Topic: Thoughts on defending Mos Espa [picture-heavy]
This started as just an example of squad coordination in the Everyone Squad Up! thread. I plan to upload this to the Wiki once it's gotten some feedback.
The initial stage of Mos Espa (the day-time desert map) is interesting in that it gives the Imperial players an 'Omaha Beach'-style open field they have to cross using mostly infantry. The difference between the Germans at Omaha and the Rebels at Mos Espa, however, is the Germans had this bright idea that the whole beach, not just a small section, should be defended. The rebels, doing things their own way, had the western edge of town protected by infantry spawning at Watto's Junk Yard, while the eastern edge of town is totally unprotected.
In effect:
It's worth noting that even though the Junk Yard infantry can see pretty far to the east from behind their wall, the 'wide open area' extends farther to the west than indicated. Also worth noting is that you don't have to follow the southern road, as there are plenty of alleys between the buildings following the road on its north side. As a result, there should be not just one squad at the Junk Yard, but also at least two squads dispersed along the whole southern edge. If Imperials slip through the first line of buildings, all they have to do is sneak through one of these alleys, and they're far behind Rebel lines, free to sneak all the way to the Slave Quarters.
Going all the way east is particularly nasty of the Imperials as it totally bypassed the Alliance defenders at Watto's junk yard. If I, as an Imperial squad leader, choose to do so, scaling this hill...
...I will find that the Rebels, at the Junk Yard, will be totally unable to stop me. Not from all the way over here:
Thus, I will be free to proceed to cross the open field and find a nice little alleyway here...
...from which I'll be flank around the eastern edge of the map to the Slave Quarters.
Now, if the mapper declines to provide you with cover for half of your front, I think it's either because he wants the Imperials to have a way to break through so that the battle moves into the town instead of being bogged down, or because he wants you to take the initiative yourself - provide a challenge and a bit of Strongly Encouraged Teamwork by Mapper, so to speak. It's probably a bit of both, and either way, initiative is precisely what is needed from the Alliance here if they don't want the Imperials to walk right in to your city.
Setting up shop in or near the alleyway is strongly recommended, as is covering at least one of the other two suggested points on the map above. Try to spread squads out as far as possible so that you can cover a wider area. Also remember to use the speeder - you can either use it as a rapid response vehicle to catch up with and engage enemies that managed to sneak past your lines, or use it as a defense turret by turning it around so that its gun faces the enemy landing zone.
Shields, deployable turrets and mines, not to mention spawn beacons, are your friends when defending the city outskirts. Set them up and defend them, and place them where you plan to set up your defense, which in turn should be where you can do the most damage. Do not deploy shields so that you have your back against the wall (a mistake I often see), as you need to be able to retreat to safety if overrun. When placing shields so that they cover turret gunners, be careful to not place them so that the turret can't fire at all. Only the tip of the turret should be obstructed by the shield. Lastly, remember to place spawn beacons where they won't easily be spotted. The more creative you can get here, the better.
I know I'm in Project Reality mode and that most games will not get sufficiently organized for me to set this up, especially with no commander present, but I suppose that clan players will may have use for this when playing clan matches.
--the awesomeness that is Boatmurdered.