Why I wont join your squad, stop asking.

This game is zergside so yea if you try to take or defend a hex solo you are asking for trouble but you don't have to put up with the annoying people you meet in squads for example the top 4 offenders below.

1. The "everyone" leaders, these are the leaders who can not give an order with out it being everyone in the squad or platoon i.e. "everyone spawn on my sunderer or everyone max crash now!" These people can't delegate between squads or soldier in a squad and only want 11 or 47 meat shields to protect them while they earn points. If you mess up their point earning by say not moving fast enough they have no problem sitting there for the next 5 min talking about how most of the platoon members are stupid and can't follow orders.

2. The drunk who wants to chat on voice about anything and everything that comes to mind like movies, TV, politics, sports, and never shuts up long enough to hear any orders or someone call out a galaxy or armor column.

3. The Jerk who for no reason has to jump on someone, either they ask for help or give suggestion and the jerk has to say something like "****" or on voice flat out insult someone. No one in a leadership role ever kicks the jerk they just sit there pissing people off.

4. Mister Speakers who thinks everyone in the squad or platoon needs to hear what song he is listening to. They almost always have to play Ride of the Valkyries when in an aircraft, ugh.


You can follow the zerg or redeploy as a defender and help out with out joining a squad. You can avoid these and other jack ***** and you might actually have a fun time.

You must be fun at parties...

Just no. Most fun part about this game is the level of teamwork that actually goes on when every other FPS game like this is full of people incapable of working together. The teamwork issues on this game for the scale involved are inconsequential.

Seriously... I just got done with 2 hours of Battlefield 4. The number of times I got flanked because my teammates decided to evaporate is astounding. Or when someone takes our jet fighter as their own personal taxi.

PS2 is the only FPS game besides ARMA/Insurgency where teamwork at least sorta exists. All other games I've tried might as well be 1v1v1v1v1... to the 32d.

I'm number 2. I've started running squads for the lone purpose of talking while playing.

CS:GO too to a certain degree, but that's only 4v4 or w/e so it's not that hard to get 4 potato's to play together.

Now, dont get me wrong, those SL types most certainly exist and are right **** for sure. Thats y u find the good leads, the outfit leads and the pubbie platoon leaders that know wtf they are doing. Easiest way is just join a top tier outfit. Pub leads are almost always trash.

5.) Those silly platoon leaders who think they have a super special ops platoon, when really it is a platoon of cats. This leads to them expecting everyone to follow complicated orders quickly and efficiently, but what usually happens is those of you who do listen end up waiting in a warpgate gal for 5 minutes because no one else is showing up, then continuing with a gal drop...with only 5 people...dead smack in the middle of an overpop fight, rinse repeat. Feel free to sub in "Max crashes where no one actually pulls anything for a max crash" for the "Most platoon leaders have no idea how to do a good gal drop" scenerio.

In their defense, the following is way too complex for the average player:

1. Redeploy to warpgate.
2. Jump in Galaxy with your squads color on it.
3. Jump out when told to.
4. Head to letter your squad is designated to go.

That is seriously way too complex for the average PS2 player. But platoons that can do it are the ones that win Alerts. Not lonewolves who contribute to the aimless chaos that is easily taken advantage of.

One of the best open platoons I've ever ran with was with Hav0c on Connery NC, about 6 months to a year ago (they may still do it if they're still around). They had a simple rule. Miss a Gal more than twice in a row and you're out. Basically they would pull Galaxies and have everyone pile in at the warpgate or deploy directly into them.

Then they'd drop on a base at specific points (they had excellent pilots). They would put up Beacons for those that missed the Gal if they could, but the objective was to get on points and hold them. They relied on medics and teamwork to stay afloat, not respawning at Sunderers or even the base itself (if the base was ours to defend).

If things went south, and occasionally they would. They'd have us spawn at the Warpgate or directly into already pulled Gals (those pilots, like I said, were on the ball). And then try again or hit another base. The trick was to keep moving, never giving the enemy factions time to react. When a base was about 30-60 seconds away from victory and things were covered by the zerg, you'd redeploy, no reason to stay for assured victories.

I ran with these guys about a dozen times back then, I don't remember losing a single alert when they did this. They had an open platoon and a closed one for members and from what I could see they just utterly wrecked the TR and VS on Connery with that stuff.

Recursion was similar but they did not run open platoons from what I remember. Before I did open platoons I was with them. Those two outfits are the ones I wish most would try to emulate.

They're not super hardcore. They require people to listen, take advice and put the needs of the team over your own petty desires. I mean it is a team game so why not? I mean there's always time to veg out and have fun, and I've seen these outfits do just that. I remember doing dogfights with Future Crew (back when I knew the nose from the assend of an ESF at one point... that's a skill you'll lose if you don't upkeep it). But it seems like the majority of the game resents any sort of authority.

