Bad Company 2 Multiplayer
I've recently started playing Bad Company 2 online, and have found that the game has a steeper learning curve than most online FPSs I've tried. Battlefield veterans will most likely find most of the advice and observations in this guide to be self-evident, but I had to spend many-an-hour figuring them out myself. So, if you're a new Battlefield player, I hope this will help you get into the game more smoothly. I intend to write up a three-section beginnners guide, starting with technical issues that need to be configured first, then advice on how to move and hide, and finally, advice on how to shoot and get kills.
A: Config
The first thing you probably want to do is configure your favourites list. Unfortunately, the server browser in BC2 is hopelessly inadequate at finding fast, local servers. You'll need to modify the GameSettings.ini file in the BFBC2 folder that is in your "My Documents" directory, and replace the line "FavouriteGames=Empty" with the code below.
FavoriteGames=2115911431,516b898c-380e-498b-ba35-2db8fca9f535,Gamers-Edge.org Conquest [Hypernia|Sydney];3640858306,93bf6ea7-132a-4c79-9c53-38fbd0864485,Gamers-Edge.org Rush [Hypernia|Sydney|Aus];2305102870,5cb0dba9-a671-4d47-9ef2-e79fe582b350,MatureAnzacGamers.com;2769261886,f866117d-f872-4f75-b91a-36b7939a3f23,OCAU AU #01 - HC CQ FF;2564719003,5fcb0611-da53-48d1-bade-d16b0952931f,www.Team7.com.au[CQ][All Maps][Sydney];553951853,a8649c3b-33f0-471b-a6ba-042d6f287885,Gamers-Underground.com #1 [Conquest];3824053689,f3dc860c-54ee-4af5-9c36-7a693a247b6e,WAIX.org Perth BFBC2;1356091126,7652b839-c688-45ca-94b6-77b5db142d19,The Older Gamers Server # 1;1736507508,cf31ef78-a75a-45ba-833c-f5e9e52f1649,AussieUnderdogs WA Server;485456567,1fd1e420-3100-4e9a-bdce-7668811d92a1,AussieUnderdogs #3;1855978367,1e197e41-2fd4-4f02-a1d9-3c5462480a66,AussieUnderdogs #2;1852990951,7fbfcbba-61a4-49ec-8e9b-ee41ffd692f0,! S Y D N E Y 24/7 HARDCORE RUSH #7 [XtG];2042700377,ce8577b8-dfbf-4755-9b71-4be288ec010c,[St0rm.Net] 24 / 7 Rush [AUS];1575235837,222d58da-bde9-4ef1-a725-3ce5eb713988, RUSH Server (Sydney) (AU);3080187637,fef696a2-6f90-46b8-910f-1a001a35ce22,AussieUnderdogs #1;113327715,c43047a3-8594-4279-a171-9bac892e01d7,Gamers-Underground.com #2 [Rush];3348590208,b276b59a-f051-40fb-8ac6-0f52a488d22e,=AF=AngryFace Gamers - Sydney Conquest;555876361,4e6f79b6-ec61-48cf-aa40-c4afd469cff7,CGN BC2 Server www.cobragaming.net.au;1495621005,f53d5acc-e45b-4ab9-a1ab-f71e10bcf98a,OLDFARTS | BADLANDS | www.oldfartsatwar.org;3581782283,df76e85a-56cc-4a10-98da-e36c01a6b10a,Eo'R AU Ranked BC2 server;4007310607,d1fc1c81-7bab-4801-aad5-eb46ee190c0e,Team Artificial Hypernia Sydney;1869101778,aab8fffc-500d-4b29-9144-f9684c24ef96,GameArena BC2 #09 [CQ][FF][16p];742690195,079cb942-ce90-40e4-ab53-abe236ac2f86,GameArena BC2 #17 [CQ][HC];2157080523,31d61766-efc0-4d57-b4df-4000cdbda8e7,GameArena BC2 #05 [CQ][HC][FF];2352468240,b2884ac1-f276-44e1-9237-49a8537cd5b9,GameArena BC2 #04 [SQDM];792828798,8ccc1729-bcf5-4671-8689-6d7885476db7,GameArena