Guild Wars 2

Honest question here. The game’s User Interface (UI) explicitly tells players what to do most of the time during events. If that’s not enough, we usually have random NPCs running around shouting in voiced lines to you exactly what you should be doing.

So why is it that commanders are mandatory now for the successful completion of events? Why is it that people continuously ask questions on what to do during events when the game provides the answers already?

Does no one bother reading text on screen? Seems to me like wasted time creating said text, if no one uses it.

Commanders/mentor tags are simply a rallying point that help to organize multi-path meta events such as the one in TD. Tags are not needed, but they do make the organization of the event easier.

You answered your own question.

Why do people need commanders? Because people always Ask what to do.

Seriously though, I agree. If people actually read what to do we wouldn’t need commanders. Take dragons stand for example, we obviously need to escort stuff down the lanes and then down the spitfires… Do people do that? Of course not. They just follow a tag and kill.

If nothing else having commander tags on a meta map provide some assurance that the map is organizing to tackle the main event.

Good or bad leadership can make a tremendous difference in how well or how poorly things turn out.

re: If people actually read what to do we wouldn’t need commanders. – This might be somewhat correct, but good leadership will always make things go smoother.(If people are willing to follow and not oblivious) Not that having a tag is an assurance of good leadership.

The tag is really useful to help people accrete in the right place, eg the zerg in the blighting tower preserver killing race. The problem comes when people think the tag = control of the zerg … I tagged up once when no one else wanted to, and did my job of running from preserver to preserver, ctrl-t’ing them on sight for the squad. Alas the zerg didn’t do its job of staying on the tag, we got strung out and slaughtered (the tag can’t exactly stand and wait for people there, motion has to be constant), and Map chat filled up with cries of “nub commander!” Yes, it had been explained before we went in just how things worked.

A couple of times in VB the map wanted to go for T4, I tagged up to help be a visible point at a rally — and no one came there despite my callouts in Map. Guess what, even a reaper can’t solo defend a rally point!

Just because one person has a tag doesn’t mean everyone else can stop thinking.

(I have also successfully zerg-commanded in blighting towers, when the zerg remembered to keep up and not stop to fight mordrem. But when anything goes wrong, the commander gets the blame, so it’s often not worth the hassle. I saw another commander castigated who had given all the instructions, when the zerg broke up he called everyone to regroup at the entrance, eventually people did exactly what he’d been asking them to do but yelled at him and said “lol we succeeded once we stopped listening to the commander.” Map is not always a kind and forgiving place).

It’s the same reason why people google stuff instead of looking it up on books, or using a GPS instead of staring at a map. Time is important and tools are useful in saving time.

Does that have to do something with DS map xD ?
Every time timer resets and maps restart, everyone is jumping to maps with COMs only. I did DS meta 50 times or even more, so I know everything you need to know about DS meta, but still looking only for map with coms. Other maps always fail for many reasons.
Also because of coms, we have Squad that works as anti DC (if your client crash or you get connection lost, you can get back on the same map by using squad). Subgriups for squad (decide who will go for boss) etc.
I don’t see problem with needing commanders.

you dont need them, i dont need them, but the mute idiots next to us drooling on their 1 keys are too dumb or lazy to do anything but look for a tag to follow…

good question honestly in my book both the Commanders/mentor tags are a joke. at

lest to me for i always look up information in the gw2 wiki . and the first time i just let

chat go to see and make sure iam getting it the right way . then chat goes back off

most of the time . BUT for thos who are new to the game and have not looked at the

wiki information and do not read . ahh ok yeah the Commanders/mentor tags are

ok for that . or thos that just go with the kill it all mind set it is ok for them . but

honestly like i said the Commanders/mentor tags are a joke . and the funny part of the

Mentor tag tho is you get it free . and can use it as you see fit . or if you feel like it . and

i know thos that paid for the Commanders tag,s do not like that :P

Id say for the same reason some of us need teachers, even though you can learn all you need to know simply from reading the textbook.

they arent a necessity in pve.
They are used in raids so people can create a 10 man squad..tho only the 1/10 players needs the tag in order for someone to start a raid squad.

