I haven't gotten to watch the video in full, so when I get free time.. I'll take a look in detail.
One of the things about drop commanding is that it can be a PITA (pain in the arse).
I don't volunteer to do it unless noone decides to do it... and having a drop commander has to be done.
Here's 3 things that's important to the drop commander...
1) People willing to listen, even if they disagree:
I can't really dissuade people from not using LRMs or bad mechs and builds, but I can only "suggest" stuff to them and then they can take it for what it is worth. The thing is that if I'm calling for a certain dropdeck, I hope you're able to eventually get to that point where you can put it together at a whim (have the builds prepared in advance ideally), so that it works more efficiently with everything else. I still prefer having a non-LRMs policy... if only to ensure people are effective at all times... but I don't think that'll stop some people ultimately.
Anyways, people need to try to be flexible as they can on the mech option front.
2) People willing to do what they are told in combat
When a push is ordered, YOU MUST PUSH. Failure to do so is like having 12v11 (or less, depending on the situation). The better teams do it, and it must be executed to the best of your ability when called. You'll eventually get better at it, but you MUST do it when called upon to do so. Not every push will be successful, but you have to understand how you go about getting being better at it... like not being the "only guy in the front" making the push, or just getting the timing down correctly... sometimes you are moving into laser fire from your team... instead of waiting for the laser fire to diminish first... and vice versa (the guy in the back has to be more careful at when to fire, hopefully nothing getting into his Field of Vision).
3) The Drop Commander has to be willing to accept criticism and adjustments
I'm pretty sure I'm flawed at times when doing the drop commanding. Sometimes things have to be said (with the assumption that you need to be told everything so that we're clear) and sometimes things are not said (important details can be forgotten at times). It's almost like being a babysitter, but communication is important to making sure the drop commander is clear on some issues whether it is a bad call or just a bad situation.
There is no wrong answer, but there can be better options/routes.
Reminding people NOT to chase the squirrel is still important as people forget what their objectives are. This is not to tell you that you cannot shoot at it, rather it is important not to expose yourself in a bad position so that the opfor can shoot at you more effectively.
Reminding people to set up properly and not hide in the very far back is important just as well, as noone can come to help you if you self-isolate yourself.
Reminding people that the called target is the optimal target in the drop commander's POV, but if you can't reach it for whatever reason, there are ALWAYS other targets of opportunity... and you need to use your brain to make good decisions. Sometimes people "believe" they make the best decisions, however when judged in a vacuum, it's not a good one at the time. Training yourself to figure out the best target is not always the one called, but there are some simple criterion to make good decisions with... and over time you cannot solely rely on the drop commander for that when he is not on the front lines. Making good decisions gets better results, but ideally the drop commander will attempt to make the best decision at the time, and you need to follow it unless something more important comes up (like seeing a Stormcrow, but then coming upon a Dire Wolf - the Direwolf does have to go first).
A lot of things in the game cannot be covered by a tutorials, but many of the basic fundamentals CAN be covered by a tutorial... AND these things MUST BE BUILT INTO THE GAME. Videos that show the concepts are nice, but you need to practice them realtime in game, and as such necessitates being built into the game to remind people.
Anyways, it isn't a simple task, but the whole thing about drop commanding is a give and take situation... and the more people that are willing to buy into the plan AND execute it effectively usually results in success. Unless you are fighting some of the really high tier units, you are more likely to win than lose when played properly (like 80%, or at least more than 50%).
It's really hard to do this while PUGing, and that's why the level of play is completely inconsistent in MWO. Tutorials are required to train people for basic fundamental MWO skills before a drop commander can usefully utilize them in optimal ways.
That is what the NPE is part of a lingering disaster of epic proportions and it's difficult to correct unless PGI actually bothers to work on such critical aspects of this game. It's hard to keep people here if they are not willing to get past "how do you target other mechs" or even "can I target other mechs".
Edited by Deathlike, 04 May 2015 - 06:05 PM.
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Star Colonel Silver Surat, on 04 May 2015 - 01:21 PM, said:
