Tips
Verified by: exploding typhoon
Bogus Report:
There are some keys to staying alive in Big Red One. I'm not talking about on easy, where gameplay is, well, easy. Normal and Hard are much more difficult. I've created a list of important tricks:
1. Listen to what your men say. A man who doesn't know what to do is usually dead. Make sure you know exactly what to do and where to go so you don't take a blind shot in the back of the head. This includes looking at your HED (radar in the bottom left) to see where friendlies, bogeys, and objectives are.
2. Master the "art" of charging. Never, NEVER, ever rush out into the open unless you know what you're doing. Wait until the enemy has fired about 4 shots with a rifle, or about 12-15 shots with an automatic before charging. This will ensure that they are reloading. ALWAYS charge with a full clip of amunition AND an automatic.
Let's face it: Taking 8 quick shots at the enemy with an M1 Garand will force you into hand-to-hand combat, which is a death wish if nearby enemys have a clear shot. Before rushing forward, lob a grenade to your objective postition to soften up the resistance. Don't head straight forward. If you will, it will allow the enemy to get a clear shot at you , and their fire will suppress, you wont be able to move, and down you go. Instead, charge in a zig-zag motion weeving back and forth, keeping your site on one target.
Fire in short burst while you charge, to both keep the enemy behind cover and not run out of ammo. When you reach the spot you were aiming to get to, quickly use your final rounds to terminate any remaining enemies that have a shot at you and reload. If you run out of ammo before you get to your target, hit the dirt to reload if you are still a distance away.
If less than two seconds away, charge at it anyways and take out the enemy with melee attacks (wack them with your gun, and timing is key). If you get caught by a machine gun (MG42 or likewise), hit the dirt and fire at the nest. There's a good chance that you're going to die, so give it up if there's no cover. In the event that your charge takes you in the path of a machine gun, consider other options. However, if the charge is still vital, focus all of your fire at the machine gun nest.
If you're lucky, a few shots will hit the gunner and you'll have a few seconds to run before the next gunner takes his place. It may work in online play, but in single player, never jump while you charge. The enemies aim at your chest, and with you moving up and down, it increases the chance of them getting a head shot. If there is an enemy between you and your charging objective, take a few rounds into his chest (if you're a bad shot) and then finish him off with a wack. If you are an excellent marksman, it is almost as good of an option to snipe a few heads with a rifle to clear your path immediately, and then quickly switch to an automatic for a charge with slightly less resistance.
3. Master the "art" of sniping. What can you do if a division of Nazi's are closing in on your position across a far distance? Take out 15 men with 15 Carbine headshots. 8 men with 8 M1 Garand headshots. 10 men with 10 Gewher 43 headshots. Even bolt actions can do the trick. Sniping is simple; shoot a man in the head. It sounds easier than it is...usually. It can take many shots or a lot of time to line up your shot...usually. It even takes an artists sensitive hands...usually.
For those of, you who aren't naturally gifted, there is one trick that can get you sniping like the guy in Saving Private Ryan; lower the analog sensitivity. Vertical is more useful. Unfortunately, doing this lowers turning speed, but if you just can't get that headshot every time, I recommend starting here. One thing of note is that if you're aiming from down low, aim slightly up, at the top of the head. If aiming from up high, aim for about the neck.
On the German sniper rifles, remember that the hight in the scope isn't the top of the center crosshair, it's at the level of the horizontals. And remember, the main key to sniping is to adjust in small, slow movements of the analog stick. If you want or need practice, play on piano Lupo, the one in Italy where you are in the open countryside.
4. Lean. Never underestimate the power of leaning to one side. It exposes less of your body and makes it much harder for the Krauts to hit you. Enough said.
5. Learn how trench fighting works for you. There are many ways to fight in the trenches. Experiment with each, and find which works best for you. There's the sit back and snipe method, which exposes you AND the enemy, so whoever gets shot first wins. For this method, use a rifle, find some decently high ground, and let your squad move ahead to expose the enemy's positions. Just make sure you're a good shot and you can snipe quickly, or you and your boys are screwed.
Another method involves a series of charges from hole to hole. Most trenches have little notches in them for Nazis.
There's nothing that says you can't use that against them. Use the charge directions as specified above, and bunker those Nazis Private Ryan style. I like to use a combination of sniping and charging, to make it a little more fun while maintaining a reasonable fight. I don't like the third method. The third method is to crouch and crawl your way forwards, lobbing grenades around every corner.