as for other pve people tag up so others can see where they are during specific events.
Mostly used in large scale meta events like tripple trouble and tequatl where lots of people need to be separated in several differnet groups

ham.8209:

good question honestly in my book both the Commanders/mentor tags are a joke. at

lest to me for i always look up information in the gw2 wiki . and the first time i just let

chat go to see and make sure iam getting it the right way . then chat goes back off

most of the time . BUT for thos who are new to the game and have not looked at the

wiki information and do not read . ahh ok yeah the Commanders/mentor tags are

ok for that . or thos that just go with the kill it all mind set it is ok for them . but

honestly like i said the Commanders/mentor tags are a joke . and the funny part of the

Mentor tag tho is you get it free . and can use it as you see fit . or if you feel like it . and

i know thos that paid for the Commanders tag,s do not like that :P

The tags are just convenient rally points, even for those who know the events. There aren’t enough landmarks in the game to really effectively give reliable instruction and keep people on target. It’s easier for the players and also for those leading the events, than it is to try and direct people blindly.

Most of the time the commander is just a portable map marker: an easy way to show where groups are currently, and where they aren’t. If I enter Silverwastes and see 3 commander tags I start heading to the 4th fort while asking what the status is.

Occasionally someone needs to give extra directions or reports on the status of the events, and that can be the commanders job but anyone can do it.

Vukorep.3081:

they arent a necessity in pve.

ShinyDay.5349:

…I know everything you need to know about DS meta, but still looking only for map with coms….
I don’t see problem with needing commanders.

Yes they are a problem because they are a necessity. And they are a necessity because of people like you who leave if they don’t see coms organizing the meta. Which automatically dooms the meta to fail because of a) not enough people, b) people leaving because they don’t see coms, and c) people leaving because they don’t want to learn what to do, they just want to follow the zerg.

This is also a problem because of map participation. I spent time building participation but if there are no coms, then people won’t even try to do the meta. Meaning I have to jump to a new map and lose all my participation. I also have to stop what I’m doing to look for a new map early enough if I even want to have a chance at doing the meta. This is very disruptive to the game flow.

Bottom line is the game has devolved into a follow the sheepdog (commander tag) fest. And people have stopped even trying to learn how to do events. Triple Trouble even to this day cannot be completed without a significant portion of the players being on teamspeak. And will likely NEVER be doable that way, because people just don’t want to learn.

Leamas.5803:

ham.8209:

good question honestly in my book both the Commanders/mentor tags are a joke. at

lest to me for i always look up information in the gw2 wiki . and the first time i just let

chat go to see and make sure iam getting it the right way . then chat goes back off

most of the time . BUT for thos who are new to the game and have not looked at the

wiki information and do not read . ahh ok yeah the Commanders/mentor tags are

ok for that . or thos that just go with the kill it all mind set it is ok for them . but

honestly like i said the Commanders/mentor tags are a joke . and the funny part of the

Mentor tag tho is you get it free . and can use it as you see fit . or if you feel like it . and

i know thos that paid for the Commanders tag,s do not like that :P

The tags are just convenient rally points, even for those who know the events. There aren’t enough landmarks in the game to really effectively give reliable instruction and keep people on target. It’s easier for the players and also for those leading the events, than it is to try and direct people blindly.

ok lets get this straight and right for the record book,s !!!!! we do not need players

leading the events not one reason at all . so you can toss that out the window and

while we are at it too there is something called a wiki even tho most do not read them

they are what tell you how and what to do in events . and we do not need

reliable instruction there again is something called a wiki for that . and not only that

but those that think they are some how leading the events, . ahh they are only

leading the blind players at best. and yes the game needs a far more better compass

then its got now. that i will give you on that one. iam not knocking you or any thing

just saying the facts as they are.. just like how it be nice if all these players with said

information . would put it to good use and go to the official gw2 wiki . and post good

and proper game information . instead of saving it for the game . like i said not

knocking you . just saying the way i see it on this topic is all .

I wish they would remove cheap commanders (mentors), they add nothing but confusion to the game. Perhaps enable them in lower level areas if their intent was to help new players but at end game they detract.

As a minimum can we change the icon so it doesn’t look so much like a red commander on the minimap; green apple?

In PvE, commander tags only mean three things of any value:

• “There’s people here, probably because an event”
• “The map’s world boss may be organized”.
• “A guild may be doing guild missions”.

