Farm Fight tactics

Submitted by Antoine on

After a really nice discussion and since we got so much valuable feedback last time, let's try this again. We are starting to do some level design on a classic revival, namely Farm Fight.
We'd like you to tell us what were your typical maneuvers in that map.
As Americans, would you flank through les Bois de Bures? Would you rush to the Big House or would risk taking the Stone House?
Would you camp in the West Fields as Germans, or try to secure the Big House?
There's a lot of possibilities there, and we are curious to know in what creative ways you approached combat in this map.

If you feel like it, here's a top down view of the map, so you can sketch your strategic plannings over it and send it to us, or upload it on imgur or whatever image provider you prefer, and provide the link in your comments.

Comments

GameMation's picture

Submitted by GameMation on Thu, 06/05/2014 - 02:53.

are you just 'asking' so you know how to counter us in game when we meat you little cheaters??? XD
UltimateGod's picture

Submitted by UltimateGod on Thu, 06/05/2014 - 19:26.

All the above were valid tactics.
Along with gap rushes(between big house and stone house)
Also west rush (American side)

And if you go all the way to chain. Pasture flank. (Los issues made this hard in call v1)

In chain Germans had a tough time since attacks came from any and every direction.

Taking or defending stone house and big house has always been a skill set in their own rights.

With all these tatics, mix in team time delays, and its very dynamic.

Farm fight is still my favorite map ;-)
emmitt222's picture

Submitted by emmitt222 on Thu, 06/05/2014 - 20:49.

usually went 2 ways . . . rush bottom or rush west . . . people would be sneak and stack bh and hit stone hard but that's usually a stack fest . . . what I would like to see redone? get rid of all the open room on the bottom or put brush or something there. a second way in to stone house would dramatically change things. more stuff to hide behind in west walls. how big house is built is even for each side and should be a basis to other big buildings.
Redphoenix1's picture

Submitted by Redphoenix1 on Fri, 06/06/2014 - 03:26.

I don't think the strategies used in the old call of combat or 2am chain of command version can be used effectively
in the future version because there are so many different elements that will be introduced. Having said that,
the most successful strategies went like this (Allied side): Top player holds big house, 1 between stone and big house, lowest ranked player holds at bois, the remaining would flank pasture. Pasture guys push axis back to german lines via cross fire. Good player attacks stone with the support of the player between stone and big house. If the team is careful, there is no reason they can't win.

However since the plan is predictable, sometimes the CO would send a delayed flank on west field while axis send german lines more support towards pasture.
Costas's picture

Submitted by Costas on Fri, 06/06/2014 - 07:06.

For all the old school players here, the tactics on this particular map changed throughout the years as small changes were implemented that nullified a certain way of playing (i.e. defending SH from inside) and allowed a different gameplay (ie defend the SH from the pasture window). Or a wide pasture flank that used to be common in the initial map, became impossible after changes were made on the border side and LOS. Same with the BH. Allies in the beginning weren't able to easily take BH because the Axis would nade around the divider blindly and out the two windows towards stables. Later the corridor was made wider and the timings were changed. Bottom line, the strategies depend highly on: which version of the map you'll recreate, who was on your team, who was your opponent and who was gutsy as a CO and who was a wuss, I mean conservative with luck of imagination LOL.

So a standard play in a 5vs: Axis 1 squad half inside SH, half behind/next to SH covering the windows, 1 squad at pasture walls watching for edge flank and covering the SH squad, 1 squad half in BH and half at the walls between SH/BH, 1 squad watching west and one squad (usually someone with eyes and maybe the MG) floating in the middle ready to go where needed.
An aggressive play as Axis: 1 squad rush through BH towards stables, 1 squad rushing gap below BH nading blindly, 2 squads rushing woods and coming down atop of stables area and the gap between stables and BH while the 5th squad would get the BH windows on top (woods) side suppressing fire and nading the allies during their entrance in the BH.
Alternative crazier Axis rush: 2 squads rushing walls and farwall with half a squad taking SH windows facing BH gap, 1 squad in small meadows spread out and 1 guy inside BH to hold the enemy, 2 squads flanking farwall really wide and come up towards flowers and gap between BH and stables. Once successful, one of the squads at pasture walls would fall back to axis lines to help the defender, the other one that was half inside SH would remain and face towards small meadows or w/e those walls between SH and BH were and the rest of his men of that squad would take bottom corner of BH facing up towards woods, then the other 2 flaking squads would hit BH and woods from the back essentially boxing in the enemy. if you can picture this :)
For more advanced scenarios you'll have to join my AG :p
On a serious note, I hope this can give you some ideas about strategy and how detailed a plan had to be and how if executed well would piss off the opponents and made you feel like NO OTHER GAME does. Because this is all about strategy, communication, teamwork.
UltimateGod's picture

Submitted by UltimateGod on Fri, 06/06/2014 - 12:50.

