[Ninja2dan]

Originally Posted by Kyle

Perhaps I need to dig up some of his old manuals, and make them handy?

It would depend on which MOS he served as. I served as both 11B (Infantry) and 13B (Field Artillery), and still have access to a large portion of my old field manuals. I was also an instructor for several courses, and have TM's, FM's, STP's, etc for quite a few MOS's other than my primaries. The question is really going to be which type of reference materials would be useful for the modding "team" (R@S and any other coders, animators, model artists, etc).

If anyone does need a particular reference item, I can find a way to upload it. If I don't have it myself, and it's not on the restricted list, I'm sure I can get it. Just bare in mind that a lot of material is either still restricted, or has been placed back on the restricted list since 9/11. Just because a manual cover states "Approved for public distribution" doesn't mean it still has retained that status now, so care must be made to ensure the material is legal for public viewing.

A while ago, I did some research into how camouflage works in real life on the human mind. Patterned camouflage is ideal if the wearer is not moving, and/or moving very slowly (reflecting what you said Ninja2dan), but is actually easier to spot when the wearer is moving (weird!). If one is moving, solid colors that approximate the surrounding environment makes that wearer harder to discern (weird!). I see that some countries now are painting their larger vehicles in very chunky and blocky "camouflages," which I assume is to try and take advantage of the human mind's weaknesses at seeing a set of solid-colors in motion.

The majority of modern camouflage patters have been designed to blend into the environment from various distances, even when the wearer is moving at a "light" speed. But it doesn't matter how good the camo is, anyone running across a field is going to be spotted. So yes, rapid movement even in camouflage is going to give your position away. But if moving slowly and precisely, as Snipers are trained to do, your camouflage can keep you nearly invisible even at a close range. In other words, no swatting at mosquitos.

In regards to a Spotter class... Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Spotters qualified to be Snipers, and isn't it "common" for Spotters and Snipers to switch roles from time to time? If this is the case, then the solution would seem obvious: have binoculars available (to open up the field of vision) and have two Snipers in one's squad.

Correct, the Spotter is nothing more than a regular Sniper really. They both have the same training, although in many circumstances the Spotter is the junior of the two. While both soldiers will often swap out roles to keep from getting fatigued or "tunnel-vision", the senior member of the sniper element is usually the primary shooter.

The Spotter's role is actually a lot more than most movies or games care to show. Obviously the Spotter "spots" targets for the Sniper, but he is also responsible for assisting in target detection and identification, and helping maintain security. Very often you'll see the Spotter armed with an M16A2/M203, which is very effective at helping break contact or engage multiple enemies faster than the Sniper's bolt-action. Even if the Sniper is armed with a semi-auto, their magazine capacities limit their effectiveness if they were compromised.


In a game like this though, I wouldn't really see the point in having two characters that operate as a team having the same Sniper-type skill sets. I would prefer to have my second team member (the Spotter role) trained in decent grenade-launcher skill, good observation/hearing/detection skills, but generally wouldn't need as much focus on long-range precision marksmanship. If you have both members of your sniper team engaging enemies through highly-magnified optics, then your Spotter's supporting capabilities just went out the window.

I'd probably just throw a Scout-type of soldier in as my spotter, get him skilled up with locating and observing targets from a distance, and make sure he is capable of accurate long-ranged UGL fire. If he ever does need to fire his primary weapon, it's most likely going to be automatic fire at close- and medium-ranged targets, and he'll need to rely more on rapid movements, reloads, and quick target transitions instead of slow, precise, long-ranged shots that the Sniper is known for.

Other skills that might be useful for a "spotter" type of role might be some good "engineering" knowledge to deploy defensive countermeasures such as AP mines, or is capable of cutting through fences or picking locks to allow the sniper element to access certain sniper hides.