Tips to be a good SO?

[SwirlyKins]

Recently I've been playing SO a lot more and enjoying it a ton. However, I still don't know what makes a good SO, and what makes a bad one.

So I was just wondering what you guys thought were some common traits shared among the bad SO's, and maybe some shared traits between bad SO's.

Many thanks in advance.

[Sulaboy]

Communicate with your other SOs to have a clear picture of the battle in your head. Knowing the approximate location of friendlies and hostile is a good skill that will allow you to set a route for your squad or plug a hole.

Don't think you are just a computer operator for the aCO, you're allowed to move your squad and give them orders.

I usually let the SL work on the micro management of their squad, but send them a message to remind them of something they might have overlooked. (Flanks, places that need fortification)

Report to your commanding officer whenever your squad is making a notable move, or to just update them with your location.

If your squad needs supplies list off items they will need to req (req usually can handle a supply drop just by asking but it's good to make sure)

Try to remember where the SL planeted that OB. An OB hits a 13x13 square centered around the offset. Max offset into a direction will still result in the beacon being hit along with 3 tiles behind it. This means that it's always dangerous to be next to the beacon, so you shouldn't fire it unless you have visual confirmation or the SL has called it in properly.

SOs have medic training, and can defibrillate or medicate if the situation needs it.

Keep setting new objectives if your squad is doing something new. I sometimes use the secondary objective space to give late joins an idea of where everything is.

SOs have the ability to swing rounds, they probably have the best situational awareness of the squad, and sometimes it'll allow you to pull of great flanks.

The most important part of being a SO is to communicate. Your entire job involves sitting in a chair relaying information, and making decisions based off of this information.

[Retrokinesis]

The most important thing is always be talking. You can't really talk too much as a SO; over-communicating is always better than under-communicating. Talk to your squad just to remind them you're there. Give running commentary of when they move to a new location, find something, or engage an enemy over the command channel. Bother req until they get the supplies your SL is requesting. Request backup when they get in trouble and the SL is too busy being eaten to scream for help. Get latejoins on the right dropship and tell them how to link up with the rest of the squad without running into Ancient Lurker (99). If the other SOs are competent then you should also pay attention to their updates and have a general idea of where each squad is, but you can't always count on them to be as communicative as you should be. Never fire an OB without verbally confirming the offsets the SL gave you, checking to ensure they have actually been entered properly (because sometimes click delay means they haven't been), and making sure they actually want you to fire it now and not just have it ready to fire to cover a retreat later or the like.

On the other hand, remember that you're not the SL. Your job isn't to control combat spacing or tell people exactly which route they must take to get to the objective. Try not to openly feud with the SL unless they're blatantly incompetent or disrespectful and, as long as you feel they're working in good faith, give updates like "hey your spec is lagging behind and doing nothing" to the SL through messages so he can yell at the spec and assert his ground authority. Remember that messages work even when comms are down, so you should never leave your squad in the dark unless the CIC is actively under assault or something. Make sure the squad always has an aSL and swap it back when the actual SL is available again. The SPC is usually the first choice for an aSL but, frankly, some of them are mute and have zero interest in leading so move on. Medics and engineers are technically next in line but they usually have too much going on to care about being proper leaders, so the SG is often the best choice. Keep an ear open for any PFCs that seem to be communicating well or that you know are experienced and give it to them if you have no other choice. When the operation is over and the hijack is coming, make sure they have a place to rally to instead of just wandering aimlessly and hoping they picked where everyone else did.

Mechanically, expanding the overwatch console window so you can see all the bars and most of the names at once is essential. If you're ever directly leading people on the ground or the Almayer, macro Issue Order and use it frequently. Your Leadership skill is pretty damn good and Move and Hold orders are useful. If you're the fifth SO or otherwise down on the planet for some reason, always grab a station bounced radio from engineering. It will let you talk on general ship comms even when groundside comms are dead, meaning you could be literally the only person capable of informing command what's going on.

[I_Solve_Practical_Problems]

I'd say the baseline for a good SO is having trigger discipline with the OB, proactively taking supply requests for the RO, and effectively communicating orders. This won't win rounds, but it won't lose them either and will separate you from the bottom 50% of bald LTs who are chomping at the bit to slam the boom-button.

Great SOs inspire confidence, morale, and élan with the men so that they're willing to follow orders and risk their lives for the operation. While this can be difficult to achieve, even simple things like visiting the men before briefing or bantering on the radio can heighten spirits. Basically, you need an active and strong working relationship with the men so that you would seem just as willing to die as them while also seeming engaged with the situation.

As a corollary to that, some mistakes I've seen otherwise good SOs do are trying to be BFF with the squad. The key is to inspire confidence and loyalty towards command rather than just yourself. For example, don't undermine the CO's orders and order a retreat or countermand a push in order to save your squad. Sure, you'll score brownie points with your men but you jeopardize the entire operation (you also risk getting your head detached from your shoulders if the CO finds out). If you truly think the plan is a folly, politely and constructively advise the commander. Furthermore, when conveying casualty numbers or negative updates, MESSAGE THE SL DIRECTLY. The whole squad doesn't need to know half their buddies are dead or captured.

I'm not going to cover what makes bad SOs bad because they're honestly common sense and even the most novice SO will pick up the basics in a handful of rounds. It's one of those high floor, high ceiling jobs that can make or break operations.

[ThesoldierLLJK]

Making sure the RO has their stuff together and can supply your troops as needed.

Most of the time you have to go down there and get your orders in person because they forget to listen to the req channel

[NoahKirchner]

Ok, if you don't alt tab you're a cut above the rest of the SOs.

Another important trait is respecting that the SL on the ground has more information than you do about their current situation, you have to give them a goal and let them fufill it instead of trying to micromanage their squad or they'll stop listening to you.

Beyond that it's hard to mess up if you're attentive, but the more you socialize with the squad and the SL the more likely they are to stick their neck out for you and trust your judgement.

[Bulaven]

My only advice is to communicate frequently, liase with Requisitions, and keep an eye on the squad as a whole. You're called 'Overwatch' for a reason,
. Speak frequently, and let the Marines know that you are paying attention. The only thing more discouraging than a SO who's unable to get the Marines supplies is a SO who's entirely absent, playing Tetris.

Also, a little faith goes a long way. Be polite, yet firm. If a Squad Member shows initiative, applaud them. If they fail to follow orders, react appropriately. If you ignore it, or just start screaming incoherently, it will generally end poorly.

[Mach01]

ABC (Always be communicating.) Literally just talking makes you a better SO than most people. Give the commander updates on how your squad is doing, tell other squads where your squad is, tell members of the squad where others are if they get split up, be like Nightingale and scream at people to save the Spec/SL/SG if they get grabbed. Talking is the only thing you can actually do as Overwatch except accidentally OBing the FOB, so talk a lot.