Just a friendly suggestion, but would you be able to break that into paragraphs? Not sure if you used the bbcode, it might not work here.

I always like to read what others have to say ^_^. I just spend so much time reading books for class and whatever I like to give my eyes a little break :P.

Hey all, I'm an EVE player and FPS lover, so I figured I'd lay out some of my early observations on the kinds of strategies this game calls for. I'm interested to hear how you all respond to this, maybe I'm missing something and maybe we as a community can hone in on some ways to improve this already addictive game.

You've surely all figured this out by now, but this game requires teamwork in a big way. The last time I saw a FPS that benefits as much from coordinated networks of players was when I played World War II Online. I mean this on the micro (squad) level and the macro (placement of vehicles, installations, and coordination of squads) level. At the smaller level, and this area is in dire need of improvement in public matches, everyone should have someone to cover their backs. I don't just mean looking out for bad guys that your partner didn't see, I also mean being able to provide alternating suppressive fire when your partner is reloading or bugging out to heal after a big hit.

This game isn't like battlefield, which was a hard conversion for me since I'm so used to being able to duck, dive, and generally ninja-dipset out of any situation and wipe out my opponent with swift, well placed shots. This game is slow, hard to maneuver, and frankly I think that sprinting is already due for an upgrade because it's far too finicky. If the opponent gets the first hit on you (and you aren't a heavy suit) then you need to back off with your clumsy self, and you need someone to do DPS and draw fire while you bug out. That will double your survival rate, easily.

It's really like a less polished style of Halo combat. Halo is an amazing series and one of my all time favorites, but even in Halo movement is smooth and effective. Also, reloading in this game seems to truly stink. Since there are so many things that can hang up your ability to reply with bullets, and since the play is comparatively static, it's critical to have combined firepower for continuous damage outlay and to maximize positional advantages in lieu of swift runs and turns. Also, don't run into the open or give your position away unless you are comfortable with that location as your place to do battle.

The next area at the micro level is diversity . A squad should always have an active medic, who knows to make sure that whatever killed you is neutralized before you are revived, and who heals you after the revival. I am noticing a sore lack of active, situationally aware medics. A revive or two in the right circumstances can turn the game around. A heavy is important for oh-**** moments as a 'tank' a-la WoW.

I saw a speech from an American Medal of Honor recipient, and he highlighted that when his squad was ambushed on open ground, his buddy with the SAW immediately began spitting bullets like dragon fire, and that massive burst of bullets drew fire off the rest of the squad and allowed them to maneuver into a better position, and allowed the MoH recipient time to sprint past the suppressed enemy line and save his friend who was being carried off by enemy combatants.

Heavies are also perfect for a covered advance across open ground, maybe with some counter-snipers to pick off enemy sharpshooters and give a safer environment for charging assaulters. I would lean towards the other squaddies being assault type. Snipers have a critical role in this game but so far it seems that some maps are 'sniper maps' and others less so, and it can mean victory or defeat if you decide to blanket a given map with sniper cover, but ultimately snipers aren't a total requirement in medium to short range areas.

I honestly haven't used vehicles much to this point, but you have to expect that their role on the battlefield is going to mushroom as the community develops. In WWIIOL I was a strict infantry man but in Battlefield I always killed it with vehicles so I look forward to applying them in this game to great effect. The ultimate use of vehicles is in reciprocal fire-and-maneuver with attached infantry units. Also, if you see an ally hacking a null cannon then don't run right up there and just stare at him/her. Move to a secure spot and cover the hack from on-coming foes. Don't just walz up to a console and start hacking without clearing the area first, unless you're trying to be sneaky and draw combatants away from your actual assault vector.

At the macro level, I'm noticing that clever placement of spawns, turrets, and non-NC geography makes a huge difference. I anticipate that this game will be more like chess than an FPS when corps have multiple squads being ordered by a general, with strategic supply drops and troop movements coming into play. Teams who have someone in a key turret with another player outside the turret warding off hackers and mopping up what the turret can't hit will command a massive area of the map in many situations.

Don't underestimate this, and make sure that if you find yourself on the wrong end of that setup, you get a coordinated strike team together and attempt to dismantle the enemy nest with efficiency. You can't haphazardly throw yourselves into that and expect to retake the position without a LOT of clone expense. Get coordinated assets on that as fast as possible and make the enemy nest your asset, or destroy it. To decide between claiming and destroying is a cost/benefit decision that you need to make in the situation at hand.

I'm going to stop writing and let you guys respond/modify/troll while I play a quick match.

It seems that weapon swapping sometimes makes you reload faster? Is it just me or can I cut off the animation when I switch weapons but not when I perform a stamina required movement?