Squadplay on pubs

Nailo

This has been discussed before and it has nagged me a bit since I've entered competitive play. I partly blame the smurfing competitive player who commed for marines on refinery long, long ago. He commanded the team so well and did extremely well at calling out players and telling them their goals and objectives at any point and time. So him and me entering competitive has basically made me want to be a better commander, even in pubs. Because I'm sooooo fond of the active and "commanding" commander.

Some thoughts I've had in improving have been simple and have been stated before, although not as easy in execution. I'm starting to use waypoints on marines and calling out specific goals for certain people. But what I want to talk about is trying to infuse the teamwork that one finds in a 6v6 and put it into a 10v10 or 12v12. I've seen it done before, and it was pretty cool seeing teamplay that one only normally see's in 6v6's .

Often times in the competitive scene on marines there is a "re-capper" a single player who rebuilds structures while the rest of the team distracts further ahead as cover. Incorporating this into a pub is usually done by simply asking for someone to rebuild it whenever they respawn or are nearby. But I'm of the mind to try organizing squads but without the hotkeys atm.

i.e. "Sean, Garran, Hades, move together through Observation and into Elevator, stay on the right side of the map. Twopaws will follow behind you and build the rt's I drop and you three will advance and cover him. If any of you die you are to continue to travel on the right side of the map when you respawn, and unless otherwise called Twopaws will be the only one building on the right side of the map." <-- and imagine similar orders being given for 4 more players to do this on the left side and the next 4 to go up through south tunnels. I've done this as a field commander but not from the chair itself. Perhaps this is a easy thing to accomplish as a commander but it is something I want to work on so that I can improve and possibly help those who need to be given orders or who are indecisive or unsure on what to do on a changing battlefield.

Before anyone asks I haven't as of yet tried it in pugs or scrims. Way I see it, If I can pull this off in Pubs, where total strangers play and skill levels are so diverse, then I can pull this off on pugs or scrims where the player skill and teamwork is higher. Overall I'm not sure why I made this thread but I suppose I wanted your opinions on the subject and other ideas as to improving commanding in both public and higher level games. Especially with these recent influxes of new players who are always telling me they have no idea what to do or what they are doing.

Roobubba

I find the easiest way to do it in a pub is not to have a huge long lecture for each set of players (they'll turn off and ignore/forget most likely), but instead to select the players you want, and give them succinct, direct and clear orders while spamming the move to waypoint to highlight what you're saying:
"Fred, Satan's Underpants, you two move here," (click click click click) "face that way" (click) " and hold the corridor. Watch the vent on the right." Finish up with a final 'move to waypoint command to remind them where you want them standing.
Most rookies have literally no clue about where to position themselves. Giving them the advice as the comm is so easy to do and makes the world of difference when 3 floor skulks come round a corner and they have enough time to target and shoot them down.

Warforce17

Roobubba wrote: »

I find the easiest way to do it in a pub is not to have a huge long lecture for each set of players (they'll turn off and ignore/forget most likely), but instead to select the players you want, and give them succinct, direct and clear orders while spamming the move to waypoint to highlight what you're saying:
"Fred, Satan's Underpants, you two move here," (click click click click) "face that way" (click) " and hold the corridor. Watch the vent on the right." Finish up with a final 'move to waypoint command to remind them where you want them standing.
Most rookies have literally no clue about where to position themselves. Giving them the advice as the comm is so easy to do and makes the world of difference when 3 floor skulks come round a corner and they have enough time to target and shoot them down.

This works wonder on rookie servers! I have played rounds were I only gave them such orders and they all did what I wanted them to do. It was so unexpected and I was so happy.
This is why I would like to have the same option as alien commander (at least for rookies). It helps them out sooooooo much.

meatmachine

Agree with @Roobubba, watch ItsSuperEffective's last video of comming the greenies, he does an absolutely fantastic job of doing just this!