Book is finished

[Trooper_811]

Hi all!

I promised to let some people know when my book was finished and where it would be available. I'm happy to say that the book is indeed finished and you can get it at:

http://www.cafepress.com/commandertheory

The book is dedicated completely to playing the commander role in Battlefield 2 but there is some information that pertains also to squad leaders, squad members, and lone wolves. Bascially, any role can benefit from this information. Remember, even if you aren't doing the commanding, you are being commanded.

This book goes far beyond what you will get from those "standard" guides that come out for every game. It is NOT a collection of tips and tricks, but rather a serious look at what it takes to be a consistently successful commander.

If you have any questions, let me know. And, again, thanks to all who took an interest.

cwv_8t88

[DezemoDova]

sh*t i thought it was free... oh well

[imported_Fatman]

...wow...

is this like a self-help book? lmao

why pay for things you can learn?

[Hollister360]

WHy would you make/buy/write this

[Trooper_811]

Some sample content

One suggestion made to me that makes sense was to post some material from the book and give you an idea of what it contains. So, here are two short pieces from the book.

FROM CHAPTER 6: COMMUNICATION RESOURCES

COMMANDER CONCEPT # 8: THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMADER RESOURCE IS COMMUNICATION.

If you asked a group of players, “what is the most effective commander resource?” I would bet most of them would say artillery. The problem with artillery is that it is the most direct and salient (superficially obvious) part of the commander’s tool kit of goodies. If I asked you, “what is the most effective weapon to an infantryman?” we might easily get into a debate of why an M16 is more or less effective than an L85. But our greatest weapon is our mind. Granted that if you put a solider with a tank and an infantryman with an M16 in a field and take bets on who will win, no one would bet with the M16. The tank will win hands down. But the idea is that in real life the infantryman would be trained not to let it come down to him and a guy with a tank. He would find the weaknesses of the tank and exploit them which might simply include avoiding detection and making his way to the flag the guy in tank thinks he is defending. In this way, an infantryman with an M16 can defeat a guy in a tank.

FROM CHAPTER 12: LEADERSHIP IN VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

In the field of leadership research, there are generally two types of leadership: Transactional (TA) leadership and Transformational (TF) leadership.

Transactional Leadership

TA leadership is when the leader focuses on contingent rewards. This means that the leader makes clear the rewards to be gained from following a certain set of behaviors. “If we do this, we will get this.” This type of leader also focuses on mistakes and failure to meet standards set forth by the leader. The TA leader is the typical style of leadership you will find in most situations.

Transformational Leadership

TF leadership is when the leader goes beyond the performance-->reward relationship and provides inspirational motivation to the followers. This leader is more concerned with consideration for the individuals in the team and creates trust with the team members through intellectual stimulation.

COMMANDER CONCEPT # 12: A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLE IS MORE EFFECTIVE IN TERMS OF TEAM PERFORMANCE THAN A TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLE.

Research clearly suggests that the TF leader is more effective than the TA leader. This means that teams with a TF leader will achieve higher levels of performance over teams with a TA leader. Here’s the problem: You can see from the descriptions of the two leadership styles above that the TF leadership style requires more time spent with the team members. Also, it requires higher levels of quality communication to achieve those higher performance levels. So, how do you succeed with a TF style of leadership in a game that lasts about 30 minutes and with people you don't even know?
________________

OK, me again. As you can see this is not the kind of stuff you will get from other game guides. These two sections I have included are the lead-ins to the real content of the book.

I agree that this book is not for everyone. However, if you are interested in seeing the commander role from the perspective of an expert on leadership and, more specifically, leadership in virtual environments, then this book is for you.

If not...then oh well.

Thanks...

cwv_8t88

[dmonkey]

Too bad this is of no use in a pub server environment, hardly anyone is in squads and nobody listens if they are.

[ninjaturtle]

Anyone buy a single copy yet?

[Trooper_811]

Anyone buy a single copy yet?

Just FYI:
It's been available for about 6 hours now and 2 copies sold.

Let me know if you have any specific questions that haven't been answered yet. I'll be happy to help. I love the commander role and I would like to see it played better. That's the real motivation behind its writing.


cwv_8t88

[alecs36]

I would buy it but i'm broke. Just for a good read when i'm eating not working on anything ect/ect.

Maybe if i get enough spare money.

[iewgnem]

Well, might help those die-hard clans who want to win some world cup, although they proberbly have their own idea of how to command. Compliments for the effort, I wont buy it though, clans are not my thing.

[dfr.mav]

should have been called "Being a Battlefield 2 Commander FOR DUMMIES"

woulda sold more IMO

[Trooper_811]

should have been called "Being a Battlefield 2 Commander FOR DUMMIES"

woulda sold more IMO

LOL - I hear ya but I couldn't literally do that becuase that series of titles is owned by Wiley Publishers if I'm not mistaken.

Actually, I avoided the easy/obvious stuff about being commander like "click here for this and click here for that." You can get that from playing the game and reading the forums so the book is not a primer on playing commander. It goes beyond the basics and gets deep into strategy and leadership to name a couple of subjects.

Thanks for the chuckle, though...

cwv_8t88

[Dr-X]

This is lame - who is buying a book to learn stuff that's readily available on the net? I mean, if the author of this book can leanr it without buying a book, why cant you? Why are the lame asses buying this?

[Natoksane]

This is lame - who is buying a book to learn stuff that's readily available on the net? I mean, if the author of this book can leanr it without buying a book, why cant you? Why are the lame asses buying this?

I think you should show a little more respect than that. He has already said this isn't for everyone.

That is just like saying, Fatal1ty is the NO.1 gamer of Quake 4 without reading a book, I can too! Sure, you could get good, but if he wrote a book, you'd get better much much quicker, and also learn things you other wise, would not.


Show a little respect.

[TFH-GaretJax]

I agree that this book is not for everyone. However, if you are interested in seeing the commander role from the perspective of an expert on leadership and, more specifically, leadership in virtual environments, then this book is for you.

Expert on leadership eh? This begs the obvious question of whether or not you were or are in the military. If so, branch, AFSC/MOS, rank, base, and years of service please.