The Good Soldier

To be more effective in an organized unit

 * The ability to take orders. Not without question, however if you believe you have a better idea, you need to message the SL or Whisper to him in teamspeak. Try to keep your bright ideas between you and the lead er, and he will decide if the orders should change. Everyone will get the chance to lead.


 * Playing in an elite squad doesn't mean you have to act elite (ASS?) but it requires a level of maturity that not everyone is into. There are 13 year olds who can behave and play like old men, and likewise there are 40+ guys who are crybabies and I wouldn’t want to squad with ever. These personality types you will need to flush out for yourself as you engage future outfit members in conversation over time, and feel out who is right for the ...ELITE squad.


 * Being able to WAIT for your comrades to organize. To WAIT when told to, which is one of the hardest things to do in any FPS. Waiting, while fire is flying somewhere nearby, for your squad mates to spawn, is agonizing, but wait you must. All too often people respawn (in any game) and suit up, and go flying towards the enemy alone, one after another, like a bad karate movie.


 * Keeping Quiet on Teamspeak. When Battle Chat is in force, it is essential that only squad relevant material be sent out on teamspeak. Even when Battle Chat is called off, it is expected that the topic will stay mainly focused on Planetside. This is discussed in detail later


 * What you do represents your entire outfit. In nearly all other games that do not take place on a massive server like this, a clan will wear tags showing who they work for (TAG / SHS / JAG / {UO} / [LB] ). When someone does something to hurt the game for someone else, or come up with a superb maneuver to save the entire game very rarely do people remember the name AFTER the tag, they just remember that someone with THAT tag did it. In short, act mature, treat everyone fairly and try to be respectful to other people playing the game.


 * Stick with your team This one should be #1 actually. You should nearly always stay close to your fire team whenever possible. More often you should stay in VISUAL RANGE of them. Scattered teams spread out across an area are not nearly as effective as a tight unit moving in formation (though not SO tight as to be taken out by one boomer or plasma grenade)


 * Make sure you know what’s happening. Some would call it situational awareness, but it’s more than that. If the squad leader has laid down the mission plan, and you do not understand it totally it is ok to ask again what is about to happen. Make sure you are on the same page as everyone else in your squad for the mission at hand. Don’t be the guy going left when everyone else goes right.


 * Stay on guard at all times. Even in the emptiest of bases or towers, a cloaker may be lurking, or even a max maybe standing perfectly still so as not to be seen on audio. Keep a weapon out AND reloaded at all times when not in fast travel


 * Make sure your teammates are in good shape. Check your squad's armor and health and make sure you can help them out whenever you have a minute of downtime to heal or repair them. Once teammates are done, if there are any empire soldiers who need assistance help them out whenever possible.


 * Don’t be a Han Solo (or Han Solo on acid) Either one simply means running off on your own to take care of something without backup of some sort. The second of the two statements is doing so in a situation where you will CLEARLY not win and will become a burden to the rest of the squad because you now need to be revived. Always, always, always stay with your unit whenever possible. This dovetails with 6, stick with your team, but even then, don’t strike out in freaky ways that you will need to be rescued from.

That’s great. Stuff you need to do to help out your squad. What if there were a list of the things you shouldn’t do? A list of the players you may not always want in your outfit or your squad, what would that look like? Here are a few I’ve come across in my days here in Planetside

What Kind of Soldier are YOU?

 * The Lone Wolf - It's really easy to spot this one, even before you invite him into a squad. This guy will always, always be off doing something totally opposite to the rest of the squad. Now there are some certs that require this type of play (sniper or cloaker) but that’s not what you need for a tight organized grunt squad.


 * The Chatterbox - Oh dear god, If you have one of these on your Teamspeak server I feel for you. Teamspeak is a tool that can become a nightmare if you end up with a neverending talker on the line. If you have one person doing this, and everyone else is kind of dancing around not wanting to hurt his feelings, then its your job as the squad leader to step on some toes and get the offender to shut his pie hole.


 * The Backseat Leader Is everything you do wrong? Is there someone in your squad that has to question EVERY TURN YOU MAKE? What’s worse is when one of his 5 million ideas may have actually worked, then you’re REALLY in for it now, because you should have listened. Don’t ever put up with this in open chat. Shut it down quickly, or else other people will pick up on it and start doing it too. It will undermine leadership and soon the squad will begin to simply drive itself without the SL.


 * The Usual Idiot - I’ve had a few in my squads, I suppose in my life of gaming I've BEEN one in other people's squads. There are people who just don’t seem to play the same game you’re playing. They make you turn your head, wondering how did they ever type in their credit card number at all to begin with. They seem not to be able to read, even in ALL CAPS, they can’t hear on teamspeak because they cant figure out how to download it or what side of the mic to talk in. I would love to tell you to steer clear of the Idiot, however, there is no choice in this matter, you WILL run into him… nightly.


 * The Hotshot - He's a version of the lone wolf. He doesn’t need your help, doesn't listen to your commands, knows the best way to do things, but doesn't argue with you the way the backseat does, he just plays the way he wants to regardless of what you ask. The really annoying thing about the hotshot is that he’s effective and he gets his job done. But it’s not necessarily the job you wanted done, or in the manner you NEEDED it done. So in the end you need to ask yourself if the end justifies the means. If it doesn't bother you, then the hotshot can really be a boon to your squad, however he just won’t really be in it.


 * The Goofball - his is the guy who IS the team player. DOES follow orders. HAS good ideas. Nearly everything you want & need from a soldier. As long as he has a target. Left Idle, he will take out his knife and hop around like a rabbit looking for anything to tag. The goofball will be the one who OS’s friendly courtyards, and globally broadcasts the fact that ALT + F4 is a secret cheat mode. He’s ton’s of fun to have around.. If you can stand him.