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SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs Online Play FAQ
PlayStation 2
Version 1.1 (6/30/06)
By Philip Kirshbaum (Philz20) E-mail: philz20(at)gmail(dot)com
This file is Copyright (c)2005-2006 Philip Kirshbaum. All rights reserved.
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Table of Contents
1: Introduction
2: Version History
3: Contact Policy
4: Copyright Notice
5: SOCOM 3 Online Set-Up and Recommendations
5A: How To Get Online
5B: SOCOM 3 Requirements, Login Walkthrough, and Recommendations
6: SOCOM 3 Online Menu and Functions
6A: New Features From SOCOM II
6B: Verifying Your SOCOM 3 Account
6C: Ranking System
6D: How To Make/Join An Online Game and Autoplay
6E: Clans
6F: Friend and Ignore Lists, Taunts, and Invitations
6G: Community
6H: SOCOM 3 Website
6I: Various Tips
7: SOCOM 3 Online Game Types, Skins, Guns, and Unlockables
7A: Game Types
7B: SOCOM 3 Default Maps
7BA: North Africa Maps
7BB: South Asia Maps
7BC: Poland Maps
7C: SOCOM 3 Download Maps
7CA: SOCOM Map Pack #1
7D: Points System
7E: Usable Weapons and Vehicles
7F: Character Skins
7G: Unlockable Items For Online
7H: Various Tips
8: SOCOM 3 Patch History
8A: SOCOM 1.2 Patch
8B: SOCOM 1.3 Patch
8C: SOCOM 1.5 Patch
8D: SOCOM 1.6 Patch
9: Frequently Asked Questions
10: Credits
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1: Introduction
Hi my name is Philip and I'm known on GameFAQs and a million other sites as
Philz20. This is my first FAQ I have ever written, so please go easy on me.
After playing all three SOCOM games since 2002, I felt kind of inspired to
write an online FAQ for this game. Being the big SOCOM fan I am, I figured I
can make something in my spare time that I will enjoy doing in my spare time.
Plus it gives me the opportunity to help users that want to know more about
online mode.
Please note that this FAQ is only about SOCOM 3's online mode. I will not
discuss anything related to single player, the controls, and the HUD. That is
stuff you should already know. In the unlockables section, I will only include
the things that will affect single player and multiplayer. If you don't want to
know, then I suggest you skip over that section.
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2: Version History
Version 0.45 (10/30/05), 29 KB - First version. Section 6F and below are
incomplete. They will be done at a later date when I have more time to work on
this FAQ.
Version 0.65 (11/09/05), 49 KB - I'm posting my update today since I'll be up
in Northern Minnesota on Friday and Saturday, so I felt like it was time to
show you a lot of nice changes I made. I made the FAQ a little easier to read
in some browsers by spacing out a few paragraphs, added some Q&A's in section
8, and completed sections 7B, 7E and 7F.
Version 0.66 (11/28/05), 50 KB - Updated section 8, added a new feature in
section 6A, and added a new link for sites that are allowed to use my FAQ. This
is the only reason why I'm updating it without significant additions.
Version 0.85 (12/04/05), 61 KB - I was able to update this thing pretty well
because first trimester ended on December 1. I made a minor modification on
section 6C, and completed sections 6F, 6G, 6H, 6I, and 7A.
Version 0.86 (12/06/05), 62 KB - I added Supercheats.com as a site that can
host this FAQ and updated the IGN link, even though I've received no e-mail
from them yet. :( No major updates to content.
Version 1.00 (12/23/05), 68 KB - Submitted on the day my GameFAQs account turns
three years old! Yes, this is version 1.00! Everything should now be updated
except the clan war stuff. Otherwise, the FAQ is basically complete and I will
still welcome reader feedback for future updates. Changed the copyright year to
2005-2006 because I might not update for a while, changed minimum memory card
requirement to 3000 KB due to the 1.2 patch, and included a question in the FAQ
that regards the error message you get after downloading the 1.2 patch.
Version 1.05 (2/04/06), 70 KB - First update in 2006. Added section 8, which
is about the various patches of SOCOM 3.
Version 1.1 (6/30/06), 79 KB - Updated to include information about the first
map pack. Also renamed the Clans and Clan Wars section to just Clans since the
clan war function is rarely used, reorganized and updated a lot in section 7,
updated the patches section with two new ones, added a question to the FAQ
section, updated section 6G, and added more stuff about the Commerce and other
goodies.
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3: Contact Policy
As with every FAQ, there has to be a way to contact the author. Even though
this is my first FAQ, I will be somewhat strict on what I want and what I
don't want.
