How to be a good commander?

[Snow.]

I playing this game since a year, and I usally dont command games.

But sometimes I try it, and I asked myself how I can be a better commander?

What makes a good commander and do you have tips for newb commanders?

[Tytonium]

I find being a commander is akin to treading water while the rest of your team slowly tries to pull your head under.

So you have your work cut out for you if you want to be respected while also commanding to win. So... here is my patent pending guide to be a good commander.

Step 1: Assert your dominance.

There are many ways that you can show your team that you are a better person than they are, however I find the easiest way to do this is to insult them. As long as you can gain an undying loyalty oath from your men through the fear you instill in them from your existential speeches, you will function well as a team. After all, what is a team without a hierarchy of leadership.

 

Step 2: Eliminate heresy and your weakest links

If you are a relatively unknown commander, there will be those that challenge your decisions no matter what. Hash out any team resistance to your uprising of leadership by vote kicking any among your team that think of you as a usurper.

After your own team's weakest links have been slain, force your team to fill in the gaps in the battlefield they almost certainly have. People are 100% of the time without question more dumber than you, and you should seek to tell your team where they need to pick up the slack. If you find there are not enough infantry on the inf path to guard against a rush, spam commander messages and insult your team until they do as you command.

 

Step 3: Reap the souls of your enemy

If you have done everything above you are likely in a good spot to win!

If your team is not a completely hopeless pile of crap (and do note that 25% of the time it probably will be and there's nothing you can do to win, [ in which case you should insult them more along with insulting the enemy team in an effort to demoralize them ]) then you should get into a good position to rush. What is a good position to rush? Well, is there eight enemy tanks whoring vp on one of your buildings while infantry are camping your tunnel entrance to the inf path? If the answer is no, you can rush if you think it is a good time!

 

Step 4: Fail at rushing

Your team has been doing great! You have the field and infantry path. You call for a doza rush. Your team is so frightened of you that you get 12 dozas to show up for a rush. You go through the infantry path completely unnoticed, and BAM! you pop both buffs at the same time and..... everyone dies because one mrls was spamming the tunnels.

 

Step 5: Under and Field are bad for Renegade X's gameplay

Step 6: A sbh spy ioned your air while you rushed

Step 7: You lost field.

Step 8: Somehow, completely unknown to you, a gunner rush SNUCK TO YOUR PIPES AND KILLED YOUR REFINERY AND NO ONE SAW IT

Step 9: Your team surrenders and blames you

Step 10: You become demoralized and commit non-breathing

Morale of the story, don't command on Under, Field, Walls, or Islands. Chat with your team and know what's going on. Know IF you should rush, not just when. 

Watch the map, it's your most important tool.

[Syntharn]

I try to scream out whatever basic tactic seems most appropriate whenever i have time over to type, unless you have enough information its a guess.
Checking the map for enemy positions isn't reliable enough, its alot better to stay mobile and drop scout plane markers to try and get as much information as possible. Pretty much always end up pushing the field in a tank, the vehicle gameplay is more about positions and longer TTKs compared to the infantry paths so getting value out of the commander powers is alot easier.

[yosh56]

Simple answer: be me. 

[roweboat]

Stick to a plan and don't take bullshit from nobody.

[NodSaibot]

dont inf rush in the first 30 minutes (most of the time). so many commanders just focus on stupid inf rushes while their base is being pounded by tanks and end up loosing because the enemy gets uncontested VP from whoring buildings. easiest way to lose.

[isupreme]

I know what i would Like to See  in a commander.....

 

The ability to gauge the battle and promote a Variety of strategies according to the situation.

       Not just always rockets meet  for rush.

Leading thru watching the action and supporting player efforts.                       

      Not yelling at me, or spamming  or insulting me.

Sharing command when it helps a rush.                 

      Not ignoring chat information about current actions.

Protect and Utilize the Harvester.                

          Not forgetting about it for very long.

 

 

Edited April 3, 2020 by isupreme

[Guest]

know your team, know your enemy, know all viable situational solutions and routes, dont waste CP, dont demoralize your team, dont encourage the enemy, grow your own name as a commander that people know and will follow.

last step is the most important tho, noone will join a mad gas car, more people will join a (insert valid commander here)

[Guest Gliven]

Don't call for a rocket rush and have 3/4 of your team sitting in the bar for 5 mins while your base is being sieged to death

[Demigan]

I read a lot of donts, but what about do's? What is a good way to inspire people? You have to start somewhere earning that name for yourself so any small and easy things you can start with to build it up? What are good tactics to take the field when you are being camped?

[Quinc3y]

Overall game knowledge, knowledge of each team's strengths and weaknesses, and awareness of the situation in a game are the most important. Plus, effective use of commander powers. Each of these points comes with practice. If you can learn them, you will become a better commander and, through this, learn people's respect.

