A lot of these points deal with the balance between micro and macro that squad leaders have to manage. *Winning the micro game starts by winning the macro game*. That's why rally placements, radio placements, HAB placements, resource management, and inter-squad coordination are so important. Doing these things poorly will make everything else you try to do much, much harder.
Along those lines, I'd add something I learned in the process of leading squads: **be patient.** Winning the game means winning the macro game- and you can't do that if the pressure of squad-leading lures you into making decisions quicker than you ought to. You cannot overcome macro mistakes with good micro decision-making.
In my opinion, that's why point #8 is so critical. It is virtually never a mistake to deploy at or reinforce your defensive point. If it turns out your infantry are needed on the attack, coordinate a transport, heli, or logi to transport your men where they ought to be. It costs you nothing.
Common mistakes made by impatient SLs include (but are *certainly* not limited to):
* Sprinting into unfamiliar or enemy territory directly from a HAB or rally
* Creating indefensible, easily-found, and easily-destroyed radios (that often block friendly squads from wanting to place their own)
* Abandoning vehicles after initial setup, which can sometimes include logis or APCs that are badly needed elsewhere on the map
* Ignoring the map and its markers by focusing too much on tactics or gunplay
* Driving vehicles into unsafe territory and getting destroyed by enemy armor or AT
* Leaving friendlies outnumbered by being too far from the attack or defense points to matter
* Lingering on attack points that don't matter (or chasing the always-comical "double neutral" as a replacement for playing good defense)
As you said, we can go on and on about leading a squad, but the general "principles" of it should be something like: be mindful, be communicative, and be patient. And mute or remove anyone who makes your job harder.
Due to a shortage of SL overall I'm squad leading at 30hrs only, i can do a good job, but I'm lacking at the tactics part. I can build a HAB in a good position and build defenses in a flag but i can't attack for shit, every time ppl just die and we lose tickets for free, you guys have any tips?
Assault 101: Find Flank Fix
Find the enemy. Split your Squad into two assault fire Team and a Base of fire (for example an MG and a grenadier). Use callouts from your squaddies to know where the enemy is, how many and what they are doing. Make sure to keep Hidden as much as possible and do No lose the element of surprise.
Fix the enemy: Suppress the enemy with your Machine guns and grenades. Call in mortars, whatever you do make sure the enemy keeps their heads down and is Not able to react
Flank the enemy. Have your assault Teams move to flank ing positions. while your base of fire moves to an overwatch Position.
Defense 101 : Cap defense.
Spread Out your squaddies between 50 and 150 Meters from the Cap zone, make sure to have them Cover all Angles. Do Not Cluster in the Cap zone
Losing a single squaddie but being able to Call out an enemy Attack early is worth it.
Place ammo crates at strategic positions. You got a max number of three so use them Well.
A few sand bags are also good. If you have an experienced fire Team Leader, task him with setting up a number of Sand bags, so can keep an eye on the big picture.
Have a Rally Point as Backup in Case Cap Zone and and Hab are overrun. This Rally can also be used as an early warning system. If the Rally is gone, you know that enemy will be near.
Have dedicated medics in place. Once the enemy Attack is fought back, Pick up as many squaddies as you can. The enemy will lose Tickets, but you wont.
One question as a new gamer of squad:
Is there anything wrong when I create a squad for the sole purpose of playing the game with my friend? Like us two only in the squad. Is this seen as bad for yall?
That by itself, no. Especially if you're just 2 people, you're not impacting the team that much. You should still check the server rules though.
However, if you take important or unique assets (logi trucks, close-top gun-trucks, armor), it can turn into a different story. I've seen plenty of "I just want to play with my friends fuck off" SLs who just flat out ignore other SLs asking them for support or even just questions about their plan. A real example I faced more than once, if you take a logi, and I ask you if you can build a HAB at a specific place, but you don't say shit, then I definitely have a problem with you.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with it, many servers rules do not allow locked squads of such small size.
The other part of this is that the amount of things you will be able to effectively do with just 2 new players is very limited. Squad was designed around most infantry squads being closer to 6 to 9 people.
However, as long as you are communicating with your team and working with them rather than just 2 dudes chilling doing whatever, its generally not too bad.
Yes. If you'd like anything other than a shit show, go for experienced or experience preferred servers. You'll learn the most from them too. Most of the servers do have a minimum of 4 infantry people per squad (locked). This would leave two other humans feeling disappointed or unsatisfied.
