A small guide to iron gator.
I know, I'm stating a lot of obvious things, but since I've playes iron gator for a few hours myself, I'm pretty sure, that lots of ppl don't even have a clue on the tactics of the map. So I decided to write down some thoughts on it, take it or leave it. I haven't found something like this by searching, so I hope, I'm not covering too much already stated by other.
First thing you have to understand is that iron gator is about teamplay. Considering all the other maps in SF or even in vanilla, I can't think of anyone, which requires so much of it (maybe Wake, but not to the full
extent). The first misconception is, that the seals are always in advantage. This is true if neither team
has team players on it and both teams just play the obvious tactics. If the MEC acts as a team, the odds are quite fair, maybe even a little bit in the advantage of MEC. This arises from the air superiority of the MEC, I will come to that later.
A better tactic for the MEC:
In more than 60% of the games, I've always seen the obvious tactic, MEC grabs the helicopters, fly a wide angle to end on the flight deck (to avod the Anti-Air of the Essex) with the hope of getting down a squad or at least one or two soldiers who can enter the gator. Some people go for boats and are almost every time killed by the rocket launchers from the flight deck (It must be very, very difficult to understand, that there is NO Chance of surviving in this tiny little things an assault of half a dozen decent rocket slingers. Some ppl. are ever more stupid and enter the field of fire of the essex Anti-Air Gun. Great Idea, easy targets......).
This tactic is so predictable, that it stinks. Its by far a better idea to attack the other side of the gator. Why ? Because the rocket slingers don't have an open field and it is much easier to have one or two squad leaders hidden on the upper towers, where their squads can spawn and take one flag trough sheer masses.
So, but what about the Essex Anti-Air, which will shot down the Transport Heli ? Easy enough, it is a sitting duck, and this is a mayor disadvantage. MEC has a tunguska, which can be taken to the shore and can trash this Anti-Air in no time. But even if the tunguska is destroyed (or occupied by some noobish idiot), two or three rocket slingers can do the job, if their sighting range is 100%. This can sometimes (if the seal commander is a noob) be even done by one rocket slinger alone (I had a game, where I killed someone in the Anti-Air 4 times in a row, just by shooting my rocket from the shore.).
However, there is a counter tactic to this. The seal commander can drop a box near the Anti-Air (which he should do anyway), causing a constant repair. But even with this, 2 or 3 rocket slingers should be enough to
keep the Anti-Air long enough destroyed, to allow the transport to reach the upper towers.
What about the appache ? Well, nothing about it. This is the third part or the team aspect, air superiority. First, there is a tunguska, when standing at the shore (where it should always be), the appache has always to hide behind the gator, crippling its usability by far. This can also be accomplished by manning the normals GLAs (its by FAR better to sit in such a GLA, surpressing the Appache, when MEC hasn't a flag on
the gator than dying a meaningless death in a futile attempt to enter the gator trough the boat dock.)
Since the Essex' Anti-Air should be destroyed, the HIND can either help and watch over the transport or kill the Apache trough a well placed TV Missile, since it has the advantage of height (unluckily, trough unknown reasons, most Gunners in SF don't even know how TV Missile is spelled ....). Alternatively you can rape the flight deck to make the seals loose some tickets. When you do, NEVER, NEVER give in to the temptation of standing in the air to give your gunner a better aim. This is a HIND, it is meant for rotating around a target, change your spin and vector every second, rockets are the only danger you are facing, gunfire is almost useless against the armor of a HIND.
So whats the point in having this one flag ? The point is, that the team needs only one other to even the odds (with a light favor) and two to have a mayor advantage. The HIND is almost every time in the hands to MEC (unless the MEC Commanders lets somone steal it), the Appache can be stolen, when one of the two upper flags of the gator are MEC. Having both gunships makes the MEC holding both upper flags very easy, even wreaking havok to the outer gangways. The main advantage at this point is that MEC has an uncappable base with a helicopter, while the seals can loose theirs. The second is, that MEC Special Ops can keep down the UAV with C4, while MEC can always use UAV. When not too much tickets are lost by getting the first point, MEC is clearly in the advantage.
If you liked this guide, feel free to tell me, so I might write the second part, which should cover counter tactics for the seals.
