Published : 14 October 2006
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Heavy Machine Gun (Bottom Center) in Tactical View

The first thing of course is to mind where it's at. So one technique I did was once I figured out where it was (I've played the mission so much I just do it out of habit), I put the own waypoint marker on it:

First however, SP-wise, get ALL of your teammates in a secure safe place, i.e. out of the line of fire. By taking your time you can eliminate all the dismounts running and shooting around, again patience. The waypoint marker is there so you don't get chopped up, keeps you in the frame of mind that it's still out there:

The real bad thing about this technique is that it overlays your target:

In the case above, the gunner wasn't dead, and couldn't tell. Things to think about when doing this are pretty obvious...

Taking it out

Well that can be easier sometimes and sometimes downright hard. The idea is to flank if you don't have a sniper rifle, as well it'll chop you up, enough said on that matter. However there are a few things to look for. If you can get on the high ground, then you can aim for the gunner's legs. Keep in mind it's slow to turn on you, common sense as even with a tripod, it'll start firing before it'll actually be pointed at you.

Once you either hear it or see the muzzle flash pull out of the line of fire and just chill out: If you got a place to go around, do it. In this case, I have a whole building I can walk around, and do so; the weapon is human operated, so you have to hit him hard, and fast. Sniper rifles are a no-brainer, but since I use reflex sights in game, this is more geared to that, or iron sights. However, keep in mind the gunner will hold the trigger down until he feels that you're dead or whatever. Just walk around, and find another angle. This is if you're getting hammered, just play cat and mouse with him. Just always be careful of roaming dismounts, take them out first.

In the mission session I used for this tutorial, had to engage the dismount and then got shot at by the gun. Take your time, as most of the missions don't require you to get it done within a certain time period, just getting it done matters. Crawling on your belly helps, as it makes them less aware and may give you the time you need to get a few good shots in. Oh yeah, make sure he doesn't get back up. If you can do it, if not, use the Tactical View and go from there. And always use the available angles too:

 

The Money Double-Tap

This is where I got my confirmed kill. Again take care of any roaming soldiers, as they can screw you up as you're lining up on him. I think by this time I got the final one, and then the gunner started firing, so I had to take care of business. Again always make sure he's down:

Another aiming point as can see in the screenshot above is the U that the gunner uses to aim. Again, aim carefully and you're likely to kill him:

Gunning for the U

The above shot was taken before I put a couple 3 round bursts into him. The M99 is of course your best bet when going up against these that is of course you are equipped with one:

Now you see him

Now you don't

One shot, one kill, easy enough. However, like anything, if you throw enough bullets around, you'll be bound to hit something, hopefully the gunner. Then again once you've played the missions it's too easy. Note that of course, using a grenade launcher is of course doable and in VIP 2 is Down it's near essential to figure out the arc. I've had to replay that quite a few times so now I know exactly where to aim and fire. The bullet shield will also completely cover the gunner from front impacting grenades. Do not try and hit the turret itself with your nade. If possible, take aim for a nearby wall, the blast will reflect off the wall and kill the gunner.

A note on available cover. Naturally stone or other objects are the best for hiding from the bullets. However, if you decide to hide behind a car:

 

Enough said. Finally, the emplaced .50s can penetrate light debris. Light objects such as fences and benches should NOT be used for cover when approaching or flanking an emplacement, as the bullets will pass right through. Your AI team mate however, can't seem to figure this out. If necessary, manually maneuver them behind heavier cover if you can.

However, needless to say, you should use available cover if necessary:

Also you can play tag with it, however it's advised as before, get your team in hiding, have them take a breather, and you fire at it until you kill it:

Depending on the weapon you are using, it is going to take some rounds to pick it off, but then again, at this point I'm standing, and leaning, so it's going to be a little bit, hence playing tag. Note this tactic should work with non-scoped weapons, i.e. all the default weapons except of course the Barret. However if you mod your weapon to accept the SN-3, then it gets easier but then again, be prepared to have an exit strategy, i.e. find your cover first that you are going to utilize (not that car!!!) when it does fire.

Mk.19 Grenade Launcher

I'm only going to touch briefly on the Mk19 that's featured briefly (once) in VIP2 Down and especially in Bulldog. In all practicality, it's easier to engage and destroy as there's no shield, just be quick and stay higher and use the walls and it can't elevate that much. Hand grenades or launched are always good to use as well as direct fire), however with hand grenades you still have to get close enough, but then again, a lucky toss will get him too. Keep in mind while your GL grenades don't do much damage, the Mk.19 tends to wipe out one of your teammates in one fell swoop, and they have problems (I guess) in engaging them. In other words, in single-play, you'll do most of the work.

Team Effort

AI should never assault machine guns; they're too retarded to get out of the way. It's an algorithm loop that constantly activates when they're being shot, "Captain I'm being hit!" Your Sniper CAN take out gun emplacements, with a little set up. Make sure you move your team in to flank the gun at a no less than a 90 degree angle between your own position and the target. The more cluttered the area, the closer your team will need to be to their target to execute their attack order.

Once you have your order set up, and your team in place, take a few potshots at the gun emplacement and duck behind cover. Once the HMG is dedicated to keeping you pinned behind cover, execute the attack order. If everything goes according to plan, you should take out the gun emplacement with minimal risk. *NOTE* only use the sniper and ONLY if he is equipped with the Barret. Any other teammate will get himself killed. Yeah brother, get out of the line of fire, and it won't happen. Consider him dead really. However, with some luck you can do this:

I managed to get lucky this time on this instance. The intent was to flank the dismount, thinking that the .50 cal was down. However once Brown and Kirkland came around, the .50 started to light them up. I was moving Allen around so we could mob the two soldiers by the limo. I turns out that the .50 was oriented, engaging Brown and Kirkland. I pulled those two back, and Allen got in a lucky shot with his SCAR-H.

Note: Missions used for this tutorial were Coup d'Etat, and Bulldog at Normal Difficulty.