Dos and Dont's For The Effective Squad Leader

[GatorDawg]

DON'TS:

DON'T fly an attack chopper or jet. Single or two seated aircraft ARE NOT for squad leaders! When you jump into a single or two-seated aircraft, you take away a much needed spawn point from your squad and deliver a serious handicap to your team. The transport class aircraft (BH etc.) are the only aircraft you should ever consider climbing aboard if you are a squad leader. If you are a squad leader and really, really feel the need to board an attack chopper or jet there are a number of viable options: 1) leave your squad and go lonewolf. 2) Leave your squad and re-join it. Or, if you really feel the need to fly AND you just can't live without the direct communication to the commander that an SL enjoys, then leave your squad, crate another and LOCK it.

DON'T ever jump in a ground vehicle and instantly drive away. There is always a chance that a squad member has spawned with you and is behind you. If he spawned with you, it is likely that he wants to travel with you. Traveling in a group, even if it's a group of two, is ALWAYS better than traveling alone in BF2 (the one possible exception is a sniper, but as SL you shouldn't be playing as a sniper anyway) When you enter a vehicle as SL, always take a second to make sure there are no squad members near you wanting a ride. If you hear a pickup request, take a second to glance at the map and see where it's coming from. If it's from a squad member who's nearby, wait for your squad member to enter the vehicle.

DON'T play sniper as a squad leader. If you want to play sniper, leave your squad and rejoin it, or play lone wolf. As a sniper you are going to want to camp a certain area for extended periods. Doing this effectively removes a useful spawn point from your squad. It's a serious handicap to your squad when they spawn on you and find themselves a half-mile in the air on top of some smoke stack, 500 meters away from the objective. Also, your claymores, placed to protect you, can wreak havoc on squad members who spawn on you.

DOS:

DO Take the time to always place orders! It's helpful for your entire squad to know in what direction you are moving. If you do this, you can hang back and let someone else take point, since they know where they should be going. If someone else in the squad takes point, they will likely get tagged before you and then can spawn back on you when they die. This way, your whole squad can keep moving forward without the need to spawn back at a distant spawn point and travel to the objective again. Also, If you do not constantly keep updated orders on the map, squad members who become separated from the group will not be able to effectively make their way back to the squad and help in the objective.

DO let someone else in the squad take point. Your primary concern as a squad leader should be keeping yourself alive. The point position should preferably be taken by a unit with body armor. Assault and support classes are the best choices. Medics should never take point either, if it can be helped, and should hang back with the squad leader. In fact, medic is the best option to play as squad leader.

DO use VOIP if you have it. Communicate your intentions to both your squad and commander as often as you can.

DO feel free to kick players from your squad who you feel are acting in such a way as to be detrimental to the success of the squad.

DO make full use of the naming feature when you create a squad. Naming your squad: "Teamwork", "Teamwork VOIP" or something similar can be effective in gathering like-minded players within your squad.

DO remember to make full use of requests to the commander for arty strikes, supply drops and UAV overflights! And, DO listen for squad members asking for arty or supplies and relay those requests to the commander!

DO remember to spot any enemies you sight. This is invaluable in order to get your squad to concentrate and work together on the same targets, instead of scattering. It is especially useful to sight enemy vehicles if there are AT members in your squad.

[BurnTheWeed]

Good points, except I think SL can be a sniper and sometimes it's preferred for the very reason you gave for them to not be. They camp, it's what snipers do, and this can be a good asset to your assualt team. The sniper hangs back and watches over the flag while your squad spawns on you and goes to cap the flag. If they fall they respawn on you, who is safely away from the engagement area but still able to assist in attacking. As long as the sniper is smart about his location than it should be fine.

I've played a lot of games where the best place to spawn was the lone sniper because he was the one guy most likely to be alive by the time I needed to respawn again.

[straywolf]

Overall pretty valid points. Again, it all depends on the SL style.

