Welcome Comrades to the 46th edition of the Dispatch
As usual there has been a hubbub of activity on CC over the past few weeks. The controversy in cheating and abuse over blitzaholic came to a final close and a decision was reached by the admin staff as found here. With this decision it meant that ljex was likely to be the new conqueror for at least a month. However, he could only hold the position for an hour when rabbiton emerged from inactivity to steal his crown so congrats to the new conqueror rabbiton!
The newsletter is also jam packed full of articles, including an interrogation of jpcloet, an update on the TPA from angola and a review of the arms race map from OliverFA. We hope you enjoy reading it.
The executives and staff would also like to wish you a happy easter and hope you all have a great relaxing weekend. To celebrate this festive season there are limited edition dice and a free speed game holiday on the limited edition easter egg hunt map. There are also prizes to be won in the easter egg design contest and live chat easter egg hunt, which further details can be found in this announcement.
[player]nagerous[/player] - Newsletter Executive
If you would like to apply to join the news team, please visit the thread below for more details!
In this edition of freestyle news we travel to Iraq for DoomYoshi's random game analysis, safariguy discusses the specifics of the bodyguard role in our Scum Insider and I have a sit down with jpcloet to discuss his hard job of running the ever growing clan forums!
Q. What made you want to become a clan director in the first place?
After trying to rescue the first clan league tournament, I saw there were big possibilities for clans on the site. I sent a pm to lackattack asking if I could help out (Marval was the only CD at the time) and I remember getting a pm back that was pretty insulting and nasty. I did not know that lack dislikes pms that much, I kind of wish I kept that response. From there, almost everything I got involved with was unofficial, and is generally how most things happen in the community. A group of 7 clans helped to co-found the Clan Leaders Association (CLA) and the first thing we did was informally introduce the 1 Clan rule. From there I organized the first true Clan League, which involved 15 clans over 1350 private games. As the leader of the CLA and League organizer, I had the support of most clans, and was later recommended to the site by Marval to be a CD.
Q. What is the hardest challenge of being the head clan director?
From the beginning there have always been 2 key challenges. The first is whenever you make a decision or implement a new system/methodology/policy, someone will not be happy and will tell you a better way of doing it or how it should have been done, often without knowing/seeing the bigger picture or future possibilities. Trying to balance the needs and wants of all clans/individuals is very tough. The second is trying to convince admin to implement site changes related to clans.
Q. How involved are you in the running of AoD? I would assume it would be difficult with your mod position to find the time.
I started as the War Minister after being recruited by Reptile (who now resides with Legends of War). LOD (now AOD) had a couple of sig makers who took forever to make one for me so I tried to make my own and found it was not that hard, so I started making sigs for the new clan members as well. Over time we went through several leaders and I later reluctantly took the offer to lead the CC division of LOD. Recently I stepped down as leader of the CLA (due to conflict with being a CD) and also stepped down as final say in AOD. I currently maintain the war minister position and also occasionally make signatures.
As for my moderator role, it is one of the better ones to have. There is a high level of self-regulation and coaching amongst the clans, and the bigger challenge is informing and getting new clans aware of the clan environment. We can easily go a month or two without a reported post. When I added [player]shaneback[/player] and [player]chemefreak[/player]to the team, the first thing I did was create Excel templates for clan results and medal issuing. Once those were in place, those 2 CD's along with [player]Masli[/player] have basically done all of the medal and privilege issuing since. Even with all of the CD's being heavily involved in their own clans, these tools have been key. I personally can do the full analysis and issue medals in less than 5 minutes for any size war. These tools and with the new CD's has allowed me to focus more on technical upgrades/solutions and other key projects. Having this all in place also means that players like Masli can also help out in other areas to their liking as well.
Q. Which one clan leader would you most like to... have a drink with? Play on a team with? Remove from leadership?
I'd probably have to drink with Chemefreak, simple because we probably have most in common. I probably owe [player]Gold Knight[/player]a few drinks. I don't drink much so I would have to avoid the FOED leaders, although I bet they have some great stories to tell. I'd like to play on a team with [player]Danryan[/player]. I hate playing against that guy and we've never been on the same team. There is no one who'd I'd like to remove from leader, I'd like to think that their own clan would walk if they were not being a good leader, or would make the change. There are a few that could use a little more patience.
