I miss squad hopping

[3lite]

Re: I miss squad hopping

I miss it also, who knows maybe they will bring it back?

[Komet.nl]

Re: I miss squad hopping

I miss it too.. :# EA Should bring it back.. I did't know they would work it out this crappy.. <|:{

[Cantina_Fly]

Re: I miss squad hopping

Since day one, I've always though "Squad Leader" was a mis-named postion. I liken the SL role in BF2 more to the guy with a radio on his back in most war movies. You are much more effective staying out of the fight, supporting, and communicating with your commander (supplies, arty, enemy positions, etc...)

I also agree that it doesn't fit with the way BF2 was designed. Points are king and you don't get any for being a good team player.

[[CR]K|Cpt.TwinSpire]

Re: I miss squad hopping

I have said this before... I don't really mind squad hopping, its the SL cycling that bugs the living daylights out of me.

Squad hopping gets a soldier into the "action" faster but does little for a determined SL. He gets soldiers that he cannot rely on and then leave.

Though if he is running a 4 man crew and 2 join in to help take a point the more the merrier I suppose.

Many have mention how EA/DICE expect the game to be played... To be honest I support this "vision" 100%. In organized tourneys its great, but on pub servers it is more difficult to run a "great" squad of soldiers working together on the mission dictated by SL or commander. I am sure eveyone here knows why (Snipers, no voip, smacktards etc)

[Consultant01]

Re: I miss squad hopping

any game with even a glimmer of tactical element to it will not show its full potential in a public server. A situation like squad cycling, or as I like to call it "poofing", unbalances a public game and can take what COULD be a tactical test of ability and turn it into a spam fest of infantry poofing into existence. This isnt quake, this isnt counterstrike, its BF. BF games have always tried to strike a balance between raw playability (arcade) with real combat situations (no squad cycling). Yea, respawn isnt realistic, yes... spawning on the SL isnt realistic, but taking these two elements and making a troop spam machine from them swings the game way too far toward the arcade side of things.

Anything that makes a soldier's life-span more valuable in a game like this ups the pressure on that soldier to make good decisions and be combat effective. If you know that your spawn options are finite and you cant just spam a couple buttons and poof back into battle in 10 seconds with no reprecussions to your team, you may be a little more careful about how you run into buildings with no cover-fire... no support..



Basically, anything that removes Rambo from the Battlefield is a good thing in my opinion.

[HowieMandel]

Re: I miss squad hopping

I like it. And really, it has effected my game ZERO percent. Squad hoppin was kinda stupid anyways. It took teamwork outta the game. Sure you could argue that hoppin around in different squads, helped teamwork. But really, come on, think about it.......it didnt.
Whatever happened to joining a squad, then doing the best possible thing with your squad, to be effective?
Besides squad hopping helped YOURSELF the most......with points. Contrary to what you might think.
I see alot lower points from alot of different people now. Thats probally what your really upset about.
A better option would be to allow you to spawn (still keep squad how they are now,) but to add the option of spawning on your Squad Leader, when you have no flags.

[evilzucchini]

Re: I miss squad hopping

Basically, for me, the only time it slows down the game is when I am playing as a SL and I get stupid aggressive while trying to sneak around enemy lines and grab a point from behind and die because of it.

Before the patch, I could just leave and rejoin my squad and spawn on one of the guys still alive back there. Now, I have to run all the way back.

However, all I do is try to stay alive more by keeping with my medics and not going rambo style as much.

[solofowaffles]

Re: I miss squad hopping

SL should have some rward system maybe like half thier squad points or something.

[WarGimp]

Re: I miss squad hopping

I don't miss it at all.

I play SL quite a bit. I enjoy playing as a smart SL, even though it sometimes means I have to stand away from the action a little bit. That said, I don't avoid action all together... I just think about ways to engagde the enemy without exposing myself too badly. I'll take calculated risks in order to get myself into vital areas and work hard to defend myself. As SL, staying alive matters. It can be quite a rush trying to hold on long enough for your boys to respawn on you.

As a squadie, I find this remains true. I have an additional objective... keep the SL alive at all costs. This means covering him, providing medic support (if needed), and doing the dirty work so he doesn't have to expose himself (read "I'll be the bullet magnet at the flag").

As for pacing, I've found many of the maps to be faster paced now than before. With car drops being used to provide extra mobility and smart SLs doing their jobs, there's always action going on. Even getting from point A to point B can be a hell of a ride since now there's more importance placed on being able to do it without getting wasted. I find myself now in constant movement whether I'm an SL or not.

I guess a lot of it comes down to personal taste, but for me the increased focus on playing smart as opposed to just spawning into the action over and over has increased the fun factor quite alot.

[l=lCoBrAl=l]

Re: I miss squad hopping

wargimp you can still play smart and not be frustrated about not being able to join a squad. I said in another post of mine, whether or not you squad hopped, the way they 'fixed' it just annoys the crap out of me. I probably join squads half of the time now because I can't just decide to join another squad after I died. You spawn and join them, and run over to them. By the time you get there they're dead (because you couldnt help them probably) and then spawn and start doing something else or attacking another spawn. While you all by your lonesome away from your squad providing no support and no teamwork. All because I couldn't just spawn on him from the beginning. I really hope they fix thhis a little bit. I did squad hop, but I don't miss it. I just miss being able to switch to a different squad either to spawn on or to help out. Instead it takes away minutes of my time either trying to get to them or it takes away point sto suicide.