I for one like to play SL every once in a while but what I do is play as a medic, that way I can keep my squad alive. I usually assist with flag caps and/or defends.
SL should not play "rambo" kits and they should stay and assist more than anything. They NEED to stay alive in order to have the squaddies spawn on him...adds pressure against the enemy.

Also, when a person creates a squad, please NAME it something that identifies your primary mission, i.e., if you're going to play as an engineer...name the squad the "Engineers" or "Monkey Wrench". That way a commander has an idea of what you're planning on doing. Same thing with being spec ops...people joining you will know that you'll be hitting the enemy's rear guard, etc.

[straywolf]

A sniper as a SL...IMHO should be for a "sniper squad", i.e., ALL squaddies are primarially concerned with playing sniper. Maybe you can throw in there a medic...if he likes to hang around and not do much...

[GatorDawg]

Good points, except I think SL can be a sniper and sometimes it's preferred for the very reason you gave for them to not be. They camp, it's what snipers do, and this can be a good asset to your assualt team. The sniper hangs back and watches over the flag while your squad spawns on you and goes to cap the flag. If they fall they respawn on you, who is safely away from the engagement area but still able to assist in attacking. As long as the sniper is smart about his location than it should be fine.

I've played a lot of games where the best place to spawn was the lone sniper because he was the one guy most likely to be alive by the time I needed to respawn again.

Yes. I agree, in rare circumstances a sniper can be effective as a squad leader for the reasons you mention. However, the SL playing as sniper has to really know what he is doing, and be dedicated to playing for the good of the squad. The vast, vast majority of players who play sniper do not fit this criteria. Of course, I didn't write the above dos and don'ts for experienced squad leaders who really know what they are doing and are good at it. It's for players who actually need the tips.

In fact, just last night I was playing in a squad and the SL switched to sniper half way through the map. I was trying to cap a flag on Kubra Dam and died. I respawned on the SL and he had climbed up to the first tier of one of the cranes located a serious distance away from the flag we were trying for, and he had placed claymores to the entrance of the crane. I spawned in the middle of the crane on ground level. There was no way I could get out without tripping one of his claymores. I had to climb all the way up the ladder to where he was and parachute off in order to avoid giving him a tk. Then I had to run all the way back to the objective. I got tagged again, and instead of respawning on him, I just dumped the squad and went to another.


I think the important thing to keep in mind is that no matter what class you play as SL, you have to completely abandon all traces of the lone wolf mentality and constantly remember that you have an obligation to work for the effectiveness of the squad as a whole. Most SL snipers don't do this. For this reason, if I join a server and begin looking for a squad to join, by default, I automatically disregard any squad who's SL has a little cross hair target beside his name. And, I'm pretty sure there are more than a few other team-oriented players who do the same. I've just had WAY too many bad experiences playing in a squad with a sniper SL.

But again, If you are experienced and skilled as an SL, the above list of dos and don'ts doesn't really apply to you. The tips are for the people who need them.

[GatorDawg]

A sniper as a SL...IMHO should be for a "sniper squad", i.e., ALL squaddies are primarially concerned with playing sniper. Maybe you can throw in there a medic...if he likes to hang around and not do much...

Yes. And, as you said, naming the squad as such would be really helpful.

A full squad of 4 snipers, a medic and a support would be hell on wheels!!! IF, you could find a support player and a medic that would be content to never fire a single shot at any target farther than about 20 meters away.

[no_reply]

Good stuff, thanks…

[Stripper_Clown]

Thank you for clarifying your target audience. An experienced sniper as SL is very deadly, but for an inexperienced SL OR sniper it would be detrimental to the squad. The one thing I do not agree with is locking the squad if you are going to be lone wolfing, so long as you appropriatly label your squad i.e. JetPilot. Another spawn point is another spawn point, and I many pilots are not in the air 100% of the time.

Overall its a very good post, people just have to remember taht it generalized the SL position, and that specific circumstances will require you to go against the DO's and DON'Ts posted above.