I know, I'm stating a lot of obvious things, but since I've playes iron gator for a few hours myself, I'm pretty sure, that lots of ppl don't even have a clue on the tactics of the map. So I decided to write down some thoughts on it, take it or leave it. I haven't found something like this by searching, so I hope, I'm not covering too much already stated by other.
First thing you have to understand is that iron gator is about teamplay. Considering all the other maps in SF or even in vanilla, I can't think of anyone, which requires so much of it (maybe Wake, but not to the full
extent). The first misconception is, that the seals are always in advantage. This is true if neither team
has team players on it and both teams just play the obvious tactics. If the MEC acts as a team, the odds are quite fair, maybe even a little bit in the advantage of MEC. This arises from the air superiority of the MEC, I will come to that later.
A better tactic for the MEC:
In more than 60% of the games, I've always seen the obvious tactic, MEC grabs the helicopters, fly a wide angle to end on the flight deck (to avod the Anti-Air of the Essex) with the hope of getting down a squad or at least one or two soldiers who can enter the gator. Some people go for boats and are almost every time killed by the rocket launchers from the flight deck (It must be very, very difficult to understand, that there is NO Chance of surviving in this tiny little things an assault of half a dozen decent rocket slingers. Some ppl. are ever more stupid and enter the field of fire of the essex Anti-Air Gun. Great Idea, easy targets......).
This tactic is so predictable, that it stinks. Its by far a better idea to attack the other side of the gator. Why ? Because the rocket slingers don't have an open field and it is much easier to have one or two squad leaders hidden on the upper towers, where their squads can spawn and take one flag trough sheer masses.
So, but what about the Essex Anti-Air, which will shot down the Transport Heli ? Easy enough, it is a sitting duck, and this is a mayor disadvantage. MEC has a tunguska, which can be taken to the shore and can trash this Anti-Air in no time. But even if the tunguska is destroyed (or occupied by some noobish idiot), two or three rocket slingers can do the job, if their sighting range is 100%. This can sometimes (if the seal commander is a noob) be even done by one rocket slinger alone (I had a game, where I killed someone in the Anti-Air 4 times in a row, just by shooting my rocket from the shore.).
However, there is a counter tactic to this. The seal commander can drop a box near the Anti-Air (which he should do anyway), causing a constant repair. But even with this, 2 or 3 rocket slingers should be enough to
keep the Anti-Air long enough destroyed, to allow the transport to reach the upper towers.
What about the appache ? Well, nothing about it. This is the third part or the team aspect, air superiority. First, there is a tunguska, when standing at the shore (where it should always be), the appache has always to hide behind the gator, crippling its usability by far. This can also be accomplished by manning the normals GLAs (its by FAR better to sit in such a GLA, surpressing the Appache, when MEC hasn't a flag on
the gator than dying a meaningless death in a futile attempt to enter the gator trough the boat dock.)
Since the Essex' Anti-Air should be destroyed, the HIND can either help and watch over the transport or kill the Apache trough a well placed TV Missile, since it has the advantage of height (unluckily, trough unknown reasons, most Gunners in SF don't even know how TV Missile is spelled ....). Alternatively you can rape the flight deck to make the seals loose some tickets. When you do, NEVER, NEVER give in to the temptation of standing in the air to give your gunner a better aim. This is a HIND, it is meant for rotating around a target, change your spin and vector every second, rockets are the only danger you are facing, gunfire is almost useless against the armor of a HIND.
So whats the point in having this one flag ? The point is, that the team needs only one other to even the odds (with a light favor) and two to have a mayor advantage. The HIND is almost every time in the hands to MEC (unless the MEC Commanders lets somone steal it), the Appache can be stolen, when one of the two upper flags of the gator are MEC. Having both gunships makes the MEC holding both upper flags very easy, even wreaking havok to the outer gangways. The main advantage at this point is that MEC has an uncappable base with a helicopter, while the seals can loose theirs. The second is, that MEC Special Ops can keep down the UAV with C4, while MEC can always use UAV. When not too much tickets are lost by getting the first point, MEC is clearly in the advantage.
If you liked this guide, feel free to tell me, so I might write the second part, which should cover counter tactics for the seals.