If you feel the need to contact me for questions, suggestions, comments, or
complaints, please e-mail me at philz20(at)gmail(dot)com. If your suggestion
or question is used in an updated version of this FAQ, you must let me know if
you want me to add your name to the credits. If you don't provide me with one,
I won't even add it at all. To make sure I read your e-mail, please put "SOCOM
3 Online FAQ" in the subject line. That will let me know that you sent me an e-
mail relating to my FAQ and will be looked at, but be aware that if you don't
contain that phrase in the subject line, chances are I won't reply because of
your stupidity. Questions about single player or other extras that I don't
mention in this FAQ will NOT be replied to. If you have a question about
anything related to online, chances are it is provided in the FAQ, but I
will reply based on the question or by saying "Please look in the FAQ since I
mentioned it." or it will be answered and put in the FAQ section if it's a
beneficial question. I will not reply to e-mails if it contains an attachment,
a total rant about my FAQ, or anything unrelated to it. The only way to contact
me is through e-mail and I only give out my IM info if the situation requires
it.
If you sent me an e-mail that I replied to about a suggestion and I told you it
would be added, please don't freak out if you don't see an update. Being a
Junior in High School, my life is fairly busy with school, friends, family,
music, other internet habits, my job, and of course, SOCOM 3. I will try to
update this guide on a weekly or bi-weekly basis depending how many suggestions
I accept. Also, I'm also looking for various things to be added or modified to
the guide. You can find that list in the credits section and I will be grateful
if your information is complete and accurate.
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4: Copyright Notice
This FAQ is Copyright (c)2005-2006 Philip Kirshbaum. This may be not be
reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not
be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance
written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any
public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. This FAQ
was also written entirely by me, unless you see a note of people in the credits
that helped me in writing this FAQ. This FAQ has been given permission to post
at the following sites:
GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com)
IGN (http://faqs.ign.com)
NeoSeeker (http://www.neoseeker.com)
GamerHelp (http://www.gamerhelp.com)
Supercheats (http://www.supercheats.com)
If you find my FAQ useful and want to post it on your website, please e-mail me
to request it to be posted. If I accept your request, the link to your website
will be posted in my FAQ at a later date. If your request is denied or you
never asked for permission, you do not have the right to use this FAQ in
partial or whole on your site. If I find out you have posted this FAQ on your
website without MY permission, you will be asked to take it down immediately
with a very harsh e-mail. I recommend you never have to encounter my harsh e-
mail because it will not be a thing of beauty.
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5: SOCOM 3 Online Set-Up and Recommendations
5A: How To Get Online
So you're showing an interest in PS2 Online, eh? You're in for quite a treat.
The following lists what is required for playing online for almost any game:
- A PlayStation 2 Memory Card (8MB) to save network information.
- A PS2 Network Adaptor that attaches to the back of your PS2. If you have a
slimline PS2, the Network Adaptor is already built into the console.
- A Dial-Up or Broadband connection. I recommend a broadband connection because
it delivers a hell of a lot faster speeds and most PS2 online games are
broadband-only. If you have dial-up, I seriously recommend you make the switch
to broadband.
- An Ethernet cable, wireless adaptor, or phone line that can be inserted in
the internet port(s).
- A valid network configuration file and registration data. You can use the
online start-up disc that comes with the Network Adaptor or PS2 console. A lot
of games also allow you to make a network configuration file in the internet
login menu.
I will not give step-by-step instruction on how to make a network configuration
as your instruction manual states how to do it. If you have any problems with
getting online, I recommend you call Sony to deal with it. They helped me get
online and are very reasonable and helpful people.
5B: SOCOM 3 Requirements, Login Walkthrough, and Recommendations
Congrats for showing interest in SOCOM 3 Online! As being a veteran player of
the series, I will give you the requirements and recommendations for making
your gaming experience great. Refer to section 5A if you are wondering what you
need to play any game online for the PS2.
To play this game online, you will need:
- The SOCOM 3 disc.
- A PS2 Memory Card (8MB) that has at least 3000 KB of free space. It used to
be 500 KB, but the 1.2 patch that increased its memory needs was released on
12/22/2005.
- A PS2 Network Adaptor that attaches to the back of your PS2. If you have a
slimline PS2, the Network Adaptor is already built into the console.
- A Broadband connection. For SOCOM 3, dial-up is NOT allowed. You must have
broadband no matter what if you want to play this game online.
- An Ethernet Cable or a wireless adaptor.
- A valid network configuration file and registration data.
To get online, press X at the title screen, which will take you to the main
menu. Go to the tab that says "Online" and press X. If you already have a valid
network configuration file, all you have to do is select "Login". When you get
to the universe selection menu, choose the universe you would like to play in,
even though there should only be one available. At the player login menu,
choose a name between 5 to 15 characters with no spaces and a password between
4 to 15 characters with no spaces that you can easily remember. Be aware that
once your SOCOM 3 player name is registered, you cannot change the name or the
password to it. If you simply can't tolerate your current online name, make a
new one. After the player selection menu, choose to accept the user agreement
and then you will be online. Congrats!
After the first time you login to SOCOM 3 online, the title screen will add
another option called "Fast Login" by pressing the O button. This feature will
skip several steps that you would've encountered using the regular login by
using the account you were last online with and your last network
configuration. All you really have to do is accept the user agreement and
you're good to go. This is incredibly helpful if you got disconnected or had to
reset your PS2.
