- Joined
- Oct 14, 2010
- Messages
- 232
Those of you who have played Bad Company 2, or even Battlefield since it's early days know that the Recon class is one of the most loved and hated classes in the game. For you newer players, you may not yet understand the nuances and criticisms of the Recon class, or even understand the role of Recon on the battlefield.
Let's start with the basics of the Recon class. Obviously, if we change out the word "Recon" with "Sniper", it is understandable that the class is one in the same. However, I believe many people misinterpret what that actually means.
As a cavalry scout in the United States Army, I have been trained with a single mission in mind - observe, gather intelligence, watch enemy movements, reconnoiter objectives and areas, and report all this information back to my Commander, or higher. Our task is to do this silently, swiftly, and without being detected in the slightest. While the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have kind of bent our role on the battlefield to be more "infantry" like, our basic premise is that if we have to engage the enemy then we have failed in our mission. Most likely, a small Scout force like we are trained to be would not stand well against a larger enemy force.
Taking this lesson to heart, the role of the Recon class in Bad Company 2 is almost exactly the same. We have to ask ourselves, what is the main objective of the Recon class - what is their role on the battlefield? I believe most players would answer in a naive sort of way, and state that the Recon class is a sniper and our role on the battlefield is to take out infantry. However, the truth is a bit more complicated than that. Sure, while the Recon class has sniper rifles it is not their primary role in the game!
Here is where the love and hate relationship starts. Take the average gamer for example. The average gamer tends to view the Recon class as a sniper, and plays the Recon class that way. Sitting in buildings, or hiding in bushes, behind rocks, etc., the player will engage infantry and become a hinderence to the team. Combine that with a few other similar players on the server and the Recon team members have just cut your team's ability to defeat the enemy in half. In my opinion, a lot of people view the Recon class as a hinderence to the team because of this. What good is a team of snipers? To be fair, I believe this is where people misunderstand the Recon class - and lose respect for it.
Those who are veterns of Bad Company 2, Battlefield, and even of gaming should probably know that the Recon role, as it's designed to play, is not a sniper. The key to the Recon class is that it was developed to only take out targets of value/opportunity[/i] in regards to killing the enemy, and even this is second to the primary objective of the Recon class - to provide intelligence on the battlefield, report enemy movements/positions, and to provide coordinated fire support. The tools available to the Recon class are well-suited to this. In fact, it is the only class able to use mortars, and has the spotting scope available to it. These are crucial elements to the Recon class, and were designed for it's primary purpose as a Recon element, not a direct fire asset like Assault or Engineer. Those who play the Recon class in this way are an astronomical benefit to their team, and are well respected because of this, unlike the "snipers" in game.
Now, let's get into the caveats of being Recon in Bad Company 2. First of all, your team (especially your Squad) may not understand your role on the battlefield. With that being said, playing as the Recon role can be frustrating and result in angry, colorful words towards the game and others.
As an example, this evening I was playing as the Recon class as I normally do on Atacama Desert. I joined a Squad in order to provide team work and to be able to cover my Squad and recon areas for them. However, we had a couple of people who just did not understand. During the first round on Atacama Desert I was playing as the U.S. Army. We had of course taken Objective A first, and then proceeded to Objective B (the ship). In order to provide fire support and recon assets, I positioned myself on a rooftop with a good view of Objective B and some of Objective C. My squad was assaulting Objective B and started to get killed. I was on the rooftop marking targets with the spotting scope, calling in mortar strikes on the enemy around the flag, and picked off targets of opportunity. As I am doing this, my Squad decides to respawn on top of me. Normally, this would not be such an issue except that I was in a fairly advantageous position, I was not being seen or heard by the enemy, and I was able to do my job with relative impunity. Of course, my Squad must not have understood or realized that and as smart as they were, decided to start firing from the same rooftop, throwing grenades, launching rockets, and trying to wage a battle. Unfortunately, their antics and inability to understand or realize what was going on ultimately led to my demise and I had to start back from square one. At that point, I just left the Squad and decided to run solo for the rest of the game.
