Beginner Tips

[Jake]

Hey guys. I've been playing the SWAT series and the original Ghost Recon and I figured I'd pick up RS3 because I have been loving those other games.

However, I am finding RS3 incredibly difficult! I've watched people play on YouTube or just go into Observation mode and it looks like the AI is really competent, however when I play the AI doesn't seem to do that much. Often times they will stand in front of a door when breaching and just get shot down like lemmings. Breaching seems difficult even when flashing.

Is there some sort of AI mod that improves the team mate AI, or is it just me?

I try playing with the default plans but I tend to lose a lot of team mates even if I try and play cautiously. I don't want to turn autoaim on because it feels cheap. I also try and play with the action plans, which seemed to work ok up until the level I am on now, the private airport hostage rescue level.

I don't really have the time these days to commit to trying to develop my own plans which is a shame but there it is.

So any tips for gameplay? Are custom plans necessary? The enemy AI seems really sharp yet my teammates tend to just not look where they are going and get shot like lemmings. When I try and slowly open a door the AI seems to see me really quick and just shoot me through the door. Peeking around corners doesn't help much.

So I would welcome any tips because everywhere I read I see utmost praise for this game, but I must admit I am starting to get really frustrated with the game.

Cheers!

[Spechtosator]

I'll tell you what - a retarded 5 year old boy with movement disorder would do much better than any of Rainbow Operatives. Unfortunately, single campaign is pretty weak in this game, though it could be so great, so save your time and nerve cells - play multiplayer, you'll have much more fun; that's where real RS3:RS is. I play coop with my girlfriend from time to time, and though she isn't a good player, she does much better than those stupid teammates. The other problem is, that there are few people playing multiplayer, and those few who do most of all play custom maps and gamemodes.

[Spechtosator]

*r e t a r d e d 5 year old boy

[SeriousCat]

General Tips

• Always use the semi-automatic fire mode for mid to long range areas. When searching through a small room, you can switch to full-automatic fire (or burst-fire).
• Feel free to run to an area you know is clear, but slow to a walk when checking for areas.
• Crouching and lying prone is rarely necessary.
• Only use lean in small, confined areas as it drastically decreases your aim.
• Never open a door from the front. Go to the side of the door and up against the wall, then open it (i.e. military style).
• Smoke grenades are excellent for concealment if you need to dash across an exposed area, but remember it takes time for the smoke to disperse.
• Concussion grenades are quite underrated, since their use is very limited. Essentially, toss one into a small room and everything in it will die.

Bang and Clear

Use "Fluid Open" to open the door just a little bit and then throw the flashbang.

Checking for Hostiles

When checking an area for hostiles, make sure you check it like you're 'slicing a pie'. The whole point is to manipulate your Line of Sight (LOS).

• Step 1. Locate the obstacle blocking your vision to a corner of the area (e.g. a room)
• Step 2. Move a little bit to the side and check for hostiles.
• Step 3. Keep repeating Step 2 until you identify a hostile (shoot him) or have cleared a corner.
• Step 4. Move on to clearing the next corner.

Example:

Below is a diagram of a room. I have numbered each of the corners by the order in which I clear them. The brackets with "d" stands for the door, whilst the "R" stands for the Rainbow Team. I start at the left of the door up against the wall. I open the door slowly using "Fluid Open" so as to not make the telltale creaking 'open door' sound. I have a clear view of corner 1, but not the rest of the room. I move a little to the right and I have a clear view of corner 2. So far so good. I move a little to the right. Suddenly, I see a hostile and shoot him. Finally, I move a little to the right again and end up on the right side of the door, up against the wall. Note that I still haven't entered the room. Now I have cleared all four corners and only now can I enter the room.

[3][–][–][2]
[–][–][–][–]
[–][–][–][–]
[4][d][–][1]
R

There's a game that's currently in the alpha stage called Door Kickers. The demo is under 200 MB. It's a top-down shooter where you control a SWAT team. Once you play that game for 10 minutes, the 'slicing the pie' method in Rainbow Six will come naturally.

Difficulty Settings

Veteran: The enemy has good aim, but is sometimes blind. Suppressors are not required, unless there are hostages. Expect to lose one team member at most in an operation, usually due to bad luck.
Elite: (i.e. Aimbot mode) If alerted, enemy AI can see you instantly when you peek out behind cover and start shooting instantly. If they are not alerted, such as if you are using suppressed weapons and have been moving slowly, enemy AI will start shooting after 1 second. Enemies have perfect aim. Suppressors are necessary to stay alive. You can confuse the enemy by coming from two directions at once, but this requires planning in the pre-mission stage. Expect to lose a few team members in an operation.