Commander Whitelist Application - Shotgunbill (Grant Smith)

[shotgunbill]

Byond ID: Shotgunbill

Player name you use the most: Grant Smith

Make a list of links to all of your applications and (job)ban appeals, including whitelist and staff apps, within the last year. Also, provide "Ban reason; Verdict" beside each (job)ban link:

• Never made an application for any role before.
• Never been banned to the best of my knowledge. I do, however, very likely have numerous player notes about my conduct - melting walls as a spitter, etc.

Do you understand that any player - even donors or staff members - can have their whitelist status revoked should they break our Server Rules or Roleplay Guidelines?

• I hereby acknowledge and accept that I could have my whitelist status revoked at any time, and/or if I am in violation of the Server Rules or Roleplay Guidelines.

Why should you be whitelisted?

• 1. Long-time player: While my name may not be entirely recognizable, I have a long track record for playing on the Colonial Marines server (~2014, from what records I've been able to dig up).
• 2. Fairly knowledgeable: I wrote up a guide to the CO position a few months ago: "Use Honey, Not Vinegar!: An Alternative Approach to Commanding Marines." This guide was later adapted by TheSlapDoctor for use on the Colonial Marines wiki - check out the "leadership guide" on theCommander's page.
• 3. Roleplay Dork: I'm an extremely roleplay-centric dork who prefers to use their words rather than their actions. I'm not very robust, but I'm great at co-ordinating and communicating with fellow players. Some people might know me as one of the hands helping out behind the Goon RP (LLJK #1 - NSS Destiny) scene.

Thanks for reading!

[shotgunbill]

I also wanted to submit one more piece of evidence: the first Major Marine victory on the Ice Colony map back in July 2016, which was miraculously captured on video by Desolane900. While this victory would not have been possible without the tremendous efforts of every marine down there, perhaps it was just my luck that I was CO that round (supported by two amazing BOs).

Positive comments on the quality of that round are available at the 1:22:55 mark.

[Sarah_U.]

You got my +1, you seem sympathic and you have some backup arguments for it.

[Renomaki]

You seem experienced, which is good to have in a CO.

My question, however, is how willing are you to fight for a planet? I prefer COs that fight hard and use everything they got to hold the planet, not COs that lose one battle and then decide to camp the Sulico with 50 marines while the aliens roam freely on the planet. If marines have to lose, make the aliens work for their victory, don't hand it to em, you know?

[shotgunbill]

You seem experienced, which is good to have in a CO.

My question, however, is how willing are you to fight for a planet? I prefer COs that fight hard and use everything they got to hold the planet, not COs that lose one battle and then decide to camp the Sulico with 50 marines while the aliens roam freely on the planet. If marines have to lose, make the aliens work for their victory, don't hand it to em, you know?

I believe Optional Recommendation 6 from my guide partially covers this question.

6) OPTIONAL: The Rule of No Retreat:

So, I’ve been pretty nice so far. Under these set of command tips, marines are given considerable agency to do what they please in groups, and orders serve more like “guidelines”. The one command I tend to stand firm on is the Rule of No Retreat. Use this command at your peril.

Retreating is a time honoured tradition for the marines (even back on New Eden). Even in the face of a handful of aliens, I’ve seen dozens of marines run screaming back to the Sulaco to fortify it. Sometimes its just a sign of poor sportsmanship, but any round that depends upon some sort of Shuttle Bay defense is going to take fucking forever. So, even though it is very risky, I believe that an aggressive approach on the planet is far more preferable than turtling on the Sulaco. Subsequently, I will sometimes issue The Rule of No Retreat over the Comms Console repeatedly:

“No marine or squad may return to the Sulaco unless they are critically injured, very low on supplies, or escorting civilians to safety.”

So far, the rule of no retreat has gone well for me. Players tend to form up on the Nexus and turn it into a truly functional FoB. Other squads tend to go out to harass the aliens, flanking in the process. If you do choose to use this method, get the squads to form up into two major teams to sweep and attack. You’ll also want your BOs to assist wherever they can, -especially- for orbital drops (they make for the best defense, interestingly enough).

Of course, this is a really complex question that depends on a LOT of variables: the competence and coherence of your men, the ability of the aliens, the co-ordination of the relevant squads, the general "feel" of a round (some rounds are more despair-inducing than others), whether the "big names" are actually working with you in the round ...

Admittedly, using the Rule of No Retreat, I lost the last round I played as CO - I just wasn't responsive enough to certain circumstances occurring on the ground at that time (e.g: multiple squads running across the river before the 1 hour limit, triggering mass critter spawn, extremely cautious aliens who refused to go south of the river, etc...)

In summary: any good CO should know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away, and know when to run.

[Jerkface00]

I approve of shotgunbill for CO.

Used to play on goon server a plenty with him. He's no shitler, and I think he's done fine so far in command roles and will continue to do so in a way that will benefit this community. Both in victory and defeat.

[Shyguychizzy]

I as well approve, I remember my old days of SL around pre-alpa/Alpha playing Squad lead with him or his commanding roles and enjoyed it.

[Aeleto]

Played many times with him, always does a decent job. Ya' have my vote pal.

[apophis775]

Approved