How to Win
We'd like to preface this section with the following caveat: you do not need to be a master of strategy to have fun or to win in Battlefield Live. Using strategy will help you win more consistently, though. This section is here for two reasons: first, there are lots of little bits o’ strategy that come in handy and are easy to remember. (Look for the little green stickers that indicate easy strategies.) Second, if you want to take your game to a higher level you'll want to understand some of the basics of strategy, so you'll need to read up. We’ll add more over time, so check back in. We also recommend that you review your strategies and even reread sections here to refresh yourself periodically. Bear in mind that to master these strategies requires several things:
- At least one partner to help you or cover your flank who knows what they’re doing as well as you do.
- Really good communication between you and that partner.
- Practice on the field.
- Practice off the field.
- Practice, practice, practice.
It can't be emphasized enough that your strategies on the field are really only as strong as your weakest link. Battlefield Live, paintball and airsoft are sports that can be punishing if you don't work with your team. We recommend drilling with your team on the field, working on communication signals and general strategy when you're away from the field and always looking for ways to improve your play. Of course, you can just come out and have fun, too. With that said, on to the strategies!
 Basic Exercises and Drills |
If you never do anything else to become a better player, try the pole dancing exercise. (No, it's not what you're thinking.) |
| Ambush! How to survive |
Want to ambush someone? Want to survive an ambush? |
| Pin & Flank |
This could also be called "How to get the guy hiding behind that tree" |
| Bodyweight Exercises | Bodyweight exercises are an amazing alternative or addition to weight lifting. Using your own body as resistance you can train just as well as you would in a gym, but with only a few square feet of floor space. They're a great way to build muscle for long games. |
| Using Cover | Mike originally posted this over on the Battlefield Live Forums because he wasn't done rebuilding this site. Note: it's relatively long but covers just about everything you'll ever need to know about using cover in a combat simulation like Battlefield Live, airsoft or paintball. |
 Movement |
How does the military move? How do police move? What the heck is a bounding overwatch and why is it a critical technique for the survival of my team? |
| Advanced Techniques |
A collection of advanced techniques to hone your skills and drive your play efficiency to the next level. |
| Playing to Win |
Note: PtW is off-site. If you want to excel you need to be able to keep Dave Sirlin's concepts from Playing to Win in mind. Although it's a published book Sirlin also lets you read it free from his site. (No registration required) |
Additional resources you might want to check out:
The Official Battlefield Live Forums - Filled with lots of great ideas and used by players and field owners alike. This is a great place to trade strategies with folks from around the world.
Small Wars Journal - A site for military history buffs that focuses on just about exactly the kinds of conflicts that you play with Battlefield Live. Read their free online magazine and look through their reference library. Both are typically excellent.
Police Marksman Magazine - Lots of really great articles. We especially recommend the articles on the Fundamentals of Tactics, Practical Hand Signs and the W.I.N. Philosophy.
YouTube - Watch videos of other folks playing. Watch how and where people move. Figure out what they're thinking and what you might do differently. How do they use cover? How do they move as a team? In particular, make sure that you watch Behind Enemy Lines for some great stealth, complex hand signals and great examples of flanking. Also, I highly recommend downloading the YouTube vids by using keepvid.com and viewing the downloaded files with the Sothink FLV Player.
Combat Shooting & Tactics.com - An excellent site with lots of interesting articles discussing everything from combat philosophy to tactics. Most articles are written by former military, Special Forces or SWAT folks.
Teddy Tactical.com - Not quite as useful as most of the other sites, but worth checking out. Most of the content is related to self-defense, which doesn't apply to Battlefield Live, paintball or airsoft, but some of the articles are interesting and those that deal with mental conditioning are helpful.
How to Make a Ghillie Suit - Extremely detailed and thorough step-by-step instructions that will show you how to make a suit that is customized for you and is colored for exactly wherever you want to play. I highly recommend this site if you want to make ghille for yourself.