Welcome Comrades to the 28th edition of the Dispatch
Again we have to apologize for the issue being late. For a news team we kind of suck at following deadlines, don't we?
But anyway, here's the latest issue, which has all kinds of cool things - an interview with MeDeFe, something new in the Foundry section, and all the latest gossip on CC... 
We hope you enjoy this weeks issue!
natty_dread - Newsletter Handyman, filling in for samuelc812 - Editor in Chief
If you would like to apply to join one of the teams below please fill out this simple form, and send it via PM to samuelc812. However, keep in mind that applications will be individually assessed. If you are not chosen to join the team now it does not mean you won't be in the future.
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Username:
Position/Team you are interested in joining: (Newsletter Editor, Tournaments, Foundry, Clans & Freestyle)
Any Additional Comments: (one or two lines in length describing why you think you are a good candidate)
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Newsletter Editor Team
Details
Team Leader - samuelc812
Description - The Editor in Chief is looking for 1-3 people to help him put together the newsletter from issue to issue. The editors team would be responsible for putting together the newsletter. It's not that hard all the articles are ready all you need to do is construct a post with the articles in order. There is even a template for you to use to make it even easier. You will be trained up to be able to publish the newsletter as a team over time.
Description - The Editor in Chief is looking for 1-3 people to help him put together the newsletter from issue to issue. The editors team would be responsible for putting together the newsletter. It's not that hard all the articles are ready all you need to do is construct a post with the articles in order. There is even a template for you to use to make it even easier. You will be trained up to be able to publish the newsletter as a team over time.
Details
Team Leader - Night Strike
Description - The Tournament Team will consist of 4-5 members who will all work as a team to put together the Tournament News for each issue. For example one reporter may do Currently Taking Sign-ups, another may do some sort of Hall of Fame section (these are just a few examples). The Team Leader will discuss with the rest of the team about what type of things they would like to include in their article. When the time comes, the Leader will consolidate the teams' contributions into the Tournament Article for that issue.
Description - The Tournament Team will consist of 4-5 members who will all work as a team to put together the Tournament News for each issue. For example one reporter may do Currently Taking Sign-ups, another may do some sort of Hall of Fame section (these are just a few examples). The Team Leader will discuss with the rest of the team about what type of things they would like to include in their article. When the time comes, the Leader will consolidate the teams' contributions into the Tournament Article for that issue.
Details
Team Leader - thenobodies80
Description - The Foundry Team will consist of 4-5 members who will all work as a team to put together the Foundry News for each issue. For example one reporter may do Maps in Development, another may do some sort of Map Spotlight section (these are just a few examples). The Team Leader will discuss with the rest of the team about what type of things they would like to include in their article. When the time comes, the Leader will consolidate the teams' contributions into the Foundry Article for that issue.
Description - The Foundry Team will consist of 4-5 members who will all work as a team to put together the Foundry News for each issue. For example one reporter may do Maps in Development, another may do some sort of Map Spotlight section (these are just a few examples). The Team Leader will discuss with the rest of the team about what type of things they would like to include in their article. When the time comes, the Leader will consolidate the teams' contributions into the Foundry Article for that issue.
Details
Team Leader - jpcloet
Description - The Clan Team will consist of 4-5 members who will all work as a team to put together the Clan News for each issue. For example one reporter may report on the Clan League, another may do some sort of Clan War Spotlight section (these are just a few examples). The Team Leader will discuss with the rest of the team about what type of things they would like to include in their article. When the time comes, the Leader will consolidate the teams' contributions into the Clan Article for that issue.
Description - The Clan Team will consist of 4-5 members who will all work as a team to put together the Clan News for each issue. For example one reporter may report on the Clan League, another may do some sort of Clan War Spotlight section (these are just a few examples). The Team Leader will discuss with the rest of the team about what type of things they would like to include in their article. When the time comes, the Leader will consolidate the teams' contributions into the Clan Article for that issue.
Details
Team Leader - nagerous
Description - The Freestyle Team will consist of more members than the other teams who will all work as a team to put together different little tidbits for the newsletter. For instance the interviews would fall under this category, as well as things like highlighting some Plug-Ins & Addons, Suggestions, Hot-Topics, General News as well as writing a perspective article like "A Newt's Tale" (these are just a few examples). This team will have unlimited possibilities to work with, and i'm sure this team will do great things. The Team Leader will discuss with the rest of the team about what type of things they would like to include in their article. When the time comes, the Leader will gather the teams' contibutions for that issue.
Description - The Freestyle Team will consist of more members than the other teams who will all work as a team to put together different little tidbits for the newsletter. For instance the interviews would fall under this category, as well as things like highlighting some Plug-Ins & Addons, Suggestions, Hot-Topics, General News as well as writing a perspective article like "A Newt's Tale" (these are just a few examples). This team will have unlimited possibilities to work with, and i'm sure this team will do great things. The Team Leader will discuss with the rest of the team about what type of things they would like to include in their article. When the time comes, the Leader will gather the teams' contibutions for that issue.
~samuelc812 and the News Team
Hi there and welcome to the Mess Hall, where all the other stuff that does not go anywhere else goes. This fortnight we are providing you with ARMY of GOD''s regular feature Hot Topics, a review of the Ingame-Analysis plugin by Minister Masket and another story of woe from deathcomesrippin. Not enough for you? We also have a great interview with global moderator MeDeFe and below you shall find another comical cartoon, provided by natty_dread and ARMY of GOD. Also I've slipped in an April Fool's somewhere in this section, yes it may be past the 1st of April now but it is never too late to pull a prank! 10 respect points to the first user that finds it.
Nagerous
- Click image to enlarge.
Spoiler
Hot Topics:
1. Hurry and send Conquer Club's First Chain Letter before the bad luck comes!
2. Did somebody say Cutesy Club!?!
3. Quick! Everyone whip out your best Chuck Noris Facts!
4. Hurry and submit your Team CC Badge Design before time runs out!
5. Calling all Modern Warfare 2 Fans
1. Hurry and send Conquer Club's First Chain Letter before the bad luck comes!
2. Did somebody say Cutesy Club!?!
3. Quick! Everyone whip out your best Chuck Noris Facts!
4. Hurry and submit your Team CC Badge Design before time runs out!
5. Calling all Modern Warfare 2 Fans
Spoiler
Greetings again, young upstarts and veteran conquerers alike. In this issue I'll be describing the "Ingame Analysis".
Now, two things before I begin. Firstly, again, this add-on is only available to download in Firefox, so do get that if you're interested. Secondly, again (again!), it'll help greatly if you're taking a look at what I'm talking about, so do "clicky ze linky" at the bottom.
Now then, the Ingame Analysis is actually comprised of 2 different scripts, and you can choose just 1, or preferably both. The first is titled "Aggression", and it's a colour-coded table comprising of all successful assaults between players, plus any against neutral armies. The far-right column shows the total for each player. This is great since it shows who is getting the lucky dice - and therefore who you should be taking the fight to - but you could have an even clearer picture of the battle. This is where the second script comes in - "Reinforcements". With this you get what is essentially an extended version of the table you already have in your games (intead spliting up player reinforcements into 4 categories - Normal, Bonus, Territory Bonus, Spoils), but it's the double-tabbed graphs below which make this script special. The first puts all those figures into a line graph and tracks them as the game progresses, so it's ridiculously easy to see which player is massing the most armies on their turn, and who's running on empty. You can even un-tick any or all of the 4 categories to analyze the data even further. The second line graph is much simpler in that it tracks who has how many territories as time goes by. In both graphs you also have the option of taking out the data of any of the players, and if you click on any of the line points, as the tooltip shows, you get the full details from that point in the game. Wizard!
This then is the mathematician's add-on, or anyone who thinks they will benefit from a data-tracker in graph form. And to be honest, who wouldn't? Graphs are awesome! If I had to recommend just one add-on for a bog-standard CCer, it's a close call between this and the Dice Analyzer in terms of general helpfulness.
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=63517
Ta-da!
Now, two things before I begin. Firstly, again, this add-on is only available to download in Firefox, so do get that if you're interested. Secondly, again (again!), it'll help greatly if you're taking a look at what I'm talking about, so do "clicky ze linky" at the bottom.
Now then, the Ingame Analysis is actually comprised of 2 different scripts, and you can choose just 1, or preferably both. The first is titled "Aggression", and it's a colour-coded table comprising of all successful assaults between players, plus any against neutral armies. The far-right column shows the total for each player. This is great since it shows who is getting the lucky dice - and therefore who you should be taking the fight to - but you could have an even clearer picture of the battle. This is where the second script comes in - "Reinforcements". With this you get what is essentially an extended version of the table you already have in your games (intead spliting up player reinforcements into 4 categories - Normal, Bonus, Territory Bonus, Spoils), but it's the double-tabbed graphs below which make this script special. The first puts all those figures into a line graph and tracks them as the game progresses, so it's ridiculously easy to see which player is massing the most armies on their turn, and who's running on empty. You can even un-tick any or all of the 4 categories to analyze the data even further. The second line graph is much simpler in that it tracks who has how many territories as time goes by. In both graphs you also have the option of taking out the data of any of the players, and if you click on any of the line points, as the tooltip shows, you get the full details from that point in the game. Wizard!
This then is the mathematician's add-on, or anyone who thinks they will benefit from a data-tracker in graph form. And to be honest, who wouldn't? Graphs are awesome! If I had to recommend just one add-on for a bog-standard CCer, it's a close call between this and the Dice Analyzer in terms of general helpfulness.
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=63517
Ta-da!
Spoiler
WTF
Red stared out the window of the landing craft. His squad was arranged behind him, awaiting the descent that will mark the beginning of another campaign. He had left the Yggdrasil Space Station two turns ago, and after quashing all resistance on Saturn and Uranus, a small squad split off to attack the Outer Sol Warp Gate.
"Commander, incoming transmission from Odin."
Red looked at his hyper-digital watch. Two minutes to landing. "On screen."
