Guild Wars 2

I think it’s an attention getting mechanism. Just like what is going on here. All of the good commanders have their egos in check.

A commander pointed out to me I had my commander icon on once in PVE and it led to interesting debate about commander icons.

I honestly have no problem with it except in WvW.

I have more of a problem with a fellow commander telling me to to turn mine off in WvW with no info and not telling me what is going on.

Once got onto a server where someone was apparently commandering their whole guild but didn’t tell me this. Instead just kept telling me “plz turn off cmndr”

It wasn’t till I played a game of 20 questions that I finally knew what was going on and just switched to a different server where I could be of more use.

Yeah, it’s because of the 100g, what else would it be? Lol. Hater’s gonna hate, that is all there is to say really.

This doesn’t bother me at all and I’m pretty sure anyone who it does bother is severely over dramatic or has OCD.

People really get that riled up over a blue icon on their map?

I’ve never gotten even remotely annoyed at seeing it. But I also have real world problems I’ve got to deal with and an icon on a game’s minimap is really the least of my worries. I’m usually too busy to even give it a second glance anyhow.

Our guild is currently saving up to buy one of our leaders Commander. Just for the fun of it, basically, he’s an awesome guy who deserves something nice, and he’s a good player who knows what he’s doing. He didn’t ask for it. I hope this crap doesn’t happen if he forgets to turn it off, because he absolutely does not deserve it.

It’s not a problem anywhere else but LA easily solved by giving a map toggle. When I pull up the map in LA it’s because I’m looking for something and it’s not how many commanders don’t know how to turn of the icon in town…

Egon Vidar.9125:

People really get that riled up over a blue icon on their map?

I’ve never gotten even remotely annoyed at seeing it. But I also have real world problems I’ve got to deal with and an icon on a game’s minimap is really the least of my worries. I’m usually too busy to even give it a second glance anyhow.

Our guild is currently saving up to buy one of our leaders Commander. Just for the fun of it, basically, he’s an awesome guy who deserves something nice, and he’s a good player who knows what he’s doing. He didn’t ask for it. I hope this crap doesn’t happen if he forgets to turn it off, because he absolutely does not deserve it.

That’s basically how I received it, my guildies all got money together it was really sweet I just hope he doesn’t get the same hate whispered to him if he forgets.

I also find it interesting that some people think starting a discussion on the forums about it equals attention seeking since I have a commander icon I must clearly be that. It’s exactly the problem. There’s so much negativity attached to having one.

It’s not annoying, people just mad and jelly. Although they will deny these are the reasons they are mad and jelly, (lol) ignore them.

I’m gonna be honest with you, OP – I tend to ignore “commanders”. Why? Because 100g don’t make you a good player, or a good WvW leader. There are some real leaders in WvW, at least on my server, I mean skilled people who know what they are doing, and they don’t have the commander title/icon. I wish the title would require some in game achievements to get instead of just gold. You don’t buy skill and knowledge with gold.

But then I would never go out of my way to abuse or insult the people who have it, and I invite you to report the people who do it to the GMs.

If other players are abusive, report them. Don’t feel bad about it, if they get a temp ban for it, you’re helping them to grow up, learn the value of politeness, etc.

On a more constructive note, I think ArenaNet should really add some options for those icons eg.
-default show all (as now)
-disable all
-re-enable all
-enable specific commanders (choose from list of all in the map)

I think that might work for people who hate to see them for whatever reason, and also add some useful extra functionality for those who want to see them, when they want want to see them. Doubt that would be a high priority at this time though.

Also, this:

I wish the title would require some in game achievements to get instead of just gold. You don’t buy skill and knowledge with gold.

Commander icons can be useful in PvE, when events are on it’s easy to follow the commander icon and get to the zerg.

Its because most commanders are useless and only use it as a “hey, look at me, I spent 100g on something that is relatively useless”.

The hate comes from the fact you clutter up the minimap and give no benefit to anyone in return.

One or two is fine, I just ignore them, but as more people get the gold to buy these things, I am assuming there will be a more sophisticated way to stop commanders showing up on the map!

Yeah, it’s more a clutter thing, I believe.

I’ve enjoyed seeing the icon when out with the zerg in Orr or in wubwub. It’s a great means to easily rally people, regardless of whose giving the good advice in /map or /team.

