Heres my idea what if you were to use tactics that professionals (i.e. soldiers, SWAT, military etc.) use in real life, but online in a deathmatch like MW2 or Halo? Like flanking or AGro (one guy get there attention while another attacks). I'd like to try it if I could find people to work with me. Has any one else tried it?

Usually, the trouble is getting people to realise that they aren't God's gift to the game just because they have a sniper rifle.

Teamwork always helps.

Yes, for sure they can. If they can work in real life, unless there is a real pro player and you are a newbie to thte game, it would work.

Those games are too fast-paced to do stuff like that,try playing realistic games like arma 2,operation flashpoint or red orchestra,that would work.

www.neotokyohq.com
There you go. Yes they work and yes they must be used.

Teamwork, in any team based game, is always a big bonus, nearly a necessity. Of course, many games have a much more 'arcadey' style to it, that really lowers the teamwork requirement needed, as well as the tactics and strategy, in order to help facilitate the 'hero' illusion. Games that are usually 'fast paced' won't lend well to real world tactics. At least, not in the medium that I think you're talking about.

Squad tactics work best in games that are First Person Simulations. The closer the simulation, the more valuable those tactics become. As soon as your First Person Simulation becomes a First Person Shooter though, those tactics become less and less important. You take 6 torso shots and live, still able to shoot straight, go and hide, and your life regenerates, allowing you to keep rushing forward... Sort of defeats the purpose of covering fire, doesn't it? Something as simple as covering fire has little place in your standard FPS, as they don't fear the bullet. Even if they do die, they respawn in 10-30 seconds. Big deal.

So, for most games (especially the competitive ones), no, real world small squad tactics won't work. They CAN be modified a bit to help, but those modifications will need to be made seperate for each different game and how they play.

Real world STRATEGIES, however, DO work for all team based games like that. Working together without the lone rebel doing his own thing, Set micro-objectives to achieve the overall objective, striking as a solid unit at an enemy's weak point, etc.

Tactic is how the person or unit fights. Strategy is how the entire army fights. There's a lot more to it then that, but that works for a quick explanation.

So, there's your answer whether you're talking about tactics (like I think you were form your first post) or strategy (as it seems everyone else thinks you're talking about.). Either way, I hope I've helped in some manner.

It is called flanking and suppressive fire.
It is the main reason we have LMG's.
EDIT: However, this does not work as well as it does in real life, simply because the player would not really lose anything by walking into the bullets, as he would simply respawn.

Of course. Even just following the sniper rules of firing one-three shots than moving on. Its interesting just how well genuine military tactics work in video games.

Supressive and psychological attacks rarely work, as the fear of dying is not here, even in 1-life matches, because the player himself is not affected in any way (beyond irritation)

Flanking, ambushes and area-of-denial tactics work beautifully,

A tactic in games that wouldn't work in real life is griefing and "pwnage", causing enraged enemies to slip up more and more before rage-quitting

not really in halo, but maybe in stuff like modern warfare or counter strike.

Instead we have many ingame tactics, that would not work IRL, such as teabagging and trashtalking to affect the enemy morale.

Games like CoD aren't realistic, not merely in terms of the levels of damage players can take (and of course respawning!) but because in real life situations you can't just run and jump around like a crazy fool and get away with it. But I don't blame people for acting like this because they obviously do well from it.
If there was more body-sensitive damage (you get shot in the leg, you limp, etc.) and lower health and stamina levels for players online, then you'd have a more realistic game...and also a more boring one. :(

Yeah, but most people will still tend to just run around like crazy in FPS games shooting anything that moves anyways. Using special tactics would be great, but there are actually a few basic things that I find easy to forget in the heat of battle:

1) Cover - We have a crouch button for a reason. Sprinting across a big open field is a surefire way to get yourself killed. When somebody is shooting at you, don't just stand there looking around for them, hit the deck!

2) Reloading - Reload often, but be careful when you do it. It sucks to run out of ammo in a firefight, but it's even worse to encounter an enemy whom you can't shoot at because you're in the middle of changing clips.

3) Say NO to the "nasty kill" - We've all experienced this before ... you see a sniper camping in front of you, so rather than just shooting him you decide to be "really nasty" and get up behind him for a melee kill, only to have him turn around at the last second and shoot you in the face. It's never worth it. Unless he's already close enough, don't waste your time. A bullet in the back of the skull will do the job MUCH quicker.

4) Stealth - This works better in some FPS's than others. Generally speaking, if people are aware of your presense, then they may be tempted to shoot at you - and you don't want that, trust me. Since you're not running and gunning, not only will you save a lot of ammo, but your enemy will become extremely frustrated at having been killed by an enemy they never even noticed.

5) Patience - This is an extremely simple, but effective trait to have. If an enemy is far away, then rather than shooting them the split second you see them, just take your time. Get closer to them until you have a target you are certain you can hit. Another scenario; an enemy runs around a corner - you chase after him, only to be killed by another three members of his team who happened to also be there. Taking that little extra moment to check for enemies could not only spare your life, but could even bag you another three kills if you were smart enough to think of tossing a grenade.

6) Be cool - I don't mean act like Shaft, I mean don't allow yourself to become too worked up about things. Remember - it's just a game. Becoming overly agressive can seriously hinder your playing ability, especially in Free-For-All gametypes. If you are coninually being killed by the same person over and over again - be cool. If you got caught out by that smarmy camper Generic Ninja Name 117 - be cool. Teamkillers at it again? Don't waste your time settling some imaginary score with them - be cool. If your teammates are shouting abuse down the microphone - be cool (and maybe think about muting them).

Realism, as unrealistic as all these stupid tom clancy wanna-be games still are, is the worst thing to ever happen to FPS games.

Whatever happened to run and gun? Any idiot can point his mouse at something and click it to death, as all these modern FPS games insist you stand still to keep your bullets from coming out of your gun at a 90 degree angle...

There used to be skill in these games. You used to have to know routes and come up with patterns. You had to stay moving like a shark. 2 on 1's or worse were a breeze- because you could kill one guy while dodging the bullets of the other. There were all kinds of ways to run, jump and slide so that facing off against 3 other players in open space wasn't a death sentence.

Now, everyone just wants to get down on their belly and camp away. That's how the 1337 play now. Before we used to ridicule these asshats so bad they'd leave the server crying. It just didn't belong in FPS games years back.

If you think any of this has anything to do with tactics or realism in games being superior you are SORELY mistaken. It's about making games easier. A trend in the industry over the past decade. Why make games easier? So more people play them. Increase your god damn market share and make more money. It's just like bottled water.

No one drank bottled water twenty years ago. But god damn- you start saying tap water tastes like shit, bottle some filtered stuff and you have yourself a multi-billion dollar industry.

Real FPS games don't exist anymore. It's a fallacy like good tap water.

They want them to be easy. They want everyone to get a turn to kill someone. They can't have bunny hopping twitch monkeys mercilessly beating some kid senseless so he never plays anymore, never buys another product again.

So they dumb it down. They slow it down. They bring in game-play mechanics that level the playing field. They call it realism.

Me and a few mates love the tatical shooters. So when we manage to get on MW2 we try our hardest to do some form of tatical manouver. We have had multiple tatics, ranging from AC130 clear path towards target and we just follow the gun fire.

The best though was this morning on Estate. The enemy were camped inside the house (as always). Whole team was equipt with cold blooded and silencers, we didnt want to give ourselves away for this one. Had a small group of people located ont he front door. 3 at the back ready near the greenhouse, a guy waiting ont he ramp that leads intot he balcony and a guy downstairs where the bar is. One count of 3 we flash banged & stunned the shit out of every room. They were coming thru the doors, 2nd story windows & the stairs. We all then charged in and cleared the place out. Good shit was good.

The Total war games is basically ancient general training.... pity its of no use now... maybe when the zomb apoc comes...

Mercanary57:

EDIT: However, this does not work as well as it does in real life, simply because the player would not really lose anything by walking into the bullets, as he would simply respawn.

This. Suppressing fire is a big part of modern tactics. Preventing someone from returning fire because they're flat on the ground trying not to get their ass shot off doesn't work in a video game, because the concept of fearing bodily harm doesn't translate well.

The_Prophet:
www.neotokyohq.com
There you go. Yes they work and yes they must be used.

<3 Neotokyo

Garaw:
This. Suppressing fire is a big part of modern tactics. Preventing someone from returning fire because they're flat on the ground trying not to get their ass shot off doesn't work in a video game, because the concept of fearing bodily harm doesn't translate well.

Arena type games help, where you have no respawn, but, like in any other game, you will play again. Diablo 2 Hardcore beats this, but sadly the game isnt meant for it.

NEOTOKYOo (the last o should be hanging up there) Isn't realistic, yes. BUT! It is very and I mean VEEERY squad-play centric. Constant communication between people is a must. Especially from the ghost carrier. A carrier with his/her head screwed on right, a working mic and someone able to take simple directions can decimate the enemy forces.
One of the most wildly used tactics other than "calling out" enemies and having your team take care of them, is baiting. People don't know they're doing it, but they are. When someone picks up a ghost, they are immediately the target of attention by every player in the map. Usually, the enemies will try their best to take care of the ghost carrier. Now, people tend to use this, while enemies have their attention on the carrier, some people sneak around the enemies and hit em from behind. The carrier unknowingly becomes the bait in an unplanned trap, that sometimes works, sometimes don't.

