bushes as concealment. Don't worry about the heavy infantry presence. Remember rule F, they can't see you. Wait for the right moment and then get into the house. After you have the codes get out again and evacuate the same way you have come. 39. SEARCH AND DESTROY The SCUD is at Eb53. Leave your squd behind and go for it on your own. Take a LAW with you at gear selection! Sneak your way through enemy lines until you've made contact with the SCUD. Take it out with the LAW. Now immediately switch back to your main weapon and GET OUT OF THERE. Guba's goons will be mad as hell. 40. RED DAWN Again take the M21 and a anti-tank launcher (I'd prefer the RPG this time, because you're more likely to run into ammo for this one in Russian territory; well you probably won't need it anyway). You also won't need your squad on this one. Take one guy with you into the jeep and let the others have a nice vacation. Proceed along the souther road and turn right at Eh51. Stop shortly before the base at Ed/Ee46 and snipe the guards. Drive into the base and mount the fuel truck. Take it outside to the Hind. Mount the Hind and take your friend with you as gunner(that's why you brought him all the way up here). Now take off and head northeast. Use the guided rockets to dispose of the Shilkas. Evade their AA-fire by shaking left an right and use it to locate their position and target them. Once you've spotted the SCUD (it's in the north of sector Ih20), take it out. Now descend a little and fly back west along the northern road until you spot a moving UAZ. This is Guba. Head east again, land and setup an ambush. Hide somewhere with a good view on the road. When Guba arrives snipe the driver (be careful not to hit Guba!). Two SpetzNatz will exit the car, kill them too. Now run up to Guba and watch his despair. 41. STATUS QUO Land at the airport (I KNOW it's difficult). Do for God's sake not take the sportscar. Take the fuel truck instead and drive it to the Mi17. Board the chopper, refuel it and takeoff. Now this is the right style to pick up old war friends. Pick up everyone (Sam will be at the shore arriving in a boat) and fly them to the pub. If you like you can change helicopters at David's place. The Blackhawk is a nice thing, too, but I personally prefer the BIG Red Army carrier. II. WEAPONS&EQUIPMENT I'll now cover the games weapons (and the vehicles later on) in short. If you want a more detailed outlook containing history exact specifications etc. look into FullBurst41's FAQ, which contains a whole bunch of information about every single bolt of the equipment. ----------------------------------------------------- a. Guns ----WEST---- M16 This is the USAM standard rifle. Nothing special. used by: any West soldier except machinegunners, black ops, snipers, tank and aircraft crews cal.: 5.56*45mm NATO Mag: 30 rounds Fire modes:single and burst (3rounds) fire M60 Fires faster than the M16 and has a lot more ammo. Carrying a M60 will not allow you to carry any other weapon (e.g. a LAW). Still go for this one if you can: "More bullets means more hits" used by: machinegunner cal.: 7.62*51mm NATO (.308 Winchester) Mag: 100 rounds (takes up two gear spaces) Fire modes: full auto XM177E2 This one is the precedessor of the well known M4A1 (counter-strike anyone?) I think. The full-auto fire mode comes in handy for close range encounters. Should be a little less precise than the M16, but that does'nt really matter: "If you're a good shot, call it a challenge - If you're a bad shot, you'll miss anyway" used by: crew, pilot cal.: 5.56*45 Mag: 30 rounds Fire modes: single fire and full auto HK This one should probably resemble the HKMP5 Navy equipped with a silencer. IMHO it's far to accurate for a SMG in the game, but maybe this is a tribute to Major Gastovski's excellent marksmanship. A kickass weapon. used by: BlackOp (night and day and all the way) cal.: 9*19mm Parabellum Mag: 30 rounds Fire modes: single fire and full