Field Officers and your Experiences with them

[Vispain]

So, Field Officers...aka bored SOs sent planetside to 'lead' and 'organize'. Whatever that means.

So, what are your experiences with this interesting gem of a Staff Officer?

I'll start.
Personally, I tend to find them lacking for 2 reasons. One, they sometimes just decide to fight until they die and in general act like a silent grunt. Two, they fail to make use of their rank and resources while groundside to do any of the following: Issue Orders, informing Command of groundside events, suggesting plans/new tactics, informing Req of needed supplies, checking in on what squads need ammo...

In short. They usually are near useless because they don't do much besides fire off their gun and don't talk. Furthermore, 1-2 Field SOs is semi-Ok even taking into account their uselessness but when you send ALL FOUR SOs planetside as Field SOs the CDR is inevitably distracted and overwhelmed by something. Command isn't a one man show.

Anyways, what's your POV on 'em?

[David Stormwell]

I love Command combat memes, Although it is nice when they provide intel etc.
If I go Field XO or SO I'll bring a medical kit and Health hud to act as a Medic, Or if there is a lack of Engis act as one.
Although only XOs or COs can Act as a ground engi

[CABAL]

Instant metatargets for xenos. I'm not sure if their orders are that effective that every xenomain decides to throw everything to just kill them.
They should use this information to their advantage and order all SG to stand behind. Xenos tend to go blind if they see command staff planetside. Atleast you have less chances to die yourself so anyone planetside is a good thing for any marine.

[KittyHawkpilot019]

What CABAL said is pretty accurate. SO's sent down are usually found dead a little while after. it can be pretty blatant when xenos meta-target certain people. Although, some staff officers are smart and take normal marine armor instead of the officer armor. the issue orders from officers can be semi useful at times, but unless there's already 4 officers manning the consoles there shouldn't be one sent down.

[Grubstank]

I think they're good to send down in late game when you've run out of engineers/medics, and the squads are so dispersed/slaughtered that overwatch officers become useless.

That said, sending all the officers and your XO down for the first drop is a bit of a hare brained strategy in my opinion. An RP situation will inevitably come up which can't be delegated or resolved without the attention of the remaining CIC staff.

[Karmac]

having a few people dedicated to keeping information flowing between the planet and the ship is excellent, however there's absolutely no reason to send SO's down for this unless your SL's are retarded

the first duty of an SL is to follow your orders and by extension make sure the squad is doing so, the second is keeping command informed of the situation as it progresses

actually participating in combat as an SL is ill-advised unless you can be sure that next push isn't going to end with you being neuro'd and dragged off to an un-timely demise

[Tetrino]

I usually find it hard to keep track of them since they don't have trackers and don't have a handy dandy symbol next to their head to easily distinguish them from the average unga.

[Sleepy Retard]

kill officers

[Mister Jeether]

Planetside SOs are Ghetto SLs most of the time, and, Will usually be fucked 15 minutes after Landing, because of the meta targetting. Usually, they just act as a dunga with a fancy rifle.

[Vispain]

Interesting results thus far. Just about everything said seems to be true.

[LittleBlast]

I've had LTs who come in roundstart and start bitching and complaining ic and ooc about being bored and wanting to be sent planetside. If you want to go down from the start do NOT pick SO.

[FGRSentinel]

From experience field officers are generally either incompetent, reckless, don't care about the NCOs and PFCs, or completely ineffectual. I've played a few rounds as SO where I've asked to go down when things aren't looking too good and if I'm doing a good job, the CO/XO will refuse since a good SO leaving the CIC hurts the OP usually. The one time I recall actually going down I spent most of the time checking the status of the FOB and trying to get marines to stay near it as we were prepping for a withdraw, but nobody would listen, so I just fired a few grenades down into the benos swarm until the CO agreed to withdraw.

Generally, if there's a Field Officer they're either the kind that leads from the front and gets slaughtered, they use their orders to get people where they need to be and provide support, act as a field medic, or they try to actually act like a Field Officer and give people orders only to be ignored. The more capable an officer is, and therefore the more able they are to assist as a Field Officer, the less likely the CO or XO are willing to send them down since they're more valuable in the CIC.

[Renomaki]

in my opinion, most SOs who want to go planetside only want to go down to shoot things and nothing more.

no, not just that... they want to shoot things with their FANCY TOYS that they get from the CiC armory. If an SO asks to go planetside and you allow them to, every SINGLE time, they ask "can you open the secure armory?". It is almost as if some people roll for SO just so they can use autoshotguns and MK1 Pulse Rifles, not because they want to be a leadership figure.

It is bad enough when we got people rolling for SL just so they exploit the role's benefits to give themselves a combat advantage, but it is worse when SOs do it. Moreso when you are short an officer or two and they still insist on going down.

And if you DO let them down, more often than not, like people say, they just go down and start shootin shit. They don't try to rally men to them, they don't try to boost morale to encourage men to keep fighting, they often don't even GIVE STATUS UPDATES TO COMMAND. Instead, they just turn off their brains and start shootin shit with assault rifles and shotguns and whatever else they can find, getting stuck in deep into the fighting and, more often than not, getting outright SLAUGHTERED because they often bite off more than they can chew. Bonus points if they had those EMERGENCY ONLY weapons from the armory, which are now lost planetside.

