What does colored smoke mean?

[Ohgood]

This is my second day playing and while i've got a good hang of the basics i've still got a few questions about stuff like colored smoke.

I assume red smoke is used to mark enemy postion, right? what is the blue and yellow smoke for?

On the map, what do the red gun icons mean? and what do the red circles mean? is that enemy activity?

The green daggers. Are those markers from the squad leader to attack?

Really most of my questions have to do with map icons.

[Münster Mike]

The various smoke colors don't automatically have a meaning, and different teams get different smoke grenade colors to some degree. US gets red and blue, Militia gets green and yellow, Russians have purple and orange, and Insurgents have black and yellow. They mean whatever the SL says they mean. If nobody says anything, they probably just got thrown for concealment, as they still do serve that purpose too.

Red gun icons indicate a spot that a squad leader marked as an enemy location. They can be guns, bazookas, syringes, or crosshairs for a sniper. Red blocks with triangles inside indicate where an SL thinks an enemy FOB is located.

The red circle is around the enemy's Main Base, which cannot be capped and protects its inhabitants - stay away!

Green daggers and indeed most other map marks only mean what the SL says they mean. Usually the sword means attack here (or its from an SL who doesn't know how to put down the red gun icon). Usually the shield means defend this. Usually the shovel means put a FOB here. Usually the binoculars mean go here and scan for enemies.

The thing is, you'll see the strategic marks of all the squad leaders. So if your SL is not talking about a mark on the map, it's probably not his and doesn't really matter to you. It's a tool for squad leading.

[Cohnway]

When I or my teammates are about to get shot, I throw whatever the first smoke is in the selection because it's do-or-die as I figure it, especially with the slow priming on the smokes.
The colors, I'd argue, only have as much meaning as the guy marking them gives it. ie "I've marked the enemies with red/purple/white smoke" or "That [color] smoke is mine" or "That [color] smoke is the enemy's".

[Ohgood]

Originally posted by 2.FJgJank-OSF:

The various smoke colors don't automatically have a meaning, and different teams get different smoke grenade colors to some degree. US gets red and blue, Militia gets green and yellow, Russians have purple and orange, and Insurgents have black and yellow. They mean whatever the SL says they mean. If nobody says anything, they probably just got thrown for concealment, as they still do serve that purpose too.

Red gun icons indicate a spot that a squad leader marked as an enemy location. They can be guns, bazookas, syringes, or crosshairs for a sniper. Red blocks with triangles inside indicate where an SL thinks an enemy FOB is located.

The red circle is around the enemy's Main Base, which cannot be capped and protects its inhabitants - stay away!

Green daggers and indeed most other map marks only mean what the SL says they mean. Usually the sword means attack here (or its from an SL who doesn't know how to put down the red gun icon). Usually the shield means defend this. Usually the shovel means put a FOB here. Usually the binoculars mean go here and scan for enemies.

The thing is, you'll see the strategic marks of all the squad leaders. So if your SL is not talking about a mark on the map, it's probably not his and doesn't really matter to you. It's a tool for squad leading.

Thank you very much. This post was extremely informative and helped me a great deal.

[mechanician]

"Enemy spotted 120°, near red smoke."

Get it?