Thread: Calling and Leadership

I would love to be playing again, but I usually have no time. Either out and about, working, or sleeping lately. I can't start a game past 10PM EST and usually get home around 9PM EST. Still game though if I have the time!

Anywho, to this leadership thing, I agree that calling is incredibly useful in most of our lobbies. We have a lot of people that play very little or are very new and those calls help get them up in "skill" as Thorsen has described it. Calling out to save the charged guy first or clear the jockey quickly and such gets programmed into their minds eventually. The aiming and other combat skills just come with play.

Calling is indeed a necessity in MOST of the TPG L4D2 games, but when we do have a full team of high skill players, the calling may not be there as much but we are all communicating and trying to help each other out as a team. It is not just 'go do what you want because you are good.' There is still team play at all times, they just don't find the need to say everything that is happening because usually everyone on a highly skilled team will be thinking the same thing. Those are just attributes learned over time.

Still, even on some of the highest skilled teams, having someone call out strats or options is a good thing to keep everyone in line and focused. I remember watching a scrim of Area 51 a few years ago and being in their mumble. They were one of, if not, the best teams at the time. They had a caller of sorts. The calls were not as complicated as "okay hunter go from here and boomer here..." etc. but more of "drop it down in 3, 2, 1" once everyone got in position and he noticed it. It didn't matter if he told them where to go because they all saw the same situation and figured out good spots for themselves individually, but what mattered is that they were all ready to go, and knew when to go.

And that ^ is why I do not like calling. I just expect everyone is ready to go when I am. I fail to look around and slow the moment down to make sure the hit will be all it can be. I have poor leadership. But, when someone else is calling, I can over-call them because I am waiting for them to tell me what to do. I will start to notice if people are out of position or not ready and such. This is the reason the caller can either destroy a team or lead them to victory (points or learning wise). If you just go off of what you are wanting as a caller, things can go horribly wrong. If you stop for a split second and concentrate on what your team is trying to set up, then call things out, it will most likely turn out well.

Ah man, reading this thread..... I'm going to try to start a match.... lol