Hints & Tips – Operation Flashpoint
Note that all keys and key combinations described below are based on the default settings.
Player controls
Learn how to control your avatar. As with any game, learning the controls is the key to becoming adept. Flashpoint has an unusually broad range of controls, including sprinting, going prone (lying down), crouching, strafing... and all this with the option of going from first-person to third-person and back again. Learning how to control and place yourself within the Flashpoint world is a basic but fundamental aspect of surviving and becoming a better player.
The 'walk' key - F. This key is very useful for moving around slowly. Flashpoint defaults your guy to a jog. With the F key you can slow it right down and move a lot more carefully.
Terrain use
AI cannot see around corners, nor can they see through buildings. The 'quirky' clipping handling of Flashpoint means those two features may not always be the case, but generally speaking, if you hide behind a house you are temporarily safe.
AI cannot see over hills. If you are approaching a village, and there is a hill between you and the town centre, you are invisible to units in the town square. It is possible to make your way to any point on the map without being seen, simply by using the geographical features around you, and by being patient.
AI CAN see through forests. Individual trees and bushes do obstruct the view of AI, but unfortunately it has been found that forests do not quite work as well as they might in terms of concealment. It must be stressed however that a tree, any tree, even in a forest, will stop an incoming bullet.
Terrain can be a double edged sword. For example: if you approach your target from a hill you expose most of your squad, but you also pick up the advantage of maximizing the effect of grenades. A hill can provide cover for you if it's in-between you and your target, but this will sacrifice intelligence for you, as you lose sight of the target and it may have moved to a more defendable location by the time you are in position.
Squad controls
When you first buy Operation Flashpoint and start the campaign, you will be part of a squad where an AI unit is the leader. Eventually you will become the leader of your own squad. It is therefore a good idea to learn the controls and radio commands as soon as possible and to get as much out of them as you can. The beauty of playing the game is the amount of control you have over your men. Given time and practise your squad control will give you the edge in most situations.
The most important commands are those governing the attitude of your group, in other words, how to tell them to shut up, get down, and watch that house over there, but not to fire until you give the order. Only experience will imprint the key sequences in your subconscious. An important key is the '`', just under the 'Escape' key on this keyboard. It will select the entire squad. Otherwise you would have to press the F-keys one after the other.
Something relatively overlooked in squad control is the ability to assign separate team call-signs to members of the squad. For example loons 3, 4, 5 and 8 could become Team Blue, and loons 2, 6 and 7 could become Team Red. Both teams will still be under your full control, but instead of typing the F-keys for the corresponding loons before giving them a collective order, you would simply access Team Blue or Team Red, and proceed with orders. Much faster.
AI versus Humans
It goes without saying that Humans are generally more devious than AI, at least in Flashpoint. However, Humans suffer from more limitations too.
While AI follow pre-set patterns in the way they deal with a threat, patterns that can be learned and anticipated over time, Humans are unpredictable.
On the other hand, AI can see through forests. Humans cannot. AI can see through smoke from a smoke grenade. Humans cannot. The point is, tactics must be adapted according to whether you are playing against AI or Humans.
Vehicle Tips
If you're in a vehicle on your own, select 'Manual Fire'. You don't want to be killed for lack of shooting back.
If you're in a vehicle as commander and you have a gunner, select 'Manual Fire'. The reason for this is that AI will report the presence and position of enemy units. While they are reporting this, said enemy units are shooting at your vehicle. Under normal conditions, you have to tell the gunner to target an enemy unit, then give the order to fire. If the AI is busy telling you about the enemy units, your order to fire will be put in a queue of messages, and will only be acknowledged when it reaches the top of the list. By this time your vehicle will have been blown up, which is most annoying. However, if you have selected 'Manual Fire' and manage to order the gunner to target the enemy, you won't have to wait until he's finished reporting before you fire - just press the mouse button.
Alternatively, jump in the turret and do the gunning.
Remember where you park.
Cheat Codes
All of the following cheats require you to hold Left Shift down and then press the numpad - (minus) button. Then let go and type the appropriate cheat code (not in caps).
ENDMISSION
Ends the mission
CAMPAIGN
Unlocks all campaign missions (This must be entered in the appropriate campaign screen you want unlocked. Unlocking one campaign will result in other campaigns that are unlocked to be re-locked.)
SAVEGAME
Saves the game in your current mission. Can be useful as a quicksave function.
TOPOGRAPHY
Generates a map in vector format