SOLDIER OF FORTUNE 2 MULTIPLAYER FAQ v0.69 focusing on infiltration mode FAQ written by Eric Lau Date: July 18, 2002 Unpublished work Copyright 2000-2002 Eric Lau This document is protected by US Copyright Law, and the Berne Copyright Convention of 1976. It is for private and personal use only--it cannot be reprinted in part or in whole, or reproduced in any way or in any form (written or otherwise). It is a free document that cannot be used in any sort of commercial transaction, including selling it or giving it away as a gift. This FAQ cannot be referenced, altered, or used by anybody (including webmasters, publishers, and magazine staff) without my express written permission. This FAQ was created and is owned by me, Eric Lau (nicknames: azzkicar, Ding Chavez). It can be found at (www.GameFAQs.com). All copyrights are reserved. I will proceed with legal action to the fullest extend of the law should plagiarisms or copyright violations have occurred. I thank Chris MacDonald (Kao Megura) for his well written FAQs in the past. I am borrowing his well designed format to write this FAQ. This particular FAQ is geared towards Soldier of Fortune version 1.01. ================== TABLE OF CONTENTS ================== 1. INTRODUCTION - Revisions - Abbreviations 2. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SINGLE PLAYER AND MULTIPLAYER 3. GENERAL TIPS 4. TEAM PLAY TIPS - Blue team - Red team 5. COMPARISON OF WEAPONS 6. COMPARISON OF GRENADES 7. AUTHOR'S NOTES - Special Thanks - To do list ========================================================== 1. INTRODUCTION ========================================================== This is not meant to be a definitive guide, but rather an elaborate guide to help so- called newbies or noobs get better at Soldier of Fortune 2. Let me make this clear - THIS GUIDE WON'T TRANSFORM YOU FROM ZERO TO HERO!!! There are many things you must learn on your own through experience and observation. However, I promise you that once you apply the tips in this FAQ into practice, your game will improve considerably. This FAQ is specifically geared for infiltration, but many tips are useful for Soldier of Fortune 2 players in general. It assumes that friendly fire is on, and since I believe that is the way infiltration should be played, I will assume this for the rest of the FAQ. My nickname on Soldier of Fortune 2, by the way, is Ding Chavez. P.S. Yes, it is the Ding Chavez from Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. REVISIONS Note: All revisions are marked by ***. If you have already read the 0.666 version you can find all the new materials by search ***. 0.69 CHANGES - Added new weapon, MP5, and reviewed it. - Modified my opinion of the M60 machinegun. - Added/modified leaning and grenade use tactics. - Added tip on how to support your teammates. - Added tip on combat knife use. ABBREVIATIONS Soldier of Fortune 2 - SoF2 Friendly fire - FF Team killers (aka lamers) - TKer Team killing - TK ========================================================== 2. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SINGLE PLAYER AND MULTIPLAYER ========================================================== Rather than elaborate on the difference, I will simply state things in multiplayer that are different than single player. - Weapon inaccuracy (or recoil) is less significant than single player, but it is still there. Hence you can run and fire, jump and fire, or hold the fire button down for sometime with OK accuracy. However, if you need to fire accurately, stand still and fire burst. - You cannot prone in multiplayer. - There are no items that can heal you (this applies to infiltration). - Enemy players are not superhumans (single player AI blows). - You will need to do the jump/crouch combo manually. ========================================================== 3. GENERAL TIPS ========================================================== - You are not Rambo. You are not the Terminator. You are not God. A few well placed bullets will hurt you bad, if not kill you outright. - Never, and I mean never, point your gun at a teammate. I have been killed by teammates numerous times because they didn't heed this advice. Enemy ambushes us, my teammates gets trigger happy and kills me. Even if FF is off, your gun is far better off pointing at open space. - Do not get yourself into battles one after another. You need time to reload and to collect yourself. Patience is a virtue. Stake out a joint and assess potential threats whenever possible. - There are no health items in infiltration. Move cautiously and value your life. - Lean often. This is especially important for sniper rifle users, who are very vulnerable if rushed by enemies. Learn to shoot a few bullets at a time, then hide. If you are using an assault rifle or machine gun, consider changing your weapon mode (press the \ key), to burst mode. You will do more damage this way than if you hold the button and fire. *** - If you are leaning to anticipate enemy advance, generally it is not a good idea to stay leaned out until you see an enemy. Good players can counter. Some amazing players I've met can actually kill you by the time you see them. What I do now is I would lean. If there are no enemies I would lean back, count to 2, then lean again. This way it's harder for enemy to see you first, plus you can catch them while they are running forward (they are vulnerable in that state). - Reload only when