That is all there is. And I think it is enough.

ham.8209:

Leamas.5803:

ham.8209:

good question honestly in my book both the Commanders/mentor tags are a joke. at

lest to me for i always look up information in the gw2 wiki . and the first time i just let

chat go to see and make sure iam getting it the right way . then chat goes back off

most of the time . BUT for thos who are new to the game and have not looked at the

wiki information and do not read . ahh ok yeah the Commanders/mentor tags are

ok for that . or thos that just go with the kill it all mind set it is ok for them . but

honestly like i said the Commanders/mentor tags are a joke . and the funny part of the

Mentor tag tho is you get it free . and can use it as you see fit . or if you feel like it . and

i know thos that paid for the Commanders tag,s do not like that :P

The tags are just convenient rally points, even for those who know the events. There aren’t enough landmarks in the game to really effectively give reliable instruction and keep people on target. It’s easier for the players and also for those leading the events, than it is to try and direct people blindly.

ok lets get this straight and right for the record book,s !!!!! we do not need players

leading the events not one reason at all . so you can toss that out the window and

while we are at it too there is something called a wiki even tho most do not read them

they are what tell you how and what to do in events . and we do not need

reliable instruction there again is something called a wiki for that . and not only that

but those that think they are some how leading the events, . ahh they are only

leading the blind players at best. and yes the game needs a far more better compass

then its got now. that i will give you on that one. iam not knocking you or any thing

just saying the facts as they are.. just like how it be nice if all these players with said

information . would put it to good use and go to the official gw2 wiki . and post good

and proper game information . instead of saving it for the game . like i said not

knocking you . just saying the way i see it on this topic is all .

I disagree and let me explain why. From a player perspective that has only really been in gw2 for approx 6 mo I’ve found it as an accurate gauge to let me know if there is a group presence at an event, and two it has been really helpful catching event trains before settling in and using the group function panel. Not everyone coming in knows people or belongs to a guild with helpful members. I’ve learned much from both PvE commanders and WvW commanders.

Kamara.4187:

ham.8209:

Leamas.5803:

ham.8209:

good question honestly in my book both the Commanders/mentor tags are a joke. at

lest to me for i always look up information in the gw2 wiki . and the first time i just let

chat go to see and make sure iam getting it the right way . then chat goes back off

most of the time . BUT for thos who are new to the game and have not looked at the

wiki information and do not read . ahh ok yeah the Commanders/mentor tags are

ok for that . or thos that just go with the kill it all mind set it is ok for them . but

honestly like i said the Commanders/mentor tags are a joke . and the funny part of the

Mentor tag tho is you get it free . and can use it as you see fit . or if you feel like it . and

i know thos that paid for the Commanders tag,s do not like that :P

The tags are just convenient rally points, even for those who know the events. There aren’t enough landmarks in the game to really effectively give reliable instruction and keep people on target. It’s easier for the players and also for those leading the events, than it is to try and direct people blindly.

ok lets get this straight and right for the record book,s !!!!! we do not need players

leading the events not one reason at all . so you can toss that out the window and

while we are at it too there is something called a wiki even tho most do not read them

they are what tell you how and what to do in events . and we do not need

reliable instruction there again is something called a wiki for that . and not only that

but those that think they are some how leading the events, . ahh they are only

leading the blind players at best. and yes the game needs a far more better compass

then its got now. that i will give you on that one. iam not knocking you or any thing

just saying the facts as they are.. just like how it be nice if all these players with said

information . would put it to good use and go to the official gw2 wiki . and post good

and proper game information . instead of saving it for the game . like i said not

knocking you . just saying the way i see it on this topic is all .

I disagree and let me explain why. From a player perspective that has only really been in gw2 for approx 6 mo I’ve found it as an accurate gauge to let me know if there is a group presence at an event, and two it has been really helpful catching event trains before settling in and using the group function panel. Not everyone coming in knows people or belongs to a guild with helpful members. I’ve learned much from both PvE commanders and WvW commanders.

you can do that and it is fine and good and i respect it and since your new to the game

and its the holidays . and iam in the mood of giving so let me give you this and hope

it helps you a lot being a new player . and welcome to the game as well hope you fully

enjoy it too!! . now for my gift to you

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Main_Page

this has the most best information when it comes to this game. now there are some

well other sites but they are lacking in information . and i would only recommend using

this one

Lambent.6375:

Id say for the same reason some of us need teachers, even though you can learn all you need to know simply from reading the textbook.

