Squads And Marine Selection
fido
Join Date: 2003-08-16 Member: 19806Members
Join Date: 2003-08-16 Member: 19806Members
<div class="IPBDescription">All the nitty-gritty details</div> There are many guides out there describing how to select marines and create squads and stuff, but I haven't found any that answer all my questions. So I installed some bots and tested everything out and, well, here's my reference guide to how this stuff REALLY works in nitty-gritty detail. It starts with the basics and then moves on to the non-obvious stuff.
I think both newbs and experts will find stuff they didn't know (I certainly did!).
Note - when I answer a question with "you can't" that really means "I haven't found any way to do it, if you do please post it!". It also means "I hope they add this feature some day!".
Note - I'll assume you are commander and your crouch key is ctrl.
------------------------------------------
<b>1) How do I select a person or building? </b>
Left click on him/it.
------------------------------------------
<b>2) How do I select multiple people? </b>
To select multiple persons, drag to create a rectangle around everyone you want to select.
You can't select multiple buildings.
------------------------------------------
<b>3) How do I add to or remove from an existing selection?</b>
Same as (1) and (2), but while holding ctrl. This works like a toggle, i.e. anyone who was previously selected becomes unselected and vice versa.
Example: If Joe is selected, and you ctrl-click Lisa, both Joe and Lisa are selected. If you ctrl-click Lisa again, only Joe will be selected.
Example: If Joe and Lisa and Pat are selected, and you ctrl-drag a rectangle around Lisa and Pat and Jimbo, then Joe and Jimbo are selected.
------------------------------------------
<b>4) How do I see who is selected?</b>
Unselected people have blue nametags. Selected people have white nametags (yellow if they are parasited) and a circle around their feet showing their health.
On the minimap you can't see who is selected, everyone is white.
-------------------------------------------
<b>5) How do I zoom to my current selection?</b>
You can't.
-------------------------------------------
<b>6) How do I select everyone</b>
Click on the marine body icon at the top left of your screen. You can't unselect using that button, and ctrl-clicking doesn't change anything.
-------------------------------------------
<b>7) How do I create a squad?</b>
Ctrl-1 will assign all currently selected marines to squad 1. There are 5 available squads. If any of the marines were members of another squad before, they will be removed from the old squad.
-------------------------------------------
<b>8) How does the marine know which squad he is in?</b>
When he is added to squad 1 a voice tells him "you're squad 1". In addition it says "squad 1" at the bottom of his screen. He stays in the squad even if he dies.
-------------------------------------------
<b>9) How does the marine keep track of his squad members?</b>
The squad members show up as green on the marine's minimap. So as a soldier you can't really see who is in your squad, you can only see where they are. You can't see who is in the other squads.
-------------------------------------------
<b>10) How can a marine enter or leave a squad on his own initiative?</b>
He can't. He can only ask the commander.
-------------------------------------------
<b>11) How do select everyone in a squad?</b>
Click on the squad number on the top of you screen, or press the corresponding number key on you keyboard
-------------------------------------------
<b>12) How do I zoom to the squad?</b>
Select the squad twice (i.e. either press the number key twice or click the squad icon twice).
More specifically, if everyone in squad 1 is selected (and nobody else) then the squad icon at the top of the screen lights up; if you now press 1 you will zoom to the closest member of that squad.
-------------------------------------------
<b>13) How does zooming work if the squad is spread out?</b>
It always zooms to closest squad member, i.e. the guy closest to whatever your view is centered on right now.
-------------------------------------------
<b>14) How do I zoom back to where I was before zooming to the squad member</b>
Select the squad a third time. Note - the squad will still be selected.
Example: Press 1 to select squad one (your view will not change). Press 1 again and your view will zoom to the closest member of squad 1. Press 1 again and your view will zoom back to where you were. Press 1 again to zoom back to the closest member, etc.
So by pressing 1 three times you can quickly jump off to see how squad 1 is doing and then jump back.
-------------------------------------------
<b>15) How do I modify a squad?</b>
Every time you press 1 the whole squad 1 will be recreated based on who is currently selected. So you select your squad, modify the selection (see question 3), and then recreate the squad.
Example: To redefine squad 1, select whoever should be in it and press ctrl-1
Example: To add members to squad 1, press 1 to select the current members, ctrl-click to select additional members, then press ctrl-1 to recreate the squad.
Example: To remove members from squad 1, press 1 to select the current members, ctrl-click on the member to remove him (i.e. deselect him), then press ctrl-1 to recreate the squad.
-------------------------------------------
<b>16) How do I remove a squad?</b>
By assigning all members of that squad to another squad. You can't get rid of all squads. Not even by deselect the last member of the last squad and then trying to recreate that squad, because you can't create a squad when no one is selected.
-------------------------------------------
<b>17) How do I see who is in a squad?</b>
You can't. If press ctrl-1 twice you will zoom to the closest member of squad 1, but if there is another member somewhere else you won't know who or where he is. So if your squads don't stick together you better have good memory.
The squad icon at the top of your screen lights up when everyone in that squad (and no one outside it) is selected.
-------------------------------------------
<b>18) How do I select multiple squads?</b>
You can't.
-------------------------------------------
<b>19) Can a marine belong to more than one squad?</b>
No. When he is assigned to a new squad he leaves any previous squad.
-------------------------------------------
<b>20) Can I add a structure to a squad?</b>
Yes, but only one. A squad can contain either one single structure or any number of marines.
