Newbie Commanders Guide
Hippie
Join Date: 2003-02-02 Member: 12980Members
Join Date: 2003-02-02 Member: 12980Members
<div class="IPBDescription">ayup.</div> Ok, I wrote this article for UKNS (http://www.ukns.org) ages ago but I feel its still valid and after popping in on the forums for the first time in ages and seeing there might be need for one.. well, I thought I'd post it here. This is my view on what a player should know before going commander on a public server. Its very basic but I doubt its going to hurt anyone..
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At first I thought of writing an article on all I know about 1.04 and commanding it, but hell, I doubt anyone wants to hear of 1.04 ever again, so let this article be the last time the devil is mentioned. I'll try and address public play and clanplay separately, as they are two totally different worlds of gameplay. Note: This is not a tactics article, but a very important read to any starting out (or in many cases, an older) commander. Tactics will follow later! So this article will cover getting started out as a commander on public and basically not being a pain in the ****. I've commed something like 150+ matches, and countless public games, which in my opinion is enough to cover the basics
When to step in:
I'm sure most the NS servers have this funny rules list coming up each time you join. Quite without exception those rules include a "dont command or gorge if your a newbie". It's a good rule. I'd suggest familiarizing yourself to the command console on lan play, just.. building things, finding things on the map, at least until you remember where everything is. Sure, time isn't exactly money in NS, its more like everything. You don't need to practice commanding that hard unless your a dumb ****, but that doesnt count, since no one really thinks that way of themselves and I doubt I have the right to say so either. So you can join the server. Dont just rush for the command console as soon as you get in. Rather, play a round as a marine and ask around if they mind you commanding the next game. Its quite amazing how much more you can get respect by asking for permission to practice the next round. Actually, there might be people willing to give you tips during your first round.
People giving you tips:
This is something that deserves a section of its own. It shouldn't be too hard to tell the difference between "COMM HA HMG NOW" (formerly known as the: "JP HMG!!" -type) and "Can you build a ress node here? Seems its quiet, could do with a few turrets as well, its a hivesite.." When someone tells, or even better, asks you to do something without caps and in a nice way, 9 times out of 10 its a good thing to do. Just do it. This person propably knows what he is talking about. Actually, this is a good point to stick with the person and ask what to do next if your in doubt, which you quite propably will be.
Buckled up and ready to go:
Ok, so your in the console, you've built the IP or two and the armory. This is not the point where you sit quiet and wait for people to run to ress nodes and ask for you to build. Its a good idea to have decided how to play by this point, wheather its locking down hives, capping ress, not capping ress and going fast upgrades or whatever. Following. Its a good idea to tell your team how your going to play at this point. After you've told them how you want to play from this point, it is much more likely they will play as you want to play from now on without you guiding them all the time.
A few basic tips:
*Telling your team what your doing as often as possible is always good. It gives the rest of the team the impression you know what your doing and it makes them so much more co-operative.
*Waypoints never hurt anyone. If you've played before and no one went to waypoint, its propably because you didnt tell them what your doing. I mean, if they think you dont know what your doing, whats the point of going to the waypoint? Most of them will go if you tell them the waypoints are there for a purpose, and even more likely they are to go if you tell them what purpose they are there for.
*Find those commanders little helpers. Those are the guys who guard the furthest away from action ress node for an hour if you ask them to. Every team has at least one. You'll know him by friendly attitude towards newbies, good tips and obedience. It feels unfair, but most likely you'll have to have those kind of people to do the shitjobs while the rambos put the pressure on the hive.
*If nothing else helps, if no one follows orders, try adressing people personally in a nice and polite way. This is the last resort and takes a bit of time off commanding but it usually pays off. "Player(1), I really need you to get me this ress node, you'll get a shotgun in return" always works!
Remember, even if you are the commander you can be wrong!
If you played 1.04 and you think you know something about NS, reconsider. Those guys yelling for shotguns arent newbies, they actually know what they are talking about. So much has changed that if someone is politely asking for something, he (or at a very rare case, she) knows what he (or that she) is talking about. I've met way too many commanders playing it the 1.04 way totally ignoring what I try to tell them and then loosing in a horribly grotescue way.