auto M21 I love sniper rifles, take them down before they even see you! Yet in OFP sniping is not as easy as in Quake, UT or counter-strike. Study the section in the manual and practice a bit, the rest should be pure fun. used by: Sniper cal.: 7.62*51mm NATO (.308 Winchester) Mag: 20 rounds Fire modes: single fire ----EAST---- AK47CZ Although I have never encountered WP-troops armed with this one, I have put this under EAST for obvious reasons. This is a czech copy of the infomaous AK47 developed by Michail Timofeijevich Kalashnikov. used by: resistance cal.: 7.62*39mm WP Mag: 30 rounds Fire modes: single fire, burst and full auto AK74 This is a redesign of the AK47 which should be more accurate and less penetrating than its precedessor IRL. I prefer this one to the M16, because of the full auto option and because it's one of my favorite JA2 guns. used by: most Russian soldiers cal.: 5.45*39mm WP Mag: 30 rounds Fire modes: single fire, burst and full auto PK Seems to fire faster than the M60. Still it's an ordinary LMG. Carrying a PK will also not allow you to carry any other weapon (e.g. a RPG). used by: machinegunner cal.: 7.62*54mm Mag: 100 rounds Fire modes: full auto AK74SU I cannot see the big difference to it's big brother in the game. It is not silenced like the HK and like the HK I could not recognize any accuracy difference, although it's actually a SMG. used by: SpetzNatz, pilot, crew cal.: 5.45*39mm Mag: 30 rounds Fire modes: single fire, burst and full auto SVD Dragunov It's harder to handle than the M21 and has a smaller magazine, but still: This one is soooo cool - Well, maybe another JA2-sentimentality. used by: Sniper cal.: 7.62*54mm Mag: 10 rounds Fire modes: single fire ----facit---- If you can choose, prefer the AK74 as an assault rifle due to its full auto option and the M21 for sniping, as it makes your life a lot easier with its zooming feature. LMG are fun and very practical in infantry combat, but they do limit you, since you cannot carry launchers and are therefore rather helpless against APCs. ----------------------------------------------------- b. Launchers I am going to introduce HDA and BOST now. HDA is short for "Hits to Destroy Abrams" and is my personal measurement for the effectiveness of anti-tank launchers and rockets. I have chosen the M1A1 Abrams to compare anti-tank weapons, because it is the toughest armored vehicle in the game. BOST is the "Biggest One Shot Target" and mentions the toughest target you can destroy with one shot of the mentioned weapon. ----WEST---- M203 Equipped with grenades you can use it like a handgrenade; difference: bigger explosions, longer range. With flares it is handy at night to light up the way and attack enemies at more than sight range. I am not going to give HDA with this one, as it takes 4-6 grenades (more than you can carry) to destroy a BMP. used by: Grenadier BOST: UAZ, Jeep (with MG) Mortar IMHO acts like a M203 with grenades, just a little stronger. Can be mounted onto any Rifle, but you have to shoot the mortar first before you can return to normal rifle mode. That makes it rather unhandy. No HDA here, too. Takes about 3 mortars (you carry this much normally) to destroy a BMP. used by: Mortar BOST: UAZ, Jeep (with MG) LAW basic anti-tank weapon. Only effective against APCs. used by: LAW soldier BOST: BMP, M113, Shilka HDA: 7 CarlGustav Advanced anti tank weapon. This one is about double as effective as the LAW and can take out any tank except the Abrams and the T80 with a single shot (unfortunately you cannot carry more than that) used by: AT soldier BOST: T72, M60 HDA: 3 AA This is useless. It takes about 5! hits to take down a Mi17 and more than 10 for a Mi24 Hind. I have tested it with a squad of 12 AA soldiers. They coulnd't take down a Mi24-Gunship. You stand a better chance to take down aircraft with an MG or with a M21 sniping the pilot. used by: AA soldier BOST: Civil plane ----EAST---- underslung grenade