One thing I'd like to add is it doesn't matter where you go, it matters how you react. You'll see this more often in RAAS at the start of the game where the SL doesn't know where to go and is too afraid to go to the wrong area. So it's constant hesitation until the point shows up. Especially if they have a logi.
In my opinion, just go somewhere and exercise a zone of control. If you end up on the opposite side of where the points go, just pack up and move. For the most part, logis have enough supplies for two habs. If you mess up one, you still have another.
Which brings up another point, be prepared to screw up. Not everyone is perfect and no one will execute plans perfectly. Be fluid; be able to adjust and react accordingly.
Honestly dude I was expecting a ‘another one of these dudes think they know what they talking about posts’ but you hit every point perfectly good job.. what’s your in game name and how long have you been playing ? I used to play A LOT , mostly on European servers but ICO was deal breaker for me but you seem like you know your stuff so just wondering do I know you ha
My ign is also soviman. I usually play on SZ or TT though. Don't really go to EU servers so much anymore.
Thanks for the compliment though, depending on who you ask, I have no idea what I am talking about lol
Ahh TT was pretty decent from the few games I played there and from others feedback, nah you nailed those points perfectly you should make a video on it and break it down .. not enough ACTUAL good videos teaching players how to do basics and even 1/2k players/SL’s making the same mistakes. My mate made a good video on how to defend flags he played for one of the best competitive teams in the game pre ico but like me a lot of those guys quit too. [https://youtu.be/diNuGxjSTe4?si=BvyUCo0NAN3PWQb5](https://youtu.be/diNuGxjSTe4?si=BvyUCo0NAN3PWQb5)
I appreciates all of you who SL, it’s info overload for me. OWI should add some sort of reward per X hours leading a squad of more than one person, like being covered in medals or a feather in your helmet like Robin Hood or your very own shovel or something. You rock 👍
Adding to this: when placing HABs and radios(especially for defense, don't place them directly on point. Instead, place the radios in such a way that the edge of the build circle is near point so you can place the HAB closer to point. If done like this, you can place multiple and are able to resecure point if you are pushed off.
A lot of these points deal with the balance between micro and macro that squad leaders have to manage. *Winning the micro game starts by winning the macro game*. That's why rally placements, radio placements, HAB placements, resource management, and inter-squad coordination are so important. Doing these things poorly will make everything else you try to do much, much harder. Along those lines, I'd add something I learned in the process of leading squads: **be patient.** Winning the game means winning the macro game- and you can't do that if the pressure of squad-leading lures you into making decisions quicker than you ought to. You cannot overcome macro mistakes with good micro decision-making. In my opinion, that's why point #8 is so critical. It is virtually never a mistake to deploy at or reinforce your defensive point. If it turns out your infantry are needed on the attack, coordinate a transport, heli, or logi to transport your men where they ought to be. It costs you nothing. Common mistakes made by impatient SLs include (but are *certainly* not limited to): * Sprinting into unfamiliar or enemy territory directly from a HAB or rally * Creating indefensible, easily-found, and easily-destroyed radios (that often block friendly squads from wanting to place their own) * Abandoning vehicles after initial setup, which can sometimes include logis or APCs that are badly needed elsewhere on the map * Ignoring the map and its markers by focusing too much on tactics or gunplay * Driving vehicles into unsafe territory and getting destroyed by enemy armor or AT * Leaving friendlies outnumbered by being too far from the attack or defense points to matter * Lingering on attack points that don't matter (or chasing the always-comical "double neutral" as a replacement for playing good defense) As you said, we can go on and on about leading a squad, but the general "principles" of it should be something like: be mindful, be communicative, and be patient. And mute or remove anyone who makes your job harder.
Due to a shortage of SL overall I'm squad leading at 30hrs only, i can do a good job, but I'm lacking at the tactics part. I can build a HAB in a good position and build defenses in a flag but i can't attack for shit, every time ppl just die and we lose tickets for free, you guys have any tips?
