CO isn't boring give it a shot!

[PLODDITHANLEY]

Maybe it's me but CO is far from boring.

Try this based on random PUBLIC server:

1.Try to CO the whole round, and if appropriate announce this to your team.

2.Use B avoid V except in extreme danger moments 'Gary on the move A6'.

3.Respect the fact SL's already have a lot to do, if you have time ask SL's to call you back 'Squad 1 when you've got a moment' SL takes cover to calmly listen and talk to you.

4.At the beginning of the round your job is to try to build a 'rapport' with your squads, if you just give them a few markers with enemies close you can almost hear guys thinking hey that's cool a CO that helps. If you're on an ins map as Blufor it often works if you move quick and try to get a convoy together.

5.Never tell squads what to do - advice and pass information, if they don't know what to do or want your help they'll ask. Feel free to ask SL's if they think it's good to do that, guide them don't order them (remember point 3).

6.Accept that you'll have one or two squads that don't talk your language or haven't got a mic, or just don't want to help, it's like that accept it, but often after a while they'll come on board anyway.

7.Have a bit of paper with the SL's names as it helps your relationship and it takes a while before people reliably remember their squad number.

8.Never rage quit, ultimate team depression - fight, cajole, motivate it's so rewarding to help in a lost situation.

9. Snipers are one of the most useful CO squads IMHO, they have more time to talk than other SL's, they are the most appreciative of enemy inf markers, and when used correctly one miserable sniper can keep a whole enemy inf squad suppressed till your inf can grenade them.

10. I don't fly so I give the CAS squads targets and let them decide their route and if it's safe or not, again advise, let them decide 'CAS - might be worth running from the NW on SE heading for that one' it's their heli, and in my case they are certainly more experienced than me.

11. AS CO it seems that some people treat you as an unofficial admin, don't get directly involved but just help by passing the info if one of your squads has an admin, or type in all text (unless you're an admin ofc).

You are by your actions helping 30 people to have good game, it's like the good deed for the day!

[Skull]

....if there wouldnt be times where 20/30 ppl arent talking to you and the rest have no idea what theyre doing...
besides the obvious fact that there are loads of ppl who wont even listen to you for various reason, its a good guide

[PLODDITHANLEY]

Average participation:

First 30mins 25%
30min - 1.5hours 60-75%

That's OK, most interesting is when I am on a French server doing Anglo French liaison.

If anyone's being a tard admins are the first to appreciate a CO, so generally do their best to sort them out, but such are the problems of Euroland ... so many languages....

Have to bear in mind players are so unused to a CO they're often not sure of your capabilities and the assistance you can supply.

[L4gi]

5.Never tell squads what to do - advice and pass information, if they don't know what to do or want your help they'll ask. Feel free to ask SL's if they think it's good to do that, guide them don't order them (remember point 3).

I always tell squads what to do. I think what you mean is dont micromanage, and I agree with that. As long as you just tell a squad to assault the cache from the west, and then let them perform the maneuver in a way which suits them best, you will do good. Well, unless you have no clue what to do yourself.

[BroCop]

Meh all you seem to do is use the V button to say "Pew Pew Pew"

[PLODDITHANLEY]

Well, unless you have no clue what to do yourself.

Sshhh don't tell everyone.

I also am referring to public play, ofc in clan/PRT/PRWC it's shout swear abuse everyone time.

[Zimmer]

I sat Co for 3 hours on CnC, it can be fun if you have SL's who report and so on, but I mean that its the SL's that should do the tactical decisions of where to go and teh CO is just a middle man who tries to keep everyone in such a place that not everyone attacks.

[L4gi]

I also am referring to public play

So was I.

[myles]

i would do it more i just always think SLs want to do their own thing so i dont want to interfirere

[DrugKoala]

I truly enjoy playing the commander, especially if on T&T server... but from my experience I have noticed that there is few types of squads that make me go fucknuts.

1) French.

I have yet to find a french squad that listens to my instructions and orders. "Squad 1, enemy coming through the valley at your NE, ETA 3 mins, advise you hold up and try to ambush them" "Frog, frog, frog, vive la frog!" *squad gets wiped and we lose 2 CPs* *facepalm*

2) We R 1337 supa hardcore real soldiers, we do it better than you advise.

Oh really? Then don't ask for supplies, transport or fire support. You know it better than I see it from UAV, innit? (Often at end of round it comes like "Commie is ****, doesn't give us transport")

3) Sniper team "Insert tacticool name here" at your service.

