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Half-Life 2 Hints
How can I use this new squad of mine?
1 of 11: They'll be a lot like the antlions, in that they'll fight for you and can be directed to a certain point.
2 of 11: You direct them by aiming at a nearby point they can get to and pressing the "Send/Recall Squad" key.
3 of 11: NOTE: Bugbait won't attract resistance members like it did the antlions, and it won't paralyze metro cops -- only actual Combine soldiers.
4 of 11: After you send your squad somewhere, they'll automatically start following you again when you get to a certain distance from them or a certain amount of time has passed. You can also recall them to you by hitting the "Send/Recall Squad" key twice in a row.
5 of 11: When they're following you, your squad display will have the words "SQUAD FOLLOWING" right under the little symbols of your squad members.
6 of 11: Unfortunately, they don't instantly respawn when killed like the antlions did, but you can find more resistance members to join you at various points as you progress. (Though note that you can't have more than four with you at one time.)
7 of 11: Like Alyx in the previous chapter, they're immune to your weapons fire, so you don't have to worry about accidentally hurting them.
8 of 11: Also note that medics can heal you by handing you health packs if you're low on health. They also often do this for other squad members when they get hurt.
9 of 11: Another way to heal injured squad members is to have them stand where there are some health packs or vials on the floor. Wait a bit, and the injured members will pick up the health items and use them. This is especially important to do when you don't have any medics in your squad.
10 of 11: When one of them sees a better weapon than he's got on the ground, he'll toss aside his old weapon and pick up the new one if you don't rush in and grab it before he can. You should always let your people upgrade when possible.
11 of 11: While your squad's following you, don't waste time trying to get over large debris piles, searching for small crouch-only exits, and so on. You usually won't be able to go anywhere that your squad can't follow you (unless it's a short dead-end with secret supplies or something like that).