*Tango* Posted Sep 9, 2010, 10:17 pm	I feel like I can write a guide on how and when NOT to flank, but I don't feel like I could write much in favor of it. I don't scout with muscle, so could one of you muscle-bound folks write something up on it that's positive/informative? Here's a start. Feel free to build on it or scrap it and write from scratch. If i made any glaring errors point them out please. Flanking: According to Webster Flanking is: 1a : to be situated at the side of; especially : to be situated on both sides of <a road flanked with linden trees> b : to place something on each side of 2: to protect a flank of 3: to attack or threaten the flank of (as a body of troops) What we're talking about there is #3. Attacking or threatening the side of the enemy force. Flanking can be used as a harassing manuver, to draw away forces and split an enemies attack. Flanking can also be used to break the force of an attack up and deny the enemy of being able to concentrate their firepower. The most important questions you must answer before you let everyone else know you're about to pull off a tactical miracle and flank the enemy are: 1. Is it appropriate? 2. Am I capable? If you can't answer both of those without a doubt in your military mind then you ought to leave the flanking to someone else. I have seen here far too often people decide they're going to flank and actually help the enemy more than their own team. 1. Is it appropriate? a. What is the enemies' strength like? If the enemy has overwhelming numbers then you're going to make it that much tougher on your team if you flank, because you may not draw anything off from the main body and they will have to take the hits you'd be having shot at you. b. Does the terrain favor this action? Can you plan a route to accomplish your goal? c. Will it work into the squad leader's battle plan? 2. Am I capable? a. Driving the slowest car in the squad? Don't flank. The best effect I've seen when flanking is when the flanking player arrives at the enemies and starts shooting at the same time as everyone else, just from a different direction so the enemy has to expose a weak side to someone. This requires speed and/or time, and gobs of it. b. Do I have a plan of action? No plan survives the first contact intact, so do you have a backup plan?
johnny go Posted Sep 9, 2010, 10:29 pm	i dont flank in groop scouts but use it all the time when scouting whith a pair of Pho's i string out the enamy then get both my cars behind dunes or cover opersit each other watch who the bad guy is heading for, then pop out the the un engaged car and pound the ataker in his side whith twin MML. as the enamy turns to face or cover his week side the second car comes in and finishes the job
Djihani Posted Sep 10, 2010, 2:43 am	Just stop using those crappy 3.2l enguns and you'll be just fine. Speed is life. Muscle cars are NOT car-o-the-line vehicles. Lines of noobs in Phoenixes and W2's trying to form a line WILL get messed up and gangers WILL die. Most of my group scouts have been in muscle cars and the only time people have whined and said theyll never scout with me again is when three or four noobs have tried meeting the whole enemy onslaught (minus three or four) with their pesky phoenixes and messed up their fire and positioning by themselves. I guess apaches are not that easy to come by anymore but people really need to adjust their tactics to the kind of vehicles they put their gangers in. That saying if youre going to flank and the rest of your squad is going line duty you really have to take some risks to be useful in any way. Also always make sure there is someone in the line with a plan and don't mess it up. If your friends are trying to pull the enemy into a pit - dont lead them around it!
johnny go Posted Sep 10, 2010, 9:06 am	Djihani said: J if youre going to flank and the rest of your squad is going line duty you really have to take some risks to be useful in any way. 2 of my finest scouting moments have bean while doing outrageously dangerous things in a pho to pull the heavy hitters asses out of the fire. muscling on a group scout can be relay good fun, but will always be more dangerous than solo mussel scouts
*JD_Basher* jd.basher@charter.net Posted Sep 10, 2010, 9:10 am	SPEED IS LIFE Is a VERY good mantra to survive by!
