Basic Leadership Tips of WWIIOL

WWII Online is a player-driven game, without someone stepping up and communicating things can get a little rough and less enjoyable. Today's goal is to share some tips with you that I have been able to learn by playing that I think will help anyone better understand the framework/procedure for getting players directed and your objectives completed. You do not need to be a High Command officer to be a field leader, but it certainly does enhance your capabilities and it is interwoven into the game's design. For improved understanding, or even a refresher course, bare with me and read along as I lay out these key fundamentals to making the WWII Online experience its absolute best.

DO YOU NEED TO BE HIGH COMMAND (HC) TO LEAD?

Short answer: No. 

Better answer: It gives you more tools to work with. But it depends on what your focus is. If you're interested in large-scale organization, you should definitely be in HC. I say this because you not only get the ability to maneuver some supply (or in the case of the Allies change town ownership ~ which is really important), but you also get to have the .allied / .axis tool which is a global communication channel. You also get the option to place and withdraw attack objectives, be it on towns to take or bridges to repair or destroy. These are absolutely essential tools to get your hands on and will no doubt help your experience. Remember: Now with Hybrid Supply, moving a bunch of flags all the time is not a thing, they are supplemental and it's not nearly as labor-intensive or risky. So being in HC is far less demanding and way more enjoyable these days.

If you're interested in the smaller missions, be it forward base busting, RDP raids, shutting down an Air Field, re-supply or interdiction... you don't need to join High Command in order to be a leader or to aggregate troops.

BASICS TO GATHERING TROOPS

It's really not that complicated and it does take a little time. Especially for newcomers to the game, getting the attention of veterans and gaining their trust might take a little bit of effort, but it is 100% do-able. I've heard some folks say "Well Xoom, you're a RAT, let alone the Head RAT. Of course, you can muster troops easily." To that, I say: I was a player first and was able to gather the same numbers. So you do not need to be a RAT in order to rally troops, you DO need to be consistent, competent, and express good communication skills and effort. Our players are willing to help you and they love to see new leaders step up.

So you're trying to accomplish a certain mission, let's say a Forward Base take-down as an example. Here are the minimum basics to get yourself some troops.

1. You need to create a mission. Correctly define your origin (spawn point) and your target (destination).
2. Grab a truck and deploy a mobile spawn.
3. Spawn and defend that mobile spawn as an Engineer.
4. Using F5 (OPS) side coordination channel, type the following:
   1. ENGINEERS NEEDED FOR FB MISSION: Join me by typing ----> .j xoom
      1. You've defined what you needed.
      2. You've defined how to get troops to you by using the .join command and bypass all UI clicks.
      3. You've established the port of access for them by doing the hardwork / logistics.
5. If you are in High Command, repeat that message by typing .allied or .axis
6. Using your map, put waypoints down on the Vehicle and Infantry spawn targets so users can quickly navigate to them
7. Using your mission leader toolset, type: .orders <message> , so people know what you expect of them
   1. Example: <enter> .orders Engineer's needed for FB mission: Target Infantry spawn first, labeled as [label name] </enter> to submit orders

This is the minimum viable approach to gathering troops to where ever you need to go and for a variety of missions.  

Here are some examples of missions you may need troops for:

• Forward Base defense or elimination
• Assault on a town
• Forming an armored column
• Quick defense / liberation
• Spawnable depot
• RDP Raid
• Strategic bridge destruction or repair

".JOIN" MISSION COMMAND

The .join / .j command is one of the most useful and powerful tools currently available to ALL players. You can bypass all the clicks on the user interface by typing someone's name on your side and immediately joining their mission. THIS IS HUGE! It also crosses all branches, so you could be in the Royal Navy and join someone in the 101st Airborne very easily. As a leader, always encourage and teach users how to type this on EACH call for help, because it instills an understanding and will be very helpful for all.

USAGE: [enter] .j <gamename> [/enter] || .j xoom

ROUTINE COMMUNICATION OF PRIORITIES

Routine Comms is the gold standard for leadership, and in this game, you need to TYPE IN-GAME CHAT to lead everyone (not a Discord channel with only your squad). Continuing to isolate priorities in an understandable and digestible form for the regular player base is really key. Not everyone may have your level of knowledge of the game mechanics or may have not considered something that you did. As a leader (HC and non) communicating priorities and amongst each other is the cornerstone to the success of a side in the game. This may seem really obvious, but I routinely see and hear of a lack of comms by leadership.

