[MAG]-AAR 4/23

Important message on participation:

SL's please post or send me a PM with who showed up to the OP on time and who did not.

Just an FYI for those of you who kept your committments I greatly appreciate it. For those of you who signed up and didn't show up consider yourself on probation.

What does that mean???
The next time you sign for an OP you will be designated automatically as an ALT, and will not be assigned to a full squad until you can prove you can be trusted again. It is critical that you keep your commitments. You effect everyone in your squad and you lose the trust of your fellow squadmates. They are counting on you to help make a full squad.

What does it take to be trusted again?
You sign up for an Op which will be assigned as an ALT automatically and have to attend 2 Ops on time. Then the 3rd time you apply to an Op you will be reinstated.

What happens if I sign up 2 times and miss both Ops?

Simple...You will not be allowed to participate in one of my Ops again. In effect you will be blacklisted as someone who cannot be trusted. Again it is important to sign up and keep to your word.

What happens if I sign up to an Op and am caught playing another game on PS3 instead of in the OP?

You will not be allowed to sign up for one of my Ops for a month. Upon your reinstatment the best you can be is an ALT unless you prove to be trustworthy again. It happens twice and you will not be allowed to ever participate in one of my Ops again.


I'm not trying to be a hard-ass here guys but I want people who are true to the word to squad with me. You sign up, you keep your word and your in good standing in my book. You fail to keep that commitment and that is an insult not only to me but to your fellow squadmates who were counting on you to be on time. I understand things happen and I ask that you post in the forum to let us know or shoot me a PM. If there are extenuating circumstances then exceptions will be made. In each one of my AAR's I will post who was on time and who was not. I will also list who is suspended and for how long. Again I want people to keep their word this is not too much to ask. I hold myself to the same standard as if I don't attend my OP I will lose the trust of those who signed up. It is no different from those who agree to participate.

I will post the AAR below.

Ok Guys,

2 weeks of getting mostly shutout. I say mostly as in some of our defense games we held our side fine but the Enemy took the vehicles out the other side, and also after we became a full 1 squad Op we actually won a couple of ACQ games in a row none the less.

Here is the breakdown:

Game 1: Defense vs Raven. All 3 MoV squads enter the game and we are in the same Platoon. We also went into the game ON TIME. We had solid communication and we held our bunker however in the end the enemy took the APC's out the other side. While we held our end we must do a better job of helping the other side out which is an important lesson learned.

Game 2: Attack Raven, again all 3 MoV squads in the same Platoon which is a great thing to see. We were able to knock out bunkers and many secondary objectives however in the end another loss for Valor overall and MoV in particular. Another crucial lesson learned popped up here and that is we need to find a better way to utilize our own APC's.

Game 3: Defend against Raven. I believe all 3 squads were in the same game but 1 squad was in the other Platoon. This game frustrated me as we held the bunkers and when we were overrun we then went back to defend our APC's . I think this strategy works as the enemy did not get our APC's however they were taken through the other side where our other MoV squad was. We know 1 side of the Valor map is very difficult to protect and we keep getting exploited on that side. Raven knows how to play that map and we have to find a way to counter their strategy.

Game 4: My squad did not make it in a game (first time during one of our Ops) and actually what happened was that we twice tried entering a game but both times all of us got separated into random squads. So we waited and I actually had to disband my squad and then reinvite everyone back. For my squad this was the longest time we were together and not in a game.

Game 5: Attack Sver, this is obviously the bane of ACQ for Valor. All 3 squads made it into the game with 1 squad being in the other platoon. We were held up like usual with Sver as they stonewalled us by the bunkers. I think a different strategy might be in order here where we bypass the bunkers to get behind them and try and pull some of the defenders off the front lines. Perhaps that will free up some other squad to knock out the lead bunkers not sure but what I do know is again we got beat like red-headed step-children.

Game 6: Attack Raven, this time I believe we were down to 2 squads. We were able to get the APC a couple of times but couldn't get through the front gate as Raven kept getting the bunker next to it operational. Was another tough loss for us and morale was low. I hate the feeling that losing is almost expected when we play ACQ and that is the impression I am getting from the group. Must find a way to change this thinking around.