-------------------------------------------
That's it! Good luck and let's see some more squad tactics out there!
I think both newbs and experts will find stuff they didn't know (I certainly did!).
Note - when I answer a question with "you can't" that really means "I haven't found any way to do it, if you do please post it!". It also means "I hope they add this feature some day!".
Note - I'll assume you are commander and your crouch key is ctrl.
------------------------------------------
<b>1) How do I select a person or building? </b>
Left click on him/it.
------------------------------------------
<b>2) How do I select multiple people? </b>
To select multiple persons, drag to create a rectangle around everyone you want to select.
You can't select multiple buildings.
------------------------------------------
<b>3) How do I add to or remove from an existing selection?</b>
Same as (1) and (2), but while holding ctrl. This works like a toggle, i.e. anyone who was previously selected becomes unselected and vice versa.
Example: If Joe is selected, and you ctrl-click Lisa, both Joe and Lisa are selected. If you ctrl-click Lisa again, only Joe will be selected.
Example: If Joe and Lisa and Pat are selected, and you ctrl-drag a rectangle around Lisa and Pat and Jimbo, then Joe and Jimbo are selected.
------------------------------------------
<b>4) How do I see who is selected?</b>
Unselected people have blue nametags. Selected people have white nametags (yellow if they are parasited) and a circle around their feet showing their health.
On the minimap you can't see who is selected, everyone is white.
-------------------------------------------
<b>5) How do I zoom to my current selection?</b>
You can't.
-------------------------------------------
<b>6) How do I select everyone</b>
Click on the marine body icon at the top left of your screen. You can't unselect using that button, and ctrl-clicking doesn't change anything.
-------------------------------------------
<b>7) How do I create a squad?</b>
Ctrl-1 will assign all currently selected marines to squad 1. There are 5 available squads. If any of the marines were members of another squad before, they will be removed from the old squad.
-------------------------------------------
<b>8) How does the marine know which squad he is in?</b>
When he is added to squad 1 a voice tells him "you're squad 1". In addition it says "squad 1" at the bottom of his screen. He stays in the squad even if he dies.
-------------------------------------------
<b>9) How does the marine keep track of his squad members?</b>
The squad members show up as green on the marine's minimap. So as a soldier you can't really see who is in your squad, you can only see where they are. You can't see who is in the other squads.
-------------------------------------------
<b>10) How can a marine enter or leave a squad on his own initiative?</b>
He can't. He can only ask the commander.
-------------------------------------------
<b>11) How do select everyone in a squad?</b>
Click on the squad number on the top of you screen, or press the corresponding number key on you keyboard
-------------------------------------------
<b>12) How do I zoom to the squad?</b>
Select the squad twice (i.e. either press the number key twice or click the squad icon twice).
More specifically, if everyone in squad 1 is selected (and nobody else) then the squad icon at the top of the screen lights up; if you now press 1 you will zoom to the closest member of that squad.
-------------------------------------------
<b>13) How does zooming work if the squad is spread out?</b>
It always zooms to closest squad member, i.e. the guy closest to whatever your view is centered on right now.
-------------------------------------------
<b>14) How do I zoom back to where I was before zooming to the squad member</b>
Select the squad a third time. Note - the squad will still be selected.
Example: Press 1 to select squad one (your view will not change). Press 1 again and your view will zoom to the closest member of squad 1. Press 1 again and your view will zoom back to where you were. Press 1 again to zoom back to the closest member, etc.
So by pressing 1 three times you can quickly jump off to see how squad 1 is doing and then jump back.
-------------------------------------------
<b>15) How do I modify a squad?</b>
Every time you press 1 the whole squad 1 will be recreated based on who is currently selected. So you select your squad, modify the selection (see question 3), and then recreate the squad.
Example: To redefine squad 1, select whoever should be in it and press ctrl-1
Example: To add members to squad 1, press 1 to select the current members, ctrl-click to select additional members, then press ctrl-1 to recreate the squad.
Example: To remove members from squad 1, press 1 to select the current members, ctrl-click on the member to remove him (i.e. deselect him), then press ctrl-1 to recreate the squad.
-------------------------------------------
<b>16) How do I remove a squad?</b>
By assigning all members of that squad to another squad. You can't get rid of all squads. Not even by deselect the last member of the last squad and then trying to recreate that squad, because you can't create a squad when no one is selected.
-------------------------------------------
<b>17) How do I see who is in a squad?</b>
You can't. If press ctrl-1 twice you will zoom to the closest member of squad 1, but if there is another member somewhere else you won't know who or where he is. So if your squads don't stick together you better have good memory.
The squad icon at the top of your screen lights up when everyone in that squad (and no one outside it) is selected.
-------------------------------------------
<b>18) How do I select multiple squads?</b>
You can't.
-------------------------------------------
<b>19) Can a marine belong to more than one squad?</b>
No. When he is assigned to a new squad he leaves any previous squad.
-------------------------------------------
<b>20) Can I add a structure to a squad?</b>
Yes, but only one. A squad can contain either one single structure or any number of marines.
-------------------------------------------
That's it! Good luck and let's see some more squad tactics out there!
Comments
assign the obs to squad 5 - insta-scan
thx for the info fido, learned somethin from that (ctrl for additional select/deselect)
I have it binded to space so for me it is space+1 for group 1.