A small guide and tips on squad leading.

[Baxter]

Hi.
I've played this game on and off for around 5 years and have close to 2000 hours of playtime. I decided to write up a small guide for new and old squad leads to improve the general game play from what we have these days, because at the end of the day the squad leaders are the deciding factor whether a match will be fun or a total slog. What fun is is of course completely subjective, but let's assume you are playing squad to play a somewhat tactical team based shooter that relies on communication and coordination.

Here are some pointers in no particular order how you as a squad lead can help improve the game and have more fun playing it.

1. Lead by example.
This is a very wide statement and will reach in to many of the tips i am about to give.

2. Be an active leader.
This to me mostly means communication in it's all forms. Giving out orders, conveying a plan and interacting with your squad mates. Personally i feel the most important bit is that you let your squad know that there is a plan and an objective.

3. Don't be a whiner and do not keep whiners.
To some this might sound unfair or impossible to do even. But if you as the leader of the squad decide to start complaining about other squads or anything else that is happening in the match, you are giving the rest of the squad a green light to do the same. And soon your squad will be filled with people who are not doing their jobs and instead are just mucking around and having a cry. The same rule applies to whiners in the squad other than the leader, the breakdown of the squad is not just as rapid.

4. Understand that you are dealing with a lot of different people with varying degrees of ability and motivation.
This is the hardest issue we have right now but ultimately the end result will still be on the squad leaders shoulders. Try to ask yourself: What kinda game do i want to play? If you want to have fun and talk ♥♥♥♥ then that is totally fine, or maybe you would rather have a more serious game and would like to tackle harder objectives. The point is that you are the leader and no matter how many people stay and / or leave the squad, you will always be the person who sets the pace.

5. And lastly,care.
If you do not care about whats going on, then neither will your squad, ultimately defeating the entire core purpose of playing the game.

I wrote this post mainly because we in the squad community have had gripes about the constantly dwindling quality matches, and because i still like playing the game and i care.
I do not think chancing game mechanics radically will bring back the old squad. Well maybe making the game super hardcore would actually help, but in the end i believe that would drive more people away than bring in, and we need new players to keep the game afloat.

Plz let me gun the ctas just even once!

[Namdaets]

Thanks for the tips.

In my experience, aside from needing to know the basic game mechanics (how to place a radio and build a HAB, mark the map, assign fire teams, etc.), it doesn't take much to be an effective squad leader. Having a basic plan and communicating it to your squad is, in my opinion, the single most important thing to do at all times to keep everyone working together towards a coherent goal, regardless of the outcome. The death of a squad is when nobody knows what they need to be doing, so they either get bored and leave for another, more organized squad or end up wandering off to do their own thing.

Also, value the players in your squad who are communicative and receptive to your plans. Offer them a fire team lead role and rely on them for scouting, call-outs, or other tasks, offering you some room to breathe and focus on the macro game. Good FTLs are a great asset to a squad and can alleviate some of the burden that comes with playing SL. If you're a player who is too nervous or feel too inexperienced to lead a full squad, ask for a fire team lead role and support your SL with call-outs, map marks, building emplacements, and organizing the other members of your fire team.

[Baxter]

Originally posted by Namdaets:

Thanks for the tips.

In my experience, aside from needing to know the basic game mechanics (how to place a radio and build a HAB, mark the map, assign fire teams, etc.), it doesn't take much to be an effective squad leader. Having a basic plan and communicating it to your squad is, in my opinion, the single most important thing to do at all times to keep everyone working together towards a coherent goal, regardless of the outcome. The death of a squad is when nobody knows what they need to be doing, so they either get bored and leave for another, more organized squad or end up wandering off to do their own thing.

Also, value the players in your squad who are communicative and receptive to your plans. Offer them a fire team lead role and rely on them for scouting, call-outs, or other tasks, offering you some room to breathe and focus on the macro game. Good FTLs are a great asset to a squad and can alleviate some of the burden that comes with playing SL. If you're a player who is too nervous or feel too inexperienced to lead a full squad, ask for a fire team lead role and support your SL with call-outs, map marks, building emplacements, and organizing the other members of your fire team.

All good points.
I could write an essay on the subtle mechanics that involve the squad leader but that would be just wasteful. Even everything i wrote could be summed up to : have a good attitude and try to be fair in your judgement. But hopefully someone will take away something from this thread, be nice to have at least one somewhat positive thread going on in the sea of negativity which is the squad sub forum .

[Namdaets]

Originally posted by Baxter:

I could write an essay on the subtle mechanics that involve the squad leader

For sure. Perhaps I should clarify I do not think having a plan (any plan) is the only important aspect of being a good squad leader; it's just what I personally consider to be the role's primary responsibility and single best way to keep 8 other players engaged.