Game 7: Attack Raven, by this time I was now leading a full 8 man squad with the rest of the clan dropping off. The team consisted of the following guys:

Brashin7
Lucky-004
Marcusthecarcus
Mr. Future
Tac 260
Chelseasmile
Sotello
SdgRaven

We were able to roll right through the bunkers, AA, roadblocks, sensor array and cap the APC while having Sotello roll with our own APC. We had great communication and once I told Chelsea to stop with the negative vibes and think positive BAM we get a win.

Game 8: Defend against Raven, Same 8 man squad as game 7. This was a great match where we held our own the entire match and really kept Raven in check. We had plenty of times where things looked really grim however we held firm. By Fragoing the APC when they were trying to get them out our side and having most of our guys equipped with Rockets and good communication we were able to knock out multiple APC's that Raven tried to get by us. Was a great hectic fight and we held them off for a victory. 2 in a row.

Game 9, Attack vs Raven. Same 8 man squad as before as we were on a roll. Our luck here came to an end though. We did cap 1 APC and were working on the 2nd when we ran out of time. Still it was good to get a couple of wins unfortunately the other squads were not on to be a part of it. At this point the squad disbanded as it was late in the night but we did get some wins and some lessons learned.


The following people were assigned to Squad 1 however they did not attend ON TIME/ AT ALL and are currently on probation everyone else in Squad 1 thank you for attending ON TIME.


Squad 1
1 BigGrillz53 - No communication and did not attend at all
2 Raz - No communication and did not attend at all

Squad 2
1 Nickb93 - Will let you slide for missing as you have been solid for past couple of OPs and I know the time difference is massive.
2 Scootie - No Show PROBATION
3 Crownz - Attended(Late)Already discussed with him


Also special thanks to TheFatalWound for assuming SL for Squad 2 as Nickb93 slept in. Once I have a headcount from the other 2 SL's I will post who did not attend ON TIME and who is on probation.



Squad 3
1 Ant Rocks 09 (SL)Need Headcount
2 Bushidow0lf -
3 DrGiggles -
4 Sotello -
5 Cookie182 -
6 SdgRaven -
7 Bleubeard -
8 Tac 260 -

Lessons Learned:

1) When playing ACQ I believe we did a good job when it came to defending our bunkers using AT mines/Rockets and Repair kits. Was good to see the squad loaded out and I think it works well.

2) When defending and we did lose our bunkers I think falling back to the APC's to defend them worked as well. We then sent our mobile repairmen to repair our bunkers while the rest of the squad stayed to proted APC's.

3) When defending though we must do a better job of watching the other side. Once I saw the other side had all 4 bunkers down we should look to pull a squad off the line and go to assist the other side in bringing back the bunkers. if we have our side taken care of pulling the team to bring the other side back up will hopefully swing things back in our favor as all the attackers are doing at that point is taking a nice leisurely drive right out the front door with those APC's

4) When attacking Raven (and to some extend Sver) we MUST utilize our APC's. Having to spawn all the way at the begining our even where the choppers drop us off is still a long haul to get the APC's. We just need to find a good way to keep them alive. Sotello had a great way of keeping them up. He drove around in circles around the map and would stop off to repair every so often. While this kept our APC's alive it also allowed the team to spawn relatively close to those APC objectives. We shall have to try this again.

5) Another big one is ensuring that people keep their commitments. The whole first post int his thread is about what happens should someone sign up and not attend. I hate to have to do this but the bottom line is we need people to be held accountable. It affects everyone in the group you were assigned to. Now they may have to enter a game with a couple of randoms on the team and that can be disruptive, and potentially throw a wrench into how the team operates.

So what I need from those of you who attended is feedback. What can be done better, what do you like, what don't you like. If there is no feedback I get the impression that everyone is pleased and we are all good to go when in fact that may not be the case. You might have a great idea so don't be afraid to share it.

Post away...

AAR posted

Lessons learned posted

I'm sorry brashin what does aar stand for?

No need to apologize AAR= After Action Report

Aaawwh! Got it.

Squad 2 AAR:

Not much to say! But, WHAT HAPPENED NICK!! Not to big of a problem for I was there to help out, but it left a large empty spot in Squad 2! Your lucky brash is giving you a break!