BC2 #15 [CQ][HC][16p];326686805,beaab51f-bc69-4e1d-9dcf-4bbb301b0aa3,GameArena BC2 #12 [SQDM][HC][16p];2299646734,ee56ab54-b0a4-4519-ad3a-a79079d65b25,GameArena BC2 Test #2 [16p] ^_^;1373651536,05330e98-18b3-40c6-be04-2ed3df824e3d,GameArena BC2 #10 [SQR][FF];3048856460,44c1bf4c-38bf-48d7-b5d3-5934aef0ad73,GameArena BC2 #14 [SQDM][16p];4104660025,9bc2dbbd-2655-447d-a693-e24c6991d861,GameArena BC2 Test #1 [16p];1099789100,ddb703e2-6cdb-4126-83e4-ae1c02da1d51,GameArena BC2 #06 [Rush][HC][FF];888491299,a53f2c90-c854-4a9f-a1fe-7fc4948d7738,GameArena BC2 #08 [SQDM][FF];312492574,88de9849-6819-45ab-9d63-8ab2e30bfc57,GameArena BC2 #16 [CQ][FF][HC][16p];912644493,6f5f223f-acd2-4e8a-9503-f2031998f454,GameArena BC2 #03 [Rush];3859613160,4b341162-5689-413f-9fc6-41ab245ad891,GameArena BC2 #11 [CQ][16p];633405586,69d5b28f-1a42-480f-aa95-fdf887221f21,GameArena BC2 #07 [SQR];2925453601,69963c33-9fa4-443b-8ee2-7c76db141edc,GameArena BC2 #13 [SQR][16p];2218385678,24801cc6-1e37-4385-a382-7dc655ba6c2b,GameArena BC2 #01 [CQ];3120868228,cf6c875f-6350-4399-b43c-7df6351a4e08,GameArena BC2 #02 [CQ][FF];565439916,c28020f8-1817-4421-82b4-b184b2d6a3d7,3FL BC2 #1 Conquest;1523016269,f027160d-bd4c-4a27-ba64-38d3a60b994e,3FL BC2 #13 Conquest;3612145510,52c09243-aa22-45d7-a7d2-f0b9a8e78061,3FL BC2 #14 Conquest;4042764987,f7afffcb-952e-4e65-90c0-712bfc455490,3FL BC2 #2 - Conquest;756616015,ce7692cc-674c-49f7-a4bd-955b5c777f74,3FL BC2 #06 Rush;2890232935,05432e19-a915-4594-b94a-eaa21971da9d,3FL BC2 #7 Conquest (HC);
Now, instead of waiting minutes for your main server browser to load and bring hundreds of irrelevant foreign servers with it, you can simply just load your "Favourites" tab and see some local Australian games.
The second thing you might want to do is manually adjust your FOV (Field of View) setting. Check out this site for the simple instructions you need to achieve this.
Aside from that, the only things left to do are to make sure you're comfortable with your mouse sensitivity settings so that you can make accurate distance shots within your current field of view, and also so that you can make a 180 degree turn quickly if needed (I've got mine set to .6 with default DPI settings), and also to read through the key bindings menu so that you're familiar with all of the controls. I've found it helpful to remap with melee/knife attack from the middle mouse button to the 'F' key to ensure more accuracy during knife fights.
Now that's taken care of, let's get into the actual meat of the multiplayer gameplay :)
The point of my writing this is not to make a comprehensive multiplayer guide per se, but to note down the less obvious mechanics of the gameplay. I might just be slow, but it's taken me almost 60 hours of online play to become reasonably competent at navigating the multiplayer game with confidence. So, I'll assume you guys can work out the basics of BC2 by yourselves, such as the game type rules, the instinctive feel you'll get for bullet drop and ballistic travel time across distance, and so on.