A crackling noise belched out of the viewscreen, and a view of the High Command came into place on the monitor. It was a scene of horror, with damaged cords hanging from the ceiling, nary a soul left alive apart from a half shredded Red leaning on a chair.
"Dear god, Red, am I glad to see you. The most horrible of situations has just occured.... Blue has suicided into us!! A massive force of them swarmed through the Valhalla Wormhole and began running through our Solar System. We barely hold anything before the Yggdrasil Station. I am sorry, Red, but orders have been decoded stating that we will be cashing a set, dropping reinforcements on you, and returning the favor in kind to blue."
Red dropped his weapon, stunned by the news Red had just given him. "But, sir, that will hand the Solar Systems to Green!! Dear god , how could they do this? What type of n00b would launch an attack like this?"
Red coughed up some blood on the monitor, and looked wearily at the man on the other side. "From all reports, it seems that this attack was triggered by us 'not doing f*ck all, this is boring'. Our commander, a space Veteran, responded by saying that maybe Blue should not attempt to play on an escalating level. Green lol'ed, which caused Blue to say 'stfu Red. ur a noob, and dunno how to play this game anyway.' At that point, Red insulted his mother and Blue remained silent. Since then there have been multiple caps-locked attacks upon his person with no response. Green has been heard to make a comment akin to 'Sorry, Red, that I had to win like this. Really sucks.' "
Red quickly thought it over. If he could get into Blue's Command and kill them the resources attained from it could keep them afloat for a few more turns. All they had to do was storm Blue's solar system and take it firmly in hand. Red watched as reinforcements numbering in the dozens were dropped onto Saturn and ordered his men to march on Blue.
*************************************************************************************
Laser-beam scorch marks marred the land as Red sprinted towards Blue. His own energy weapon spit a line of blinding death at the enemy. A 6!! He watched with satisfaction as a Blue pitched forward, and continued running. Beside him, Red, a comrade through 7 planets, fell into the dry green dust of this foreign planet with a 5 burned through his skull. Red rolled a few 1s, luckily being missed by the return fire and then checked his squad, seeing there were a total of five of them to take out the three Blues left. He aimed carefully, and again rolled a 6. His men, cheered by his slaying of a Blue, bombarded the base with 5's and 6's. Within moments the assault was finished. He knew as did his men that Blue was the reason they would lose. His reckless play had forced Red's hand even though Green told him that it was OK and he could come back with that many troops in play. Red HQ would hear none of it though and proceeded to march a bloody swathe through Blue planets and wormholes alike. Green quickly swept in, picking up whatever pieces it could. Red reloaded, sighed, and went back out in the hunt for Blue.
Red stared out the window of the landing craft. His squad was arranged behind him, awaiting the descent that will mark the beginning of another campaign. He had left the Yggdrasil Space Station two turns ago, and after quashing all resistance on Saturn and Uranus, a small squad split off to attack the Outer Sol Warp Gate.
"Commander, incoming transmission from Odin."
Red looked at his hyper-digital watch. Two minutes to landing. "On screen."
A crackling noise belched out of the viewscreen, and a view of the High Command came into place on the monitor. It was a scene of horror, with damaged cords hanging from the ceiling, nary a soul left alive apart from a half shredded Red leaning on a chair.
"Dear god, Red, am I glad to see you. The most horrible of situations has just occured.... Blue has suicided into us!! A massive force of them swarmed through the Valhalla Wormhole and began running through our Solar System. We barely hold anything before the Yggdrasil Station. I am sorry, Red, but orders have been decoded stating that we will be cashing a set, dropping reinforcements on you, and returning the favor in kind to blue."
Red dropped his weapon, stunned by the news Red had just given him. "But, sir, that will hand the Solar Systems to Green!! Dear god , how could they do this? What type of n00b would launch an attack like this?"
Red coughed up some blood on the monitor, and looked wearily at the man on the other side. "From all reports, it seems that this attack was triggered by us 'not doing f*ck all, this is boring'. Our commander, a space Veteran, responded by saying that maybe Blue should not attempt to play on an escalating level. Green lol'ed, which caused Blue to say 'stfu Red. ur a noob, and dunno how to play this game anyway.' At that point, Red insulted his mother and Blue remained silent. Since then there have been multiple caps-locked attacks upon his person with no response. Green has been heard to make a comment akin to 'Sorry, Red, that I had to win like this. Really sucks.' "
Red quickly thought it over. If he could get into Blue's Command and kill them the resources attained from it could keep them afloat for a few more turns. All they had to do was storm Blue's solar system and take it firmly in hand. Red watched as reinforcements numbering in the dozens were dropped onto Saturn and ordered his men to march on Blue.
*************************************************************************************
Laser-beam scorch marks marred the land as Red sprinted towards Blue. His own energy weapon spit a line of blinding death at the enemy. A 6!! He watched with satisfaction as a Blue pitched forward, and continued running. Beside him, Red, a comrade through 7 planets, fell into the dry green dust of this foreign planet with a 5 burned through his skull. Red rolled a few 1s, luckily being missed by the return fire and then checked his squad, seeing there were a total of five of them to take out the three Blues left. He aimed carefully, and again rolled a 6. His men, cheered by his slaying of a Blue, bombarded the base with 5's and 6's. Within moments the assault was finished. He knew as did his men that Blue was the reason they would lose. His reckless play had forced Red's hand even though Green told him that it was OK and he could come back with that many troops in play. Red HQ would hear none of it though and proceeded to march a bloody swathe through Blue planets and wormholes alike. Green quickly swept in, picking up whatever pieces it could. Red reloaded, sighed, and went back out in the hunt for Blue.
Interrogation of MeDeFe
Q. Hey there MeDeFe
A. This is not a question. You are intentionally trying to confuse me! But it will not work, I am no cat!
Q. Why are you named after MDF (medium density fibre) board?
A. Medium density fibre board was invented at McGill University in 1975 and named after the head of the research team.
Q. How does it feel to be interviewed immediately after happy2seeyou who is in the sexiest clan ever? Do you cry at night knowing that you have not been invited to join the sexiest clan ever?
A. ...
Sorry, what was the question? I was looking at those jugs...
Q. What's your favourite meal?
A. Whichever I'm currently eating.
Q. Were dids youse facination wif english cums from? (a/k/a Why are you a student of the English language?)
A. The original reason for me choosing English as my field of study at university was simply that I was good at English in school. My fascination with English and language in general now has rather little to do with that. My main source of fascination with it nowadays is how language can be described as a set of rules that make communication possible in the first place and how those rules are applied, but also bent and subverted. For example, how it's possible for someone to talk for five minutes straight and fully satisfy an audience without actually saying anything meaningful or on topic.
Q. Three posters you like, three posters that drive you nuts.
A. That would be MaleAlphaThree, jay_a2j, and... well, I can't think of any other poster who I like and who drives me nuts on a regular basis. I know that's not what you hoped for, but I think you will understand that my colourful position prohibits me from creating any sort of list of people that could be construed to mean that I have something against them.
I strive to accept all posters for who they are and tolerate their little quirks so as to promote the flourishing of diversity in the CC community in accordance with the Rainbow Rule.
Q. Obviously you are an American stationed in Germany. Please tell us all of the top secret clandestine spy missions you have gone on that involved you necessarily sleeping with beautiful women and driving an Aston Martin. Or at least one.
A.
There was this one time... I was relaxing with a glass of Domaine de Chevalier at my château that lies by a beautiful little lake in the Swiss Alps when I received a call from HQ. Apparently some shadowy billionaire had stolen several missiles with nuclear warheads and was planning to use them to take over the world and usher in a dark reign of controlled markets where honest, hard-working conservatives would be forced to buy his inferior products and peaceful, morally upright liberals be made to suffer knowing that the goods were not up to environmental and health safety standards. I was to meet a contact at the rock of Gibraltar who would brief me on the whereabouts of the evildoer.
Such madness could not be allowed to come to pass! I finished my wine and arose, stroking the exquisitely rounded buttocks of my secretary with one hand, she smiled and for a moment I wished work could be postponed, but alas, such is the fate of a top secret top agent. After a brief shower I was sitting in my private jet, looking dashing in an impeccably pressed black suit, preparing myself mentally for the trials that were to come. When my pilot announced that we were at our destination I put on a parachute and jumped out of the plane, I deployed the parachute at 500m and landed next to my contact, I immediately slipped out of the harness and the parachute flew on a bit before becoming entangled in a tree. My suit still impeccable I shook hands with Carlos, merely my hair had been ruffled into a daring new style by the wind. As we walked away some locals were gathering around the parachute in bafflement, it was actually a mildly amusing scene if I may say so.
Carlos filled me in on the details over some excellent seafood and a not too shabby Spanish wine in a small bar by the seaside. Apparently the billionaire had taken his refuge to a subterranean installation in the Sahara, bombing him was out of the question, at 1km depth he would only notice an atomic bomb because his scanners would tell him one had gone off, infiltration and pin-point precision was the only option, either the target would have to be taken out or the installation would have to be made uninhabitable and everyone in it be forced to return to the surface where they could be dealt with easily.
To make matters worse the exact whereabouts of the missiles were as yet unknown, he had acquired a total of 12 missiles and it was estimated that six were at the Saharan base, but half were unaccounted for. They would have to be found before any action could be taken. I was to approach the billionaire's wife who took care of his regular business in his absence and pump her for information. Her office was on Hawaii, a flight had been organized, Carlos gave me the file on her that I could study on my way there.
Having finished our meal I smiled at the cute waitress who nearly swooned and told us the meal was on the house.
During my flight to Hawaii I learned that the villain's wife was a 24 year old former beauty queen who had studied economics and law at the world-renowned McGill University. When I landed my Hawaiian contact, Stan, was waiting for me at the airport. On the way to the hotel he told me that my target would host a charity dinner in two days. Wealthy people would attend, hobnob, drink slightly too much champagne and sign a few cheques. Naturally an invitation for me had already been prepared for. I figured I might as well use the two days relaxing so I hit the beaches. On the first day I judged a wet T-shirt contest, in the evening I walked the winner home, that night... well, on the second day, I rested.
