Just wanted to let people know that commanding in PoE is much less stressful than it is in Vanilla, and I'd encourage EVERYONE to hop in the CO Chair when you see it vacant... maybe make it a point to do so once a week, like I've been trying to do.

1) There are no assets to manage!

No artillery, no UAV, no SCAN, and no vehicle drops! At first it may sound like a bummer, but it's not - it means you're not phrenetically trying to keep all these utilized every 20 seconds... and nobody's looking at your UAV/Arty placement thinking "why the hell did he put UAV/Arty there?". Instead, you can just kick back and think about how you want to direct your squads. It gives time to talk a little to the different SL's, instead of zooming in and trying to figure out the best place for arty.

2) You only need 3 CP's on any map to start the other team bleeding!

You don't need any overly complex plans for any of the maps. Pick 3 CP's according to their location and value (do they spawn tons of armor?), and assign squads attacking/defending. Once you get those you can setup defense and help spot.

3) Spot where the action is

At some point in the round, you'll have 2 squads attacking a heavily defended flag. At this point, zoom in and spot baddies for your team... You don't have to spam the Enemy Spotted, but just pointing out a few guys is helpful. Use CTRL to select the two SL's attacking, and talk to them. Tell them "3+, no now 4+ on the roof"... or "armor spawned, watchout".... or "ok squad 5, move out now... you're attack is going to get rifles pointed your way, while squad 9 moves in from the east"

4) Know your air squads

Once you're in the CO screen, figure out which squads are your air squads. (Hit tab to bring up the scoreboard, then right-click to activate your mouse, then click the 'squads' tab). If you're attacking a infantry heavy CP, call for helo support, telling them so over VOIP and then give them an 'Attack Here' icon. If there's lot's of armor somewhere, give a holler to your jet squad. And above all, let your SL's know air support is available - you'd be surprised how quickly they'll ask for it

edit: press enter on the CO screen to check out the actual names of the squads (thanks rick)

5) Request Artillery spotting

If you hear someone on your team say "Artillery Is Available", be sure to broadcast this to all your SL's. They may be in the heat of battle and not paying attention, so ask them to spot. Remember, the actual location of the spot isn't critical... the artillery gunner can do his work even if you're target lands somewhere else.

edit: another quick tip - just hit the number keys to select the squad(s) you want to talk with, then press "B" to talk. "V" talks to all SL's.


feel free to elaborate...