Q. What are some of the characteristics of your ideal of clan leadership?
Listen, patient, organized, knowledgeable of clans, engaging. I probably embody 3.5 of those.
Q. What were some of your challenges as clan leader, clan director?
AOD has gone through several cycles and player activity is a current one. As a CD getting a leap ladder in place, updating an overdue handbook, and deciding whether a Season 4 will happen if clan wars is really the core of our area.
Q. Any advice for current and future clan leadership?
Have a long range plan which allows for innovation and some flexibility.
Q. How hard did you have to train to be able to carry Gold Knight?
GK joined LOD 1 day after I did so we are like brothers, and I'm the older nerdier one. The key is to start early like http://www.conquerclub.com/game.php?game=1315082 and be able to find a good quote like: 2007-12-14 22:48:23 - Gold Knight [team]: nice jp, way to carry us.
Q. What's your opinion on the fog "rule"?
I personally have said from the beginning that the home team takes the risk by choosing it. If you really want a fair shake, make it sunny. I get the fair play sportsmanship aspect, however, a site solution would be better for that as it could put an undue pressure on a team to check games.
Q. Are you the type of person that would swallow your blood before you swallow your pride?
I don't understand this question. Of the deadly sins, pride is the one that people probably peg me with. I have a hard time with word choice and I often come off as elitist.
Q. Who would you like to have in your clan but isn't and why ?
While I could try and pick an all-star roster here, there are a few players that have left or that I attempted to recruit before they were in clans. I would like my big 3 back, along with Dako and Danryan who I tried to recruit. As for past/current partners, I have a huge respect for the game play of Rodion.
Q. What are your hopes concerning this suggestion: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=132777 (Usergroup Leader Powers) and their effects on Clans and their organizations?
My hope is that some group will be able to use it to some significant benefit. My concern is that clans will simply use it to delete old threads, and that some will fall into the trap of making too many subforums that an extra click or 2 means that sub-forum is not visited or read at all.
Q. Do you forsee any potential problems concerning the possibility of giving a good amount of power to Clan Leaders?
The only real issue we've had in the past is people adding players to groups without their permission. I would like to see a function added where that player has to confirm. I don't see any major risks.
Q. Would these outweigh the obvious advantages?
While I like the idea, I don't see any major upside or downside. More of a nice to have. The best moderators can do their work without moderation tools.
Q. How many of[player]Master Fenrir[/player]'s Commandments have you broken since you've been on Conquer Club? Have you repented to the black jesus for your transgressions?
I thought that was a great article, and I even submitted one of my own to him later being Rule 11, Though shall claim a lead in a game with as little as 1 extra territory or 1 extra army. I'm sure some do that regardless of the situation.
8. Thou shalt look for forfeits. (we have taken forfeits in the past, usually when a clan folds as a last resort, but we don't look for them) 9. Thou shalt maintain appropriate levels of drama. (our war threads are pretty quiet for the most part) 10. Thou shalt have at least one female clanmate. (at one point AOD had 4 females and now we have none, most went inactive at the site overall)
Q. Name three things you love about Conquer Club.
Clan activity, variety of maps, a well run tournament.
Q. If you were to be any other kind of mod, which would you be?
I've helped out Tournament Organizers, offered to volunteer a while back to help in Multihunting, but if I chose an area simply for current interest it would probably be the Tech dept. I'm very technical in nature from programs like Excel, GIMP, various programming languages etc. I bet I could learn to make some interesting scripts/programs.
Q. Which XML/game play feature of CC maps do you like the most?
I'd probably go with bombardments, it is simple and effective. Long been waiting on dynamic borders.
Q. How many times have you been tempted to put a hole the size of your keyboard in your closet door and or wall due to something so aggravating on this site?
Less than 10, most of them would be dice related. My home computer is the least likely to be damaged. I have a really slow work one and that laptop may one day act as a discus or a door rest if I ever end up with an office.
Q. What's the bomb-diggity-est usergroup out there?
There are a lot of usergroups out there that really don't do much. The bomb-diggity-est one would have to be the TO group based on their overall site contribution. For some reason I'd be willing to risk being in a room with the BB's.
