What's up, my boys, and welcome to this new article on Broken Arrow. If you are watching this video, you've probably already experienced this moment of pure frustration: you launch a magnificent push with your most expensive armor, and in thirty seconds... everything explodes. Without you being able to fire a single shell. The enemy was invisible.
In Broken Arrow, the problem isn't your units' firepower. The problem is moving blindly. Today, we are taking it to the next level by breaking down together the most vital mechanic of the game: reconnaissance and detection.
How Reconnaissance Works
To understand why you can't see anything, you have to understand how the game calculates detection. Each unit has two crucial stats: Optics (the range at which you will detect a unit) and Stealth (the coefficient that reduces the enemies' detection range on your unit).
For example, the Snaiperu komanda has a stealth value of 3, meaning it will divide the enemies' detection range by 3.
Calculation in Open Terrain
Let's assume it is facing another Snaiperu komanda.
Both snipers will therefore need to be at a distance of about 667m and have a line of sight to detect each other in open terrain.
I specify 'open' because the environment also plays a role in stealth.
Calculation in Forests or Buildings
Indeed, if your sniper is in a forest, the multiplier will be doubled and will therefore go up to 6. In the previous example, that means 2000 / 6, which is about 334 meters.
You also have the option to enter buildings. Buildings also have a x2 multiplier, so the same calculation applies: 2000 / 6, which is about 334 meters.
Managing the Multiplier
Furthermore, if your unit has been detected, as long as it remains in a line of sight, the multiplier provided by the forest or building disappears, and only the base camouflage value applies.
For example, a tank with a camouflage value of 1 and a x2 multiplier because it is in the forest will be detected by our sniper at 1000 meters. However, once detected, the sniper can back up to 2000 meters before losing visibility, as long as they keep a line of sight on the tank.
Visibility in a Forest
A quick but important point, whether it is for hiding or detecting enemies: when you are in the forest, you won't see the same way depending on whether you are deep inside the woods or on the forest tree line.
To know a unit's vision, select it and hold the ALT key to see its field of view. You will see that inside a forest, you can only see a tiny area around you. This can be interesting to use if enemy units are rushing you. But of course, whether it is to detect or to shoot at your maximum range, you should position yourself on the tree line instead.
Important Tips
Terrain Topology
Another important point: the topology of the terrain plays a huge role in whether you see or don't see. If your sniper is on high ground, they will see better than if they are on flat ground. Likewise, if your sniper is on low ground, they won't be able to see what is above them.
To check the topology of a terrain, you can press and hold the C key.
Disabling Return Fire
Last extremely important point, especially for recon units: in most cases, you must disable 'Fire on Sight'. Because by shooting, you will increase your unit's probability of being detected.
Of course, there are exceptions where holding fire isn't ideal and taking the shot allows you to eliminate a crucial unit, but that is up to you to decide based on the context of the battle.
So, we've talked a lot about ground specificities, but there are other concepts, notably in the air.
Range Types
If you hover your mouse over the optics logo, you will see that you have 3 types of ranges.
Ground, which we have already talked about a lot.
Low altitude, where you will find helicopters, for example.
High altitude, for most planes.
Each unit will detect the different altitudes more or less effectively.
Radar Units
By the way, an important detail: certain units possess a radar that allows them to drastically increase their range. This is very useful, especially for anti-missile or anti-air duties, BUT beware of units carrying anti-radiation missiles (SEAD) which will hit units with an active radar directly.
Generally, it is better not to have your radars active at all times, but rather to turn them on when necessary. Furthermore, I advise you to create control groups by pressing CTRL + 1, for example, to quickly activate or deactivate the radars of all your units simultaneously.
An additional, fairly basic point: certain specializations have drones. These drones are very interesting for scouting, but be careful as they can be targeted quite quickly by anti-air. However, they remain a good way to perform reconnaissance when your recon has been neutralized, or as a backup for an area you cannot reach quickly.
Smoke Management
We've talked about quite a few things, but we're not done yet! Let's move on to smokes.
Smokes allow you to block a line of sight and are therefore a good way to move under cover. For example, you can use them to move a sniper through a difficult-to-access area.
Not all units have smokes; you will need to check directly on the units in question, keeping in mind that you can easily use the smoke from another unit that has it to protect a second unit that doesn't.
Laser Pointer Management
Next point: laser targeting. Some units have the ability to perform laser designation. You can check this directly in-game on the unit's sheet. If that's the case, the unit in question can project a laser paint on a target it sees.
The benefit is guiding artillery, helicopters, planes, and any other vehicle that uses laser-guided munitions. This allows you to take out enemy units much faster because if the shot lands close enough to the target's current position, it will automatically track onto it. Just make sure to verify if your support munitions are indeed laser-guided, because otherwise, the laser targeting will have no impact.
