Rainbow Six: Terrorist Hunt Etiquette

Look, I'm a co-op whore and I've easily logged a 100 hours playing Rainbow Six: Vegas' addictive Terrorist Hunt online multiplayer mode. I shudder to imagine the landfill large enough to hold the legions of digital terrorists I've sent to an early grave.

With all the play experience under my belt, I thought I'd give back to the community and offer up a PSA of sorts about game etiquette. The R6: Vegas fan base are a pretty mature and courteous lot to begin with and I've had the pleasure of playing with (and against) some outstanding human beings. But as is the case with manners in all areas of life, it never hurts to get those reminders on proper conduct and even the best of us can forget that there are real people on the other end of our 360 headsets.

So without further ado, here are my personal guidelines to playing well with others in Rainbow Six: Vegas Terrorist Hunt:

(Hit the jump for more...)

1. Thou Shalt Not Join a Game in Progress
   Ubisoft has not gotten around to fixing a bug that will deny you and your team victory points if a player enters the round mid-stream. There's still some debate on whether the points are still awarded despite the game screen that declares all points has been nullified and the mission has failed. Gripes about Ubisoft's buggy products aside, it's just better form to join a game that is still on standby in the lobby than popping in when the sole surviving player has eliminated the last terrorist in a map like the Research Labs. On Realistic difficulty. And set to High Density. Trust me when I say you don't want to potentially deny that player his just reward!
   
   The game will tell you when you're about to join a server that's already started their round, so do the right thing: wait before joining or find another server.


2. Thou Shalt Refrain from Joining Games Just to Rank Up
   Few things are more uncouth than having fresh blood join your fight against the terrorists, only to have the entering player state that he wants to rank up, so please don't lose any rounds. Annoyance levels escalate further when said rank-obsessed player proceeds to do nothing but die within the opening minutes of every round. The moral of the story is: everyone likes to rank up, but most players out there also want to have fun and play alongside good teammates. All for one and one for all, right?


3. Thou Shalt Not Pressure Teammates to Commit Suicide
   This is a big one because it happens so often and is an incredibly boorish thing to do. This also applies to telling a player to "hurry up", as if his only intention of playing is to walk around the map aimlessly and run out the clock, thus losing the round and sacrificing valuable victory points. When most of the team gets wiped and there's a single player left to battle the spawning hordes of terrorists, take a breather and offer him friendly support. Don't be a backseat driver gamer, mind you, just try your best to be an extra set of eyes and ears for your valiant teammate.
   
   On the flip side of this equation, if you find yourself the sole surviving member of your squad and there's still a horde of terrorists to shoot, know when to bow out gracefully. Let's say you're in Calypso Casino on max difficulty and all your buddies buy the farm on the rooftop. Even if you're confident in your abilities to win the round, are you really going to force everyone to watch you crouch-walk around with your shield and pistol for 15 minutes? I sincerely hope not, soldier. This is one of those times when you do need to take one for the team, and take it gracefully.


4. Thou Shalt Communicate With Your Team
   This is a serious no-brainer but it's important enough to state the obvious anyway. Let your teammates know when you're tossing grenades. Let them know when you're entering a hot room. Let them know if you're pinned down by gunfire. And let them know if you know their ass is in imminent danger. No, you don't have to trot out the faux military lingo and act like Sgt. Slaughter. You only need remind yourself that a team that works together wins together. Also, the more you know, the more you grow. And knowing is half the battle. Or something like that...


5. Thou Shalt Be a Good Host
   It's understandable for a host to want a full lobby before starting up the next round of play. It's also easy to sympathize with a host who delays a round in order to bring in one of his good buddies to play. It is not okay for a host to ask a waiting player to leave in order to make room for the host's friend and his friend's friend. That, my good people, is called a Dick Move.
   
   There are no hard and fast rules to being a good host. It's really a combination of common sense, courtesy and respect. For starters, it's only a good idea to host a public match if you know you're going to be in it for the long run. You may only need a 10-minute fix, but what of the other players who joined? In addition, a little friendliness and MC-ing skills can go a long way. Acknowledge and welcome new players when they join. Give your team advance warning if you think you need to shut down early. And don't be afraid to exercise your hostly powers and boot troublesome players who have no respect or who will only hinder your team from having a good time.

And there you have it, just a few basic guidelines on playing fair and playing with class. If you have some of your own suggestions I'd be happy to hear them. Drop a note into the comments and we'll compile our own little Miss Manners rule book for Rainbow Six: Vegas!