Commander versus Squad Leader

[RAWSwampFox]

Good Evening,

Just wanted to publicly put this out there. If you see me play commander, I play as a fighting or in the field commander. I don't sit on my butt in the UAV tent working for only 2 squads - CAS and Armor.

There have been rounds that I have commanded in which I have built all the FOBS that were ever built by my team and yet I'm constantly screamed at, mainly by CAS so I can be their..., to get in the UAV.

So, with that said, what is the Squad Leader's job? IMO - Set rally points, build FOBS, coordinate with other SL's via Mumble, and in general have "vocal" teamwork.

-SwampFox

[Death!]

Commander should not build fobs, but he can always give orders for that.

For field stuff, commander rallies are useful.

[Rudd]

The commander's role is situational, he should be what the team needs at that moment.

UAV operator - Team situtational awareness
Radio Coordinator - Managing traffic to ensure effective and efficient comms
Logistic Support - Running a logistic truck
Battle Support - Commander Rallys
Helpful tools - Demolish tool, LZ markers etc.

While SLs do appreciate a commander who builds FOBs, (and I've seen you doing it, which is nice), It's a far more efficient use of the commander's time to deliver supplies to a squad to build a FOB and then return to main with that logistic truck to rearm it. Whilst waiting for another supply request, teh commander can jump on the UAV etc.

Not many people on a team are well placed to deliver supplies by land and then return to main, but the commander is one of them (asset players waiting for assets to respawn, designated logistic operators or mortar squad squad leaders are the only other people who have good reason to return to main with the truck)

[RAWSwampFox]

Good Evening,

Ok, I had this come up this evening. My experience with a commander rally is that it only stays up for 2 minutes regardless of commander's proximity to the rally. I've also heard that the commander rally has a smaller radius as in enemy has to be pretty close to overrun it. Now a SL rally stays up forever it seems. Lately, it appears that anyone can spawn on any rally point. Did this change or is it a bug?

An in regards to the list above, I do at least 3 of those consistently when I'm in the field. I hate sitting in a UAV and the only squads listening to me are the CAS and armor. IMO, the UAV is for guys that are clan mates and only want to provide support for the clan or their mates.

-SwampFox

[Death!]

I am pretty sure the rules are the same as normal rally points, I deployed some close to flags on skirmish and it lasted the whole round.

[PLODDITHANLEY]

As a CO I have led an infantry squad on to a cache with precise directions and warning of enemies in the next garden, twas fun and the SL sure listened to me.

But to be precise it's hard to offer UAV close support to more than one squad at a time. Although an infantry squad really do appreciate it.

[matty1053]

As a CO I have led an infantry squad on to a cache with precise directions and warning of enemies in the next garden, twas fun and the SL sure listened to me.

But to be precise it's hard to offer UAV close support to more than one squad at a time. Although an infantry squad really do appreciate it.

Swamp, I still think you are in my top 3 of my favorite PR players. (SQL and CO).


But people still don't listen to commanders. (Squad leaders mainly). They just think: oh he is a nub... what eva!

I can name about 4 times where you were CO and "led" my squad to success.
I wish you could get Medals in PR...

I know back in like .95, some servers enforced the rule: "Follow commander orders".
But then you had those idiot commanders that sit in UAV all game and give no help to the team, except asset squads.

[Brainlaag]

I am pretty sure the rules are the same as normal rally points, I deployed some close to flags on skirmish and it lasted the whole round.

The platoon rally points are permanent as long as the CO stays in a 100m radius of it. They are not permanent under any other circumstances, unless that got changed since 1.0.

To set it, the CO needs 6 guys, of which 2 are SLs near him. It basically acts as FOB in the vicinity of the CO, VERY useful for the early game, sadly so few know of it.

[Yrkidding]

Before I left my gaming computer for a summer job in the middle of a National Park, I dabbled a bit in COing. I found my style to mostly be in the UAV but constantly searching for the enemy and coordinating squads. I work with those infantry squads that listen to me to ask whatever infantry squads to defend a certain objective, whatever infantry squads to attack a certain objective, the armour to either do their own thing seeking enemy armour or to support a specific squad in either attack or defense, and try to get the SLs the support they need from other parts of the team based on how much resistance they're facing or their need for a firebase/supplies. I'll admit this ends up with me spending a lot of time in the UAV and I believe it to be useful but I have left main with a logi as well to get up a firebase or a CO rally to supplement a defense or rally the defense again in either falling back or retaking the lost objective. I'd like to think I attempt to fulfill the roles that Rudd listed as they come.

Having said that, there is absolutely nothing that stops a fighting commander from being an effective one and fulfilling Rudd's roles, but it is definitely true that among generic smurfs on a team, they seem to have gotten it into their heads that a commander must spend the round in the UAV, period. I have personally seen multiple commanders who didn't start the round this way and attempted the other approach mutinied within 10 - 15 minutes which I've found to be absolutely pointless. Unless that CO is blatantly spamming SL channel and generally being less than competent does it hurt the team for him to be there? Is there a disadvantage to him occupying that post?

I also think part of the problem may also lie in the simple fact that the CO position often goes unoccupied which has left those who SL with the freedom to do mostly as they please and they may resent a CO giving them orders which leads to a quicker mutiny.

[L4gi]

Good ol' fighting commander. My specialty!

[RAWSwampFox]

Good Morning,

Well, on the CO rally, when Normandy was part of the setup, I would setup a CO rally all the time on Overlord. I love CO rally points and know what to do with them. I guess I will have to test them to see how they are currently working. When I would set it up in Normandy, it would stay up as long as I stayed there or no enemy came close. In regular PR maps though, like Ghost Train, I set one up and it went away in 2 minutes.

Now with the ability to spawn on any SL rally point, the CO rally is kind of a moot point.

-SwampFox

[SevenEleven]

Alot of the time i see people getting annoyed with the commander and saying they suck etc, but sometimes i see commanders that don't speak english on english based servers, which is annoying i suppose.

[redman0123]

The few times I played as CO I found it counter productive to start giving my SLs all sorts of move markers and orders... half the time when I tried that it was like "WHAT? OMFG I JUST GOT HAT'd- get on the 50 cal! MEDIC... What CO we're getting shot?!!" and didn't really accomplish much.

That being said I found that giving general ideas, intel, and advice to SL seemed to be more helpful. Running a logi and the UAV for my team was great. Being more general and flexible like "K guys lets get more FOBs up soon" and asking trans to drop off crates seemed to work better than giving everyone silly move markers and "orders" which no one appreciates when they are trying to lead a squad and are getting shot at etc