Squad Leaders: Helping Noobs Help The Team

bonHomme

<div class="IPBDescription">why/how experienced players help noobs</div> I've seen some great commanding in the past few weeks undone by disorginization on the ground. Newbies, once they arrived had no clue where to go and what to do, so they relied on the comm for advice. Or just took their own initiative and went off into the great-wide open shooting the first OT they saw. Big No-No. Marines win with teamwork. Having one third your team running around like idiots, constantly pestering the comm. for instruction means instant doom.

When a noob is on a marine team it should be the troops that help him out. It's better for the team to have one troop giving a noob orders than it would be to have the comm worrying about him. The comm has to watch over everybody and strategize; explaining what a welder is, while the phase at eclipse is being trashed is not a good thing.

Grunts with Voice comms (it's too difficult to command a noob without one), as soon as the pub game starts, or once you jump in, should ask nicely if there are any newbies. Once you find them, make sure you pair up with them pronto. From experience it's best to have no more than 2 noobs on a squad. Means you have less to explain. If they don't alreay have one, tell them you are their squad leader. Some rules you should set out (Now you can use yer best R Lee Ermey voice):

<i>"Stick with me Meat at all time! I am yer friggin security blanket! If you die, defend the base until I come to get yer sorry butt."</i>
-this will keep bonehead noobie rambos from being bonehead newbie rambos. It'll teach noobs where things are and how to get to them fast.

<i>"DONT talk to the commander! He doesn't speak clueless! Clueless!" </i>
-Keeps the comm focused on the important stuff. If the noob needs something, the squad leader will ask for it. If it's not important or not relevant yet (HA / HMG) he won't.

<i>"When we build, YOU BUILD, I cover!"</i>
-teaches noobs the the vulnerability of the builder, and the importance of covery fire.

<i>"When the commander has us hold an area we HOLD STILL! You cover that vent and DONT MOVE! I've got yer back, you better have mine Jerk!" </i>
-teaches the noob Silence is golden. The squad leader should use their flashlight to indicate where he wants a noob to cover.

<i>"Don't shoot bug buildings unless I say so. On recon missions Dont shoot a bug unless it sees you first!"</i>
-Teaches noob the danger of hive sight. Shows them how to stay stealthy against the bugs.

<i>"Anyone here feeling dizzy? You got a parasite! Get the hell away from me jerk!"</i>
-after a skulk encounter ask if any one is parasited. Teaches noob the danger of parasite. If you're near base, have the noob kill themselves. If you're holding an important area, the noob stays. Once a phase gate is up though, have them commit hari kari.

There are a lot more particular lessons experienced players could give noobies, but lessons are best learned in game, and by example. The ones I gave here are the most basic, and most important (in my opinion). The best lesson learned though, regardless of the specifics, is how important <b>teamwork</b> is to a marine victory. Hopefully, that noobie, once they become an experienced grunt will pass that lesson on to the next clueless noobie they meet.

HOOAH!

bonHomme

Error404

I didn't even know that marines build structures until the third time I played the game. Its not very clear in the manual that you use the 'use' key to build structures, and as a noob its hard to tell which structures need building and which don't, until you see someone else building it.