How to be a good Squad Member - Tutorial

[eclampsium]

How to be a good Squad member (For newbies or maybe not).

Ok, that may sound stupid, it is only to donate a lot isn't it? Well, that may be the most important part, but let's dissecate the behavior a little bit more.
There are some basic rules a SC leader is looking in players to make part of a nice squad team. It may not be just about medals but about other things that may be plain certain for you or not as i've seen before. In my actual squad, one of 3 squads, the leader will not hesitate to remove infrequent players, even if they got 6000 medals or simply 100 medals. Let's take a simple look at some basic rules:

- Be a frequent player
If you are not a frequent player it means you will not donate and share experience, so you are invaluable and discardable. If you are planning a vacation trip, just leave a message (or more than one) to your leader and oficials that you will be away for some days and be back as soon as possible right?

- Be a good donator
And being level 1-4 doesn't means you can't donate some little soldiers or maybe even unlock a special unit and donate. A bike is a very usefull and requested unit for defense and can be donated early in the game. If you are an early level player in a squad full of higher lv players that are asking for specific units that you don't have, don't be ashamed (you can't have a beaultifoul donation profile yet), we like to donate high lv troops for early players. Just make shure you post the replay of that advanced unit making a havoc on the enemy base that wouldn't expect those and we will be very happy to donate again becouse it is so funny, besides that, an early player SC is very small and it is not a great job to be filled with 2-3 units. Just make shure you grow up fast to be able to donate some key troops (like a heavy soldier or a bike) and all will be good. Having more donated than received troops or at least almost the same is something only true gentleman may show on the statistics. That high level player that appears only once and a while to request troops to fill the SC and disappear without retributing anything is a waste of time. When we look at the statistics and see a high level player with two received units for one donated... There's something wrong.


- Donate as requested!
That may look simple. Everybody likes to receive exactly what they asked for. But some guys have difficulties in stoping the queued troops and wait a bit more before the next attack just to make some specific troop for a squad mate. Someone told us 2000 years ago to do to others what we would like to be done to ourselves... and we still did not understand the message.
I once asked for defenses, a guy showed up and sent a medical droid and nothing else... what am i going to do with that and bikes and skiffs together in a defense? Or if a hail is asked to help attack, will a skiff do the same? If someone is able to 'wait for the troops" he will ask what he needs. If he can't wait he will just ask for "Any"... That is a simple behavior among the team.
I enjoy sending the troops as requested again and again, over and over again. Why? Becouse that creates a bonding between you and another players that do the same and you will find yourself full of friends in the heat of the battle supporting your SC in the higher levels of the game where it is ESSENTIAL to have that support.


- Show up sometimes only to donate
That is something that distinguishes the best of the bunch. Plain simple... There are plenty of moments where we are not fully availlable to stay online and rather let that protection time run while the refinery fills up. You don't have spare droids waiting resources to work... Under those circunstances i calm down, make some troops and apperar sometimes online just to donate. If each player does that, the squad becomes so good that you hardly ever need to wait more than a couple of minutes to fill up your SC. Isn't it good to quit the game without sn endless wait for defensive troops before shutting down the gadget?


- If you are oficial, honor it!
I really noticed that oficials sometimes treat the other oficials in a different special way. It's like a code of honor among them. The Oficial is supposed to be that gentleman kind described above that heads above the selfishness of the world.
Before my actual squad i suffered in a squad were there was an abandoned leader, and an oficial who would insist in send out of the Squad good players without a visible inteligent reason. It took a few times for me to discover who was him based in the timings of occurrence and last time log of the players. Being an oficial is a badge that you are exemplary pal, otherwise you would not had received it, so honor it and do not use it in a bad way nor expect your-self to be someone special that deserves all the donations and do not need to retribute... It's the opposite, an officer is someone that helps the squad trough donations at will.
I think it is mandatory to have an external channel of comunication among the leader and the oficials. Luckily our Jedi Family squads have a Line and a FB page.

- And if i get stuck with those troops that i "would donate"
Yes, it happens a lot with those who make a lot of troops to donate "as requested". It is inherent to those who build as requested that sometimes, someone was already buiding that specific troops and donated first. It is not the end of the world, other day i got stuck with 2 snipers, 1 bike (and rebell bikes sucks compared with the empire ones) and one skiff (reasonable damage but so fragile), i still managed to make a good 2 star 90% attack becouse i had air support and offensive troops in the SC. just put that unit in the back of the troops or send it to that corner destroying unprotected buildings and they will help for shure. Even when calling the enemyes troops outside the base for combat will make them usefull. The fact that sometimes you will get stuck with those troops becouse you are a good donator are offset by the gratefullness of other players in donating to you always the can retribute, and that is very good during conflicts where you need support to advance at maximum speed...

The above words express only my opinion and not a officially endorsed law from any squad. Forgive-me my typing errors (not a native english speaker but loves the english language). Forgive-me if someone got offended, it wasn't purposefull.

May the Force be with you:

Humberto Hepp (Rápido).

[JNB]

Very good advice eclampsium. I am trying to get my current squad to make a new one as there are only 5 or so active players out of 30 (and a very good 5 it is...). The leader went awol 40+ days ago and haven't heard from him since and he never made anyone else an officer. I do all the things you suggest (and have had the same frustrating things happen to me).

I just really wonder what others are thinking when they send a repair droid or medic droid... even 4 lowly troopers is a better donation.

[LDeVose2]

How to be a good Squad member (For newbies or maybe not).