Q. Do you believe that Canada will soon be annexed as the 51st United State?
Based on the economy, won't the US need to sell some off first to be able to afford the purchase?
Q. If you could have the picture of one CC player by your bedside and gaze at them as you fell asleep, who would it be?
I'm drawing a blank on this one. I would pick something based on avatars, but I think 99.9% of them are misleading.
Q. Do churches float?
I've never been to one that floats, but I would guess yes. Odd question and forum search is not giving me anything. This one's over my head.
Q. How are the wife and kids?
Right now she's watching America's Next Top Model, and the kids are sleeping.
Q. Dear JP will there ever be a clear, simple and fair rankings system for clans? If so when, and how?
Clear (yes), simple (yes), fair (debatable). My goal was April with the leap ladder, but this month is almost over. I should have gotten more done this month considering the weather was terrible and I was inside most of the time.
Q. Which drink best suits you? Booze, soda, Kool-Aid, juice, coffee, tea, milk, or water?
I drink a lot of water, sometimes with Crystal Light. Oddly it is Tangerine-Grapefruit flavoured, but I don't eat either. I don't drink any hot drinks. I'm weird on 2 levels with this question.
Q. You want to be in a CLAN. One night, the Devil makes you a deal that will instantly rocket you to super-stardom, multi GOLD medal success, adoring fans and critical acclaim for the duration of your CLAN career. The downside is that in exchange for this fame, your all-time favorite CLAN will cease to exist. Any memory of their legacy will disappear forever, and you will never be able to play in any of their games ever again. Do you take the deal?
Q. If monkeys could fly, would you be scared of AndyDufresne?
I'm scared of anything than can fly and fling poop.
Q. Thanks for your time jpcloet!
Thanks for the opportunity![/spoiler]
Hi again amigos and welcome to your favorite part of the Newsletter, "War Games", where you can find information about CC Tournaments. As always, [player]Dukasaur[/player] has put together a new Interview for the Meet the Tournament Winners!: [player]DJ Teflon[/player]. We also have a TPA Update and a Feature Article by [player]Angola[/player].
Thanks for taking the time to read our section, and we hope you find this information interesting.
[player]jricart[/player] Tournament Executive
Meet the Tournament Winners!by [player]Dukasaur[/player] [spoiler=Interview with DJ Teflon][player]DJ Teflon[/player] is no stranger to the world of CC tournaments. He is seventh in the Tournament Organizer Hall of Fame, with 78 tourneys to his credit. He has recently become known as pretty much THE leading pioneer in the field of Speed tournaments. His wall is also decorated with 12 tournament cups, as well as a full set of gold medals and an impressive group of General Achievement and Clan awards. He is himself an official Tournament Director. And, for those of us who are accustomed to seeing him with a diamond or a sabre beside his name, he has recently shot up in points and boasts a Colonel’s crown.
DJ Teflon's most recent victory was in the Quick and Easy Tournament hosted by [player]qwert[/player]. True to its name, the Q&E Tournament went only twelve days from original posting to final win -- from February 21st 2011 to March 5th 2011. For those of you who have not been following the backstory, this tournament was actually a protest by qwert against quick and easy tournaments in general. I followed the controversy (in fact, I put in my own two cents) so of course I absolutely HAD to interview the winner of this tournament and get his thoughts!
I know you're going to enjoy talking about it, and I am very much looking forward to your comments.. What attracted you to this particular tournament?
I quite enjoy quick tournaments as you may know from my interest in speed tournaments - possibly impatience on my part - so I thought I'd take part in the fun, especially as I enjoy playing on many of qwert's maps.
I'm pretty sure qwert was trying to make a point about some tournaments being frivolous with only a few games. Of course, it isn't as rewarding as winning a more in-depth tournament but its still great fun. qwert was aiming to run it as fast as possible, and, even with 8-player games, it was quick enough to prevent me getting frustrated.
There was quite a debate in the Tournament Discussions forum about precisely this issue. Did that influence you? Did you join (in part, anyway) as a public statement that quick and easy tournaments are a good thing?
Very interesting question. I'm all for quick tournaments, as you may know from my interest in speed tournaments and the fast-turn ('relentless') rule I have in some other tournaments. I'm not so much in favour of the easy part, although that's just my personal preference. The ideal for me is quick and intensive - high adrenaline.
