How do we fix this?

Just so everyone is aware, I was planning on having tonights outfit meeting be largely focused around leadership then afterwards I was going to do a platoon leader workshop.

 

Here is a brief sample of my style. I will expand on my thoughts later tonight on the recordings but the idea is simple. Food for thought

Example:

Scene: You are fighting over xeno on indar and are engaged from the cross road by Vany's and they have a couple ESF's pushing on you with sundies in tow.

I would respond with the following-

"I need 2-3 Mag's in the fields to the north to hold that armor"

-"Who is it gunna be?"

'Gunners X up in chat'

"I need rambos flank that armor NE of the chode"

- "Who is it gunna be"

"Need 3 AA units out to keep that air back"

- "Who is it gunna be"


I try to match forces with a proper counter (Knowing TKK times helps) but also gets me players, eager and excited to fill that role. Which generally results in a very well performed role that gets the job done.

There are a lot more layers to this but from my experiance as a PvP oriented leader this style has kept both my groups full and my members returning because they knew when they rolled with me they were going to engaged and enjoying what they did. **This in a lot of games was a Time frame because there are times when you want to just sit back and cruise instead of full throttle.

Just a premise of my style, and my 2 cents ill expand later in the meetings

 

I have been musing over this issue for a time now.

The Issue : Platoon members not playing as a team.

The solution: Fix yourself before you try to fix others. Make yourself understood in a clear manner. Use your head and keep the game fun and enjoyable (make people want to follow you like Jaamaw does).

I am writing this as if I were talking to myself, I need to learn to do all of these.
These points are for Platoon Leaders. For tips on squad leading, see Jaamaw's post on Squad Leading.
We all could be better Squad Leaders (See Jaamaw's post on Squad Leading (I mean it)(Go read it now))).

1 - Talk in Teamspeak, Platoon chat, and you must type orders in chat box.
Reason : Comm is key, not everyone is on TS3 (Pugs) and not everyone can hear (I have 70% hearing loss). Late at night more people turn off the volume and poor people like me can't afford new headsets when their kids eat the last pair.

2 - Give Squads assignments and hold the squad leader accountable. Its his/her job to make the squad do what is does, not yours.
Reason : Let your squad leaders lead the way they feel is best, they will do a better job that way and it frees you up to lead the platoon. Patrick, Vonic, and Vernett are some of the best squad leaders I have played with. Ask them for more advice on squad leading if you seek to learn more.

3 - Limit Platoon wide chatter, Squad members talk to your squad leader 1st before asking in platoon chat (Chain of Command).
Limiting chatter will help the platoon to hear orders and by making use of the chain of command, squad leaders become leaders and squad members trust squad leaders more.

4 - Check your map often. Are all your ducks where they should be? If not, ask the squad leader why.
Reason: Numbers win faster.

5 - Set way points!
Reason : Not everyone knows the map, use Way Points, Smoke and landmarks to aid the platoon in understanding your orders.
Fog of War during intense battle can will limit your perception of the battle field, use the map and radar.

6 - Know yourself, Know your Platoon, Know your Enemy (Sun Tzu)
Reason : If you know what you have and what the enemy has, you will know the outcome of 1000 battles.
Did you fail to remind your platoon to save some Infantry Points so you could MAX crash if you needed to?
Did you fail to see that you only have 2 bases and are only getting 10 vehicle points per tick? No Mag for you!

7 - Plan ahead! Know when and where to use what you have.
Reason : Common sense. Don't Roll Mags to take Skydock....

8 - Be Positive!!!
Reason : Nobody likes to be lead by an AHole (Buzzcut)! We play this game to have fun. Its your job to keep the fun times rolling.

This is what I plan on working on to help others follow orders more often.

 

QFT

 

A big part of this I think is that during the time you were leading TeamSpeak was down for a lot of people (if not everyone). Another good rule of thumb is to just repeat the orders twice right away, and then again if people don't follow, if I remember correctly you only stated the orders once. Aside from that, more cohesion and discipline is definitely a great a idea, and needed quite frankly.

 

Yes and no. Waypoints are still posted, its not that hard to follow a waypoint.

 

Yup, but a waypoint doesn't confer how the leader wants you getting there, in what, with which class etc.

 

Knowing that TS was down and that we had pugs in the platoon, I did state the orders once in TS and several times in Platoon chat every single time. Especially during the MAX crash, also advised Command chat and Proxy.

 

Why'd you join the platoon if you won't follow the orders?

 

Regardless, we knew TS was down for some. Following the waypoint should have been put into priority at that time. Mraged was also using the ingame platoon chat. It was a matter of ignorance that people werent listening. Using the TS was down excuse is just a crutch for the guilty ones who just didnt listen.