For the longest time I hated "The Chair." That's what my friends and I called it. I always felt like I was fighting the interface, and my players. I had too many things to do, and too many people wanting me to do things, and "The Chair" wouldn't let me do them the way I wanted to.
Now its not so bad, I've learned the interface. I have strategies for maps. I know how to respond to certain situations. And most of all, I play on a server with my friends. When I am in the chair (note the lack of quotes and capitalization), I am promised at least one person that will listen to me. Players are drawn to order. The same team that was just led to victory will completely forget how to win without a commander and his lieutenant.
I guess the solution is to find a regular server, and stick to it. Eventually, you will get to know some of the regulars and like them. These will be the people you come to rely on. If you have a friend that plays, like I do, then you have a real edge.
"I wish they would **obscenity** off to servers in their own country or learn English."
from "community rules":
- Swearing, and use of slurs about race or sexual-orientation are prohibited. Words that try to sneak around the swear filter are prohibited.
- Slanderous, defamatory, false, obscene, indecent, lewd, pornographic, abusive, insulting, threatening, harassing or obnoxious comments are not appropriate in the NS community.
i am from russia and i have a strong accent. i tend to play as a commander and i talk a lot. sometimes people have problems understanding me, but unless they take on racist attitude similar to what you displayed here, we win just fine.
Once when playing on eclipse there was this commander called matthew, they had fades and were attacking the eclipse which we had amnd then this commander starts recycling everything. everyone tells him to stop cuz a rambo just took don maintenance and i killed 2 fades in a row <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> well he started building again and after awhile that rambo had taken down the cc hive too!!! talk bout loser aliens. well im usually not comm since i tend to stress and screw up easily though im very g00d at it.
I play commander in about a third of the games I'm in. Generally I will only command eclipse, Nancy and nothing, cause I don't feel I know the other maps well enough and haven't learned the strategy of those maps, etc... As for marines not listening and the like. I'll start, ask them to do what I want (usually taking a critical hive), and if enough of them don't listen. I say something to the affect "OK, you guys don't want to listen to me, so someone else command", and then I get out of the chair and play as a marine.
But I have started using some tricks. I can usually identify the RAMBO in the group in about 5 minutes, so I send him against the third hive (cause he ain't gonna listen to me anyway) and I use him getting killed to see what's going on in that area. So while my good marines are taking the first hive, this guy (or 2 in larger game) are going after the other empty hive and annoying the aliens. And when I send my guys on that first critical 'hive capture' mission, I stick with them and drop health. They appreciate that and your get almost instant respect out of them.
But what I'm finding is that the more competent I'm getting at cmdering, the more people are listening to me. I don't know, maybe people can sense fear through the mic. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
I'm also not getting abused that much anymore. I give the marines a quick overview of what we're gonna do and there's usually one or two who get it and keep the others in line. The key is identifying those people and treating them right, and answering their (usually intelligenct) questions. They are the sheep dogs that herd my sheep and keep them in line.
I think about the first week I tried to be commander, and here's my advice for newbs:
1) Don't take that chair until you know the map. I play on my own machine with bots to check out the maps. Nothing is gonna anger your marines worse than when you say "I don't know this map and have never commanded before, but ...". You're toast.
2) Yes, phase gates will make you very popular. I did the old resource/turret slow build up at first, lost alot of games. Watch how the good cmdrs set up at the beginning. The first 10 minutes are absolutely critical.
3) When you're a marine, watch the good commanders. They all seem to employ the same basic tricks. If you get in the chair before you've learned the proper build orders, the experienced people are gonna know it immediately and they will start ignoring you or pressing the 'eject commander' button. Whenever I'm in eclipse and the cmdr says, OK, first we're gonna take horseshoe I just groan. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Finally, don't be afraid to command. Just make sure you know how to build, wps, etc.. before you step into the chair in a public game. You'll probably suck for a bit, but keep with it. I think when I started I was winning 1 out of 5. Now I'm up around 50% for the last week.
Oh, btw, it's not always the commander's fault. I've seen 2 skulks take out 6 marines and when that happens somebody needs marksmanship lessons and it ain't the guy in the chair. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Comments
Now its not so bad, I've learned the interface. I have strategies for maps. I know how to respond to certain situations. And most of all, I play on a server with my friends. When I am in the chair (note the lack of quotes and capitalization), I am promised at least one person that will listen to me. Players are drawn to order. The same team that was just led to victory will completely forget how to win without a commander and his lieutenant.
I guess the solution is to find a regular server, and stick to it. Eventually, you will get to know some of the regulars and like them. These will be the people you come to rely on. If you have a friend that plays, like I do, then you have a real edge.
ok this was another usslees post for me sorry...
from "community rules":
- Swearing, and use of slurs about race or sexual-orientation are prohibited. Words that try to sneak around the swear filter are prohibited.
- Slanderous, defamatory, false, obscene, indecent, lewd, pornographic, abusive, insulting, threatening, harassing or obnoxious comments are not appropriate in the NS community.
i am from russia and i have a strong accent. i tend to play as a commander and i talk a lot. sometimes people have problems understanding me, but unless they take on racist attitude similar to what you displayed here, we win just fine.
talk bout loser aliens.
well im usually not comm since i tend to stress and screw up easily though im very g00d at it.
But I have started using some tricks. I can usually identify the RAMBO in the group in about 5 minutes, so I send him against the third hive (cause he ain't gonna listen to me anyway) and I use him getting killed to see what's going on in that area. So while my good marines are taking the first hive, this guy (or 2 in larger game) are going after the other empty hive and annoying the aliens. And when I send my guys on that first critical 'hive capture' mission, I stick with them and drop health. They appreciate that and your get almost instant respect out of them.
But what I'm finding is that the more competent I'm getting at cmdering, the more people are listening to me. I don't know, maybe people can sense fear through the mic. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
I'm also not getting abused that much anymore. I give the marines a quick overview of what we're gonna do and there's usually one or two who get it and keep the others in line. The key is identifying those people and treating them right, and answering their (usually intelligenct) questions. They are the sheep dogs that herd my sheep and keep them in line.
I think about the first week I tried to be commander, and here's my advice for newbs:
1) Don't take that chair until you know the map. I play on my own machine with bots to check out the maps. Nothing is gonna anger your
marines worse than when you say "I don't know this map and have never commanded before, but ...". You're toast.
2) Yes, phase gates will make you very popular. I did the old resource/turret slow build up at first, lost alot of games. Watch how the good
cmdrs set up at the beginning. The first 10 minutes are absolutely critical.
3) When you're a marine, watch the good commanders. They all seem to employ the same basic tricks. If you get in the chair before
you've learned the proper build orders, the experienced people are gonna know it immediately and they will start ignoring you or pressing
the 'eject commander' button. Whenever I'm in eclipse and the cmdr says, OK, first we're gonna take horseshoe I just groan. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Finally, don't be afraid to command. Just make sure you know how to build, wps, etc.. before you step into the chair in a public
game. You'll probably suck for a bit, but keep with it. I think when I started I was winning 1 out of 5. Now I'm up around 50% for
the last week.
Oh, btw, it's not always the commander's fault. I've seen 2 skulks take out 6 marines and when that happens somebody needs
marksmanship lessons and it ain't the guy in the chair. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->