Everything went smoothly during the dinner, one look and she gave me her number, a little conversation and she told me to come see her afterwards, a drink and we slipped away, all her duties as a host forgotten. One intense hour in a small office later we were lying naked on a bed usually intended for someone working late, which technically applied to me. It was obvious why she had won the pageant a few years before, she was one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen naked, and every beautiful woman I have seen eventually became naked, but she was one of a kind. She hadn't known what her husband was up to, but, having studied economics, she realized what the consequences would be and was horrified. She promised to help me gain access to her husbands data files and find out where the missing missiles might be.
With her knowledge of her husband's business organization and my skills as a hacker we quickly found the locations of the other 6 missiles as well as the blueprints of the subterranean base and I transmitted them to HQ. The operation was set to take place one week later, all targets would be hit simultaneously to make sure no missile would be fired, I, being the best of all top secret agents, was to infiltrate the Saharan base ahead of time with the help of our new ally. She contacted her husband and told him the truth, or a version of it, that I was a secret agent with informations that could determine whether his plans would fail or reach fruition. Unable to leave his base because of the risk of assassination or abduction his only choice was to let me enter it, easy as 3.14, all that nonsense you see in the movies where people hide in supply trains, disguise themselves as guards and sneak around trying not to be seen is pure fiction. Tacky and straightforward works best.
He swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker after I helped "hack" a slightly modified mirror of our network. It would take them weeks they didn't have to figure out they were looking at 50 year old documents and fakes and that the "encrypted" files were really just garbage. Things would be a lot easier than I had ever dared hope, I could move about as freely as anyone else and whoever had designed the installation had been something of an idiot, all the IT was connected to one network and there was only a backup power supply good for one hour if the nuclear reactor were to shut down. Forcing a meltdown of the core would be even easier than getting access to the main servers of the FBI, bunch of amateurs that they are.
I planned to act so the reactor core would begin overheating 30 minutes before the strikes against the other missiles, enough time to let evacuations proceed far enough to ensure that there would be insufficient personnel left to take any sort of meaningful action. With 45 minutes to go I made my way to the reactor control room. There were only two guards and no sealable doors or anything, there was no need for more, all the enemies should have been outside. The guards were dead before they could shout and 10 seconds later I was the only living person in the room. With full access to the controls, sabotaging the cooling system was no problem, I left a few improvised explosive charges to make sure it would stay that way and began walking back as the alarms went off, just a tad earlier than expected. I would just have to make it to one of the evacuation lifts before word spread about the situation in the reactor control room, I was the obvious suspect and unless I made it out quickly there would be trouble.
Things went well initially, I just went with the flow and had made it to the uppermost level at 500m below ground with no problems when I was approached by several armed men who told me to come with them. Getting out is always the trickiest part of any operation. As I expected they brought me before the arch-villain himself.
He monologued for a while about how I might think I had thwarted his plans and how I would pay and stuff like that, I wasn't really paying attention. After the third supervillain I figured they all say pretty much the same things and that you're better off surveying your surroundings, what was odd was that this area hadn't been on the blueprints, apparently he'd had a back-door escape route built in because there was what looked like a small elevator back in a corner.
"I fucked your wife" I interrupted him.
All things considered that wasn't such a shocking revelation, but for a second everyone else in the room was stunned by its suddenness and that was all I needed. I punched the nearest henchman in the throat and disarmed him, shot the other three with his gun and turned to face the arch-villain but he was already in the elevator that was just starting upwards, he really was a lot quicker than one would have expected. I sprinted for the elevator and managed to get a handhold under the platform. It's amazing how often these things are designed with excessive metal bars and handles, but why look a gift horse in the mouth? With a solid inch of metal between us there was little to be done until we arrived wherever the elevator was headed. I noted that the walls of the shaft were wide enough to allow me to climb up past the platform once we stopped. When the tell-tale rattle came I quickly pressed myself into a corner where I found a foothold on a beam that protruded slightly from the wall. One second later the elevator started heading down again, apparently he was hoping I would still be hanging under it. I clambered towards the doorhole and heard a car starting, by the time I'd made it into the underground garage he was already driving out of it. I stood, watched, and smiled as a bullet went through his head, his arms went rigid and his right leg spasmed and slammed the brake, bringing the car to a halt. I walked over to it and gave my buddy with the codename THORNHEART who was standing 8km away a thumbs-up, he had calculated the exact turn of events and the moment when the now deceased billionaire villain would exit the secret garage and fired a single bullet with pin-point precision, there wasn't even a single stain of blood on the interior. I dislodged the body and drove off into the sunset in my new Aston Martin DB AR1.
Q. Do you think nagerous has a crush on the Godless Heathens, seeing as how he keeps interviewing them? Does he secretly want to be one of us?
A. That's what we built the mind-control device for, no? Well, that and for the party photos.
Q. Did you know there is someone on facebook with the first name Medefe? Is it you?
A. On an evilness scale of mindless rock to devil, Facebook ranks between eating kittens that are still alive and destroying a peaceful planet to gain a level. No, I'm not on Facebook, not even under a fake name.
Q. How much of a stalker is lurkerleader after that question?
A. About as much as an elephant in Central Park.
Q. How many continents do you go for in any one game. Do you ever get greedy ?
A. All of them, my precioussss.
Q. Seeing as you have won a battle royale in round 111, Game 3957177 - Can you describe your general mood as the game progressed?
A. After more than a year? Not a chance. Luckily I went and wrote it all down immediately after the game. http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... =6&t=73896
Q. Also if there is to be another Whac-A-Mod in the future, should we look forward to your participation?
A. Sure, if I have the time.
Q. Is KoE_Sirius' avatar hot? And if so, describe why in 200 words or less.
A. Yes: Cute girl, second cute girl, kissing.
Q.
A. While he certainly has a point, I cannot completely agree with his sentiments. Milton is arguing from a 17th century point of view, a time of political and religious upheaval, and it shows. While I agree that individuals may use their liberties appropriately as well as condemnably, I disagree with his conclusion. Rather than giving power to a few "just and virtuous" and let them decide what liberties and laws are appropriate for everyone, which liberties are only appropriate for a few, what needs to be changed and what needs to be preserved, the solution is to provide every individual (or as near as possible) with the means of determining what the society they live in should be like and what liberties everyone should have. In Milton's words: To make every man just and virtuous. In the 17th century this may not have been realistic for logistic and economic reasons, but today it certainly is. In the west this has been a long process that is still ongoing, with mistakes being made both by the "just and virtuous men" who thought they knew best, as well as by the larger populace who demanded their liberties as well as immediate retribution for past wrongs committed upon them. It would be a sad fact, and I don't like it one bit, but it may very well be true that societies as a whole need to commit great mistakes in order to learn from them.
Q. What's the longest erection for the longest amount of time you have held while in an area with at least 4 other people?
A. About 70 minutes.
Q. Do you like kittens?
A. Depends a bit on whether they're digital or material, but in general
Q. Are you still a virgin?
A. Does a bear wear a funny hat? Does the Pope shit in the forest?
Q. Prove e=mc2
A. Experiments at McGill University have shown that people will expend energy equal to the mass of a slice of pie multiplied by the physical constant c squared in order to attain it. No more proof is needed. Pie is the driving force of the universe.
Q. What is your favorite movie? Genre? Director? Actor?
Q. What is your favorite TV show? Writer? Actor?
Q. What is your favorite book? Writer?
Q. What is your favorite song? Band? Singer/songwriter?
A. I don't have one favourite of anything, there are many movies I like, there are several TV shows I like, there are lots of books I like, there are far too many songs I like. Any time I make a list of movies/books/whatever I like it tends to be somewhat different from the last one. Which people I consider good at making those things tends to come with which movies/books/etc. I like. The exception is actors, actors are mostly interchangeable. Sure, I can recognize one for a great performance, but generally I think it doesn't matter who plays a role as long as they play it well.
That said, there's no one criterion for why I like or dislike a work. To stick with movies, I enjoyed Terminator, Rashomon and Blades of Glory, but all for entirely different reasons.
Anyway, here are some partial, non-conclusive lists of movies, TV shows, books and songs I like for whatever reason, in no particular order, not even the order in which I thought of them.
Movies: I'm a cyborg but that's OK, Let the right one in, The virgin spring, Sansho the bailiff, Knocking on heaven's door, Night of the living dead, Faster pussycat! Kill! Kill!, Reservoir dogs, Coraline, Thirst
Books: Salem's Lot, Fabian - Die Geschichte eines Moralisten, Good omens, Watchmen, The jungle book (including the second jungle book), The entire series of moomin books (they're short enough, and though they progress more or less chronologically they can well be read in any order, if I had to recommend one it would be Moominland Midwinter), The lord of the rings, Nation, American gods, the Otherland tetralogy.
TV shows (including anything not a movie that has been shown on TV): Casshern SINS, Animaniacs, The IT crowd, Coupling (the British original, screw the remake), Kröd Mändoon, Ergo Proxy, Firefly, RTL Samstag Nacht (truly brilliant back in the day), The Simpsons, M*A*S*H
Songs (or other music) and the performer/composer: Tool - Sober, Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody, Infected Mushrooms - Becoming Insane, Dark Tranquility - Hours Passed In Exile, Mozart's fantasy No.4 in C minor for piano (There's a wonderful performance by Paul Badura-Skoda of it on Youtube), Judas Priest - Blood Red Skies, Jean Sibelius' symphonic poem Finlandia, Iron Maiden - Face in the Sand, Subway to Sally - Puppenspieler, Deine Lakaien - Generators
Q .What is your favorite past time altogether? Besides sex, or murder.