But in cities, such as LA, they serve no purpose. As more folks decide to get the books or guilds pool together for them, there is definitely the potential for many of these to be floating all over the map display. Since the UI provides no way for a player to choose to see these icons, it will remain an annoyance. While I bear no ill will to any commanders, I don’t like that another player is given control over elements of my UI. It’s a minor issue, to be sure, but it’s still an issue.

It’s nothing worth messaging someone or being rude about, though. That’s just unfortunate.

To the OP … should people be rude? No. Does having the icon come with responsibility? Yes. Is it something that can be bought by ANYONE? Yes. Therein lies the problem. The right to lead is something that should be earned and not bought.

You yourself say you forget and it is obvious that you have thin skin (neither is exactly leadership material … no offense) or as many suspect of most commanders that they are seeking attention. HINT: Trying to educate we the peons by coming here when only like 1 out of every 1,000 players ever visits a forum … does lean towards attention seeking. I don’t condone people being rude to other players and have always had a zero tolerance for trolling from members but if you hang a bullseye on yourself someone is going to shoot at it.

There is a simple fix … Commander icon should only be visible to the guild the Commander is REPRESENTING/leading. Anet needs to fall back on a much better game and borrow from GW1 and bring back ALLIANCES and make it visible to other Commanders in the alliance. Problem solved.

The fix to this is very simple. Anet should allow anyone in the game to be able to ‘right click’ on any commander icon and choose “hide commander icon”.

In this way, people can clear off the commander icon(s) on their own mini map should they choose to.

This would also serve as a dual purpose because if there are multiple commander icons on map and you wish to follow a particular commander this feature would facilitate that purpose too (very handy in wvw when there are multiple commanders on map).

Please implement this feature Anet – it would make everyone happy

Commanders should have started with things that could use someone who is experienced, leading the rest.
- In PvE, those that have done most Group Events and Open World mini-dungeons.
- In PvP, those who have done lots of events of all types, and defeated lots of enemies.

Most commanders started with.
- Exploiting bugged dungeon paths.
- Gathering coin from an entire guild.
- “Playing” the trading post.
And other things, often anything but actual experience.
And many of them got commander status not to use it responsibly, but to show of or order people around.

The difference between what commanders should have been and what they are pisses off people.

I’m drafting a suggestion about commanders an Honor that should address the issue satisfactorily. And I’ll post it when I like what I have.

Mayam.8976:

Somewhere, right now on the continent of Africa there is an ant hill with a bunch of ants probably living in it – I care more about those ants than I do anyone having a commander’s pin active outside of the WvW maps, a LOT more relatively. If by some mystic circumstance I was offered a choice to have the ability to turn every commander’s pin in the entire GW2 playing universe on or off at my whim, or to extend the life of just one of those ants by 5 mins – that’s a lucky ant with 5 more minutes of being an ant to enjoy

What if it was a commander ant that forgot to stop spraying pheromones whilst back inside the hive/anthill?

MithranArkanere.8957:

I’m drafting a suggestion about commanders an Honor that should address the issue satisfactorily. And I’ll post it when I like what I have.

Awesome idea. There needs to be a ranking system so the good commanders can shine and the bad ones can be made to disappear (or at least be blocked)

Doggie.3184:

The icons are annoying? I never actually looked at my map and felt annoyed towards moving icons. How do they hinder you in any way?

lol no kidding! This board thinks of new stuff to whine about everyday. Seriously if a few blue icons are bothering you, perhaps you should upgrade from your 640 × 480 resolution monitor, haha.

It should never be just a simple purchase with a 100g, it should be a combination of guild leader votes associate with it. Any idiots can get a 100g from somewhere to buy the icon, and more often than not, I see bad commanders than actual good ones.

Jealousy, probaly. But you have to admit a lot of commanders just bought that tag, to show everybody how rich they are(a-bit of an eggo boost of the wearer of the tag) You get a couple of commanders that take that tag seriously, and do what they are met to do. Lead…Problem is there are more commanders with tags that do not have a clue on how to lead at all.

So more commanders that just got it to show how rich they are exist MORE in game then commanders that know how to lead a group. Is why all the haterd on tags.

I get to use commander abilities to help players out in PVE all the time. I actually like it as a beacon saying: I am here to help.

I also like using it as a way to recruit for my guild. (had some discussions about whether this is proper or not with other players.)