4 hours ago, Demigan said:

What are good tactics to take the field when you are being camped?

That is a good question to which there is no simple answer. Sometimes, it can be close to impossible to take the field no matter what you do as a commander. Namely, if at least one of the below is true:

- you are down a building(s);

- teams are grossly imbalanced;

- the map design forces you to make your way through a narrow chokepoint;

...then you're going to have to accept the fact that you probably won't take the field. The only way to turn a game around in this scenario is either solo infiltration or a rush which does not take more than 5 people to pull off. If you commit more people than that, your base will likely not survive (depending on the map).

If, however, none of the above points apply, the best way to take the field is to play patiently with tanks, advanced reps, and heavy infantry (ravs/sydneys), possibly with help of commander powers like EMP/defensive buff and/or an airstrike. For breaking base locks, I prefer meds and light tanks over mammoths and arties, because speed is useful to be able to make it past a choke and capitalize on EMP.

[Mystic~]

1. Don't get bogged down

It's difficult to plan or come up with a strategy if you're been reduced to all those micro-management tasks like babysitting the harvester, including either being asked to stop it, knowing when to stop it and knowing when to start it again, watching mines, calling out missing mines with a big message, needing to ask people to re-mine, being asked to remove mines from a building. I see all of these things as something that we should be able to delegate, either by setting a Defender role or having something like a sub Captain that can also access parts of the command menu. But to conclude, if you're getting bogged down with these tasks you're not really fulfilling the role of commander and if the opposite team has a capable commander, you'll be on the back foot.

2. Judging when to spend CP

Some people throw away CP too easily by calling in cruise missiles, which often miss or get avoided, when instead you should most often be saving it up for a bonus power. The problem at the other end is not spending any CP or not realising that by attempting to save it up you're risking losing a building whilst being pressed or under siege. I actually suggested a while ago that all power abilities should all be time replenished with a cool down period (bit like Mass Effect special abilities) so that you don't get punished for using the odd cruise missile or wanting to try smoke or EMPs without jeopardising a power-rush and you don't need to save CP, each time gets equal access to power abilities.

3. Communication and team responding

I still sometimes struggle to get enough participation in forming attack rushes or getting people to respond to specific requests to form a defensive group that can push out. I don't know what the solution is, but I do think partly that the game HUD and the way things are posted and presented on screen is a big part of the problem. I like using the way-point system, but I don't think they're obvious enough - needs to be some sort of hovering icon or a vertical line drawn on the screen indicating the location. It would also be super if the commander could pre-designate a building to attack before the rush that highlights it with some sort of colour or pattern. Using the /c message system semi-frequently lets people know you're 'active' and I think it helps galvanise team morale if you use it for a bit of humour some of the time.

4. Learn the hotkeys / When to apply a bonus power

If you know the command menu keys, you know you can confidently apply a bonus power at the right time and you can still write messages without this ability being blocked due to an open menu system. I usually open the menu for this towards the end when infantry rushing a tunnel and try to maximise the amount of time your team will have the bonus in effect during an attack. I often see an attack power applied far too early whilst people are still running or getting in position and that amounts to valuable seconds wasted. In the earlier days, either due to a new keyboard or my miss keying I'd keep calling in an EMP strike instead of an attack power for odd reasons, maybe position slots were changed, but I could never figure this out.

 

[roweboat]

Also, good intel is key. Know where your enemy is. Watch for who is picking up crates, that can give you an idea of where people are (assuming you know where crate pickups are).

know where snipers are. Ask others to help you keep tabs on enemy movement.

[euan-missile]

@Tytonium

Don't forget step 0 is when we put a price on losing the harvester, for each harvester lost we will remove one Microsoft installed application from your computer.

Starting with windows itself. 

 

[Mystic~]

If you've gone to all that effort to organise a rush and get a good number of people, IF or WHEN you know you're spotted early in advance by an enemy solider when leaving the base, it's often futile to carry on to the original target knowing you're getting to be running into a suicide ambush, so either change target and divert so you mislead them or wait and pause a considerable length of time before resuming or immediately switch tactics and go to the field as a group and try and destroy as many tanks as you can, which are likely responsible for besieging your base anyway. I'm sure someone has said this strategy before, but I still see too many people in rushes being knowingly lead to their deaths and on the receiving end of an MRLS missile barrage, and they often aren't cheap in terms of lost credits and value.

Edited April 6, 2020 by Mystic~

[Mystic~]

This video explains many things I think about in Renegade commanding.
 

As does this one.
 

 

[roweboat]

Cpt Winters was an absolute legend following the invasion in Normandy. I can't speak to the scene with Capt Speirs, not sure how authentic it is, but basically I take alot of inspiration from Winters on how to charge into battle.

