Lack of Commanders in games

[Lange]

Hey guys,
Just came back to PR last week after I installed it on my new laptop and I want to say its tons of fun and im enjoying it aot. I've played probably over 10 hours on servers so far and theres one thing I noticed.

On the servers i've played on it seems like most of the time no one will be commander for the team im on. Has anyone else noticed this? It seems like squads are made and the team just does what the SL says for their squad or what they think needs done and no one applys for commander.

Maybe it could just be my luck however if is this happens consistently theres reason for concern. Firstly, theres a lot that was done for the commander position in PR and if theirs no commander well then you loose all the things a commander can do. It seems maybe people just don't care enough to be one.

What do you all think?

[rushn]

from what i know a lot of peeps think it is boring

[stealth420]

Commanders need more to do and observe.

The UAV isnt enough.

If the commander had dash board cameras on all vehicles he could monitor troop movements and give commands based on contact infront of the vehicles instead of blindly sending vehicles into firefights and ied traps.

[gaurd502]

I would do it, if I knew that people would actually listen to what I say.

[TomDackery]

I actually find it sort of fun to be commander, if I know that the squads will pay attention and follow orders, no matter how odd it is. Like singing...

However, most of the time, squad leaders don't listen, or the squad members don't care and just go off wasting the tickets by attacking when you told the squads to all fall back and defend, to hold on the little tickets we have (we lost 8-0 that round). Just goes to show you that if the commander seems competent, listen to him. Have your squad follow his orders. Heck, if I have a competent commander, and I'm SL, I'll actually play according to his orders, and once completed, inform him that I'm waiting orders. Classic PR, ftw.

[bloodthirsty_viking]

I actually find it sort of fun to be commander, if I know that the squads will pay attention and follow orders, no matter how odd it is. Like singing...

However, most of the time, squad leaders don't listen, or the squad members don't care and just go off wasting the tickets by attacking when you told the squads to all fall back and defend, to hold on the little tickets we have (we lost 8-0 that round). Just goes to show you that if the commander seems competent, listen to him. Have your squad follow his orders. Heck, if I have a competent commander, and I'm SL, I'll actually play according to his orders, and once completed, inform him that I'm waiting orders. Classic PR, ftw.

same, but i think most squad use mumble now, or atleast when im on i see lots of mumble peaple on a few of the servers
XD

[Wh33lman]

Commanders need more to do and observe.

The UAV isnt enough.

If the commander had dash board cameras on all vehicles he could monitor troop movements and give commands based on contact infront of the vehicles instead of blindly sending vehicles into firefights and ied traps.

Stealth, you really gotta stop pushing that idea. It got shot down, let it go.

As for me, I would love to do it, but the Commander position is a little intimidating. First of all, how many squad leaders would actually listen? Their on the ground actually fighting, I'm sitting in an air conditioned trailer at the main base, who would you listen to?

I've toyed with the UAV a little in training, and I was kinda disappointed that I couldnt set markers useing the crosshairs on the UAV. On top of that, you really have to know what the map looks like from the air because the UAV doesnt show up on your tac map.

[bloodthirsty_viking]

Stealth, you really gotta stop pushing that idea. It got shot down, let it go.

As for me, I would love to do it, but the Commander position is a little intimidating. First of all, how many squad leaders would actually listen? Their on the ground actually fighting, I'm sitting in an air conditioned trailer at the main base, who would you listen to?

I've toyed with the UAV a little in training, and I was kinda disappointed that I couldnt set markers useing the crosshairs on the UAV. On top of that, you really have to know what the map looks like from the air because the UAV doesnt show up on your tac map.

AND its at an annoying angle so you cant tell where you are if you have not played the map in anyhting over a week XD

[mat552]

The UAV came out shortly after Mumble started to really pick up steam, thus being neutralized.

The team simply doesn't need a commander aside from once every hour for the area attack. (Occasionally the UAV is the ONLY option for recon, but that's a rare set of circumstances)

[BloodBane611]

Certain people have a lot to offer in the commander position. I remember some games that became awesome, simply because Michael Denmark hopped into the commander's seat in a pub match. However, most people aren't really able to get all their players to follow a plan, assuming they have one, and so most commanders are fairly ineffective. Don't confuse bad commanders with the commander position being bad, it can be extremely useful in the right hands.

