The commander is an essential part of the success of any team playing Allegiance. A strategic commander must be able to balance constantly ... balance forces on the attack while defending the team assets ... balance the timing of attacks as well as the types of forces sent into battle ... even balance when to command and when to pilot.

The strategic commander assigns roles to team players and commands these players based on their assignments. This task begins in the Team Lobby before the game starts. It is here when you assign scouts and the fighters you want supporting these scouts. The scouts have a superior scan range for locating enemy forces while the fighters have the armament to protect the scouts.

Once the game starts and your initial forces take off to handle their assigned tasks, you should begin the immediate production of additional miners to keep the money rolling in. If you feel the enemy may be located very quickly or will try a sudden rush on your forces, you may wish to create a Tower layer or Mine layer and place it near the alephs into your home sector.

Too often a commander mistakenly does not make command decisions on where to go, but as the sole person with almost constant access to the entire map he must make the decisions on how to deploy forces for maximum effect. At the same time, however, too many orders can randomize pilots, and they may begin to ignore commands, displaying Command view themselves to see where they think they should be stationed.

The commander should generally remain in the station and use Command view to maintain a picture of the overall state of the game; however, he should also be willing to launch and fly when needed. An extra ship on defense can prevent a base or miner from being destroyed, and that is worth the warroom distraction.

The most immediate responsibility of the commander is always the protection of miners and constructors. You must carefully micromanage them and coordinate your defense plans to minimize the risk of losing them. Only one miner can work on a rock at a time, so assign each miner to a different asteroid if possible. Constructors are valuable and high-priority targets for the other side. Give them bodyguards and make sure they are not the first craft to pass through an aleph -- you never know what waits just on the other side.

As victory or defeat begins to swing into your field, you may need or want to get into a ship and get out there to help, especially if there is an incoming bomber and there's no one in the home sector but you manning Command view. Note, however, that if you are in a ship, your normal ability to view any sector instantly is no longer possible. You will be limited to viewing only your current sector. This can make the supervision of miners and constructors difficult or impossible.

For further strategies and tips on commanding an Allegiance team, go to http://www.zone.com/allegiance/ and click Strategy & Tips in the left-hand navigation pane.