Why The Sudden Fear Of "the Chair"
DY357LX
Playing since day 1. Still can't Comm.England Join Date: 2002-10-27 Member: 1651Members, Constellation
Playing since day 1. Still can't Comm.England Join Date: 2002-10-27 Member: 1651Members, Constellation
<div class="IPBDescription">Commander fears....</div> Last night I played about 8 games of NS in about 6 different servers
and in 5 of them there was a huge fear of Commanding.
Marine players did everything possible to avoid the hot-seat
and in the end I had to Command twice, resulting in 2 losses
because I'm inexperienced.
So here come the questions:
Why do people have a fear of Commanding?
And do YOU have any advice for those of us who
get pushed kicking and screaming into the chair?
and in 5 of them there was a huge fear of Commanding.
Marine players did everything possible to avoid the hot-seat
and in the end I had to Command twice, resulting in 2 losses
because I'm inexperienced.
So here come the questions:
Why do people have a fear of Commanding?
And do YOU have any advice for those of us who
get pushed kicking and screaming into the chair?
Comments
When the game first came out, everyone wanted to comm cos it was new and interesting, but now its old news, and TBH, not all that exciting. To enjoy comming you need to be A/. Good at it and B/. able to enjoy winning the battle through cunning and thought, rather than blasting the most enemys.
The other problem is that people often ignore the comms orders. When this happens, the team lose's and the comm gets the blame.
Why do people like RTS games? cos thier fighting skill is irelivent (sp?) and their tactical mind becomes important. This should be the case in NS, but untill people start obeying commands, it will never have that pull. When this does happen, everyone will want to be comm.
I was playing earlier and was a comm in 1 game, and everyone did EXACTLY what I told them. You know what? I had a FANTASTIC time, and I think so did my team. Also we thrased the aliens soundly.
But untill you get people who will do as told, then comming will never be all it could be.
EDIT: In addition, if none of the marines wanted to command, I doubt they were extremly good players or were really eager to follow your orders... so don't sweat it. It's easier to command a victory with smart, skilled marines that follow your whims.
anyway.. i am above average comm, and i sure h*ll dont want to comm when team doesent do what i tell em to do, + they all can blame me for losing round.
Personally i suck at RTS commandeering!
Why?
I get lost in details!
Thats not good!
Other features that signal bad commandeering includes (but is not limitid to):
Ability to adapt, strategical and tactical knowledge, insight in people skill and communication.
It is possible to overcome these but in the meantime you usually get **** while getting flamed cause you do not follow the standard build order on the server.
I dont know why but the IQ of the marines is almost always significantly less than that of the aliens. I call out "PHASE UP OUTSIDE CC" on aliens, BOOM theres 5 skulks there chewing on it. I call out "PHASE UP OUTSIDE CC GOGOGOG" as comm and of the 5 marines in base 1 hops through, 2 fill up on ammo, 1 asks for HA/HMG, and 1 runs out the front door.
I have given up on being cdr because I can't stand the frustration of a bunch of Rambos doing their own thing, and then blasting the commander at 140 dB, whining for equipment and blaming the cdr for losing.
Many of the good players are gravitating toward clan servers, leaving a pretty thin gene pool on the pubs. As a result, the marines get handed their backsides about 80% of the time. Not very motivating for potential cdrs.
I'm really dont like comming, but when the all the marines stand around at the beginning of the match looking at eachother for 10 seconds, i go 'screw it' and hop in the chair. I know the maps fine and do good builds and such, but i just cant keep up with all the stupid requests, incompetency, and everyone ignoring everything i say. So i usually hop out of the chair after about 20mins and let by bloodpressure subside.
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I've been there too man. Someone HAS to get the IP started.
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->
I dont know why but the IQ of the marines is almost always significantly less than that of the aliens. I call out "PHASE UP OUTSIDE CC" on aliens, BOOM theres 5 skulks there chewing on it. I call out "PHASE UP OUTSIDE CC GOGOGOG" as comm and of the 5 marines in base 1 hops through, 2 fill up on ammo, 1 asks for HA/HMG, and 1 runs out the front door.
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
VERY Accurate description! I get this quite often on pubs.
-------------
I'm still waiting for the day when I get 3 marines in the ready room chatting (at the same time) "If you'd have done it MY way we would have won!" <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
--------------
A favorite of mine is "Siege Here Quick!" Siege = ~quick. By definition, sieges can not happen quickly.
--------------
bob:Comm
Jim:Medpack here
Terry:Comm
bob: drop me a helath thingie
Jim: Medpack!
Terry: Siege here
Terry: now
Jim: I need ammo here
bob: Now comm!