I get it that there are dozens of Aimchair Generals out there that do some derpy *** stuff. But you know what? I give them credit because at least some of them are trying. Leading 47 other people isn't easy. I mean lets put it this way in the US military we pay E6's, E7s, O1s, and O2s between $3,200 and $4,500 a month to do just that. Granted thats every day, and not just 2 hours for an alert in a video game, but that gives you some sort of perspective. It ain't easy work for sure.

6) The random squad member who wants a review of a weapon while you're busy trying to play
7) The 14 year old who knows it all and is a BF3CSGOMLGADSQUIKSCOPEPRO (in his own mind)

I stopped joining public squads a few weeks ago, after I spawned a support sundy and headed for the squad WP. When I got to within 300m the WP moved to back where I'd just come from, then kept moving all over the place just as I got near. Some people just aren't cut out to be squad leaders. I'm terrible at it but I admit it and avoid it.

The guy who has no clue what he's talking about, but is super confident with giving advice. I'd heard all kinds of nonsense, including "mossies have the lowest health out of all the ESFs" and "NC has the worst guns in the game because their recoil makes them terrible at longer ranges." I usually just leave, rather than argue.

Also, the shotgun whiners. This is common one, and it's just people who cry about getting killed by a shotgun.

I had a good chuckle having experienced all of those platoon/squad lead types. I know there are some decent squads and platoon leaders out there but, if you don't know someone in their outfit or some way to get your foot in the door, good luck finding them.

I'd rather do my own thing most nights or join a squad/platoon where no one speaks.

The urgent order to redeploy to the warp gate, load up the gal, don't pull any other armor, and then pick your nose for 5-8 while we wait on others or for the debate about the next target is a bummer. I always feel like I could have redeployed and gotten in a skirmish and then made it back to the gal or right to the next target rather than the time wasting usual.

When I have been in organized platoons with what I felt were decent players those were some of the most fun sessions I've played... too bad I can count them on one hand.

You know you're getting a bad platoon/squad experience when you find yourself with fingers crossed hoping the next squad is 11 players who don't speak your language.

- ps when did people decide their music taste was so awesome it had to be shared with everyone in proximity? we get it, you're a millennial who likes techno or whatever, you're a special little snowflake with the greatest taste ever but, if we want to fist pump we'll turn our own music up - your assistance is not needed. ty no ty

Why I won't join squads?

Cause I know better than all you hobos. Friends? Who needs friends when you got me? I am the biggest bestest drumbeater in PS2. Capturing bases and winning alerts is all done by me. Organised Platoons flee at my presence. I'm too MLG for the game and I have weed too!

On a more serious it's easier alone (My personal reason for playing the game virtually solo except with MAYBE one or two others)

I have noticed something that baffles me.
Its not about squads, but armchair's in /re who tells people to MAX crash when there is like 20 seconds left on the clock.
Then when nobody does it, they get angry.
It takes at least 30-45 seconds to get enough randoms in MAX suits, and you need time to actually reach the point which can sometimes take 20-30+ seconds if you dont stop for anything.

Also, people on voice complaining that everyone is in spawn when there is 15 seconds left and the enemy has 85% pop.
"Come on, what are you guys waiting for get to the point!" when you cant even reach it in time even if you didnt get MBT camped and there were no enemies.

And the 2 guys having a conversation over proxy in russian gets auto-ignored for obvious reasons.

Same with people who play music over proxy.
1. If i wanted to listen to music, i would listen to music.
2. Its always crappy mic static quality 100% of the time.
"But you can just ignore them, it takes 3 seconds."
Except its bugged. Continuously broadcasting over proxy bugs my mute.
Even if i mute, it doesent work. /ignoring doesent work. Even if i leave the area outside proxy range and mute then come back, it doesent work.
3. **** your proxy spam.

Also, if you have to use proxy to call for a medic, let them know where you are.
"Medic, revive me" doesent do anything for someone who has 8 revive markers on their minimap trying to get to everyone.
If you dont get revived, there is a good chance that the medic is busy with something more important, or your corpse is camped.

ya it is annoying when you cover someone while you are advancing, but nobody covers your flank and everybody just advances, not looking back for a moment, of course that works both ways AND if they can't win quickly within a few minutes (i.e a war of attrition) they leave and that 24/24 or 48/48 goes to 12/24 or 24/48 and you get slaughtered.

the biggest problem aside from zergs and zerglings enabling the other two factons to zerg while server pops are even are those squads that don't want attrition and want quick victory leaving and not saying anything in chat. seriously such a simple thing to do would spare some of us frustration when you just up and redeploy and take half the hex popuation with you.