Playing with a team that understands the role of the Recon class is the biggest problem for Recon players. Some things to understand when playing with or as veteran and highly skilled Recon players (note: NOT the sniper variety!) are the following:
1. Do not, under any circumstance (situation permitting), hang out with the Recon player in your Squad. While you may want that kill or to destroy the tank out there, giving away the position of a valuable Recon asset can hinder the team's ability to capture the objective. Opening fire from their position is a very silly thing to do.
2. Communicate with the Recon player(s). Let them know if you need an area hit with a mortar. Let them know if there are enemy in the open, or in a building where mortar fire can destroy their hiding place or interrupt a capture. With that being said, communication works both ways. As a Recon class, make sure to spot enemy positions, vehicles, and alert your team to anything that could help them defeat them.
3. Recon players should never engage targets for the sake of it. Bad Company 2, as most of you know, has tracers. If you are shooting at a target and fire more than one or two rounds, stop shooting! You'll only serve to give the enemy your location and rain down mortars or a tank round on top of you.
4. Along with number three, if you are playing as the Recon class, do not fire at a target that could otherwise be taken out with other methods that won't give away your position. This is most paramount when playing "Hardcore" or on a server with the kill cam off. Shooting a target may give away your position, but calling in mortars on a position and killing the enemy just the same will guarantee that no one can see where you are calling fire from. This is crucial when you have a battlefield with decent Recon players on the other team.
5. Motion sensor mines. These are great tools to "defend" your position and warn you if anyone is nearby. However, understand that it works both ways! You and the enemy can hear the motion sensors beep, and it will tell them there is a Recon player nearby. He'll be looking to kill you just as you are looking to kill him.
6. C4 explosives. If you decide you do not want to use mortars (or cannot use them yet), stick with C4. Overwatch an objective and strategically place C4 in areas where the enemy will mostly pass. Setting some C4 around the flags, around open areas where tanks like to sit, and even on rooftops if helicopters are flying low can allow you to take out the enemy before he takes you or your team out - or even capture the objective.
The Recon class is a unique class in Bad Company 2 that can help make or break a team. We must learn to respect and understand the Recon class (and Recon players!) because of their ability to provide valuable intelligence on the battlefield. However, we must also take the time to show players that use the Recon class that they are not snipers. We must take the time to help those who use the Recon class become worthwhile and productive elements in game so that their team can defeat the enemy and win the game.
And with all this, I bid you a good evening and hope to see you on the battlefield.
Let's start with the basics of the Recon class. Obviously, if we change out the word "Recon" with "Sniper", it is understandable that the class is one in the same. However, I believe many people misinterpret what that actually means.
As a cavalry scout in the United States Army, I have been trained with a single mission in mind - observe, gather intelligence, watch enemy movements, reconnoiter objectives and areas, and report all this information back to my Commander, or higher. Our task is to do this silently, swiftly, and without being detected in the slightest. While the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have kind of bent our role on the battlefield to be more "infantry" like, our basic premise is that if we have to engage the enemy then we have failed in our mission. Most likely, a small Scout force like we are trained to be would not stand well against a larger enemy force.
Taking this lesson to heart, the role of the Recon class in Bad Company 2 is almost exactly the same. We have to ask ourselves, what is the main objective of the Recon class - what is their role on the battlefield? I believe most players would answer in a naive sort of way, and state that the Recon class is a sniper and our role on the battlefield is to take out infantry. However, the truth is a bit more complicated than that. Sure, while the Recon class has sniper rifles it is not their primary role in the game!
Here is where the love and hate relationship starts. Take the average gamer for example. The average gamer tends to view the Recon class as a sniper, and plays the Recon class that way. Sitting in buildings, or hiding in bushes, behind rocks, etc., the player will engage infantry and become a hinderence to the team. Combine that with a few other similar players on the server and the Recon team members have just cut your team's ability to defeat the enemy in half. In my opinion, a lot of people view the Recon class as a hinderence to the team because of this. What good is a team of snipers? To be fair, I believe this is where people misunderstand the Recon class - and lose respect for it.
