Owning Valparaiso
The following is a detailed positioning plan for Valparaiso. It is intended for experienced players to comprehend and takes the basics of Rush for granted. For example, you'll find no reference to lighting targets because I'm assuming reader knows to do that if and when the opportunity presents itself. Also, I'm assuming that you know to gain these positions as fast as possible, know how to use the cover found there and know the level well enough to recognize the areas I'm describing from a simple aerial view.
Also of note: the format for taking zone 1 is very different from the others intentionally. It is my feeling that the taking of the zone 1 should be handled very differently and the change in format reflects that. In other words, winning zones 2-5 is all about WHERE we are, zone 1 is all about WHEN.
Without further ado:
Owning Valparaiso Zone 1 Timing Timing Timing
This one is about speed and hate and timing. We need lots of all. The image below shows the sneaky way up the right (north) for the Bradley, which should go with 2 engineers out and two medics in first. Once the Bradley's engaged the chopper should be going and hopefully get the attention of only a handful of the enemy team. The jumping squad needs a smoker and medics and optimally will be blue and green (two different squads for later warping). The Pilot and Gunner should also be blue/green, so the chopper can continue to be a warp point for eight. If they can land ON or RIGHT BEHIND Alpha (marked on the map), while the Bradley's still engaged, Alpha should drop easily, throw smoke everywhere then kill the disarmers from point blank range. The moment Alpha's siren moves into the high range, the smoker paratroopers should lay smoke directly from Alpha to Bravo THROUGH the Garage (the one with the shielded Heavy MG) and go immediately through the smoke, taking out the MG and arm Bravo. If Bradley squad is still kicking, B will drop.
The Helo should continue circling fast, running "Demoralize and Distract" and giving warp with the Blue/Green pilot and gunner. Warpees should aim to land around the same insert point rather than on Bravo, because once A is down most all enemies will have LOS on Bravo.
If chopper squad is getting pwned on their jump, the enemy is too far back and a push should be possible over the hill as long as you remember to rocket the MG.
It is super clutch to get this one in concert and quick because it's easy to get into "cycle-spawning" here and if the enemy runs engineers and deforests it's curtains for the offense. Also there are no really great forward positions here that can be easily held, other than arguably the sniper tower or the building in back. I feel that neither are worth using if we can get good jumps, smoke and quick arms.
In other words, Missions:
Bradley (2 medic, 2 engineer):
~ Drive up the Northernmost approach
~ Make yourself obvious once there, you are bait.
~ Stay Alive as long as possible.
~ Shoot at movement.
~ Under no circumstance leave the Bradley unmanned.
~ Upon loss of Bradley, continue to pressure B through whatever means are at your disposal.
Chopper Pilot & Gunner (Engineers, Blue/Green, outfit with VArmor):
~ Wait for Bradley to engage and take Jump squad to Alpha
~ Circle and STAY ALIVE ( Go fast )
~ Pepper the enemy and make them ALL hate you. It's all about hitting the most ppl, you dont't NEED to kill anyone.
~ Continue to drop chutters at Alpha unless they're getting eaten there.
~ Bring chopper back to spawn pad for repairs or repair mid-air.
~ concentrated fire CAN be good if you hover behind Bravo while the charge is lit, but is inadvisable while A is still up. (the idea being that if they take the time to shoot you down they have 3-4 less disarmers and we get the zone)
Jump Squad (1 smoker, 2 medics, Blue/Green, as many of the team as possible should warp onto this squad when it touches down.)
~ ride chopper to Alpha, smoke the $@$ out of it.
~ Arm Alpha, Defend from inside the building.
~ Smoke between Alpha and Bravo.
~ run straight through and arm Bravo under cover of smoke.
~ Engage only enemies who
would otherwise engage you. Your goal is to kill as FEW ppl as possible. You want everyone looking at the pretty birdie or the scary tank. You are the real threat and should be trying to get as few points as possible. Think like timid Bunny Rabits, cower unless cornered.... I can't think of how else to put it...