[Relativity]

Good tips. Most people don't know about the "Custom Squad" button...Calling the squad "Teamwork" sometimes helps, but I find it more effective to call it "Voice only or VOIP only"...people who are able to communicate without typing usually seem to be more inclined to stick together.

[toXicRabbit]

hm how do i lock a squad lol i would like to play as a team but. doesn't hurt to know eh? XD

[looqas]

Yes. And, as you said, naming the squad as such would be really helpful.

A full squad of 4 snipers, a medic and a support would be hell on wheels!!! IF, you could find a support player and a medic that would be content to never fire a single shot at any target farther than about 20 meters away.

Or they can cover you *** better than any claymore can by spotting the enemy flankers. But then it really requires a particular type of player to play such non-glamorous role.

Sometimes it's fun to have the whole squad on the roof tops in Mastuur City. But you need to relocate quite quickly because of the artillery...

[imported_ColonelPanic]

I like to play support almost always as a squad leader. I find medic gets me killed too often trying to revive downed squad mates. Plus, everyone likes ammo and the support gun lays down some pretty nice suppressive fire so your squad can move in on the point of attack.

[|FOXHOUND| Boss]

Burn's point on why sniper is effective is very true. Altough there are pros and cons like you first mentioned. I am most effective as a sniper and as a spec ops. My style of sniping is more close range within the engagment area but still seperated enough from the action that my boys can spawn off me.Do you think an effective formation for a squad would be to have the assault/support guys front, the SL(any kit) mid and the medic/repair rear? Sometimes I like to see medic and support or assault on point so that he can heal faster and take cover nearby where the action is taking place.

[|FOXHOUND| Boss]

I think the important thing to keep in mind is that no matter what class you play as SL, you have to completely abandon all traces of the lone wolf mentality and constantly remember that you have an obligation to work for the effectiveness of the squad as a whole.

I think that right there is the main point that you are trying to convey as well as what will make everyone here agree with what you mean. Good call

[1G-2B-3K]

only sum times like a sniper squad should there b an sl as sniper its stupid 4 an sl 2 be a sniper

[|FOXHOUND| Boss]

Uh, yeah so we dont like 1G's opinion . LOL. No j/k. You can't just come in and say that it is dumb without giving some sort of reason Besides the reasons that we had for saying it isn't a good/or bad idea, what do you think 1G?

[l=lCoBrAl=l]

Actually a medic is not someone a squad leader should be. It's like taking away another spawn point (kind've). Let's say there is 2 medics in a squad (which is a fair amount and a likely amount). If you're one of them and you die. That leaves you to either spawn with your squad leader, or be revived by him. If he dies, that takes away the chance of being revived and spawning with him. If someone else was a medic besides him, they can revive you. Even if they didn't they could still spawn with the SL. See my point? I'm not saying that if the SL is medic than you're going to lose the game. I'm jsut saying that an Ideal squad would have a medic as a SL. Am I the only one who thinks things through like this?

[BurnTheWeed]

^^^
As a medic, if you die someone can pick up your kit and revive you.

[GatorDawg]

Actually a medic is not someone a squad leader should be. It's like taking away another spawn point (kind've). Let's say there is 2 medics in a squad (which is a fair amount and a likely amount). If you're one of them and you die. That leaves you to either spawn with your squad leader, or be revived by him. If he dies, that takes away the chance of being revived and spawning with him. If someone else was a medic besides him, they can revive you. Even if they didn't they could still spawn with the SL. See my point? I'm not saying that if the SL is medic than you're going to lose the game. I'm jsut saying that an Ideal squad would have a medic as a SL. Am I the only one who thinks things through like this?

No, I don't agree. If you're playing in an effective squad, as SL, you should be taking less fire than anyone on the squad. You should be the least likely to die in any given situation, or else your squad isn't doing things right.You should be hanging back, behind your squad, and only providing occasional support fire when it's needed. This is perfect for a medic. When one of your squad is taken out, you can revive and heal from behind while your squad-mates are engaging the enemy. 9 times out of 10 the enemy isn't going to target the guy in back of the squad that isn't doing anything, they are going to target the players they are taking fire from.

