Leading
Breakdowns of what a Leader does.
Last updated
Breakdowns of what a Leader does.
Last updated
/vl [Player Name]You need 5 people to type this command with the player they would like to vote to be leader so they may have access to the leader commands. In the package comes a neat little tag above their head to indicate that they're in charge of the shitshow!
Although leader is immune to becoming autobalanced; leader functions other than !transferleader playername are intentionally disabled upon becoming infected/dying to 'encourage' passing the mantle to another Human who can lead the rest of the round.
To activate leader actions, you must use TF2's voice commands. Each action below will indicate which voice-line to use. Additionally, a distance parameter is shown underneath the action name that changes depending on how far away one is from a marker.
If you don't have any of these hotkeys binded or find it easier to have them all in one area, you can bind the !leadermenu chat command to open a panel that will allow you to place them.
Voice Command: Help!
This action places a "Defend Here" marker with a green ring, indicating where teammates should fend off the zombies.
Voice Command: Incoming!
This action places a "Danger Here" marker with a red ring, indicating spots teammates should be wary of.
• e.g. environmental dangers, zombie TPs, etc.
Voice Command: Go! Go! Go!
This action places a "Fall Back" marker with a blue ring, indicating spots teammates should retreat to.
Voice Command: Move Up!
This action places a "Follow Me" marker above the leader's head, indicating that your teammates should come to you. The marker will remain active for a few seconds.
Most of the time, leading will play part in parcel with going with the flow of the team. You can either lead dominantly or be laid-back, depending on the players on the server. Whatever extent you want to lead will require you to "read the room" and try and establish a general sense of what people want to do. For example, most people don't need or may not care for a leader in simple maps like ze_atix_panic or ze_defense3002; but, for maps like ze_shroomforest3 or ze_dark_souls, assuming people want to beat them, then a leader might be appreciated.
Regardless, it doesn't hurt to have a leader, even if you don't use your mic for simpler maps. Take this as your opportunity to experiment and learn how to use the Leader plugin. So long as you communicate properly with markers and text chat, that is sufficient enough to try and push your team in the right direction while not being as intrusive as voice chat. In both instances, you will still need to understand the map, where to go, and what to do. You don't necessarily need to know all the best or the safest strategies, although they will most certainly aid in the survivability of your team, and you can just rely on a general sense of how to get through things.
If you want to lead a map but are not sure how to lead, see how others do it! Once you get familiar with the timings and strats of a map, it's time to actually lead. To be an effective leader, there are some things you should be wary of. Remember, not everyone is as experienced as you are, so your job as a leader is to make sure people are aware of crucial information to help them survive!
When and where zombies teleport; "Zombie Tele on the danger marker when second door is triggered, at 10 seconds on next timer" etc,
When and where to fall back; "Go middle gate after timer ends" etc,
Any traps to avoid; "C4 bomb at door, pizza, holes in the floor" etc,
Boss Fight Callouts; "Hug the walls or you'll die, stay in the middle, go backwards" etc.
Due to the fast-paced nature of Zombie Escape, you won't have much time to speak before a crucial event pops up, so be sure to be quick and straight to the point! As you play more and more, you'll get better and more familiar with the map and become a more effective leader as a result!
While leaders may be useful, you may encounter teammates uninterested in beating the map or maps simple enough to play without one. You might even find teams already familiar by heart with the more complex maps, allowing them to just play at their own pace. In most cases, though, you'll find that not everybody knows the map, and you might even have some players completely new to ZE overall. Maybe you'll even come across players that do know the map but need the assistance of a leader to tie things together. If there's an expressed desire to learn or push through the map, it may require a leader to step up and guide everyone through the chaos.
This is actually less of a note for leaders and more or less for the players listening to voice-comms generally speaking - the command known as voice_overdrive can REALLY help alleviate some of the typical problems of voice-chat being being drowned out by gunshots or map sound effects.
It won't adjust their audio levels however - so a quiet mic will still be very quiet unless you delve into using voice_scale (careful setting this value too high) otherwise that person will probably have to fix their gain whereas applicable.
Culturally throughout Zombie Escape servers - this isn't a do or die sort of thing, and heavily depends from person to person on leading styles on whether they even care or not - but in the more difficult to coordinate maps like split defense or item-heavy maps; ex ze_visualizer or ze_serpentis_temple where communication will be absolutely key, it's recommended to keep any extra voice-chatter to a minimum unless integral to the map like calling out a losing defense, item usage, and so forth.
Going on a 30 minute rant of how you're evading taxes, and that CSS is better than CS2, I soloed your mom last night; might just get you ignored in VC by the leader or a few other people there to try and fish out a victory as it could drown out any important callouts. The same can really be said for backseat leading or double leading - unless the current leader has forgotten something or needs any confusion cleared up on a tactic.
Again though, this isn't like "always be silent during leading hours forever" - but is just more another pointer to read the room!
