Hyper Aggressive vs Conservative (SMG)

Discussion in 'Infiltrator' started by CuteBeaver, Jul 10, 2013.

  1. CuteBeaver

    I am noticing a fine line with the SMG between when you want to be hyper aggressive in battle and when you need to retreat and back off to become more selective with targets. Sometimes it feels like in order to do any good based on the situation I have had to fall back into a very picky and conservative approach. I'm noticing trends where if I am aggressive near jump pads, elevators or even windows it can be very rewarding.

    However the adverse is true with rocks and normal flat areas like in basic boring buildings or open ground where gravity is not an element to be used or there are no quick escapes. There is a fine line between aggression vs ambushing or baiting that is so hard to master as a newer infiltrator. I find myself conflicted sometimes wanting to chase or attack but knowing I stand virtually no chance of success if I tried.

    I'll skip right to the heart of the matter.

    1) What situations set of your red flags and tell you pull back?
    2) Where do you feel you can cut loose and be hyper aggressive almost all of the time?
  2. Larolyn

    1. If they are looking in my direction or they are more than one.
    2. When they are not looking at me or when I am in a chaotic battle and the noise will disguise my movements.
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  3. Rudmed

    1. Multiple aware enemies that I know have some awareness of their surroundings, and their proximity also matters a bit.

    2. Same as Larolyn, but I find these situations are rare in tighter spaces.

    To be honest I say you just gotta hit and run, and mostly emphasize the run part. As you say, Cute, if you can get away with massive damage then there is no point in not being aggressive. I'd empty the clip and then run out of there as fast as I could, but I find situations like that quite rare. Maybe it is my luck, but enemies seem to around out of every corner right as I decloak or start getting aggressive.
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  4. Larolyn

    A tactic used often on crowded rooms by my outfit is to toss both an EMP grenade along with either a concussion grenade or a flash grenade into the room. The combo guarantees anything in that room is gonna die. So team up with an LA or an HA and just go nuts. Infiltrators with SMGs work best in organised squads so no more lonewolfing with a sniper rifle!
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  5. Rudmed


    I've never thought of that before, I've been on the receiving end of a flashbang though (it sucked....for me and 7 other VS people as the TR wiped us out). Sometimes, I roll with the regular grenade,but maybe I'll throw some certs at the emp grenade.
  6. CuteBeaver

    Yeah i run with bondolier and med kits. I am a huge fan of EMPs. My fiancee uses the concussions as well. My outfit jokes I EMP on everything ^_~ but its those pesky situations that always seem to be the thorn in my side. Those conflicting moments and sudden changes between environments or even enemy groupings that tend to throw me.

    In essence I self aware enough to notice when I get into a nice killstreak it tends to end once the flow changes and I am either too stubborn or possibly inexperienced to notice the warning signs. Thanks for the feedback even the most mundane things could be helpful to myself and to others.

    Its like a friend if mine in the outfit once gave me a tip for sniping. He told me to try and read people a little bit and anticipate what they were going to do. Its helped me take better quality shots because I am looking at the medic and waiting for him to be part way through his revive. Or wait for the engineer to pull out his medpack. Or the HA with the rocket launcher to Aim Down Sights before I take my shot even though he did technically stop 1 second prior. Those little tips can really add up to a better playing experience.
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  7. Rudmed

    I think the changing environment can be deadly to just about any class, we have some protection with our cloak, but then again we are the squishiest class. Look at Indar you can go from rocky outcroppings to a 50m sprint to the next spot of cover with bullets whizzing by your head. Our cloak helps us and I say try to move to a place that you know you came make in 12 seconds or almost make in 12 seconds.

    Also what do you mean by enemy groupings?
  8. CuteBeaver

    Enemy Groupings:

    Rock Example:

    2 enemies taking cover using a rock.
    You see them on radar and you think. Oh my goodness I like certs.

    Looking to your west there is a building. A basic one with a window but only one enemy inside.
    You see HIM on radar and you think. Is it my birthday?! Someone got me a present in a little metal box!

    The squatter in the building looks like the most appealing because hes all lonely right, but hes closer to the rest of his troops. So by the time I arrive he possibly could have more friends with him.

    The 2 enemies using the rock as cover trying to flank might have been the better choice. Its conflicting. Or to add insult to injury maybe one of the Gorgons sees my cloak on route to the squatter and I am experiencing failure alot sooner then expected.

    Sometimes this game leaves me scratching my head in amusement.
    • Up x 1
  9. Rudmed

    I like the little details you added to your explanation.

    Anyways, wouldn't the two by the rock give you more certs? Yes it has greater risk, but I think it would be much easier to flank two people behind a rock than a guy in a building closer to his buddies. The guy in the building limits your exits or escape routes, which can be easily blocked. Meanwhile the two behind the rock leave many escape routes and easy cover too. If you do it right, then you might be able to kill them both without them knowing you are there.

    Like I said, I would try to emphasize the "run" part of "hit and run". Only because it is harder to contribute when your body is riddled with bullets.
  10. CuteBeaver

    That is actually something I had not factored in. Normally buildings I think "Yay Cover" the entire thought of them being perhaps a death trap over a rock hadn't registered. >.> Most likely due to my love of windows. Yay TY I will add that to my list.

