Commanding ain't easy!

**Tempus** · 06-18-2005, 03:00 PM

Ok, I did some commanding last night, mostly because nobody else wanted to.

Let me tell you, it is not an easy thing. You've got 30+ little dots roaming the map, 6+ squads all needing attention, and red enemies swarming everywhere. Whenever I'm squad leader, I tend to get frustrated with the commander for not giving orders right away, but now I can understand why.

The commander interface does need some work, IMO. NS got it right, so maybe they can take some tips from there. As it is now, it's hard to tell who is talking to you. It's hard to determine who you have or have not already given orders to. When a request is made, you actually have to find the request among a jumble of dots on the map. And all of this while the entire side's fate is resting in your hands!

I want to thank Bravo squad for their excellent work last night. They were in constant communication with me, offering to achieve tasks that I was too busy to give close attention to. I always knew where they were, what they were doing, and what they thought needed to be done. This is the way a squad leader should work. Whoever you were, thank you!

And a thank you goes out to the blackhawk squad led by Wyzcrak. Very patient with my bumbling, offering suggestions when I had nothing for them, and responding quickly whenever I asked.

And finally, thank you to the rest of the USM side, for putting up with me while I was learning a new part of the game.

TG_Rizzo · 06-18-2005, 03:16 PM

I thought you did a great job! It is tough though, especially with 64 players on a 32-player map.

Bravo was my squad I think, originally led by Keil (??) and then |TG|Random_guy, and then me. We had a really good group of guys, working together as a team and communicating well enough. That's what it's all about!

ANyway, nice job and hope to see you in the director's chair again.

SmokingTarpan · 06-18-2005, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tempus

The commander interface does need some work, IMO. NS got it right, so maybe they can take some tips from there. As it is now, it's hard to tell who is talking to you.

Something squad leaders can do to help with this: when you are talking to your commander, identify your squad by number before you say anything else!

For example, last night my squad name was TARPAN, but it was squad 5. Communications with the CO were always, "Squad 5 is advancing on the west beach" or "Squad 5 has captured the construction site and is waiting for new orders" or "Squad 5 needs an artillery strike at this position". Identify yourself first and always!

**Meat_Drapes** · 06-18-2005, 03:51 PM

I also tried this out. I thoroughly enjoyed commanding. And with my military backround I found that I was not without an order to give, some I gave repeatedly..hehe. Now I wont say that the orders were the best... I did send a squad to its death to attack a numerically superior force.
On the other hand commanding takes PATIENCE. More then once I wanted to ask why an order was not accomplished only to hold back and realize that terrain, obstacles, distance and the enemy can and will interfere with whatever you want done. With that said, I had SQD LDRS that did as I asked and when you have obedience to orders... YOU WIN. There is no doubt about that. If you fight with a clear concise objective the enemy cannot stop you. The commander must be desicive and assume the chair with a plan in mind. This leads to victory.

A few notes I want to add:
As a squad leader, I agree that identification is the key when you want something. Several times I had to ask who called for supplies for this or that.

The commander should not be the one who dictates when and where ARTY needs to rain down. If a squad finds themselves in trouble... CALL FOR FIRE.

The UAV is one hell of a tool. I found this to be the decisive factor in my battleplan.
It should be the used wherever your main axis of advance or defense is.

If you see me in the Commander chair, rest assured I do not give orders to hear myself speak or watch you struggle to get to the objective. There is a method to my madness. I look forward to commanding more battles.

Black_V!per · 06-18-2005, 08:26 PM

I like the commanders hud, yes it does need some work, but i wasnt to hot on the NS hud. Ive got a slower computer, so im not to sure, but it seems to me like the mouse is a little sluggish, id like to see it more, well, desktop like. I found getting people to repair things to be the hardest, but other than that, commanding should be a breeze for me.

SmokingTarpan · 06-19-2005, 01:36 PM

Something that I want to point out to commanders that I had troubles with last night: please don't micro-manage your squads. By micro-manage, I mean telling your SL's where to place individual men.

My squad last night ended up being on defense in several locations last night, and I had my men and materials dispersed in appropriate locations to deal with any incoming threat. Several times though, the CO (who was not only doing a great job, but was downright hilarious) told me to shift individual men to different positions in the same area, and it comprimised our ability to defend.

Trust your SL's to manage their men and their position. It makes sense to tell us where to guard, what angle to attack from, where to move to, etc. It doesn't make sense to tell a SL what to do with each man under his watch- that's the job of the SL.

Jusb · 06-19-2005, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokingTarpan

Something that I want to point out to commanders that I had troubles with last night: please don't micro-manage your squads. By micro-manage, I mean telling your SL's where to place individual men.

My squad last night ended up being on defense in several locations last night, and I had my men and materials dispersed in appropriate locations to deal with any incoming threat. Several times though, the CO (who was not only doing a great job, but was downright hilarious) told me to shift individual men to different positions in the same area, and it comprimised our ability to defend.