Listen to this man. He knows how to be my bullet shield well. Lots of years of practice.

My vision for the new ff would be the old chain map. With some elevations to change of sight lines and make it fresh. But really any version of ff with some 3D terrain would be cool.
Foggy Dewhurst's picture

Submitted by Foggy Dewhurst on Tue, 06/17/2014 - 10:49.

Depends how big the team was really, but as GE usually I'd have the weakest/greenest players hold Stone House/Reaped Fields, the strongest player go Big House, alone if they were particularly good, but if enemy had stronger then 2 of my best to BH, and the rest of the team West Field to counter a US Bois rush, was important to keep the US away from the windows so the BH team member was safe.

As US it'd be the opposite; strongest/best with MG player holding Bois with the MG keeping GE away from windows, majority of team rush Stone House, one player going wide to keep reaped field pinned and just one, the second strongest player on the team, at court yard to keep enemy in big house and stop them from coming out; was important for the stone house rush to be fast and aggressive as court yard would only be held for so long.

WRiting that brought back some amazing memories of this map and some epic battles. Don't you love those times where a squad gets wiped out and beaten back in retreat, and it all looks like the war is lost - only for the adrenaline to kick in and you get that one team-mate who goes the extra mile and pulls out all stops to work a miracle and retake a key part of the map which injects fresh morale into the rest of the team who proceed in a big co-ordinated counter-attack and push back forwards to take the win.

Oh hurry up and release I can't wait!!! I've been playing APB & Empire: Total War ever since CoC shut down just to pass the time, specifically to wait for CoC II :D

Above is correct though; communication was always key. Clear and regular commands from CO over team-speak, questions and orders etc made all the difference. "How are you over there on the West can you hold a few more minutes? Yes? Okay, in that case keep pushing hard on the east, West is ok, rest of the team push East" etc.

There were games I remember where we lost simply because the CO wasn't keeping an eye on his team, asking how the team was doing, nor giving clear orders.

Submitted by galt1-99 on Thu, 07/03/2014 - 17:00.

As Germans the key was Big House and Keeping them out of Stone House. As I recall Costas particularly liked the gap rush as Allies and in the older version as Germans to send one squad wide around West Field if the Allies where Gap or rushing Bois you could get someone on the flank very quickly. Either side the key was holding Big House or your attacking/defending teammates were in trouble. Almost all planners put their best player in Big House (eyes was one reason), which is why Costas never put himself in Big House :P
Locust's picture

Submitted by Locust on Mon, 07/07/2014 - 01:14.

I remember gettin inside Stone House would provide a sort of bastion against an assault/rush against that flank, hard to take if occupied, easy to defend.

I don't believe I tried to take BH often because it was just a death trap. Holding the fields on either flank would be a task if outnumbered without an MG, but not much could be better fun than stacking a corner, and rushing outwards when found.
Rapidkiller's picture

Submitted by Rapidkiller on Tue, 07/15/2014 - 02:06.

On big, expansive maps like this I always found getting clogged inside a building utterly useless early, especially with 15 minutes on the clock. If defending (axis), I would grab the vps as soon as possible but then get as many soldiers outside as i could.

For example, it is much easier to defend big house's 1 entrance from the outside than it is from the inside. you send 1 soldier in to grab the vps and just have a sniping range at reaping. Same thing with big house and small meadow/west field.

As the attacking side on a map like this (allied), spreading enemy forces as thin as possible before attacking was my main strategy. Often I would have soldier right on the border of the map on both sides. Usually, as invalid has said before, the CO and maybe the 2nd highest if the games big enuf would "float", and the rest of the forces I would split 70-30 on each flank. The 30 side would go first, and any of the less experienced COs, once they see many stacked units on a flank, would call their reinforcements right away. This gets the defenders moving even before the real attack on the opposite flank has begun. These are the kinds of tactics that maximize your 15 minutes as an attacking side. Too often if you manage to take the VPs early you lose a lot of soldiers/weapons/nades in the process and in the long run its not worth it.

Keep the questions coming!

On a side note I hope vps are a concept that remains (or something similar). Call of combat was always more strategic than "just kill everyone on the other team" games and that was its appeal.
JustNinja's picture

Submitted by JustNinja on Tue, 07/29/2014 - 06:42.

It is all about that one member holding the center and the rest of the team taking the edge of the map to get behind small house! If you can surround small house, they will run out of nades and die.

But like always, you have to the CO your up against. If you know there tricks you can counter attack them. That was the best part about this game! Trickery and team work!