Commanding

[Tanari]

Figure i'll be the first to bring this subject up, prolly not the first time ever, but i'm sure is fairly new.

WHAT IS THE JOB OF THE COMMANDER?

First some facts:

1. Commanders can see more of the battle then anyone, they have sat track which allows them to spot enemys.

2. Commanders can drop supplys to friendlys

3. Commanders can use UAV.

4. Commanders can EMP (useless in most cases)

5. Commander can move titan (NOT)

6. Commander can issue orders to squad commanders (orders may or may not be followed)

7. Commanders score is based on the average of his team. He gets no points for killing,taking silos,repairing, healing, or any other action that would normally give a normal soldier points.

8. Commanders do still recieve credit towards pins,medals,leader board, badges, for all actions that would merit one of these awards.

9. Commander gets a 2x bonus when his team wins.

I prolly missing a couple other things, but these are the nuts and butter.

So I ask you what is the commanders job?

My opinion: I think the commanders job is to win any way he can minus cheating/glitching. The 2x bonus is a strong indicator that winning is the commanders objective. Along with the fact that I play games to have fun, but I have no fun losing all the time. So winning plays a factor in my "FUN". I don't expect to win every match, but a nice 2:1 ratio give or take is great. So my opinion is that winning is the commanders job.

I personally think a commander is that 32nd man on the battle field, in whatever shape/way/form that might be, gunship,tanker,jeep, transport, etc etc. I think the commander should do what he's best at in order to possibly tip the scales in the favor of his/her team. Does this negate his responsibilites to use UAV,EMP.Supplies,Sat track, i'd say that all depends on the situation at hand and the negative impact its gonna have on the commanders ability to continue tipping the scales. Basically the commander is the commander what he does is his own business, if he decides to support someone (uav,supplies,etc) then thats his choice, but if he choses to ignore thats also within his choice. I've seen commanders support the troops to the best of his ability ( which was way high) and still lose. Maybe if he had been in a tank and supporting less the scales would be tipped. We also must consider the fact 9/10 people don't listen to their squad leaders let alone the commander. And most squads don't give orders, or request anything from the commander. I understand some squads do, but the majority don't.

Putting Major Mass. on the spot in this epic post.

Major Mass is commander, he jumps in a tank gets 40-50 kills, never drops a emp,uav,supply drop (cept for himself), and never issues an order. His team wins the match. Is this acceptable?

Major Mass next round doesn't do anything he sits on the titan, gives orders, supplys, uav,emp, etc to everyone, along with accepting squad leaders orders for help. No one listens to him, because its a public server and they don't care about winning they just want points. Major Mass loses. Is this how commander is suppose to be?

Now I am commanding and get in a gunship and I get 40-50 kills, I drop minimal supplies,uav,emp when requested or within a minute or two of the request, I keep enemy from getting to back silos cause i have sat track and can spot the transports. When enemy titan sheilds go down I ask all SL's to please attack the enemy titan, if our titan needs it I call SL's back to defend. Other then that I leave people to do as they want, after all they paid to buy the game just as I did. What gives the commander the right to order people, commander isn't voted on, commander can be a private, commander could be a moron, but what right does he have to be "ordering" people around. SL's in my book can order people around because they have the option of kicking people from squads, and its by choice that that person is in the SL's squad therefore he understands that its either follow orders or leave. Some SL's do this some don't but once again that falls into the domain of freedom of choice.

So for those who made it this far without hitting your back button and going on to the next new topic, what is the commanders job? What is he allowed and not allowed to do, and lastly what rules on the server prevent him from doing things he not suppose to do other then cheating/glitching/asshating. And remember if its not on the start up screen for cains server 90% of the people will have no idea what the rules are regarding commander, unless its in there with no glitching,cheating,asshating, and titan movement denied.

I think the commanders job/duty/obligation is toWIN

If there is some rule, that CLR has laid down regarding this by all means let me know, but if there isn't i'd like for CLR members to stop harassing me and other players about the correct way to command, that folks ain't allowed to do this or that while commanding. My team the other night with me commanding won something like 35+ wins, with me dropping MAYBE 3-4 dozen supplies,uavs,and emps during all these matchs. On top of that I never once ordered squads to any silos, all my orders were done verbally to the SL's they chose to ignore or follow my orders, regardless though 35+ wins I think this goes to show that jus cause you don't follow the popular belief of what a commanders job is, that doesn't mean with a little abstract thinking that you can't still win.

Anyways this is by no means a rant, and its not just CLR that point commanders out who don't follow the popular belief that commanders command from the titan, but CLR are basically the only people that have any weight sway with what I do in the game, its an awesome server, its got great people, I love playing here, but at the same time if I working on a badge, I don't need folks I respect telling me I can't do something my way, but must do it their way.Unless of course i'm breaking the rules then yeah I need to respect the wishs of that person.

Anyways love yas all, great people, great server, great fun. Peace

Tanari

[Tanari]

Forgot to mention the fact that, when your team loses people tend to blame the commander. So why bother trying to tell the commander how to lead, when he's the one taking the blame for losing not anyone else. Let him lead how he feels best will achieve VICTORY.

