Basic Squad Leader: BF2142
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[edit] TGU: Basic Squad Leader
[edit] Introduction
The SL Basic module will focus on practical advice and common TG SL mistakes. There is no attempt to teach strategies, tactics, and other technical knowledge gained from simple experience: the focus is on people management, and soft inter-personal skills.
Each session will be followed by a hands on demonstration, if possible. The course itself will be followed by a live fire exam on the TG server. The chief intent of this module is to correct common newbie SL mistakes.
[edit] Session 1: Squad Leader Mechanics
- creating, naming, and disbanding a squad - inviting, and kicking members - setting orders (Caps Lock and T-Click) - difference between Attack/Defend/Repair and Move - CO comms (v vs. b) and asset requests
Practice: Each student makes a locked squad, invites instructor, requests a CO asset with T-Click and Caps-Lock menu, kicks instructor, unlocks squad, disbands squad.
[edit] Session 2: Advanced Mechanics
- setting move markers while moving - choosing squad load-outs to complement the squad type - how to know when an SM is dead and ask them to bring in a kit - how to know when an SM is in armor – only the F1 seat is shown with an icon beside it - how to find out who is far away from the squad by selecting them - SL items: visibility versus effectiveness. - - Occipiter and Short Spawn beacon are not useful. Beacons are too slow for assault and they can be camped. - - Otus + Support = diamonds. Otus + recon = minimap spots.
Practice: Practice figuring out who is dead in a squad (note the skull and cross-bones beside their name) and to figure out who is *selected* in the squad (ie. white on the mini-map)
[edit] Session 3: Bleed
- 90% of SL actions are motivated by bleed – pay attention to the big picture - bleed is loss of tickets without deaths from either side - explain the verbiage: difference between “we're bleeding” and “bleed is on them” - how to spot bleed: either by flags, or in the Caps-Lock menu flashing ticket numbers - explain and demonstrate both PAC and EU bleed on Camp Gibraltar (32p) - explain and demonstrate both PAC and EU bleed Tunis Harbour (32p) - explain and demonstrate both PAC and EU bleed Cerbere Landing (32p)
Practice: See above.
[edit] Session 4: Leadership
- Constantly speak: always instruct your squad, use move markers, tell people where to spawn, what kit, what to do, where to look, how to smile, how to walk this way, and talk this way – keep everyone on the same page, no matter what it takes. Kick lonewolfers.
- Do not ask people to do things: you are here to tell people what to do. Once they follow you, then you ask them and trust their judgment. Not before. Before you know them, you are a jerk to them and they are supposed to take it or leave. This does sound harsh but this is how all major institutions in the world work: profs fail entire first-year classes, the privates always wash toilets and stand at attention toward officers. You being friendly toward an SM is a privilege reserved for people of your IHS, and people you've played with more than 10 rounds -- random people who walk into your squad are hostiles and are treated professionally. Once you get to know them, you can joke with them. Not before.
- Pre-round 1.5 minutes are *NOT* for planning. They are there for you to establish that you're in charge. Decide what you want to do, and use people to accomplish this. Speak confidently – never falter, never say uhm, and never back down. Sort out SMs not following orders IMMEDIATELY.
- HOWEVER YOU NEED TO DO IT: establish it clearly that there are only two ways in the squad: either following orders and working with the squad, or leaving the squad, period.
- Never ignore SMs not obeying your orders: you *NEED* to be a jerk to people and tell that what they can and cannot do
- Why is it necessary to be a jerk? Present the walker scenario: squad killed by walker, what is your first instinct? To spawn engie. But what if 6 people spawn engie? Who will do the boring job of reviving the engineers when the walker takes them down? THAT IS WHY YOU NEED TO BE A JERK: so that you make sure people do ugly and boring jobs that *NEED* to be done: such as being a medic when the walker is in front of you. Or such as covering Junkyard when the fight is at Power Station.
Practice: See #7.
[edit] Session 5: Miscelaneous Mechanics
- reasons for holding spawn – organized squad, not enough buggies for other Sls
- “Timing is everything.” -- TG-3rd ReaperAssualt. Learn to know when you should push, when to defend, and when to stay alive.
- Praise people when they've done something impressive
- When defending or in relatively little action, teach people little things like: crouch and zoom in to shoot better with assault rifles, use the n key to zoom in and out of minimap – especially if running in a squad full of newbies
Practice: See #7.
[edit] Session 6: Personal Conduct
- NEVER YELL AT PEOPLE. No matter how poorly the squad is performing NEVER YELL AT PEOPLE. Praise them, encourage them, motivate them, and revive them if that's what it takes: make sure you're all on the same side.
- NEVER BLAME PEOPLE. Never blame the team, the other team, the walker, your squad mates, other Squad Leaders, random orbitals, hackers, acts of god, and pecan pies – NEVER BLAME ANYONE FOR ANYTHING. Blame is negative and will destroy your squad's confidence and put them in a foul mood. DON'T DO IT.
- Always be patient: do not kick people from squads left and right and assume the worst. Try to remember how disorganized you were when you were a newbie. Tell people basic things such as “follow the yellow line on the minimap in your top right and you'll find the rest of us.”
- Never use foul language, always apologize even if it isn't your mistake, always behave in a TG-like manner: maturely, and politely. This doesn't mean you can't crack a joke, it does mean you can't go running around acting like a smacktard – you are the first point of contact between the internet and TG. Many people who are TGers now have become so because they were in an TG IHS led squad.
- Pump people up. Learn how to motivate people, by keeping them on the move and ignoring awesome things like shooting down walkers as if they were natural and expected – keep people moving, keep their adrenaline pumping, and they'll work much better. One person with adrenaline is literally worth five laid back people. I've seen pubbies on adrenaline MAUL TG squads into oblivion.
Understand what adrenaline is and how to produce it in your SMs. Whatever it takes, motivate people. Make them want to follow you.
- Never expect to win: expect to give the best fight you can, and you will surprise yourself how many times you will win. This is important because expecting to win and losing is far worse on your ego (and consequently, SL-ing ability and shooting skills) than expecting to give a good fight and losing.
- When you're losing and your people are sucking, do something easy to regain the confidence of the squad. Do something small and tiny that the 6 of you can easily accomplish and then build on that. Do small things.
- The only way to get better is by practice.
Practice: See #7.
[edit] Session 7: Live Fire Exam
- Each Student will SL a squad on the TG server, while being critiqued by the instructor
- If the student fails for the round, they're encouraged to try the next round
- Shooting skills and tactics will NOT be evaluated: confidence while speaking, leadership, and organizing a squad WILL be evaluated.
[edit] Credit
This Material was written by Zhohar and edited for the wiki by Smachin007
