How do I improve my Situational Awareness?

[ShadowBolt]

Don't get sucked in and hang back a little in firefights. Try to take things in and you'll learn as time goes on.

[Yuri]

Are you getting shot at the beginnig of every round? Because from your description it sounds kinda like your friends are using you as a meat shield, not necessarily intentionally. Try to hang back and see what your team mates are doing.

[Snyper]

Personally, the best bit of advice I'd give is slow everything down, and listen.

If you actually find a nice safe spot in a game and sit and listen, you'll hear a heck of a lot more than you think you might. Sometimes it'll just be the rustling of leaves or a breaking twig, or perhaps someone quietly nattering over a radio, but the more you do this, the more aware you'll be of what's going on around you.

[aznsk8s87]

Hm... not too much more I can add than what's been stated. Just learn to be observant of your surroundings, in game and out of game. Take notice of what the girl next to you in the coffee shop ordered. Remember what tie your professor had on in your physics class. Try to guess how far away the person walking behind you in the street is based on noise, and glance back and see how good your guess is. The more aware you are out-of-game, the more aware you will be in-game. You'll be able to better notice noise and movement, and react accordingly.

 

(Of course, don't be creepy about it.)

 

Also. As other people have said, it's not just about knowing what your job and what your teammate's job is, but also knowing what your opponents are doing and being able to predict their next move. If you play with smaller groups and they're all people you know, keep track of how many people there are on the other team, how many and who has been hit, analyze the play-style of the remaining people and how they react under pressure, etc.

[Black Templar]

I like to scan the area and think 'where would I be?' Some areas you can discount pretty much straight away, others go into the 'could be' box for a closer look and others are certs.

Don't plan a route, be fluid with where you need to be, if you need to settle for second best to be sure your safe then do it.I know it has been mentioned but move slowly, only last week I found myself on my jack as OPFOR scooted into view, I had heard them galloping along before they came into view so just froze in a doorway, I was in open view, but just froze. They all went within say 20feet of me, some even looked at me, it is pretty odd when you see they have no recognition of you. They all engaged my team to their front and even the tail end charlie got stuck in, so being a decent sort I did the four at the back, none of them even knew I was there.

If you try to think 'thats a good place for me to get bumped from' then you possibly will be, you will always get the times when you will miss something, but with more experience you will notice more and more. woodlands are ideal, the sound gives most away, urban is great though some people try so hard to be silent, they may as well play the bugle.

[tome]

It's probably already been mentioned but the thing that helped me was to not move so much myself. When I'm moving I have a lot more to take care of in order not to trip than when i'm still. So now I pick a safe/advantageous place to move to and then take a look around when I get there to see if there was any threat I missed. Whether this will work for you depends on your style of play though. I play constantly moving towards the enemy when possible.

[sunburnthammer]

Ok this might get me *badgeress* slapped, but at least it will be virtual.

 

I have found that playing COD helps, and also that playing airsoft helps with my COD playing.

 

I have learnt that its imperative, especially as CQB sites to move quickly and check you corners, blind spots, and also consider where the enemy will be.

 

Most sites don't change that much, just like game maps.

 

THis may seem silly, but its very instinctive. I have found that I have taken these ideas on board and apply them to airsofting and it works and has helped me get shot less, and get the first shot in. Likewise this transpires back to the XBOX. Perfect balance.

 

for me anyway...

[fluxocity]

Ok this might get me *badgeress* slapped, but at least it will be virtual.

 

I have found that playing COD helps, and also that playing airsoft helps with my COD playing.

 

I have learnt that its imperative, especially as CQB sites to move quickly and check you corners, blind spots, and also consider where the enemy will be.

 

Most sites don't change that much, just like game maps.

 

THis may seem silly, but its very instinctive. I have found that I have taken these ideas on board and apply them to airsofting and it works and has helped me get shot less, and get the first shot in. Likewise this transpires back to the XBOX. Perfect balance.

 

for me anyway...

 

Yah, I totally agree with this, lets face it situational awareness is key to both, they're similar environments (playing at soldiers). Just don't get left wondering why your AC130 didn't arrive yet.

[FireKnife]

Ok this might get me *badgeress* slapped, but at least it will be virtual.

 

I can see where you are coming from but in COD you are restricted to the abilities of the game and in airsoft you are restricted to the abilities of the player.

 

At the end of the day i find the best one is to play a game during a day in which you don't move to the enemy but let them move around you and you predict what they do, ignore the objective and spend your time trying to use sound, speed and sight to get around and catch the enemy out, using there focus on other players and the objective to give you time to get used to your surroundings and get the drop on them.

 

'FireKnife'

[jkpics]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OODA_loop

 

And talk to the guys who keeps shooting you, just plain ask them what you are doing wrong.

 

At some point your stress levels will some down while you are playing, it is called stress inoculation, getting your adrenalin in the red with a gun your hand will only happen so many times, I have seen a lot of ppl quit when they don't get that kick anymore.

 

For me playing at smaller fields and indoors having a mental map also helps, you are not going into the unknown, and you can put your self in then place of the other guy, that will help you lots in figuring out where he will be.

[FireKnife]

Another factor to consider is one that many people get wrong: Can you actually hit that person?

 

Essentially so many people either 1: fire at a target they feel they can hit but realisitcally can't or 2: fire upon a target they can hit but in a situation were in doing so they expose themselves to easy recognition and reation by other opposing players.

 

At the end of the day knowing how your equipment can perform is a big difference, also knowing how loud it is to other players and if firing it will alert them more. Knowing how far away an opposing player is and knowing how much noise your weapon makes can be the difference between getting a hit with little or no return fire and firing and getting lit up in return.

 

Really at the end of the day there are many things to consider but the best way is to take what has been said and go get it into a game situation. Like military and police target training, it is all well and good being able to double tap a paper target at 15 metres but what about when the target is real and there are others present along with inferior sound and lighting conditions?

 

Also one very simple fact i learned to use well last Sunday, if the sun is low in the sky get it behind you at all costs, it not only shadows you but glare slows down your opponent.

 

'FireKnife'

[sigma3]

Also one very simple fact i learned to use well last Sunday, if the sun is low in the sky get it behind you at all costs, it not only shadows you but glare slows down your opponent.

 

'FireKnife'

 

Well, that depends entirely on the environment, doesn't it? For instance, in a CQB environment, the LAST thing you want is the sun behind you if you can avoid it. Can't tell you how many times I've tapped out enemies that were throwing long shadows well in advance of their actual arrival. Personally I'd rather be sunblind than have the enemy know exactly where I am before I've even gotten there.

 

Best advice I would give is move slowly, in bounds, make as little sound as you possibly can -- and pay attention to just how much sound everything else makes. Moreover, use environmental sound to your advantage. Move under the cover of other engagements, enemies yelling, other movements by your team.