I have a few recommendations to share to you if you want your online experience
to be great and have heavy reliability.
- Get a USB headset that can be used to communicate to people vocally. This is
probably the most vital optional piece of equipment you can have. This game
revolves around the use of voice communication and you will have a terrible
time trying to play it without a headset.
- A USB keyboard is highly recommended by a lot of people and not highly
recommended by other people. To me, a USB keyboard is helpful if you want to
have the ability to make text messages easily. Pressing buttons on your
controller to get a letter to appear is a pain, but using a keyboard is
literally painless. Plus you can chat with someone in the game, your team
and/or all the players during a game if you have one.
- Use an Ethernet cable to connect to SOCOM 3 Online. I'm not bashing wireless
connections since I use one for internet browsing, but it has been proven that
wireless connections tend to disconnect you more from games and cause slower
speeds. If it works fine for you, that's great, but having a wired connection
ensures high reliability towards playing online. A lot of online connection
problems can be caused by a router too. Make sure you have a reliable router
since that contributes towards how often you get disconnected.
- Make sure you have a PSP, an HDD (40GB PS2 only), or a USB flash drive with
at least 32MB of storage. If you want to purchase the new map packs, you must
have one of those storage devices to hold them. The 8MB PS2 memory card will
not work.
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6: SOCOM 3 Online Menu and Functions
This section will cover everything about the SOCOM 3 menu system and its
various features. Section 7 will contain content about playing the game.
6A: New Features From SOCOM II
If you haven't played or heard anything about the new content in SOCOM 3,
you're in for quite a surprise. I will list most of the noticeable features
that is different from SOCOM II, but if you feel I'm missing something, please
contact me.
- A revamped menu system. When you go online or even go into the main menu, the
first thing you probably noticed was a brand new menu style where content is
organized into various tabs on the top of the screen. They did this to make
content easier to find and make a menu system that's more convenient.
- 32 players in a game. Yeah, you heard me. Instead of having a maximum
requirement of 16 players in a game like in SOCOM II, Zipper Interactive made
new variations to the graphics engine to allow 32 players in a game. You'll
probably think having 32 people in a room and 16 people on a team is a hassle,
but it really isn't.
- Map size varies depending how many people are in a room. Have you noticed how
some maps feel restricted when the room won't allow 32 players? Depending how
many people you allow in a room will decide how big or small the map will be.
From what I know, there are three different settings, but allowing 2-16 will
result in the smallest and 32 with the largest.
- Vehicles are allowed in seven out of the 12 maps. Another noticeable addition
in the SOCOM series is the use of vehicles. You probably think vehicles add a
lot of change in the way online is played, but it actually adds minor change.
Vehicles are mostly used in this game by getting from one place to another.
They can be used for offensive and defensive purposes, but most of the time
players won't use them in their strategy since they're so used to the player
control only style that was in SOCOM I and II. You can choose to take vehicles
out of a game if you dislike them that much.
- 12 new, very large maps and no returning maps from SOCOM II. This change made
SOCOM players happy, sad, and mad at the same time. The happy thing is that the
maps are huge. All of them are at least twice as large as the SOCOM II map
Foxhunt and the largest one is six times larger than the SOCOM II map Last
Bastion, which was the largest SOCOM II map. They add a lot of variety like new
paths, new strategies, and new hiding spots. The sad portion is that Zipper
chose not to include any of the SOCOM I or II maps in the release of SOCOM 3,
which made a lot of SOCOM veterans sad, including me. There are rumors and
speculation that Zipper might include new or classic maps to be downloaded, but
this information will be announced at a later date. How they will do it is way
up in the air. Finally, the thing that got a lot of people angry is that these
12 maps appear in single player. That's right, they are designed exactly like
the single player maps with almost no modification to the overall design. The
unique thing about SOCOM I and II maps were the uniqueness since they were
basically snippets from the single player maps, but these SOCOM 3 maps are
directly from single player. To me, I don't really care because the maps are
fun, plus it gives you a big advantage if you actually played single player
before you started online.
- New guns, new skins, and the attachments system. Another major change in the
series was the addition of the attachments system. You can now add attachments
to your gun to fit your style of play. Be aware that your mobility is greatly
affected if your loadout weighs too much. Almost everyone welcomed this system
with open arms due to its reality. The different skins also add quite a bit of
variety too.
- 32 people are now allowed in a clan and SOCOM 3 has a built-in war system.
Yay, we can now have 32 people in a clan. Not having more than 16 people in a
clan was a big gripe in SOCOM II and not having an official war system was
another gripe. Fortunately, they cured some of those complaints.
- More ranks and two ranking ladders. To ensure a break-in period and more
variety, Zipper created two different ranking ladders and added a lot more
ranks to the main ladder. I'll get more in-depth with that later in the FAQ.
- You can swim. Swimming is a cool little feature that can help you move across
bodies of water, but it's more of a nuisance than a helper.
- You now have a mailbox and there's a new and improved messaging system.
- You can choose your spawn points in-game and in the game menu.
