Thread: Initiative: Step up!

Initiative: Step up! - step up to the plate and squad lead (or get out of your comfort zone as somehow transitioned below )!

(instead of the typical "hate it when..." rant, this is my attempt to spin a "positive" rant... )

It is my observance/opinion that a lot of players have become complacent in their role(s) in game. how you ask? at the start of every map all one needs to do is watch the overhead map/squad screen...which usually entails 3/4 of the team waiting for someone else to SL, usually the same 1-3 SL's, subsequently making for 1-3 full "concentrated" squads and a peppering of 1-3 man squads, mixed with the leftover lone wolves. I've seen many a game where a team gets handicapped w/in the first 5min of a round simply because 2/3 of the team is at the spawn screen waiting for someone else to step up, ie, 2/3 of our team hasn't spawned in either, which is where that handicap comes in because there's no one on the ground for when that jet jumper comes flying in w/in the first few minutes and the flag is taken in seconds unopposed w/in the first couple of minutes of the round.

you say: "but I don't know what I'm doing...I don't know how to SL!"
I say: everyone has to start somewhere. if you don't do it/try it, then you definitely won't ever learn. do you think <insert your favorite SL> knew what they were doing the first time they started SL-ing?

you say: "but I don't know the maps well enough!"
I say: well guess what, imo SL-ing is one of the best way to learn maps. it forces you to learn how to get safely from point A to point B. it forces you to learn the lay of the land in order to be a suitable spawn point for your mounted attack. it forces you to see what flags have a higher priority. again, do you think <insert your favorite SL> knew the lay of the land when they first stepped up? I'm sure there are plenty of SL's here that have driven off cliffs, into water, crashed into trees, etc when trying to traverse the map, i know i have (and still do sometimes )

you say: "but I don't have any master strategies!"
I say: well, see the first point...everyone has to learn somewhere...if you don't do it/try it, you definitely won't learn. if you don't try a strategy then you will never know if it would work or not.

you say: "but no one joins my squad!"
I say: well, then that's their loss. try sending invites if you want to...hell, maybe those handful of lone wolves are lonewolves because they don't know about the squad system...I know when i first started playing this game, I didn't know chit about the squad system...I just kinda stumbled upon it one day playing with the buttons at the spawn screen..."what's this squad tab?...oh kewl, when i click this join a squad I can spawn in on this moving green dot instead of just the stationary white ones!"

the main points to keep in mind for SL-ing are direction, cohesion, and battlefield awareness.
-direction: SM's need orders, goals, direction
-cohesion: SM's need to be on the same page with the direction
-battlefield awareness: know who/what/when/how/where to attack...if you have a squad full of medics and are attacking a flag with 3 pieces of armor at it...don't attack it, bypass it or wait for the armor to leave...if there is a leet enemy pilot patrolling the skies, it's probably best to not take that open road in the middle of the map..take that curvy road lined with trees along the outer edge...you notice 3 full squads at one flag, perhaps you should spawn/attack a different flag...etc.

...this was going to mainly be a step up to SL thread, but is now going to bleed over into a general "step up!" post...

as such, similarly goes for anyone weary of trying anything else out of their comfort zone...

you say: "but i suck at <insert outside of comfort zone task>!"
I say: guess what, everyone did at some point. do you think that <leet pilot> that's 50-0 was always that good? hell no...when they first started flying, they probably went 0-50 more often than not. do you think that helo pilot was always able to do those flips and barrel rolls? I'm willing to bet they had their fair share of upside down stalls into the ground/trees/building than they like to admit.

similarly to all of the above, don't be afraid to join some "unknown's" squad...they might surprise you, give em a chance. just the other day I joined on clean sweep, usmc, looking at the spawn screen and map and see this little blue boat way at the edge of the map with a number under him...watch it a little longer and its up by abandon village, I'll be damned...join that squad and just the two of us managed to take mec airfield, we even had a confrontation or two and he played smart and provided a viable spawn point...all without vocalizing anything. I note that last part because too many people dismiss "unknown" SL's because they didn't vocalize in the first 60sec of the SM joining, as in "this guy ain't talking...i'm finding someone else..."...some of the best SL I've SM with have been minimally vocal, if at all.

in short: step up! if you own bf2, you are qualified. if you are a regular here, then you are even more qualified to step up given that you have played with/against some of the best.

just think of having 9 good SL to choose from when you join instead of those 1-3 everyone else is waiting to join in to too.

oh, and all for naught...to the few people I've noticed "stepping up" lately, kudos and keep it up! the first step is that first step

Well said.

I will step up and say I am one of those people and I will not do it anymore, I will start trying my hand at SL'in.....Its just so fun to be in the squad with Rico and GMG and a few others they make the game more fun do to there attitude of SL'ing.



btw, Nice article

Again Boat, Well said!

Originally Posted by nmeboat

I've seen many a game where a team gets handicapped w/in the first 5min of a round simply because 2/3 of the team is at the spawn screen waiting for someone else to step up, ie, 2/3 of our team hasn't spawned in either, which is where that handicap comes in because there's no one on the ground for when that jet jumper comes flying in w/in the first few minutes and the flag is taken in seconds unopposed w/in the first couple of minutes of the round.

I agree with 95% of what you've posted; however, we all know that a team can be handicapped when too many people spawn in on maps with uncap bases (Highway Tampa, Karkand (USMC), Cleansweep (USMC), Dalian (USMC), Wake Island (USMC), Zatar Wetlands, etc.) and you get stuck without a ride and then you're screwed. On these maps and some others, it's advantageous to hold your spawn until you get SLs in vehicles moving out. Now, when NO ONE or 1 or 2 people spawn in and nobody is going anywhere, you're 100% correct.

A side question, why do NME squad leaders wait so long to make a squad?

Originally Posted by Jlspence

I agree with 95% of what you've posted; however, we all know that a team can be handicapped when too many people spawn in on maps with uncap bases (Highway Tampa, Karkand (USMC), Cleansweep (USMC), Dalian (USMC), Wake Island (USMC), Zatar Wetlands, etc.) and you get stuck without a ride and then you're screwed. On these maps and some others, it's advantageous to hold your spawn until you get SLs in vehicles moving out. Now, when NO ONE or 1 or 2 people spawn in and nobody is going anywhere, you're 100% correct.

A side question, why do NME squad leaders wait so long to make a squad?

yes, I do acknowledge that there are maps and cases where having too many people spawn in can be a slight hindrance...I just was generalizing for the most part, particularly about the cases/maps where it can cripple a team

a side answer...i know not what you speak of...

i dunno...no defined reason, just kinda became habit and sort of superstition i guess? lol. but no real, one, definite reason

Originally Posted by Coyote Warlady

Again Boat, Well said!

see...that wasn't as terrible and daunting as one might make it out to be! i think your squad even made top squad a few times this evening.

same goes for sfrichk, being one of "the few people i've noticed 'stepping up' lately" noted in my original post.

good job and keep it up ladies!

...c'mon guys...yall gonna let a coupla girls show you up!? </chauvinistic taunt/bait>

Originally Posted by nmeboat

good job and keep it up ladies!

...c'mon guys...yall gonna let a coupla girls show you up!? </chauvinistic taunt/bait>