Trust your SL's to manage their men and their position. It makes sense to tell us where to guard, what angle to attack from, where to move to, etc. It doesn't make sense to tell a SL what to do with each man under his watch- that's the job of the SL.

Hey man had a great time last night with you running the show. Hopefully my not having a headset didnt hurt us (I dont think it did)...I'm a pretty good listener. I plan on picking up that headset at release so I can be everyones eyes from the top of that crane. Most fun ive had online in any game in a long time.

**Tempus** · 06-19-2005, 03:36 PM

A note for commanders (and those who don't join squads)....

Players not in squads will NOT show up on the minimap unless fully zoomed in. So, don't feel bad for artillery TKs on un-squaded soldiers.

**Pokerface** · 06-19-2005, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tempus

A note for commanders (and those who don't join squads)....

Players not in squads will NOT show up on the minimap unless fully zoomed in. So, don't feel bad for artillery TKs on un-squaded soldiers.

I've had them show up as blue dots, usually. If those aren't the people not in squads, then what are they?

MileHighAko · 06-19-2005, 04:50 PM

White dots: currently selected squads
Green dots: non-selected squads
Blue dots: unassigned soldiers

**Tempus** · 06-19-2005, 05:01 PM

Really? I have arty'd a base where it appeared empty, then on full zoom, I'll see little men running around..

I'll look more into this.

Karkianman101 · 06-19-2005, 05:15 PM

The little men are called the enemy

**Tempus** · 06-19-2005, 05:23 PM

Haha... BLUE little men.

**Twisted_Firestarter** · 06-19-2005, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokingTarpan

identify your squad by number before you say anything else!

This is a very good idea. Many of you may not be aware, but from the commander's console, all you see is the squad number, not the name.

**Twisted_Firestarter** · 06-19-2005, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meat_Drapes

As a squad leader, I agree that identification is the key when you want something. Several times I had to ask who called for supplies for this or that.

This is why all requests should go through the menu system and not just via the mic or typing the request in. If supplies are requested via the menu, then the commander will see an icon indicating where supplies are requested and they can click on the icon to accept or deny the request

06-18-2005, 03:00 PM	#1 (permalink)
Tempus Join Date: May 2003 Location: Miami, FL Age: 38 Posts: 8,252	Commanding ain't easy! Ok, I did some commanding last night, mostly because nobody else wanted to. Let me tell you, it is not an easy thing. You've got 30+ little dots roaming the map, 6+ squads all needing attention, and red enemies swarming everywhere. Whenever I'm squad leader, I tend to get frustrated with the commander for not giving orders right away, but now I can understand why. The commander interface does need some work, IMO. NS got it right, so maybe they can take some tips from there. As it is now, it's hard to tell who is talking to you. It's hard to determine who you have or have not already given orders to. When a request is made, you actually have to find the request among a jumble of dots on the map. And all of this while the entire side's fate is resting in your hands! I want to thank Bravo squad for their excellent work last night. They were in constant communication with me, offering to achieve tasks that I was too busy to give close attention to. I always knew where they were, what they were doing, and what they thought needed to be done. This is the way a squad leader should work. Whoever you were, thank you! And a thank you goes out to the blackhawk squad led by Wyzcrak. Very patient with my bumbling, offering suggestions when I had nothing for them, and responding quickly whenever I asked. And finally, thank you to the rest of the USM side, for putting up with me while I was learning a new part of the game. __________________ Battlefield 2/2142 Game Officer Contact me with server/player/admin issues. -- Suits are what you wear when doing things you shouldn’t want to do anyway. FROM THE TACTICAL GAMER PRIMER. 3) Support game play in a near-simulation environment. Where the focus of play would not be solely on doing what it takes to win, but doing so utilizing real-world combat strategy and tactics rather than leveraging exploits provided to players by the design of the game engine.

06-18-2005, 03:16 PM	#2 (permalink)
TG_Rizzo Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Rhode Island, USA Posts: 401	Re: Commanding ain't easy! I thought you did a great job! It is tough though, especially with 64 players on a 32-player map. Bravo was my squad I think, originally led by Keil (??) and then \|TG\|Random_guy, and then me. We had a really good group of guys, working together as a team and communicating well enough. That's what it's all about! ANyway, nice job and hope to see you in the director's chair again.

