Building a Clan

Team-oriented games offer satisfaction unknown to the solo experience. There is nothing in a single-player game that equals hearing gunfire just behind you, only to turn around and see a dead enemy at your feet and ally just behind them.

The camaraderie offered by intense team-oriented games is unrivaled, but first you must find the right group to play with. It's a tricky business online, especially if many of your real-life friends aren't gamers. That said, with a bit of luck, and a discerning eye, bringing the right crew together is no impossible task.

How I wish they were in multiplayer too.

Though it doesn't support clan functionality per sé, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™ (GRAW) provides the perfect setting to test and mold a functional group dynamic. Using the game as a base, and a crew of players I met recently during my 100+ hours of Dead or Alive® 4, I put some common-sense rules to the test. Here's what worked and why:

Assigned Leaders
Anarchists aside, it's commonly held that a group succeeds as well as its leadership allows. It's a tough pill to swallow for some gamers though; following orders isn't a generally accepted gaming precept. However, in team games, (Advanced Warfighter especially), direction is required.

Seek out those you get along with, not
necessarily those who play the best, and your
experience will be the better for it.

Every team experience in GRAW utilizes a hovering "drone" that scouts out locations and marks enemy positions. If tugged in all different directions by each member of the team, it's useless, but if it's commanded by the accepted "leader," it's indispensable. Beyond that, you need someone to give the team focus, direction, and organize legitimate tactics. Committee decisions, put bluntly, don't work on the battlefield.

Don't think of the leader's position as too highly coveted though. Commanding the drone and offering tactical suggestions means you're out of the action for chunks of time. If, however, your designated group all want a shot at the "general's stripes," just rotate the position around so everyone can give it a go. All things being equal though, delegating "leadership" authority for group decisions to one player can help expedite some of the stickier decision making.

The drone does good targeting work.

Organization
In my group, I've got students, parents, one kid, one guy who works the night shift, another that heads off in the wee morning hours, and myself, so getting everyone together is a challenge all its own. Luckily, Xbox Live® mitigates most of the problems. First, put one person in charge of organizing sessions, and second, use the Xbox Live message system to send out global voicemails to everyone regarding upcoming events. If that doesn't work, e-mail is the obvious answer.

Once you're all online, try having one player host a private match and gather all the troops under one lobby. There, you can decide what the plan is, what kind of matches to play and what everybody's schedule is.

Understanding Roles
No matter the skill level, everyone brings something to the table, and in a game like GRAW with multiple "classes" of soldiers, each member of the team will likely find their niche. When do you find your comfort zone, do the group a favor, and plan on specializing in that class. At the same time, you need to be multi-dimensional so make sure the group is well rounded. Again, this is where a single leader/organizer comes in. If you've got some contention in the group as to who gets to play a Marskman in each round, let them sort it out.

Hold L and press left or right to lean. Handy trick!

Constant Communication
In the field of battle, the single greatest asset for a "clan" is communication. Nothing will get you killed quicker or save your hide faster than constantly communicating vital info. When you see an enemy, let the group know just where they are and what they're doing. If you bring up the map and see a target bearing down on your teammate, shout out to them. If you're slinking off to the top of a hill to snipe, let everyone know. If you need the drone brought to a specific location, give your leader a heads up.

It seems a simple thing, but play a shooter online in a team game with a random group and chances are you'll hear either nothing, or useless chatter and smack talk. Force yourself to ask questions when tactically necessary and give lip to enemy locations you spot—I promise your winning percentage will be healthier for it.

No Mercy
Harsh as it may be, the harmony of the group has to be considered with each player added to the team. One bad seed can corrupt hours upon hours of otherwise great game sessions. Once again, it's a single leader that can help avoid disaster. If you find a player continually frustrating or "griefing" the experience, you've got to let them go. Tell them to shape up or ship out, have an intervention to thwart their annoying habits, or just make a clean break and have everyone remove the offending player from their friends list.

When it comes to competing as a team, you need to come to a group understanding before heading into your first serious competitive matches. All rules aside though, it's who you play that makes the difference. Seek out those you get along with, not necessarily those that play the best, and your experience will be the better for it.

Thanks again (they helped me with my last column, too) to Lefty 2Glocc, Plazma Cutter, dubz on3, Brightstorm, and Mjr Major for helping me put my theories to the test.

Article by Ryan Treit