If you're SL as any of the other classes, you severely limit that class, as you should be severely dropping your fire rate and finding cover in a firefight so the enemy doesn't target you, and so that squaddies who die and aren't able to be revived can spawn back into the fight. As a non-medic, this of course takes away from the overall firepower in your squad. Especially if you consider that another player, in such a case, will be playing medic and will also not be firing but instead be preoccupied with healing and reviving. I.e.:

1) Non-medic SL and a non-SL medic = two effective guns removed from the squad and only one person healing.
2) medic SL and another medic on squad = two effective guns removed from the squad, but two people healing/reviving
3) medic SL and no other medics = one effective gun removed from squad and one person healing/reviving

- The LAST thing a support or assault player should be doing is hanging back and not firing very much.
- If you run into a tank when playing SL as AT, you're going to hit the tank. Who do you think the tank will then target?
- Sniper is ok, if you know what you're doing. Of course, if you hang back, shoot and don't get a headshot, again you're likely to be targeted. But medic is still more of an advantage as if you're hanging back spotting and sniping as SL, there's gotta be a medic out there healing and reviving.
- Spec-ops is ok too, but pretty much the same probs as with sniper.

I'm not saying that medic is the only effective class to play as SL, but all things being equal, it is usually the best choice.

[Hugh G. Wrection]

I recently started playing as Commander to see what that was all about. It's quickly became apparent that the Commander ability is 100% dependent on his squad leaders abilities and whether or not they actually understand their role as squad leader. There are very few people out there who actually perform well as a squad leader, which in my mind comes down to one thing...

realizing what a squad leader can do that squad member can not -- get supplies dropped right on top of them and request UAV. Artillery requests are irrelevant since the Commander can scan the battlefield and identify where artillery is and is not appropriate.

Supplies are the key request though. Supplies are critical and the Commander doesn't know who could really use them, only the squad does. If squad leaders don't request them, your stuck just dropping them on random squads or saving them for when your commander assets get destroyed.

[bladeslap]

...but I find it more effective to call it "Voice only or VOIP only"...people who are able to communicate without typing usually seem to be more inclined to stick together.

That's exactly what I do, and exactly what I've found. :)

[Hugh G. Wrection]

I think it would be great if a Commander could reassign the Squad Leader role, ie. make someone else in a squad the squad leader. Then, if you find that a squad leader is out flying around in a plane all map while the rest of his squad in on the ground trying to take objectives, you could make of them the new squad leader.

[l=lCoBrAl=l]

That post about medics being perfect for a SL is computer stupid. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I see what you're saying, but then again like I said, It's as if taking away from another spawn. Did you even completely read my post? Or just scan through a bit. Seriously I'm not saying SL CAN"T be medic, I'm just saying that for an all the classes in a squad, it's best if SL isn't a medic. Afterall medics have to be up there doing firing. LIke you said, they have to go up and revive people. They can't hang back. Which is exactly why they shouldn't be SL.

[GatorDawg]

That post about medics being perfect for a SL is computer stupid. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I see what you're saying, but then again like I said, It's as if taking away from another spawn. Did you even completely read my post? Or just scan through a bit. Seriously I'm not saying SL CAN"T be medic, I'm just saying that for an all the classes in a squad, it's best if SL isn't a medic. Afterall medics have to be up there doing firing. LIke you said, they have to go up and revive people. They can't hang back. Which is exactly why they shouldn't be SL.

Oh I read through it all. It's just that it was quite disjointed and lacking in reason and logic.

What you fail to grasp is that, as you put it: "medics have to be up there doing firing" is exactly the opposite of the needed role for a medic or SL in an effective squad.

Picture this scenario. You are moving through a map with your squad. As SL you are in the middle of, or near the rear of your squad. Perhaps support or assault is on point. You come across a group of enemies. What happens?

