Comms Who Don't Comm
curlydave
Join Date: 2003-10-21 Member: 21855Members
Join Date: 2003-10-21 Member: 21855Members
<div class="IPBDescription">It's really annoying.</div> Very often, the commander won't communicate with the team at all. Even if he/she's a regular on a server and is an experienced player who knows how to play and command, he/she often won't tell the team things, or listen at all. It gets very annoying, and I see it all too often.
Today I was playing a game on Bast, and this guy who we all knew as an experienced player was commanding. We were doing quite well resource wise, and we had many things researched. However, many of us were wondering why we have 200+ res and no toys. Eventually he started dropping some stuff, which was cool, but we were slowed down. In general, he would not listen to any suggestion or requests by the team. At one pointn we had 3 HAs/HMGs killing a set up of theirs in the area by the spinning thingy that clip-kills you. We fired at aliens and buildings, but eventually all ran out of ammo. We used the ammo request thing repeatedly, and asked over and over with chat, but soon enough we were overwhelmed and killed by skulks--truly embarrasing.
I've seen way too many games where situations like this happen, where the commander will not communicate with the team. I don't understand why you would get into the chair if you're not prepared to use the chat/voicecomm to give orders and listen to your team. As a commander, you're not the team's **** who drops buildings and upgrades weapons. You're the commander, who guides the team and tells them how to win the game. This is forgotten way too often on public servers.
Today I was playing a game on Bast, and this guy who we all knew as an experienced player was commanding. We were doing quite well resource wise, and we had many things researched. However, many of us were wondering why we have 200+ res and no toys. Eventually he started dropping some stuff, which was cool, but we were slowed down. In general, he would not listen to any suggestion or requests by the team. At one pointn we had 3 HAs/HMGs killing a set up of theirs in the area by the spinning thingy that clip-kills you. We fired at aliens and buildings, but eventually all ran out of ammo. We used the ammo request thing repeatedly, and asked over and over with chat, but soon enough we were overwhelmed and killed by skulks--truly embarrasing.
I've seen way too many games where situations like this happen, where the commander will not communicate with the team. I don't understand why you would get into the chair if you're not prepared to use the chat/voicecomm to give orders and listen to your team. As a commander, you're not the team's **** who drops buildings and upgrades weapons. You're the commander, who guides the team and tells them how to win the game. This is forgotten way too often on public servers.
Comments
you were right outside spawn if you didnt relocate (you didn't mention it if you did) so why didn't you go back and get ammo?
Which is clearly not what happened here, so that's off-topic.
Some commanders know how to go through the motions, but don't know how to <i>command</i>. There's more to being "commander" than knowing the order of things. I think a lot of people are pretty engrossed in their build orders and speed-teching, as well as resoure securing; they forget to command their troops and work toward an end.
Also though remember that when your a marine and asking for stuff the comm dosen't always see your message right away or he may be busy. So cut him a little slack, because comms are overworked...
After about my 10th or 11th time comming, my desire and will to do so dropped substantially. I've commed only one game since that time, and it was because the current comm on the map(A regular of the server whom I know: Mr.Frodo) lost his sound. I took over for him and when he returned he let me finish the game off. (We won by a steamroller. Mr.Frodo gave us a great start)..
But to get to the point, I stopped enjoying comming because it's very true, the comm 'IS' overworked. At any one given moment you have 2-3 people asking for ammo and medpacks, as your switching your view over toward a lone soldier who rambod off somewhere to see what the heck he's doing, and just then two other rambos are asking you to drop them res towers in rediclous places(Sure, they think those spots are fine.. But can THEY see the whole map and know the flow of the match? Nein).. And JUST WHEN you think it couldn't get any more hectic, your base is under attack, the voice is screaming "Your base is under attack!", I have several marines shouting for weapons to stop the Fade in base, just as another fade is slicing up my hard-wrought RT's half way accross the map.. The rambos are now calling me a nubcaek comm for not dropping them res towers(Of which they are still standing by), by now my queue for medpacks and ammo AND orders is filling up into the 5's and above, someone screams 'ONOS'.. I realize In the hectic chaos that I'd forgotten to electrify the TF in Generator, drop a Phase in Power Silo as well as upgrade the Armory, Level 2 weapons.. And.. Oh crap, look, we're stuck in marine spawn and everyones telling me I'm a nub comm(The non-regulars of course). I aptly jump out of the chair and simply say, "You do better.", and take my stand next to the other marines just as ten onos's rush in and stomp us from 2 miles away(And the kid on the top rafters got devoured).
