TakingArms wrote:QUOTE (TakingArms @ Dec 28 2009, 03:24 PM) Using wings effectively during squad games has been tried by several squads several times. It doesn't work. Problem is, with pods and respawn, your wings get broken up and confused and wings can't maintain unit cohesion when the @#(! hits the fan.
Situational awareness trumps wings, every time.
The only place I have seen wings work semi-effectively is the 50+ vs 50+ big games, where there's just so many people that allocating a few to very specific tasks doesn't remove enough people from the general pool to reduce overall team effectiveness in responding to crisis.
I know, I tried to use them ages ago as well and the main problem is the 'who's in charge of the wing'? The wing systems failures are design problems, not failures on the part of those that try and use them (the command wing is a good example, it's useful because you get updates on where miners/cons are doing).
The issue is people tend to think of them as something they have to chat on instead of sending orders to. People use wings all the time in game (Camping alephs, getting figbees together, bomber runs etc). I wouldn't expect people to stay together all the time, just when it matters.
The concept of a wing leader need to be introduced into the game and act as mini commanders on that wing channel.
SA is just one tool and wings are not a replacement for that (in fact you need good SA to be able to use wings effectively), Wings + SA can be highly effective means to get a short term goal completed without disrupting or confusing the rest of the team.
I would still expect that most of the orders would come over the Team Chat from the commander but as a commander I would want some people attacking, some defending, some scouting at specific times and it's cleaner to send the request to a small group I want doing it.
They should not be rigid containers that force people to fly together all the time at the same time