- You can send friend and clan invites while you're playing in a game.
- Respawns can be played on any game type and any map. In SOCOM II, it was
limited to suppression maps only.
- You need a credit card to use a lot of helpful features in this game. More
info in section 6B.
- Commerce section added for the use of purchasing new content. More info in
section 7C.
6B: Verifying Your SOCOM 3 Account
You're playing online, but you noticed how you can't start or join ranked
games, join or create clans, use a friends list, and use stat tracking. Why is
that? The answer is that you need to be a verified user to use those nifty
features. To become verified, go to the Community menu, then go to personal,
and verify. You must accept the user agreement and then put in your credit card
information. YOUR CREDIT CARD WILL ONLY BE USED FOR VERIFICATION PURPOSES. IT
WILL NOT BE CHARGED WHATSOEVER. Also only one credit card number is allowed per
SOCOM 3 account.
6C: Ranking System
Yay, now I get to talk about one of my favorite parts of the game. The ranking
system has been improved and changed in this game one way or another. There are
now two ladders instead of one: Enlisted and Officer. The Enlisted ladder is
the starter ladder and is based purely on number of games played until you get
to the final rank. All players must start in the Enlisted ladder. After you've
met the requirements of the final Enlisted ladder rank, you will be transferred
to the Officer ladder, which uses the same ranking system as SOCOM II, except
with a few more ranks. Also, the specialized ranked rooms in SOCOM II have
returned, with modifications. Instead of having a dedicated room to a specific
rank, it now goes by a specific grade. There are three grades: Junior, Mid, and
Flag.
The following contains all of the Enlisted ladder ranks:
Seaman Recruit: 0-4 games
Seaman Apprentice: 5-14 games
Seaman: 15-24 games
Petty Officer Third Class: 25-39 games
Petty Officer Second Class: 40-54 games
Petty Officer First Class: 55-74 games
Chief Petty Officer: 75 games and 50 wins (For example, if you have 75 games
played and 50 wins, you'll progress to the Officer ladder. Lets also say you
have 105 games played and 45 wins, you won't progress to the Officer ladder
yet.)
The following contains all of the Officer ladder ranks:
(The system goes *rank* - *grade* - *percentage on Officer ladder*)
Ensign - Junior Grade - Top 81-100%
Lieutenant Junior Grade - Junior Grade - Top 66-80%
Lieutenant - Junior Grade - Top 51-65%
Lieutenant Commander - Mid Grade - Top 41-50%
Commander - Mid Grade - Top 31-40%
Captain - Mid Grade - Top 21-30%
Rear Admiral Lower Half - Flag Grade - Top 11-20%
Rear Admiral Upper Half - Flag Grade - Top 6-10%
Vice Admiral - Flag Grade - Top 2-5%
Admiral - Flag Grade - Top 0-1%
Fleet Admiral - Flag Grade - Top 10 Players
6D: How To Make/Join An Online Game and Autoplay
Creating and joining an online game has been made more simple compared to SOCOM
II. Joining a game is incredibly simple. First go to the briefing tab and
select a briefing room to play in. Once you're in a briefing room, you should
see 5 tabs that say: Briefing, Join Game, Create Game, Spectate, Filters.
Choose Join Game and select a room you want to play in. Once you're in a game
room, your options expand a little. If you want to voice chat with your USB
headset, press L2 to talk and press O if you want to text message the room
you're in. You should notice four boxes at the top of a game menu. They are
Team View, Spawn Points, Armory, and Game Details. Team View is basically the
main game menu. It shows you how many people are in that room and what teams
they're on. If the game hasn't begun yet, you can press the Select button on
your controller to switch teams and once you're ready, press the Start button
to tell the room you're ready to go. Spawn Points is pretty self-explanatory
since you can choose where you want to spawn in.
The armory in SOCOM 3 is pretty cool compared to SOCOM II. The first tab is
called "Character", which allows you to choose what player skin you want to
play in, save a custom loadout, and reset defaults. It's basically an overview
of your loadout.  The "Weapons" tab is where you select your weapons. You can
choose a main rifle with two attachments, a pistol with one attachment, and two
other items. Notice at the bottom of weapon selection that it shows how good
your gun is and how much weight you'll be carrying. Be careful not to carry too
much weight or else you'll move very slow compared to other players. The final
box, Game Details, just shows you the details of the game and that's it.
Creating a game is very interesting this time, since it gives you almost total
customization of a room. You must provide a room name, decide if you want it to
have a password, determine the amount of players, score type, spectators, play
list, and then you can create the room. You can choose to make the maximum
number of players in a room from 2-32 in intervals of 2. There are three score
types you can choose from. Most people will choose ranked, which means only
verified users can play and your scores will count towards your rank. Open is
an unranked room that's open to anyone that wants to play. Finally, respawn is
a 20 minute match where if you die, you can respawn and the game just keeps
going on. Then you can choose if you want you allow spectators, allow
spectators with a password, or not even allow them at all.
