Take Me To Your Leader!
 -A short guide to the SL

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(Note: This guide is of more use to a person just starting off with an SL. Although you may find something useful in here)

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The squad leader class is the link between you and the enemy and is always relied upon to make an attack succesful. A normal attack without an SL is short, dependant on luck and the survival of the attackers. Such attacks are easily dissipated and in general, a waste of time. However, with an SL providing an anchor to the enemy successive 'blitz' attacks are possible. These attacks are made more reliable since being summoned requires no energy and the attackers are able to fight without worring about recharging or being caught with low energy in the middle of a firefight. The SL can summon at lightning pace and once he is safe, the attackers never really seem to relent, beating down on enemy defenses until they give way and the game is won.

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The Squad Leader has access to a limited, but versatile set of weapons. Good weapons to take with you are the AKS BR, BR01, Incinerator, Needler, Unittech PSMG, Unittech SMG, Kuchler CR, Electron Beamer, Flechette Rifle, the various grenades (including Haywire Grenades) and a small supply of mines (including the Grapeshot Mines). SLs an also use CMP6 Combat Armor, Both PF and IDF Generators, Teleport Disruptor and Stealth Coating.

If you are interested, my current SL setup is:

CMP6 Combat Armor
PF Generator
Enhanced Sensors
Suit SuperCharger
Teleport Disruptor

2 Teleport Beacon

Incinerator
Kamenev AKS BR

Electron Beamer

4 WP Grenade
4 Frag Grenade } (All set to the same key)
4 EMP Grenade
4 Haywire Grenade

130 Ammo Rifle
100 Fuel Canister
3 Repulsor Coil

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You should use a good set of macros to inform your team of any goings on. Macros always need ti have your coordinates, and instructions for requesting summons. You could use this set of macros if you are just starting out as an SL:

F1 - Attacking NME (Type 'X' for SUMMON) [%coord]
F2 - Defending HOME (Type 'S' for SUMMON) [%coord]
F3 - HOME under ATTACK (Type 'S' for SUMMON) [%coord]
F4 - I am DEAD (NO MORE summoning) [%coord]

These macros are very simple and as you learn more you may need additional macros for more complicated scenarios. Always use a ?buy macro if you don't already.

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Since summoning is your main purpose, you should aim to excell at it. You need to be able to summon somebody within 5 seconds of thier request unless you are in danger or there are too many people needing a summon. I recommend you mark anybody who regularly requests summons so that when it comes time for them to request a summon, you can find thier name on the list alot quicker. When you are summoning it is best to be as close as possible to the enemy, but also fairly safe. If you can summon and fight at the same time it is even better. You should try not to die as if you do, the link between your own team and the enemy may be lost. I always spend some time outside of the fighting, summoning and setting down grapes before I join the offense. Remember, if you summon people, and you are not close to the NME...they may as well just attach as thier energy will be recharged by the time they enter the fighting. You want to be able to maximise your ability to bring, fresh, fully charged troops into combat.

You should also take note of people who die and either use a macro to announce thier death, or die in front of your eyes. You can then highlight thier name and count to about ten. Summon them and they will be pretty impressed that they didnt even have to ask. Remember it takes time to actually type 'X', so if they don't even need to type it, all the better! Of course, when alot of people are dying it is pretty hard to keep track of everybody so only bother using this technique if there arnt that many dead people.

Lastly, if you are defending the home base, always check your ?flags macro. The time it takes for a person to announce they have captured a flag is enough time for your enemy to kill them. If you can summon them before they need to announce anything, you could save thier lives. Also, if a flagger is stuck under TD..do not hit the summoner three times in a row. Try once, then count to three, then try again. If you hold down the summoner it will jam and the flagger will most likely die.

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Your grenades are probably the best weapon you have, and don't underestimate them. In fact, having 12 damaging grenades and 4 disabling grenades is a pretty beefy arsenal. Aim your grenades carefully and make use of angles, curve balls (using your strafing inertia to 'curve' the path of the grenade) and 'walling' (using a grenade point blank to the wall in order to produce an explosion without bouncing). WP grenades do hefty bypass damage, EMP Grenades do what is basically bypass damage (since there is no existing armor that can stop electronic damage) and Frag Grenades do alot of Explosive damage.

Haywire Grenades need to be treated differntly as they are of situational use. They don't do any damage (Which is just as well because they are already very powerful) but they can disable turrets and enemy weapons, for short periods of time as well as mess up the energy recharge of the people it hits (Although I am not conviced this last attribute works). These grenades are best used to support heavies in thier destruction of a turret, to disable large groups of enemies and to cause general annoyance. I would not recommend the use of these grenades against one person.

As powerful as they may be, grenades are not very effective if that is all you use. A grenade toss is best followed up with another weapon (I recommend Incinerator) and likewise, your primary weapons are best followed up by a grenade.

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In terms of combat, you should probably stay behind the majority of your team using 'nades and your other weapons as support fire. I say behind because an SL is no good to anybody if he is dead. Use Teleport Beacons to ensure your survival and to manouver in and out of the base and dropship. Laying a beacon, getting a quick heal and returning to the beacon location ensures you won't die any time soon.

If you want, you can help out your team by softening up defenses with your Electron Beamer. It can turn of PF/IDF Generators and reduces any class to zero energy in at the most, 4 shots. You should fire a few burts at somebody till you have 3 or 4 direct hits and then follow up with grenades, rifle fire or your Incinerator. This weapon is also good for defending home, fire it out of the flag room and most commies trying to rush the flags will have very low energy by the time they reach you, making them very easy pickings.

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Some other handy tips include:

- TD on the Hill flags if you manage to get there and a commie is going to grab them.

- Summon flaggers home by summoning them out of the enemy, attaching to a home anchor, then summoning them again (not recommended if a medic is present).

- TD the enemy base just inside the radius of thier own TD, so that you can strafe out and summon people quickly without moving far or letting them escape your TD.

- Use TB to surprise the enemy if your forces are dying, by laying one deep and and warping back inside on an unsuspecting enemy.

- Don't play Infantry while 'under the influence'.

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I hope this short guide has provided you with some useful tips and entertainment. You can send any comments or critism to middlemoor@specfreq.net OR to sneakersneak@hotmail.com

But don't ask for any more help because as they say:

The rest.....is my secret :-) - Middlemoor