77th JSOC / Public Servers / Guides / SL / Squad Leader Handbook

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Squad Leader Handbook


This is a handbook for players on the 77th JSOC servers, it will cover the function of the squad lead role on our servers. It will mainly cover responsibility and privileges but might extend to some tips and tricks to get the most out of the squad lead role.

The squad leader has a vital function on our servers, he will be leading a group of players forming a squad into combat, the squad leader will have the overall responsibility for the well-being of his squad members.

Since the squad leader has such a vital role on the server they are expected to behave appropriately. Under no circumstances is the squad leader allowed to break any server rules or order any of his squad members to do so.

Squad leaders tend to be the role that most frequently has to take care of new players and get them to understand the way our servers function, with this in mind it's good if a squad leader likes to share their knowledge and experience with others and are willing to contribute to new players integrating to the server.


Hierarchy, Criterias, Abilities and Quick Guide:

Hierarchy on the 77th servers:

  1. Admins and Ambassadors
  2. HQ
  3. Pilots
  4. Squad leads
  5. Foot soldiers/squad members


Criterias needed to be fulfilled by a squad leader:

  1. A squad leader needs to have read and understood the Rules for our servers.
  2. A squad leader is preferably in a squad leader slot (This will grant them access to equipment specially available to the squad leader slot).
  3. A squad leader needs to create a squad through the squad management system and name it within the phonetic alphabet.
  4. A squad leader needs to have the squad leader position in the squad management system so he can communicate proficiently with HQ or other SLs or have assigned this position to a squad member he designates as a Radio operator.


Squad leader special abilities:

  1. The squad leader slot in the bobby is the only slot able to carry a laser designator, this gives the squad leader the ability to laser designate targets for UAV/CAS if he needs additional fire support.
  2. The squad leader is one of two classes able to carry a grenade launcher on his primary weapon. This is to give him the ability to lay down smoke for concealment or marking targets/friendlies/safe LZs.
  3. The squad leader is the only player in a squad able to listen to the command channel.


Squad leader quick guide:

  1. A player planning to play the role of a squad leader should primarily use the squad leader slot in the lobby.
  2. The squad leader is responsible for communications between himself and HQ/pilots/UAV/other squad leaders.
  3. A good squad leader will take care of his squad members, newer expose them to any excessive risks when in a combat situation.
  4. Squad leaders will have to try to adjust his squad composition to the task at hand.
  5. A good squad leader listens to his men, he takes their advice and utilizes their experience in his decision making.
  6. Squad leaders should know the correct radio etiquette and keep their transmissions short and concise.
  7. Squad leaders are role models for their squads and are expected to behave thereafter.


Function of a squad leader:

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The primary function of a squad leader is to lead his squad in different missions assigned by HQ.

In the function of a squad leader lies the responsibility of communicating with the rest of the servers' different elements, this will primarily be done over the command channel.

The squad leader is the only one in the squad that should communicate with HQ/pilots, this should be done over the command channel and is done to reduce the workload for HQ/pilots.


Squad composition:

A squad leader should always check so his squad fulfills the minimum manpower requirements before deploying to the AO. (Minimum manpower requirement can be found in the Rules section of this wiki). When it comes to squad composition, a good rule of thumb is that a squad should have a squad leader and a minimum of one medic and one AT. The rest of the Squad can be adjusted with different player classes to meet the criteria of the mission ahead.

Special circumstances apply to an armor crew. Check the Wikipedia page for the armor unit for additional information.


Squad leader behavior:

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The 77th JSOC want all players to be included, especially new players not accustomed to the specific server environment we provide. With this in consideration, the squad leaders have a vital role to fulfill. Since new players will be assigned to different squads the squad leaders will have to shoulder a large responsibility to help new players understand our server standards. Anyone not willing or unable to help new players onto our servers should not consider playing as a squad leader.

A squad leader should try to take care of new players on the server, try to help them integrate into the squad and help them understand the specific way our servers function.

All task placed on the squad leader is aimed towards a smoother-running server, this means that the squad leader is to do his best to get his squad members to abide by the server rules.

SL have the final say in a dispute with another player in the squad. With this said, a good SL knows to listen to the squad members and consider their input into the decision process, including their impression of the situation will mostly have a beneficial effect on the outcome of the task at hand. Individual players may possess great amounts of knowledge about a specific matter and an SL failing to make good use of this may end up getting his whole squad killed.

A good SL does not micromanage his squad in absurdum, he trusts his subordinates and gives them an order in with they are able to make their own decisions according to the situation they are faced with.

SL have the overall responsibility to give all his squad members fair treatment, he needs to be able to see to his soldiers and be fair to all of them accounting for their limitations and treating all of them with an equal amount of respect .

If a dispute can not be settled between the SL and another squad member an Admin/Ambassador should be contacted to deal with the matter.