NOTE:::: This is for jumping off the starting line. If it fails (I they're not sniping and are gaurding well), it needs to be changed up and pushing up the south side in Zombie/smoke becomes (I think) the best bet. In other words, make sure you're moving together and take ground starting on the south and moving across. Their spawn shifts to the south (behind Alpha) once Bravo is lit, so keeping a squad in Alpha or the Westernmost Garage is a good move.
This zone is the biggest hurdle and the best assaults on it end before the enemy knows what happened.
Owning Valparaiso Zone 2 How and Why to Be a Thorn
This zone is a nasty piece of work. The defenders are on top of an open hill. They can rain down a hail of gunfire over a relatively tight choke point. They can fire directly into our spawn. There are two roads in and only one good one. Once we get to the top, they can shoot at us from everywhere.
WTF, how can we win?
With horribly annoying tactics. Here's a graphic so you can follow:
First thing is that blue dot: It's an MG. If the enemy was fool enough to leave us that ladder that leads to it, someone on our team MUST get on this thing. It can single-handedly keep them off of the entire approach. It can even pick off guys trying to snipe your warp.
Now, in order of importance:
1. "The Building"
This building is a wonderful place for attackers to be. I have never been on the attack, secured this building in force and then gone on to loose the zone. It's that nasty. When you are at point #1, the enemy spawn shifts to point #3 (the helo pad) allowing you to pick them off and pin them in their warp.
Be careful though, you are as exposed as them, so bring smoke and medics and be ready to jump of the top of the building and into the surrounding crates.
Keep your focus on staying alive and trust your team to do the rest of the work while angry enemies try to kick your squad out from behind them. Helo transport is a great way back here. If possible chute directly onto the roof.
2. "Lighthouse"
The light house is not for sniping. Bring an Assault with grenades and a 4x scope, 2 engineers with rockets and a Medic with 4x scope. Throw ammo and health down around the engineers, assault gaurds the door and medic revives fallen comrades. The engineers then rain rockets on both objectives. You know you're hitting it when it flashes.
This tactic is SO effective that it's just this side of a glitch. That said, it's not that fun and should only be done if everyone just wants to win. NOTE: this works on the next zone (3) as well. ALSO NOTE: bring exactly what I've specified here or it won't work and you'll think I'm wrong.
3. "Landing Pad"
This risky position can pay dividends if you catch them at the right time. Be warned that once they figure out where you are you're dead unless you get lucky and clever. I suggest switching over to position one once you've run through them once.
Holding position 1 and this position turns into a hilarious kill-fest, but takes so many of your team that there's no-one left to light charges and and the enemy begins warping unpredictably, which leads to your death. So fun, but be careful.
4. "Lumber Pile"
This position is the most overlooked position in the level. It is WAY better than the big tree (which should be avoided at all costs). There's lumber and a shipping container and a hill. Everything a sneaky squad could want to take Bravo and pressure Alpha.
The Bradley:
The Bradley is perhaps weaker here than in any other zone in the game. For three reasons: 1. An educated enemy will be rocketing it BEFORE you get in it. 2. The primary road will be mined and gaurded at it's cusp. 3. The secondary road is useless. We should usually leave smerfs to distract the enemy with the Bradley. That said, don't forget about it completely. Once the enemy has fallen back off of the lip of the hill, we can get it in and once in it can be a great warp point and friend. Pull it alongside "the building" for optimal LOS on enemy warp points.
The Chopper:
The chopper is among our most valuable assets in this zone. It is the best and fastest way up the hill. Once you've delivered your cargo to points 1 and/or 2, STAY ALIVE, pepper them. The chopper's warp point shares the weakness of the Bradley's, namely that the enemy can shoot it before it takes off. Mortars on the helo warp are best for this (something to bear in mind while on D) So it is imperative that we not loose it here. @$%# happens and it WILL get shot down, but we shouldn't make it easy for them because we may never get it back.
