OPERATION LIBERATOR: BILLABLE ENTRY best weapons

[geosouv]

I am playing Billable entry now. My question is: What are the best weapons for my men? 3 men that is since I am controlling one and I have given him a sniper rifle. I started out with 1 M1 Garand, 1 MP44 and 1 BAR, but I think they were getting killed easily so I thought of using 2 M1 Garands and one MP44. But I can use 3 Garands as well. I think in this mission you need accuracy more than firepower because the distances are long but maybe you need firepower as well . I really don't know. What do you think? Keep in mind that I am playing it on campaign mode and on hard difficulty level. By the way, this game is mysterious: It works a lot better on Windows 7 than XP Has anyone noticed that?

[Duke0196]

Everyone will have their viewpoints depending on their style & strategy; so there will be numerous weapon combinations. I did notice you make no mention of a stealth weapon.

In this mission, the stealthiest commando in the patrol with a De Lisle works well for me. As much as I like to snipe ... I let someone else be the sniper while I spend most of the time as the stealthiest member. You mentioned the distance and for this same reason I normally equip the other two with a Garand and a BAR. If I am lucky, however, I can get by with minimum or no firefights.

Question: Were you advancing your whole patrol to get to Trebissky? Or using a single member to get to him? This might be why you are getting all shot up.

SPOILER ALERT: Do you make any effort to capture the drunken soldier's uniform as a disguise? The sooner you get to him the easier this mission, and the rest of the campaign, will be for you.

My strategy is to kill the enemy only as necessary with the DeLisle, grab the uniform (leave the DeLisle & any other allied equipment behind or you'll blow your cover), at a minimum grab a pistol if you didn't bring or acquire a German weapon, head for Trebissky remembering to keep an eye on your disguise bar. Silently kill if necessary with a knife. If and when you do shoot someone ... hide until your disguise bar fills up. The stealthier the commando, the faster it fills up. Once the bar is full ... you can walk around a bit more like you belong there. Again, this strategy may not be for everyone but it works for me. Happy hunting.

[geosouv]

Question: Were you advancing your whole patrol to get to Trebissky? Or using a single member to get to him? This might be why you are getting all shot up.

SPOILER ALERT: Do you make any effort to capture the drunken soldier's uniform as a disguise? The sooner you get to him the easier this mission, and the rest of the campaign, will be for you.

Yes, I was advancing the whole team to get to Trebbisky. Why do you think this is a problem? What else could I do? By disguise bar, you mean the third bar to the right in each man's icon? I have never heard of a disguise bar before, I guess I'll have to read the manual extensively. Drunken Soldier? I don't know what you are talking about. What do you mean drunken? Where is he located? Is he at the start of the mission or later on? How do I recognize him? Well, about the De Lisle rifle. I have never used it in the game (don't know what it looks like either) because it is a bolt-action. I consider this to be a great disadvantage since not all of my men are good shots. Of course, I can change my squad and take the best shooters, for the campaign, is that what you are suggesting? I don't think I will be able to complete this mission without a scoped rifle and without semi-automatic rifles or machine guns. Keep in mind it is on hard difficulty level and it is the first time I play this game on this level.

[Duke0196]

Question: Were you advancing your whole patrol to get to Trebissky? Or using a single member to get to him? This might be why you are getting all shot up.

SPOILER ALERT: Do you make any effort to capture the drunken soldier's uniform as a disguise? The sooner you get to him the easier this mission, and the rest of the campaign, will be for you.

Yes, I was advancing the whole team to get to Trebbisky. Why do you think this is a problem? What else could I do?

I find it easier to take the stealthiest member as possible and acquire a disguise while leaving the others behind. The disguise makes the mission a lot easier and it will also help in the subsequent missions. Leaving the others behind also means you can concentrate on getting yourself to Trebissky.

By disguise bar, you mean the third bar to the right in each man's icon? I have never heard of a disguise bar before, I guess I'll have to read the manual extensively.

