Standard Qualification 1: Difference between revisions

There are a large theoretical group of formations that exist which have arguable uses depending on the circumstances. For SQ-1, we are going to go over 4 of them. Generally speaking formations are decided upon by the fireteam or squad leader. The idea is to know them so you can fall into the formation with minimal assistance. Knowing their uses is also good for your general education and allows you to anticipate a situation your leadership may be expecting.  

 

[[File:GQI1-formation-wedge.png|none|thumb|359x359px|A visual depiction of a wedge formation.]]

A wedge is a good all-around formation that has favorable utility in most situations. The wedge is simple to form and the ability to shift the formation to more adequately engage contact is easily accomplished. This formation is advisable for when moving around areas where enemy contact could come from any direction.

[[File:GQI1-formation-line.png|none|thumb|A visual depiction of a line formation.|358x358px]]

A line is a good formation for moving towards a position known or anticipated to possess OPFOR and bringing the maximum amount of firepower to bear in as quick a time as is possible. The major downside is that there is little to no means to ward off being flanked, and if the formation is ''too'' tightly controlled, players may focus ''so much'' on maintaining the formation they fail to give adequate focus on the position they are going towards.

That said, it is natural for a line to not be perfectly straight and sorta morph into a mini-wedge as the advance progresses. Again, trying too hard to maintain a straight line can be detrimental. Focus on the idea of what the line is attempting to accomplish {{Emdash}} maximum firepower as quickly as possible {{Emdash}} and try to maintain the formation to meet that goal.

A standard column {{Emdash}} that is, a column which is not staggered {{Emdash}} is functionally a line formation but instead of being side-to-side everyone is back-to-back. Put another way, you simply follow the leader. It is incredibly easy to make and maintain, requiring little brain power, and so it's useful for quick traversal.  

The staggered variation as shown in the above diagram is simply a standard column but half of the line shifts to the right or left, creating 2 parallel yet unequal columns which head in the same direction. A staggered column is classified as marginally safer than the standard variation given there is less cross-fire by it's nature. It is very likely going to be the formation used when traveling on a road.

A column regardless of type is extremely vulnerable to attacks from the direct front and rear, given the inability for everyone to quickly engage due to cross-fire, but it is fairly resilient to attacks from the sides since everyone ''can'' engage without risk of cross-fire.

Various members may refer to this as "spacing" or an "interval". The terms are the same. It is the distance you are maintaining between yourself and the other people in your fireteam. It is advised, for everyone's safety, that you maintain 5-10 meters of spacing between yourself and any other member of your fireteam. This limits the effectiveness of ordinance with an area of effect, such as grenades or artillery.

A very good way to see if your spacing is appropriate is to look at the HUD at the bottom middle of your screen. When in a fireteam or squad, you will see arrows representing your fellow soldiers that showcase their approximate position relative to you and where they are looking. These icons are white unless changed to another color at the direction of leadership. When you are too close, both you and the other person's icon will turn orange, and it will be abundantly clear you are both overlapping. This should be corrected immediately unless there is a valid reason for it (e.g you are carrying a downed person).

[[File:GQI1-high-low-nono.png|thumb|354x354px|A visual showcase of a ''high-low'' utilized by the men on the left. EDC does ''not'' use this tactic.]]

Peripherally related, a common military tactic seen in media is to have one riflemen stand while another crouches in-front of them, then they both shoot in the same direction. This theoretically allows double the firepower to be aimed in a direction while costing the same amount of space. However, the odds of this resulting in a teamkill or cross-fire is much higher than you think it is. Yes, even higher still. Thus, this tactic {{Emdash}} sometimes referred to as "high-low" {{Emdash}} is strongly discouraged in EDC.

{{Note|There is a theoretical pace faster than sprinting, which is sprinting with your weapon fully put away by pressing {{Key press|0}}. This is idiotic in most situations and ''highly discouraged'', bordering prohibited.|type=error}}

 

Your stamina is represented by horizontal bars that are beneath the area of your HUD where your weapon ''bracing'' or ''resting'' was discussed. At full stamina, the bar is invisible, and denotes you are fully rested. As your stamina depletes, the bar will slowly become visible. Once reaching dangerous levels, it will begin to morph into a shade of red before denoting full depletion.

There are a total of 7 states of movement speed. The faster you are, the faster your stamina depletes. Your weapon being up depletes your stamina faster than not, regardless of speed. These factors stack.  

The 7 (with an index of 0) states of movement are:

In a warfare simulator, you are never ''really'' safe. A mission creator is within their rights to have you spawn into contact {{Emdash}} it's just rarely done. The point is, your head should always be on a swivel. By this, we mean you should be free looking by pressing {{Key press|LAlt}} ''liberally'' to continuously scan your environment for threats or anything else worthy of telling your fellow soldiers.

This doesn't mean you ''never'' rest your attention {{Emdash}} this is still a game {{Emdash}} but there shouldn't be prolonged periods of mindlessness. If you are walking in a column, chatting with your buds, and you are deciding what you want for dinner in an hour and have zoned out, you are likely messing up.

This applies even at a stationary place, like a compound, and you aren't one of the lucky ones clearing it. You should then be maintaining security of the compound's surroundings. This means you find a sector (e.g general direction) no one is covering, then cover it by focusing on it and scanning it for threats. If you notice everyone around you goofing off, it is entirely acceptable to politely remind your mates to find sectors to secure. This is important to avoid ambushes or contact getting close unexpectedly.  

Something to become aware of, however, is tunnel vision. This is very common when actively engaging contact, where an entire's squads focus is on said contact. While the squad should be engaging to eliminate them, if ''no one'' is bothering to look around or keep in mind other sectors, that might spell disaster for the squad. This becomes progressively more important the higher on the chain of command you are.

* '''Alert''' {{Emdash}} Notify your element you see contact

 

First, '''alert''' your element. Some ways of doing this include yelling "''Contact!''", "''Enemy!''", "''Red air!''", and so on. If the contact isn't an immediate threat (e.g they are sky lining a hill multiple hundreds of meters away), you should still alert, but you can be less dramatic to set the tone. This sobers everyone up.

 

Second, '''orient''' your element to the direction of the contact. In order of preference, it's: cardinal direction (e.g "''North!''", "''South east!''"), clock bearing where element's direction of travel is 12 o'clock (e.g "''3 o'clock!''"), and then relative bearing (e.g "''Right!''", "''Left!''"). If the hostile is close enough to where it's an imminent threat, append ''any'' kind of phraseology that gives off urgency. This is normally done by yelling "''Close!"''.

 

Third, '''describe''' to the element the contact type. By default, without this, it's assumed the contact is infantry unless there is context to the contrary.<ref>This isn't good or bad, per say, just an observation of typical behavior.</ref> Examples of this include "''Infantry!''", "''APC!''", "''Tank!''", "''Armor!''", "''Helicopter!''", etc. The more specific you are capable of being, the better.

 

Lastly, '''expound''' on anything pertinent. What to add here will come with experience. You are doing more than fine as a riflemen if you consistently give an alert, orientation, and description. As an example for '''expound'''... is the contact approaching the element or going further away? If you spotted infantry, and your buddies are in a vehicle, do you see anyone with AT? Things like that. If you didn't give a range during '''orient''', ''now'' is the time to do it {{Emdash}} range is '''required''', even if it isn't ''specific'' (e.g saying "''Medium!''" or "''Far!''" is fine).