Owning Valparaiso Zone 3 The Art of the Back-Stab
This zone is arguably the weakest zone in the level because it offers us an entrenched position BEHIND the defenders warp point AND a distant vantage point from which we can rocket both objectives.
First order of business: our armor is pretty weak here.
Our Bradley warps in at the top of the hill. There is one route down the hill (correct me if I'm wrong) via the main road. To add to this trouble, there's a AT turret (marked by the blue dot) which has a perfect vantage point from which to hammer our Bradley. Additionally, there's a corner at the bottom of the hill that defenders use as a choke point to halt the Bradley's further advance.
So:
Bradley Position #1:
This position allows you to gain LOS on the guys hiding round the corner, offers cover from the AT turret, overwatch on Bravo AND plenty of room for lateral movement to avoid mortars and rockets. A Bradly rolling back and forth along this road can cause lots of confusion and pain for the defenders. While the Bradley is here, someone should be in the co-axle gun that faces the enemy. This position is optimal during an attack on B and, if it's lit, pretty much seals it.
Bradley Position #2:
This position requires some explaining. It should be used as a surprise maneuver during an assault on Alpha. Don't go down the main road, instead, use speed and your main gun to go THROUGH the structures on the west side of the road (killing enemies in there, surprising them and circumventing the road blocks.) It's important to do this fast, because if you slow down, you'll be surrounded and ousted quick. It's also important that you use this position while other stuff is going on. If executed correctly, we can wind up having our Bradley on their western flank before they realize what's happened. (If anyone knows the route I'm talking about, a vid would really help illustrate this.)
Okay, now the ground assault:
Position #1: The Magical Crates.
These cement crates are magical. Getting four medics to them should always be our primary goal when attacking this zone. By staying near each other and keeping a steady stream of machine gun fire, four medics can pin and kill the entire enemy team. While here, the enemy warp shifts to the areas marked in purple. They warp with their backs facing us. It's very akin to shooting fish in a barrel. One cycle through the enemy team and they will all be forced to shift their focus to these crates, allowing the rest of our team to take Alpha and/or Bravo almost without a fight. The best way back here is jumping from the chopper, second to that, you can, by sticking together, advance along the coastline at a dead run, pausing only to kill enemies firing on you. I've seldom not been able to gain the crates using this route. (a happy side effect of this is that you get to kill the bush-wookies who like to conglomerate in the wooden hut west of the crates, then kill them again when they warp back in
)
Position #2: The Lighthouse.
The light house is not for sniping. Bring an Assault with grenades and a 4x scope, 2 engineers with rockets and a Medic with 4x scope. Throw ammo and health down around the engineers, assault gaurds the door and medic revives fallen comrades. The engineers then rain rockets on both objectives. You know you're hitting it when it flashes.
This tactic is SO effective that it's just this side of a glitch. That said, it's not that fun and should only be done if everyone just wants to win. NOTE: bring exactly what I've specified here or it won't work and you'll think I'm wrong.
Position #3: The Water.
This position is as much about where you can get as it is about where you are. There's a bunch of tricky cover that you can use in here (the staircases the best) and an entire squad can do real damage moving south and popping up onto the beach. There's also a bunker-like cement structure that offers a great warp point for future attacks ~25m NE of Bravo.
Position #4: The Choke Point.
There's lots of good cover right here and it's a short jog to both objectives. Once we have people positioned behind the magical crates, opposition should be light enough to take Alpha and/or Bravo from here. Bring smoke and lay it 10m south of the objectives, light, then gun down confused enemies stumbling through the smoke.
The chopper:
Once cargo is delivered to the magical crates, this zone usually falls too fast for the chopper to be much further use. Fly high and if you have a gunner, distract and confuse the enemy with pepper-fire. Get ready to pick up comrades near the AT turret, as that is our warp point for the next assault. Not loosing the chopper in this zone offers us great advantage in the next by accelerating the speed of our attack by ~ 20 seconds. So, keep it if you can.
We should never loose this zone.
Owning Valparaiso Zone 4 The value of High-Ground
This zone is almost as weak as the last. It too offers us a change to spawn kill the enemy from a great position. Again our chopper is key and again our armor is pretty weak.
