A Few Comments About Ding760's Tank Companies

Ok so first off is this thread is not a complaint (I tend to address people individually for that), it is more of a simple statement in which I hope to inform all members of SGTA concerning my TCs and how my TCs work. Furthermore, you will get an insight into my thoughts and viewpoints while commanding a TC.

Right, so I don't create many TCs for SGTA because through my previous experience most members do not really understand the goals of my TCs. I feel the general 'must win' attitude and stats chasing thought process seems to have overshadowed the 'experience factor', which is what my TCs are based on primarily. You join my TCs to try out NEW and THEORETICAL tactics, NOT TO WIN.

I think most people must remember the academy is STILL a place of learning, we, by which I mean SGTA, are not here primarily to raise your stats but primarily to teach you the ability to raise your stats.

I found it difficult on some occasions when I created TCs for SGTA members who then left due to the fact I did not use TS. While I wholeheartedly understand team co-ordination will suffer due to the lack of TS and that the probability of losing increases, the focus of my TCs were never to ensure you to get a win for every match, it wasn't even close to that direction. The focus was to try new innovative/surprising/unlikely tactics and see what the enemy response to it was so that you can base NEW, more efficient tactics on the perhaps badly performing tactics you just tried.

2 things everyone must agree to before entering my TC:

1) Know what kind of TC you are entering. I already announce my TCs are 'fun TCs' without TS usage. Places will be reserved for SGTA members if they wish to join but if there are places unfilled I can always draft in any number of 60%+ win rate players from my friends list (I keep them on my friends list purely to do TCs). The worst thing you can do to me is join, find out it doesn't use TS or conventional tactics, then leave while simultaneously blasting me about the unprofessionalism/noobishness of my TC. Not only did you ruin a perfectly set-up team and the friendly atmosphere, but also you prevented me from adding in experienced players who other members might learn from (because if they assume I have a full team they go join other TCs...and once they do that I can't get them into my TC easily).

2) The Tank Company Commander controls ALL in a TC to the absolute. If you don't agree to this, don't join a TC, at least not an SGTA TC. If you don't agree to a particular tactic, raise it AFTER battle with the commander, DO NOT DISOBEY during a battle. To this date, the ONLY disciplinary action EVER undertaken by SGTA was concerning this issue in which an argument arose out of a disagreement of tactics in a TC. So I dunno what Vallu or Brit's stance is towards this matter, I take it extremely seriously. So far I have not criticized anyone in particular.

Rule number 2 applies for all TCs in SGTA. Rule number 1 applies more to my TCs specifically.

I hope this post should tell you for future reference what my TCs main goals are. If you want to just win by whatever means necessary, then my TCs are not for you. But if you have a radical, crazy or brilliant tactic which nobody has ever heard of but you want to try to see if it works, then do join my TC. My TCs are typically filled with people who doesn't mind dying to try out something new, so you need not worry about people's attitude towards losing in my TCs. Having said that, usually my TCs have a win rate of 80%, this is primarily due to the individual player skills rather than the tactics, but it gives the commander an insight into what his/her radically new tactic is capable of. Furthermore, you get an opportunity to play with some of the best non-clan players (sometimes we get the occasional clanned good player) on the entire EU server (top 500 Global Ranking mostly). You can learn individually from them at your own pace, they are all pretty nice and don't mind the occasional screw-up.

Typically the types of player who shouldn't join my TCs are:
1) You care enough about your stats you are unwilling to attempt crazy and new ideas in the fear of losing. To the extent you lose more than you win. This is a balance, if you favour your stats more, then perhaps you shouldn't join my TC.
2) You have objections to playing a TC without TS.
3) You can't handle the occasional accusation you blocked someone else's shot.
4) You cannot accept any opinions that you have screwed up, even when you truly believe you did nothing wrong. Opinions are based on personal interpretation, take it as a complimentary information and judge whether you screwed up or not accordingly, don't make other people's advice as fact. And especially don't take other people's opinions as fact to the extent you feel compelled to defend yourself.
5) You hate unprofessional TCs.
6) You have a temper and cannot control it.
7) You swear to the extent you cannot stop swearing at every little thing. E.g: Thycos style if anybody remembers. People in my TCs are usually calm mannered, while we go along with anybody who swears, I would be lying if I said I don't get complaints about the guy who swears too much.
8 ) You cannot follow orders to the very last detail. Following orders is a mandatory requirement. Whether you agree or not can be left until after the battle, during the battle, if you are asked to charge directly into the enemy with no chance of success, just do it. You can raise any disagreement until after the battle.