Well, the first thing that should happen is the SL should look for cover to stay out of the brunt of the fight, other members of the squad immedialty engage the enemy. If you're SL as support, you've just taken away the full effectiveness of your PKM or SAW from your squad. So, your squad is now operating at a disadvantage due to a lack of proper support fire. If you're SL as assault, you've done the same with your assault rifle and M203. You've also removed the most heavily armored members of your squad from the front line of the fight. If you're medic, you hang back, out of the worst of the enemy fire. You are not likely to get targeted by the enemy, since they are more likely to target those units that have opened fire on them. When a squad member is hurt, as SL medic, you can quickly run out, drop a couple of med packs, and head back for cover. Or, run out, do a diving revive, and again head for cover. Trust me. If an enemy is taking direct fire from a ripping PKM, 99.999999% of the time THEY WILL NOT say "I have 10 rounds a second bouncing around my head from that stationary PKM over there, but oh look! There's some other guy darting out behind him. I think I'll re target and start all over again on that fresh guy!" It doesn't happen.

Your argument is that a medic is more likely to die, so you'll take the spawn point away from your squaddies more often? If this is the case, then I'm afraid you really have no idea how an effective squad should work. It's very simple - The SL should be staying out of the action more than anyone else on the team. If you do this with practically any class other than a medic, you remove an important firing element from the squad.

Inf on inf, AT might be fine, but if you come across armor, and your SL is AT, he's going to be the one most likely targeted by the armor. So, bye-bye spawn point!
Same with Spec-ops. Too much risk in trying to drop C4 on a tank. You have to move into the open to do it. There's a good chance you'll be spotted by enemy troops or the tank will see you before you get to it. Again, bye-bye spawn point. And so on.

A medic can hang back under cover and not fire and still not remove a heavily needed firing element. His team can run to him or he can make a dash for his team. He can even lob med packs out from his cover position. If team mates are tagged, and the firing is to intense for the medic to move into the open, then he can remain hidden and wait for his team to re spawn on him.

And, in the eventuality that you do die as a medic SL - 1) If you have a second medic on your team, he can revive you. Thus, the point you were trying to make becomes completely moot. 2) If you don't have a second medic, another member of your team can grab your gear and revive you, and again, the point you were trying to make becomes completely moot.

Any way you slice it, it should be painfully obvious that, all things being equal, generally a medic is the more preferable choice for SL.

[l=lCoBrAl=l]

Dude I still think everything you say conflicts with everything else you say. Let me put it a different way. Let's say a medic is kinda like a respawn. So if you had 2 medics in a squad and one squad leader. That likes 3 spawn points. If the SL is a medic, that's only 2 left. May as well spawn with the leader and get full gear back. Meanwhile, medics can be reviving people. If they die, they spawn with you. As squad leader you say you have to hang back. But you say they have to be in teh action, well they're always gonna be in action with everyone else. In fact probably more. So if a medic dies trying to revive somebody, what do they do? spawn with SL. If a SL/Medic trys to save somebody and he dies, well you only got one medic left. 2 spawns taken away so to speak.

I like that somebody actually thinks of something a different way. If you're not in a clan or are interested, visit www.repeat-offenders.org

[GatorDawg]

Let's say a medic is kinda like a respawn. So if you had 2 medics in a squad and one squad leader. That likes 3 spawn points. If the SL is a medic, that's only 2 left.

I'm sorry, but that makes little sense. In your example above, if the SL is a medic, you've still got three spawnpoints. Think about it! If you have two medics in your squad and neither of them are the SL then you have three virtual spawn points: The actual SL spawnpoint, and two people who can revive. If the SL is a medic, you've STILL got three spawn points: The actual SL spawnpoint and two people who can revive.

Now, yes, if the SL medic gets tagged, that's two spawn points that gets tagged at the same time. But, the only time your way would come into being an advantage is in the event that the SL got tagged and the other medic was not able to revive him AND no other player on the squad was able to pick up his bag and revive him. However, in order to gain that advantage in this one specific instance, which may occur only a few times on any given map, or even not at all, you are willing to sacrifice the effectiveness of your entire squad AT ALL TIMES by making one of the assault classes the SL. Not a good trade off if you ask me.