Those who are veterns of Bad Company 2, Battlefield, and even of gaming should probably know that the Recon role, as it's designed to play, is not a sniper. The key to the Recon class is that it was developed to only take out targets of value/opportunity[/i] in regards to killing the enemy, and even this is second to the primary objective of the Recon class - to provide intelligence on the battlefield, report enemy movements/positions, and to provide coordinated fire support. The tools available to the Recon class are well-suited to this. In fact, it is the only class able to use mortars, and has the spotting scope available to it. These are crucial elements to the Recon class, and were designed for it's primary purpose as a Recon element, not a direct fire asset like Assault or Engineer. Those who play the Recon class in this way are an astronomical benefit to their team, and are well respected because of this, unlike the "snipers" in game.
Now, let's get into the caveats of being Recon in Bad Company 2. First of all, your team (especially your Squad) may not understand your role on the battlefield. With that being said, playing as the Recon role can be frustrating and result in angry, colorful words towards the game and others.
As an example, this evening I was playing as the Recon class as I normally do on Atacama Desert. I joined a Squad in order to provide team work and to be able to cover my Squad and recon areas for them. However, we had a couple of people who just did not understand. During the first round on Atacama Desert I was playing as the U.S. Army. We had of course taken Objective A first, and then proceeded to Objective B (the ship). In order to provide fire support and recon assets, I positioned myself on a rooftop with a good view of Objective B and some of Objective C. My squad was assaulting Objective B and started to get killed. I was on the rooftop marking targets with the spotting scope, calling in mortar strikes on the enemy around the flag, and picked off targets of opportunity. As I am doing this, my Squad decides to respawn on top of me. Normally, this would not be such an issue except that I was in a fairly advantageous position, I was not being seen or heard by the enemy, and I was able to do my job with relative impunity. Of course, my Squad must not have understood or realized that and as smart as they were, decided to start firing from the same rooftop, throwing grenades, launching rockets, and trying to wage a battle. Unfortunately, their antics and inability to understand or realize what was going on ultimately led to my demise and I had to start back from square one. At that point, I just left the Squad and decided to run solo for the rest of the game.
Playing with a team that understands the role of the Recon class is the biggest problem for Recon players. Some things to understand when playing with or as veteran and highly skilled Recon players (note: NOT the sniper variety!) are the following:
1. Do not, under any circumstance (situation permitting), hang out with the Recon player in your Squad. While you may want that kill or to destroy the tank out there, giving away the position of a valuable Recon asset can hinder the team's ability to capture the objective. Opening fire from their position is a very silly thing to do.
2. Communicate with the Recon player(s). Let them know if you need an area hit with a mortar. Let them know if there are enemy in the open, or in a building where mortar fire can destroy their hiding place or interrupt a capture. With that being said, communication works both ways. As a Recon class, make sure to spot enemy positions, vehicles, and alert your team to anything that could help them defeat them.
3. Recon players should never engage targets for the sake of it. Bad Company 2, as most of you know, has tracers. If you are shooting at a target and fire more than one or two rounds, stop shooting! You'll only serve to give the enemy your location and rain down mortars or a tank round on top of you.
4. Along with number three, if you are playing as the Recon class, do not fire at a target that could otherwise be taken out with other methods that won't give away your position. This is most paramount when playing "Hardcore" or on a server with the kill cam off. Shooting a target may give away your position, but calling in mortars on a position and killing the enemy just the same will guarantee that no one can see where you are calling fire from. This is crucial when you have a battlefield with decent Recon players on the other team.
5. Motion sensor mines. These are great tools to "defend" your position and warn you if anyone is nearby. However, understand that it works both ways! You and the enemy can hear the motion sensors beep, and it will tell them there is a Recon player nearby. He'll be looking to kill you just as you are looking to kill him.
6. C4 explosives. If you decide you do not want to use mortars (or cannot use them yet), stick with C4. Overwatch an objective and strategically place C4 in areas where the enemy will mostly pass. Setting some C4 around the flags, around open areas where tanks like to sit, and even on rooftops if helicopters are flying low can allow you to take out the enemy before he takes you or your team out - or even capture the objective.
The Recon class is a unique class in Bad Company 2 that can help make or break a team. We must learn to respect and understand the Recon class (and Recon players!) because of their ability to provide valuable intelligence on the battlefield. However, we must also take the time to show players that use the Recon class that they are not snipers. We must take the time to help those who use the Recon class become worthwhile and productive elements in game so that their team can defeat the enemy and win the game.
And with all this, I bid you a good evening and hope to see you on the battlefield.