Position #1: The Hill.
This elevated position behind Alpha is our key to the kingdom. It offers great cover in rocks, clear LOS on ALL the enemies warps, clear LOS on Alpha and generally undoes the opposition in one move. The enemy warps are indicated by purple. NOTE that one of the enemy warps, just south of the Hill, is danger-close and behind a shed. Kill that shed and you'll have clean flanking shots on enemies warping there. Also keep an eye on the helo pad and pump-fire those unfortunates.
Position #2: The Lumber Shed.
When used in conjunction with position 1, this position seals the deal on enemy warps. They have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. On it's own this position is a great staging ground to take the hill, as you can go round behind the enemy to get there, just watch the shed.
Position #3: The Sneaky Spot.
This position is a great place to be while Bravo is lit. It sits between the helo pad and a clump of rocks just south of Alpha. A soldier or two crouching here shoot in the back all enemies running from their warp to Bravo. Six seconds after your position is disclosed, turn round and kill the enemies trying to flank you.
Position #4: The Tower.
This position is the weakest listed here, but is the best place for a frontal assault. It leads to position 2, has good cover and can tie up the entire defense while we work to gain the other more important hot-spots.
The Bradley:
Position #1: This position kills the MG that locks down the western approach to Bravo, a key thing to get done. Make sure you approach at speed, or you won't make it up the hill (you get stuck if going to slow). Be wary of C4 here. If you break through Bravo, keep moving to the helo pad and below it. You will die, but you allow the rest of the team to push through to the other important places.
Position #2: This position is something we can entrust to smerfs usually and is here only so we all know where our Bradley will be getting killed 90% of the time.
The Chopper:
The chopper's warp is back in the old base, so we should be striving to keep the old one alive if at all possible. Drop guys at point one then distract and confuse (sounding like a broken record... I know...)
Owning Valparaiso Zone 5 The Fat Lady Sings. 13th has a smoke.
Saddle up, we're gonna try to take this one EXTRA fast.
The approach to this zone can turn into an ATT fiesta against educated enemies. To prevent this, we need smoke screens in the positions indicated by light blue:
Position #1: Soon to be Nerfed.
There is an escarpment on the side of this hill, accessible only by chopper and killable only from elevated positions below. It has over-watch on the ENTIRE zone, most notably on enemy warp points (again marked in purple). Both objectives can be rocketed here and the only reason not to put the entire team here is that there isn't room.
Position #2: The Big House.
This position takes out the enemy AT, MG and Eastern Warps. A Zombie squad on, in and around this building wins the zone. In conjunction with a Recon and Engineer on zone 1, this position causes the most over-powered lock-down that I'm aware of. Get these spots and we control the entire zone.
Position #3: The Death Trap.
This position is the best staging ground for taking Alpha. That said, if you get pinned here, you be giving away tickets, so.... don't. If you get made, work your way over to position 4.
Position #4: The Crates.
These crates are great. Use smoke and weave around them to stage a light on Bravo.
The chopper:
Drop ppl at #1, then #2, then annoy the hell out of enemies. Landing is okay in this zone (once your cargo is delivered) and can surprise the hell out of the enemy team. Landing on Alpha with your nose pointed SE allows your mini-guns LOS on the enemy warp and Bravo simultaneously and is a hilarious way to end the match. We loose little by giving up the chopper once troops are in position 1 and 2 and gain more distraction and chaos in the enemy team. Landing on the Big House affords good LOS on both objectives and can seal the deal once they're lit. Landing on Bravo is a bad idea because you're in the entire enemy team's LOS.
The Bradley:
Is most useful in position 1 after we're in place. Position 2 can be left to smerfs.
Wrapping up:
Keeping these points in mind will allow us to win this level all day every day. Remember these positions, study them in game, and think of how to counter them while on D.
The biggest problem with bringing this to bear will be enemy teams quitting after we beat them at a dead run.
See you on the battlefield.
Spiralus out.