Since I joined H3WM about a month ago I have picked up quite a few useful tips from browsing through these forums. Unfortunately they are scattered over many threads so I decided to put them in a convenient list and post it here. Most of you will know this already but it may be of use to other newcomers like myself. Be sure to comment if you disagree with anything or think somethin is missing!
Using the warthog in Halo 3: Driver’s tips
1. Keep moving and be unpredictable. When you do need to stay in a particular area, for example to allow your gunner to engage a group of enemies nearby, keep twisting and turning and going back and forth to lower the chance of being hit by plasma grenades.
2. Don’t speed past enemies too closely and/or too fast. The turret has a rather low turning rate so to allow your gunner to stay on target when going past an enemy, either go around in a semi-circle or approach it and then back away again. The former is safer than the latter.
3. Don’t drive through groups of enemies. With random groups of enemies the chance of one sticking you is too big to chance a splatter, tempting as it may be. Groups of enemies that are just spawning will only have frag grenades but may still board you. Go around them.
4. Prefer safer areas of the map with enough space to maneuver. For example, don’t go upper keyhole on avalance (and certainly don’t drive trough it), but stay in the open spaces near laser spawn and the bases. Another example: don’t drive between the enemy BR-line and the enemy base on Standoff (enemies coming out the front will have stickies and power drains). Instead go back and forth between their brute shot and their camo or cover the middle if they rush it.
5. Use the Nose Down technique when approaching an enemy hog dead-on. Your hog will dip slightly whereas the enemy hog will be tilted backwards, putting the enemy gunner’s aim off your gunner’s head.
6. When being boarded, use the jack ‘n smack technique: Stop the hog and look right. After you’ve been are pulled out you will still be facing the same direction and you can easily melee the jacker. If your gunner managed to do some damage on him before he pulled you out you may even kill him. Also, if he ends up with his back to you you can assassinate him.
7. Spread the love when under heavy fire (for example from and enemy hornet or hog). By maneuvering the hog so that alternatingly the driver and the gunner are exposed most to the source of the fire, damage can be shared between both instead of just one player.
8. Slow down or drive backwards when a plasma grenade is stuck onto the hog. This is said to more frequently throw your hog in such a way that might be easier to land it than when moving forward.
9. Keep an eye on your teammates’ indicators. The hog is very useful as a support unit and it is a good idea to stay near teammates so as to support them when need be. This is especially true for fights with smaller teams than 8v8.
10. Engage these enemy vehicles with caution if you are one (LAAG) hog without further support: Banshee, Hornet, Chopper and the Scorpion. The first two are usually no problem if your gunner gets to shoot them first, otherwise escape is advisable. It is probably best to avoid the Scorpion altogether.
11. Callouts that are especially important for drivers:
Laser status updates, such as who on your team has it of if the enemy has it, where their laser guy is. If your laser guy is killed, go cover the area until a teammate can come to pick it up. If the enemy has the laser, maybe your teammates can go take it while you stand by in cover.
Enemy movements/spawns, such as from which side the enemy is approaching your base for an attempt at the objective. Whenever groups of enemies are spawning an opportunity for a multikill for your gunner arises.
12. Act as a gunner yourself occasionally. This will give you a better sense of how you can best put your gunner to work. Some areas on the map seem fine to hang around in the eyes of the driver because they are safe but may actually give your gunner a comparatively poor angle for shooting.