you are sure you are safe. Death is guaranteed if enemy attacks you while reloading. - Aim for the head or neck. They hurt a lot more than regular shots. - If a head shot is not possible, go for the arms. I find that if I am hit in the arms, I have a harder time aiming. - You are defenseless when you are changing weapons. Retreat and do it in a safe place. - When using rifles, do not hold the button down for more than 1-2 seconds unless the enemy's close to you. Due to recoil, you will more likely miss. Worse, if you need to reload mid-battle, often or not you are toast. - If you are attacking someone, and your first few shots miss the person, do not hold the button down. Release the mouse, re-aim, then fire. - If you are running out of ammo, or you want a different gun, remember that you can drop your weapon and pick another one up. This can really make a difference between winning and losing, particularly if your enemies expect you with one type of gun and you show up with something else. Once I got 3 extra kills by dropping the M4 assault rifle for the USAS-12 auto shotgun. They never expected it. - If you use the mouse wheel or the next/prev weapon button to cycle weapons, I suggest you ditch the knife and the pistol at the beginning of a round. This can make cycling weapons faster and easier. - You should walk when you suspect enemies nearby. You make virtually no noise while walking, hence giving you a chance for a surprise attack. - Get familiar with the range of a grenade throw. Good grenade use can change the tide of a round. - If you see a group of guys camping, and they haven't seen you yet, hide. Detonate a grenade and throw it at them. - If someone is chasing you, or you have the case, often it is beneficial to hide behind a crate or in a room. They may walk pass you, giving you a golden opportunity to kill them. - If you accidently kill or hurt a teammate, say sorry. Especially on public servers, with the occasional presence of TKers, your teammate does not know if you do it intentionally or not. A simply apology will go a long way to keeping the peace. - Do not go for the difficult when the easy will do. The best players I have seen rarely go into the open and engage in long standoffs. If they see a standoff happening, they find alternate routes, sometimes taking a route that allows them to run up behind the enemy standoff position. You catch somebody by surprise like that, you can rack up a lot of kills. - When you have been killed, observe guys that are doing well. Watch how they move, where they go, what weapon they use in what situation. I learn a lot of stuff this way alone. ========================================================== 4. TEAM PLAY TIPS ========================================================== Infiltration is a team game. Coordination and teamwork will go a long way to victory. Whether you are team blue or red, these tips will help you. - Enter any passage or route in groups of 2-3. More than three I find to be of little use, and it increases your chances to be killed by a well placed grenade. It also inhibits movement since there is a chance you will bump into each other while retreating. *** - In a 2-3 person group, the players should keep some distance between each other. This prevents enemy from killing the entire group with an ambush. - If you find yourself alone in a passage while both sides still have 5+ players left, go back and find out where your teammates are and support them. - If you are not the front runners in the group, do not stand close to the front runners in a firefight. They need room to move and hide if enemy snipes or throws a grenade. Nothing frustrates a person more than trying to get away only to be blocked by a teammate. - If you are the person at the back, move backwards and watch the six. I have seen an enemy kill five of us because no one was watching our six. If you want to leave and look for alternate route, make sure your teammates know this so someone else can cover the six. - Unless you are a front runner in the group, do not use grenades that does damage. I have died before because I was about to run up the hall and some teammate decided to throw a grenade in my path. - If you are a front runner, you should throw grenades to hamper enemy advance. If you run out of grenades, you may want to move back, and let someone else take the front runner position. - Use the voice binds (press G by default), particularly when you are outnumbered or your team is looking for the enemy. BLUE TEAM Blue team's objective is not to kill enemies, but to grab the briefcase and bring it home. While it may be obvious, I have seen players running around and not getting the case at all when time's running out. That is not what the game's about. If you want to play that, go play elimination. Since killing all red players brings victory, some may ask - what's the difference? To illustrate the difference, I will provide an example: Suppose in a 7 vs 7 game, blue grabs the case and makes a getaway with 5 players remaining, and red team has 5 players remaining. This scenario favors BLUE for the following reasons: - Blue has enough players to fully support the carrier and provide cover to prevent red from ambushing the carrier. Blue team knows what routes are safe, hence the carrier can quickly pass through certain areas without worry. - Red has to be on the offensive, which means they cannot afford long standoffs, nor do