I know this game is pretty rough for newcomers to the Battlefield scene, so I will make a list of things I teach people to get them used the this unique online experience.
First off, this is not a CoD game...do not try to play it like one. If you sneak up on 4-5 dudes and you do not have the fire power to take them out...dont. Spot them for other people using the back button [360 version...select for PS3?] Spotting people is the most helpful thing new people can do. The spot feature does have a short cooldown, so you cannot spam it spotting everything in the background even though you cannot see anything.
Second, play your side correctly. If you are defending, you are useless to your team if you are trying to spawn camp. If you hear the bomb going off, get in there and disarm that shit, unless you are too far away and feel you cannot make it in time...but atleast shoot towards that site and help others trying to defuse.
Recon is not the only kit available. I know sniping in this game is alot of fun, but you need a mix of all the kits to make an effective squad. 4 recons may take everyone at a distance, but if you never get the bomb planted, what the point? [besides trying to raise K/D...which is poinless in this game cause you will die alot when you first start...and that in a personal goal. this is a team game, so help out the team and not yourself. If you want a pretty K/D, go play MW2]
Get used to all the classes. Each plays different, if you actually play according to that style. If you are a medic, no point in guarding a bomb site by yourself. Run around and throw med-kits at other people defending certain spots. If you are a sniper...TAKE OUT THE DAMN UAVs. I hate seeing snipers not shooting down these pesky mothafuckers. One well placed sniper round will do the trick almost every time. Dont be useless to your team, help out anyway you can by throwing med-kits, motion sensors, resupply kits, and repair a vehicle every now and then. If you are a engineer, look at friendly vehicles..it will show their health. If they need a repair get over there and help out...getting kills is not the only way to get points. Also, the repair gun will de-repair enemy vehicles...this can be usefull when you run out of rockets or AT-mines.
I already talked about this somewhere else, but I sill put it here again.
This game does have bullet drop. It is most noticeable while sniping. When sniping across the map, you need to make a 1/2 mil-dot adjust down from the center of the crosshairs...ON AVERAGE. many thing will factor into the adjust you need to make, like your elevation, what sniper you are using, and if the person if moving or not. These shots take alot of practice on moving targets. Aiming is only half the battle, now you need to get the timing down. You still need to use mil-dots when leading enemies...about 1/2 - full mil-dot still for long distances, but timing is everything when sniping a moving target all the way across a map. This is not something I can really teach you, it just takes alot practice. Marine Snipers call guess shots "S.W.A.G."...Scientific Wild Ass Guess...this is about as acurracte as you can get at that distance on moving targets. So remember S.W.A.G. when sniping from afar...dont take too much time setting up, cause they will most likely move anyways.
This is already a shit load to read, so I will stop here for now. If anyone is on the Xbox 360 and wants some help with this game, I am always willing to help some noobs become battlefield vets. I roll with a decent squad and we usually do really good. Dont worry about being bad, I totally understand how hard it is to get used to this type of game. We play serious enough to the point were we play the objective...but we are all about having fun. I spend most of my time quoting my favortie show and movies with my friends while sniping off faces from 400+ yards out.
Hit me up and see you on the Battlefield
GT= HempStCrew Don