Anyways like I said before, I've been beginning to not even join squads anymore. I just assume play my own way and try to have my own fun. And I DO play smart still. I'll just try to find someone else that's running around alone and buddy around with him until one of us dies. Screw squads, it's just an annoyance to me now.

[WarGimp]

Re: I miss squad hopping

Lemme elaborate by posting a link to this thread:

http://www.totalbf2.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76097

[l=lCoBrAl=l]

Re: I miss squad hopping

Good tips of course. I'm not saying you can't use teamwork in a squad, I just think it's freaking annoying trying to join a squad. Obviously you can have alot of fun in a squad with a bunch of people you know. I'm sure you play with people you know all the time. For me, When I'm playing, my clan doens't seem to be online. Alot of the time I'm just by myself. I get into squads alot and help them out. But like I said before it's just annoying when you feel like leaving a squad to join another one once you've died. It's the perfect time to do this.

I'm not complaining about taking out squad hopping. I'm complaining about the way they fixed it. It's ruined by desire to even join a squad (unless I'm playing with my clan where I know they use teamwork efficiently)

[FBmantis]

Re: I miss squad hopping

One of the bigger gripes I have with playing as Squad leader now is actual squad leading is gone. You cannot lead the advance, give orders relating to actual combat or set the example for your squadmates when you are supposed to be hiding in a bush
The game is just slower...and BF2 shines when its manic - its whole appeal is that it is warfare on steroids played at 100 miles an hour

When I read posts like this it is clear to me that you either don't squad lead much or haven't quite grasped the concept. Squad leading has not changed one bit since the patch...all the same tools are still there...the only change is Dice is now encouraging those players who didn't quite grasp the original command structure concept to rethink things by removing some elements(cycling, hopping) that deterred players from working in the type of stable squads that Dice envisioned. Once you start to understand the role and you are an experienced player when it comes to combat than you can really start to cause havoc on the battlefield. The good squad leaders will lead their squad by announcing and marking objectives or movement points("I want to attack the TV station from the South Hill. Rally up at this waypoint guys then we move in". *place move arrow on map*) , giving intel, assigning kits if the current kit layout will not get the job done and mostly creating an environment where it feels like your squad leader knows what he is doing and is communicating this in a manner that encourages your squad members to participate.

The concept that you have to hide behind a bush is silly. No doubt you do have to play a bit more cautious and back off when things get hot if you want to keep the spawn point safe to mantain the pressure. However with UAV and scan ability hiding will only get you killed and you are not contributing to an assault when you do this. The best way to be effective but stay alive as SL is to move with your men from the rear and occasionaly rotate around the objective to throw off the defenders so its not clear where the squad leader is located. You can still rack up tons of kills/points if you are solid at medium range combat and don't go running in like a rambo. A good portion of the time I squad lead I still have the highest point total in my squad. That doesn't mean everyone can be that successful but lets just end the talk that you have to hide all the time as SL and never get any points. Its not true and if you want to lead than your goals and purpose should not be about how high your point total is anyway.

I suggest you go over some of Consultant's and Wargimps posts again. These people get it and I bet do a great job at squad leading when they do so. I'll even throw out the offer $kelet0r to play with ya a couple nights if you so desired. Just send me a pm if there is interest. I could likely round up a few teamwork oriented players I usually play with and you can watch as we roll through objective after objective. Partly because we are a stable squad but also because the squad leader understands his role and is still an effective part of the squad. If that doesn't interest you than drop by the Tactical Gamer server some night anonymously.(click sig) That is the main place I play since stable squads have been the norm since Day 1 and almost every squad on the server is working in this fashion. Its beautiful to see and once you get it you'll never want to play any other way.

p.s. I disagree that the "whole appeal is that it is warfare on steroids played at 100 miles an hour". That may be what Nations of War strives for but I don't think it is how battlefield is meant to be. BF2 is more of a Sandbox game in a military environment where arcade and realism elements mesh to form an easy to pick up and enjoyable game to play where a variety of roles and playstyles are at your disposal. The game was not meant to be super fast paced like Quake or Unreal Tournament.(and I love me some Quake 3)

[imported_bigpappa]

Re: I miss squad hopping

about 90% of the time i cant join a squad now or create a squad, thanks DICE.

[Revoluti0n]

Re: I miss squad hopping

I'm with you Skeletor about the "Squad Cycling". EA/Dice did mention in their latest update that there would be some revisions to the game. Even though they left "Squad Cycling" out of the Community update, I'm hoping they have seen the light and change it back.



T

Indeed, the game felt a lot faster paced back then. It was fun trying to mow down a freshly spawning squad while dodging GL, nades, shotgun blasts, and the occassional arty all in one spot.
:cry: