On Defensive MOUT

Epic fail avoidance
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Ferrard Carson
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Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2012 6:08 am

On Defensive MOUT

Post by Ferrard Carson »

First off, keep in mind some of these general guidelines when it comes to MOUT:
  • Machine-guns + straight roadways = outrageously effective zoning and denial of movement
  • Look Up More - enemies shooting down from above you are very, very common and very, very dangerous
  • Doors are Death, so find ways to either shoot people walking through them or prevent people from shooting you when you walk through
When defending in urban terrain, the obvious advantage defenders have is the presence of densely packed buildings from which to defend, with labyrinthine streets and alleyways providing many, many covered avenues of exfiltration or flanking. Buildings in particular are powerful tools of leverage against attacking forces when chosen with care. There are three main factors to choosing buildings to fortify on the defensive:
  • Firing Positions - The first priority of a defensive building is that you must have good firing positions with good fields of fire. If you cannot shoot the enemy from within your building, then it is a useless building.
  • Cover - Even the best firing position is fairly useless if you will be shot the moment you open fire. Solid walls that you can duck behind are a must. Keep in mind that not all walls are created equal - mud-brick houses tend to crumble under sustained weapons fire, where a concrete storefront may stay standing. Also remember that popular vantage points such as building roofs or minarets are very, very exposed to enemy fire and tend to be demolished in short order during an assault. Use them to recon the enemy as they approach, and then get the fuck down from them.
  • Escape Routes - If you can no longer use your building to fire upon enemies (either because you are completely suppressed or because your building no longer exists in non-rubble form), then it has turned useless, and it is time to find another building. If there's only one door out, then chances are someone is waiting for you to run out and into their sight picture. Make sure you have at least one alternate escape route that will be in cover from the enemy.
When defending with more than two people, there is a fourth factor that determines what buildings are good to use:
  • Mutual Support - If one building comes under fire, another building in your defensive network should be able to support them by firing back at the attackers.
I hope this helps you identify better buildings to fortify, as well as giving you insight into how to defend a town in ArmA.

:clint: ~ Ferrard
"Take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turnin' of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurtin' before she keels... makes her home."

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