A. Sex during murder. No, not really. But a good movie goes a long way.
Q. Have you ever had thoughts of being a woman? If any, what thoughts?
A. As a matter of fact, yes, I have. It's not quite as difficult as trying to imagine what it's like to be a bat, but still, a different body type and very different proportions of hormones in your blood makes me wonder, what is it like to be a woman?
Q. Is there anything about you, other than being Atheist, that qualifies you for an eternity in hell?
A. Luxuria and Acedia, I'd say.
Q. Would you please list any deeply disturbing memories of a personal nature?
A.
Q. What would be your favorite pet to have? List both realistic (like a dog), and fantasy (like an enslaved celebrity).
A. Realistic: A cactus to keep the cannabis company.
Fantasy: A dragon.
Q. What is your favorite fast food? Favorite item? (You can tell I'm American, born and raised.)
A. There's this small place next to the train station that makes an awesome falafel, they put some blend of 30 different spices in the patties and fry them so they're a bit crunchy. The result is good enough for Jehova. Shit! Now you've made me want to have some right away! (And I suppose this is how you can tell I was not born and raised American)
Q. Is it true your parents met while both of them were teaching at McGill University?
A. Funny you should mention it, yes, it's true. My father Bruce from the Philosophy Department of the Australian University of Australia and my mother Bruce from the Biology Department of the Australian University of Australia met at McGill University in Canada during an exchange program. Without all the sheep and kangaroos in the way they finally managed to see each other properly.
Q. Should Quebec separate?
A. I think marriage counselling should be the first option unless Quebec's spouse is abusive.
Q. What method do you use to lift the lid off a can of worms?
A. I delegate the task.
Q. If you were able to choose exactly, how would you prefer to die?
A. Late.
Q. Do you like mallards?
A. Well played, Sir, well played.
Q. What would you say is a perfect breakfast?
A. Dinner.
Q. Have you ever wondered about how people pronounce your username?
A. Not very often.
Q. If you created a multi, would you name it FeEdMe?
A. I would now.
Q. Do you think Andy has let the cat out of the bag?
A. I know for a fact that he let the dogs out, so I wouldn't put it past him.
Q. What are your general thoughts on cats in bags to begin with?
A. As a temporary measure it may be acceptable, provided the bag lets enough air through for the cat to breath comfortably. However, considering the ruckus that usually follows after the cat is released again, it is in most cases not worth it.
Q. Do you enjoy answering ridiculously stupid questions?
A. If I were a fish, I'd want ridiculously stupid questions to be my water.
Q. If you had to live out the plot of a horror movie, what would it be?
A. No Army of Darkness? Well... In that case: Braindead!
Q. JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
Thanks, MeDeFe!
- Saxi
A. I'm a picker, I'm a grinner, I'm a lover and I'm a sinner.
I play my music in the sun.
I'm a joker, I'm a smoker, I'm a midnight toker.
I get my lovin' on the run
Q. Thanks MeDeFe! - Nag
A. Copycat. But you're welcome.
A. This is not a question. You are intentionally trying to confuse me! But it will not work, I am no cat!
Q. Why are you named after MDF (medium density fibre) board?
A. Medium density fibre board was invented at McGill University in 1975 and named after the head of the research team.
Q. How does it feel to be interviewed immediately after happy2seeyou who is in the sexiest clan ever? Do you cry at night knowing that you have not been invited to join the sexiest clan ever?
A. ...
Sorry, what was the question? I was looking at those jugs...
Q. What's your favourite meal?
A. Whichever I'm currently eating.
Q. Were dids youse facination wif english cums from? (a/k/a Why are you a student of the English language?)
A. The original reason for me choosing English as my field of study at university was simply that I was good at English in school. My fascination with English and language in general now has rather little to do with that. My main source of fascination with it nowadays is how language can be described as a set of rules that make communication possible in the first place and how those rules are applied, but also bent and subverted. For example, how it's possible for someone to talk for five minutes straight and fully satisfy an audience without actually saying anything meaningful or on topic.
Q. Three posters you like, three posters that drive you nuts.
A. That would be MaleAlphaThree, jay_a2j, and... well, I can't think of any other poster who I like and who drives me nuts on a regular basis. I know that's not what you hoped for, but I think you will understand that my colourful position prohibits me from creating any sort of list of people that could be construed to mean that I have something against them.
I strive to accept all posters for who they are and tolerate their little quirks so as to promote the flourishing of diversity in the CC community in accordance with the Rainbow Rule.
Q. Obviously you are an American stationed in Germany. Please tell us all of the top secret clandestine spy missions you have gone on that involved you necessarily sleeping with beautiful women and driving an Aston Martin. Or at least one.
A.
There was this one time... I was relaxing with a glass of Domaine de Chevalier at my château that lies by a beautiful little lake in the Swiss Alps when I received a call from HQ. Apparently some shadowy billionaire had stolen several missiles with nuclear warheads and was planning to use them to take over the world and usher in a dark reign of controlled markets where honest, hard-working conservatives would be forced to buy his inferior products and peaceful, morally upright liberals be made to suffer knowing that the goods were not up to environmental and health safety standards. I was to meet a contact at the rock of Gibraltar who would brief me on the whereabouts of the evildoer.
Such madness could not be allowed to come to pass! I finished my wine and arose, stroking the exquisitely rounded buttocks of my secretary with one hand, she smiled and for a moment I wished work could be postponed, but alas, such is the fate of a top secret top agent. After a brief shower I was sitting in my private jet, looking dashing in an impeccably pressed black suit, preparing myself mentally for the trials that were to come. When my pilot announced that we were at our destination I put on a parachute and jumped out of the plane, I deployed the parachute at 500m and landed next to my contact, I immediately slipped out of the harness and the parachute flew on a bit before becoming entangled in a tree. My suit still impeccable I shook hands with Carlos, merely my hair had been ruffled into a daring new style by the wind. As we walked away some locals were gathering around the parachute in bafflement, it was actually a mildly amusing scene if I may say so.
Carlos filled me in on the details over some excellent seafood and a not too shabby Spanish wine in a small bar by the seaside. Apparently the billionaire had taken his refuge to a subterranean installation in the Sahara, bombing him was out of the question, at 1km depth he would only notice an atomic bomb because his scanners would tell him one had gone off, infiltration and pin-point precision was the only option, either the target would have to be taken out or the installation would have to be made uninhabitable and everyone in it be forced to return to the surface where they could be dealt with easily.
To make matters worse the exact whereabouts of the missiles were as yet unknown, he had acquired a total of 12 missiles and it was estimated that six were at the Saharan base, but half were unaccounted for. They would have to be found before any action could be taken. I was to approach the billionaire's wife who took care of his regular business in his absence and pump her for information. Her office was on Hawaii, a flight had been organized, Carlos gave me the file on her that I could study on my way there.
Having finished our meal I smiled at the cute waitress who nearly swooned and told us the meal was on the house.
During my flight to Hawaii I learned that the villain's wife was a 24 year old former beauty queen who had studied economics and law at the world-renowned McGill University. When I landed my Hawaiian contact, Stan, was waiting for me at the airport. On the way to the hotel he told me that my target would host a charity dinner in two days. Wealthy people would attend, hobnob, drink slightly too much champagne and sign a few cheques. Naturally an invitation for me had already been prepared for. I figured I might as well use the two days relaxing so I hit the beaches. On the first day I judged a wet T-shirt contest, in the evening I walked the winner home, that night... well, on the second day, I rested.
Everything went smoothly during the dinner, one look and she gave me her number, a little conversation and she told me to come see her afterwards, a drink and we slipped away, all her duties as a host forgotten. One intense hour in a small office later we were lying naked on a bed usually intended for someone working late, which technically applied to me. It was obvious why she had won the pageant a few years before, she was one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen naked, and every beautiful woman I have seen eventually became naked, but she was one of a kind. She hadn't known what her husband was up to, but, having studied economics, she realized what the consequences would be and was horrified. She promised to help me gain access to her husbands data files and find out where the missing missiles might be.
With her knowledge of her husband's business organization and my skills as a hacker we quickly found the locations of the other 6 missiles as well as the blueprints of the subterranean base and I transmitted them to HQ. The operation was set to take place one week later, all targets would be hit simultaneously to make sure no missile would be fired, I, being the best of all top secret agents, was to infiltrate the Saharan base ahead of time with the help of our new ally. She contacted her husband and told him the truth, or a version of it, that I was a secret agent with informations that could determine whether his plans would fail or reach fruition. Unable to leave his base because of the risk of assassination or abduction his only choice was to let me enter it, easy as 3.14, all that nonsense you see in the movies where people hide in supply trains, disguise themselves as guards and sneak around trying not to be seen is pure fiction. Tacky and straightforward works best.
He swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker after I helped "hack" a slightly modified mirror of our network. It would take them weeks they didn't have to figure out they were looking at 50 year old documents and fakes and that the "encrypted" files were really just garbage. Things would be a lot easier than I had ever dared hope, I could move about as freely as anyone else and whoever had designed the installation had been something of an idiot, all the IT was connected to one network and there was only a backup power supply good for one hour if the nuclear reactor were to shut down. Forcing a meltdown of the core would be even easier than getting access to the main servers of the FBI, bunch of amateurs that they are.
I planned to act so the reactor core would begin overheating 30 minutes before the strikes against the other missiles, enough time to let evacuations proceed far enough to ensure that there would be insufficient personnel left to take any sort of meaningful action. With 45 minutes to go I made my way to the reactor control room. There were only two guards and no sealable doors or anything, there was no need for more, all the enemies should have been outside. The guards were dead before they could shout and 10 seconds later I was the only living person in the room. With full access to the controls, sabotaging the cooling system was no problem, I left a few improvised explosive charges to make sure it would stay that way and began walking back as the alarms went off, just a tad earlier than expected. I would just have to make it to one of the evacuation lifts before word spread about the situation in the reactor control room, I was the obvious suspect and unless I made it out quickly there would be trouble.