It's okay to type on OPS a few times to rally troops (as mentioned in the procedure above). You should do this until you as the leader get what you need. 

The void of communication then results in a series of stray soldiers wondering what to do. The real-world military structure while simulated good at times requires a constant barrage of communication to ensure clarity and focus is maintained. Remember, while officers are respected and essential, it's the Non-Commissioned Officers in the military that is the first line of defense for the leadership component of the troop. Without the NCO's performing, there is a middle ground connection lost and it takes a great deal of work to regain that momentum.

Everyone, and particularly the veterans of the game, is responsible for participating and acting in a manner that represents the team's best interest. This means stepping up to fill the leadership holes without being asked to do so and to follow the leaders who do step up. If all players of WWIIOL did this routinely, we'd see an amazing shift in both morale and overall retention and quality of gameplay.

Key message: Step up, do the right thing, even when you aren't being asked to, regardless of the campaign conditions. Communicate often.

COORDINATING A TOWN ASSAULT OR DEFENSE (TOWN OIC)

This is a pretty high paced job to do, but it can have amazing benefits if you stay on top of communications. Here are some basic guidelines on how to lead both town assault and/or town defense. 

TOWN ASSAULT PRIORITIES

1. Do you have a Mobile Spawn deployed and players coming in to support?
   1. Always have a mobile spawn deployed, work to have several.
      1. If you have more than one link or supply pool, utilize both of them.
      2. You can easily hand the mission off to someone else to maintain that Mobile Spawn so you can create a new one if no one answers your call to do so.
   2. If your mobile spawn ever goes down, drop what you are doing, get a new one operational - it's up to you.
2. Is your Forward Base defended?
3. Do you have clear instructions, such as "Capture R1 - the spawn point" labeled and communicated?
4. Do you have support assets inbound / being asked for? (Air Force, Tanks, ATG's, etc)
5. Are you actively motivating the troops to accomplish their objectives?
6. Are you present and visible in F2 (Target) channel coordinating priorities?

Rinse and repeat until the Town is secured.

TOWN DEFENSE PRIORITIES

1. Make sure you understand how long the town has been under-contestment, type: .obj i 
   1. If it has been contested for less than 10 minutes, that means your bunker (or docks / airfield) is not capturable.
   2. Focus on defending the enemies Spawn CP (their linking depot that they can spawn troops from).
2. Get the bunker defended because eventually, and especially in underpopulated scenarios, the bunker will become capturable.
3. Deploy a Defensive Mobile Spawn on the perimeter of town to ensure you can get behind the enemy and disrupt their attack.
4. As early as possible, deploy a team to secure the enemy Forward Base. Most times the attacker doesn't defend this position, and it will 100% destroy their attack.
5. Encourage players to cover the depots as much as possible, all capture points are critical to be defended.
   1. Spawn CP is #1
   2. The bunker is #2
   3. Your rear supply link is #3
   4. Everything else
6. Constant communications are required in defense missions to know where the enemy is and what priorities matter most.

Key Note: Step up in the absence of leadership, someone needs to rally the troops - may it be you!

HIGH COMMAND IS LOOKING FOR LEADERS

I am inviting as many of you veterans to join High Command as possible. I really think this will have a meaningful impact on the game overall and you can rest assured that we have a good Trainer team in place led by IMBRUTUS to quickly facilitate training (even if a lightweight refresher for returning HC officers). Your knowledge of how the game works really needs your guidance to new users and the overall battle flow. You can also connect your squad (through you) to HC so you can stay more alert.

While this guide is 100% designed to help educate everyone and you SHOULD use it whether you decide to apply or not, joining the HC will put you into a position to assist with the overall coordination of things and will 100% lead your side to a higher probability of success.

High Command does not mean tons of paperwork, moving flags all day, etc. We need officers to help lead players in battle and be there, equipped with the tools, to manage avoidable situations.

Allied High Command (APPLICATION)

German High Command (APPLICATION)

I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to read this, I hope it is very helpful for you and let me know if you have some tips or ways to further help players.

At the end of the day, remember this: It's up to you to take the initiative, don't rely on anyone else. Do it when no one is watching, and things will happen.

Salute!