[The_Crazy_Ace]

Simple. Why be a commander if your just going to hop on a vehicle and kill crap? Make a choice, IMO. The ebst place for a commander to be is on the titan guns, attacking the pukes whoa re trying to shoot out your ground defense guns, or in a nice hidey hole at the enemies' base, giving orders, and such, and when no one is looking, C4ing thier assests and such. Some people actually want to be a commander to do just that, command. So pleas,e if your just going to be a commander to use UAV, Supplies, and EMP strikes for yourself, don't be one.

[Tanari]

Because for some folks killing crap contributes to "Winning" More then repairing titan turrets that are useless until sheilds come down. As far as ordering folks, i've addressed that in the above arguments, theres nothing more detering then late night commanding when no squads listen, from what i've seen the only reason people apply for commander is to get the medals,badges, and ribbons. I've yet to see a commander that actually enjoys sitting on their titan ordering people who don't follow orders, while dropping supplies,UAV's, and EMPs. Also your stating that killing crap is the only thing i'm addressing, what about a commander that runs around repairing vech's, or jumps in tank gunner spot, or takes transports and provides high altitude spawn points. Theres many support roles OTHER then just using those unique commands which commanders gain.

Simple. Why be a commander if your just going to hop on a vehicle and kill crap? Make a choice, IMO. The ebst place for a commander to be is on the titan guns, attacking the pukes whoa re trying to shoot out your ground defense guns, or in a nice hidey hole at the enemies' base, giving orders, and such, and when no one is looking, C4ing thier assests and such. Some people actually want to be a commander to do just that, command. So pleas,e if your just going to be a commander to use UAV, Supplies, and EMP strikes for yourself, don't be one.

[Premonition]

added your poll

[Tanari]

ty hopefully some folks will bother readin the epic post =) and vote one way or another, i'm jus tired of being accused of not following rules, or being a lousy commander from a couple CLR's. So maybe I can get a decent response from a post here on forums reagrding the issue and then either correct my ways, or 100% ignore those few harassing. Plus its a subject that really has no right or wrong answer, until whoever makes the rules decides one way or the other. Hopefully this don't turn into a rant fest. I tend to enjoy facts laid out for all to see for a mature decision.

[LIMEY]

I do not mind what a commander does as long as they do the primary job of commanding. If they are out and killing stuff but still giving orders then great! Just as long as they still command it is all good!

FYI I have played with you as a commander tanari and I think you do it quite well!

[sirchadawick]

commanding

do whatever it takes but the commander shouldnt fly because you cant issue orders and such while flying.

[krod_milk]

Commanding is a huge responsibility. I think the commanders need to stay back with the Titan/Home Base and provide whats necessary to win a battle. Of course if some punks are straying to far into your base you can engage them but don't go out into the frontlines. I don't think commanders always need to be giving orders to squad leaders unless they really need to. When I'm squaded up with a good squad, the squad leader does a well enough job ordering where we need to go and attack or defend. And we can ask the commander for support from there. The commander can't always see the best plan of attack from our point of view.

[Scowl]

I have to agree that the commander's job is to win, and to do whatever it takes to win. Of course, everyone plays to win (cheaters/stat padders/etc. don't count), but the difference is that a commander is given tools which can be used to help the entire team. The problem is when these tools are abused and/or wasted.

For those who say that a commander has to sit in one spot and do nothing but issue orders/supplies/emp and orbital strikes, I say that's BS. You help the team win the best way you can. If you can get something done that no one else can or will do (its surprising how often no one will do anything useful when presented with an obstacle), then you've got to do it.

On the other hand, if you jump into a vehicle and rack up a hundred kills and all you've done as commander is drop supplies for yourself, you've wasted all those assets that a commander gets. Sure, a win is a win, but that is after the fact, and up until then you haven't given your team every advantage that you could have. You could have gotten those hundred kills with or without that blue star over your head.

Some people are able to fight and command effectively at the same time, and some (probably most) aren't. It's up to the player to know his or her own limitations, and I can't fault anyone who wants to give it a shot. Of course, for most people it would behoove them to stay out of harm's way as a commander.

For me, the rule of being a commander is that you play to win, and you take care of your team. Sometimes that means dropping supplies and taking UAV requests, sometimes that means reviving your people or taking out whatever has them pinned down. It always means not getting yourself killed every 30 seconds. I guess the bottom line for me is whether you are trying your best to help the team win, or if you're just trying to do your own thing and hoping that the players on your side are good enough to carry the day (assuming that you want to win at all).

[{CLR} Naillik]

I have to agree that the commander's job is to win, and to do whatever it takes to win. Of course, everyone plays to win (cheaters/stat padders/etc. don't count), but the difference is that a commander is given tools which can be used to help the entire team. The problem is when these tools are abused and/or wasted.