So, my motivation wasn't any kind of statement or contribution to the debate, just a personal preference for quick tournaments and for the maps used in this tournament. I wouldn't normally go for a multi-player escalating game but WWII Europe enticed me in.
You've won 20 of 31 games on that map, including 17 of your last 20. What's the secret?
I didn't realise the ratio was that good - I guess it's about knowing the map well, and making use of the UK bombardments and focusing strategy around the narrow routes in the centre that link east and west as much as possible. Other than that, no great secrets to divulge I'm afraid.
I just noticed you spell "centre" and "flavour" properly! It's so refreshing!
You've got a dozen tournament victory cups, you're seventh in the Tournament Organizer Hall of Fame with 77 completed tournaments, and you're a Tournament Director. Pretty impressive credentials. Which part of it are you most proud of?
Wow thanks - although some of the tournament wins have been a bit of an adrenaline rush I'd say I'm most pleased with having found some successful formulae for running speed tournaments. They have been hard work but its been rewarding to get them up-and-running. Is there increasing demand for those? Are "speeders" becoming more popular?
They are, slowly but surely. I think we are building a base of speed tournament players that are familiar with the set-up. Hopefully more will come along soon. HA found a good tournament structure which brought lots of players in - hopefully, other TOs and I can do the same so we can have bigger, better and more regular speed tournaments.
I have seen your speed tournaments. (I haven't built up the courage for it. I'm one of those stodgy old men who wants time to think, lol.)
Well, you've been a great interview subject. (With some people, trying to get their opinion is like pulling teeth, one word at a time, lol) With you, there's no doubt what you like and what you want to see more of on CC. You like fast, challenging scenarios, games with adrenaline highs, and no pussy-footing around.
So let me turn this around: tell me what you don't like, and what you want to see less of on CC.
Good question. Until I got involved helping out in the Foundry, and now as TD, I did think there was too much pussy-footing going on and the pace of change wasn't fast enough for me. However, having got involved, I now understand why change isn't always easy or as fast as we would like. I have also noticed that with the expansion of team CC, change is now happening quicker. So, I don't have much to bitch about, which leaves me with only a couple of gripes ... the freestyle missed-turn loophole (miss a turn, get to go next (first), drop deferred troops. and annoying personal arguments in game chat, or messing-up discussion threads.
I should have mentioned previously that a couple of TOs are recruiting for speed tournaments at the moment so look for for them on the tournament tab. I will be sure to mention that... What are your other priorities? Do you have any new projects up your sleeve?
Once speed tournaments are regular I hope to work on getting die-hard football fans together (Futbol that is) so we can play team games against one another. Many of us get passionate about our teams, so there would be some great rivalries there.
Of course, I'll still be creating casual tournaments and maybe I might even get further with map-making. I have a really big project idea that involves map-making and tournaments, very sci-fi / fantasy. However, it would be so much work that its may stay at the dream stage for quite a while ....
There are a couple of other projects I hope to start work on soon, but if I told you about them I would have to shoot you!
If you would shoot me, you'd have to rescue my tournaments... Well, thank you very much for your time, and good luck in your future endeavours![/spoiler]
TPA Updateby [player]Angola[/player] [spoiler=TPA Update]The TPA (Tournament Players Association) continues to be the [player]sonicsteve[/player] show.
Mr. Steve is still atop the Scoreboard and even increased his lead slightly in the past two weeks. He now has 39.12 points, while [player]HighlanderAttack[/player] is still in second with 34.33 and [player]Timminz[/player] has overtaken [player]MudPuppy[/player] for third place with 32.82.
Be sure to visit the Create/Join a Tournament area to sign up for future TPA events, which will be ending in the next month or so.
New tournaments are posted on Mondays and this week it is [player]Benga[/player]'s turn to host, putting together a Feudal War tournament.[/spoiler]
I know that guy! I know that guy! Where do I know that guy from?by [player]Angola[/player] [spoiler=Feature Story]Chances are, if you play in tournaments or if you've hosted one, then you've seen a few usernames over and over and over.