Jim:Now
Terry has been eaten by a skulk
Terry: Coom, please drop a siege here, where I am, no one is nearby and I can put it up and we'll wi..wwwwaaaa ssawwa DAMN IT COMM
Bob: Comm
Terry:HMG/HA in messhall Comm
=======
(Like I need to tell you folks, you read the forums and know how to play)
If you don't say where you need it, you haven't said anything at all.
Luckily (I guess) the marine team fills up really fast and I almost always have to play as alien if I want to play at all.
anyway.. i am above average comm, and i sure h*ll dont want to comm when team doesent do what i tell em to do, + they all can blame me for losing round. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
You said it. Im just sick tired of being blamed for everything, even if we win I get blames for not giving them equipment fast enough.
Commanding is a thankless job these days, I can still remember the times when people used to actually say:
"Good job com", "You were a great com", "Nice comming" etc. Its the small things that make the commanding worth it and thankless marines isn't one of them.
Even better is when everything is OK, but some decent marine got into a good spot allowing you to win the game. Usually a marine gets in good spot and shoots stuff till he gets eaten.
People hate "newbies," so I try not to be one and stick to shooting. I am happy being a Mook! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
What do I mean, I find it stressful, very stressful I mean what do you do when you marines (who all refused to be com) run off the double res (chanting double res) on NS BAST when you were going to take Engine room because feedwater is there home hive???
It's very demanding to commander your concentration has to be at its upmost, you have to figure out who are the smart marines (the marine players themselves are often frustratingly stupid... no offence people) and then you have to explain that the third weapon upgrade is far more important than HA/HMG for mr_Newbie_I'm_not_leaving_spawn_without_HA/HMG. RUSH THE PHASE OR ARCHIVING DIES... what do you mean "Med-Pack" mr 90% health marine? not I'm not coming back to spawn to give it to you. I'm supporting the marines who went to archiving, if you go there you will find med packs all over the floor.. JUST WAITING FOR YOU...
I get told I'm a good commander, and I think I am, (which could be bad;)) but so much depends on if you have good marines, which can be so frustrating as a commander, and the really long fought out games (that are the best to play in) are the most draining for commanders... you have no idea the relief I feel on stepping out of that command chair after a long game. Sure I feel good a bout winning (if I did) but every time I see the empty command chair I way up if I think I can deal with the pressure...
Bart
When the going gets rough, you get tons of alerts, whining, and overall requests. It's hard to keep up, but I try to. I ignore stupid requests and people who badger for it. I ALWAYS respond to a marine asking to cap a RT. If I deem the area clear, the RT will go up. Its the stress of keeping up with all of that is what makes me not comm 2 games in a row.
Even with the p2, though, I comm occasionally. My win-lose ratio is about 50-50. Even then, though, I also both like being a grunt on the ground and I <i>seriously</i> need some practice.
In the wider world, though, I think it's that, as many people have said, commanding can be stressful. <i>I</i> don't care too much if I win or lose on a pub, but I can see how a lot of people would be worried about feeling like they let other people down. And a lot of people <i>still</i> don't know how to comm, which makes it worse for 'em.
Anyways.
-K
I run all other HalfLife mods, plus more advanced games, including Max Payne, all far, far faster than I run NS. So my question is: is the 700 MHz processor what's limiting me?
You might also wanna consider picking up another stick of ram for $20.
It's not too expensive to get up to spec, though. The computers at a local LAN center are tbird 1.0s with pc133 sdram and gf2 ultras, and they run NS silky smooth at 1024x768.
-K
As the others have said, marines fear the com chair because they know that their team is a bunch of morons (possibly including themselves) and want to see action, even if it means being eaten every time they turn around. I admit, I've only won 1 of the 4 games I commanded (out of my NUMEROUS marine games, lol) simply because my team that game knew what the hell they were doing.
I implore all you good players out there. FIND A CLAN. They're fun! People will listen and command! You WIN A LOT! <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
But seriously, FPS gamers (who buy Half-Life or C-S) usually aren't top-notch RTS gamers. Or they got annoyed with comming because of the stress...
I'm basically repeating everyone else...
I'm tired.
even if its just 1 n00b screaming at u is enuf to put u off comming at lease for a while..
On good servers the players have respect for each other as people. It is a fresh change when you lose game that everyone says gg or good try, or people say what they might have done that made the team lose. Rather then the usual, the comm was a total tard, my marines couldn't hit a RT even... and etc, trying to find how others were totally at fault for your loss.
Though I think that's what handicaps me as a comm, lack of a mic, I'd bumrush that chair all the time if I had one.
Even still I have about 2/3 win ratio as comm, I guess being a fast typist helps, but I get typos all the time in game <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> . "OGM TAKE PHAES NOE, CRAGO BAY UNDER ATTAC"...Damn mics, anyone know where I can get a decent performing one for a good price?
