I’ve decided to do a little compiling of suggestions that others have made along with some of my own observations and suggestions. This guide is tailored to how to command on a
TG server; it probably doesn’t apply many other places.
It’s not a guide about the mechanics of commanding so much as how to approach your command. I know it's long, but I think it could be helpful for those just starting commanding. Any comments or criticism is welcomed.
PART ONE: INTRODUCTION
The question that needs to be in the back of your head as you play CO should always be “how am I using my strengths to benefit the team?” As the CO, you have a unique perspective on the developing game: you see everything. Unlike the rest of the team, you have a sat track, but maybe more importantly, you have the time and ability to FOCUS on what’s happening in the game
Squad leaders and squad members are forced by the developments in the game to mostly focus on the situation that is immediately surrounds them, so their ability to judge the most effective approach to winning is limited. The CO, on the other hand, spends almost his entire time focused on the two-dimensional top down map. He knows where his squad is, and he has a pretty good idea of where the enemy usually is by using his assets, his team’s spots and his own spots. The CO’s strength, then, is his ability to analyze the entire battlefield.
But the CO also has weaknesses. Unlike the players, the CO is extremely limited in his situational awareness. A good CO can use his bird’s eye map to get an idea of what the on-the-ground situation is like, but it’ll never be as good as the players who are actually there.
This is the simple duality that makes up my approach to being a CO.
PART TWO: USING YOUR SQUADS
I. Know your squads
Your squads are your building blocks to success, but they aren’t created equal. Although it’ll be impossible to know exactly who everyone in each squad is, you can get a fairly good idea. And as the round progresses, you’ll be increasingly aware of which squads follow orders well, which are creative, which defend well, etc.
If you can figure all this out quickly, you’ll be in the catbird seat. Also, remember that some squads will be just one or two people.
II. Communicate effectively with your squads.
Communication is the key to success, but just because you’re talking doesn’t mean you’re communicating effectively. When you play CO, remember that Squad leaders communicating with their squad members is equally – and probably far more –as important as the CO communicating. Every second you spend on the command channel is another second the squad leader can’t spend communicating with his squad.
So brevity isn’t just the soul of wit; it’s what’s going to win games. Keep your information short, and don’t needlessly talk. Remember, highlight a squad and then press V to only talk to that squad leader. Probably 80% of the time, it’s only necessary to communicate with individual squad leaders. Doing this will limit the intrusion on other squad leaders’ time.
When all squads need to be alerted to something, use the B button, and keep it short. If, for example, the enemy has managed to get a back base, quickly announcing “enemy has the square. Be advised” is an effective use of the open command channel.
This being said, DO communicate with your squads. For any order that doesn’t have an obvious reason, I verbalize the order briefly. Even if I don’t explain my reasons, it’s generally reassuring to squad leaders that their CO has put some thought into their order.
III. Manage. Don’t micromanage.
As the CO, it’s tempting to tell squad leaders how to do their job. But this is a mistake. Giving general orders and allowing squad leaders to figure out how to accomplish these orders is usually a far more effective approach.
Squad leaders have a FAR greater situational awareness than you do in your comfy armchair hidden at the back of your base. Even though you’re better aware of where the enemies are, you can’t be everywhere at once, and the squad leaders better understand what’s weak and what’s strong.
This doesn’t mean you can’t order anything past “attack” and “defend,” but it means you need to give the appropriate flexibility to squad leaders to accomplish their goals.
Finally, just to reiterate point I: know your squads. Certain squads deserve and can handle flexibility better than others.
IV. Order. Don’t suggest. Don’t waffle.
You’re the CO. You’re the alpha-dog. You’re the man. So don’t waffle. Squad leaders and squad members want to do their job, but they aren’t usually so keen to do yours. Saying “I need some people back here at Inner bridge lock” is ineffective. Pick a squad, issue an order, and communicate it. You just create confusion by sort of just throwing an order out there with no specific squad that needs to do it.
Don’t give options in the middle of a battle. If you want to do that before the game starts, that’s okay. But don’t do it while people are involved. They don’t have the time to decide, and they’ll probably wonder what the heck you’re doing back there.
V. Spot, spot, spot, spot, spot, spot…
Never stop spotting. Any time you have some down time, right click and spot near your squads. Try and give them some additional information. If one of them spots a walker coming up, keep the walker spotted. If you notice a squad moving up toward a defending squad, spot them out. Doing this eliminates much of the need to use of the squad leader’s VoiP time. If you see a tank coming to flank, you don’t need to say it on the command channel, you just need to spot it.
VI. Understand and control “FPS ADD”
I don’t know who coined the term, but it accurately describes one of the biggest issues you face as a CO – even in a
TG server. For that matter, it even happens to
TG squads.
The sad truth is that you can’t always eliminate it; all you can do is hope to contain it. Just be aware that people are playing to have fun, and if there’s no action coming their way, they’ll sometimes stray farther and farther from where you want them. You can use lots of techniques to minimize this, but you need to be aware of it. A lot of the time, I’ll tell a squad that their primary function is to defend site X, but if they can move up to cause a little problem at Y, then that’s fine. Then if I see people move in, I spot them, and the squad falls back.
