Why won't people listen? MY RANT

I am not one that hates PUGs they way some do, but lately things have been getting worse for me. People flat out will not listen. Then yell at you for being a jerk because you are trying to implement some sort of strategy. I think it is because the game is "old" and people know what they are doing, but does that mean there shouldn't be any plan?

I was leading a Katie the other day. I literally gave one instruction in the first 3 missions. On the 2nd mission lead out I asked the team to fight their way down while I, the tank, grabbed her and started leading her back. Two people just ignored me and when I called them on why they were following me on said, "I have done this a hundred times, I am good" (obviously I wasn't asking who could survive to katie, so that wasn't the point) and the other said, "you don't need to give orders, just kill." Grrr

I have also had people block me because on Lambda I split people into acid and grenade teams. When they were in the wrong place, I told them (Hey Captain Whatever, you are supposed to be at acids). You'd think I called his mother bad names.

Maybe I am overbearing, but I REALLY don't think so.

OK done with rant.

People are dumb.

I still run into the occasional BAF leader who spouts

HOLD AT 10% HEALTH
HOLD AT 10% HEALTH
HOLD AT 10% HEALTH
HOLD AT 10% HEALTH
HOLD AT 10% HEALTH
HOLD AT 10% HEALTH
GOGOGOGOGOGOGOG KILL AV KILL AV
GOGOGOGO OMFG
WTF SEIGE TAEM
OMFG
now we have to do this again
BURN TO 10%
HOLD AT 10% HEALTH

:/

We're about to get an influx of A) people who aren't old enough to afford $15/mo to play the game and B) people who are more familiar with less savory gameplay coming into the game, and PuGs are going to become a lot worse.

What you as a leader need to understand is that people, no matter how senseless, will embrace irrationality and cause problems. Usually, this is in the form of overconfident arrogance and they'll act like they don't need to pay attention to anyone. The Stalker runs to the end of the mission, triggering all the ambushes. The Mastermind draws all of the map's aggro to the team. Things like this, and they'll continue to do it even after being advised otherwise.

The best option is to give however many warnings you find appropriate, then just click the Kick button if they ignore you. There's no sense in making the game unfun for everyone on the team, and people are (and will be) a dime a dozen, so you can just grab someone else to fill the spot.

Colorado Springs? I'm actually heading there tomorrow. (Well, get there on Sunday)

Grandpa had another stroke. We're going to go visit him.

In my experience people don't like to be led, but they do like to be talked too and included, and if they think you are showboating then they listen even less. Especially in this game.

This is not just random pugs, but even well thought out groups where people play together for a lot of time. The differents is that people in your PuG have probably done something a million times, and with many of the tactics in this game beaing a "Steam Roll Tank and Spank" some people just see some other people as the gloryhound.

I must stress this with all my being....If you are a tank, it does "NOT" make you the leader, nor does being a Tank make you a good leader if you are in that role.

If your concept of leadership, is "I am going to do this, and you all wait, then you are not leading the team, you are just telling them what you are going to do. This is not leadership. However if you tell a controller who it is they are hitting with controlls, telling the Stalker or Scrapper who they need to focus on etc, then you are leading, and also making people feel like you are a leader.

In Bafs and other Trials, the most successfull leaders also need to know when people might not know the trial layouts. As a leader, you need to adapt more than the people you are with, in order ensure they adapt.

Inability to adapt as a leader is the worst kind. It may not go your way, but if you wanna wear the leadership hat, then you need to also understand going into a pug that your team makeup will often times have to influence your leadership style, moreso than what you or they are used too.

I lead things with my dom all the time. But I focus on my teams indivuals (This is not as easy on Bafs and Lambs). So if Im doing the portal quest for Infernal, which works better with some strategy, This will be my instruction.

So if my team is a

~Tank
~Brute
~SoA
~Dom
~Defender x2
~Scrapper x2

(Used because it was my most recent version)

I need the Tank and the Brute to pull Infernal from the portal. I need the Defender (Who was an empath) to focus heals and buffs on our point tank, with secondary or recharging buffs cycling to the Brute. The other Defender was a Rad, so I asked for them to focus debuffs on Infernal.

Asked the scrappers to charge the portal with the SOA (A Crab) While I the Dom held and slept and confused the portal spawns. Once the portal was down we all shift to Infernal focusing on debuffs.

What was different? Probably not much, but we creamed the mission, and everone left. While I did sound a bit bossy, I was also inclusive so I was not "Just doing" something, everyone had a specific goal.

Thats how I like my PuGs, and it's also what I learned from awesome leaders, and probably why I am asked to join TF's a lot.

no matter what people do they always know best and always use the " you must be new" speech as their crutch...

Tactics and situational awareness are a lost art. The average gamer nowadays have been conditioned to either a) shoot/hack everything that moves and b) only use the accelerator in driving games.

Different ways to lead:

1. I will get her sit tight brb

2. Do we want to do this fast or fight to her? Who has done this the fast way before and can get her? I will go if no one wants to.

3. For gourds sake would someone get the aggro crazy woman before she gets us all killed?

With 2&3 you aren't shouting orders you are just asking who wants to do it. With 1 some folks will see it as hot dogging.

Here's what I would have said "If you have stealth, then stealth to her, if you cant stealth feel free to wait for TP or you can clear some of the groups up front.

I pretty much say something like that on every TF I lead, rather it be a kill boss, free someone, or glowie.

Its not barking out orders, it lets everyone decide what they want to, maybe you have stealth but don't feel like running in a cave and you want to just clear some mobs or sit and wait then go for it.

I can usually accomplish what needs done and you usually have enough people with stealth that follow to help at the end.

Also on a Katie you can just free her, whoever has her can just pop a bunch a purples as needed and just lead her out, and anyone else can fight whatever gets in the way.

Anything to speed up a Katie is a good idea... the rewards for that TF are pathetic.