-.torment. Tark, commander of a couple of games
-----------------------------------------------------
At first I thought of writing an article on all I know about 1.04 and commanding it, but hell, I doubt anyone wants to hear of 1.04 ever again, so let this article be the last time the devil is mentioned. I'll try and address public play and clanplay separately, as they are two totally different worlds of gameplay. Note: This is not a tactics article, but a very important read to any starting out (or in many cases, an older) commander. Tactics will follow later! So this article will cover getting started out as a commander on public and basically not being a pain in the ****. I've commed something like 150+ matches, and countless public games, which in my opinion is enough to cover the basics
When to step in:
I'm sure most the NS servers have this funny rules list coming up each time you join. Quite without exception those rules include a "dont command or gorge if your a newbie". It's a good rule. I'd suggest familiarizing yourself to the command console on lan play, just.. building things, finding things on the map, at least until you remember where everything is. Sure, time isn't exactly money in NS, its more like everything. You don't need to practice commanding that hard unless your a dumb ****, but that doesnt count, since no one really thinks that way of themselves and I doubt I have the right to say so either. So you can join the server. Dont just rush for the command console as soon as you get in. Rather, play a round as a marine and ask around if they mind you commanding the next game. Its quite amazing how much more you can get respect by asking for permission to practice the next round. Actually, there might be people willing to give you tips during your first round.
People giving you tips:
This is something that deserves a section of its own. It shouldn't be too hard to tell the difference between "COMM HA HMG NOW" (formerly known as the: "JP HMG!!" -type) and "Can you build a ress node here? Seems its quiet, could do with a few turrets as well, its a hivesite.." When someone tells, or even better, asks you to do something without caps and in a nice way, 9 times out of 10 its a good thing to do. Just do it. This person propably knows what he is talking about. Actually, this is a good point to stick with the person and ask what to do next if your in doubt, which you quite propably will be.
Buckled up and ready to go:
Ok, so your in the console, you've built the IP or two and the armory. This is not the point where you sit quiet and wait for people to run to ress nodes and ask for you to build. Its a good idea to have decided how to play by this point, wheather its locking down hives, capping ress, not capping ress and going fast upgrades or whatever. Following. Its a good idea to tell your team how your going to play at this point. After you've told them how you want to play from this point, it is much more likely they will play as you want to play from now on without you guiding them all the time.
A few basic tips:
*Telling your team what your doing as often as possible is always good. It gives the rest of the team the impression you know what your doing and it makes them so much more co-operative.
*Waypoints never hurt anyone. If you've played before and no one went to waypoint, its propably because you didnt tell them what your doing. I mean, if they think you dont know what your doing, whats the point of going to the waypoint? Most of them will go if you tell them the waypoints are there for a purpose, and even more likely they are to go if you tell them what purpose they are there for.
*Find those commanders little helpers. Those are the guys who guard the furthest away from action ress node for an hour if you ask them to. Every team has at least one. You'll know him by friendly attitude towards newbies, good tips and obedience. It feels unfair, but most likely you'll have to have those kind of people to do the shitjobs while the rambos put the pressure on the hive.
*If nothing else helps, if no one follows orders, try adressing people personally in a nice and polite way. This is the last resort and takes a bit of time off commanding but it usually pays off. "Player(1), I really need you to get me this ress node, you'll get a shotgun in return" always works!
Remember, even if you are the commander you can be wrong!
If you played 1.04 and you think you know something about NS, reconsider. Those guys yelling for shotguns arent newbies, they actually know what they are talking about. So much has changed that if someone is politely asking for something, he (or at a very rare case, she) knows what he (or that she) is talking about. I've met way too many commanders playing it the 1.04 way totally ignoring what I try to tell them and then loosing in a horribly grotescue way.
-.torment. Tark, commander of a couple of games
Comments
Hehe... the impression...doesnt matter if you DONT know what you're doing, as long as the stupid grunts THINK you do <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo-->
Nice comments though.