launcher (They just won't tell what it is exactly) Same as the M203 BOST: UAZ, Jeep (with MG) RPG Nh-75 Also very much like its western brother the LAW. It has a cooler sight I think. Also it is adviseable to use that one in the campaign, as you are more likely to stumble upon ammo in enemy areas. used by: RPG soldier BOST: M113, BMP, Shilka HDA: 7 AT4 Like the above, just a Russian version of the Carl Gustav. used by: AT soldier BOST: T72, M60 HDA: 3 9K32 Strela It's the same crap as the western AA launcher. Yet as the western choppers are less armed it is more useful. It will take 3 hits for an AH1 and 4 for an UH60. As you can only carry one charge at a time this is still rather terrible. You cannnot target an A10 with this one. used by: AA soldier BOST: Civil plane ----facit---- Eastern and Western equipment are very much the same, and they teach you one lesson. If you are infantry and you are up against anything better than one T72 --> RUN! You are not going to take out a T80 let alone a M1A1 without armored or air support. Also a T72 is dangerous if you are only equipped with a LAW (or RPG) and have no other supporting LAW soldier. APCs therefore can be taken out easily. AA launchers are useless if you are alone and without ammo support. Just accept, that as a simple soldier you're helpless against airborne units. ----------------------------------------------------- c. Grenades, Bombs, etc. Hand Grenades Frankly I never use them, they may be practical against enemy soldiers who hide behind tree or bush. They are absolutely ineffective against armored vehicles. used by: everybody BOST: UAZ, Jeep (if you are lucky) Satchel Charges The most powerful explosive in the game. Alas they have to be planted at the target directly. You will mostly need them in sabotage missions, but you can also use them to set up an ambush used by: BlackOp, SpetzNatz BOST: T80 HDA: 2 (but I wouldn't want to be inside that Abrams after the first charge) Mines These are buggers if you are inside a tank. They are only activated by armored vehicles. used by: engineer BOST: T80 HDA: 2 ----facit---- Mines or satchel charges are ideal to deal with unaware tanks, if you manage to get them in position. ----------------------------------------------------- e. other equipment binoculars Scan that horizon and spot the enemy before he spots you. Pretty much replaced by the scope of the M21 or the Dragunov NV goggles At deep midnight they help. At dusk or dawn they'll do more harm than good. Anyway they limit your field of view, so be careful with using them. ----------------------------------------------------- f. Vehicle Weapons Sabot tank cannon, also equipped at BMPs used by: tanks, BMP BOST: M60, T55 HDA: 5 HEAT alternate tank ammo, the game states that sabot is for armored targets and HEAT for others but it has a HDA of 5 and an Abrams seems pretty much an armored target to me. used by: tanks, BMP BOST: M60, T55 HDA: 5 MG The vehicle mounted machine guns (and the fix M2) are very effective against infantry. Do NOT follow the AI's example and bombard infantry with HEAT. Instead let your gunner take them out with the MG. Also these MGs can be used against choppers (but only if you are a good shot). It will take 75-150 hits to take out any chopper out of the sky. But remember, I said "HITS", it is rather unlikely you get more than 10% hit percentage targeting a chopper with an MG. This makes 50 hits with a 500 round magazine. So long sucker. used by: tanks, UH60+MG, Jeep+MG, M2 Machinegun ----WEST---- 30mm cannon use it against infantry, cars, for airborne combat and sometimes against APCs used by: AH1 BOST: UAZ, Jeep TOW wire-guided anti-tank missiles used by: AH1 BOST: T72 HDA: 3 (sometimes you get it in 2 sometimes you'll need 4) FFAR intended as air-air missiles in the game you can still use them against ground targets One GOOD placed shot can suffice to take out an enemy helicopter used by: AH1(38), UH60(38) BOST: Mi24, AH1 HDA: about 10 (they are fast firing,but they are very hard to aim, so you'll have to unload 20 rockets or more to make 10 hits) 30mm Gun (A10) This one is useless (IMHO). It is very hard to fire a fix nose-mounted cannon at ground targets or slow helicopters when going at a speed of 300-500 without crashing. used by: A10 Maverick Really big guided air-to-gorund missiles with a range of 25km. They'll take out anything. So why can't the AH1 equip these? Because of their size and weight an AH1 could carry a maximum of TWO mavericks (I'm not quite sure if he can carry them at all). The small number mounted on the A10 gives you 8 targets of your choice to destroy. used by: A10 (8) BOST: M1A1 !!! HDA: 1 !!! ----EAST---- AZP-23 This AA gun can take out any aircraft in seconds. Alas the Shilka it's mounted on is little more armored than a standard APC and therefore easy to destroy. Also this gun is ideal for larger bunches of infantry and fast moving cars, as it combines high damage with fast firing rate. used by: Shilka HDA: 30-40 (remember that this thing is firing fast and can unload 40 shots in the time you would need to reload a LAW) 30mm Gun use it against infantry, cars, and sometimes against APCs, it can take down an A10 rather quickly (it does an equally good job with Blackhawks and Supercobras) used by: Mi24 BOST: UAZ, Jeep AT6 the russian anti-tank missiles (also guided) used by: Mi24 BOST: T55 HDA: 4 57mm rocket intended as air-air missiles in the game you can still us them against ground targets Two or three direct (I said DIRECT) hits take out any enemy chopper you want. used by: Mi24(64), Mi17(192) BOST: UH60 HDA: about 30 (they are fast firing,but they are very hard to aim, so you'll have to unload 60 rockets or more to make 30 hits) ----facit---- Sabot and HEAT do not make a big difference, use Sabot just to be sure. Do not use cannons against infantry but use the MG instead. Use MGs also to shoot down helicopters. Prefer the AH1-Supercobra over the MI24-Hind and the Mi17 over the UH60-Blackhawk, UH60-MG. Shilkas are extremely dangerous for chopper pilots, but can be disposed with a simple tactic. Duck their fire by either shaking right or left and use their fire to locate their position (in case you are too far away to see them). Then dispose of them with a TOW or AT6. The A10-Thunderbolt is an incredible weapon, but can take out a maximum of 8 targets, as the fix mounted cannon cannot be properly fired at the speed this plane is going. Anyway you will only encounter this one once in the campaign and very seldom in other missions. ----------------------------------------------------- III. VEHICLES The same here as for weapons. I'll only cover basic game relevant topics. If you want details go to FullBurst41's FAQ, it's excellent concerning all these specs. ----------------------------------------------------- a. cars ----CIVILIAN---- Car,Sportscar,Tractor,... ...baby you can drive my car... P3VB A truck. The civilian version is completely closed. crew: 12 (1 driver, 1 in front, 10 in back) P3VB repair, ammo, fuel Use these to repair,rearm and refuel armored vehicles and choppers drive to/land at the truck and select "refuel at refuel truck", "rearm at ammo truck" or "repair at repair truck" from the action menu. crew: 2 (1 driver, 1 in front) ----WEST---- Jeep Fast, can be driven in any terrain. Unarmed. crew: 4 (1 driver, 3 passengers) Jeep with MG Fast, can be driven in any terrain. Armed with a MG (500 rounds). crew: 3 (1 driver, 1 in front, 1 gunner) 5t Truck To be driven on the road, or at least on flat terrain. crew: 13 (1 driver, 2 in front, 10 in back) 5t Truck open Passengers of an open truck can be easily ambushed by snipers, machinegunners, etc. crew: 13 (1 driver, 2 in front, 10 in back) 5t Truck repair, ammo, fuel Use these to repair,rearm and refuel armored vehicles and choppers drive to/land at the truck and select "refuel at refuel truck", "rearm at ammo