We played well. Worked together and listened to orders. There was not much communication but we did pretty good. We never had a full squad. Usually we were at 6 men. We held our ground defending. When it was time to fall back, we were prepared by the transports. Most of the failure was due to the entire 2 platoons, not just MoV Squads! I think we did great and had fun. Never had a large problem from queing up, but we were split from the rest of the Op squads at some times, just in other platoons. For attacking...well what can I say. We had a great squad who could fight well, just those dang maps...We tried our hardest and couldn't get there. We had some great times getting bunkers down and advancing, just couldn't get far enough with the other squads not prepared. For platoon communication, well Brash finally figured out how to use the in-game Platoon chat...but me and Raven were communicating pretty well in games we were together!

Overall I think we played hard and had fun. Nick missing was a bit of a blow but we stood our ground. Never had major issues. We were down 1 or 2 guys most of the time but still played like a true MoV squad! Hope everyone else feel the same in the squad! Hope it was fun!

Squad 2 (Replacement) Leader,
TheFatalWound

Yes Fatal is right I think I have the Platoon chat thing down, although to be honest I dont like it much. I cant easily tell which chat I am in and I am usually busy trying to run my own squad and have difficulties trying to figure out who is trying to talk to me when I hear "Hey Brashin" that could be on the squad or Platoon chat. Either way something I must improve upon.

Yes nick not being there was a major blow and again I thank you for stepping up and taking over. Nick was able to get a pass because he has been solid over the past couple of weeks and I would show the same kind of understanding from other MoV guys if they built up that trust by attending Ops on time. I wont call the alarm not sounding off as an extenuating circumstance but again he is getting up at like 3am just to run with us. As long as he doesn't let it happen again I have no reason to destroy him...lol

Just a couple of things I noticed when defending.

1) We did a good job deploying mines (AT/AP), shooting things with Rocket Launchers, and Repairing everything.

2) I didn't hear many strikes being called in by leaders when defending. I wasn't keeping track or anything, but strikes are essential. Send in those Mortar Barrages/Gas Shells and demoralize the enemy in the beginning. As for Sensor Shells, I didn't hear them called in often either, which is both good and bad. Good in the sense that our SLs are saving them for when the enemy captures our Transports, but bad in the sense that the SLs aren't sending them to the other side to prevent the other Platoon from losing a Transport. Each SL has a Sensor Shell strike, so that 4 for each Platoon and 8 total. If everyone saved their shells, the enemy would have to secure more than 8 Transports to get one through. Of course, that also means we have to kept that Mortar Battery well protected and repaired.

3) Similarly, when we were attacking, I didn't hear too many strikes called in. I know we were able to get the AAA down so that should have given SLs and the PL and opportunity to get strikes in. Just pound those spawn points with Aerial Barrages and Strafing Runs. Also, send those UAVs over the Transport Vehicles so we can spot the enemy. Finally, the PL needs to use those Precious Strikes to take down any bunkers that we haven't already and any bunkers that get repaired.

4) Now, we are doing good in terms of communication, where enemies are located and what needs repairing. But SLs also have to be good on the FRAGO. Saying "repair the other bunker/turret" is not clear enough. FRAGOing makes clear what needs to be done and the SLs need to FRAGO more often. I think it took about two or three minutes for the SL to FRAGO the bunker on defense, which isn't a huge deal, but if someone spawns in the back to destroy the bridge or get a humvee to bring to the front, then he might not know which bunker he is suppose to be at.

Now, as for the Lessons Learned by Brashin above, I agree with them for the most part. As for the idea of sending a squad over the other platoon to repair bunkers, I don't think that is practical. Running over to the other side takes too long and using a humvee to get over weakens our defense further. I say just use Sensor Shells if things start looking bad.

I do see a lot of improvement in these ACQ games. ACQ is a tough shell to crack and I'd say it is more difficult than DOM. But the challenge that ACQ provides is helping us improve our skills in communicating and strategy. I'm hoping that we can do some DOM games to really test how well we work as a group even though it does risk splitting up the team into four platoons instead of two. Well, that's my input.