I also get people who ask me for gold, and various other things.

100g is not a lot. A person who has a legendary probably has way more money than a commander.

Before I even knew what it was, it annoyed me. Like the screaming spot on the man’s shirt in that commercial. It becomes all your eye sees on the map, that dancing blue icon.

If there is a way for the commander to turn it off, there should be a way for all of us who don’t want to see it to turn it off, also. That way commanders can show their icon with pride whenever they want.

I see it in LA and I think “Why the hell aren’t you in WvW instead of being in LA with your icon up?” I think that because I have see commander icons on people who I have never seen in WvW.

moirweyn.9872:

I see it in LA and I think “Why the hell aren’t you in WvW instead of being in LA with your icon up?” I think that because I have see commander icons on people who I have never seen in WvW.

I’ve been to WvW but the point is that the commander tool is not just for WvW.

Quote from Wiki:

A Squad is a PvE/WvW tool for grouping large numbers of players together to pursue a particular goal.

leprekan.7248:

To the OP … should people be rude? No. Does having the icon come with responsibility? Yes. Is it something that can be bought by ANYONE? Yes. Therein lies the problem. The right to lead is something that should be earned and not bought.

You yourself say you forget and it is obvious that you have thin skin (neither is exactly leadership material … no offense) or as many suspect of most commanders that they are seeking attention. HINT: Trying to educate we the peons by coming here when only like 1 out of every 1,000 players ever visits a forum … does lean towards attention seeking. I don’t condone people being rude to other players and have always had a zero tolerance for trolling from members but if you hang a bullseye on yourself someone is going to shoot at it.

There is a simple fix … Commander icon should only be visible to the guild the Commander is REPRESENTING/leading. Anet needs to fall back on a much better game and borrow from GW1 and bring back ALLIANCES and make it visible to other Commanders in the alliance. Problem solved.

If by attention seeking you mean to raise awareness of an issue and thereby seeking attention for that issue then yes. As for the usually negative connotation that attention seeking implies then no I think you are misunderstanding my intent nor is it wise to judge a person so quickly.

Not all commanders need to be uncaring and heartless. Caring for the community and the game is a positive attribute to have. If that makes me thin-skinned for coming on this forum to talk about various issues I see within the game and the community so be it but if you’re saying that going to a forum to talk about something is attention seeking then by that logic aren’t you doing the same?

I made this topic because the hate messages are getting out of hand, I feel this was somewhat due to a misunderstanding by a lot of people in regards to how easy it is to forget you have the icon on but somewhat also in part with an issue that lies with Anet, if people are annoyed by the icons then perhaps it should be a good idea to have an option to switch it off.

Not all commanders or people with the icon are going to be as considerate to at least try to remember to have it off and so even if I did remember 100% of the time there will still be people with it on.

So yes, I do think this is worth bringing up on the forums not just for commanders who get the hate but also for the people who are annoyed by the icon.

Fay.2735:

Some of the comments I’ve read are exactly what I’m talking about. I do try to take it off but as I said it’s easy to forget when you are busy doing various things it has nothing to do with lack of responsibility.

It actually has everything to do with responsibility. I’m sorry, but it does. When you wear that badge, you assume a position of authority, and with that comes a lot of responsibility. It doesn’t matter if you’re a guy out on your own or if you have 500 people you need to manage — if you have the badge, then you need to know how to use it.

This includes being self-aware enough to flip a switch. Again I’m sorry if you disagree and you can tell me as many cool stories as you want to, but it really does boil down to personal responsibility. If you’re having trouble remembering to turn it off because you have a big guild to manage, then you need to either divvy up some of the guild responsibilities so you aren’t so swamped, or you need to appoint someone to “Badge Duty” to constantly remind you to turn it off when you’re done playing in wvw.

I’m going to say it one more time for the sake of redundancy: not taking your command badge off when you leave wvw is irresponsible. Not taking your command badge off whenever you aren’t actively leading anyone is irresponsible. It’s simply irresponsible, and this entire problem wouldn’t even exist if you’d just turn it off when it’s not needed. It’s an artificial problem. Just do it, problem solved.

They should have made the price 1000, or even 5000 gold for the icon, because now most of the so called commanders have the title just to show off how rich they are, not for being useful in WvW. However, it is not entirely their fault. The price of the title is just too low imo. Also I dont mind them walking around with the icon turned on.