My background working in education is screaming at me right now, so give me a second to go off on a tangent here. You can’t learn everything you need from a textbook, because a textbook is a poorly written abridged account of what you’re researching. Textbooks are written to contain information first, and as such make for horrible instruction. The best way to learn any subject is to have someone there to actually instruct you. Because then, when there’s actually an open communication about the subject, all of the little intricacies can be worked out and misunderstandings addressed.

Now I digress.

I bought a commander tag recently, and as an investment it is already starting to pay for itself.

I originally bought it for King of the Jungle. Yes, organizing pre-debugged Nuhoch lane without a commander tag is like herding cats. You need to collaborate with others to get accurate counts of who is in what lane, because the numbers were a highly specific thing, and Nuhoch was usually under-staffed. Then, you need to make several groups to handle different missions, because otherwise everyone will bunch up into a tiny ball and fail the event. Without those subgroups and other commanders, the event was guaranteed to fail.

Should it be necessary, I may step up and lead a wurm for Triple Trouble as well. There, you also need commanders to organize the 5 parties (each wurm head, condi team, reflect team), and get accurate head counts, and also to delay long enough to finish explanations. Without that communication, the event is doomed to fail.

The commander tag is information. It is a plainly understood communicator which instantly indicates where something is going on for the entire map. It isn’t drowned out or blocked like map chat. Because of this, whenever there is an event that I want done, I can just tag up and suddenly people arrive in droves.

It is really handy to have an “i’m in charge” badge. It gets people to listen to you, and lets you know who you need to talk to in order to organize things. Otherwise, you’ll get random people yelling to do the wrong things, and there’s no way to distinguish yourself from the crowd.

It’s easier to follow the commander tag and spam your skills, than to learn what to actually do. Many would blindly follow the commander off the edge of a cliff. >.>

That was only partly serious. >.>

Rio.4259:

It’s easier to follow the commander tag and spam your skills, than to learn what to actually do. Many would blindly follow the commander off the edge of a cliff. >.>

That was only partly serious. >.>

hahaha i dont know about that i think some honestly would do just that and

blindly follow the commander off the edge of a cliff. and not question it or even why

hahaha

ham.8209:

Rio.4259:

It’s easier to follow the commander tag and spam your skills, than to learn what to actually do. Many would blindly follow the commander off the edge of a cliff. >.>

That was only partly serious. >.>

hahaha i dont know about that i think some honestly would do just that and

blindly follow the commander off the edge of a cliff. and not question it or even why

hahaha

See, now that you guys have said it, I want to give it a shot.

ham.8209:

Rio.4259:

It’s easier to follow the commander tag and spam your skills, than to learn what to actually do. Many would blindly follow the commander off the edge of a cliff. >.>

That was only partly serious. >.>

hahaha i dont know about that i think some honestly would do just that and

blindly follow the commander off the edge of a cliff. and not question it or even why

hahaha

Already happened in Silverwastes. Commander of Chest Farm jumps off the cliff next to Blue Oasis. 70% of the zerg follows and dies. Idiots.

The game’s interface does not always tell players explicitly what to do in order to succeed at an event. The Wiki can sometimes fill in missing information IF it has been updated by players. Commanders can form squads for meta events in TD and AB and coordinate numbers in each section. They answer questions and give information to the squad relevant to the area or section the squad is assigned to.

In the past two days I’ve noticed that some players have refused to join squads for the meta events in AB and TD and it is typically those players that have almost caused an event to fail because they don’t pay attention to what’s going on. So an Octovine almost gets killed too early or one of the lanes in TD almost fails an objective.

Don’t like Commander tags for PvE events? Find a map without them and try to succeed. Maybe you will. It used to be that tags were needed for the Tequatl event, but I’ve seen it succeed without tags. However, this only happened when players communicated in map chat about numbers in each area.

“Any events?”

You don’t need commanders. They have some tools regarding numbers and supply. But they are deemed half insurances for success.

Usually, some people are incapable or think they are incapable without.

SW CF mainly

You know a feature that should be added to commanders?

Microphone, cause then anybody in the area can hear commands being issued. Blacklisting that person will block microphone. /gg

ham.8209:

Kamara.4187:

ham.8209:

Leamas.5803:

ham.8209:

good question honestly in my book both the Commanders/mentor tags are a joke. at

lest to me for i always look up information in the gw2 wiki . and the first time i just let

chat go to see and make sure iam getting it the right way . then chat goes back off

most of the time . BUT for thos who are new to the game and have not looked at the

wiki information and do not read . ahh ok yeah the Commanders/mentor tags are

ok for that . or thos that just go with the kill it all mind set it is ok for them . but

honestly like i said the Commanders/mentor tags are a joke . and the funny part of the

Mentor tag tho is you get it free . and can use it as you see fit . or if you feel like it . and

i know thos that paid for the Commanders tag,s do not like that :P

The tags are just convenient rally points, even for those who know the events. There aren’t enough landmarks in the game to really effectively give reliable instruction and keep people on target. It’s easier for the players and also for those leading the events, than it is to try and direct people blindly.

ok lets get this straight and right for the record book,s !!!!! we do not need players

leading the events not one reason at all . so you can toss that out the window and

while we are at it too there is something called a wiki even tho most do not read them

they are what tell you how and what to do in events . and we do not need

reliable instruction there again is something called a wiki for that . and not only that

but those that think they are some how leading the events, . ahh they are only

leading the blind players at best. and yes the game needs a far more better compass

then its got now. that i will give you on that one. iam not knocking you or any thing

just saying the facts as they are.. just like how it be nice if all these players with said

information . would put it to good use and go to the official gw2 wiki . and post good

and proper game information . instead of saving it for the game . like i said not

knocking you . just saying the way i see it on this topic is all .

I disagree and let me explain why. From a player perspective that has only really been in gw2 for approx 6 mo I’ve found it as an accurate gauge to let me know if there is a group presence at an event, and two it has been really helpful catching event trains before settling in and using the group function panel. Not everyone coming in knows people or belongs to a guild with helpful members. I’ve learned much from both PvE commanders and WvW commanders.

you can do that and it is fine and good and i respect it and since your new to the game

and its the holidays . and iam in the mood of giving so let me give you this and hope

it helps you a lot being a new player . and welcome to the game as well hope you fully

enjoy it too!! . now for my gift to you

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Main_Page

this has the most best information when it comes to this game. now there are some

well other sites but they are lacking in information . and i would only recommend using

this one

Thank you Ham Booked marked to my toolbar now. /salute and Merry Christmas

It’s a lot easier to follow a tag around than to use your own autonomy.

Tags on a map help to push the meta event because it shows what type of population is on the map:
-If there are tags present it indicates that there is at least some “base” population to the map
-If a commander is tagged up, it is likely that they have a small group of players with them (if not, usually they would tag down after a few minutes)
-Players who are tagged up usually understand the mechanics very well, so are thus are happy to take the lead to explain what’s going on.
-As soon as there are tags on the map, people can use the “organised map” selling point when taxi-ing people in. It automatically makes a map more enticing. People will often move from a map with no commanders to a map with commanders.

It’s not necessarily about the commander’s skill. It’s more of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I dunno. It’s up to the player. I have a strong adversion to walk with a commander. Not being able to determine how I want to tackle a ingame problem my/our way is very discouraging to me. That’s not to say that everyone should be like that. I just enjoy the moments when I figured something out myself alot more, than the moments I followed some random other player and following their exact instructions.

I have the most rotten luck with getting disconnected in events with a lot of players, so I mainly join squad as a form of being able to get back to the same map I’ve been progressing in.

Crimson Clouds.4853:

It’s not necessarily about the commander’s skill. It’s more of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

This sums it up perfectly. A long time ago I tried to organize WvW maps through the map chat. I couldn’t afford a tag at that time. I knew the maps well, but nobody listened and all were running around aimlessly. Got our kitten kicked many times.

A week ago I cashed in stacks of runes of snowfall and bought a commander tag with the gold. People will blindly follow you no matter what you do. I don’t even know DS very well, but just having players concentrated is enough. After the DS meta I often port others to the spider queen hp. Left the tag to mark the spot for others and three people patiently waited there with me the whole 15mins and even jumped down as I made the portals. It was pretty scary.

So yeah, it is some kind of necessity to channel players into the right parts of the map. And for that it works quite well.

Also, it gives everyone on the map someone they can blame in case things go wrong. And you will be yelled at no matter if it’s your fault or not.