they have time to scout ahead and assess potential threats. Even if you kill the carrier, it is very likely other blue players can hurt you and grab the case. Now suppose that in another round, blue grabs the case with only 2 players remaining, and red team has 2 players remaining. This scenario favors RED for the following reasons: - Blue does not have enough players to cover routes, which means both players can be attacked from all sides. They have little clue where the red players can be, but red knows where you are headed, so they can either intercept, or retrace your steps and attack you from behind. - Red can move freely because blue cannot adequately cover routes. They can also take a defensive position near the extraction point and force blue to make a move. With this knowledge I can provide some concrete tips to help blue team succeed (I assume that each side has at least 5 players): - If the case room/area itself is not well defended, a group of 1-2 players should try to grab the case and get out. Another group of 2-3 players should be near the case room to escort the carrier. If red tries to chase after the carrier, your escorts will kill them. Unless blue suffers significant casualties, they will gain a major advantage. - Constantly change and control the tempo of the game. On some rounds you may want to quickly rush 1-2 routes to surprise red, while on other rounds you wait for red to come to you. If red is not expecting the tempo change, you can win some rounds rather easily. - Constantly change the route you take. This again can surprise the red team and give you the upper hand. - If you are the designated case carrier, carry incendiary grenades and do not use it until you have the case. Incendiary grenades are best used to prevent enemy advance. *** - Refrain from throwing grenades very early in a round, unless you suspect enemy is rushing a particular passage. Even then 1-2 grenades will suffice. I have seen team members throw 6-8 grenades in the first minute, only to get beaten badly later on when grenades would have made a difference. However, there's an exception, as noted below. *** - Grenades and snipers are key, particularly for blue, to prevent red from setting their defenses up the way they want it. This is especially important in maps where if red hangs back, it's very difficult to penetrate (e.g. Finca Housewarming). Use grenades to prevent red from moving freely. - If red team turtles themselves in, the best strategy is to coordinate a simultaneous group attack from 2 directions. Since the enemy does not know which routes you are taking, you have the element of surprise. - Conversely, if red loves to rush for the kill, either grab the case very early and run, or simply get set for them to come. RED TEAM Red team's objective is to defend the case. So defend the case. The worst type of playing I've seen is when no red team member defends the case and blue grabs it quickly. As soon as that happens, 99% of the time blue wins. So to help people defend the case better, here are some tips: - A group of 2-3 players should stay near the case and protect it. Other players need to protect them by intercepting them and/or letting the players near the case know where blue may attack. - If you are not in the vicinity of the case itself, please resist the urge to rush blue early. You are far more useful leaning at choke points and stalling their advance. - If time is running out, I suggest red to leave the case room and either hide, or travel as a group to the extraction point. Since blue does not know that the case room is empty, they must waste valuable time to case the joint. In the meanwhile, you know they must rush back to the extraction point, so you can ambush them there. - If you know that blue team does not have the time to make it back to the extraction point with the case, hide. As long as a red team member survive, blue must carry the case to win. - Resist the temptation to throw grenades very early in the game. While you may get some lucky kills, it wastes valuable grenades and it alerts the blue team where you are. Better to lean at choke points. Good players tend to go for the case in mid or late game, so having a grenade then is invaluable. - If you are sniping, I strongly recommend you pick up another weapon later on in the game. As teammates get killed, sniping becomes less useful, and you are also more vulnerable to a sneak attack. ========================================================== 5. COMPARISON OF WEAPONS ========================================================== Different weapons are good for different jobs. Here I will address each primary and secondary weapon (no I won't go over the pistols, since they are utterly useless in infiltration.). The knife, though, deserves special mention and I will do so at the end. I will address each weapon's pros, cons, usage tips, and counterattack tips. Note: To select your weapons and accessories, access the load-out window (press B by default). PRIMARY WEAPONS AK74 assault rifle Pros: Versatile. Accurate. Good firing rate. Low recoil. Cons: Alternate fire, (bayonet) use limited since it takes 2 stabs to kill. Longer reload time than most weapons. Usage Tips: - Best for medium and long range combat. - Low recoil makes AK74 usable even in close range combat. - More accurate that most weapons when you hold down the fire button. - Avoid jumping while in combat. Counterattack Tips: - Try