So I hope I've explained my TC and my position on TCs very clearly. Next time if you see me asking for participants to my TC you should know what to expect after reading this post. I hope in future I will not have to come to terms with misunderstandings that arise out of pre-assumed expectations. I don't mind if everybody disagrees with me, that is all too acceptable and I will not be surprised if the overwhelming majority dislikes my TCs, but this is a statement, so in future we shouldn't have any misunderstandings. As far as I am concerned, I make these TCs as an extra opportunity to test and learn for students and instructors alike. Whether you take up the chance is your own decision. Considering some of the best players join the TC time and again, I must be doing something right.

Cheers!

If somebody disobeys orders while I command I have the luxury of TS to remind them by asking them repeatedly. The volume in which the orders are shouted is directly influenced by the amount of time spent disobeying the order .

Unless someone blatantly keeps disobeying orders or uses foul language, I will just keep repeating the orders to the player(s) disobeying them and after the battle go over on what went wrong. Last Junior TC someone disobeyed my orders even after 2 direct orders to do something else and then proceeded to criticize the tactic during the battle. I asked to drop it and continue it after the battle. After a minute or so of this ranting I got so pissed of I yelled "SHUT UP!", when that didn't help I moved him from the TS channel.

Only disciplinary action I took was to make him command 3 battles .

Respect guys, mutual respect. Don't disobey the FC and never use foul language towards someone. I don't mind the occasional "Oh shit!" in TS when you ammoracked or something.

https://sgta.forumotion.com/t153-tank-company-rules

Might try the German method... objective oriented orders rather than direct orders. As long as the objective gets completed, the method does not matter. Charging head into a fortified position is stupid and should be avoided, baiting shots with proper angling to draw attention is more of a help than driving forward and dying as a distraction.

However, do not oppose the commander directly, if you get an objective, you find ways to do it within the limited timeframe you have. Adjustment of general tactics happens after battle, not mid battle.

I think it would be interesting to try different tactics, certainly; I do wonder though Ding, is there a particular reason for not using TS?

PointyHairedJedi wrote:I think it would be interesting to try different tactics, certainly; I do wonder though Ding, is there a particular reason for not using TS?

For me, the reason is threefold:

1) I play from work.

2) Depending on which laptop I'm using, the 'anti-virus' (it's really a monitoring programme) on the laptop forbids use of voice comms of any kind.

3) My girlfriend dislikes it when I use voice comms for gaming purposes with people I don't know. She doesn't mind if I know thme though, so we should totally meet up somewhere in the globe and get to know each other hahaha!

Ding760 wrote:
3) My girlfriend dislikes it when I use voice comms for gaming purposes with people I don't know. She doesn't mind if I know thme though, so we should totally meet up somewhere in the globe and get to know each other hahaha!

Only so you could TS?

Ding760 wrote:

PointyHairedJedi wrote:I think it would be interesting to try different tactics, certainly; I do wonder though Ding, is there a particular reason for not using TS?

For me, the reason is threefold:

1) I play from work.

2) Depending on which laptop I'm using, the 'anti-virus' (it's really a monitoring programme) on the laptop forbids use of voice comms of any kind.

3) My girlfriend dislikes it when I use voice comms for gaming purposes with people I don't know. She doesn't mind if I know thme though, so we should totally meet up somewhere in the globe and get to know each other hahaha!

Re: Reason 3, man up

I kinda like my girlfriend right now D: She's the only woman I know who doesn't mind me playing games and actually joins in at times! It's hard to find a girlfriend that's so nice D: So whenever she does have some small request I usually let her have it

Its funny how I fail at all points

ViktorKitov wrote:Its funny how I fail at all points

You are also usually the first one to leave *smacks with stick*

OK. Where do I sign up?

Just watch for the next time I'm calling for people for TCs. My TCs don't follow a strict schedule due to the fact its very casual and depends on how many people online I can find on my friends list.

Would like to join in, the thought of tactical experimentation whets my appetite

Sounds interesting, a troll company of PZ I Cs would be pretty funny

It may just cause server crash when we focus fire though!

Ding,

Would love to join one of these days!
First I will work on my abilities to be more usefull to the TC!

For what it's worth, I have been looking a lot and reviewed trying to understand. Without looking at the stats I feel a bit better now when entering the battlefield!
But first I need to resolve some pc problems before good play is resumed (I had to change the PC and now the framerate sometimes drops to 10 fps, I tell you now fun when being chased!).

Michael