06-18-2005, 03:51 PM	#4 (permalink)
Meat_Drapes Join Date: May 2003 Location: Augusta GA Age: 40 Posts: 163	Re: Commanding ain't easy! I also tried this out. I thoroughly enjoyed commanding. And with my military backround I found that I was not without an order to give, some I gave repeatedly..hehe. Now I wont say that the orders were the best... I did send a squad to its death to attack a numerically superior force. On the other hand commanding takes PATIENCE. More then once I wanted to ask why an order was not accomplished only to hold back and realize that terrain, obstacles, distance and the enemy can and will interfere with whatever you want done. With that said, I had SQD LDRS that did as I asked and when you have obedience to orders... YOU WIN. There is no doubt about that. If you fight with a clear concise objective the enemy cannot stop you. The commander must be desicive and assume the chair with a plan in mind. This leads to victory. A few notes I want to add: As a squad leader, I agree that identification is the key when you want something. Several times I had to ask who called for supplies for this or that. The commander should not be the one who dictates when and where ARTY needs to rain down. If a squad finds themselves in trouble... CALL FOR FIRE. The UAV is one hell of a tool. I found this to be the decisive factor in my battleplan. It should be the used wherever your main axis of advance or defense is. If you see me in the Commander chair, rest assured I do not give orders to hear myself speak or watch you struggle to get to the objective. There is a method to my madness. I look forward to commanding more battles.

06-18-2005, 08:26 PM	#5 (permalink)
Black_V!per Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Kingman AZ. Age: 20 Posts: 1,445	Re: Commanding ain't easy! I like the commanders hud, yes it does need some work, but i wasnt to hot on the NS hud. Ive got a slower computer, so im not to sure, but it seems to me like the mouse is a little sluggish, id like to see it more, well, desktop like. I found getting people to repair things to be the hardest, but other than that, commanding should be a breeze for me. __________________ Start counting, when you reach infinity tell me. If you can read this you've got to much time on your hands.

06-19-2005, 01:36 PM	#6 (permalink)
SmokingTarpan Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,471	Re: Commanding ain't easy! Something that I want to point out to commanders that I had troubles with last night: please don't micro-manage your squads. By micro-manage, I mean telling your SL's where to place individual men. My squad last night ended up being on defense in several locations last night, and I had my men and materials dispersed in appropriate locations to deal with any incoming threat. Several times though, the CO (who was not only doing a great job, but was downright hilarious) told me to shift individual men to different positions in the same area, and it comprimised our ability to defend. Trust your SL's to manage their men and their position. It makes sense to tell us where to guard, what angle to attack from, where to move to, etc. It doesn't make sense to tell a SL what to do with each man under his watch- that's the job of the SL.

06-19-2005, 03:36 PM	#8 (permalink)
Tempus Join Date: May 2003 Location: Miami, FL Age: 38 Posts: 8,252	Re: Commanding ain't easy! A note for commanders (and those who don't join squads).... Players not in squads will NOT show up on the minimap unless fully zoomed in. So, don't feel bad for artillery TKs on un-squaded soldiers. __________________ Battlefield 2/2142 Game Officer Contact me with server/player/admin issues. -- Suits are what you wear when doing things you shouldn’t want to do anyway. FROM THE TACTICAL GAMER PRIMER. 3) Support game play in a near-simulation environment. Where the focus of play would not be solely on doing what it takes to win, but doing so utilizing real-world combat strategy and tactics rather than leveraging exploits provided to players by the design of the game engine.

06-19-2005, 04:50 PM	#10 (permalink)
MileHighAko Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Colorado, USA Age: 35 Posts: 170	Re: Commanding ain't easy! White dots: currently selected squads Green dots: non-selected squads Blue dots: unassigned soldiers

06-19-2005, 05:01 PM	#11 (permalink)
Tempus Join Date: May 2003 Location: Miami, FL Age: 38 Posts: 8,252	Re: Commanding ain't easy! Really? I have arty'd a base where it appeared empty, then on full zoom, I'll see little men running around.. I'll look more into this. __________________ Battlefield 2/2142 Game Officer Contact me with server/player/admin issues. -- Suits are what you wear when doing things you shouldn’t want to do anyway. FROM THE TACTICAL GAMER PRIMER. 3) Support game play in a near-simulation environment. Where the focus of play would not be solely on doing what it takes to win, but doing so utilizing real-world combat strategy and tactics rather than leveraging exploits provided to players by the design of the game engine.

06-19-2005, 05:15 PM	#12 (permalink)
Karkianman101 Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: East Lansing Age: 20 Posts: 1,546	Re: Commanding ain't easy! The little men are called the enemy

06-19-2005, 05:23 PM	#13 (permalink)
Tempus Join Date: May 2003 Location: Miami, FL Age: 38 Posts: 8,252	Re: Commanding ain't easy! Haha... BLUE little men. __________________ Battlefield 2/2142 Game Officer Contact me with server/player/admin issues. -- Suits are what you wear when doing things you shouldn’t want to do anyway. FROM THE TACTICAL GAMER PRIMER. 3) Support game play in a near-simulation environment. Where the focus of play would not be solely on doing what it takes to win, but doing so utilizing real-world combat strategy and tactics rather than leveraging exploits provided to players by the design of the game engine.

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