Source
r/Planetside•
aberrant

How does commanding work in this game?

Like some others, I found about this game only a little while ago. I like what I've read so far about it, but I'm interested in how the chain of command in this game works. Is there any commanding to be done, besides the usual microphone teamplay work? Is the commander / team leader a participant in the battle (I'm thinking Battlefield 3 here) or is it actually more useful to keep him more separate from the battle (like in BF2)? How's it work in general?

Posted May 22, 2012, 9:12 PM UTC

1216
LeadpumperMarkov D2A•

Effective commanding was done at an outfit-level, in PS1. Sure there were CR5s with global chat, but more often than not they weren't very good leaders and just played the game enough to rank up. Or in the rare case that they were competent, they were trying to order the Zerg around which just never works out in your favor.

The best teamplay and strategy came from individual (or groups of) outfits that would typically meet on Teamspeak / Mumble / Ventrilo. Most outfits had a chain of command (Outfit leader > Officers > Members) that was easy to follow, because of the smaller group size. Commanders would almost always be in the thick of it with their units, because there wasn't really a point to being far away.

Commanders had some special equipment/privileges with in-game rank, the most important being global chat and orbital strikes. Global chat is fairly easy to understand- you can talk to everybody on your empire at once. It was handy for getting the attention of troops off-continent (that were listening) when you really needed them at one particular location. Orbital strikes were laser-designated laser beams that would obliterate everything within a large radius of the targeted location. Very handy for killing off defenders in a courtyard, or taking out bunched up attackers. It had a cooldown of several hours.

10
DiltyrrMiller - Ex-Werner - LCTH•

Here's me thinking the only use for the orbital was "kill that sitting BFR" :p

3
BossmonkeyThe Enforcers•

I remember being osed for sniping once. I took as a huge complement.

3
BobsmitFSTR•

I'd just like to point out that you have an excellent skill for explaining things.

If we are looking at the thousand player battles that we've been hearing about, a more effective chain of command (Or larger outfits) is going to be necessary.

A game like planetside will get messy quickly if everything turns into a clusterfuck, the true joy of PS1 was being a cog in a mile long tank column.

2
crashsplash[OC]•

And yet your outfit commanders would be CR5's and ..... other outfit commanders would also be CR5's so not all CR5's knew nothing :P But you are right, the outfits were the way stuff got done and CR5 chat were one of the ways outfits could decide together which stuff was the stuff that would be done.

1
distalledTheBear•

This is an awesome answer. Loyalty and obedience goes Squad > Outfit > Command > Empire. I added in squad because if you're in a small outfit you may be rolling with a couple guys in to a larger organized cross-outfit squad

1
Knuckle14•

Squad > Platoon > Outfit > Multiple Outfits (Could consider it a Battalion of sorts) > Empire, technically.

1
distalledTheBear•

Yah I'll buy that.

1
AlekazamSome Men Just Want To Watch The World Learn•

In PS1 it was something like this. If you started a squad you would be designated commander. All points earned while holding this position would earn you 'command points' which you would level up your Command Rank (CR). This began at CR0 and worked up to CR5. With each level you would get new abilities which helped in coordinating your squad or platoon (several squads joined together). The benefits for each Command Rank were as follows:

CR0

  • No special abilities.

CR1

  • Ability to place waypoints on the map (visible to your squad).
  • The command '/sitrep' which reports to the CRs above you.
  • Left shinguard (a vanity piece visible on your armour).

CR2

  • Access to a Command Uplink Device (CUD) which allows for higher level command functions (At CR2 you could use it to reveal friendlies which were on the same continent as you for a short period).
  • Access to Command Chat, which allowed you to chat to other CR2s nearby.
  • Right shinguard (vanity piece visible on your armour).

CR3

  • Ability to use 'Battleplans', enabling you to draw or label the planetary map (function was only available if you were squad/platoon leader).
  • CUD can now be used to emit an EMP blast in a 10meter radius, disabling implants, vehicle weaponry and turrets/sensors. It also set off proximity and remote mines.
  • Ability to change the squad experience waypoint to follow squad members other than the squad leader.
  • Command Chat now able to reach CR3's within a wider radius.
  • Left wristguard (vanity piece visible on your armour).

CR4

  • Given access to the Orbital Strike (10 meter radius), accessed through the CUD.
  • The 'Reveal Enemies' option becomes available through the CUD. Showing all Enemies in its radius as red dots on your overhead map.
  • The radius on the EMP is increased to 15 meters.
  • Command Chat will now speak to all CR4's on the continent.
  • Right wristguard (vanity piece visible on your armour).

CR5

  • CR5's have the ability to perform 'Global' Broadcasts to every player on every planet on the server. Additionally they can 'Global' to individual continents, including the Sanctuaries.
  • CR5 Command Chat is 'Global', meaning that CR5's can communicate with all CR5's regardless of location.
  • The radius of the Orbital Strike is increased to 20 meters, the damage is also increased.
  • The radius of the EMP is increased to 20 meters and the 'Reveal Enemies' Command is also increased.
  • Ability to set the squad experience waypoint to two different squad members at the same time if the squad is large enough.
  • Communications pack or 'The Backpack' (vanity piece visible on your armour).

EDIT: Formatting.

9
smashybashy•

I heard something about a system with player created quests.

2
crashsplash[OC]•

Well, we don't know a lot yet but going from the original Planetside:- Commanders can fight if they want, whether they do really depends on the workload and the level. ie Whether they are commanding their squad or platoon or continent or empire. Usually commanders tend to be in the fighting but also watching the map more than usual.

Although there are positions such as Outfit Leader (guild boss), squad leader and platoon leader, there is no way to 'force' people to do what you want. - Just as well really. It must be done via persuasion.

In PS2 there are such things as 'missions', these can be both authomatically generated and create by squadplatoon leaders. How this will work out we don't know as yet.

Hope this helps

1
aberrantOP•

This most certainly helps, thanks! The mission feature certainly seems interesting, wonder if it could be possible for leaders to create general attack objectives and pass them on to squad leaders who could then get more points for following the outfit's main strategy, all this done via game mechanics.

1
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
Shock223•

Commanding works like this:

Outfit: normal command structure.

Greenies: spam on CR5 global enough and pray that the zerg pays attention to you.

1
iPhoneCEOCR5•

I don't think we've heard much about commanding on PS2 just yet. Don't think it's even been built into the game.

/Former NC CR5 checking in

1
red_280•

So is there any commander interface like in BF2?

1
crashsplash[OC]•

PS2, we don't know yet. PS1, commanders got a map just like everyone else. Platoon commanders of rank 2 and above could draw on the map.

All in all nothing helpful. The main helpful tool was Teamspeak and similar. Second tool was text command chat.

At one stage on Werner server Ostecake set up a teamspeak server for all outfit leaders to have as a whisper to talk to other outfit leaders. (for outfit leader you could substitute highest ranking outfit member online)

Perhaps this kind of thing will be in PS2 as part of the VOIP function, we don't know as yet.

1