It’s just a bad form to send any kind of “hateful” message.
Common courtesy and mutual respect for the other person behind a screen goes a long way.

Kerithlan.1659:

It actually has everything to do with responsibility. I’m sorry, but it does. When you wear that badge, you assume a position of authority, and with that comes a lot of responsibility. It doesn’t matter if you’re a guy out on your own or if you have 500 people you need to manage — if you have the badge, then you need to know how to use it.

This includes being self-aware enough to flip a switch. Again I’m sorry if you disagree and you can tell me as many cool stories as you want to, but it really does boil down to personal responsibility. If you’re having trouble remembering to turn it off because you have a big guild to manage, then you need to either divvy up some of the guild responsibilities so you aren’t so swamped, or you need to appoint someone to “Badge Duty” to constantly remind you to turn it off when you’re done playing in wvw.

I’m going to say it one more time for the sake of redundancy: not taking your command badge off when you leave wvw is irresponsible. Not taking your command badge off whenever you aren’t actively leading anyone is irresponsible. It’s simply irresponsible, and this entire problem wouldn’t even exist if you’d just turn it off when it’s not needed. It’s an artificial problem. Just do it, problem solved.

There are plenty of things that can be considered irresponsible but regardless whether it is or not does not warrant people to send abusive messages to anyone. It’s not the end of the world mistake.

As for why I forget it it’s because my priority lies with the guild members I manage and my friends. They are number one to me not an icon. The amount of times I get told to take a break or take it easy for a while but no I’m dedicated to ensure the best quality for my guild members.

As for dividing guild responsibilities, Try finding really good officers with the same work mentality and passion required to do so well. It’s incredibly hard, I’m currently doing most things by myself.

But again the reason why I forget, whether it’s irresponsible or not is beside the point. The point is that I’m not a machine I won’t always do everything perfectly, does that mean I should get abuse for it? No… I just hope people will read this and reconsider whispering hate messages at random people or to tell Arenanet that they should do something about the icons in stead.

Either way, I’m not trying to excuse my forgetting to turn the icon off. I’m well aware that it’s annoying to some people but at least I’m considerate enough to do it despite my many distractions.

It’s a MMO…. What did you expect? Put them on your ignore list and report them for harassment. Case closed.

Jealousy reared it’s ugly head, eh? Every now and then I see a commander here and there, but hateful whispers? Really? Ain’t nobody got time for that.

‘Sides, I’d never spend 100 G’s on a blue icon when there’s so much kitten to buy!

Oh, you all. I enjoy how many of you take being a commander so seriously. Like your government leader bestowed it upon you for your selfless sacrifice and long years of servitude. Puh-lease. It was bought. By you, or maybe by your fan-base. So, then, someone messaged you to turn it off when outside of WvW? And? Oh, I see, they are the awful people who ’don’t deserve to exist’. Do you folks listen to yourselves? Fact is, many commanders bought the tag because they want to be noticed, in or out of WvW. Here is a quick tip for your future leading, Fay. Do what politicians do, if you don’t like them messaging you, don’t say a word about it. People only flare up when you fan the flames. Don’t give others a reason to continue. But, you know this already, why else bring your issue here, to spread the flames. To all you who parrot phrases such as ‘all our commanders are great’. It sounds like you already believe that tag was earned, not bought…

TL;DR:
Commander tags are a tool, not a religion. Follow common sense, not a random tag. If you own a commander tag, you own a tool. Misuse the tool, and prepare to face consequences of that misuse.

I don’t think any one person should be getting trolled over Anet’s very very poor implementation of commander icons.

How poor is it? Well let’s all just go ahead and buy one to demonstrate how well thought out this wasn’t.

Sorry Anet battlefield ‘leadership’ should be demonstrated not purchased. Hopefully the new plans for wvw progression (prestige and advancement) will sort out the disrespect the OP is currently enduring.

I’m just fine with it as a commander myself.
But I don’t keep it on in PvE (and only 20% of the time in WvW cause I’m a soloer by soul) unless situation requires otherwise(group event for example?)
I’ve seen some people running with it in dungeons.. Well, explain me why would you want it in dungeon?

Everyone’s a commander in their own way, everyone’s got villains they must face.
They’re not as cool as mine, but folks, you know it’s fine to know your place!

(not taking sides btw, just felt like singing)