Morale
Cronos
Join Date: 2002-10-18 Member: 1542Members
Join Date: 2002-10-18 Member: 1542Members
<div class="IPBDescription">More important then some think</div> I'll get something in the open first and foremost. I am not a seasoned comm. I am not even a good comm. I have only 3 victories to my name, a few alamos where other comms gave up, and a few lost games.
Of all these games, I have garnered some information. As it is I'm a grunt, but one that can think strategically. I know some good siege locations, I know when to sneak and when to fight. Sometimes I can be in clear sight and the aliens wont see me.
In any case, Morale is possibly the second most important thing for a commander, the most important being res and the third being teamwork and the fourth being victory.
Res is important. It lies at the apex of marine strategy. With res, you can do anything. But res lies only at the apex. Res is nothing without the base of the marine strategy pyramid.
Below Res lies morale. If your marines have good morale, they will fight hard, they will follow your orders and they will form the core of the third, teamwork.
Teamwork lies hand in hand with morale. If your marines do not have high morale, they will not work together. No teamwork and no morale will lead your team to ruin, even if you have limitless res.
All that is needed to gain victory is for a marine team to have morale and teamwork. If they feel good, if they trust each other, as long as they have hope, zeal, spirit and confidence, then you need no res to achieve your victory.
At teamworks heart lies morale. With no morale to bind your men together, they will scatter and do what they think is best and get slaughtered.
How to improve morale?
Show your men that you care about them.
I'm serious about this point. Most comms would think of expending medpacks on a marine facing several skulks with a knife as a complete waste. In practical terms, it is. But if your marine sees a flurry of medpacks to aid his mad knifing, he will feel better that you watch his back from up there. Not only that, if he takes a skulk down with his knife, he will not only feel euphoric and in high spirits, he will demoralise the enemy.
<i>Medpacks improve morale. Give them sparingly, but give them necessarily. Show your men that you care for them and they will fight for you</i>
Demonstrate to your men that you have a plan. Instead of saying "Go to generator" say, "Go to gen, I want to fortify it so we can hold cargo and pressure via" Letting them know the big picture will help them appreciate that you have direction.
<i>A man with no confidence in his commander will find confidence only in the orders he gives himself and none in which he is given.</i>
Your men are your advisors. There are times when you should ignore them, but if one manages to sneak into a hive, listen to him! Drop him a phase or anything he needs. NEVER IGNORE YOUR MEN. You may be the commander, but you are not down there fighting with your grunts. Their advice could make or break your game, or hasten your victory. If they yell "ONOS!" drop HMG's for them. The HMG is a very potent morale booster. In the correct hands it strikes fear into the hearts of onii and empowers your men. If a HMG cannot be obtained drop shotguns which are the next best thing.
<i>Your soldiers are your deputies. Not your underlings. Treat them with respect, and they will respect you. Calling them fools and idiots will get you nowhere except perhaps for a fast ejection</i>
Give them victory! If they take down that sporing lerk, congratulate them and give them a reward. If they take down an onos, make your gratitude flow. If a hive comes down on a soldiers advisement, ensure that your cup runneth over with grattitude for him. If your men win the game for you, bring forth more gratitude then you can bear. Give them jetpacks, give them anything they want. Just make sure that when they win a game for you they are rewarded in turn with either thanks or toys.
<i>You can devise your strategies but without men your strats will never work. Ensure that they know your gratitude in participating in your grand design</i>
Despite all this, you may find yourself fighting a losing battle. The alamo needs morale just as much as anywhere else.
If your going to lose, then make the aliens work for every inch of ground. Some may consider it lame but better to die fighting then on ones knees or an f4.
Show your men that your on top of things. Tell them what needs welding, drop HA so they can resist spores. Ensure a steady flow of GL's and HMG/Shotties. Tell them not to wander out of base unless they are LA/LMG's. Every fade or onos down gets notice from you. Appeal to their egos, "You guys are awesome!", goad the aliens into deathtraps. Ultimately, make your men feel proud. "If we can last for ten minutes, you guys are brilliant in my books". Though you will lose an alamo situation nine times out of ten, making the men feel good about fighting the losing battle is all that counts.
<i>Morale is the battle. Win it, and you can win the war</i>
Of all these games, I have garnered some information. As it is I'm a grunt, but one that can think strategically. I know some good siege locations, I know when to sneak and when to fight. Sometimes I can be in clear sight and the aliens wont see me.
In any case, Morale is possibly the second most important thing for a commander, the most important being res and the third being teamwork and the fourth being victory.
Res is important. It lies at the apex of marine strategy. With res, you can do anything. But res lies only at the apex. Res is nothing without the base of the marine strategy pyramid.