The Play List is where things get fun. You can choose your maps, your game
mode, round counts, round time, friendly fire, vehicles, time of day, and
weapon modes. Each map can be made unique, which means you don't have to have
the same weapon selection for all the maps. The round count ranges from 3-11
rounds, each go up by intervals of 2. You can choose to put friendly fire on,
which means you can injure a player on your team if you shoot them, or just
turn it off if you don't want you team to have the ability to hurt each other.
Then you can decide if you want to have vehicles on the map or off the map. YOU
CANNOT DECIDE WHICH SPECIFIC VEHICLES YOU WANT. IT'S EITHER ON OR OFF. You can
choose if you want the map to be day or night, then you can select which
weapons you want to put in. Your options range with sniper rifles, pistols,
shotguns, SMGs, assault rifles, machine guns, mines, ranged explosives, and
grenades. Once you're happy with your playlist, hit done, then hit the start
game button to create the room. Pretty nice, eh?
A nifty feature in deciding which rooms you want to play in is the filter
system. You can choose the map name, game type, score type, number of players,
and advanced options. Be aware that if you apply these filters, it will hide
the rooms that you applied the filter to. If you want to see all the rooms,
don't even mess with the filters. The advanced options include friendly fire,
weapon modes, vehicles, time of day, and connection speed. If you just want to
play a game without any searching, autoplay is where you want to be. In the
online menu, go to the second box from the left that is titled "Autoplay". At
this menu, you can choose what specific games you want to play. You should also
notice that the autoplay options are the exact same as the options on the
filter. Once you're satisfied with your settings, you can start the search for
a game and there you have it!
6E: Clans
Ah yes, now we're getting into the great stuff. Ever since SOCOM I, clans have
played a major role in the game. SOCOM 3 expands greatly on the topic of clans.
Instead of having only 16 people in a clan, you can now have 32 because of the
increased room size. For joining a clan, you will have a 1-3 letter tag that
goes next to your name in the game menu or the in-game scoreboard. Another
benefit of being in a clan is that you have the ability to message your entire
clan from the mailbox menu. In every clan, there is only one leader. Zipper
decided not to add any internal clan ranking system this time around, which was
one thing a lot of people wanted. The leader has the ability to invite players
by selecting "Invite A Player" in the clan roster or invite a player during a
game, appoint a new leader, mail clan, leave clan, remove player, change clan
tag, make war challenges and accept challenges, and disband clan. Please note
that a clan name is permanent until you disband the clan, and if you decide to
disband your clan, there's no way it can come back unless you make a new one.
Members of the clan can only message the clan or leave it.
The clan war system can be complicated. Note that only the leader of a clan can
make a clan war happen, register your clan on a ladder, and deny matches. There
are three ladders you can join, which are Daily, Evening, and Weekend. All the
ladder times go by Pacific Standard Time, unless otherwise stated in a clan
challenge. The Daily ladder can be played everyday from 8 A.M. to 11 P.M. The
Evening ladder can be played everyday from 6 P.M. to 11 P.M. Finally, the
Weekend ladder can be played on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 8 A.M. to
11 P.M. You can only be registered on two ladders and must login daily to view
challenges. I mentioned the challenges phrase because the system for it is kind
of awkward. First, you can only challenge clans that are approximately 100
ranks above you. You can accept challenges by a clan that has a lower rank than
you. If you decide not to do anything about a challenge, you will lose a war
and drop to whatever position the challenging clan was at. The ranking system
for clan ladders is the swap system. If you win, you take the clan's old rank
and go to it if you challenged a clan, or you maintain your rank if you won
against a lower ranked clan. If you lose, you drop down or stay the same.
6F: Friend and Ignore Lists, Taunts, and Invitations
This section is found in the last tab from the left called "My Settings". All
that I'll do in this section is talk about what each tab means and how to use
it.
The Friends tab is your friend list. You can view which friends are currently
online and what games they're in. You can add a friend by doing it in a game,
highlighting their profile, or going to the add friend option under the friends
tab. If you want to remove one, highlight their name, press the square button,
and go to remove friend. Ignore is very unused. There's almost no point in
using an ignore list unless someone is really bothering you. Just add the name
under the tab. The taunts tab lets you edit and save your taunts, so you can
use them during a game. You can only have three and be aware that you must save
them to your memory card, or else they will not be there the next time you log
in. The invitations tab is where you can accept or deny clan and friend
invites. You'll know if you have an invite if the parcel icon in the lower-left
corner of the screen is lighting up.
6G: Community
A new feature that was added in SOCOM 3 is the Community. At the main online
menu, the Community option is the third tab from the left. In this section, I
will explain various features in the Community menu that might help you out.
It's organized into six sections: SOCOM 3 Daily, Leaderboards, Clan Ladders,
Message Board, Personal, and Help.
SOCOM 3 Daily consists of the daily news and polls. There should be one more
sub-tab called Survey, since the SOCOM 3 stat website has a survey tab. There's
nothing really special about the news and poll, so just check it often in case
they update it.
