FacetiusMaximus
Community Member
Just some quick thoughts based on the difference between actually being shot at and working through The Division:
1) Do not step into your buddy's line of fire.
In the real world, this is a very good way to get hit by incoming fire from both directions. In the game, it is bloody annoying and will cause your buddy to burn through half a magazine unnecessarily because he/she can't see round your fat arse. It also means that your buddy can't kill the enemy he/she was shooting at who might just go on to kill you.
2) Use the buddy system - triangulate your fire.
In the real world, this is used to keep the enemy's head down while your mate sneaks round the side to flank him. In the game, it's a very good way to drop those bloody annoying shotgun-wielding scouts before they rush up and slaughter the entire team. The general idea is to have you, your mate and the enemy form the three points of a triangle (hence "triangulation") while keeping enough distance between you and your mate that you can't both be taken out by a single well-placed grenade.
3) Charging the enemy Rambo-style rarely works.
In the real world, you would almost certainly end up very dead very quickly. Rambo's lifespan in actual combat would be measured in nanoseconds if he tried to swan around through live fire, as proven by experience in Afghanistan and various other wonderful holiday destinations. In the game, you are likely to get shot down, leaving your team one short and having to come and rescue/revive your arse with fewer resources.
4) Fire in bursts.
In the real world, and in the game, barrel-climb will cause you to burn through half a magazine without actually hitting the enemy. You waste ammunition, and while you're trying to get your weapon back on target, the enemy runs up and shoots you in the naughty bits from a range of about two feet. In the real world, this would hurt (very briefly) before causing a medical condition technically known as "death." Which would suck. In the game, this means your team-mates have to leave their nice secure firing positions to come and get you, which could get them killed, which would also suck. Getting your team-mates injured/killed because you were careless is not considered a path to promotion and a long military career in most real-world military units.
5) Try to collapse in or near cover.
In the real world, this means that the medic can actually concentrate on saving your arse, instead of being distracted by all that rather inconvenient incoming 12.5mm machine-gun fire. In the game, it means that your team-mates can sprint up, drop into cover and then revive you without getting killed themselves and making the revival problem worse.
6) Work as a team.
If your team-mates are being held up by incoming fire, think about taking the time to take the pressure off them. Rather than charging into battle guns blazing a la Butch and Sundance, this means that your team can come and save your arse when you get into trouble, and also that they are also more likely to come and save your arse, as you've just done the same for them. In real combat, charging into battle that way might just get you a Victoria Cross/Medal of Honor (substitute other appropriate decoration here), but it is far more likely to cause the aforementioned medical condition ("death"), and get your family a nice visit from the CO and the Padre.
Now I realise that The Division is set up to be an exhibition of unrestrained douche-baggery, allowing you to charge the enemy and get away with it, and letting you screw your team over at will (especially in the Dark Zone), but to be honest, I find it much more annoying to have repeat a whole stage from a checkpoint because John bloody Rambo over there charged off to be a hero and left a bloody great hole in the team that the enemy promptly and happily exploits.
To end on a less serious note, here are some extracts from Murphy's Laws of War that should keep you going for a while (any gamers who are also actual veterans will know exactly what these mean!):
a) Friendly fire...isn't.
b) Interchangeable parts...don't.
c) Preventative maintenance...doesn't.
d) The most dangerous thing on the battlefield is a junior officer with a map.
e) B-52...the ultimate close-support weapon.
f) Don't be conspicuous. In combat, this draws enemy fire. Out of combat, it draws NCOs.
Hope you've either learned something or had a cheap laugh (or possibly both!). Have fun, and I'll see you on the streets...
1) Do not step into your buddy's line of fire.
In the real world, this is a very good way to get hit by incoming fire from both directions. In the game, it is bloody annoying and will cause your buddy to burn through half a magazine unnecessarily because he/she can't see round your fat arse. It also means that your buddy can't kill the enemy he/she was shooting at who might just go on to kill you.
2) Use the buddy system - triangulate your fire.
In the real world, this is used to keep the enemy's head down while your mate sneaks round the side to flank him. In the game, it's a very good way to drop those bloody annoying shotgun-wielding scouts before they rush up and slaughter the entire team. The general idea is to have you, your mate and the enemy form the three points of a triangle (hence "triangulation") while keeping enough distance between you and your mate that you can't both be taken out by a single well-placed grenade.
3) Charging the enemy Rambo-style rarely works.
In the real world, you would almost certainly end up very dead very quickly. Rambo's lifespan in actual combat would be measured in nanoseconds if he tried to swan around through live fire, as proven by experience in Afghanistan and various other wonderful holiday destinations. In the game, you are likely to get shot down, leaving your team one short and having to come and rescue/revive your arse with fewer resources.
4) Fire in bursts.
In the real world, and in the game, barrel-climb will cause you to burn through half a magazine without actually hitting the enemy. You waste ammunition, and while you're trying to get your weapon back on target, the enemy runs up and shoots you in the naughty bits from a range of about two feet. In the real world, this would hurt (very briefly) before causing a medical condition technically known as "death." Which would suck. In the game, this means your team-mates have to leave their nice secure firing positions to come and get you, which could get them killed, which would also suck. Getting your team-mates injured/killed because you were careless is not considered a path to promotion and a long military career in most real-world military units.
5) Try to collapse in or near cover.
In the real world, this means that the medic can actually concentrate on saving your arse, instead of being distracted by all that rather inconvenient incoming 12.5mm machine-gun fire. In the game, it means that your team-mates can sprint up, drop into cover and then revive you without getting killed themselves and making the revival problem worse.
6) Work as a team.
If your team-mates are being held up by incoming fire, think about taking the time to take the pressure off them. Rather than charging into battle guns blazing a la Butch and Sundance, this means that your team can come and save your arse when you get into trouble, and also that they are also more likely to come and save your arse, as you've just done the same for them. In real combat, charging into battle that way might just get you a Victoria Cross/Medal of Honor (substitute other appropriate decoration here), but it is far more likely to cause the aforementioned medical condition ("death"), and get your family a nice visit from the CO and the Padre.
Now I realise that The Division is set up to be an exhibition of unrestrained douche-baggery, allowing you to charge the enemy and get away with it, and letting you screw your team over at will (especially in the Dark Zone), but to be honest, I find it much more annoying to have repeat a whole stage from a checkpoint because John bloody Rambo over there charged off to be a hero and left a bloody great hole in the team that the enemy promptly and happily exploits.
To end on a less serious note, here are some extracts from Murphy's Laws of War that should keep you going for a while (any gamers who are also actual veterans will know exactly what these mean!):
a) Friendly fire...isn't.
b) Interchangeable parts...don't.
c) Preventative maintenance...doesn't.
d) The most dangerous thing on the battlefield is a junior officer with a map.
e) B-52...the ultimate close-support weapon.
f) Don't be conspicuous. In combat, this draws enemy fire. Out of combat, it draws NCOs.
Hope you've either learned something or had a cheap laugh (or possibly both!). Have fun, and I'll see you on the streets...
!