 

I forgot when/where exactly, but one time his men are trapped on either side of a road, unable to move due to fear, and Winters is running back and forth across the road, dodging gunfire, to rally his men to move forward and take the outpost. Eventually they do.

[Carlos_Mendoza]

spam cruise missiles, shot down enemy missiles with rail

organise inf rush with buff, stop and start harvy.
I think thats all basically 

[yosh56]

Kaunas won the internet with internet with that. 

Also infantry rushes are pretty binary... they either get caught or they don't. 

Buffing for a tank rush kind of requires you to just pay attention to the situation... you're generally not going to want to give up field by waiting for people to build 12 tanks and sit in base... better off just realizing it's a good time to congregate and push all at once, IE when the enemy does something stupid... like infantry rush when there's 12 tanks at the door. 

 

[Mystic~]

Rush time.

 

[HavocPrime]

On 4/3/2020 at 11:06 AM, Tytonium said:

I find being a commander is akin to treading water while the rest of your team slowly tries to pull your head under.

So you have your work cut out for you if you want to be respected while also commanding to win. So... here is my patent pending guide to be a good commander.

Step 1: Assert your dominance.

There are many ways that you can show your team that you are a better person than they are, however I find the easiest way to do this is to insult them. As long as you can gain an undying loyalty oath from your men through the fear you instill in them from your existential speeches, you will function well as a team. After all, what is a team without a hierarchy of leadership.

 

Step 2: Eliminate heresy and your weakest links

If you are a relatively unknown commander, there will be those that challenge your decisions no matter what. Hash out any team resistance to your uprising of leadership by vote kicking any among your team that think of you as a usurper.

After your own team's weakest links have been slain, force your team to fill in the gaps in the battlefield they almost certainly have. People are 100% of the time without question more dumber than you, and you should seek to tell your team where they need to pick up the slack. If you find there are not enough infantry on the inf path to guard against a rush, spam commander messages and insult your team until they do as you command.

 

Step 3: Reap the souls of your enemy

If you have done everything above you are likely in a good spot to win!

If your team is not a completely hopeless pile of crap (and do note that 25% of the time it probably will be and there's nothing you can do to win, [ in which case you should insult them more along with insulting the enemy team in an effort to demoralize them ]) then you should get into a good position to rush. What is a good position to rush? Well, is there eight enemy tanks whoring vp on one of your buildings while infantry are camping your tunnel entrance to the inf path? If the answer is no, you can rush if you think it is a good time!

 

Step 4: Fail at rushing

Your team has been doing great! You have the field and infantry path. You call for a doza rush. Your team is so frightened of you that you get 12 dozas to show up for a rush. You go through the infantry path completely unnoticed, and BAM! you pop both buffs at the same time and..... everyone dies because one mrls was spamming the tunnels.

 

Step 5: Under and Field are bad for Renegade X's gameplay

Step 6: A sbh spy ioned your air while you rushed

Step 7: You lost field.

Step 8: Somehow, completely unknown to you, a gunner rush SNUCK TO YOUR PIPES AND KILLED YOUR REFINERY AND NO ONE SAW IT

Step 9: Your team surrenders and blames you

Step 10: You become demoralized and commit non-breathing

Morale of the story, don't command on Under, Field, Walls, or Islands. Chat with your team and know what's going on. Know IF you should rush, not just when. 

Watch the map, it's your most important tool.

Commisar of the Imperium Legion is that you?

[HavocPrime]

This is how you lead
 

 

[Riou Insuiko]

I'm a middle of the road commander at best but I have some tips from my experience doing it.

One tip I can offer is, outside of very coordinated efforts, it's not worth buffing a rush before veteran or better rank. Too many times I've seen teams where a commander tries to get a rocket rush going too early in the match before people have even earned any VP. There's such a huge chance of failure it's not really worth trying unless you are seriously getting 12+ people and the other team isn't bothering to defend or repair. Occasionally you'll have successful officer rushes or rushes in general that will infiltrate a building right at the start of a match but those are very rare, especially in random matches. 

Being too eager to try the same thing over and over again is another. Where a Doza rush doesn't work so as soon as the commander has CP for another one they'll try again regardless of how successful the first attempt was. If you got a building into the red but failed to kill it the first time, maybe it's worth a shot, but assuming that the opposing team will never see another rush against the same target coming is a bit of a stretch. Constantly going for the same target over and over can be a mistake.

Sort of in response to what has been said here about being decisive and really taking command, it should be made clear that being decisive is not the same thing as ignoring what the rest of your team says/thinks and just following through with your exact plan. Sometimes it's worth changing plans depending on the battlefield situation. If you're prepping a Gunner rush on something like Walls to fly to the plateau but your team informs you that the side path allowing you to hit the Hand of Nod has nobody on it and is basically free it's worth at least considering that as a change of plans. 

Finally.. don't camp the CP cap at any point in time. I see this too often.