The Leaderboards tab is separated into seven sub-tabs. The individual
leaderboard is basically the overall leaderboard and the most used. Weekly and
monthly can be used for some interesting statistics, but they aren't terribly
important. An interesting feature concerning those leaderboards is the fact
that you can search up people by typing their online name in to view their
stats. Be aware that you must manually search for them in the overall
leaderboard if you want to see their profile. An easy way to do that will be
listed in section 6I. One that I use a lot is the friend leaderboard to compare
my rank and stats to the people on my friends list. It's just handy to have
around.
Clan ladders is important for organizing clan wars. I listed the processes of
finding one in section 6E. All you have to do is go to the community menu and
select the clan ladder tab. That's all.
The next tab is Message Boards. They're handy if you want to discuss certain
features of the game and send feedback to the developers. It's also a great
place to go to rant, but most people don't like it. Only post there if you have
an issue or want to suggest and idea to the developers.
SOCOM Store was added on 6/27/2006 for the release of the first and future
SOCOM map packs. Here you can purchase and download the latest maps. More
information in section 7.
Personal is probably one of the most important tabs. Here, you can check your
profile, edit your profile, send or read mail in your mailbox, and verify your
account if you haven't already done so. I suggest you check your mailbox daily
to make sure you aren't missing out on important news that your clan mates send
or a personal message. That's basically it.
Help provides a few FAQs on some really basic gameplay help and other SOCOM 3
features. If you need help, look at the FAQs.
6H: SOCOM 3 Website
At E3 2005 and from interviews at various sites, Zipper told the SOCOM 3 fans
that there would be a website that was similar to bungie.net, but better. You
could check the leaderboards, mail your friends and clan, post on the message
boards, and check the latest news. However, this feature was not present when
the game first came out. People were upset by saying Zipper blew it again. The
unthinkable soon came on November 22, 2005 in their first weekly update by
saying the SOCOM 3 community website was up. All you have to do is go to
http://socom3.scea.com and login using your SOCOM 3 account name and password.
The site is basically the community features, so I'm not going to go into
detail about it. The link is the important part, however. :)
6I: Various Tips
- As listed in section 6G in the leaderboard part, I mentioned that there is an
easier way to search up people if you want to view their profile. This requires
access to the SOCOM 3 website that I wrote about in section 6H. Go to the
website and click on the leaderboards tab, and then click on the overall
leaderboard link. Now you should be able to see the top players. Scroll to the
bottom of the page and click the "next" link. From there, look at the URL bar
and you should see the following:
http://socom3html-
prod.svo.pdonline.scea.com:10070/SOCOM3_HTML/stats/Stats_CareerLeaderboard.jsp?
start=50&end=99&statsStart=0&statsEnd=2&sortCol=0&sortOrder=1&gameMode=0
Notice the start=xxxxxx&end=xxxxxx part of the link. From there you can search
up a player and look at their current rank. Once you found it, paste that link
into the URL bar and edit the part where I put the six x's. Now you can put in
a range to find an area of players and be able to view the profiles of anyone.
One helpful hint is to put no more than a value of 300 for the range. Doing a
higher number can cause the server to time out and force you to try again. It's
really easy to perform once you've successfully tried it.
- Verify your SOCOM 3 account. You will not regret doing so and it WILL NOT
charge your credit card. Ask your parents to use it or buy a prepaid one.
- Don't cheat to boost your rank up. Right now the entire SOCOM community knows
how messed up the ranking system is. All I can tell you is to just deal with
it. It will be fixed eventually, but playing legit is a lot better than
cheating.
- Save your characters if you don't want to waste time picking your character
every single game you go into. I don't use it, but I know it's handy for the
people that like to use different characters for special situations.
- Be active in your clan and be a role model. Your clan will respect you if you
show good sportsmanship and make an effort to play with your clan. A lot of
clans won't care how good you do, but just as long as they see you benefiting
the clan, you'll stay in.
- Gamebattles.com is a good site and the most popular one for setting up clan
wars for various games. Even though it requires a lot of effort, it's better
than trying the official war system.
- Check your mailboxes daily. Clan leaders love to send announcements daily, so
check your boxes if you want to stay on top of everything.
- Use the SOCOM 3 website. It's terribly handy if you are out of town or can't
access your SOCOM 3 disc. It's almost more useful than the community feature in
the game in a lot of ways!
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7: SOCOM 3 Online Game Types, Skins, Guns, and Unlockables
This section focuses primarily on the actual gameplay of online mode itself.
Throughout this section, I will be making references to a game known as SOCOM
Fireteam Bravo. Be aware that this is a Playstation Portable (PSP) game and it
will not be released in North America until November 8, 2005.
7A: Game Types
SOCOM 3 offers almost more game types than any other online game today.
Returning from SOCOM II are Suppression, Extraction, Demolition, Escort, and
Breach. Two more have been added, which are Control and Convoy. I will explain
how each game works in this section.
IMPORTANT NOTE: All game modes can be won by eliminating every member of the
opposing team. Completing the objective is important, but a lot of times you
will be able to win by just trying to kill the other team.