The squad leader should not be fully engaged in a firefight. Or, at least, should be the member of the squad least likely to engage. His first priority should not be shooting it out with enemies, but instead it should be staying alive. This is to ensure that the SL spawnpoint remains intact for players who get tagged. Agreed? So, who is it that you want, in place of a medic, not fully contributing to laying fire down on the enemy?

Support? - Well, you've just effectively removed your suppressive fire element, an armored soldier, and your biggest gun from your squad.

Assault? - Again you've removed an armored solder capable of lobbing grenades at distance from your front line.

AT? - Might work ok, but you're going to be the primary target of every tank and APC you come across and if you don't win, there goes your SL spawnpoint, and probably the rest of the squad as well. If the AT SL goes down at the hands of a tank, how easy do you think it will be for the medics to run out to where the tank saw him and killed him to revive? Or, do you not want your AT SL to engage tanks, and if so, then what use is he? Why not add yet another medic to the squad?

Ops? - Same deal, you run out into the open to drop that C4, and many times, bye-bye spawnpoint. If you're throwing it at a tank, you'd better make sure the tank doesn't see you first, or that there's no enemy inf with their eyes on that tank. If you're dropping it in the street and a hidden inf takes you out, he's going to see the medic too when he comes to revive.

Sniper? - Also might work ok if you've got a sniper that knows what he's doing, but a few misplaced shots are going to attract attention.

Engy? - Generally speaking, probably the second best choice for SL in my opinion, IF you need an engy on the squad. But again, that shot gun is nice to have pumping full bore in close quarters.

I've read your posts, and I've thought about it over and over, and I keep coming to the same conclusion. I'll say it again: Under most circumstances, all things being equal, the medic is generally the most advantageous class to play as SL.

[WrAth2110]

Dont play as sniper? Man you can deliever some killer spawn points to your squad through sniper.

[WrAth2110]

I think it would be great if a Commander could reassign the Squad Leader role, ie. make someone else in a squad the squad leader. Then, if you find that a squad leader is out flying around in a plane all map while the rest of his squad in on the ground trying to take objectives, you could make of them the new squad leader.

Not talking about myself, but not all commanders are responsible.

[Flares]

Some good points, the only tactic I take issue with is the squad leader hanging back idea. In theory this is good, but unfortunately in reality, unless the squad leader keeps moving forward to an objective, often people will run around like headless chickens and the squad looses cohesion. In reality, the majority of players haven't had military training, have not played in serious clans, or are just generally clueless about how a squad should work.
So, often it's best if a squad leader leads from the front, and if threatened, takes cover, whilst calling out and assigning threats on VOIP. If he gets taken down, then the medics are there to revive him.
Regarding the SL class, it's up to the individual and how the squad is working, but if leading from the front, I don't go medic, you're best going assault usually, the rifle grenades give you that extra point firepower and you have the smoke grenade to provide the rest of the squad with cover.
As a squad leader, I also sometimes go Spec Ops. The G36C is very accurate, at close quarters very effective on auto and you have a good sprint speed to get you into cover.
If I'm leading I'll avoid all the other classes. AT and Support are too slow and attract attention, snipers are for sniping, and need work alone or in twos to be effective. I will go medic occasionally, if nobody else wants to, or if I'm driving an APC, transport ground vehicle or helo.

[GatorDawg]

Some good points, the only tactic I take issue with is the squad leader hanging back idea. In theory this is good, but unfortunately in reality, unless the squad leader keeps moving forward to an objective, often people will run around like headless chickens and the squad looses cohesion.

Good communication on VOIP usually solves this problem. Call out a point man and give him a clear destination. If someone is refusing to listen to your VOIP commands as SL, that's what the 'kick from squad' feature is for.

[Mr. ADHD]

This should be a sticky. I actually never thought about body armour or going point. It makes perfect sense and I will reconsider.