VII. Listen to your Squad Leaders
Your squad leaders know what's going on, so listening to their suggestions can be invaluable. That's all I can say about this, but it really can't be understated
VIII. Organize starting rushes
Finally, as most people know, the first minute of a game can often be decisive. Much of the time, the difference between a good rush and a bad rush is whether or not a good squad leader gets hold of a vehicle or not in the first 10 seconds or whether six newbs take off without anyone in their vehicles.
But sometimes, it’s just squads clashing. So if there’s time before you start, either assign vehicles to squads or just ask squads to lay a claim to a vehicle. Then until the game starts, repeat every 5 seconds or so that “squad 1 gets the apc, squad 3 gets the buggy.” This will only make a difference in probably 1 out of 5 games, but I’d say that’s worth it.
PART TWO: USING YOUR ASSETS
I. Sat Track
Sat Track is the quickest to recharged asset you have, but that’s good because it should be your most used. Sat track is the thing that gives you battlefield awareness greater than anyone else. Use it to spot enemies coming up, preceding use of orbital strikes, looking for weak flags, deciding where to put a UAV, etc.
II. EMP
The EMP is the slowest charging of all of the assets, and yet it’s the least useful when used on its own. You can use it to effectively scramble a squad’s screens or temporarily disable a vehicle, and that’s not bad, but it’s not great. Sometimes a scrambled squad will get killed or displaced because of it, and sometimes a disabled vehicle will be a sitting duck for an engineer, but as a CO that doesn’t happen too often.
The best use for EMP is in combination with something else – usually an orbital strike. Zoom in on a walker, EMP it, and then immediately Orbital Strike it. This can take some practice, but it’ll almost assuredly take down the walker.
III. UAV
The UAV may be the most important asset a commander has. It lasts a fairly long time, and it gives your team a look at exactly where the enemies are. This is huge. So don’t waste your UAV. Unless you’re virtually certain an enemy is in a particular area, always precede a UAV with a SAT track. If it’s just one or two infantry hanging around a flag, use your SPOT function. The UAV should be saved for areas with lots of enemies.
IV. Orbital Strike
The Orbital Strike is the most impressive asset you have available. It’s a fairly useful one, and it’s probably the most fun to use as a commander. It’s also the only one that’s ever going to directly get you kills. But it needs to be used right.
Generally, you want to use your orbital strikes whenever you can, but be sure to use them effectively. Don’t just click on an area of the map with lots of red dots. Zoom in and see whether you can get them in an area where they can hide, where they’re prone, and where the orbital strike will make a difference.
As a general rule, I’d say the Orbital Strike is most effective in two situations: First, in infantry maps to take down infantry killing Walkers and APCs. As Bommando has pointed out, the most you’re ever going to get with a single Orbital strike is 5 or 6 kills, but by taking out a walker, you’re probably saving far more tickets than that.
Second, it’s effective in breaking up congested enemy infantry. Sometimes enemy infantry is making it impossible for your squads to get past. But a simple Orbital strike will cause confusion, kill a few, and create the opening for your squads to slip in. Be careful not to harm your own team though.
V. Supplies
Supplies don’t need much explanation, but drop them near walkers, a recon squad taking out assets, or just generally around defending squads. Encourage your squad leaders to request supplies. This makes it a lot easier to know when and where you need to drop the supplies.
PART FOUR: BATTLEFIELD TACTICS
Rather than try a comprehensive guide to battlefield tactics that could probably fill a small book, I’ll list a few suggestions.
I. Defend versus Attack
Defending almost always takes fewer tickets than attacking. It’s easier to keep defenders revived, you can spawn back at the flag you’re defending, you can find sneaky places to hide that can cover large areas, etc.
II. Defend key areas. Defend choke points
I think this is pretty obvious, but defend areas that give you bonuses such as lots of armor, a walker, a good vantage point and maneuverability, etc. Additionally, defend areas with only a few entrances. It’s much harder to assault an area that has a single choke point.
III. Favor an indirect approach over a direct.
If you have to attack, which you will at some point, don’t take the obvious choice. The enemy will expect that and you’ll generally waste your tickets. Come from different angles, try sneaking a squad past, attack a main point with one squad to draw everyone to that point and then use the rest of your team to capture all the other flags. Anything that an enemy doesn’t expect will create confusion among its ranks, and will usually work better.
Don’t just throw more squads at a flag and expect to do anything other than lose.
IV. Attack weak points. Wait for weak points to develop before attacking.
I know this seems obvious, but attacking where an enemy is weakest is often overlooked. Also, remember that weak points WILL develop as the game progresses. If you don’t see a weak point right now, have your squads defend until you DO see one. THEN strike. You’re the only one on your team who can know when and where is weak, so make sure you use this advantage.