I was not in the op this weekend, but just one comment that came to mind from reading through the posts. In the event that Valor are defending and we lose our bunker, but manage to get a repair man or FT out to the bunker and repair it, is it a good idea for the entire squad to just suicide and respawn at the bunker, thus increasing the chances of holding the bunker and allowing a FT to attack the enemy from what would now be behind them. Also gets the repairmen free to repair another bunker, AA, mortar battery, etc.

Downside is this could all of a sudden leave a big hole in the defense at the transport for the attackers to waltz through... Other option is for the squad to continue fighting, or make their way to the bunker on foot taking out enemies as they go, and as soon as they go down just respawn, but this could result in precious time during which we could lose the bunker and the sneaky repairmen's behind enemy lines work could be for nothing...

That would be a good tactic Needs.

Another thing I want us to begin practicing is getting a rocket team setup to fire 1 salvo at a turret. Does anyone know how many rockets it takes to bring a turret down?

My thinking is that what happens today is someone fires a rocket then the turret turns and cuts em down, then someone else fires and they get cut down. I want a 4-5 man team to count down 3,2,1, Fire and in 1 salvo the turret goes BOOM. Thus no time for retaliation and in 1 shot the turret is down not allowing the enemy to repair it.

Thoughts

Updated in original post those who are on probation from Squad 2

If the shots are perfect "On Target" shots it only takes 2 hits to bring down a turret...but most of the time 3 shots.

I have always seen it explode after the third, but it takes a couple of seconds to go down. Not sure if 4 would make it explode instantly.

Game 7 and 8 were the highlight of the night for sure I'm glad we could finally win a couple. it was nice to see that positive thinking is all we needed.

Sorry about getting mad during the OP.

I couldn't stand continuously dying from bullshit team mates killing me(not our squad), and just random lag and the fact that the entire game I would spawn, run ALL the way back into combat and then get shot down by some camper before I could do anything. It's not an excuse for getting pissed, because after a while I stopped trying to supress my anger, but I wasn't just getting angry for nothing.

After turning my MIC off and regaining my composure, I was back in the game and doing fine.

I do want to point out though, that I do not think my negativity was the reason for our losses. Part of being a good player is admitting defeat, and we lost because of the other platoon, not because of me being mad. (I will admit that I probably caused 1 or 2 of you to lose your focus, maybe not though).

Anyways, hopefully the next OP I won't get so frustrated at MAG, and maybe we can even win all our games.

We did pull out some nice victories near the end, and that was just awesome to finally win after a huge loss streak.


I love playing on your team Brashin. Every OP we have I'm with you and a few others and it's the entire reason I keep MAG.

I don't really like the game unless I'm playing the OPs, because that's when we really shine. So can I request being put in your group again?

Hey Chelsea,

Good write-up, I don't think anyone's suggesting that your negativity caused us to lose, OK maybe I did but I need someone other than myself to blame. Believe me I was equally frustrated as well as I hate to call an Op with all these guys and not pull a win out. We work so hard to get organized, link up work on some strategies and would like to see us get rewarded for our efforts but I understand that this will not always happen.

I try to stay as positive as I can and good things will happen. I was confident one way or another that we were gonna win on Fri night it was just a matter of time.

For the next Op I run I will change things up next time and run a Domination Op. If I was shaky leading the Acq against Sver it may be worse on Dom as now that is the game mode I play the least however I know a lot of guys have and again am confident we will pull some wins out.

As for the feedback on the Ops I really appreciate the feedback, that is the reason I continue to run these things. If it wasn't for playing with the clan in Ops I would have ditched this game long ago, but I enjoy the coordination and the communication with those in the clan.

As long as you keep signing up and showing up I will always do my best to ensure your in my squad, just ease up on the Hulk rage...lol

Hey Brashin, can we not have 1 more week of acquisition. I probably wont have time to get domination maps up before next weekend (will try but as I said they are more complex than the acquisition) and would / might be nice to run an op on acquisition now we have maps to plan attacks (especially curious to see if the SVER flanking routes work, as if it do that would be sweet). Just my personal comment / request / suggestion, I know you have run ops on acquisition the last few weeks and I have not been on so people may be fed up with it. Planning to be at the 07 and 08 May ops whatever maps you are running.

Hey needs, I will take it under advisement, what Ill do is post a poll and see what happens...once I figure out how to post a poll