On good servers the players have respect for each other as people. It is a fresh change when you lose game that everyone says gg or good try, or people say what they might have done that made the team lose. Rather then the usual, the comm was a total tard, my marines couldn't hit a RT even... and etc, trying to find how others were totally at fault for your loss. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Agree wholeheartedly. I'm more than willing to tell myself I'm a tard when I lose, it's hardly necessary for anybody else to do so.
Though more than once I've given up the chair to help in the field for the exact reason that nobody on my team could seem to aim. At least a comm can be coached by his marines into doing a competent job if he's a little lost. There's very little you can say to a LMG marine to help him face down a Fade if he doesn't already know what he's doing.
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I implore all you good players out there. FIND A CLAN.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->I've done something just as good, without the requirements of joining a clan. Find yourself a decent server with intelligent regulars. I hang around servers where I know that there will almost always be a few players there which I know to be good (and most of which also happen to frequent these boards).
I still run straight for it if its open, unless someone is already making for it, or has called 'i'll comm'
To start i drop the basics, then tell the team the strategy. Then get to work on it - res nodes if its a tech rush, hive if we're relocating, etc...
I tell the marines the plan, and hopefully they'll go with it. Generally if they follow what i tell them to do, we have enough res for whatever I want later on, so if 'rines are asking for 'nades, HMG's HA or JP, they got it. I've been playing RTS games longer than FPS, so my tendancy is still to work on controlling the resources and hindering the opponents expansion. This is still the key to NS. What most marines dont realise is that there are more ways of doing this than the one they know.
If any marine was to shout at me for doing something his way, they'd get an earful back. Essentially, you dont tell me what to do, I'm comm, so SUYF. either you're part of the solution, or you;re part of the problem, and if you're going to be a problem **** off the server because I have a game to play.
E.G :
*marine sitting in middle of sahara desert,completely ignoring my waypoints and text messages to tell him to go to the hive*
marine : comm res here
Me : no i want you to go to the waypoint!
marine : comm res here!!111111
*alienguy kills marine with bitegun*
marine : wtf the comm sucks!!!!!!!!!!
marine : wtf comm build tf and turrets in base!!!!!
me : no thats why you are there.
marine : wtf comm sucks i want to kill alienz!!!!!!!!*runs off,gets himself killed,skulks demolish our base*
marine : wtf the comm sucks he made us lose!!!!!!!!
Guaranteed to happen to me 75% of the time i comm.How can i have fun like this?Games are supposed to be fun.....its not fun losing because of idiots like this.
Map: nothing
Me: comm
-----------------------------------------------
Im researching and doing good... got some good stuff, marines are kinda walking around aimlessly but some are around RT spots for me... when my base gets attacked...
Me: "Get back to base, their attacking!"
1 minute later
Me: "BASE!!!"
1 minute later
Me: "WTF!?!?!? WHERE ARE YOU GUYS??"
i look and i see EVERY MARINE in the elevator shaft jumping up and down flicking their flashlights on and off...
Within about 20 minutes, we had a full-blown 8-on-8 game running, and even though I frequently offered to step out of the chair for someone else, everyone tells me to stay put, I'm doing fine. Pretty soon, we're swimming in resources and I can easily grant all the jetpacks and HMG's anyone asks for. Sadly, we ultimately lost (and I take full blame), but it was loads of fun and no one said one single negative thing about my command during or after the match.
Hat's off to that great group of pub Marines...don't remember any of the names except for Blade (the one who kept telling me to take the chair). <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> My game name is Rampage, and this took place on Sunday afternoon (2/16/03). Huzzah!
I won't be climbing over anyone else to take the chair from them, but this one experience did a lot to alter my opinion and boost my confidence!
When you lose and notice what you did wrong, but don't remember to correct it in the next game, can drive you crazy. For an example in ns_tanith:
We had Waste hive PGed and tightly secured with sentries. We also had reactor room and aliens had Satellite and Fusion hive. The previous commander, before he left, had established a small siege phase with a PG in a vent near Fusion hive (you couldn't use the PG without crouching). He had already upgraded the TF and we tried desperately to hold the vent against incoming skulks and lerks (fusion hive hadn't finished, it was being constructed). Always, when we tried to finish our siege construction, skulks came along and ate almost all our men before going down so our builders had to PG back there again. This lasted for quite a long time and I had put all my energy in building those sieges and destroying the hive. Afterwards, overwhelmed by the skulks, the base went down, aliens got fades and kicked our a*ses. After our loss, I exited HL and just when I had turned my head from the computer, I figured: Why didn't I give someone a GL, tell him to go a little further away inside the vent and to spam granades at the builders when skulks came? Figuring out such an obvious solution to what seemed to be a deadend made me angry and I didn't command for a week... <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->