Ok, that may sound stupid, it is only to donate a lot isn't it? Well, that may be the most important part, but let's dissecate the behavior a little bit more.
There are some basic rules a SC leader is looking in players to make part of a nice squad team. It may not be just about medals but about other things that may be plain certain for you or not as i've seen before. In my actual squad, one of 3 squads, the leader will not hesitate to remove infrequent players, even if they got 6000 medals or simply 100 medals. Let's take a simple look... .

Buenos Dias, Senor Hepp.

Everything you say is true. Only the guilty would be offended. They should be offended.

The inability to communicate effectively on the game notwithstanding, I have made it clear to all squad mates that donating is not an option, and I quickly reward those who do. I promote at 100 donated (it used to be 50). I have made it clear that failure to continue to donate will result in demotion, and "gently" urge squad mates to donate only to those who donate.

We are a relatively new squad with the highest medal count belonging to a member with just over 2,000. I have just under 1,000. When I first started the squad, our highest medal count belonged to a member with 750+. I was waiting for my top mates to exceed him before I remove him for inactivity - nearly 4 months now. When my fourth place member moves to third, the Invisible One will be a former member of Eulippia. Yes, it is only a game, but I see it also as an opportunity to help folks understand how life really works. I would rather have less standing with a few solid mates than more with a bunch of squiggly-wigglies.

My challenge now is getting folks to join this forum. I think I also need to set up a facebook page for the squad. I don't think they understand the importance of communication in any endeavor whether it be leisure or labor. I have already made it a prerequisite to squad membership (that they join here). It is the existing members whom I am trying to nudge.

In life, sustained success only comes through community. One has to be able to work with a community of like-minded men and women to accomplish anything great. This is good practice here.

Good words, Senor Hepp, good words!

[eclampsium]

Thanks for the kind words my forum fellows.

JNB: it is really hard to raise a good squad from the ground and with plenty of other more advanced Squads in the midle of yours and the top ones in similar condition of 5-10 active members, i'd recommend sauad merging to strenght your team power. One of the squad leader dutyes is to remoove loose players and captivate the good ones. Once i hit 5000 donations in my squad i was awarded with the oficial badge from our squad Leader. My aim in the Sauad? Not to be the highest medalist, but, the second best donator of the Squad (Becouse the first is our unstoppable leader with more than 20000 donations alone), that is one of the things i want to reach.
I would suggest you to find another similar squad and merge both. It would double the donation capacity of you guys. The best officers of each squad may automatically be raised to officer in the other new squad.
At the Jedi-Family we have 3 squads and there are some spots on them to be filled. I'm in the Jedi-Master's one, our top squad, wich still have 3 free spots (temporarily unrestricted) and we may even talk to the leader if he can't open one or two more for you guys. Let me know if you are interested in a highly active and friendly squad enviroment trough PM. We can arrange all before trough the forum private area or trough a Line Channel.

LDeVose2:
You are completely right. Even a simple "game" like this may have a pedagogic aspect to the players. Due to differences in behavior of players some will act in a way that exposes they're true inner nature. It is the duty of those more mature to help the others to evolve into a more civilized state...

[LDeVose2]

Thanks for the kind words my forum fellows.

LDeVose2:
You are completely right. Even a simple "game" like this may have a pedagogic aspect to the players. Due to differences in behavior of players some will act in a way that exposes they're true inner nature. It is the duty of those more mature to help the others to evolve into a more civilized state...

Wise words. I wanna be like Senor Hepp when I grow up.

[Jayjack]

Rap this is the best informative post I've read to date!!!! Want to say it is an absolute pleasure to have you on our squad... Well done catch u soon on the battle field...
Jayjack leader of Jedi-Master's

[eclampsium]

kind words again Gentlemans! thanks for help making those words true.

[eclampsium]

Another great tip it took me a while to understand and correct it: The chat will only display you messages from players who have the game installed using the same language you are using. Chatting is an important part of the game dynamic. One thing you may do so that all the guys will see your eords is to write in a battle sharing comments. But the best thing to do is go into the settings and change to the language everybody uses in your squad. Off course if you don't speak a foreign language you may rather search a squad from people that are in the same country. Squads with players from different time zones have the advantage of full time coverage of donations.

[Python6]

Right on target. I would submit that the guys that log in to check on the squad and make a few donations even when they aren't playing are "great" squad members.

[QuanDanner]

There are many squads our there which are looking for members, but when someone joins they kick them right out... without giving them a chance to prove themselves. A squad is only as good as the leader and officers. Forgive me but I am offended because I looked and looked for a good squad to join, one that I could learn from, make friends, and have fun. The problem isn't with the squads out there, it's with the leadership.

There are many squads which allow players to go inactive for up to a week at a time. There are many squads in which the leader and officers haven't been active except for 1 day every few weeks just so they can keep their squad going. There are even squads which allow members to join a war and not fight without any problems... but most of all there are squads out there which make demands but the officers don't follow their own rules and the leader doesn't care.

I agree that members in squads should be active, ask for donations, give donations, participate in wars and donate reputation to the squad, but it should not just be the members doing it, it should be every one in the squad, officers and leaders as well.

I think that in order to be a good leader, you should be willing to serve your members, help them out, and give them tips on how to do better. If all you are looking for squad members based solely on how many medals they have accumulated, the you aren't a good leader/officer in my book. We were all noobs at one time and the leaders or officers who forget that usually are the squads which push people away.

Giving a guide on just "how to be a good squad member" isn't really a good guide unless you include officers and even the leader of the squad into the guide. Just because someone made a squad doesn't mean that they should be given respect. Respect is earned.

I respect my squad leader and officers because they have earned my respect. Not because they have given me orders and threatened to boot me if I failed to follow those orders....