B: Movement
1) Q Spotting
Otherwise known as the socialise key. Spam it. Use it all the time. The main function of the 'Q' key is to mark hostile targets. For example, if you look at an enemy and you have a clear line of sight to them, pressing the Q key will mark them to everyone on your team by a red arrow in the HUD and also on the mini-map. Basically, you've exposed a member of the enemy team to everyone on your team, highly increasing the chances that that person will die. If you're shooting at an enemy too, keep hitting 'Q'. If you fail to take them down, or if they end up killing you instead, you'll at least have marked that person for future fire from your allies. The recon class is especially effective at this. Since most of the recon scout's weapons have a long-range scope attached, and even if you're not actively shooting at your opponents, you can still tag them via Q spotting to give your team the advantage. If you've been directly exposed to a member of the enemy team, always assume you've been spotted. The only way to break a spot is to break the line of sight between you and the enemy for roughly 10-20 seconds. If you can hide for that long, you'll once again drop off their radar.
The other function of Q spotting is to request support from friendly units. For example, if you hit Q while looking at a friendly medic, you'll appear on his mini-map with a flashing bandaid, meaning that you've requested healing support from him. Also, if you look at an objective marker (the red boxes with A, B, C etc. in them) and hit Q, you'll order your team to attack or defend that specific objective. This is a useful communicative tool, but also a personal advantage in the sense that if your order is "completed", you'll recieve points for having issuing that specific command. Basically, hitting Q all the time is recommended to increase the level of information being fed to your team, which will more often than not decide who gets the first attack advantage, which in turn can decide who wins.
2) Movement
From what I've noticed, the best BC2 players know how to move safely through the maps. What this means is that the main difference between a good player and a bad one is how they use cover, how they choose to use their sprint and how long they take to assess potential risks around them. Unlike faster-paced games like TF2 or UT, there is a greater consequence in BC2 to being attacked first. More often than not, whoever notices an enemy first or gets the first few shots off will manage to kill their opponent regardless variability in skill level. For this reason, it's incredibly important to try and move carefully through the maps, especially while you or your squad are near noted killzones, such as MCOM hubs or capture points.
Peek out around corners with you scope aimed to check whether any opponents are exposed. If you're playing as the Recon class, use your motion mines to try and spot enemies without having to expose yourself - you can always replenish your supplies of motion sensors by getting near an Assault ammo box. If no real solid cover is available, you can always try and crouch into the thicker patches of bush to conceal yourself. Q spotting will fail if a target is mostly concealed by foliage.
One important thing to consider is bullet penetration. Bullets will pass through most wooden objects, such as fences, so these are highly ineffective as cover. If you've been Q spotted, a red arrow will be pointing at your position, so hiding behind a wooden surface only eliminates your line of sight to the enemy, whereas they can still "see" your position because of the spotting.
Sprinting is also something to carefully consider. Sprinting is useful for quickly moving around in relatively safe areas, but can easily lead to your death if you overuse it. Someone sprinting from one position to another is not a hard target to hit, so hoping you can outrun a bullet is not the best of ideas. It's definitely possible to increase your evasiveness by zigzagging (i.e. swishing your mouse from left to right while sprinting to run in a harder to hit pattern), but this still can't save you from someone firing at you from a close enough range. Instead, check your corners, and only sprint from one position to another if you're mostly confident that no one is watching. The other problem with sprinting is that you can't fire while you do it. What this means is that if you sprint too often, you're more than likely to sprint right into the face of an opponent. In the half-a-second it'll take you to stop sprinting and bring your weapon to a firing position, your opponent would have had sufficient time to seize their first attack advantage.
Basically, try and move carefully. The top-scorers often use a greater level of caution or manage their risks well enough to get the opportunity to see enemies before they're seen themselves.
3) Stay away from windows
.. and doors. As strange as it might seem, using windows as fire-ports isn't always a good idea. This isn't to say never use windows. If you stand away from the window and keep your barrel well inside, you can become quite inconspicious. However, aiming out through windows with your body pressed right against the wall encourages your opponent to aim at your head, and you'd be surprised at how often people can make headshots when they try. Worse than that, a well-place RPG or 40mm grenade can kill you with one hit if it's fired against a wall you're right up against.