to get him to waste bullets to force him to reload. AK74 takes longer to reload that most. - Occasional crouching may work. - If you have a shotgun, get close and move in circles around him. M4 assault rifle Pros: Alternate fire mode (grenade launcher) very useful. Short reload time. Cons: More recoil. Defenseless when you use a grenade launcher. Usage Tips: - Best for medium and long range combat. - The recoil is great enough to make close range combat non-feasible. - As soon as you activate the grenade launcher, run or hide to wait for it to reload. - Avoid jumping while in combat. Counterattack Tips: - Get close to him if possible, especially if you have a shotgun. - Constantly strafe to avoid being nailed by the grenade from the M4. - Do not crouch and attack - you will get killed by the grenade. *** MP5 sub-machinegun Pros: Silent. As accurate as the M4. Cons: No grenade option. More recoil than the M4. Usage Tips: - Useful when stealth is needed. - If you can hit the enemy by surprise, enemy has little sound clues to help him determine your location. - The recoil is an issue. I would use this weapon in burst or single shot mode. Counterattack Tips: - Same as the AK74 USAS12 auto shotgun Pros: Can dish a lot of damage in a very short amount of time. Less aiming required. Cons: Consumes ammo very quickly. Does little damage at medium range. Useless at long range. Usage Tips: - Do not go outdoors with this weapon. - For best effect, ambush someone and fire point blank. - Hold the button for a very short time. This weapon dishes shells very quickly. - Go towards the enemy while strafing (and the occasional jump) to minimize head shots. Counterattack Tips: - Move away from him. - Retreat towards open areas. - Force him to reload, or switch weapons. - If you are using the M4, use the grenade launcher and shoot ahead of him. They usually try to rush you and will get killed by the grenade. M60 machine gun Pros: Lots of ammo. Quick firing rate. Can last a long time without reloading. Cons: Low accuracy. Useless long range, somewhat useful medium range. Very long reload time. Usage Tips: *** - Although the M4 and AK74 are better in most situations, the M60 can be lethal. Skilled players with the M60 are difficult to kill, since they hardly need to reload. M60 bullets do more damage as well. - It is pretty effective when used at relatively close range. However, most skilled people I know prefer either the USAS12 or the M590 shotgun for close range combat. Counterattack Tips: - Engage that person long range. He cannot hit you very well from afar. MSG90A1 sniper rifle Pros: Great accuracy. Very long range. Zoom feature. Cons: Utterly useless at close range. Single shots only. Must re-aim after each shot. Usage Tips: - The sniper rifle is only useful for certain situations. I suggest you learn at least one other weapon besides the sniper rifle. - Lean a lot, and make sure no part of you is exposed when you are not leaning. - Don't spend too much time on the zoom. Be aware of your surroundings. - Reload time is long. Do so at a safe place and be aware of enemy rushing you. Counterattack Tips: - If you have smoke grenades, use them. Then rush him. - If not, try to find a way around him. - If you are within grenade throwing range, lean and throw. - If none of the above ways are feasible, lean and shoot quickly. Then hide. Make sure you try to lean at a spot he does not suspect. SECONDARY WEAPONS M590 shotgun Pros: Lots of damage close range. Less aiming required. Cons: Does little damage at medium range. Useless at long range. Reload time can be very long. Usage Tips: - As a secondary weapon, this is by far my favorite. Complements AK74 and M4 very well. - If you wait until the weapon is empty before reloading, the reload time is quite long. - You can hold the button down till the enemy dies, but some deliberate aiming will help. Counterattack Tips: - Stay away. - Get him to waste ammo. M3A1 sub-machine gun (also known as grease gun) Pros: Accurate, lots of ammo. Cons: Huge recoil. Usage Tips: - Unless you are using USAS12 auto shotgun as your primary or you intend to fight only in wide open areas, do not select this. The recoil is a real killer, making it only useful for very short, controlled burst. - Most people I talk to recommend the Micro Uzi instead of this, but I personally hate the Uzi. You may want to test them and find out which one you like. Counterattack Tips: If you are using a primary weapon or the M590, you will most likely win. Micro Uzi sub-machine gun Pros: Low recoil. Short reload time. Cons: Low accuracy. Usage Tips: - While the Micro Uzi has less recoil than the M3A1, I find that I could not hit an elephant with this thing unless I am at close range. Others will argue about this so maybe it's just me. At any rate, unless you have nothing left, don't use it. Combat Knife Pros: Silent. Reusable. Cons: Very short range. Only useful when enemy does not see you. Usage Tips: - The combat knife actually has more use than some of the secondary weapons. Although this game doesn't reward stealth per se, killing something without making a sound gives enemies no clue where you are. - A backstab at the neck or head area will guarantee a kill. - For maximum piss off value, try killing someone by throwing knives. *** - If your health is low, you may try hiding behind a room or crate, and sneak up for the knife kill. 2 throwing knives will almost always kill. SUMMARY