Open Platoon Checklist

Open Platoon Checklist

So you want to run or join a GOTR Open Platoon? Follow this checklist!

1) Set up your voice comms.

Join the "Open Platoon" channel on Teamspeak and activate your in-game voice in the "Squad" and "Platoon" channels. Do not use the Outfit voice chat in-game. Proximity voice is not required. 99% of communication within the Open Platoon should be through in-game channels. Keep in-game voice comms to PS2-related topics only. Use TS3 sparingly, and put everything else in PS2 text chat

2) Set up your squad listings.

"Ghosts of the Revolution - Open Platoon". Check the boxes for "Show Outfit" and "Private" only. "Show Outfit" puts a big [GOTR] in the platoon name. "Private" prevents people from "auto-joining", which we don't want. We want people that have chosen to join the platoon.

3) Assign Squad Leaders.

Make sure only GOTR members are in the PL and SL spots. Check this regularly, as crashes and logoffs are frequent. Also make sure GOTR members are dispersed throughout the platoon and are not all in the same squad. You don't have to have a full platoon, run a platoon of whatever size you are comfortable with.

4) Pick goals for the platoon and squads (with waypoints!)

The PL should use triple-chevron platoon-wide waypoints to direct squads to general objectives. SLs will use their own waypoints for immediate targets. Communicate with the platoon and explain the "goal" so everyone is on the same page. Do not go into technical detail, just give an overview. "Our platoon is defending the Zurvan area at the moment". Also, the less cross-map moving, the better. You can pair off Alpha/Bravo and Charlie/Delta squads to take harder objectives or throw the whole platoon at the same objective when necessary, but use the numbers you have wisely and keep everyone engaged.

5) Get moving!

Make sure to provide transport and spawns for the platoon. Do not rely on the greenies we are trying to recruit for crucial squad actions - GOTR members should be pulling the first AMSes, Galaxies, etc, and every SL should have a squad beacon at their respective targets.

6) Play, win, recruit

The whole point of the Open Platoon is to expand the amount of people we have to play with. So play! After an especially awesome moment or a hard-fought victory, sell the outfit to the greenies. Let them know that we have hundreds of active members, we do organized events, we use TS3, and that they can join by going to our website, www.gotr.us. Usually I use "Welcome to the GOTR Open Platoon! Please enable your in-game squad/platoon voice." followed by "If you're interested in joining an outfit that runs daily ops, huge weekly events, and uses TS3, send me a /tell"

7) Maintain an active and cohesive force

Your strong platoon will quickly become a weak squad if the players aren't paying attention, are out of position, and are not following orders. There are players that will need to be removed from the platoon because they aren't being a part of the team. As PLs and SLs, it is your job to keep track of and "police" your platoon members. Utilize a "three strikes" rule if you must - a player that isn't with the platoon shouldn't be in the platoon. Also, a platoon (open or not) is only as good as its leaders. If you're getting tired, burned out, stressed, or distracted, it's 100% okay to pass leadership to someone else. Reconfigure the platoon as necessary, make sure the right people are in charge (and that they know they are in charge) and move on.