It was at the beginning of my gaming addictions that I realized suppressive fire rarely, if ever, worked. And one simple tactic seems to have escaped the 101 Edition of their "Digital Battlefield Survival Guide". n What the players don't do, is not doing a damn thing. Players are geared to act. Ready-Fire! You just go. Though, yes, it works, I'll give that, but it usually ends up with the player staring at the spawn screen after killing 2 or so other players. This is very important when it comes to flanking or when you try to sneak past the enemies and your friend just spawned on you and "Oh look! Enemies!" Some people also have trouble sitting tight in a hole, to wait for the enemies to go away and leave a flag and/or some vehicles unguarded.

Ever played insurgency? That game's all about modern tactics. Do it by the books, or you wind up dead.

In pvp in wow we always moved out team constantly so that we could lure the enemies. attacking a structure so that the enemy team would get a warning like
"Warning: one of your structures is under attack"
Then when the enemies wore checking it out we charged in and made them focus on the front lines while our other half of the team flanked them with aoe spells.

Ultrajoe:
Not necessarily what you meant, but not employing basic deployment strategies in a WoW battleground is certain defeat. The ability to flank, slow and halt the enemy from reaching objectives is much more complex than the individual thrashing of other dudes. You need field awareness, communication and foresight even more in an environment where everyone respawns 0-30 seconds after they die. Arena, now that is a... yeah... not a fan, personally.

As for how 'real' these tactics are in a game, I cannot say, I have never commanded men into battle with swords and magic (Though I keep praying). But I can say that ignoring the realities of the battlefield is a good way to get rolled 1600-40 in the Basin. Hell, even Morale has it's part. A team talking and in good spirits reacts faster and plays better than one telling each other to shut up and give up.

I would say you're looking really too far into this, except for the fact that it's all true.

However, it seems that only 1-2 other people (tops) in the BG understand the depth that exists.

But usually if a healer glues themselves to me, I can wreck and keep wrecking, and people tend to listen to or rally behind top KB and top damage players. So when 6 other people charge Blacksmith with me, oh believe me, we'll fucking take it.

I really wish people knew how to CC people going to flags. A simple blind, fear, trap, stun, hex, sheep, anything... -.-;

~~~~~

But yeah, these "real life tactics" are applied in any team game where you wish to surprise and out-play your opponents, especially Quake, CS, and other games that involve camping a room until people come through 3 entrances at once and one of them kill you.

Overwatch type tactics are useful in team deathmatches or stalemates but they work best on Co-Op games like L4D or Synergy.

They could be possible, but it's nearly impossible to pull off because:

a) You can't just carry out a tactical plan on the spot online. You need some preparation and planning before jumping into the match.

b) Your team will not agree to do it

c) Your team is too stupid to pull it off

d) You can't do it mid-game because your team is going to be scattered all around the map due to spawn points, and there will definitely be at least one enemy in your area so they will easily backstab you while you do your "tactical thing".

I don't think they could work in Modern Warfare or Halo. However, I have met SWAT and police in Rainbow Six 3 and SWAT 4, and they typically try to use real life tactics (well, at least that's what they claimed).

Tactics? Tactics? Tactics are for wussies! Real men charge right in! And when they get surrounded, they laugh because then they have enemies to shoot at every direction!

YuheJi:
I don't think they could work in Modern Warfare or Halo. However, I have met SWAT and police in Rainbow Six 3 and SWAT 4, and they typically try to use real life tactics (well, at least that's what they claimed).

SWAT Dude 1: Man, our jobs are really stressful.
SWAT Dude 2: Yeah. Let's play video games to get some change to our daily grind!
SWAT Dude 1: Okay, what about playing SWAT 4?
SWAT Dude 2: Excellent idea.

Kaisikudo:

3) Say NO to the "nasty kill" - We've all experienced this before ... you see a sniper camping in front of you, so rather than just shooting him you decide to be "really nasty" and get up behind him for a melee kill, only to have him turn around at the last second and shoot you in the face. It's never worth it. Unless he's already close enough, don't waste your time. A bullet in the back of the skull will do the job MUCH quicker.

You may have a point there but doing it like that is just BOOOORIIIING.

Also, seeing the ragdoll fly from a cliff is worth it!

Distorted Stu:
Me and a few mates love the tatical shooters. So when we manage to get on MW2 we try our hardest to do some form of tatical manouver. We have had multiple tatics, ranging from AC130 clear path towards target and we just follow the gun fire.

The best though was this morning on Estate. The enemy were camped inside the house (as always). Whole team was equipt with cold blooded and silencers, we didnt want to give ourselves away for this one. Had a small group of people located ont he front door. 3 at the back ready near the greenhouse, a guy waiting ont he ramp that leads intot he balcony and a guy downstairs where the bar is. One count of 3 we flash banged & stunned the shit out of every room. They were coming thru the doors, 2nd story windows & the stairs. We all then charged in and cleared the place out. Good shit was good.

That sounds awesome!

When you run into players who know what they are doing its easy to do some tactics (if you use voice chat tho) or if you organize your mates, but most of the time its impossible to use tactics, its just shooting like a madman.