C: Firing
1) Burst!
All of the automatic weapons in BC2 have a higher spread than I've been used to in other FPSs. Regardless of range, bursting is necessary to maximise your accuracy. The most deceptive part is in close-range fighting; spraying in close quarters is still far less accurate than using bursts. I also keep on seeing people spraying fire everywhere as a gunner, which is less effective than bursting even in tanks and other vehicles.
2) Sights vs. Firing from the hip!
Using right-click to bring up your sights is almost essential for anything except close quarters fighting. Going into the firing position provides a large bonus to your accuracy and reduces recoil. Crouching improves this slightly more, but not as much as in other FPSs. The main reason you wouldn't use your sights in close quarters is because sighting reduces how quickly you can sweep your weapon around. When people get into close quarters engagements they tend to run around or circle-strafe quite a bit, and you'll need to be able to track them effectively.
Also worth noting is that using sights decreases spread for *all* weapons, including vehicle and stationary units.
3) Headshot!
The biggest temptation, once you get accustomed to how much spread there is from all the weapons, is to go for bodyshots. Instead, try and get used to aiming at the upper body i.e. the shoulders and neck area. It provides as large a target as an opponent's centre of mass, and chances are the recoil from your weapon will get a headshot.
4) Melee!
The melee hit is a one-hit kill in all given circumstances. If you've got your crosshairs oriented at an opponent, your character will make a melee lunge that has a significant recovery time, but if you swing your mouse while not directly looking at a target, you'll make a much faster swipe. This faster swipe is still a one-hit kill. If you miss the first lunge, you can still make the swipe and hope for a kill. Also, with a bit of practice, you can start consistently getting kills with the swipe itself and discard the slower lunge attack.
Note: It seems that there's a bug in the server list that prevents BC2 from pinging more than a handful of servers at a time. What this means is that even though that favourites code I posted above works fine, only the top three-five servers will be updated in your list. Hopefully this gets worked out soon.
Note the second: Forcing swinging melee attacks for faster kills seems to have been patched out since the beta. Oh well.
Hope some of this was helpful, and although it may seem obvious to most of you, it took me a while to figure out some of it. See you online!
A: Config
The first thing you probably want to do is configure your favourites list. Unfortunately, the server browser in BC2 is hopelessly inadequate at finding fast, local servers. You'll need to modify the GameSettings.ini file in the BFBC2 folder that is in your "My Documents" directory, and replace the line "FavouriteGames=Empty" with the code below.
