« April 2005 | Main | July 2005 »
June 27, 2005
Battlefield 2 Commander Tips
By now, we've played enough BF2 to know a good commander from a bad one. By no means does a high rank ensure that the guy in charge knows what the hell he's doing. Here are a few tips to make yourself a little bit more effective in the hot seat.
Repair your assets with a supply drop
Unless you're playing a coordinated game with friends, you probably won't have the luxury of an engineer running around fixing the artillery, scan radar and UAV truck for you. In this case, you can place a supply drop near the damaged asset and it will be repaired in no time.
Scan before you place the UAV
Placing the UAV is essentially saying "I've seen something that everyone else should be aware of". Blindly placing the UAV somewhere is a good way to waste it and the attention of others. Scan first, and if you see a nest of enemy troops that your team should be aware of, place the UAV accordingly.
Proper placement of the UAV
This one seems pretty obvious, but it's amazing how often the UAV is misused. If you're directing squads at a single point of attack, sure you should put up a UAV so that they're aware of the danger, but the right placement is also important. In the screen below, notice how the UAV sweep will essentially cover the full path of friendly troops to the target.
The first UAV placement is also important. When a new round begins, it's unlikely that there will be much order (especially because you have to wait to find out if you've been elected commander). The best first course of action is to see where the main thrust of your team's offensive is headed, and place the UAV between them and their destination.
When to use the artillery on a single enemy
If you're playing a tight map such as Mashtuur City, there will probably be times when there is no good place to drop arty. This typically occurs when friendly troops are scattered around the map, and dropping arty on any flag will result in multiple TKs. This is a judgment call, but if it doesn't look like there will be a clear path for 60 seconds (the time it takes for arty to regenerate), find a lone enemy and take him out. In this case, it's better to use the arty on one person, than to not use it all.
Supply drops
First off, if the decision is to put a supply drop near friendlies or use it to repair a commander asset (arty, UAV trailer, scan radar), always repair the commander assets. They are a much more valuable resource than giving a few team members health and ammo. If you don't have any commander assets to repair, then proper placement of the supply drop is important. Make sure you put it in a place where the enemy will not likely get it.
Spotting enemies
The scan radar is your private view of the battlefield. Scanning dictates what your next actions should be: place a UAV to inform your team, drop arty or identifying enemies. Identifying enemies is somewhat tedious, but incredibly important. If you see a lone tank, working its way around to flank your flag, you should immediately identify it so that team members can take action. It's probably not worth wasting a UAV on, but a simple right-click -> spotted will go a long way.
Encouraging teamplay
If a squad leader makes a request of you, always acknowledge it in some way. If a request for UAV is made, but the UAV is recharging, right-click on the squad number and select "Sorry", which will say to the squad leader "I'm listening, but can't comply right now, hold tight". This little interaction will ensure that next time, the squad leader knows you're doing your job and will continue to make requests and keep you informed.
Talk damnit!
Talking to your squads via VOIP is the absolute best way to coordinate an attack. Maybe they don't see the incoming arty and are charging into a certain TK; let them know to back up. If a squad is capturing a flag and have requested a UAV flyover but you don't see any enemies in their area, just tell them that they're clear instead of wasting a UAV. Talking to your squads also lets them know that you're going out of your way to look out for them.
Posted by jb at 09:52 AM
June 21, 2005
BF2 didn't come today.
I love my grandfather. He's a short-tempered southern pragmatist, and mean as all hell when people behave stupidly in front of him. He points out the simple things, and has a power to make smart-aleck sales associates weep in shame before him (I hope someday he will teach me this).
A good example would be when my grandmother passed away, he asked me to drive him to a gym that they had just joined. He explained to the woman behind the counter that he had paid for 3 months, and would like a refund for the 2 months that my grandmother would not be using. The little chippie responded with a condescending smile and a quick "Oh I'm sorry we don't do that."
I can't describe what happened then. There was a brief silence while they held eye-contact, during which I imagine that some sort of psychic exchange took place. Then suddenly she understood. She didn't just understand, she was now the champion for my grandfathers cause. She was going to get him his refund, or she'd buy the gas to burn the place down. 10 seconds earlier, corporate policy was no refunds for membership cancellations, period. Now she got it, this man was asking them to return the money he paid for something he would never get - and come to think of it, that makes perfect sense, doesn't it.
I stood well behind him and watched. The chippie, transformed into a human again, goes to the jock in the office. Through the window I see him shake his head, bothered by the question. He stands and comes to the door where he makes eye contact, and the pause happens again, now he nods in agreement. He's on the phone in a heartbeat. 10 minutes later, they're issuing a credit remittance for 2 months of an unused membership.
My grandfather, who taught me how an electric circuit works when I was 6, believed in the unspoken and understood agreement behind monetary transactions. I will pay you to do something. If I don't come through, I will make it up to you, and you'll do the same. More and more, I'm having trouble finding services that work like this.
I realize today that the "pre-order" concept is just as diseased. "I will give you money right now, for nothing. In exchange, on the 21st, you'll have a copy of Battlefield 2 for me. If you don't deliver I get.. I get.." oh wait, I don't get anything do I. If you don't deliver, I get an editorial cartoon of me bent over a tree stump getting kicked in the ass by someone wearing your logo.
The price of admission was not enough. To be continued...
Posted by bradley at 04:49 PM