[Wh33lman]

What was it that somebody said 'Commanding in PR is like a RTS game where every unit has a different AI'?

[Truism]

I think someone said it's like commanding an RTS where every unit has an AI that stops it from responding to commands.


The reason I don't command anymore is the same reason I don't do anything but core fighting functions. The moment I step into a specialist role and rock off with a small group to do my own thing, every Infantry Squad catches aids, the APCs and Armor start smoking pot and failing to contribute to the battle, and core counter roles (AA, HAT) just don't happen.

Things like commanding, recon, fire-base hunting, hardcore ambushing are like the icing on the cake. Every time I want to ice my team's cake, they don't make a cake and I'm left sitting no where near the front line watching my team's flags disappear :'(.

[Nyarlathotep]

I've recently started commanding because of this deficit; honestly you're still helpful even if all you do is help communicate between squads and try to keep things moving. It's definitely hard to get people to follow a plan (even if that plan is 'kay guys, get on the docks flag'), but there's plenty you can do without that. You can't fix stupid, but you can still provide situational awareness, right?

People probably don't do it because it's not that exciting, but then again being stuck with a completely discombobulated team is also unexciting.

[multiplan]

Hey guys,
Just came back to PR last week after I installed it on my new laptop and I want to say its tons of fun and im enjoying it aot. I've played probably over 10 hours on servers so far and theres one thing I noticed.

On the servers i've played on it seems like most of the time no one will be commander for the team im on. Has anyone else noticed this? It seems like squads are made and the team just does what the SL says for their squad or what they think needs done and no one applys for commander.

Maybe it could just be my luck however if is this happens consistently theres reason for concern. Firstly, theres a lot that was done for the commander position in PR and if theirs no commander well then you loose all the things a commander can do. It seems maybe people just don't care enough to be one.

What do you all think?

Most of the suggestions on how to populate the command position, and there were many, were not implemented in the last release. Unfortunately it is a rare event in a pub game (esp. NA servers) to see a CO for a full round.

The UAV has not been a large enough team advantage to force the position, like the way the new AR zoom devastates and is always played. Have things regressed to squad play and not team play?

Maybe by 1.0 a new hook will be approved to draw and near mandate people to the CO position, until then the new CO tent is cool but just that.

[Trooper909]

You will only see commander on insurgentsy for the US team really as UAV and arty =OP bombs of doom.

[Rudd]

I sometimes command on TG, not often though as my playtime is limited atm and I like to get as much bang per minute as I can

[Bonsai]

Right now a CO has no possibility to influence his team until the round has started. And at that point the Squadleaders will have decided where they want to go and what they want to do during the fight. And will have informed their squadmembers accordingly. The way it should be - no question. But in public you will rather see 3 attack chopper squads for 1 chopper than a layout of different squads and roles that allows a CO to work with.

As i mentioned already somewhere else it is a hard job to convince squadleaders that you are a good commander in 90 seconds when at the same time the squads are being built and people ask for their roles and kits and so on.

It`s impossible to talk to up to 9 different squads explaining them what, where and how (which asset. i.e.) you are planning in this short time.

And what purpose does a commander (assuming that he has some sort of idea on how to win the battle) have if he cant influence the layout and the movement of the squads from the start.

What would improve things would be anything that allows a CO to pass his ideas (battleplans) to the team before the squads are made...

From my experience: Mumble and the SL channel have improved things already. If you are on a server with a mumble channel and if you have SLs in the mumble channel you can use up to 3 minutes (map load time + countdown) before the map starts to talk to people. And as you can talk to interested Squadleaders before the squadmembers start to contact them via VOIP chances to get squads organized the way you would like them to be is 500% higher.

During the game a CO has a lot of work to do if all SLs decide to run communications through him all the time and to keep him informed on what`s going on...and if he is doing his job.

But - any kind of points/cookies/benefits/whatever to encourage communications from squads to the CO and points/cookies/benefits/whatever for accepting the orders that come from the top would of course improve public gaming and the role of the CO.

[AfterDune]

v0.9

[Bonsai]

I love them `s!

[anglomanii]

i cant understand why we still tie the platoon commanders to that bloody command trailer, he should be right up with his platoon, coordinating and seeing things up close, not in a trailer so far back.