johnny go Posted Sep 10, 2010, 11:13 am	i dose make youre teeth fall out eventually though
GrowlingBadger Posted Sep 10, 2010, 11:31 am	As a noob flanking has been good for keeping from getting battered in the main line of fire. Its been good for getting experience of how to fight and what the AI does. Its also meant, generally, I had a vehicle to drive home! Now with (a little) more experience soloing with 1 Landrunner(as tank drawing fire) and 2 Windy II's (hidding round the corner, in the dunes very close by) I find I need very few repairs as it only takes a few rounds in the side of the vehicles heading for my Landrunner to take em out or turtle them with my Windy II's (w/HMG's). As I dont have great gunner skills yet (50 max) this plays to my advantage as when this kind of flanking manoeuvre happens I am at very close range coming out of cover. Furthermore this makes for maximum lootage, which is good for a noob when ya need money! Here's 2 examples. I think the key is stay close! S252507 S252171
ISHOULDCOCO Posted Sep 10, 2010, 12:08 pm	Your job is to get shot at. If you draw off  2 cars then you have done your job If you can get cars to collide or go wide or even lose speed before the last ridge then you have done your job If no one is looking at you then you have failed. Stay at 90deg to the battle , one metre closer to the enemy than your buddies , The fatboys will waddle home saying how smooth that scout was, because you feed them the enemy in easy succession. COCO
SAXX0N Posted Sep 10, 2010, 4:29 pm	Flanking is just like arial dogfighting. 1. speed equals life - do not commit to a turning battle it bleeds off too much speed, unless you have the tactical advantage ex. 1 v 1 and superior position against his weapons Flanking provides time for main force to deploy in an advantageous position. Flanking also disrupts and confuses the enemy. I have seen ai do different things on different occasions. Sometimes you peel several off intent on doing you bodily harm which reduces the ai's main force attack power against your lines. On other occasions I have seen ai commit to main force attack allowing flankers to launch rear attacks with impunity
Crazy AL Posted Sep 10, 2010, 5:02 pm	Djihani said: Just stop using those crappy 3.2l enguns and you'll be just fine. Speed is life. Muscle cars are NOT car-o-the-line vehicles. Lines of noobs in Phoenixes and W2's trying to form a line WILL get messed up and gangers WILL die. Most of my group scouts have been in muscle cars and the only time people have whined and said theyll never scout with me again is when three or four noobs have tried meeting the whole enemy onslaught (minus three or four)  with their pesky phoenixes and messed up their fire and positioning by themselves. I guess apaches are not that easy to come by anymore but people really need to adjust their tactics to the kind of vehicles they put their gangers in. That saying if youre going to flank and the rest of your squad is going line duty you really have to take some risks to be useful in any way. Also always make sure there is someone in the line with a plan and don't mess it up. If your friends are trying to pull the enemy into a pit - dont lead them around it! Good advice
ISHOULDCOCO Posted Sep 10, 2010, 5:40 pm	2. speed equals life - do not fire unless necessary, it bleeds off too much speed, unless you have the tactical advantage Clean LOS ( also use weapon recoil to aid braking and turning) COCO
*goat starer* Posted Sep 10, 2010, 6:17 pm	this is all a load of bobbins... what most of you are talking about is not flanking by decoy driving. a decent flanking manouver is a combat exercise.. you send stuff powerful unough to really hurt the enemy wide and crash in sowing confusion and hitting their weaker armour. done this with buzzers, firetrucks, all sorts before... on certain maps like lonesome highway you can slow your main force and peel asizeable chunk of a squad off to hit the enemy from two sidea. its much more fun.
d0dger Posted Sep 10, 2010, 7:02 pm	goat starer said: this is all a load of bobbins... what most of you are talking about is not flanking by decoy driving. a decent flanking manouver is a combat exercise.. you send stuff powerful unough to really hurt the enemy wide and crash in sowing confusion and hitting their weaker armour. done this with buzzers, firetrucks, all sorts before... on certain maps like lonesome highway you can slow your main force and peel asizeable chunk of a squad off to hit the enemy from two sidea. its much more fun. ditto. There's nothing quite like hitting a Chomper on a side facing with a car cannon or an HGG. It will flip over just about anything. More lightly armed muscles can work fine as decoy/skirmishers... It's actually great when you can get the bad guys to chase your muscle, and ignore the fact that they are presenting side/rear armor to your heavies.