Well, ok, I did have encounter with some good snipers. But most of the time I have statboys, who manage to piss me off more than they do the same to enemy. I have several times hovered with JDAM marker over their position. Thankfully, I saw it could be used somewhere better (No, it's not french squad, although I could've do so )

4) Attack heli, self-proclaimed demigods

By this, I mean on those guys who take heli and do slashing until MANPADS hits them in front of the whole team. When that happens, morale goes lower than stripper girl on the pole, and if there was Viagra for morale, it still wouldn't help.

But most of the time I enjoy, because I love RTS games, and PR commie is like playing a RTS where developers forgot to add decent pathfinding and AI. It's a challenge.

[PLODDITHANLEY]

I truly enjoy playing the commander, especially if on T&T server... but from my experience I have noticed that there is few types of squads that make me go fucknuts.

1) French.

2) We R 1337 supa hardcore real soldiers, we do it better than you advise.

3) Sniper team "Insert tacticool name here" at your service.

4) Attack heli, self-proclaimed demigods

1. I speak French and live here, and no I'm not French, so I talk to them and I find ze frenchie squads pretty good generally. I imagine they're happy to have a CO who can help them work with anglo squads too?

2. I try to get friendly so I will offer them things I can supply, air/armour support, logistics or trans, if that doesn't work well there are another 6 squads to help out. If, god forbid, they are successful a bit of team chat congratulations goes along way (they like the fame perhaps).

3. Snipers - Give em some targets and they'll love you forever again no stress 'Sniper squad have a look here some targets for you' once they see by co operating they get more kills they join in.

4. As I am lucky to have some very good CAS guys in our informal group (Aaron, Fizzco and Narco) I can't complain, but again tell them where the kills are, and they should work out that they get more kills that way. Just the LB's that are hard, very few pilots can keep them up against a determined enemy.

I use the observe markers alot as it is less of an order than the attack markers.

After rereading my nonsense I think I enjoy the psychological aspect as much as the game.

My single biggest complaint is that most people don't use SL markers, and don't know CO's are very limited - I offer to tell them how but we can't have public admissions of failure can we (had trouble myself until recently).

[Heskey]

I've really tried doing hardcore comm gaming but I can't justify spending 3 hours of my 6 hours in an evening staring at a map for one round and arguing with 2-man squads to group together to form large squads.

[Tim270]

^ I dunno, sometimes you just get the urge to grab the reigns!

[boilerrat]

if the commander isn't doing his job or asking anyone to do ANYTHING I always try to creep them out.

Err..uhh...yeah squad 5 I need you to...

Don't talk baby, I know what you need.

squad 5 what?

sshh.....just let it happen.


Otherwise when I am the commander, nobody listens... or turns their squad into a chat room and is scattered all over the map instead of sticking together

[alec89]

its not that its boring. Its responsibility. When you do good your squadies listen to you and respect you, but when your entire squad gets wiped out, they usually rage quit after they cuss you out on the mic and then you feel guilty, lol. I only CO when I'm in the mood, but it isnt boring.

Edit: nvm, I thought you mean CO as in commanding officer or SL. Sorry, disregard.

[Web_cole]

From what I've played I rather enjoy the strategic nature of it, it is kind of like a RTS, but with far more depth and complexity. You - as CO - could do everything 'right' and still lose, and it's interesting trying to account for that in your thinking.

Saying that I haven't really tried COing on just a random pubby server yet (just TW events) and I can imagine that adds a whole different layer of challenge, as Ploddit has elucidated on.

[PLODDITHANLEY]

Wow:

e·lu·ci·date (-ls-dt)
v. e·lu·ci·dat·ed, e·lu·ci·dat·ing, e·lu·ci·dates
v.tr.
To make clear or plain, especially by explanation; clarify.
v.intr.
To give an explanation that serves to clarify. See Synonyms at explain.

What a good word.

Oh and boilerrat if I see you as SL I know where to come for some relief!

[Web_cole]

Wow:

e·lu·ci·date (-ls-dt)
v. e·lu·ci·dat·ed, e·lu·ci·dat·ing, e·lu·ci·dates
v.tr.
To make clear or plain, especially by explanation; clarify.
v.intr.
To give an explanation that serves to clarify. See Synonyms at explain.

What a good word.

Me clever Scotsman, me learn English good!

[Tahanatos]

CO can on the other hand be extremely frustrating when your team is wasting assets and running into ambushes you just told them about

[goguapsy]

So the CO Tetris mode isn't needed I guess?

This looks like an interesting round you had, PLODDITHANLEY. I'd love to have you as a CO. I mean, I see you like to get the team working togheter.

Sometimes I have a CO which says "Sqd 4... Enemy on marker" - I always answer "Alright, thank you" but I think "WTV dude, I wanna win this not kill them!"