WinOut

From the Pro Archives: This Pro article was originally published March 23rd, 2008

In eight years of Counter-Strike, I've seen and played with some of the best players in the world. Some say it's their aim or extensive game knowledge, even their movement that makes them the best; but often they overlook one of the most important factors in a match, communication.

World class players like Kyle "KSharp" Miller and Tyler "Storm" Wood are known for their amazing aim and incredible reflexes, but are they as useful to their team as the scoreboard says they are? Would they be more valuable if they were louder and more talkative like Griffin "shaGuar" Benger or Matt "Warden" Dickens? Some of the best players in the country slack in a category few of them even recognize.

Communication is more than the definition of the word; it's the foundation of teamwork. In order to form teamwork, you must know your teammates and understand the way they think. There is no better way to do this than to be told exactly what your teammates are doing and thinking at all times. As time goes on, you'll know what they're thinking and doing before they do.

Effective communication is the means in which to give maximum information in the least amount of words. Everyone has been on a team with someone who didn't talk enough or someone who just didn't know when to shut up; So how do you know what to say and when to just keep things to yourself? It's quite simple, really. Just ask yourself, "Will this information make this round easier for my team?" If the answer is yes, say it in as few words as possible.

From CAL-Open to CAL-Invite, I have provided guidelines to promote and force communication and successful teamwork for my teams such as Confederacy and Interstate 95. Below are a set of guidelines every team should use to establish effective communication.

The Basics -
- If you need help, SAY IT!
- If your setups or strategies aren't working, discuss while you're dead what needs to be corrected.
- When throwing any type of grenade (HE Grenade, Flashbang or Smoke), call what kind it is and where you're throwing it.
- On default setups/tactics, it is necessary to call how the opposing team is playing. If they are playing aggressively, defensively, counter-flashing or any other habits you may notice, call it.
- If you need your teammates to throw certain flashes, grenades or smokes, tell them! If a teammate asks you to do something, do it! After the scrim/match you can discuss why it was a good or bad move and improve.
- You must use the information provided to you to trade deaths. You can NOT allow one opponent to eliminate multiple players on your team.
- Do not talk about nonsense during freezetime. This time must be used by the in-game leader to inform the team of tendencies and setups the opposing team may have. If you need a weapon dropped, type it. If you don't get one by the time the tactic is explained, call it.

Counter-Terrorist -
- A setup needs to be called every round for each bombsite or for an overall team setup. Tell your teammates where and how you want them to play.
- Everything you hear and see (footsteps, grenades, flashes, smokes, gunshots). If you hear multiple guns, such as 2 AK's and an AWP, call that there are at least 3 opponents there. Call if you hear they are falling back.
- If you are playing a spot alone, call where they are coming from if you die, and remind your team approximately every 20 seconds.
- If you see the BOMB, CALL IT!

Terrorist -
- Where you're going, what you're doing, covering, looking at, etc. The more your team knows before you die, the easier it will be for them to trade deaths.
- If you're holding a spot or watching the flank, remind your team where they will come from if you die.
- If you're holding a site after planting, call where you are covering and what you know isn't being covered. This will give your teammates who aren't in position an idea of where they should go and what to watch.
- When you plant the bomb tell your teammates where it is planted. As planter, it is your job to TELL YOUR TEAM where you planted the bomb, no matter what.

Keep in mind there are two parts to communication, speaking and listening. Your team can say all of the right things but it won't do you any use if you aren't listening properly. When listening to your teammates calls, pay attention for words like at least, may have, ALL, bomb, rushing and the like. All of these words indicate how you should react. For example, if your teammate were to call, "at least 4" at a particular location, it leaves the option open that the 5^th player could be flanking, baiting, or maybe they just didn't see them. This should indicate to you that there is one uncalled for player and you need to rotate safer. If they call bomb or a rush, it indicates you need to rotate faster. Unless I am absolutely sure, I will never make a definitive call such as ALL.

With the use of third party voice programs, teams have the ability to talk when they are dead, making them increasingly lazy in terms of proper communication. In order to make sure your team doesn't start to slack, it is essential to follow a standard of communication principles. For my teams, I have always enforced an in-game only rule, with Ventrilo used only within 5 seconds after your death. The 5 second rule is to help simulate a LAN environment, where in most cases you will be allowed to communicate until your deathcam fades completely black. This will force your team to give as much information as possible while they are alive.

The next step is to eliminate nonsense, whining, complaining and the like when your players die. My suggestion is to bind your Ventrilo key to something like F12. This will keep your bind out of reach immediately after your death, giving you an extra second to clear your mind and focus on what you need to tell your teammates. While on the topic of binds, I suggest that nobody use an extra mouse button for a voice bind, as it will make shooting accurately and communicating effectively at the same time nearly impossible.

As simple and obvious as this may seem, I have seen some of the best players in the world allow their opponents to take advantage of them due to lack of communication. If you are willing to work on your communication, your teamwork will increase dramatically. Don't take my word for it, try it yourself!

If you'd like to download the communication file, you may download it here.