Suppression
-----------
Introduced in SOCOM I, Suppression is your standard deathmatch. To win, you
must eliminate the opposing team. However, SOCOM 3 has included another way how
to win. If you have more players alive than the other team when the round ends,
you will win the game. This made sure that there weren't as many draws, plus it
adds more strategy. You can still draw a game if both teams have the same
amount of people alive at the end of the round. All fifteen maps offer
Suppression mode.
Extraction
----------
Introduced in SOCOM I, Extraction is where one team must prevent the opposing
team from taking the hostages out of their control, and bringing them to
safety. Unlike Escort, killing the hostages is not a good thing. For the team
trying to rescue them, the mission timer will reduce by one minute for every
one hostage you kill. For the team that is trying to prevent their rescue,
killing one will result in one hostage rescued for the rescue team. One big
change in SOCOM 3 is that both teams are able to extract and prevent rescue on
certain maps. In SOCOM I and II, the SEAL team was always responsible for
rescuing them. Extraction is offered in nine of the fifteen maps.
Demolition
----------
Next to Suppression, Demolition is another mode that is found in almost every
online game. Introduced in SOCOM I, Demolition involves picking up a satchel
and blowing up the opposing team's base, or preventing the destruction of your
own base. The satchel is neutral, so both teams can pick it up and try to
demolish the enemies' base. This means that there are two strategies in this
mode, which I already mentioned. If neither team demolishes a base, the round
will end in a draw. Demolition is offered in eleven out of the fifteen maps.
Escort
------
Introduced in SOCOM II, Escort involves one team starting out with the hostages
and are in charge of rescuing them. The opposing team is in charge of killing
each hostage. There is a major change in the way this mode is played, however.
In SOCOM 3, the team with the hostages must rescue at least two hostages before
time runs out or else they lose. In SOCOM II, the team that was in charge of
killing the hostages would lose if they failed to eliminate them. Another
change is that both teams can escort hostages on certain maps. In SOCOM II, the
SEAL team was always in charge of the rescue and the Terrorists had to
eliminate them. Escort is offered in six of the fifteen maps.
Breach
------
Introduced in SOCOM II, Breach involves the SEALs demolishing the Terrorist
base, while the Terrorists must prevent the destruction at all costs. Along the
way, there are a series of gates that prevents the SEAL team from moving closer
to the bomb site, so they must blow them up with C4 charges. If the SEAL team
fails to demolish the Terrorists base before time runs out, they lose. Breach
is offered in eight of the fifteen maps.
Control
-------
Introduced in SOCOM 3, Control is very similar to the plot games in Halo 2.
Both teams must try to capture all five nav points on the map before the other
team does so first. Note that both teams are able to capture the nav points. If
a SEAL has already captured it, the Terrorists can capture it too. It's a race
against time and numbers, so capturing all the nav points are important. This
mode is also like Suppression in the sense that one team can win if they have
captured more points than the opposing team. Control is offered in fourteen out
of the fifteen maps.
Convoy
------
Introduced in SOCOM 3, Convoy involves the Terrorists to load up at least one
or two cargo trucks with cargo, and drive them to the drop zone. The SEALs must
blow up both cargo trucks or prevent the Terrorists from making it to the drop
zone before the round is over. Be aware that the Terrorists can win if they get
at least one truck to the drop zone with cargo. To load your truck with cargo,
go to a load zone, get out of the truck, and press the X button next to the
boxes. This will load the cargo onto the truck in a range of 15-30 seconds.
Convoy is offered in four of the fifteen maps.
7B: SOCOM 3 Default Maps
You want to know what the maps are and a brief description of them? This is the
place. I will name each map by area of operation, playable game types,
available spawn points, and give a brief description about them. I will not be
giving you in-depth strategies about any of these maps.
7BA: North Africa Maps
The North Africa maps are primarily desert or urban environments. That means in
desert surroundings it's very wide open and offers little to no cover. It also
serves to snipers greatly. The urban maps are usually complex with a lot of
structures and a lot of hiding places. These maps also provide the greatest
variety of vehicles compared to any other area of operation.
Crucible
--------
Available game types/spawn points: Suppression (2 for both teams), Escort (3
for SEALs, 2 for Terrorists), Demolition (1 for both teams), Convoy (2 for both
teams), Control (2 for both teams)
Crucible is one of the most played North Africa maps and with good reason. This
map has an abandoned mine that runs from the far west end of the map to the far
east end of it. I'm not real fond of going through it due to the lack of people
that go in there and it's real easy to get lost. However, the mine entrances
are perfect for sniping. Why? This map's strength is at its outdoor combat and
the high elevations it offers. It's basically a sniper haven and you can rack
up a massive amount of kills if you're proficient at sniping. There's a main
road that wraps around north of the mine and offers a lot of vehicle combat. If
you love sniping and taking full advantage of vehicles, Crucible is for you.