Things went well initially, I just went with the flow and had made it to the uppermost level at 500m below ground with no problems when I was approached by several armed men who told me to come with them. Getting out is always the trickiest part of any operation. As I expected they brought me before the arch-villain himself.
He monologued for a while about how I might think I had thwarted his plans and how I would pay and stuff like that, I wasn't really paying attention. After the third supervillain I figured they all say pretty much the same things and that you're better off surveying your surroundings, what was odd was that this area hadn't been on the blueprints, apparently he'd had a back-door escape route built in because there was what looked like a small elevator back in a corner.
"I fucked your wife" I interrupted him.
All things considered that wasn't such a shocking revelation, but for a second everyone else in the room was stunned by its suddenness and that was all I needed. I punched the nearest henchman in the throat and disarmed him, shot the other three with his gun and turned to face the arch-villain but he was already in the elevator that was just starting upwards, he really was a lot quicker than one would have expected. I sprinted for the elevator and managed to get a handhold under the platform. It's amazing how often these things are designed with excessive metal bars and handles, but why look a gift horse in the mouth? With a solid inch of metal between us there was little to be done until we arrived wherever the elevator was headed. I noted that the walls of the shaft were wide enough to allow me to climb up past the platform once we stopped. When the tell-tale rattle came I quickly pressed myself into a corner where I found a foothold on a beam that protruded slightly from the wall. One second later the elevator started heading down again, apparently he was hoping I would still be hanging under it. I clambered towards the doorhole and heard a car starting, by the time I'd made it into the underground garage he was already driving out of it. I stood, watched, and smiled as a bullet went through his head, his arms went rigid and his right leg spasmed and slammed the brake, bringing the car to a halt. I walked over to it and gave my buddy with the codename THORNHEART who was standing 8km away a thumbs-up, he had calculated the exact turn of events and the moment when the now deceased billionaire villain would exit the secret garage and fired a single bullet with pin-point precision, there wasn't even a single stain of blood on the interior. I dislodged the body and drove off into the sunset in my new Aston Martin DB AR1.
Q. Do you think nagerous has a crush on the Godless Heathens, seeing as how he keeps interviewing them? Does he secretly want to be one of us?
A. That's what we built the mind-control device for, no? Well, that and for the party photos.
Q. Did you know there is someone on facebook with the first name Medefe? Is it you?
A. On an evilness scale of mindless rock to devil, Facebook ranks between eating kittens that are still alive and destroying a peaceful planet to gain a level. No, I'm not on Facebook, not even under a fake name.
Q. How much of a stalker is lurkerleader after that question?
A. About as much as an elephant in Central Park.
Q. How many continents do you go for in any one game. Do you ever get greedy ?
A. All of them, my precioussss.
Q. Seeing as you have won a battle royale in round 111, Game 3957177 - Can you describe your general mood as the game progressed?
A. After more than a year? Not a chance. Luckily I went and wrote it all down immediately after the game. http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... =6&t=73896
Q. Also if there is to be another Whac-A-Mod in the future, should we look forward to your participation?
A. Sure, if I have the time.
Q. Is KoE_Sirius' avatar hot? And if so, describe why in 200 words or less.
A. Yes: Cute girl, second cute girl, kissing.
Q.
Discuss.John Milton wrote:For stories teach us, that liberty sought out of season, in a corrupt and degenerate age, brought Rome itself to a farther slavery: for liberty hath a sharp and double edge, fit only to be handled by just and virtuous men; to bad and dissolute, it becomes a mischief unwieldy in their own hands: neither is it completely given, but by them who have the happy skill to know what is grievance and unjust to a people, and how to remove it wisely; what good laws are wanting, and how to frame them substantially, that good men may enjoy the freedom which they merit, and the bad the curb which they need.
A. While he certainly has a point, I cannot completely agree with his sentiments. Milton is arguing from a 17th century point of view, a time of political and religious upheaval, and it shows. While I agree that individuals may use their liberties appropriately as well as condemnably, I disagree with his conclusion. Rather than giving power to a few "just and virtuous" and let them decide what liberties and laws are appropriate for everyone, which liberties are only appropriate for a few, what needs to be changed and what needs to be preserved, the solution is to provide every individual (or as near as possible) with the means of determining what the society they live in should be like and what liberties everyone should have. In Milton's words: To make every man just and virtuous. In the 17th century this may not have been realistic for logistic and economic reasons, but today it certainly is. In the west this has been a long process that is still ongoing, with mistakes being made both by the "just and virtuous men" who thought they knew best, as well as by the larger populace who demanded their liberties as well as immediate retribution for past wrongs committed upon them. It would be a sad fact, and I don't like it one bit, but it may very well be true that societies as a whole need to commit great mistakes in order to learn from them.
Q. What's the longest erection for the longest amount of time you have held while in an area with at least 4 other people?
A. About 70 minutes.
Q. Do you like kittens?
A. Depends a bit on whether they're digital or material, but in general
Q. Are you still a virgin?
A. Does a bear wear a funny hat? Does the Pope shit in the forest?
Q. Prove e=mc2
A. Experiments at McGill University have shown that people will expend energy equal to the mass of a slice of pie multiplied by the physical constant c squared in order to attain it. No more proof is needed. Pie is the driving force of the universe.
Q. What is your favorite movie? Genre? Director? Actor?
Q. What is your favorite TV show? Writer? Actor?
Q. What is your favorite book? Writer?
Q. What is your favorite song? Band? Singer/songwriter?
A. I don't have one favourite of anything, there are many movies I like, there are several TV shows I like, there are lots of books I like, there are far too many songs I like. Any time I make a list of movies/books/whatever I like it tends to be somewhat different from the last one. Which people I consider good at making those things tends to come with which movies/books/etc. I like. The exception is actors, actors are mostly interchangeable. Sure, I can recognize one for a great performance, but generally I think it doesn't matter who plays a role as long as they play it well.
That said, there's no one criterion for why I like or dislike a work. To stick with movies, I enjoyed Terminator, Rashomon and Blades of Glory, but all for entirely different reasons.
Anyway, here are some partial, non-conclusive lists of movies, TV shows, books and songs I like for whatever reason, in no particular order, not even the order in which I thought of them.
Movies: I'm a cyborg but that's OK, Let the right one in, The virgin spring, Sansho the bailiff, Knocking on heaven's door, Night of the living dead, Faster pussycat! Kill! Kill!, Reservoir dogs, Coraline, Thirst
Books: Salem's Lot, Fabian - Die Geschichte eines Moralisten, Good omens, Watchmen, The jungle book (including the second jungle book), The entire series of moomin books (they're short enough, and though they progress more or less chronologically they can well be read in any order, if I had to recommend one it would be Moominland Midwinter), The lord of the rings, Nation, American gods, the Otherland tetralogy.
TV shows (including anything not a movie that has been shown on TV): Casshern SINS, Animaniacs, The IT crowd, Coupling (the British original, screw the remake), Kröd Mändoon, Ergo Proxy, Firefly, RTL Samstag Nacht (truly brilliant back in the day), The Simpsons, M*A*S*H
Songs (or other music) and the performer/composer: Tool - Sober, Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody, Infected Mushrooms - Becoming Insane, Dark Tranquility - Hours Passed In Exile, Mozart's fantasy No.4 in C minor for piano (There's a wonderful performance by Paul Badura-Skoda of it on Youtube), Judas Priest - Blood Red Skies, Jean Sibelius' symphonic poem Finlandia, Iron Maiden - Face in the Sand, Subway to Sally - Puppenspieler, Deine Lakaien - Generators
Q .What is your favorite past time altogether? Besides sex, or murder.
A. Sex during murder. No, not really. But a good movie goes a long way.
Q. Have you ever had thoughts of being a woman? If any, what thoughts?
A. As a matter of fact, yes, I have. It's not quite as difficult as trying to imagine what it's like to be a bat, but still, a different body type and very different proportions of hormones in your blood makes me wonder, what is it like to be a woman?
Q. Is there anything about you, other than being Atheist, that qualifies you for an eternity in hell?
A. Luxuria and Acedia, I'd say.
Q. Would you please list any deeply disturbing memories of a personal nature?
A.
Q. What would be your favorite pet to have? List both realistic (like a dog), and fantasy (like an enslaved celebrity).
A. Realistic: A cactus to keep the cannabis company.
Fantasy: A dragon.
Q. What is your favorite fast food? Favorite item? (You can tell I'm American, born and raised.)
A. There's this small place next to the train station that makes an awesome falafel, they put some blend of 30 different spices in the patties and fry them so they're a bit crunchy. The result is good enough for Jehova. Shit! Now you've made me want to have some right away! (And I suppose this is how you can tell I was not born and raised American)
Q. Is it true your parents met while both of them were teaching at McGill University?
A. Funny you should mention it, yes, it's true. My father Bruce from the Philosophy Department of the Australian University of Australia and my mother Bruce from the Biology Department of the Australian University of Australia met at McGill University in Canada during an exchange program. Without all the sheep and kangaroos in the way they finally managed to see each other properly.
Q. Should Quebec separate?
A. I think marriage counselling should be the first option unless Quebec's spouse is abusive.
Q. What method do you use to lift the lid off a can of worms?
A. I delegate the task.
Q. If you were able to choose exactly, how would you prefer to die?
A. Late.
Q. Do you like mallards?
A. Well played, Sir, well played.
Q. What would you say is a perfect breakfast?
A. Dinner.
Q. Have you ever wondered about how people pronounce your username?
A. Not very often.
Q. If you created a multi, would you name it FeEdMe?
A. I would now.
Q. Do you think Andy has let the cat out of the bag?
A. I know for a fact that he let the dogs out, so I wouldn't put it past him.
Q. What are your general thoughts on cats in bags to begin with?
A. As a temporary measure it may be acceptable, provided the bag lets enough air through for the cat to breath comfortably. However, considering the ruckus that usually follows after the cat is released again, it is in most cases not worth it.
