“You don't know what's behind that door. You could kick in a hundred doors and that one-hundred and first, you're dead.” – SSgt Paul Starner, USMC 3/5
Welcome back to our next entry in our SITREP developer diary series. Previously, we’ve shared a Breaching Preview and even discussed Entry Tactics that help players achieve mission success. Until this point, the discussion was centered on the roles and responsibilities expected of a full fireteam of human players. Today, we want to revisit this conversation for the solo players in our community, with the spotlight on our newest addition to the game—Fireteam AI.
Six Days in Fallujah is a realistic recreation of the events of the Second Battle of Fallujah. Unlike other shooters than allow players time to snake cameras under doorways or pause combat altogether, real-world combat does not (and will not) wait for you. The multiple phases of urban combat happen in the blink of an eye, and you not only have to be ready, but you also need the right tools for the job.
We created GO! Commands because it must be as easy for you to give orders to your team as it is to fire your weapon. Radial menus used by competitors are too slow. Fumbling over UI while bullets are flying will get you killed, plain and simple. In Six Days, simply point and tap a button. That’s it.
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“Breach the door. As soon as that thing comes open, everybody in the stack is just flying in there, overwhelming the room.” – Cpl Dane Thompson, USMC 3/5
Let’s focus on the most traditional, and perhaps the most dangerous, of all entry points in Six Days—the front door. Fatal funnels were kill boxes for the Marines who passed through them. This was especially true for the first person through the doorway. This was because an overwhelming insurgent force was lying in wait, trained on every door in Fallujah. And, this was the case every single day during the battle.
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By default, the Marine Fireteam will always try to provide 360-degree security around the team. When approaching doors, specifically, AI Marines will automatically stack on the door you’re pointing at. For players who want more control, you can order a manual Stack with a context sensitive GO! Command—simply press the GO! button while holding a modifier key.
Once stacked, players have a few cards to play depending on the situation. Firstly, you can command your AI Marines to kick open the door with a modifier key. This will execute a fast-breach in which Marines flood the room with overwhelming firepower and force. As the Team Lead, you’ll follow in behind them.
Secondly, you can command your AI Marines to simply open the door. This will crack the door open slightly, providing you and your team a quieter breaching option. With the door cracked, you can try and sneak your way inside, or even toss a frag grenade inside for a more aggressive breaching playstyle if the situation demands it.
If the door is locked, you’re forced to either kick open the door (as described above) or find another entry point. The latter is just as feasible, as there’s more than a dozen ways to enter a building in Six Days.
The Suppress GO! Command can also be used to enter buildings. As a reminder, issuing a Suppress order unloads firepower at your target, allowing your sub team to advance. This is one of the most effective military tactics as it distracts enemies away from the doorway, hunkering them in place. This allows you a safer entry.
Finally, you can split the fireteam to create two entry points simultaneously to overwhelm unexpecting enemies. Similar to Suppression, split entries surprise insurgents and prevent focus on one singular fatal funnel. With your AI Marines stacked on a door, you can wait at a nearby window with your Ready Marine. Issue the breach, and you’re free to enter at the same time to overwhelm the room. This tactic is not limited to one level, either. While your Marines enter through the front door, you’re free to breach the second floor (and vice-versa).
Now, more than ever before, it is your responsibility as the Team Lead to apply the OODA loop—short for observe, orient, decide, act—to work through the ever-changing web of conflict presented by urban combat. With Fireteam AI at your command, solo players are now responsible for the livelihood of every single member of their fireteam. But, it’s important to remember that solo players also have, for the first time, the sophisticated toolset necessary to achieve mission success in Fallujah.
In case you missed it, our Command and Control content update released on Thursday, November 7th. Take command of an AI fireteam, experience the first-ever True Story campaign missions, jump into an all-new co-op mission, play any co-op mission with AI or human teammates, and explore a visually overhauled Fallujah!
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Thank you to our community for leaving hundreds of comments on our Fireteam AI already! We’re excited by the passion you bring to the game, and it’s been fantastic watching both solo and cooperative players finally get hands-on with our most anticipated feature. We’ll continue to filter through your feedback as we iterate on AI functionality and responsiveness.
Join the community conversation and offer us feedback on our official Discord server!
https://discord.gg/SixDaysGame