Below Res lies morale. If your marines have good morale, they will fight hard, they will follow your orders and they will form the core of the third, teamwork.
Teamwork lies hand in hand with morale. If your marines do not have high morale, they will not work together. No teamwork and no morale will lead your team to ruin, even if you have limitless res.
All that is needed to gain victory is for a marine team to have morale and teamwork. If they feel good, if they trust each other, as long as they have hope, zeal, spirit and confidence, then you need no res to achieve your victory.
At teamworks heart lies morale. With no morale to bind your men together, they will scatter and do what they think is best and get slaughtered.
How to improve morale?
Show your men that you care about them.
I'm serious about this point. Most comms would think of expending medpacks on a marine facing several skulks with a knife as a complete waste. In practical terms, it is. But if your marine sees a flurry of medpacks to aid his mad knifing, he will feel better that you watch his back from up there. Not only that, if he takes a skulk down with his knife, he will not only feel euphoric and in high spirits, he will demoralise the enemy.
<i>Medpacks improve morale. Give them sparingly, but give them necessarily. Show your men that you care for them and they will fight for you</i>
Demonstrate to your men that you have a plan. Instead of saying "Go to generator" say, "Go to gen, I want to fortify it so we can hold cargo and pressure via" Letting them know the big picture will help them appreciate that you have direction.
<i>A man with no confidence in his commander will find confidence only in the orders he gives himself and none in which he is given.</i>
Your men are your advisors. There are times when you should ignore them, but if one manages to sneak into a hive, listen to him! Drop him a phase or anything he needs. NEVER IGNORE YOUR MEN. You may be the commander, but you are not down there fighting with your grunts. Their advice could make or break your game, or hasten your victory. If they yell "ONOS!" drop HMG's for them. The HMG is a very potent morale booster. In the correct hands it strikes fear into the hearts of onii and empowers your men. If a HMG cannot be obtained drop shotguns which are the next best thing.
<i>Your soldiers are your deputies. Not your underlings. Treat them with respect, and they will respect you. Calling them fools and idiots will get you nowhere except perhaps for a fast ejection</i>
Give them victory! If they take down that sporing lerk, congratulate them and give them a reward. If they take down an onos, make your gratitude flow. If a hive comes down on a soldiers advisement, ensure that your cup runneth over with grattitude for him. If your men win the game for you, bring forth more gratitude then you can bear. Give them jetpacks, give them anything they want. Just make sure that when they win a game for you they are rewarded in turn with either thanks or toys.
<i>You can devise your strategies but without men your strats will never work. Ensure that they know your gratitude in participating in your grand design</i>
Despite all this, you may find yourself fighting a losing battle. The alamo needs morale just as much as anywhere else.
If your going to lose, then make the aliens work for every inch of ground. Some may consider it lame but better to die fighting then on ones knees or an f4.
Show your men that your on top of things. Tell them what needs welding, drop HA so they can resist spores. Ensure a steady flow of GL's and HMG/Shotties. Tell them not to wander out of base unless they are LA/LMG's. Every fade or onos down gets notice from you. Appeal to their egos, "You guys are awesome!", goad the aliens into deathtraps. Ultimately, make your men feel proud. "If we can last for ten minutes, you guys are brilliant in my books". Though you will lose an alamo situation nine times out of ten, making the men feel good about fighting the losing battle is all that counts.
<i>Morale is the battle. Win it, and you can win the war</i>
Comments
yes, when everyone has HA's, HMG's, shotguns, jetpacks, or nade launchers, everyone is like "yayayayayayayaya" everyone welds everyone else, and they move ina giant group.
I made a thread talking about an amazing game that demonstrates this.
Morale is the difference between f4ers that lose a game while there's still hope, and guys who hold out until the timeleft is into negative triple digits and have a blast while doing it. A lot of my favorite games have been ones where we're losing but fighting bravely. And my favorite favorite ones are ones where we fight so well that we turn the game around and win!
I made a thread talking about an amazing game that demonstrates this.
Morale is the difference between f4ers that lose a game while there's still hope, and guys who hold out until the timeleft is into negative triple digits and have a blast while doing it. A lot of my favorite games have been ones where we're losing but fighting bravely. And my favorite favorite ones are ones where we fight so well that we turn the game around and win! <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Ive been in games where the comm is saying "Give it up you guys, all press F4"
While I've been stood on top of the Armory/TF/CC/Whatever else is nerarby and spraying my LMG fire at waves of oncoming aliens screaming over voiceomms "Never give up! We fight to the bitter end. Standing between humanity and whatever may threaten it. ARghhh get this skulk off my leg!!"