For primary weapon, the clear favorites are AK74 and the M4. You cannot go wrong with either one, although the grenade launcher, in the hands of a skilled player, gives the M4 a slight edge. I personally am not very good with the grenade launcher, so AK74 is my choice. The USAS12 auto shotgun and the MSG90A1 sniper rifle are only good at certain situations. Fortunately, since many peeps use AK74 and M4, you can always pick one up from a dead body during a round if you need to switch. *** The M60 can be a viable option, but realize that if you use it, you lose the ability to engage enemies from afar. In some maps, this is not a big deal. Experiment with it. As for the MP5, although its implementation is appreciated, I do not think the weapon will make a huge impact on multiplayer because stealth is not a big element in this game. In other game types, such as CTF or demolition, I can see the MP5 play a bigger role. The best secondary weapon is by far the M590. If you like something else, go ahead and use it. It's your choice. You can probably find a M590 somewhere on the field if you need it. ========================================================== 6. COMPARISON OF GRENADES ========================================================== Unlike weapons, almost all grenades I find useful in certain situations. Here I will following the same format as Comparison of Weapons (although there is no counterattack option). Note: ALWAYS hold the attack button for about two seconds before releasing it. This will make the grenade detonate upon hitting the ground. SMOHG92 fragmentation grenade Pros: Often lethal. Instantaneous damage. Cons: Very short duration. Usage Tips: - If you need to kill a guy, this is the grenade of choice. - Practice bouncing it off a door or wall. - Get familiar with the arc that it travels. - My grenade of choice. M84 flash grenade Pros: Area of effect farther than any other grenade. Can surprise enemies. Cons: Non lethal. Limited situations where it is useful. Usage Tips: - The flash grenade affects enemies by blinding them. This last for a couple of seconds, depending on how far they are from the grenade when it detonates. - Remember that enemies far away are not effected. They can see clearly and can kill you. - Virtually useless outdoors, can be very useful in tight areas. - Unless you have some specific plan or strategy that requires flash grenades, I would not select them in the load-out. M15 smoke grenade Pros: Wide area of effect. Serve as distraction for long periods of time. Cons: Non lethal. Only useful if you are blue team or enemy has lots of snipers. Usage Tips: - While it is tempting to throw a smoke grenade and run through the smoke, you will most often die without accomplishing anything. Enemies will watch the smoke carefully and hit anything that comes out. Furthermore, they may throw a grenade in the smoke area, which means death for you. Don't do that. - Instead, either throw the smoke grenade at them or between them and you. Then either go to another spot and engage them, or do a fake out, where the smoke grenade is really just to distract them while your real attack comes from elsewhere. - If a lot of enemies are camped in a room too large to flush out with frag grenades and too small to go in guns blazing without massive casualties and FF damage (an example of this is the case room in map The Shop Under Seige), throw 2-3 smoke grenades in there, at various directions, and go in with thermal goggles turned on. You can see them, but they can't see you. - Do not use them if you are red team. Absolutely pointless. Better off grabbing something else. ANM14 incendiary grenades Pros: Good duration and area of effect. Blocks enemy advance. Cons: Damage dealt over time. Not as lethal as the frag grenade. Usage Tips: - Use it primarily to block enemy advance. If you can throw the grenade in the middle of a group of enemies, it will force some of them to run forward, while some run backwards. Essentially you split up the group, making them easier to take out. - Definitely use it if your team needs to focus on an area and you are afraid of a possible sneak attack from behind. - Use it on the case itself, and it is protected for a few precious seconds. This can stall enemy attempts to snatch the case quickly. - Blue team should never use it until the case is grabbed. Then it should be used to block enemies from pursuing you. ========================================================== 7. AUTHOR'S NOTES ========================================================== This is my first FAQ, so feel free to make comments. The email address is at the beginning of the FAQ. SPECIAL THANKS First I would like to thank my clan, Niten IchyRyu Ronin, for being there and joining me to the world of SoF2. They piqued my interest in the game, making this possible. Particular people I want to thank: Wasabei, Border Patrol, Optimus, Dia-menz, I would also like to thank gamefaqs.com for their kick azz website. Freedom forever, and screw the multi-million dollar media companies for giving us pathetic game guides while having the gall to charge for them. I would also like to thank Lethal Warriors [LW] for their time. The clan is going to CAL and I am sure they will kick butt. TO DO LIST - As more people get familiar with SoF2, I may decide to write some map specific FAQs that will help players improve their game. ============= END OF FAQ. Copyright 2000-2002 Eric Lau