Doesn't help that those that ARE serious about leading often just get ignored, because marines are too busy shooting stuff to pay attention to what they are saying with their BIG TEXT. Probably why most of them don't even bother to begin with.

[Aliannera]

What many SOs who are sent to the field don't understand is that the job doesn't change to turning into a rooty tooty point and shooty marine. Your job is still to coordinate, work with command in the sky and the squads you're with to likely break out of a tough spot. Granted, never doubt the power one more competent rifle might bring, which is something I try to do also when playing medic. But don't tunnel vision into shooting the nearest xenos, you are first and foremost Command's eyes on the ground.

That said, with access to all squad comms (do turn them on when planetside), you can also very quickly rally all squads under you, gathering up as many marines as you can to make an effective push. If you're not the best at rapidly typing, just ask the other SOs, XO, or CO to relay something quickly to all other squads. Fuck wearing marine armor, wear the officer armor and your hat. Just as much as Xenos might notice you, so might marines. You can become an effective rallying point if done right. Turn on caps lock and don't turn it off.

Some smaller tips; you have skills on par with a medic. While it's good to pack an advanced FAK, scanner and HUD, don't let this become the focus of your job. Patch up a marine enough so he can still fight, and then tell him to get up and keep shooting. Use the orders. They can be very nice for quickly moving somewhere, like a flank, or keeping the pressure on. Stay in the middle with the grunts up front. You're important (at least tell yourself this, no one else will think it).

SOs should be sent to try and gather up the marines into an effective push, or when you have silent SLs or aSLs. Send someone talkative who you know will keep you in the know. Most will be terrible and die right away. But every once and a while, it might just swing the game.


This is your job. Coordinate, lead, and rally.

[DriedMilk]

It's good to send field SOs if you already have 2 in the CiC + XO.

Since you'll have 1 or 2 consoles you can use to check helmet cams and get a preview of the battlefied granting you a bit more information.

[Urytion]

I am yet to find one do anything that a PFC with aSL couldn't do.

They issue orders that nobody listens to unless it's a well known character or a metabuddy. They don't use their orders. They communicate very basic information that command already has. And they do more friendly fire than actually helping.

A field SO has the unique advantage of being on every support channel and every squad if they want. They should be facilitating and leading rather than trying to unga dunga because sitting in the CIC is boring for them.

[Park]

Honestly, the range of competency of Field Officers is so large that I tend to expect very little of Field Officers but there are some that can actually accomplish good things.

When I see a field officer or an XO I want them to at least attempt to be a presence on the battlefield. I pray this individual TRIES to be a leader and be a counterbalance to the SL's already on the ground. To try to provide some ideas for tactics during pushes. To try to relay important information that SL's may not be able to provide in the thick of battle or that the CIC may not be able to understand from their consoles such as the flow of battle or marine morale.

Also Field Officers please spam your orders to buff marines, please.

[Vispain]

Christine makes a good point.
Sending 1 - 2 is fine in my opinion if you don't need them and already have at least two.

Park basically exemplifies my experiences with Field SOs. They CAN be awesome and critical to an op or be so unnoteworthy it takes an hour for the CO to say, "Oh, he died?" or "*Name*, what's the sitrep?"

[Bancrose]

I send down all of my SO's and the XO and play RTS in the CIC. See how well I can manage it.

Won a few times like that because constant focus orders from 4 SO's and an XO is a stupid amount of damage being put out.

[z a n e b o t]

I send down all of my SO's and the XO and play RTS in the CIC. See how well I can manage it.

Won a few times like that because constant focus orders from 4 SO's and an XO is a stupid amount of damage being put out.

+1

[Heckenshutze]

Ignore then find them dead later in some dark corner or just next to the FOB/LZ.

[Vispain]

I send down all of my SO's and the XO and play RTS in the CIC. See how well I can manage it.

Won a few times like that because constant focus orders from 4 SO's and an XO is a stupid amount of damage being put out.

What a madlad.

Risky though if something important happens shipside.

Also, gotta really FORCE the IMPORTANCE into the SOs and XO to use those Issue Orders eh?

[Arbs]

I send down all of my SO's and the XO and play RTS in the CIC. See how well I can manage it.

Won a few times like that because constant focus orders from 4 SO's and an XO is a stupid amount of damage being put out.

Amen.

I guess it depends on who you deploy though. Most SOs are not that experienced or so.

But sometimes deploying SOs that know how things work, relay info, call in fire missions, organize offensives and handle themselves will be a good advantage. Though it's hard to come across one.

[Madventurer]

I only ever deploy if there is really nothing left to command OR it's FOB defense where someone needs to be on the ground to see that everything happens in something resembling orderly retreat.

Both are situations where sitting at the overwatch console has little to no effect, the former only when there's no shortage of SOs anyways and my squad is either completely or nearly wiped. It happens very rarely.


And in my experience, the FOB defence/retreat coordinator has worked out quite well for me, doubly so when comms are down.

[Archiezt]

I think all the criticisms are valid.

Though I will say I do have a soft spot for the idea in my heart; I want to see them hold up a sword and yell cheesy lines.
I think they're fun in theory, and can be done well, but indeed it's a high cost with a good margin of not paying off, even if they don't die. So it doesn't go that way often.