Re: Integrating Snipers into DirtSide II

Michael Brown wrote:

> Old war story time:). I had a PSG that served a couple tours in
Vietnam.  In
> the course of his travels in the 11th ACR a fellow TC was shot by a
sniper,
> said shot shattering his jaw.  As this TC had just gotten back from
having
> dental work done, this served to mightily piss him off.  Using 152mm
Beehive
> rounds he went after all likely locations until the sniper (or parts
of him)
> was found.
>

A. How long did it take for them to get their shit together and and fire
at every
likely location then sit there and wait for the medevac to come and
evacutaing the
wounded TC? WHile at the same time sending grunts out to all these
locations to
look for the (supid because he didn't relocate like he should have)
sniper.
B: What was happening to their mission they were supposed to be
conducting at the
time while they were doing all that?

If the answer was "fifteen minutes" (no doubt it was longer by the time
they moved
out again.) Then you've just described Suppression. That's one of the
snipers jobs.
Take a few pot shots, hopefully hit somebody, then everything stops for
a while  so
they can hunt down the sniper and medevac casualties. That's
suppression. The fact
that the sniper (probably just a sharpshooter left behind to cause
trouble was
killed was immaterial to the reason he was put there to take that shot
and the
effect it had on the target unit.

Los

>
> FWIW
>
> Michael Brown
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:   Los [SMTP:los@cris.com]
> Sent:   Tuesday, September 07, 1999 1:57 PM
> To:	  gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
> Subject:	  Re: Integrating Snipers into DirtSide II
>
> bbrush@rev.state.ne.us wrote:
>
> > Ok, maybe I'm dense or maybe I just don't get it, but DSII is
primarily an
> armor
> > game, and what little I've read about tanks and snipers indicated
that
> snipers
> > just do NOT like tanks, and generally won't stay set up in the same
area
> where
> > there are armor units.
> >
>
> That's ridiculous. (Sort of like saying why have vehicle rules in
Stargrunt
> since
> it's primarily an infantry game)  Dirtside has infantry and other
units too,
> and it
> is the successful intergration of all those elements into a  combined
arms
> force
> that makes for challenge and victory.
>
> > The primary example I have of this is "Tank Sergeant" written by
Ralph
> Zumbro.
> > He served in an armor unit in Vietnam, and in his experience the VC
snipers
> > would leave the area almost as soon as a tank would show up.  The
reason for
> > this was that if there was any sniper activity, the tanks would lay
a couple
> of
> > 90mm rounds into the area where the sniper was set up, or if the
sniper could
> be
> > accurately located, they would take out the tree, and the sniper all
in one
> > operation.
> >
>
> That assumes, (as was usually NOT the case, particularly with good
snipers that
> don't fire more than once or twice from the same location) that you
even know
> where
> the shot is coming from. Heck. Here you are with your tank platoon in
heavy
> terrain.
> The lead TC get's his head blown off, EVERYBODY immediately buttons
up. Now
> who's
> going to find the sniper? (You can't hear him from inside the tank.)
The PBI of
> course. But that serves to suppress and take time. There are numerous
accounts
> of
> tank commanders and other crewmen being killed by snipers since the
beginning
> of
> tank warfare, which generally serves to degrade the platoon's
effectiveness
> especially in the short term as the platoons gets itself sorted out
and as
> individual tanks are forced to button-up and thus reduce control
effectiveness
> and
> situational awareness.) And even if you don't screw with the tanks but
with
> their
> accompanying infantry you end up with the same situations since tanks
that go
> forward into constricted terrain without infantry support are asking
for it.
>
> And keep in mind that stargrunt features snipers with heavy
anti-material
> sniping
> weapons. Accuracy combined with punch could serve to kill even
partuially
> exposes
> crewmen regardless of their personaly armor and helmets or accurately
target
> vulnerable portions of the tank such vision blocks, sensors, comms
arrays, etc.
>
> It makes for an interesting "flavor" option for the game.
> cheers...
> Los