truck" or "repair at repair truck" from the action menu. crew: 3 (1 driver, 2 in front) ----EAST---- UAZ Russian 4*4, outperformed by the US Jeep crew: 4 (1 driver, 3 passengers) UAZG UAZ in other design crew: 4 (1 driver, 3 passengers) Ural To be driven on the road, or at least on flat terrain. crew: 13 (1 driver, 2 in front, 10 in back) Ural open Passengers of an open truck can be easily ambushed by snipers, machinegunners, etc. crew: 13 (1 driver, 2 in front, 10 in back) Ural repair, ammo, fuel Use these to repair,rearm and refuel armored vehicles and choppers drive to/land at the truck and select "refuel at refuel truck", "rearm at ammo truck" or "repair at repair truck" from the action menu. crew: 3 (1 driver, 2 in front) SCUD You can launch a SCUD long-range ballistic missile from this one. It does not do anything in the game actually, but serves as mission objective in the campaign twice. Still it looks cool. crew: 4 (1 driver, 3 passengers) ----facit---- If you want to drive around take the jeep. Trucks are fine, because they can take in a whole squad (12 men). Yet all of these are easy to destroy (1 shot from any explosive weapon, some hits with an MG or AR). Make use of the support trucks, especially to repair tanks and to refuel choppers. ----------------------------------------------------- b. armored Vehicles Now for the introduction of another measurement: LHS (LAW/RPG Hits Surviving). The more the better the armor; if you want to destroy one of these you need one LAW more than LHS, logical ... eh? ----WEST---- M113 USAM APC, good against infantry, but watch out for those RPG soldiers. crew: 10 (1 driver, 1 gunner, 8 in back) armament: 1 MG (500 rounds) LHS: 0 M113 Ambulance you can heal at them, just like you would do at a medic or a field hospital crew: 4 (1 driver, 3 in back) armament: none LHS: 0 M60 small US tank, this is the weakest tank in the game except for the T55 which is almost never present. crew: 3 (1 commander, 1 driver, 1 gunner) armament: Sabot (35 rounds), HEAT (35 rounds), MG (500 rounds) LHS: 1 M1A1 This is an incredible tank. Only mines and satchel charges do heavy damage, this is a tough one. This is the only tank, which is not instantly killed with a mine! The only weapon that can trash this one instantly is a Maverick! crew: 3 (1 commander, 1 driver, 1 gunner) armament: Sabot (35 rounds), HEAT (35 rounds), MG (500 rounds) LHS: 6 Mark II PBR small ship, more a troop carrier than an attack vessel crew: 8 (1 driver, 1 gunner, 6 in back) armament: 1 MG (500 rounds) LHS: 0 LST This big ship obvously is only there for ambience. It can take up some troops and drive around, but is not armed. It is obviously intended to be indestructible in the game. It took me 50 (fifty!) satchel charges touched off simultaneously to put it to status red and 4 more to blow it up completely. crew: 1 driver and a lot of passengers (certainly more than 25 men) armament: none LHS: a lot; I have not tried it but the HDA of a LAW is 7 and the HDA of SatchelCharges is 2 (less than 2 actually but there are no half satchel charges in the game), so the LHS of this one must be around 200 [(54/2)*7=189] ----EAST---- BMP The Russian APC not only has a MG but also a cannon which makes it a lot mor dangerous than the M113 crew: 11 (1 commander, 1 driver, 1 gunner, 8 in back) armament: Sabot (15 rounds), HEAT (15 rounds), MG (500 rounds) LHS: 0 BMP Ambulance you can heal at them, just like you would do at a medic or a field hospital crew: 4 (1 commander, 1 driver, 3 in back) armament: LHS: 0 Shilka This AA-Tank is armed with an exceptional weapon that can take out everything (except the LST) in seconds. Unfortunately it gets blown away by one single LAW. crew: 3 (1 commander, 1 driver, 1 gunner) armament: AZP-23 (500 rounds) LHS: 0 T55 This is the weakest tank in the game, still it is a tank. If you are up against infantry this one is fine, but once again watch out for the LAW soldiers. crew: 3 (1 