    [IMG]
  11. blessedpatrick

    My trigger for being more patient is when eveybody and their mother starts pasting the area in mines, christ does that get old very fast. Also if an organized outfit shows up you know one will have darts.
    Oh, and tanks, if one is looking right at you run, dip, dodge, duck, dive and dodge.
    Being able to get into sneaky areas in bases and towers is important, so when that one ****** bag light assault with an auto shotty starts scouting those areas for you it's another red flag.
    Also, when all the enemy armor starts to stay out of LOS of their own turrets it means someone knows you are just waiting to hack an AV and rip them a new one.
    When I hear darts that are not mine or cloak sounds it means a predator style player knows I'm around.
    Also, EMP for the win, if you can get behind the enemy lines before your team pushes up a stairs or something EMP the defenders and watch then drop.
  12. Rudmed


    I gotta agree with these, vengeful players are often a very bad thing for infiltrators. Especially if you are being a close range sniper with a BA and suppressor aka <30m away for OHK's. If you kill a player more than twice and he came to you or was obviously searching around the base then it is time to change areas or bug out. You are enemy #1 on his kill list.

    Air: Specifically Reavers (you horrible horrible people) often sets off my alarms and I often try to hide ASAP. I cannot count how many times I have suffered a reaver missile barrage for no reason when there are other targets they could be attacking.
  13. RoMoronik666

    :)

    In this situarion i would go for the two on the rock.

    I dont like fighting in buildings, enemies are on their guard, so it is harder to sneak up on them. Rocks usually have uneven ground which gives you more hiding places. Also rocks break up your outline better when you cloak.
  14. DeathSparx

    I didn't know you infiltrators were more outdoors-y. IMHO there is a way to use the building's limited entrances/exits as choke points, especially when being chased. Couple this strategy with mines and you got a solid choke point. I honestly hate being caught out in the open with no cover--it's really like being caught naked, especially on esamir. Oh, and to answer the primary questions of this thread:

    1) Sound (LA jetpack, inf cloak, the sound of getting stabbed in the back, etc) indicating someone is actively chasing me or getting close to me. And since I know you're going to ask: when you're at full life and you hear the "knife-entering-back" sound (which probably came in GU11) the average person would try to turn around and figure out who is doing it. The reason why this is bad is that you're still in range of the person knifing you making the second swipe just as easy as the first. My reflex when I see my health drop so suddenly and hear the sound, I move forward regardless of where that takes me because it takes me out of range of the knifer and allows me to turn around and respond appropriately.

    2) Obliviousness (backs turned, attention obviously somewhere else, cries for a medic, something in hand that is not a weapon, reloading in the middle of combat, etc)

    For the things that do throw you off I would recommend:
    1) Change in enemy groupings - Your recon detect device or even a scout flash somewhere should help you identify these groupings and make proper adjustments in your plans
    2) Change in environment - this is a patience thing; you need to take the time to survey your surroundings and perhaps think of all the possible hiding spots enemies could be in or just a route/hiding spots you can use to stay hidden/moving around. For example: Since I spend most of my time these days with an smg, I need to figure out a method of dealing with things depending on building/base layouts. I like having things to run around circles in because it's a funny way to dispatch chasers and having things like gravity and chokepoints also add to the tactics I can use. This is the reason why I love defending towers and hate attacking them. (A BR1 once attached himself to me so I took him to amerish to defend a 3 point tower base and we did that for several hours on our own...and I really mean "we" as he was getting his points and kills from defending that base)
  15. klor

    This ^

    I find that my stubbornness is more of an asset as an infiltrator than a detriment. Sometimes I will take up to 5 consecutive deaths just trying to find my way behind enemy lines or looking for a good place to set up shop. Tech plants are my favorite place to fight as an infiltrator, there are so many high value areas where you can put yourself at a nice environmental advantage. The terrain really is a huge part of the class and knowing it well is one of the biggest advantages. Knowing good escape routes and ambush locations is key.

    Another random thing I've noticed... most vehicle drivers will roll right passed you if you are cloaked and crouched.
  16. Mustarde

    I tend to play conservative, using darts to locate manageable numbers of enemies (2-3 at a time) and thin them out until they are gone. I will try to get the drop on them and control the engagement. It's neither hyper-agressive nor purely conservative. We are squishy so I use the cloak to dictate the terms of the fight, which usually works out in my favor. If I am running up to a HA and we both start unloading within 10m, I'm going to die 9/10 times. If you are hyper-agressive, you will turn a corner and run right into a HA with his gun at the ready... that playstyle has a short lifespan and frequent respawns.
  17. RockPlanetSide2

    In huge fights you have to remember that the nanocloak wont even phase on and off for most players with crappy computers (aka 80% of the people that play the game)... that is why in larger fights you can get the montages where people just run around dead center of a giant group of enemies and nobody kills him while they pistol/knife or SMG freely, because to them it appears he is just blinking around.
  18. Stadulator

    SMG for CQC, period. You leave a base and go back to your regular rifle (whatever that may be)

    Not sure why that requires an opinion thread to figure out. Game mechaincs dictate which guns to use, not polls.
  19. CuteBeaver

    Oh okay! How insightful. Let me just switch weapons every 2 minutes then. I am sure the moment terrian changes slightly while I am on my adventures my team won't mind if I run all the way back to a terminal just because I can't adapt to changes in the environment. :p

    Getting back on topic. Thanks for the tips I'll try and be more selective as you suggested Mustarde. Its good to see that I am not imagining that being picky is the correct answer. As a newer player its had to control that urge to go charging off into combat. For me I struggled with feeling like maybe I was doing it wrong trying to be cautious. There was some guilt there too since I was trying to be helpful to my faction. Its good to know other players who are more skilled then I am are doing this routinely. Also this isn't a subject typically discussed. Guns are often spoken about but the changes in play style based on factors in game seldom are.

    I have yet to see a thread on what scares you or makes you poop proxies and bail. I mean how often do we discuss self control? Its a huge part of the class. From sniping to even CQC.
  20. Rudmed

    That's not the point of the thread there Stadulator.

    She's asking what situations make us bug out and abandon the area, and when do we engage and seize the initiative.