Very fun. Is there a way to be more efficient?

[Guest twistedpretzel]

I enjoy this mod a lot, it brings a ton of things to the table that I feel EM4 was a let down on. For example, my new favorite function is the rapid deployment, very slick!

I was just wondering if there was some way to be more efficient? I find myself encountering an emergency, and if I want the BC to go to a fire, I have to go back to my fire station, click him, go back to the fire, and tell him to move there. Are there some hot keys I missed or something? Or is that just how you have to do things?

Maybe like those alarm control panels, have a dispatch panel for each station? Then you can activate it, and have a couple different unit selections and combinations of several units from that station to dispatch to the most recent call. Or like how there are "suggested" unit responses if you use the scroll down showing all the active calls you can access a dispatch panel there for each individual call?

You know what they say, work smarter not harder.

[Ami89E1234]

Group the BC into a group using the Group buttons (the numbers on the HUD) and name him preferably Group 1. Then just hit 1 and voila.

[Guest twistedpretzel]

Awesome! Thanks for the tip! Now I have a few response systems set up. My only real gripe now is that you can't really group an engine or two with the BC because depending on if they have been on responses they may have switched stations or be behind other rigs.

So I have a BC at station one as a group, an EMS captain at station two as a group, two patrol cars as a group, and BC and USAR at station 1 as a group, because the USAR unit will always go to the same slot and same station. That works pretty well for most of my responses. As well as adding two BLS aid cars on standby in two diff places on the map. I call them Rural Metro.

That works pretty well for most.

I haven't convinced myself that there is a real use for the "light strike unit" or whatever it is. I can never justify using the ladder truck in freeplay. I would rather put a different unit in its slot.

[Ami89E1234]

Light Force. Come on, ladder is awesome. Has reach to areas other trucks couldn't reach/put out and can rescue people on upper floors.

[billyfromhill]

What you can do is hotkey an extra battalion chief to stand around the station so you can quickly dispatch units via his commands.

[Guest twistedpretzel]

Thats a good idea. I don't even know why I didn't think of that. That is really what I want, to be able to dispatch units while looking at the scene. Thanks Billy!

As for the ladder, haven't had an incident where I had to rescue someone from upper floors of buildings yet in the challenge or freeplay, and I would much rather have 4 lines and a deck gun per engine to fight the fire. That is a lot of water!

[swatlord]

I usually have another BC come form off the map and I use him kinda like a dispatch center. If it's a huge fire, I call the other bc to the scene to make things faster. I found though that every other time I hit my group, it will snap to the BC. kind of irritating when I don't expect it

[billyfromhill]

Thats a good idea. I don't even know why I didn't think of that. That is really what I want, to be able to dispatch units while looking at the scene. Thanks Billy!

As for the ladder, haven't had an incident where I had to rescue someone from upper floors of buildings yet in the challenge or freeplay, and I would much rather have 4 lines and a deck gun per engine to fight the fire. That is a lot of water!

There's no need to call a chief from offmap. What I usually do is hotkey the inital chief you get at the start of freeplay and have him stand out of the way. I then send the staff assistant into the station and then I sound the alarm to get another BC and SA to man the SUV.

As for ladders vs. engines, why not try using the light force command on the BC? You say that you would prefer an engine, but a light force gives you both a ladder and an engine for the most flexibility. With a light force you can have 4 lines plus the wagon battery plus the truck's master stream, and you have another FF to use a hose from a hydrant or for RIT. A light force is usually enough to handle just about any fire ingame. Even for the bigger fires a task force is usually all you need.

@ swatlord, my hotkeys do that also, it's hit or miss. How it should work is when you tap the hotkey once, the unit is selected, and when you tap it twice, it will jump to the unit location.

[Guest twistedpretzel]

I will try using the light force more often. I also am using police to block off roads more often, which makes things way more efficient. I didn't do that before. Set up takes time which kind of blows, especially if it is an arsonist.

I try to arrest the arsonist first, while dispatching two engines so they can start on the fire with the deck guns while I hunt down the arsonist. Then I get a BC in there, along with another police car or two to start blocking roads. Sometimes I get so caught up in micromanaging the road blocking I forget about my two engines and the fire grows exponentially. Then I end up deploying all my FF with hose lines along with another engine or two to get control again.

I definitely struggle with arson and other large fires, and mass casualty incidents. I try to get a few BLS cars around the map so whenever I have an MCI I can call them in and just keep a train of aid cars going, I also like to get a few cop cars set up, and of course set up my Medic supervisor, sometimes I focus too much on getting all my units ready I let the first call or two blow out of proportion. I think I am just going to call those units when I need them, and then leave them on the map after I am done instead of preempting them to positions.

[Guest ModMaker2009]

How do you set the hotkeys up?

I notice you have groups 1,2,3 and 4 if i remember but i have no idea on how to set them up, also on the tips bit on the drop down menu when you get a call is says somthing about "Events in your area" or somthing like that, how do i find those events?

[Forensics]

How do you set the hotkeys up?

I notice you have groups 1,2,3 and 4 if i remember but i have no idea on how to set them up,

I think you select the unit you want to hotkey, then press group, then press the number you want it.

also on the tips bit on the drop down menu when you get a call is says somthing about "Events in your area" or somthing like that, how do i find those events?

What do you mean?

[randomperson139]

I notice you have groups 1,2,3 and 4 if i remember but i have no idea on how to set them up, also on the tips bit on the drop down menu when you get a call is says somthing about "Events in your area" or somthing like that, how do i find those events?

You can make the menu drop down and click the event and it will take you to the event.

[Guest twistedpretzel]

There are going to be 2 green arrows in the top of your screen, where text scrolls across telling you what the call is and what the RP saw, you can drop that down into a box by clicking the arrows and it shows a history of calls, and which are still active. On the active ones it even suggests what units to use.