DON'TS:

DON'T fly an attack chopper or jet. Single or two seated aircraft ARE NOT for squad leaders! When you jump into a single or two-seated aircraft, you take away a much needed spawn point from your squad and deliver a serious handicap to your team. The transport class aircraft (BH etc.) are the only aircraft you should ever consider climbing aboard if you are a squad leader. If you are a squad leader and really, really feel the need to board an attack chopper or jet there are a number of viable options: 1) leave your squad and go lonewolf. 2) Leave your squad and re-join it. Or, if you really feel the need to fly AND you just can't live without the direct communication to the commander that an SL enjoys, then leave your squad, crate another and LOCK it.

DON'T ever jump in a ground vehicle and instantly drive away. There is always a chance that a squad member has spawned with you and is behind you. If he spawned with you, it is likely that he wants to travel with you. Traveling in a group, even if it's a group of two, is ALWAYS better than traveling alone in BF2 (the one possible exception is a sniper, but as SL you shouldn't be playing as a sniper anyway) When you enter a vehicle as SL, always take a second to make sure there are no squad members near you wanting a ride. If you hear a pickup request, take a second to glance at the map and see where it's coming from. If it's from a squad member who's nearby, wait for your squad member to enter the vehicle.

DON'T play sniper as a squad leader. If you want to play sniper, leave your squad and rejoin it, or play lone wolf. As a sniper you are going to want to camp a certain area for extended periods. Doing this effectively removes a useful spawn point from your squad. It's a serious handicap to your squad when they spawn on you and find themselves a half-mile in the air on top of some smoke stack, 500 meters away from the objective. Also, your claymores, placed to protect you, can wreak havoc on squad members who spawn on you.

DOS:

DO Take the time to always place orders! It's helpful for your entire squad to know in what direction you are moving. If you do this, you can hang back and let someone else take point, since they know where they should be going. If someone else in the squad takes point, they will likely get tagged before you and then can spawn back on you when they die. This way, your whole squad can keep moving forward without the need to spawn back at a distant spawn point and travel to the objective again. Also, If you do not constantly keep updated orders on the map, squad members who become separated from the group will not be able to effectively make their way back to the squad and help in the objective.

DO let someone else in the squad take point. Your primary concern as a squad leader should be keeping yourself alive. The point position should preferably be taken by a unit with body armor. Assault and support classes are the best choices. Medics should never take point either, if it can be helped, and should hang back with the squad leader. In fact, medic is the best option to play as squad leader.

DO use VOIP if you have it. Communicate your intentions to both your squad and commander as often as you can.

DO feel free to kick players from your squad who you feel are acting in such a way as to be detrimental to the success of the squad.

DO make full use of the naming feature when you create a squad. Naming your squad: "Teamwork", "Teamwork VOIP" or something similar can be effective in gathering like-minded players within your squad.

DO remember to make full use of requests to the commander for arty strikes, supply drops and UAV overflights! And, DO listen for squad members asking for arty or supplies and relay those requests to the commander!

DO remember to spot any enemies you sight. This is invaluable in order to get your squad to concentrate and work together on the same targets, instead of scattering. It is especially useful to sight enemy vehicles if there are AT members in your squad.

[JaketheMedic]

Good information

[=HzC=Heinz]

agreed, some great food for thought. personally, I am usually a Support class SL, or a ENG class SL. I don't hang back much, I like the fighting. :) plus as support class, I love to spam the ammo bags. :)

just a note in general about SL's in pub servers; 80% of them never even give orders. when I run into that, I just make my own, and like minded team players find me. :)

[21CW|Seabass]

If your SL doesn't give your orders, hit your T key and request orders. In fact, I will spam the request for orders, because if they don't ever come, the squad will never have any cohesion.