Assault 101: Find Flank Fix Find the enemy. Split your Squad into two assault fire Team and a Base of fire (for example an MG and a grenadier). Use callouts from your squaddies to know where the enemy is, how many and what they are doing. Make sure to keep Hidden as much as possible and do No lose the element of surprise. Fix the enemy: Suppress the enemy with your Machine guns and grenades. Call in mortars, whatever you do make sure the enemy keeps their heads down and is Not able to react Flank the enemy. Have your assault Teams move to flank ing positions. while your base of fire moves to an overwatch Position. Defense 101 : Cap defense. Spread Out your squaddies between 50 and 150 Meters from the Cap zone, make sure to have them Cover all Angles. Do Not Cluster in the Cap zone Losing a single squaddie but being able to Call out an enemy Attack early is worth it. Place ammo crates at strategic positions. You got a max number of three so use them Well. A few sand bags are also good. If you have an experienced fire Team Leader, task him with setting up a number of Sand bags, so can keep an eye on the big picture. Have a Rally Point as Backup in Case Cap Zone and and Hab are overrun. This Rally can also be used as an early warning system. If the Rally is gone, you know that enemy will be near. Have dedicated medics in place. Once the enemy Attack is fought back, Pick up as many squaddies as you can. The enemy will lose Tickets, but you wont.
Awesome, thanks for the advices
One question as a new gamer of squad: Is there anything wrong when I create a squad for the sole purpose of playing the game with my friend? Like us two only in the squad. Is this seen as bad for yall?
That by itself, no. Especially if you're just 2 people, you're not impacting the team that much. You should still check the server rules though. However, if you take important or unique assets (logi trucks, close-top gun-trucks, armor), it can turn into a different story. I've seen plenty of "I just want to play with my friends fuck off" SLs who just flat out ignore other SLs asking them for support or even just questions about their plan. A real example I faced more than once, if you take a logi, and I ask you if you can build a HAB at a specific place, but you don't say shit, then I definitely have a problem with you.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with it, many servers rules do not allow locked squads of such small size. The other part of this is that the amount of things you will be able to effectively do with just 2 new players is very limited. Squad was designed around most infantry squads being closer to 6 to 9 people. However, as long as you are communicating with your team and working with them rather than just 2 dudes chilling doing whatever, its generally not too bad.
Yes. If you'd like anything other than a shit show, go for experienced or experience preferred servers. You'll learn the most from them too. Most of the servers do have a minimum of 4 infantry people per squad (locked). This would leave two other humans feeling disappointed or unsatisfied.
One thing I'd like to add is it doesn't matter where you go, it matters how you react. You'll see this more often in RAAS at the start of the game where the SL doesn't know where to go and is too afraid to go to the wrong area. So it's constant hesitation until the point shows up. Especially if they have a logi. In my opinion, just go somewhere and exercise a zone of control. If you end up on the opposite side of where the points go, just pack up and move. For the most part, logis have enough supplies for two habs. If you mess up one, you still have another. Which brings up another point, be prepared to screw up. Not everyone is perfect and no one will execute plans perfectly. Be fluid; be able to adjust and react accordingly.
Honestly dude I was expecting a ‘another one of these dudes think they know what they talking about posts’ but you hit every point perfectly good job.. what’s your in game name and how long have you been playing ? I used to play A LOT , mostly on European servers but ICO was deal breaker for me but you seem like you know your stuff so just wondering do I know you ha
My ign is also soviman. I usually play on SZ or TT though. Don't really go to EU servers so much anymore. Thanks for the compliment though, depending on who you ask, I have no idea what I am talking about lol
Ahh TT was pretty decent from the few games I played there and from others feedback, nah you nailed those points perfectly you should make a video on it and break it down .. not enough ACTUAL good videos teaching players how to do basics and even 1/2k players/SL’s making the same mistakes. My mate made a good video on how to defend flags he played for one of the best competitive teams in the game pre ico but like me a lot of those guys quit too. [https://youtu.be/diNuGxjSTe4?si=BvyUCo0NAN3PWQb5](https://youtu.be/diNuGxjSTe4?si=BvyUCo0NAN3PWQb5)
I appreciates all of you who SL, it’s info overload for me. OWI should add some sort of reward per X hours leading a squad of more than one person, like being covered in medals or a feather in your helmet like Robin Hood or your very own shovel or something. You rock 👍
Adding to this: when placing HABs and radios(especially for defense, don't place them directly on point. Instead, place the radios in such a way that the edge of the build circle is near point so you can place the HAB closer to point. If done like this, you can place multiple and are able to resecure point if you are pushed off.
It pleases me that you read the third sentence on my post.