FavoriteGames=2115911431,516b898c-380e-498b-ba35-2db8fca9f535,Gamers-Edge.org Conquest [Hypernia|Sydney];3640858306,93bf6ea7-132a-4c79-9c53-38fbd0864485,Gamers-Edge.org Rush [Hypernia|Sydney|Aus];2305102870,5cb0dba9-a671-4d47-9ef2-e79fe582b350,MatureAnzacGamers.com;2769261886,f866117d-f872-4f75-b91a-36b7939a3f23,OCAU AU #01 - HC CQ FF;2564719003,5fcb0611-da53-48d1-bade-d16b0952931f,www.Team7.com.au[CQ][All Maps][Sydney];553951853,a8649c3b-33f0-471b-a6ba-042d6f287885,Gamers-Underground.com #1 [Conquest];3824053689,f3dc860c-54ee-4af5-9c36-7a693a247b6e,WAIX.org Perth BFBC2;1356091126,7652b839-c688-45ca-94b6-77b5db142d19,The Older Gamers Server # 1;1736507508,cf31ef78-a75a-45ba-833c-f5e9e52f1649,AussieUnderdogs WA Server;485456567,1fd1e420-3100-4e9a-bdce-7668811d92a1,AussieUnderdogs #3;1855978367,1e197e41-2fd4-4f02-a1d9-3c5462480a66,AussieUnderdogs #2;1852990951,7fbfcbba-61a4-49ec-8e9b-ee41ffd692f0,! S Y D N E Y 24/7 HARDCORE RUSH #7 [XtG];2042700377,ce8577b8-dfbf-4755-9b71-4be288ec010c,[St0rm.Net] 24 / 7 Rush [AUS];1575235837,222d58da-bde9-4ef1-a725-3ce5eb713988, RUSH Server (Sydney) (AU);3080187637,fef696a2-6f90-46b8-910f-1a001a35ce22,AussieUnderdogs #1;113327715,c43047a3-8594-4279-a171-9bac892e01d7,Gamers-Underground.com #2 [Rush];3348590208,b276b59a-f051-40fb-8ac6-0f52a488d22e,=AF=AngryFace Gamers - Sydney Conquest;555876361,4e6f79b6-ec61-48cf-aa40-c4afd469cff7,CGN BC2 Server www.cobragaming.net.au;1495621005,f53d5acc-e45b-4ab9-a1ab-f71e10bcf98a,OLDFARTS | BADLANDS | www.oldfartsatwar.org;3581782283,df76e85a-56cc-4a10-98da-e36c01a6b10a,Eo'R AU Ranked BC2 server;4007310607,d1fc1c81-7bab-4801-aad5-eb46ee190c0e,Team Artificial Hypernia Sydney;1869101778,aab8fffc-500d-4b29-9144-f9684c24ef96,GameArena BC2 #09 [CQ][FF][16p];742690195,079cb942-ce90-40e4-ab53-abe236ac2f86,GameArena BC2 #17 [CQ][HC];2157080523,31d61766-efc0-4d57-b4df-4000cdbda8e7,GameArena BC2 #05 [CQ][HC][FF];2352468240,b2884ac1-f276-44e1-9237-49a8537cd5b9,GameArena BC2 #04 [SQDM];792828798,8ccc1729-bcf5-4671-8689-6d7885476db7,GameArena BC2 #15 [CQ][HC][16p];326686805,beaab51f-bc69-4e1d-9dcf-4bbb301b0aa3,GameArena BC2 #12 [SQDM][HC][16p];2299646734,ee56ab54-b0a4-4519-ad3a-a79079d65b25,GameArena BC2 Test #2 [16p] ^_^;1373651536,05330e98-18b3-40c6-be04-2ed3df824e3d,GameArena BC2 #10 [SQR][FF];3048856460,44c1bf4c-38bf-48d7-b5d3-5934aef0ad73,GameArena BC2 #14 [SQDM][16p];4104660025,9bc2dbbd-2655-447d-a693-e24c6991d861,GameArena BC2 Test #1 [16p];1099789100,ddb703e2-6cdb-4126-83e4-ae1c02da1d51,GameArena BC2 #06 [Rush][HC][FF];888491299,a53f2c90-c854-4a9f-a1fe-7fc4948d7738,GameArena BC2 #08 [SQDM][FF];312492574,88de9849-6819-45ab-9d63-8ab2e30bfc57,GameArena BC2 #16 [CQ][FF][HC][16p];912644493,6f5f223f-acd2-4e8a-9503-f2031998f454,GameArena BC2 #03 [Rush];3859613160,4b341162-5689-413f-9fc6-41ab245ad891,GameArena BC2 #11 [CQ][16p];633405586,69d5b28f-1a42-480f-aa95-fdf887221f21,GameArena BC2 #07 [SQR];2925453601,69963c33-9fa4-443b-8ee2-7c76db141edc,GameArena BC2 #13 [SQR][16p];2218385678,24801cc6-1e37-4385-a382-7dc655ba6c2b,GameArena BC2 #01 [CQ];3120868228,cf6c875f-6350-4399-b43c-7df6351a4e08,GameArena BC2 #02 [CQ][FF];565439916,c28020f8-1817-4421-82b4-b184b2d6a3d7,3FL BC2 #1 Conquest;1523016269,f027160d-bd4c-4a27-ba64-38d3a60b994e,3FL BC2 #13 Conquest;3612145510,52c09243-aa22-45d7-a7d2-f0b9a8e78061,3FL BC2 #14 Conquest;4042764987,f7afffcb-952e-4e65-90c0-712bfc455490,3FL BC2 #2 - Conquest;756616015,ce7692cc-674c-49f7-a4bd-955b5c777f74,3FL BC2 #06 Rush;2890232935,05432e19-a915-4594-b94a-eaa21971da9d,3FL BC2 #7 Conquest (HC);
Now, instead of waiting minutes for your main server browser to load and bring hundreds of irrelevant foreign servers with it, you can simply just load your "Favourites" tab and see some local Australian games.