From [player]danryan[/player] to [player]Edgron[/player] to [player]benga[/player] to [player]Gromph[/player] to [player]rmjw10[/player] to [player]sonicsteve[/player] to [player]HighlanderAttack[/player] to jobi ... oh wait, probably best not to mention him presently.
Anyway, it seems like a lot of tournaments are filled with the same names a lot of the time.
"I would say 95 percent of my games are tourney games," HighlanderAttack said. "I do get invites and requests to play a lot of pickup games, but I'm very selective when deciding to join them. My fun comes from the competition of tourneys."
Highlander is not alone in that regard, both benga and danryan said that they play very few non-tournament games and most of those are clan games.
Playing so many tournament games is not easy, though, as not all tournaments are suited to each individual.
"I stay away from flat rate completely," danryan said. "I try not to enter freestyle, and I don't play no spoils except for team games. I also generally don't enter 1v1 events."
Playing a lot of tournament games can also lead to a lot of losses, which no one enjoys, yet these folks seem to keep coming back for more.
"I understand that losing is part of the situation," rmjw10 said, "and even though I want to win, I don't quit playing because I lose."
While the losing gets old, tournaments also tend to help players get better.
"My improvement in team games was probably most pronounced in Blitz's battle of annihilation a couple of years ago," danryan said. "Also, playing Map Blaster will improve almost anyone's escalating play!"
ConquerClub as a business also improves from tournaments, as players may upgrade to premium to play in tournaments or get rewarded with premium memberships for winning tournaments.
"Tournaments were the reason I bought premium," benga said. "To be exact, amazzoni's Diablo (was the reason I bought premium), but the stupid bank was too slow, so I did not enter."
No matter why they play, though, most tournament aficionado's all agree that tournaments add a different element of fun to the CC experience.
"Winning or losing does not matter," HighlanderAttack said. "I am in for the competition ..."[/spoiler]
Hey, folks! I'm excited as always to bring you the Foundry section! OliverFA continues his map Classics with Arms Race! and Lorn Empire gets 15 minutes of fame in the Spotlight. Unfortunately, the Foundry Team is again down in numbers, so if anyone's interested in writing at all for this section, please PM me! And speaking of Foundry Team members, if you take a look down at the bottom of this issue with the Dispatch team members, you might just get a sneak peek as to what to expect next issue.
Greetings clannies. This is my last issue as editor of the clan section of the Dispatch. I'm moving on to Special Events (though I may still write the occasional article), pleased that we've got a great team in place here and that Leehar will take over as Clan Executive. It's been a lot of fun doing this, over a year when the clans have grown from strength to strength. The prospects look brighter than ever, with nearly twice as many active clans as when I began, more games and competition than ever, and an impressive rise in the quality of play across the board meaning there's not a clan around that can rest on their laurels. Big thanks to the many many people who've helped out with this section, and thanks most of all to the players who have played the games that gave us so much excitement to write about. Do me a last favour & ask me a difficult question for next issue's interview.
Another packed edition for you. We've round-ups on the Conqueror's Cup - action from the second edition and our final post on the first edition. [player]barterer2002[/player] updates us on his 1to1 challenge; [player]jigger1986[/player] speaks to the Wild Geese; [player]leehar[/player] speaks to [player]Georgerx7di[/player] about the clan training groups and [player]Blackknight_6[/player] spices up his taunts. [player]Master Fenrir[/player] takes a break this week but will be back soon.
Good luck also to the semi-finalists in the clan league: the matches between The Spanking Monkeys and Immortal Assassins, and between Agents of Chaos and Knights of the Round Table reaching a climax. There's unlikely to be more than a couple of games dividing winner and loser in either match, and in both the pre-match favourites TSM and KORT have a lot of work to do to salvage a win.
Stay Tuned for the next issue of the ConquerClub Dispatch for an interrogation of [player]laughingcavalier[/player]. Post any questions you may have for them here --> Interrogation with laughingcavalier
Submitting Your Own Articles
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Sorry qwert, I did want to add your signature... which was the red flag to the Crusaders well done... but I didn't have time. And I had used two examples of yours already. I will do something on sigs in another column perhaps. But your stuff was great indeed!
Well, thank you very much for your time, and good luck in your future endeavours![/spoiler]