Q. Do you enjoy answering ridiculously stupid questions?
A. If I were a fish, I'd want ridiculously stupid questions to be my water.
Q. If you had to live out the plot of a horror movie, what would it be?
A. No Army of Darkness? Well... In that case: Braindead!
Q. JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
Thanks, MeDeFe!
- Saxi
A. I'm a picker, I'm a grinner, I'm a lover and I'm a sinner.
I play my music in the sun.
I'm a joker, I'm a smoker, I'm a midnight toker.
I get my lovin' on the run
Q. Thanks MeDeFe! - Nag
A. Copycat.
But you're welcome.
This article is a little shorter than previous ones: everyone has had a busy couple of weeks. amazzony has focused the spotlight on TaCktiX' Every Single Setting: Classic tournament that recently completed, and superkeener has collected links to several tournaments that are recruiting players. Be sure to check out the Tournament Forums in the next couple of weeks: good things are on their way.
~Night Strike
Tournament Editor
TaCktiX's Every Single Setting: Classic by amazzony
Spoiler
Instead of writing an introduction to the interviews below with the organiser TaCktiX and winner gambler21210 of Every Single Setting: Classic (ESS:C), I will let the words of AgentSmith88 talk: "It was a crazy tournament. I was proud to just have made it to the finals because it took a lot of patience and endurance to withstand taking on 90 games at the same time on the same map [overall 1717 games were played in the tournament]. At one point I went from sergeant to colonel in the span of a week playing basically only the games from this tournament. I don't know how TaC kept track of it all, but he did a great job running this tourney." "Just like to say, it was one of the most enjoyable tournaments i have been in , and a big thanks to TaCktiX for creating it and running it so well," topper adds.
Organiser of ESS:C wrote:Q: Heya, TaCktiX, how are you doing?
A: Living the dream.
Q: I think you are best known as foundry-person and mapmaker...
A: My first interest on CC has been in the Foundry, as I'm a very creative person. I do have a quenched map and am working on the second (shameless plug: check out Research and Conquer (here)). I also served as senior editor with the Foundry Newsletter of all things. Kinda doesn't fit, right?
Q: ... so how come you found time to run such massive tournament as your Every Single Setting: Classic?
A: Here's my dirty little secret: it's only massive when I'm making the games. Yeah, making 360 games at once takes a while, not going to lie. I never did all of them in a single sitting, though I did manage to do them within the course of a day. From there I just see if anything's finished, score it, and update the tournament scores as I feel. Yes, I had to keep doing it for 18 months, but I loved the tournament and stuck with it.
Q: And, like one huge tournament wasn't enough, you decided to run another one, this time on British Isles.
A: It's even bigger.
Q: Where did you come up with the idea for this kind of tournament?
A: It's vaguely alluded to in my original introduction in the ESS:C tournament topic. The venerable Map Blaster tournament I participated in for IV and V has hinged on doing the same settings (standard sequential automatic escalating unlimited sunny) on every single map that would support 8 players. I wanted to do a tournament like no one had done before, so I decided to invert that, making all settings on a single map. Really, the only settings untouched in ESS:C were Freestyle and 2p.
Q: Did you ever think that you'll run one tournament for one and a half year?
A: I knew it would take forever, especially after Round 1 took 4 months to complete. Granted no round from that point forward lasted that long, but it served as fair warning.
Q: If you think back to that tournament, what was the most hardest part?
A: Getting the players for it, including when I had to replace leavers with reserves. It took forever to get the 32 players required to join, and after Round 1 finished I had 3-5 people who were not eliminated drop out. I had a mad-dash scramble to fill the slots. Fortunately, that doesn't appear to be a problem with ESS:BI, as it's gotten a consistent stream of people wishing to join in a week's time.
Q: What about the easiest?
A: Writing the scoring updates. Ever so often I would transfer the scores from the spreadsheet to the tournament topic, and I would always accompany that with an update that stated how many games were left in each group, who had finished what settings, whether a certain player was tearing it up, etc. I would be witty and silly for it, so it was always fun to write.
Q: And most rewarding?
A: The final 8 people in the tournament. I had been organizing for and in a couple cases had played games with them for a year and a half. It felt like we were longtime friends despite the separation of the internet.
Q: Is there anything you'd like to add about the ESS:C tournament?
A: I made the tournament I wanted to and followed through, and dang it was worth it.
Q: Thank you and congratulations on running such a huge and successful tournament!
A: Thanks, I appreciate it.
evilegi - finalist of ESS Classic wrote:It was a really fun tournament with a great organizer. It was really long so twords the end it was hard to convince myself to keep up with strategy instead of just deploying grabbing a card or country and stopping. Gambler did a great job, you have to be very well rounded knowing the strategies of all the settings to make it, and be able to fend against 7 other people who want you dead lol. Just wishing gl to the next round of candidates and gl to gambler, may he keep his crown
Winner of ESS:C wrote:Q: Heya, gambler21210, how are you doing?
A: am very good
Q: How does it feel to win such a long and massive tournament as ESS: Classic?
A: its was a good tournament 2 win
Q: When you joined the tournament, did you realise that the tournament will last so long?
A: no way 1 and a half years in total did not even get a prize 4 it thou i would have least got a years subscription 2 cc i think would have been a fair prize 4 winning it
Q: Was it hard to play so many games at once? I think at some point you had like 90 active games from this tournament.
A:oh yes my mind was scrabbled with all the games could not keep track but got thou some how first couple of rnds just done enough then semi and final just went 4 the kill no good finshing 2nd rather finsh last lol just got the bit between my teeth and powered on terminator kills won it 4 me plus some easy esc kills as well
Q: Silly question, I know but have to ask it - was it all worth it?
A: no way as i sayed a prize would have been worth it
hes got british isles tourment going but i will not be in it
i dont want my brains wacked 4 another year and a half
Q: Thank you and congratulations on winning such a big tournament!
A:thanks 2 all the competion but we all deserve a medal 4 it all the finalist that is.
Spoiler
Here is a list of some tournaments that are Currently Taking Signups. If you are interested in any of these tournaments, follow the link and sign up! There are also many other tournaments taking signups 24/7 in the Create/Join a Tournament Forum.
=====
War of Attrition
Organizer: AmphibiousRodent
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=111986
This tournament begins as a 16-team quads tournament, but any player who is eliminated in a game, even if their team wins, is eliminated from the tournament.
=====
Bruceswar and Lokis NCAA Singles
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=112805
Organizer: Bruceswar and lokisgal
64-player, 1v1, Best-of-3 series inspired by the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
=====
MG's "Two Moles digging a hole"
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=113167
Organizer: mgconstruction
A doubles tournament - Grab a partner, pick your map/settings, and sign up now!
=====
Russian Spy Chapter II
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=113201
Organizer: DJ Teflon
A rare Assassin tournament - Polish off the scope and get your target in the crosshairs. Prove that you are the top Russian hitman.
=====
Every Single Setting: British Isles
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=112230
Organizer: TaCktiX
The name of the tournament sums it up very well (also check amazzony’s article) This tournament is only open to premium players , as you will be getting many games at once to play. If you compete in this tournament, you will almost absolutely become a master of the British Isles map.
=====
I Heart Waterloo Tourney
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=112113
Organizer: grifftron
Do you heart Waterloo? If so, join this tournament for some 1v1 single elimination bombarding excitement.
=====
CC Vets Tourney
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=112212
Organizer: Jacob Peden
A 1v1 tournament open only to players you signed up to the site before January 1, 2008.
=====
JRH's MARCH MADNESS
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=111001
Organizer: jrh_cardinal
Another 1v1 NCAA March Madness inspired tournament.
=====
If you would like to have your tournament listed in the next issue, drop superkeener a message with a link to your tournament thread.
=====
War of Attrition
Organizer: AmphibiousRodent
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=111986
This tournament begins as a 16-team quads tournament, but any player who is eliminated in a game, even if their team wins, is eliminated from the tournament.
=====
Bruceswar and Lokis NCAA Singles
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=112805
Organizer: Bruceswar and lokisgal
64-player, 1v1, Best-of-3 series inspired by the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
=====
MG's "Two Moles digging a hole"
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=113167
Organizer: mgconstruction
A doubles tournament - Grab a partner, pick your map/settings, and sign up now!
=====
Russian Spy Chapter II
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=113201
Organizer: DJ Teflon
A rare Assassin tournament - Polish off the scope and get your target in the crosshairs. Prove that you are the top Russian hitman.
=====
Every Single Setting: British Isles
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=112230
Organizer: TaCktiX
The name of the tournament sums it up very well (also check amazzony’s article) This tournament is only open to premium players , as you will be getting many games at once to play. If you compete in this tournament, you will almost absolutely become a master of the British Isles map.
=====
I Heart Waterloo Tourney
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=112113
Organizer: grifftron
Do you heart Waterloo? If so, join this tournament for some 1v1 single elimination bombarding excitement.
=====
CC Vets Tourney
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=112212
Organizer: Jacob Peden
A 1v1 tournament open only to players you signed up to the site before January 1, 2008.
=====
JRH's MARCH MADNESS
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 0&t=111001
Organizer: jrh_cardinal
Another 1v1 NCAA March Madness inspired tournament.
=====
If you would like to have your tournament listed in the next issue, drop superkeener a message with a link to your tournament thread.
Hi everyone! The last fortnight has been a bit slow in the Foundry... that's what I was going to say, but then a bunch of maps went into beta just on the last minute. Anyway, behind the scenes, maps are being developed, and we have seen lots of intense discussion about the Foundry atmosphere. Expect the newsletter to report in detail in the next issue...
However, in this issue, we have dolomite13's history article, the latest Foundry news, an article by TaCktiX and a new section, called Map Showcase. To close, as usually, the latest maps in development.
Enjoy it!
Foundry News
Spoiler
Foundry Awards
For those who missed it, the Foundry Awards Competition has a winner.