commander, 1 driver, 1 gunner) armament: Sabot (35 rounds), HEAT (35 rounds), MG (500 rounds) LHS: 1 T72 A fine tank, infantry stands no chance against one of these. As AT soldiers are rare and this tank can sustain 2 LAW hits the LAW soldiers of a unit will be dead mostly before they can finish it off. Remember that this is the BOST of the CarlGustav Launcher! crew: 3 (1 commander, 1 driver, 1 gunner) armament: Sabot (35 rounds), HEAT (35 rounds), MG (500 rounds) LHS: 2 T80 The best Russian tank. Besides the Abrams it is the only tank, that survives a hit from a CarlGustav/AT4 Still it is clearly outperformed by the M1A1. crew: 3 (1 commander, 1 driver, 1 gunner) armament: Sabot (35 rounds), HEAT (35 rounds), MG (500 rounds) LHS: 3 Boat small ship, more a troop carrier than an attack vessel crew: 12 (1 driver, 1 gunner, 10 in back) armament: dobule MG (500 rounds) LHS: 0 ----facit---- The naval units are transporters basically. The APCs cannot take in a whole squad but are more secure than truck, because they are immune to bullets. Beware of LAW soldiers and tanks, when you use APCs, you could lose your 10 men to just one grenade. The M1A1 is by far the best tank with no match from the Russian side. Most tanks can face infantry without danger if no AT soldier (CarlGustav/AT4) is present. ----------------------------------------------------- c. aircraft Ok, once again another measurement:AAHS (AA/Strela Hits Surviving). ----WEST---- AH1 The Supercobra is a fine attack chopper. Heavily armed it can take out a lot of enemy tanks. Yet it can be shot down itself easily. So be careful with that Shilkas and Mi24s. This also is the only chopper to be really endangered by AA soldiers. crew: 2 (1 pilot, 1 gunner) armament: 30mm cannon (500 rounds), TOW (8), FFAR (38) AAHS: 2 UH60 A nice transport heli, but not the fighting type crew: (1 pilot, 1 gunner, in back) armament: FFAR (38) AAHS: 3 UH60-MG This one is fun. Instead of the armament with FFARs it has a MG mounted in the cargo bay shooting to the left side. crew: 14 (1 pilot, 1 gunner, 12 in back) armament: MG (500 rounds) AAHS: 3 A10: The Thunderbolt is fast, and deadly, but too fast sometimes. Can take out anything and cannot be taken out by anything EXCEPT Shilkas (and Hinds sometimes). They do a very good job at shooting down Thunderbolts. crew: 1 pilot armament: 30mm cannon (500 rounds),Maverick (8) AAHS: cannot be targeted with AA launchers ----EAST---- Mi17 This red army carrier is BIG and can take in quite a bit of damage before it falls off the sky. The 57mm rockets are nice too, but difficult to aim and not the main purpose of this heli. crew: 14 (1 pilot, 1 gunner, 12 in back) armament: 57mm rockets (192) AAHS: 4 Mi24 The Hind is not as good as the AH1 in anti-tank roles, but it is better armored. In air-air combats it show its real skills and can sometimes even take out an A10. AA soldiers are no danger for this one. As mentioned above, a squad of 12! AA soldiers cannot take out a Hind, which is hovering over a fixed point and not firing. crew: 8 (1 pilot, 1 gunner, 6 in back) armament: armament: 30mm cannon (500 rounds), AT6 (8), 57mm rockets (64) AAHS: >10 ----facit---- The AH1 and the A10 are the best choices against ground targets. The Russian choppers can take more damage excel in airfight. UH60 and Mi17 are ideal troop carriers. ----------------------------------------------------- By the way, if you want to confirm or disprove any of the above, here are my test criterias: I set up a mission on Desert Island containing every armored vehicle and aircraft (empty), every infantry unit and a lot of ammo boxes. I placed my self about 100m away in a M1A1. Then I previewed, gunned everyone down (including my tank crew I told to disembark ... actually I ran them over ... ah what the hell). Now I was there sitting happily with every single weapon in the game and every possible target (the empty vehicles), oh ... and with a lot of corpses.