The second thing you might want to do is manually adjust your FOV (Field of View) setting. Check out this site for the simple instructions you need to achieve this.
Aside from that, the only things left to do are to make sure you're comfortable with your mouse sensitivity settings so that you can make accurate distance shots within your current field of view, and also so that you can make a 180 degree turn quickly if needed (I've got mine set to .6 with default DPI settings), and also to read through the key bindings menu so that you're familiar with all of the controls. I've found it helpful to remap with melee/knife attack from the middle mouse button to the 'F' key to ensure more accuracy during knife fights.
Now that's taken care of, let's get into the actual meat of the multiplayer gameplay :)
The point of my writing this is not to make a comprehensive multiplayer guide per se, but to note down the less obvious mechanics of the gameplay. I might just be slow, but it's taken me almost 60 hours of online play to become reasonably competent at navigating the multiplayer game with confidence. So, I'll assume you guys can work out the basics of BC2 by yourselves, such as the game type rules, the instinctive feel you'll get for bullet drop and ballistic travel time across distance, and so on.
B: Movement
1) Q Spotting
Otherwise known as the socialise key. Spam it. Use it all the time. The main function of the 'Q' key is to mark hostile targets. For example, if you look at an enemy and you have a clear line of sight to them, pressing the Q key will mark them to everyone on your team by a red arrow in the HUD and also on the mini-map. Basically, you've exposed a member of the enemy team to everyone on your team, highly increasing the chances that that person will die. If you're shooting at an enemy too, keep hitting 'Q'. If you fail to take them down, or if they end up killing you instead, you'll at least have marked that person for future fire from your allies. The recon class is especially effective at this. Since most of the recon scout's weapons have a long-range scope attached, and even if you're not actively shooting at your opponents, you can still tag them via Q spotting to give your team the advantage. If you've been directly exposed to a member of the enemy team, always assume you've been spotted. The only way to break a spot is to break the line of sight between you and the enemy for roughly 10-20 seconds. If you can hide for that long, you'll once again drop off their radar.
The other function of Q spotting is to request support from friendly units. For example, if you hit Q while looking at a friendly medic, you'll appear on his mini-map with a flashing bandaid, meaning that you've requested healing support from him. Also, if you look at an objective marker (the red boxes with A, B, C etc. in them) and hit Q, you'll order your team to attack or defend that specific objective. This is a useful communicative tool, but also a personal advantage in the sense that if your order is "completed", you'll recieve points for having issuing that specific command. Basically, hitting Q all the time is recommended to increase the level of information being fed to your team, which will more often than not decide who gets the first attack advantage, which in turn can decide who wins.
2) Movement
From what I've noticed, the best BC2 players know how to move safely through the maps. What this means is that the main difference between a good player and a bad one is how they use cover, how they choose to use their sprint and how long they take to assess potential risks around them. Unlike faster-paced games like TF2 or UT, there is a greater consequence in BC2 to being attacked first. More often than not, whoever notices an enemy first or gets the first few shots off will manage to kill their opponent regardless variability in skill level. For this reason, it's incredibly important to try and move carefully through the maps, especially while you or your squad are near noted killzones, such as MCOM hubs or capture points.
Peek out around corners with you scope aimed to check whether any opponents are exposed. If you're playing as the Recon class, use your motion mines to try and spot enemies without having to expose yourself - you can always replenish your supplies of motion sensors by getting near an Assault ammo box. If no real solid cover is available, you can always try and crouch into the thicker patches of bush to conceal yourself. Q spotting will fail if a target is mostly concealed by foliage.