Here below the winning set, chosen by the foundry community, who received the 71% of the votes:
| 
Congratulations to fumandomuerte
Pearl Harbor - Poll
Several changes to the gameplay were done at the end of the year. After some months of Beta testing, the Foundry needs now to know your opinion about those changes. So, the foundry foreman, MrBenn has opened a poll in the General Discussion Forum to test the Community opinion and see if it's better to go with the current (revised) version or come back and restore the old (original) one. The poll can be found here : http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 6&t=111184
Fractured America Quenched
Isaiah40's map Fractured America has been quenched. This map has gone through a rocky path, and indeed caused lots of controversy among the community. The map thread was even closed at one point, due to lots of heated discussion... However, all obstacles have now been overcome, and Isaiah will enjoy his well-earned map medal. Congratulations Isaiah!
Monsters! and Dawn of Ages Enter Beta-testing
Our very own dolomite13's map Monsters! has entered the Beta-testing phase. The map features a unique gameplay, and I for one can't wait to try it out. The map is now available for playing. Congrats Dolomite13!
Kabanellas' first map, The Dawn of Ages has also been moved into beta-testing. A complex fantasy map with a very Tolkien-ish theme will surely prove a popular map. Congrats Kabanellas!
Germany Revamp Quenched
The Germany Revamp has finally been quenched. This graphical revamp is truly a masterpiece of the mapmaking art, and has proven quite popular already. Congrats Widowmakers!
XML Game Engine Updated
It has finally happened, what mapmakers have been wishing for ages: XML has been updated, with promises of more updates to come. The first update makes objectives able to use continents, thus you can now make maps with victory conditions such as "hold 60% of the map" etc. We have yet to see anyone take advantage of this, but several map projects are already contemplating it's use... The original announcement can be found here.
For those who missed it, the Foundry Awards Competition has a winner.
Here below the winning set, chosen by the foundry community, who received the 71% of the votes:
| Congratulations to fumandomuerte
Pearl Harbor - Poll
Several changes to the gameplay were done at the end of the year. After some months of Beta testing, the Foundry needs now to know your opinion about those changes. So, the foundry foreman, MrBenn has opened a poll in the General Discussion Forum to test the Community opinion and see if it's better to go with the current (revised) version or come back and restore the old (original) one. The poll can be found here : http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 6&t=111184
Fractured America Quenched
Isaiah40's map Fractured America has been quenched. This map has gone through a rocky path, and indeed caused lots of controversy among the community. The map thread was even closed at one point, due to lots of heated discussion... However, all obstacles have now been overcome, and Isaiah will enjoy his well-earned map medal. Congratulations Isaiah!
Monsters! and Dawn of Ages Enter Beta-testing
Our very own dolomite13's map Monsters! has entered the Beta-testing phase. The map features a unique gameplay, and I for one can't wait to try it out. The map is now available for playing. Congrats Dolomite13!
Kabanellas' first map, The Dawn of Ages has also been moved into beta-testing. A complex fantasy map with a very Tolkien-ish theme will surely prove a popular map. Congrats Kabanellas!
Germany Revamp Quenched
The Germany Revamp has finally been quenched. This graphical revamp is truly a masterpiece of the mapmaking art, and has proven quite popular already. Congrats Widowmakers!
XML Game Engine Updated
It has finally happened, what mapmakers have been wishing for ages: XML has been updated, with promises of more updates to come. The first update makes objectives able to use continents, thus you can now make maps with victory conditions such as "hold 60% of the map" etc. We have yet to see anyone take advantage of this, but several map projects are already contemplating it's use... The original announcement can be found here.
Spoiler
The Fight for Alexander's Empire
by Mr. K
This map doesn't do anything fancy but it has very solid game play and represents the conquests of Alexander the Great quite well. Every Conquer Club player should give this map a try.
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon (356–323 BC), popularly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of Macedon. He is the most celebrated member of the Argead Dynasty and created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Born in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander received a classical Greek education under the tutorship of famed philosopher Aristotle, succeeded his father Philip II of Macedon to the throne in 336 BC after the King was assassinated, and died thirteen years later at the age of 32. Although both Alexander's reign and empire were short-lived, the cultural impact of his conquests lasted for centuries. Alexander is one of the most famous figures of antiquity, and is remembered for his tactical ability, his conquests, and for spreading Greek culture into the East (marking the beginning of Hellenistic civilization).
Philip had brought most of the city-states of mainland Greece under Macedonian hegemony, using both military and diplomatic means. Upon Philip's death, Alexander inherited a strong kingdom and an experienced army. He succeeded in being awarded the generalship of Greece and, with his authority firmly established, launched the military plans for expansion left by his father. He invaded Persian-ruled Asia Minor, and began a series of campaigns lasting ten years. Alexander repeatedly defeated the Persians in battle; marched through Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, and Bactria; and in the process he overthrew the Persian king Darius III and conquered the entirety of the Persian Empire. Following his desire to reach the "ends of the world and the Great Outer Sea", he invaded India, but was eventually forced to turn back by the near-mutiny of his troops, who were tired of war.
Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BC, before realizing a series of planned campaigns that would have begun with an invasion of Arabia. In the years following Alexander's death, a series of civil wars tore his empire apart, which resulted in the formation of a number of states ruled by Macedonian aristocracy. Remarkable though his conquests were, Alexander's lasting legacy was not his reign, but the cultural diffusion his conquests engendered. Alexander's importation of Greek colonists and culture to the East resulted in a new Hellenistic culture, aspects of which were still evident in the traditions of the Byzantine Empire until the mid-15th century. Alexander became legendary as a classical hero in the mold of Achilles, and features prominently in the history and myth of Greek and non-Greek cultures. He became the measure against which generals, even to this day, compare themselves, and military academies throughout the world still teach his tactical exploits.
The Fight for Alexander's Empire
Alexander had no obvious or legitimate heir, his son Alexander IV by Roxane being born after Alexander's death. This left the huge question as to who would rule the newly-conquered, and barely-pacified Empire. According to Diodorus, Alexander's companions asked him when he was on his deathbed to whom he bequeathed his kingdom; his laconic reply was "to the strongest". Given that Arrian and Plutarch have Alexander speechless by this point, it is possible that this is an apocryphal story. Diodorus, Curtius and Justin also have the more plausible story of Alexander passing his signet ring to Perdiccas, one of his bodyguard and leader of the companion cavalry, in front of witnesses, thereby possibly nominating Perdiccas as his successor.
In any event, Perdiccas initially avoided explicitly claiming power, instead suggesting that Roxane's baby would be king, if male; with himself, Craterus, Leonnatus and Antipater as guardians. However, the infantry, under the command of Meleager, rejected this arrangement since they had been excluded from the discussion. Instead, they supported Alexander's half-brother Philip Arrhidaeus. Eventually, the two sides reconciled, and after the birth of Alexander IV, he and Philip III were appointed joint kings of the Empire—albeit in name only.
It was not long, however, before dissension and rivalry began to afflict the Macedonians. The satrapies handed out by Perdiccas at the Partition of Babylon became power bases each general could use to launch his own bid for power. After the assassination of Perdiccas in 321 BC, all semblance of Macedonian unity collapsed, and 40 years of war between "The Successors" ensued before the Hellenistic world settled into four stable power blocks: the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the east, the Kingdom of Pergamon in Asia Minor, and Macedon. In the process, both Alexander IV and Philip III were murdered.
Links
- Map of Alexander's Empire
- Historical Alexander the Great
Movies
Here are a few notable movies about Alexander the Great.
- Alexander (2004) Colin Farrell
- Alexander the Great (1956) Richard Burton
by Mr. K
This map doesn't do anything fancy but it has very solid game play and represents the conquests of Alexander the Great quite well. Every Conquer Club player should give this map a try.
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon (356–323 BC), popularly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of Macedon. He is the most celebrated member of the Argead Dynasty and created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Born in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander received a classical Greek education under the tutorship of famed philosopher Aristotle, succeeded his father Philip II of Macedon to the throne in 336 BC after the King was assassinated, and died thirteen years later at the age of 32. Although both Alexander's reign and empire were short-lived, the cultural impact of his conquests lasted for centuries. Alexander is one of the most famous figures of antiquity, and is remembered for his tactical ability, his conquests, and for spreading Greek culture into the East (marking the beginning of Hellenistic civilization).
Philip had brought most of the city-states of mainland Greece under Macedonian hegemony, using both military and diplomatic means. Upon Philip's death, Alexander inherited a strong kingdom and an experienced army. He succeeded in being awarded the generalship of Greece and, with his authority firmly established, launched the military plans for expansion left by his father. He invaded Persian-ruled Asia Minor, and began a series of campaigns lasting ten years. Alexander repeatedly defeated the Persians in battle; marched through Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, and Bactria; and in the process he overthrew the Persian king Darius III and conquered the entirety of the Persian Empire. Following his desire to reach the "ends of the world and the Great Outer Sea", he invaded India, but was eventually forced to turn back by the near-mutiny of his troops, who were tired of war.
Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BC, before realizing a series of planned campaigns that would have begun with an invasion of Arabia. In the years following Alexander's death, a series of civil wars tore his empire apart, which resulted in the formation of a number of states ruled by Macedonian aristocracy. Remarkable though his conquests were, Alexander's lasting legacy was not his reign, but the cultural diffusion his conquests engendered. Alexander's importation of Greek colonists and culture to the East resulted in a new Hellenistic culture, aspects of which were still evident in the traditions of the Byzantine Empire until the mid-15th century. Alexander became legendary as a classical hero in the mold of Achilles, and features prominently in the history and myth of Greek and non-Greek cultures. He became the measure against which generals, even to this day, compare themselves, and military academies throughout the world still teach his tactical exploits.