That's why I rarely comm. When I do, I do my best and communicate and try many strategies.. But.. It's not a rewarding experience half the time.
It is really easy to do, and it works for weapon requests too. you can also use another command that helps people understand why you arn't droping things for them at the moment, and it works well with U-N-O-enter, it goes like this, U-shift(hold)-4-enter.
Both these commands are really quick and easy to use and they will nearly always make the marine who is bugging you go do something else (weather or not they decide to actually follow your WPs) they also prevent players from calling you a newbie when you dont plop a RT infront of them.
I agree the comm is often over worked, but by learning to use these two short commands effectively can majorly cut down on your workload and make people much less receptive to your comming style.
The great thing is, if you have a mike you can explain to people why you are using these commands and they will instantly assume you are at least a decent comm even if you are building stupid buildings all over the place and totally screwing your team over (ok, it kinda depends there, but try it and you will see)
Then, if you did take out the encampment in main aft, there's no reason to 'hold' it if you're not getting any support from the commander. That's just being stupid. That is like sitting in the middle of the train tracks, saying that you won't move until you get candy.
Commanders can be stupid and stubborn, but it is your choice to follow the trend and stupidly lay your life on the line when all you really needed to do was pull the lever and get back into base.
It is really easy to do, and it works for weapon requests too. you can also use another command that helps people understand why you arn't droping things for them at the moment, and it works well with U-N-O-enter, it goes like this, U-shift(hold)-4-enter.
Both these commands are really quick and easy to use and they will nearly always make the marine who is bugging you go do something else (weather or not they decide to actually follow your WPs) they also prevent players from calling you a newbie when you dont plop a RT infront of them.
I agree the comm is often over worked, but by learning to use these two short commands effectively can majorly cut down on your workload and make people much less receptive to your comming style.
The great thing is, if you have a mike you can explain to people why you are using these commands and they will instantly assume you are at least a decent comm even if you are building stupid buildings all over the place and totally screwing your team over (ok, it kinda depends there, but try it and you will see) <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I see I see.. So let me get this straight.. Your suggesting I spend even MORE of my taxed time to respond to every other 'shotty plez', 'health plez'(With no idea where they are in the chaos), and 'RT here comm OMG' with something that takes more time then it's worth? And what if you DO tell them 'no'? .. The rambos will A. Continue to scream for ammo to support their rambo habbits or B. Keep standing by the RT waiting for you to drop it instead of being at the waypoint or whatever. The people at base stand around ignoring waypoints, waiting for you to drop something even though you didn't tell them you were going to do so(They tell you they want X, and assume your going to drop it just because they think they need it. Screw the waypoint and dying phase gate, I want my damn shotgun.)
Your sarcasm isn't appriciated nor needed.
If you were being earnestly seriouse, then I laugh, because what you suggest is asking comms to devote even MORE of their precious time to doing something that shouldn'tbe needed in the first place.
If your messing around, cut it out.
qweasdzxc all get dedicated to the comm and any funciton they used to do no longer works.
I've seen it dozens of times where someone gets in the chair and doesn't say a thing for the rest of the game.
They probably are sitting there screaming at the top of their lungs wondering why noone is following their orders.
What they don't realize is that their chat key no longer chats.
Oh, and comming isn't stressful or too much work. It's fun. By far my favorite role in all of NS is comm.
When I try that (because I'm saving, or we simply don't have the res to spend on mps), I get ejected. :/
qweasdzxc all get dedicated to the comm and any funciton they used to do no longer works.
I've seen it dozens of times where someone gets in the chair and doesn't say a thing for the rest of the game.
They probably are sitting there screaming at the top of their lungs wondering why noone is following their orders.
What they don't realize is that their chat key no longer chats. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Whats worse than that is when someone gets in the comm chair and starts using voice chat and it sounds like *mumble.... mumble*. I've had a few comm were nobody on the team could understand a word they were saying. We asked him repeatedly to type, because we couldn't understand him and the response we got back was *mumble....*. So everytime he said something we would all just either sit there or run off together, because he wasn't even using way point and we had no idea what to do...
more often than not, type this as a rine
"Comm, if you are using voice right now, we CANNOT hear you"
he prolly has a mouse bound to voice.
but yeah, please commanders, use voice.
for that guy who posted about it being too hectic.. funny, that's what i like MOST about commanding, when you have 4 different requests,a nd you get them all done or responded to ("not now, go there"). an uber rush.
Wyzcrak
Yep, I can take all sorts of lame things in NS, this is the ONLY thing I hate. Comms that dont comm are bad, but marines that comm the comm is worse.