Good to know:

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As a squad leader there is some useful information to remember when playing the role. In this section, we will cover some important information useful to anyone wanting to lead a squad.


Squad manager system:

The squad manager system on our servers provides the players with the means to organize their squads. This system is called Group Management in the game, it is an important tool for the squad leaders and they should take their time to familiarise themselves with it. The following information will provide players with some basic functions for the squad manager system.

  • The default key binding to open the squad manager system is "U".
  • If a player gets an invite sent to them a popup message will appear on their screen and they will be able to press and hold the "U" button until they automatically join the squad they were invited to.
  • To navigate through the squad list players can use the up and down arrow keys.
  • In the bottom part of the interaction menu you will find a "Join" and "Leave" buttons. These are used when a player wants to join a selected squad or leave the squad they are in. Note: the "Leave" button will only show when a player is in a squad.
  • To create a squad, press the "Create" button. If a player is planning on leading a squad it is recommended to start by pressing the "Create" button, then immediately disband/leave the squad, then click "Create" once more. This will reduce the likelihood of random players joining the squad when they spawn into the server.
  • After a squad leader has created a squad they will be able to rename the squad by clicking on the squad name in the management system.
  • A squad leader is able to lock the squad by selecting his squad to private, this will prevent any player from joining the squad without first getting an invite sent to them by the squad leader.
  • The squad leader is able to kick any player from the squad by selecting the player in the player menu and then pressing the "Kick/Ban" button.
  • The squad leader is able to promote another squad member to squad lead by selecting the player in the player menu and then pressing "Promote".
  • The squad leader is able to Disband the whole squad if needed, it is done by pressing the "Disband" button. This will ungroup all squad members and remove the squad from the squad management system.


Comunication:

Different procedures apply to communication between squads, HQ, UAV and Pilots. It is primarily the job of a squad leader to communicate with other elements. A squad leader can, if he feels the need, assign a squad member to be the designated radio operator.

If a squad leader is utilizing a radio operator, the radio operator will have to be in the squad leader slot in the group manager system. This will enable him to hear the command channel. The designated radio operator needs to follow the communication guidelines established for squad leaders.

During normal circumstances, the squad leader should be the only one in the squad communicating with HQ and pilots.


Guidelines for Communication:

  • When sending a message over the command channel, the sender should always start with identifying the receiver followed by their own identity
  • To reduce radio traffic, all voice communications should be as short as possible
  • Voice communications should always be to the point and have a clear message that is easy to understand by the receiver
  • Communication procedure: [Request] –> [Contact] -> [Message] -> [Ending]
  • Keep all channels clean for good communication between players.
  • Only one person can speak on the command channel at a time.
  • You can request communication with all elements on the command channel.
  • The end of channel use should always be clear for other elements.


Troop transport:

The squad leaders are expected to be the ones requesting lift from HQ or pilots for him and his squad. This includes organizing lifts for individual members.

Transportation requests are to be performed primarily over the command channel.

If requested, a squad leader is to mark a desired LZ or EVAC point on the map in an appropriate channel.


Resupply request:

A squad leader is responsible for the squad and needs to request an ammo drop if they run low on ammo.

When a squad leader decides to call in supplies for his squad it's recommended to inform HQ/pilots of what type of ammo and quantity is needed.

When a supply request is made the squad leader should locate and mark a safe LZ for the delivery of the supplies and mark it on the map in the appropriate channel.


Calling in support:

The only player able to call in support is the squad leader, to do this they need to call for the support over the command channel.

Squad leaders can only call in support on targets posing a direct threat to their squad.

When requesting support the squad leader must specify what kind of support they want (UAV, CAP, CAS or Armour), what kind of target they need to engage, the number of targets and the location of targets.

An example of an SL support call would be: "UAV, this is Bravo, request GBU strike on one MBT Kuma near the radio tower, 500 meters north of our position".

It is recommended that the squad leader mark the targets on the map to ease the target acquisition for the support element.

If possible and if it will help, the squad leader can mark enemy positions with red smoke, this will indicate a target area for any friendly CAS units tasked with the fire support mission. If red smoke is used the SL must clearly state the use of red smoke to the support element tasked with the fire mission.


Using smoke:

The squad leader is able to carry a rifle able to use 40mm smoke rounds and standard smoke grenades. These are excellent to conceal squad movement, and marking squad position and enemy position.

When at an EVAC zone and having helicopters inbound it's the squad leader's responsibility to deploy blue smoke. One smoke at a time is sufficient to mark a landing zone, any more and pilots might have frame rate problems during the approach.

There are several types of smoke to be used, this is the list of the primary smokes used on our servers.

  • Blue smoke : Used to signal extraction (only to be used by the squad leader)

  • White smoke : Used to cover the visual line of sight to either get in cover safely or retrieve downed members

  • Green smoke : Used to mark friendly positions to avoid blue-on-blue fire

  • Red smoke : Used to mark enemy positions.


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