For those who say that a commander has to sit in one spot and do nothing but issue orders/supplies/emp and orbital strikes, I say that's BS. You help the team win the best way you can. If you can get something done that no one else can or will do (its surprising how often no one will do anything useful when presented with an obstacle), then you've got to do it.

On the other hand, if you jump into a vehicle and rack up a hundred kills and all you've done as commander is drop supplies for yourself, you've wasted all those assets that a commander gets. Sure, a win is a win, but that is after the fact, and up until then you haven't given your team every advantage that you could have. You could have gotten those hundred kills with or without that blue star over your head.

Some people are able to fight and command effectively at the same time, and some (probably most) aren't. It's up to the player to know his or her own limitations, and I can't fault anyone who wants to give it a shot. Of course, for most people it would behoove them to stay out of harm's way as a commander.

For me, the rule of being a commander is that you play to win, and you take care of your team. Sometimes that means dropping supplies and taking UAV requests, sometimes that means reviving your people or taking out whatever has them pinned down. It always means not getting yourself killed every 30 seconds. I guess the bottom line for me is whether you are trying your best to help the team win, or if you're just trying to do your own thing and hoping that the players on your side are good enough to carry the day (assuming that you want to win at all).

[obscurehero]

Here it is, and I'll lay it out for you simple.

A commander's job is to win. No Doubt. However, there are certain limitations on how he can accomplish this all important task. Being a commander and all, his primary job is to command. I dont need to explain myself, do I? That being said, it is very hard to command when you're dead staring up at the sky. Am I right?

Oh, but you say that you're so good you won't die? Well, if you're fighting you certainly arent' looking at the commander screen and you certainly arent' scouting out trouble, strategizing, and - oh right - commanding.

The very best commanders will get stuck with some of the worst teams. Its just the way it works. If you're frustrated let someone else command, and be where you are most effective. The best teams, without a doubt, have a strong sense of community and heirarchy. The best squads work together and maybe individually get less points than they would alone (but most likely not). In the same way, the best teams work well when you have a good commander who is planning ahead and orchestrating his squads together. This is why talking is so crucial to a good team.

A team that uses voip, at least between the commander and the squad leaders, has a huge advantage. I don't think you have many excuses to really do much more than look at the commander screen. If you're out attacking and what not, you arent' commanding.


Bottom line. If you're doing what it takes to win, you'll either be on the field where you are better.... or you'll be commanding where you think your influence will out weigh your presesence on the battlefield. Case closed.

[obscurehero]

Some people are able to fight and command effectively at the same time, and some (probably most) aren't. It's up to the player to know his or her own limitations, and I can't fault anyone who wants to give it a shot. Of course, for most people it would behoove them to stay out of harm's way as a commander.

However this is true ^^

[{CLR} Naillik]

A good guide to being an "In the field" commander:

1. USE THAT "T" BUTTON!
Select the squad you want to order when behind cover, and then if interrupted or in the heat of battle, point at the objective and say issue order, and for squad leader requests, just point where the squad leader is and give im what he wants.

2. Don't charge into battle screaming BANZAI!!! (*ahem* massacre)
Try not to die that much, as you cant command when dead.
Go for the sniper/engineer way. shoot people from a distance and when a deadly vehicle comes by, use your EMP strike and then pilum it, which will help out your team tremendously

3. When your team is on the defensive:
WATCH THAT CP AREA!!! stay a little back as support and when
an unnoticed enemy slips through, fire fast and hard to keep your team in .

4. When your team is on the assault:
Stay back and watch the rear CP's. Simple as that.

5. Use the assets.
ONLY WHEN NESCESSARY, unless it is Sat-Track or UAV in which case
you should spam like a grenade.

6. Don't steal your teams kills.
You don't get points for this, they do.
Dont do it.

7. TELL PEOPLE TO SQUAD UP UNTIL THEY DO.
A commander with no/bad squads will suck.
there will always be at least 1-3 Lone Wolves, so dont feel bad if theyre the only ones not listenin.
but often there will be up to 20 lone wolves, so KEEP TELLING THEM TO SQUAD UP!!

Advanced Commanding Tactics.

1. Go Behind Enemy Lines.
Sneak by.
Capture that CP.
Steal Vehicles from Uncaps and deliver them to your team.
Destroy enemy commander assets.
Place APM's around the base randomly, as this will always lower that teams ticket count.

2. Kill stuff when you see it.
go ahead, shoot!

[Dose]

If you fight as commander you will undoubtedly and eventually miss the random enemy lurker(s) who is near or about to capture a flag or silo. If you are busy fighting, defending yourself, or DIEING, instead of spotting these guys out, you are hurting your team far more than you are helping them.
All it takes is one or two enemies to capture a key flag/silo to change the tide of the entire game. A commander who spots them due to SAT-TRACK spam can easily point them out and give his teammates who are near a huge advantage. (The same goes for helping the random solo guy on your team that's trying to cap flags/silos and enemies closing in on him).
Too many commanders throw up a UAV and think their job is done. Running constant SAT-TRACKS and spotting people out is probably the most important job a commander has imo. This is impossible if you're fighting.