One important thing to consider is bullet penetration. Bullets will pass through most wooden objects, such as fences, so these are highly ineffective as cover. If you've been Q spotted, a red arrow will be pointing at your position, so hiding behind a wooden surface only eliminates your line of sight to the enemy, whereas they can still "see" your position because of the spotting.
Sprinting is also something to carefully consider. Sprinting is useful for quickly moving around in relatively safe areas, but can easily lead to your death if you overuse it. Someone sprinting from one position to another is not a hard target to hit, so hoping you can outrun a bullet is not the best of ideas. It's definitely possible to increase your evasiveness by zigzagging (i.e. swishing your mouse from left to right while sprinting to run in a harder to hit pattern), but this still can't save you from someone firing at you from a close enough range. Instead, check your corners, and only sprint from one position to another if you're mostly confident that no one is watching. The other problem with sprinting is that you can't fire while you do it. What this means is that if you sprint too often, you're more than likely to sprint right into the face of an opponent. In the half-a-second it'll take you to stop sprinting and bring your weapon to a firing position, your opponent would have had sufficient time to seize their first attack advantage.
Basically, try and move carefully. The top-scorers often use a greater level of caution or manage their risks well enough to get the opportunity to see enemies before they're seen themselves.
3) Stay away from windows
.. and doors. As strange as it might seem, using windows as fire-ports isn't always a good idea. This isn't to say never use windows. If you stand away from the window and keep your barrel well inside, you can become quite inconspicious. However, aiming out through windows with your body pressed right against the wall encourages your opponent to aim at your head, and you'd be surprised at how often people can make headshots when they try. Worse than that, a well-place RPG or 40mm grenade can kill you with one hit if it's fired against a wall you're right up against.
C: Firing
1) Burst!
All of the automatic weapons in BC2 have a higher spread than I've been used to in other FPSs. Regardless of range, bursting is necessary to maximise your accuracy. The most deceptive part is in close-range fighting; spraying in close quarters is still far less accurate than using bursts. I also keep on seeing people spraying fire everywhere as a gunner, which is less effective than bursting even in tanks and other vehicles.
2) Sights vs. Firing from the hip!
Using right-click to bring up your sights is almost essential for anything except close quarters fighting. Going into the firing position provides a large bonus to your accuracy and reduces recoil. Crouching improves this slightly more, but not as much as in other FPSs. The main reason you wouldn't use your sights in close quarters is because sighting reduces how quickly you can sweep your weapon around. When people get into close quarters engagements they tend to run around or circle-strafe quite a bit, and you'll need to be able to track them effectively.
Also worth noting is that using sights decreases spread for *all* weapons, including vehicle and stationary units.
3) Headshot!
The biggest temptation, once you get accustomed to how much spread there is from all the weapons, is to go for bodyshots. Instead, try and get used to aiming at the upper body i.e. the shoulders and neck area. It provides as large a target as an opponent's centre of mass, and chances are the recoil from your weapon will get a headshot.
4) Melee!
The melee hit is a one-hit kill in all given circumstances. If you've got your crosshairs oriented at an opponent, your character will make a melee lunge that has a significant recovery time, but if you swing your mouse while not directly looking at a target, you'll make a much faster swipe. This faster swipe is still a one-hit kill. If you miss the first lunge, you can still make the swipe and hope for a kill. Also, with a bit of practice, you can start consistently getting kills with the swipe itself and discard the slower lunge attack.
Note: It seems that there's a bug in the server list that prevents BC2 from pinging more than a handful of servers at a time. What this means is that even though that favourites code I posted above works fine, only the top three-five servers will be updated in your list. Hopefully this gets worked out soon.
Note the second: Forcing swinging melee attacks for faster kills seems to have been patched out since the beta. Oh well.
Hope some of this was helpful, and although it may seem obvious to most of you, it took me a while to figure out some of it. See you online!