The problem isn't as cut and dry as it is sometimes made out to be.

I think one of the main issues that leads to the sometimes poor play are the server rules and the commander slot. There are when you come down to it 2 types of commanders. ( I will ignore the 3rd type, inexperienced)

Type A) This type of CO tries mainly to support the players, this CO doesn't give out a ton of orders to squads other then minor adjustments to squads "move" or "defend" markers. This type of CO lets the SL's make the lion's share of the decisions as to what squads go where and adjusts the overall strategy based on where squads WANT to go and what they WANT to do which is generally apparent based on kit loadout's and squad names.

Type B) This type of CO Micromanages everything. This type of CO is really playing Company of Heroes in that he orders squads all over the map to complete objectives of what the squads see of varying importance but the orders given are all part of the CO's "master plan". The squads aren't "people playing a game" to this type of CO, they are "soldiers to give orders to".


Then you get into the actual art of squadleading. (yes, doing it well is an art IMO) There seem to be generally 2 types of squadleaders. (again, ignoring the "inexperienced" type of SL.)

Type A) This type of SL isn't very demanding on kit selection or the SL might never make a demand as to what kits are present in his squad.

Type B) This type of SL is more of a dictator-type of SL when compared to the type A SL. This type of SL will assign kit's to his squad, lay out a ton of move to markers to keep his squad together and bearate or kick squad members who fall behind. (even medic's trying to keep his squad healed, but that could take me off to a tangent I don't want to go into in this post)

Now neither type of CO or SL is inherently good or bad, but they both can affect gameplay either positively or negatively based on how experienced the players in your squad, and on your team in general are. Everyone has to remember, every hour or two everything get's "reset" and the succesful dynamic that you had in your squad last round might get blown to crap in this round due to changing Sl's, CO's SM's, etc....

I think the main issue that gets people complaining about the "quality of the server" is when comparing the round when everything meshes well between CO, SL's and SM's to produce a fun round win or loose to the round where things don't mesh so well, and you start hating the game and the players and come to the forum to make post's complaining about the quality of play. (no offense intended Jeepo, and I hope none taken by you)

As for the "supporting member vs. non-supporting member" thing, I can only speak for myself and the PR mod. (as PR is my only experience with TG's servers and I can only put words to my personal feelings) I personally have refrained from becoming a supporting member not due to financial reasons, or lack of wanting to support the server. My main reason for not becoming a supporting member is I want to avoid being associated with the foul stench some of the supporting members put out there in both the forums and in-game. If my choices were to become a fellow supporting member with someone who feels a non-supporting member should have little to no input about the gameplay that occurs inside the server and who because of their supporting status somehow by default makes them a better players then non-supporting members (something anyone who checks the forums for PR can see more and more if they look objectively at the posts within) or uninstall the game I would uninstall in a second. This also explains part of my lack of logging onto TS as I want to avoid having to hear those types of people at all cost's (the other part is my hatred of the sound quality of TS in comparison to ventrillo), so I guess technically I am part of the problem with problem players. I prefer to try and help people understand the game and teach them some things like people were kind enough to teach me aspect's of this game then to instead go look for an admin to get players who don't measure up kicked or banned for not following order's they problably would follow if they understood the gameplay this server strives for and the mod itself better.

I think very little of the problem has to do with the quality of play on the server's, but instead has everything to do with the quality of the people inhabiting the server's. I remember my first experience with both this mod and this community, I loaded up the mod and joined this server and got into a squad of TG'ers on muttrah city. My SL saw my erratic movement's and was unhappy with them to the point where he wanted to kick me from the squad and asked me why I was doing what I was. My response was something along the lines of, "I'm sorry if I am playing dumb, but I just got the mod and this is my first map", to which the response I got was, "that is the only acceptable reason, now stick with me and follow orders and lets see what we can do." To me personally, that response was what this community is all about and was what made me want to become a member of this community. That happened just 6 weeks ago, and I really have my doubts that same thing would happen again today which speaks volumes all by itself.

In closing I think the question you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you, the kind that would try and teach people the "right way to play", or the kind that wants you to learn elsewhere and be kicked or banned from this server for basically not knowing the right way to play?