I hate this way because it leaves you exposed quite a bit, and you'll run out of grenades for sticky situations. Still, I've seen it work with some people...somehow. I still don't know how they did it, coming out of that trench with full health... If you still need practice, Crucifix hill is a great trench fighting map.
6. With grenades, timing is everything. If you just tap the grenade button, you'll find that the enemies will run away, feeling no or little effects. Hold the button too long, and you'll find your grenade exploding before it gets to your target: no good. Be careful not to frag your own man. If he says he's going in, let him go in, and don't throw a grenade in after. With practice, grenades will become an important part of your strategy.
7. Don't, DO NOT, DON'T EVER make stupid mistakes. When friendly fire is on, don't go careless with a long spray and shoot your own guy ten times by mistake. If you do, say bye bye to Charlie. Do it too many times and you wont have ANY help. Say bye bye to yourself. DON'T rush into a room or around a corner without at least peeking to see what's there. NEVER rush into the open without cover fire or when the enemy is firing. When you stop to take aim at an enemy that is shooting at you (which is ill advised in the first place), DON'T keep standing. At least go to a crouch, or go prone if you can.
8. Never take a straight-on-right-down-the-middle-of-the-road approach unless you have to. Flank the enemy if you can, and if you can't, at least stick to the side of the road where there's cover. Heading straight up the middle -even if you're prone- can be suicide. This includes machine gun nests. Don't try to waltz right up their alley or they'll tear your flesh apart. Even if you do survive, the next headshot you take could be your last.
9. When using a portable heavy machine gun (one you can hold at your waist), don't shoot while moving or standing. If you do, it'll take 10+ rounds to hit the enemy once. If you hold L1, the game will automatically lie you prone and set up the gun's bipod, giving a huge boost in accuracy and recoil. Note that the machine guns can also be set up on obstacles through out the field such as boxes, half walls, sandbags, and windowsills by holding L1.
10. Choose the best weapons as you go switching only if the need arises or you run out of ammo. The Carbine is the best rifle with 15 semi-auto rounds. The BAR is the best automatic rifle. The Tommy Gun (Thompson) is easily the best submachine gun with it's awsome rate of fire. Not that you have a choice, but the MG42 is the best machine gun and the Panzerschreck tankhorror is a tank's worst nightmare. Likewise, Tigers (Panzer VI's) are better than shermans that are better than Panzer IV's that are better than Stuarts...not that that matters...
The Springfield '03 and Kar98 sniper rifles are equal, but I like the Springfield better because of it's scope variance. If you have a choice between a sniper rifle and regular rifle, decide based on the terrain that's coming up. However, if there's less than a clip left in the sniper rifle, choose the latter.
Know that if you have a choice between a submachine gun and an automatic rifle, always choose the automatic rifle. (BAR, MP44, MP 40, and the french one [who cares what it's called] ) over the submachine guns (Thompson, The French one [who cares what it's called], and the sucky one from Italy). Never choose the Kar98, French bolt-action rifle (who cares what it's called), or the Italian one unless you're out of ammo with another gun.
11.Tanks...Tanks...Tanks... Pretty simple: Make sure you realize that the aim center is not at the level of the horizontal crosshairs, but slightly below where the three crosshairs actually meet. Always move while in a tank. It doesn't matter what direction or anything, but as long as you're moving, it'll be extremely hard for tanks and panzerschrecks to hit you (but still not so hard for Flak88's for some reason, hmmm...). Just a good rule of thumb, don't stop. Not even when waiting for the rest of your tank division. Drive in circles if you have to, just don't stop. Fire the tank machine gun only at panzerschrek/panzerfaust men. Don't waste it on other infantry that can't hurt you. Fire it in short burst so that a reload doesn't screw you over.
12. Lastly, integrate to keep it fun. If it isn't fun, you wont do well. By integrate, I mean mix things up once in a while. Try a charge when you normally wouldn't. Try sniping in a close-quarters environment. Try doing a level with bolt-actions only (once you obtain them). Try seeing how many headshots in a row you get. Keep doing things different, and I promise that it'll be more interesting.
That way you can make the most out of $20 (at least that's how much I paid for it). Even try doing charges and taking positions that make no sense. Once I found a glitch doing that. Never get mad or frustrated. I know a guy that got so frustrated at a game one time that he chucked his controllor through the TV.
Tip: don't do that. Remember, have fun.