Another point I find that is important for SL's is when attacking a flag or point, it is best to find a good hiding spot for the initial rush, so the cannon-fodder can quickly respawn and continue applying pressure to the enemy. I find that once the flag is neutralized (white/gray) then the SL can come in and help sweep and cap the point. If it becomes a drawn out battle for a point, you save your squad from having to travel from a fixed point back out to where the attack is happening. Not to mention the continual pressure from spawning squaddies.

[Lorenzo]

Not with me in commander mode. I scan the battlefield every time the scan is ready for the people who are not moving from their position. A sniper, the enemy commander, or a squad leader giving a spawn point.

I've played a lot of games where the best place to spawn was the lone sniper because he was the one guy most likely to be alive by the time I needed to respawn again.

[Donkey]

IMHO-

Medic makes an excellent SL if you are also a good pilot and are flying the BH with the rest of your squad....I have gotten myself and my squad tons of points....its not easy but with the right guys and the right kits the BH is deadly....i.e. Medic SL in Pilot Seat and then 2 Engineers and 1 Supply and 1 AT and you will own any battlefield unless there is a bad arse jet pilot flying around but even then if your a good pilot you can avoid it sometimes....

Using what I have stated above I have gotten round scores of 160+ and my squad mates/team members have gotten scores of 170+. Plus you will get tons of repair, re-supply, healing, driver ability, and kill assist points.

Since the SL is a medic in the pilot seat your squad mates are constantly getting healed from the small arms fire they may be taking while trying to cap a flag. The re-supply guy will make sure that the engineers have plenty of mines to deploy all over the map.

I believe that it really all depends on your strategy and how skilled and team oriented your squad is regardless of the kit it boils down to TEAM WORK something that more often then not is lacking in a squad.

This discussion reminds me of the many online discussions of Windows versus Mac...in other words it can go on forever.....

and thats my 2 cents ;)

[Crashlander]

Good guide :)
I've not had the game very long and just had my first shot at SL a few days ago and I got really frustrated with it because I honestly didn't know what I was doing. Commander told me to attack a flag and basically I just threw my squad against it time and time again getting killed. The running point thing makes much more sense, and so does the medic as SL.
Right! Let's have another go then.....

[Stripper_Clown]

If you got a group of people who know what they are doing another thing you can do is if you are Sl and you die, and you can't be revived, it can be very beneficial to leave the squad and rejoin so that another squad member can become SL. Your squad will still have a spawn point near where you were fighting, instead of you spawning back at the base.

[DG-Slider]

Thanks for the tips. There was a lot in this that I had not considered. This article should improve my gameplay quite a bit.

[Luis_Wu]

The Squad Leader tips are right on. If more people acknowledged little things like this there wpuld be an expotential improvement in game play. Most SLs don't know that they can speak directly to the commander. Of course squad memebers need to play as a team for all this advice to have any meaning.

[imported_Anzen]

Yes. And, as you said, naming the squad as such would be really helpful.

A full squad of 4 snipers, a medic and a support would be hell on wheels!!! IF, you could find a support player and a medic that would be content to never fire a single shot at any target farther than about 20 meters away.

lol, do not underestimate the L85A1, it wil get you killed :) . It's great if you want to do some medium range snipe (like the Dragunov) and get some good teampoints :D

[-=SiN=-Broown]

I would like to add to the last post as well that the medic upgrade is a great weapon and i have had many head shots with it. :)

[Black 1 Alpha]

Good points, except I think SL can be a sniper and sometimes it's preferred for the very reason you gave for them to not be. They camp, it's what snipers do, and this can be a good asset to your assualt team. The sniper hangs back and watches over the flag while your squad spawns on you and goes to cap the flag. If they fall they respawn on you, who is safely away from the engagement area but still able to assist in attacking. As long as the sniper is smart about his location than it should be fine.

I've played a lot of games where the best place to spawn was the lone sniper because he was the one guy most likely to be alive by the time I needed to respawn again.
I totally agree I think that a sniper is an excellent choice for a SL but I don't use any particular kit for anything. I roll a dice to decide what kit I use because I don't like favouritism in any game where choices have to be made.