Yes, the third bar to the right. Left bar is health, center bar is endurance. When the disguise bar is empty, the enemy (Germans/Italians) know that you are their enemy. The simplest way to test this is to load "Whiskey Bar" in single mission. Since this is a test ... just load a soldier disguised in a German uniform. When you start the mission in the storage area you'll see the disguise bar is full, as the two Germans approach you, the bar begins to drop, once the bar is empty ... they will know you are an enemy soldier posing as a German. However, if you duck back out of their line of sight, you will see the bar start to rise again. Of course, if they realized you were an enemy ... they will come to investigate. Even if your bar is not completely filled they will not fire at you. Its as if they are looking your over to tell if you are friend or foe. Of course, your bar will drop again as they check you out. Test over.

Drunken Soldier? I don't know what you are talking about. What do you mean drunken? Where is he located? Is he at the start of the mission or later on? How do I recognize him?

He smells like Ouzo. But seriously ...

SPOILER ALERT: There is a small shack with the switchman (secondary objective) near the start. On the far end is the train station where Trebissky (primary objective) is being held. Between the shack and the station are two fields surrounded by fences and a small building. The drunken soldier is inside that building. Note there is an officer in the building ... he is not drunk and will try to shoot you. Kill the officer and go into the next room and surprise the soldier; he will surrender just like the soldier who surrenders in the underground lab (Op. Snowball - Scout). Swap uniforms, get rid of any allied gear (you can keep your knife) and proceed to Trebissky. You should be fine as long as you can keep an eye on your disguise bar and aren't made. If you are not playing the Campaign in Carnage there is no need to kill all the enemy. Just try to slip away undetected to the extraction point. If you decide to go back for your De Lisle, remember this will defeat the disguise since you are carrying an allied weapon. So, if you really want it ... you'll need to extract with as much care as if you were wearing an allied uniform.

Well, about the De Lisle rifle. I have never used it in the game (don't know what it looks like either) because it is a bolt-action. I consider this to be a great disadvantage since not all of my men are good shots.

In this situation the De Lisle is advantageous since it is silenced. It was based on the SMLE Mk III and it even does more damage than some unsilenced rifles. That .45 ACP round can do a number on you. In addition, it is more accurate, longer ranged, and harder hitting than the silenced Sten.

Of course, I can change my squad and take the best shooters, for the campaign, is that what you are suggesting?

No, I am not. Best shooters are fine but don't forget to consider your other factors. You need to have a balanced patrol. You should always have a stealthy man and a good medic. Strength and endurance are also very important. A guy can be a good shot but it doesn't help if he's very noisy in a closed environment, or doesn't have the strength to carry a lot, or the endurance to take damage, etc. Having said that, if your focus is still on shooting, Harris is the second best shot with a stock 85% but also the six highest in stealth (stock 71%). His health and first aid skills, however, are rock bottom unless you have used him in earlier campaigns so you really need to be careful if you use him. If you maintain primary control of him during the mission ... you should be fine.

I don't think I will be able to complete this mission without a scoped rifle and without semi-automatic rifles or machine guns. Keep in mind it is on hard difficulty level and it is the first time I play this game on this level.

First off, I'm not telling you to leave the scoped or semi-auto weapons behind. As the first mission of the campaign ... you'll need to plan accordingly. What I am recommending is you give those weapons to your mates while you go forward individually.
The one thing I liked about the H&D series is you can swap or pick up weapons ... you aren't stuck throughout the whole campaign with what you started with. Your newly disguised commando can still pick up a German semi-auto or scoped weapon and since he's disguised ... he can silently kill or hose a place down before the enemy even knows what hit them.
Like I said, this works for me but it may not be for everyone. Cheers ...

[geosouv]

Thank you very much for all the help Duke, and for the very lengthy replies. I am almost done with the mission, just need to get to the extraction point The disguise helped me a lot, since on hard difficulty, you can't really shoot your way through this level, too many enemies coming from all sides! The disguise bar is just amazing. There is so much to this game you need to find out. It's a pity I was bored to read the manual when I was playing on medium difficulty.

[Duke0196]

Thank you very much for all the help Duke, and for the very lengthy replies. I am almost done with the mission, just need to get to the extraction point The disguise helped me a lot, since on hard difficulty, you can't really shoot your way through this level, too many enemies coming from all sides! The disguise bar is just amazing. There is so much to this game you need to find out. It's a pity I was bored to read the manual when I was playing on medium difficulty.

I'm glad to help. I don't intend for my answers to be lengthy ... it just turns out that way; but it was worth it if it got the job done.