Killing Fields
--------------
Available game types/spawn points: Suppression (3 for both teams), Demolition
(3 for both teams), Escort (2 for SEALs, 3 for Terrorists), Convoy (3 for
SEALs, 2 for Terrorists), Control (3 for both teams)
Killing Fields is another popular North Africa map that has made a huge impact.
This was the second map announced before the game came out, and is the size of
six SOCOM II maps with extra space leftover. The huge strength of this map is
vehicle combat. It has a lot of extra space and is a pain if you're trying to
get from one side to another without a vehicle. As far as urban combat goes,
the center ruins area is the prime area for it. With a lot of places to hide
and to sneak up on snipers, fighting in the ruins is very fun, but not the
strongpoint of this map. The other two structures in the map at the northwest
and southeast corner are bases for either team and they don't offer any urban
combat at all. Avoid those two spots if you can. You might think with this much
open room that this would be a sniper map, but it isn't. A cool feature is a
sandstorm is currently going on as you are playing, so this condition offers
poor visibility for open sniping. However, the best areas where you can snipe
are at the base entrances and in the ruins area. If you love vehicle combat and
a huge, wide open map, Killing Fields will offer a ton of fun.
Citadel
-------
Available game types/spawn points: Suppression (2 for both teams), Demolition
(2 for both teams), Escort (2 for both teams), Extraction (2 for both teams),
Breach (2 for both teams), Control (2 for both teams)
Citadel is my favorite map and it's very popular for fans of maps such as
Crossroads or Fish Hook in SOCOM II. This map is purely urban combat and has no
vehicles at all. It has two main areas which is a village and the terrorist
operation base within the walls of the city. A very unique trait is the
complexity of the structures. Many buildings and areas offer multiple floors
and walls around you, so it's perfect for shooting people at a higher elevation
and for making traps to surprise the opposing team. Unlike most maps, sniping
does not work very well due to the lack of space between structures and the
lack of cover when you're trying to snipe. Overall, Citadel serves to the fans
of the SOCOM II urban maps like Crossroads and Fish Hook, and should not be
missed by anyone that wants a unique war-zone feeling.
Devils Road
-----------
Available game types/spawn points: Suppression (2 for both teams), Extraction
(2 for SEALs, 3 for Terrorists), Convoy (2 for both teams), Control (2 for both
teams)
Devils Road is a map where you either love it or hate it. If you don't have
vehicles enabled on this map, it is a pain to get around. It offers a few roads
with many twists and turns, large cliffs with multiple footpaths, and two
village areas. Like most of the North Africa maps, vehicles and sniping is its
strength. Running on foot with an assault rifle isn't hard or a bad thing, but
it's almost too easy to get killed by a vehicle or a sniper. The two village
areas are not good for urban combat due to their small sizes, but they serve
well for snipers that are hiding and shooting from building windows. Overall,
if you are a fan of sniping and vehicles, you'll probably like Devils Road.
7BB: South Asia Maps
The South Asia maps have the best variety of locations in my opinion. The
environments include forests, ancient ruins, camps, a boatyard, grasslands, and
huge amounts of water. It also has a steamy climate and some fog. The only
usable vehicles for these maps are boats only. I'm not saying that's a bad
thing, but these maps aren't big on vehicle combat. These maps are also the
least popular out of the other map sets.
Boneyard
--------
Available game types/spawn points: Suppression (2 for both teams), Extraction
(2 for both teams), Breach (2 for both teams)
Boneyard is probably one of of the most unique and smallest maps in the game.
It's basically a shipyard that has many pathways through ships, a back tunnel,
and the weapons base. I say this map is unique because there is a good amount
of urban combat and a good amount of open combat. The close-quarter firefights
are usually quite intense with grenades exploding everywhere and a ton of gun
action. The only downside is that this map is quite laggy when there are
massive firefights near your position. If you are a sniper, you will probably
have a difficult time trying to get kills. If you hate being killed by grenade
launchers, this is the map where people get killed by them a lot. Overall,
Boneyard is a very unique map that can serve to players of urban and open
combat.
Tidal Fury
----------
Available game types/spawn points: Suppression (3 for both teams), Demolition
(1 for both teams), Extraction (2 for both teams), Breach (2 for both teams),
Control (1 for both teams)
Tidal Fury is a very interesting map for a few reasons. First, it's massive.
This map is not easy to get around from place to place unless you are familiar
with it. Second, you can only get around on foot pathways through the jungle.
The closeness of the paths make it prime to get kills and be killed. Finally,
it is fricken hard to see people. The player skins blend in so well with this
map that it's hard to find people to shoot. This is not a map for snipers due
to the poor visibility, but it serves very well to the players that love to run
and gun or camp. If you want to snipe, the best place to do it is in the center
ruins, but you might not get many kills or you might shoot one of your own
teammates. Tidal Fury is a map for the players that love to blend into the
environment and use stealth to get kills.
Antenora
--------
Available game types/spawn points: Suppression (2 for both teams), Extraction
(2 for SEALs, 3 for Terrorists), Breach (2 for SEALs, 3 for Terrorists),
Control (2 for both teams)