missing commander?

[smee]

Just seems that there no longer commanders on maps. Is this happening generally or just a .8 trend.

[Gore]

I haven't seen many of them since 0.7

[cyberzomby]

Ofcourse I miss them. I miss playing as one and I also miss one when Im squadleading. Its so cool going: Commander this is squad 2, we got an apc at my attack marker. Roger that squad 2 sending over a tank.

Or asking where he wants us in his big plan. Commanders are cool and I really hope the dev's find a way to bring them back.

[Psyko]

whenever i see a commander on, i talk to them and relay info. its fun imo. but most squad leaders on pubbie matches dont do squat for their commander, all they want from the commander is to give build orders and to shut up. which is really bad. but it happens. i like having commanders, because without them, as squad leader, i cant show all the rest of the team where the enemy is effectivly. also i'd love to be able to instantly be in contact with another squad without having to spend 30 seconds typing out some sort of elaborate battle plan. instead i ask the commander, and he does the rest. another thing i like about compitant commanders is, it eleviates my need to check my map every 5-15 seconds. i want to be able to defend myself and to react quickly, i dont want to have to check my position all the time. unfortunatly, i dont see commanders all that often. even though i value them, they are never around. i remember the days when there were dedicated commanders. but all thats gone now.

[master of the templars]

I have only ever seen a commander come in for a few seconds to drop a JDAM then leave again. that's happened twice.

[R.J.Travis]

I would have to agree with Psykogundam.

Also when I do find a commander 45% of the time I can not understand him "English" is all I understand when bullets are snapping by my head and hand frags are thrown.

But that's not there fault.

[Ragni<RangersPL>]

Commander was seen more frequent on public games before PR 0.8

IMO, one of the reasons why it isn't now, it's becasue he needs to sit in the command post all the time to coordinate teams

Let's face it, most people play First Person Shooters to... shoot (duh!) We ain't runnig around with carrots in PR Even commanders want to join the action and watch it with their own eyes. It's easier to command that way

[$kelet0r]

I used to play commander all the time in 0.7 and 0.75, build bases and defend them while coordinating the rest of the team and bringing logistics and troops to the front. That was so much fun. I think I've seen one 0.8 round where a commander stayed for the full game.

[slayer]

They have not got enough stuff to do. Some "only commander" vehicle that could be armed or special kit. Then ability to spawn from every rally would do the trick and you have yourselves a commander every round.

[kf_reaper]

i think he also need some ability ware the commander does not need a SL to ask for. make the commander worth playing.

i tryed commanding the other day and not 1 squad did what i asked or marked any thing for my to hit with a JDAM ..

or we could get around the commander by putting say a paladin tank, C130 gunship, or a B52 in there i say put 1 of the 3 in every map and we wont need a commander anymore oh ya and give all the SL command com like SL only voip

[daranz]

I do not see commanders all that often, but sometimes I do wish commanders would just shut up and give me build orders. There's nothing more annoying than a commander who feels the need to chime in every 10 seconds and make elaborate speeches over VOIP. Or, a commander who refuses to give build orders because he's holding a grudge or doesn't understand how the game works (I had a commander refuse me a build order once, because he claimed that it's impossible to build an FB on a flag before capturing it).

I think it shows you that commanders are doing what they should be doing - commanding. These issues were less annoying before, because commanders did not do as much commanding. Now, people are forced to sit in their little command post, and so they grow restless, trying to shift squads around the map having no idea what's going on, doing things for the sake of looking busy. I see more good commanders in PR, but I guess now that commanders do more commanding, more people have to get used to how commanding works.

[Incomplete Spork]

I think it needs to be like before .8

Nobody wants to sit and look at a map and talk to a bunch of idiots all game who 90% of the time ignore what you say. And I know one guy will come in and say he likes playing commander but guess what, you are one of a handful. We play games to have fun not make our selves bored to death.

[Biggaayal]

There is no joy in seeing dots on your map execute a well coordinated attack. The CO has to be freed from the command post. It is infinitely boring.

Give a commander a way to see his work unfold in the game world, not on the map. I plea the devs. No other forceful tinkering will ever make it popular again. It was bad before but now the CO role is FUBAR.

[Zrix]

A forward command vehicle, like a 2 man APC, but with the gunners armament replaced with the same function as the command post should give the commander some fun by allowing him to observe the action.
It also adds another aspect to the game as you can cripple the enemies command structure if you knock him out.

Like so:

[aperson444]

Apparently there are such things as command post vehicles, which are essentially APCs with radio, and maybe a light gun.

The Commander should be able to drive the post, but not man the gun. Perhaps the guy on the gun is looking out, and making sure the commander doesn't get blown up every 20 seconds.

[PFunk]

A forward command vehicle, like a 2 man APC, but with the gunners armament replaced with the same function as the command post should give the commander some fun by allowing him to observe the action.
It also adds another aspect to the game as you can cripple the enemies command structure if you knock him out.

Like so:

Thats exactly what I think should happen. Though with the new Logistics update for .85 I think Commanders may have more to do than just shove dots around a map.

That said the problem of commanders trying to make SLs do stuff is that SLs don't respect the commander. So the commander feels that resentment and animosity and either gives up or gets more stern and tries to assert himself.

The problem is one of culture. People don't want to do what a CO says to do. Only really good ones versed in the maps overall play style can really get people's attention cause they come in at the start of a round with a knowledge of what he wants. Then before the squads start getting their own ideas he has laid out a plan people can buy into.

But sadly there doesn't seem to be any room for inexperienced commanders to learn as they play because people are apparently willing to follow moron SLs on suicide runs but not listen to a Commander's strategic orders which still give a good SL room to do a safe job despite the poor tactic he has been assigned.

I want a CO when I go SLing. I waste too much time trying to guess what I should do next based on what other squads do.

Like I said, .85 COs should get to coordinate Logistics now and that will bring the CO back in vogue.

[kf_reaper]

Apparently there are such things as command post vehicles, which are essentially APCs with radio, and maybe a light gun.

The Commander should be able to drive the post, but not man the gun. Perhaps the guy on the gun is looking out, and making sure the commander doesn't get blown up every 20 seconds.

ya thats a good idea but i would make it a 3 man a driver and gunner and commander seat that only the commander can sit in and give him the optic that the tank driver has. so he does not have to worry about driving it or gunning it but let him be able to see what is going on down there

[Poi_Medic]

ya i miss that chatter box bossing me around and co-ordinating armor, air and infantry to work together. I want him back... sniff

[Outlawz7]

I only CO for area attacks now, if there's one available, otherwise it sucks.
It's great like 1% of the time when the CO doesn't ruin everything screaming through the V channel and all the squads keep him updated, so he can coordinate them properly, but again that's like 1% of the time...

I found commanding in 0.7 a lot more fun and awesome, I had round where I finished on top without any deaths and one time on Qwai I even managed to salvage the Heavy AT kit off a dead guy and destroyed both PLA tanks rushing into Estate with it.

[kf_reaper]

we should give the commander one 15K tactical nuke. then Im sure we would never have a problem of there only being a commander 1% of the time but need to set it up so it can only be fired wan your down to 15 or 20 ticks

EDIT: oh ya and make sure it and air burst at 500 ft. "most effective for the 15K" so we can see vehicles flying. and the EMP kills the electronics of any vehicles on the map that were not in the nukes kill zone