Lesson II. Know Thine Enemy
It seems obvious, but it bears repeating over and over. If you know how your enemy fights and what motivates him, your chances of countering him will increase greatly. In this case, it pays to know and understand how the equipment on the other side behaves and what he is going to do with it. Some points worth knowing;
- The heavy tanks have deadly fire, but have long reload times. This makes them excellent targets even for the lighter tanks IF you are prepared to do a bit of work to fire, hide, relocate, etc. when engaging them. In some cases, you can get almost two shots away while waiting for the enemy to reload. This is no golden ticket however, since the heavy tanks can often absorb more fire than you are able to deliver (especially if they are partially hidden or facing you with their strong frontal armor). Watch for telltale smoke to mark how damaged he has become.Â
- Know where your enemy is going. What parts of the map are most threatened? Where will enemy spearheads show up? What terrain is most favorable to his avenue of attack or his defense? Knowing these things about the enemy will help you plan your own strategies to overcome or avoid them.
- If you are faced with two targets, engage the one most threatening to you. This is often a judgment call you will have to make…but sometimes it is obvious one tank is firing at you, while the other is moving or firing at someone else. Be prepared to change targets if you absolutely have to, but know you then run the risk of having two enemies firing at you rather than one. It is usually better to finish off one before engaging the other (or withdrawing to fight on better terms).
- Some RO players have an annoying habit of doing totally unrealistic actions, which is something every online game faces. By all appearances light recon vehicles seem harmless against any tank in the field. However, players are now toting satchel charges in these fast movers and going on suicide runs to deliver and blow said charges near your tank (remind anyone of Battlefield 2?). Sadly, when looking at an approaching tank or an approaching armored car – the car is often the bigger threat!
- Is the enemy infantry and armor working together? Almost without exception the answer will be no. Despite knowing that "combined arms" (armor/infantry/artillery) are needed to win battles, RO actually makes it difficult for this to happen in game terms (at least on public servers where no one knows anyone else). Tanks cannot easily carry men to the battlefield to have them jump off to clear a town or flush out an enemy tank. Because of the nature of the maps, people will seldom want to play second-fiddle as an infantryman supporting armor on a tank heavy map.  In short, you can almost always assume enemy infantry is not cooperating with their armor. Is yours?
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| Waiting while some big Tigers move into a village. From this position I can kill enemy infantry on either side of them. This is called overwatch. |
The binoculars are accessible while sitting on top of the turret. You can scan the battlefield much faster than traversing the turret. |
Lesson III. Less is Often More
Another fact of life in this game is that it is almost impossible to cooperate with someone else in your tank, unless you both have voice. Fighting in a tank requires subtlety and planning which just doesn’t come across well using key commands ("the enemy is at 2 o’clock, but not THAT enemy, instead fire at the one behind him"). You will find yourself screaming with frustration as your tank "mate" points the un-fired main gun directly at the enemy tank while you sit and wait for him to pull the trigger (which inexplicably may never happen!). Some Panzer Losers use your tank as a taxi, jumping in while you are aiming the turret, driving it to their destination, jumping out and leaving you to the mercy of whatever is in the area. Some players will take your tank and drive it into the river or a ravine – killing you (sometimes these guys are actually working for the other side). Worse yet, you may find yourself saddled with a computer bot who simply spins your turret or drives your tank in a circle. You can force bots out of your tank by jumping out – they will get out as well. Obviously this is not healthy while in the heat of battle! It is more problematic if you are working with a buddy and you both die, respawn, and you find that one makes it to a tank, but the other loses his seat to an interloper who refuses to surrender his spot. Frustrating!
The game needs to have additional tanks added to each side so no one has to stand around waiting and people will no longer feel the need to jump into YOUR tank and ruin it for you. Yes, I know the developers want to foster cooperation here – but what looks good at HQ doesn’t always look good on the battlefield. In my experience, cooperation in open play is minimal and often relegated to simply finding other tanks and hanging with them so they can draw fire from you.  The bottom line is that you are often better off working alone – and the flaws of the game reinforce this. Â
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| The detailed interiors are another piece of chrome in this game, but a welcome one. |
The village. Avoid where possible! |
Parting shots
As I often find with online FPS games, there are tradeoffs to be made for the sake of gameplay. Red Orchestra, like a few excellent FPS games out there, does have some really great potential for excellent armored battles as illustrated by the story of the Russians and Germans fighting for the open field. This title really tries to mesh the fundamentals of armor combat with the simplicity and enjoyment of a game. With a few minor tweaks, mostly to solve the ever-present problem of Panzer Losers, the game could really become a classic for the casual armor enthusiast.
Hopefully these lessons will help you find similar joy in Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 as it has done for me, making you into a true Panzer Leader. I want to do all I can to help the poor sod in the tank next to me live longer, fight better, and of course offer support for me – so we can finally begin working as a team! If you’d like to play in some cooperative armored fights, look me up in our forums as "Siberian HEAT." I also go by SiberianHEAT in RO. Otherwise look for me out in the fields of Russia doing my best to avoid enemy armor, friendly fire, and the occasional self-destructing teammate!
Discuss Red Orchestra in the Armchair General forums.
Red Orchestra home.
Some final thoughts about how this game could be improved;
- Automatic reload of the main gun should be mandatory – without needing you to sit in the gunner position. This will allow one player to more accurately operate each tank. If you fire the gun and move to the driver’s seat, the gun should still reload.
- Increase number of tanks to match each real player who wants one. This will reduce the use of our tanks as taxis. This will also reduce the standing around that happens on larger servers.Â
- Require an invite to join a tank. "Joe-Loser wishes to board your tank. Unlock? Y/N." I hate to sound selfish, but if I want to play the game as a Lone Wolf I should have that option.  This would also help friends keep 3rd parties out of their tanks.
- Allow infantry to ride on top of tanks so they can jump off closer to the action. (combined arms)Â Â
- Introduce additional modes of play. This game desperately needs a mission-based mode. Take this hill, defend this town, destroy all enemies, etc. where armor-infantry cooperation actually matters or where you can’t simply get back in another tank after charging blindly over the hill.
- Smoke canisters for tanks to hide yourself in dire situations. Smoke rounds for main gun to obscure your movements from the enemy.
- Reduce detonation radius of satchel charges. It is very difficult to move far enough away from a satchel charge even if you know it is there – making them a favorite (and only) tactic of some players.
- Show friendly tanks on the minimap. A real tank unit would have enough communications to be able to read out their locations. In the game, this is supposed to be done by voice – but not everyone has or uses voice comms. This would help get units to the action faster.Â
- A minimal level of destructable terrain. Wooden fences deflecting AP rounds kills the realism.
- This may be pie-in-the-sky, but I would love to see custom skins for tanks. Each player would essentially bring his "own" tank to the battle – complete with whatever camo pattern, side skirting, accessories, etc., he can think up.
A Few More Screenshots:
About the Author:
Brian "Siberian H.E.A.T." King is the CO of Armchair General magazine’s website, armchairgeneral.com. When that doesn’t keep him busy enough, he can sometimes be convinced to sit down and write articles on military history and wargaming.
I play as GM1USCG(ret) if i see you i would be happy to cooperate, i like the tank combat, but i like the infantry as well.
The infantry combat is much more difficult to master, my prefered slot is as a machinegunner.
[...] On Armchair General we have a game review for the follow on to Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 called Darkest Hour: Europe ‘44 – ‘45. I personally feel the need to check out the game because the first title was frustrating with its flaws, though it had fantastic potential. I wrote a piece a few years ago to vent said frustrations; Red Orchestra: Are You a Panzer Leader or Panzer Loser? [...]