1. If the leader is incompetent on a severe level and not just learning. Join anther platoon.
When you join platoon, look for outfit tags and when you solo and see others do operations that seem org.
Look at those guys outfit tags. Now you know who to join, generally.

2. Mute the drunk guy in Social_Voice chat options. Click the icon to the left of hes nick. / Ask PL via tell to kick the person or ask him to tone it down. Similar, if you are in an Outfit and people use Outfit VOIP too much. You can do the same by lowering Outfit volume to zero. Social_Voice chat_Outfit tab_Lower right corner double arrow up icon and set Outfit volume to zero on the tab column that comes up.

3. Here, I think there are caveats to the issue. If a noob starts asking extremely basic question and clogging up coms just because hes lazy during a very critical time in an alert or something. I will tell them to ST FU regardless of position. During down time, that is of course no issue, but time and place... even noobs should know basic interaction between people. You dont just barge in on a soccer meeting and start talking over the leaders like some idiots do in video games. Them getting told then to st fu, I have no issues with.

4. Mic spammers like that I ask the PL to kick. If he doesnt, I leave because I already know its going to be a noob platoon that is most likely not going to get anything done. They type that "panic recall" everyone when its obviously too little time to recurse and so on time and time again. So, mic spammer tolerated = Just leave.

5. ... oh, you only had 4 points. You must be new! Hahahaha


I will add one of my own then.
If the leader, who correctly should be on coms, or anybody else for that matter sounds like they are very distorted and is practically eating their mic. Its not unpolite to ask them to lower their mic transmit volume a bit ingame (Social_voice chat_transmit volume (not meant to be 100%!)). Obviously, if everyone sounds to loud or distorted, then its your VOIP receive volume that is too high, not theirs.

Well I'm really glad the OP is such a pro leader master at everything that he was just born good at leading and never had to learn a thing, unlike these others (who he chooses to criticise and deride) whos faults he complains of, when I read his list, are things you learn as you go along or occasional incidents which could simply be turned off or muted if its really that annoying.

Secondly, if the OP wasnt so blind to his own blindness hed realise that even fully functioning outfits with experienced leaders often open and run pub squads, and they will throw out invites frequently (especially to people who look like they know what they are doing, you know what you are doing right? ofc, youre a pro!) because keeping pubs (cats) in line means kick out waves can match invite waves.

But ofc, Pro Joe up there would know that, but still, because im the kind of guy that likes to help even stubborn closed minded people, how about go to UserOptions.ini, find the bit marked AutoRefuse GroupInvitation and put your mark (1) in the field so we never have to put up with these miserable complaints when all we want is to see if you want to be included.

I like music but almost nobody ever works out how to play it clearly so I mute music spammers too...but its not bugged, you just have to go to the main voice panel and click on their name once (you dont even need to really concentrate on the name, in the panel their mic icon will be showing permanently, theyre easy to spot), wait half a second for the latency and youll see a red circle with a line through on their name and you wont ever hear them again.

If you want to make sure, check useroptions.ini for a line like sip:world18.radiotr-@psp.vivox.com=-0.000000

I will say, there is a very good reason for "everybody" orders: cohesion. In order to be effective, your entire squad must be attacking the same general area at the same time. You may not all go through the same door, but unless you're facing less than 6 enemies you should probably all be going after the same building or the same capture point. The other capture points? Leave them for another squad or get to them after you've flipped the first one.

A squad that has two guys at Indar Ex, three guys in Andvari Biolab (yes, on Esamir), one guy at Tawrich Tech Plant, four guys at the Palisade, and two guys at the Crown isn't going to get much done. If your squad is going to Tawrich Tech Plant, EVERYBODY in your squad is going to Tawrich Tech Plant.

Unless I'm planning to log off in 30 minutes or less, I'll usually accept squad invites just to see what's going on. If it's something silly like a two-man squad or the squad is derping around all over the continent I'll just leave, but if it's a decent sized squad that managed to get all their people to the same fight I'll follow them around and collect the squad support EXP.

As a squad leader I lead from the front. It means if the squad needs a medic, I am the medic. If the squad needs an engineer, I am the engineer. It means forgoing a bit of my own fun to support the squad and enable players to work together. That's what good squad leaders do, they make requests, and then act on those requests.

Being a squad leader means you have to get out of the vehicle and support the team. It means my primary combat role is Light Assault, in order to maximize beacon placement. It means I ask other players to take certain high profile positions.

My job as squad leader isn't to micro manage or delegate, and if that's what you want in a squad leader I think you're in for some disappointment, because leaders don't actually lead. Think of the squad leader as the non-commissioned officer: "Sarge."

I'm here to help you play better, give you ideas, and mentor the noobs. If you're a lone wolf the. Be a lone wolf. I don't want you in my squad.