The Fight for Alexander's Empire
Alexander had no obvious or legitimate heir, his son Alexander IV by Roxane being born after Alexander's death. This left the huge question as to who would rule the newly-conquered, and barely-pacified Empire. According to Diodorus, Alexander's companions asked him when he was on his deathbed to whom he bequeathed his kingdom; his laconic reply was "to the strongest". Given that Arrian and Plutarch have Alexander speechless by this point, it is possible that this is an apocryphal story. Diodorus, Curtius and Justin also have the more plausible story of Alexander passing his signet ring to Perdiccas, one of his bodyguard and leader of the companion cavalry, in front of witnesses, thereby possibly nominating Perdiccas as his successor.
In any event, Perdiccas initially avoided explicitly claiming power, instead suggesting that Roxane's baby would be king, if male; with himself, Craterus, Leonnatus and Antipater as guardians. However, the infantry, under the command of Meleager, rejected this arrangement since they had been excluded from the discussion. Instead, they supported Alexander's half-brother Philip Arrhidaeus. Eventually, the two sides reconciled, and after the birth of Alexander IV, he and Philip III were appointed joint kings of the Empire—albeit in name only.
It was not long, however, before dissension and rivalry began to afflict the Macedonians. The satrapies handed out by Perdiccas at the Partition of Babylon became power bases each general could use to launch his own bid for power. After the assassination of Perdiccas in 321 BC, all semblance of Macedonian unity collapsed, and 40 years of war between "The Successors" ensued before the Hellenistic world settled into four stable power blocks: the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the east, the Kingdom of Pergamon in Asia Minor, and Macedon. In the process, both Alexander IV and Philip III were murdered.
Links
- Map of Alexander's Empire
- Historical Alexander the Great
Movies
Here are a few notable movies about Alexander the Great.
- Alexander (2004) Colin Farrell
- Alexander the Great (1956) Richard Burton
Spoiler
Target Two: Foundry Speak is Gibberish
Relatively recently I came back to CC after a lovely two-month "vacation." The Melting Pot and assorted other changes had been in place for two months, and I was happy to see that said forum was overflowing with activity. But looking at the others, it appeared that that was it. Someone pointed out his major issue: the rest of the Foundry is too much high-talk, I feel unimportant, like I can't contribute anything.
This statement, while believable, is straight-up not true. Yes, the Foundry tends to get more nitpicky the further along a map goes. I'll admit it, I'm a hardcore nitpicker, it was the foundation of my Attacks from last year. But sometimes people can't see the forest for all the trees. All of us nitpickers have difficulty stepping back and looking at the entire picture from time to time. The people who are best at that are those who don't nitpick, who do a few comments about liking the look and feel of the map, and perhaps checking back in in a week's time. And I would say that 90% of the people who visit the Foundry fit under that category, of having one or two focus areas that they will comment on. And there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone's opinion is valuable no matter how short.
A further issue, as alluded to in the title, is the feeling that everyone's nitpicks and small issues are utterly beyond understanding. While someone finding some really small detail may seem like it's some forbidden knowledge or written in a different language from English, that's not true. It's understandable, and even if one doesn't, does it stop them from making comments of their own? I'll say as a mapmaker (again) that all comments are valuable, even if it's the simple "great map, can't wait to play." So whenever one thinks that the rest of the Foundry is impenetrable, remember that.
Relatively recently I came back to CC after a lovely two-month "vacation." The Melting Pot and assorted other changes had been in place for two months, and I was happy to see that said forum was overflowing with activity. But looking at the others, it appeared that that was it. Someone pointed out his major issue: the rest of the Foundry is too much high-talk, I feel unimportant, like I can't contribute anything.
This statement, while believable, is straight-up not true. Yes, the Foundry tends to get more nitpicky the further along a map goes. I'll admit it, I'm a hardcore nitpicker, it was the foundation of my Attacks from last year. But sometimes people can't see the forest for all the trees. All of us nitpickers have difficulty stepping back and looking at the entire picture from time to time. The people who are best at that are those who don't nitpick, who do a few comments about liking the look and feel of the map, and perhaps checking back in in a week's time. And I would say that 90% of the people who visit the Foundry fit under that category, of having one or two focus areas that they will comment on. And there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone's opinion is valuable no matter how short.
A further issue, as alluded to in the title, is the feeling that everyone's nitpicks and small issues are utterly beyond understanding. While someone finding some really small detail may seem like it's some forbidden knowledge or written in a different language from English, that's not true. It's understandable, and even if one doesn't, does it stop them from making comments of their own? I'll say as a mapmaker (again) that all comments are valuable, even if it's the simple "great map, can't wait to play." So whenever one thinks that the rest of the Foundry is impenetrable, remember that.
Spoiler
In this new section, a mapmaker , who is developing a project, can give visibility to the map and test the community support/preferences before proceeding further in the development. For this issue, we have chosen Industrial Helix and his Communism Map Pack.
If you want to see your map project included in the next issues, please send me a PM. (Only one map will be picked out for each issue)
If you want to see your map project included in the next issues, please send me a PM. (Only one map will be picked out for each issue)
Industrial Helix wrote:Hi everyone and thanks for reading. I am currently developing a series of maps based on the Rise of Communism throughout the 20th century. These maps will be developed one at a time to ensure that each receives due attention, criticism and suggestions from foundry regulars and visitors. Because of these reasons, I want some help in picking out which map ought to be pursued first, there is a poll running and a quick look and vote will take but a moment of your time.
A word on the gameplay: Each map is going to have some things in common, that being commanders, cities and territories. Each of these are especially important throughout modern warfare and were important in the wars represented in these maps. How the cities, commanders and territories related to one another differs greatly between the maps, reflecting the individuality of each conflict. Each map is somewhat complex, though intuitive, in my opinion. Cities sit on territories, railroads connect to cities, ect. I'm hoping to create a realistic map that reflects the military difficulties and decisions faced by the commanders at the time, without becoming impossible to play and understand.
So please, take the time to vote and if you feel inclined, give me your opinion. If you'd rather not see any of these maps in this incarnation, feel free to let me know.
As it stands, the current versions are preliminary maps and the graphics and gameplay will be analyzed and altered throughout the mapmaking process. Thanks again!
Map thread --> http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 3&t=108988
Spoiler
To see the full sized preview of the following maps just click on the title of the map, to visit the map development thread
Melting Pot
Recent Design Brief Submissions:
Melting Pot
Recent Design Brief Submissions:
The Powell Expeditions
Mapmaker: WestWind
Description: A map of the Powell Expeditions. A part of the American history which I personally don't know much about, but the map seems very promising for a first draft.
Zombieland
Mapmaker: MarshalNey
Description: Will Conquer Club finally get it's Zombie map? Come to the Foundry and find out...
Gameplay WorkshopReconquista
Mapmaker: theBastard & porkenbeans
Description: Another very ambitious project from theBastard, this medieval map is one of the most beautiful new maps seen in the Foundry for quite some time.
Lunar War
Mapmaker: isaiah40 & natty_dread
Description:8 countries fight for the control of the moon's helium-3 resources 100 years to the future.
Present Development: Balancing of the countries, neutral values are being discussed.
Research & Conquer
Mapmaker: OliverFA & TacKtiX
Description: One of the most innovative maps in the Foundry at the moment. Research technologies to gain the upper hand against your enemy, then face him on the battlefield.
Present Development:Gameplay features are being discussed. The gameplay of this map is fairly complex, so balancing this map may take a long while. All efforts to help will surely be appreciated.
België: Battle of languages
Mapmaker: MarVal
Description: The multilingual country of Belgium is the battlefield in this map.
Present Development:Bonus areas and other generic gameplay discussion.
Graphics WorkshopScandinavia
Mapmaker: CoolC
Description: Another map of the Scandinavia region.
Present Development: The development of this map has been a bit slow recently, due to injury of the mapmaker, but a poll is up on the thread.
WWII: Stalingrad
Mapmaker: Cairnswk
Description: One of the final maps of the retiring master mapmaker: a complex war map, based on the battle of Stalingrad from the 2nd World War.
Present Development:Was just recently moved into the Graphics Workshop.
Final Forge
Nordic Countries
Mapmaker: natty_dread
Description: A map of the Nordic countries. Need I say more?
Present Development: Just awarded a graphics stamp and moved to Final Forge.
A first hand look inside of a new clan by Georgerx7di (TSM)
Spoiler
For the first time a CC reporter has been allowed into another clans forum to see the inner workings of one of the sites newer clans. The members of Memento Mori were kind enough to welcome me into their clan forum so that I could see how they conduct clan wars, recruit new members, and get a feel for what a newly formed clan is like.
Memento Mori (MM) was formed in December 2009 by TheMissionary and a few friends. As with any new clan, they wanted to get their feet wet as soon as possible, so they started their first clan war against Snipers on December 11, 2009.
After some time this clan war started to drag due in part to the fact that most Snipers are freemium players. At that point MM decided on a second clan wars with newly formed Project Firestorm. At the time of this story both clan wars are ongoing with MM having a strong lead over the Snipers 27-13, http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 1&t=103636
and a smaller yet still significant lead over PE 27-22, http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 1&t=108050
It is at this point that I begin my story inside the walls of MM’s home forum.
The first thing I did when entering the new clan forum was go to the challenge threads for each of their two clan wars. I wanted to see how much different a new clan would be organizing its clan wars.
At first it was hard to see the differences. Things looked very organized and in order, with spoilers for the lists of games and so on. Then I started to see a few things. Usually with us Laddida will make up some of the lineup ahead of time, and then people will throw in requests if they want something specific or don’t like a game that they are in.
With MM there was a lot more requests, people asking for specific games and so on. This makes sense though if the war minister had never made the lineups before. Certainly it takes a few times for him to figure out who plays with who, before the lineups for home games become more standardized. Also the thread for the Project Firestorm clan challenges had not been updated for some time.
Something that I found very interesting was that the members themselves were much newer compared with those in my own clan. Only two members markaholden and billy07 had joined CC before the end of 2007. Only Mark is from 2,006. Looking at my own clan we have 8 members from 2,006 and all but 1 joined CC before 2,007 was over.
The forum itself has only 25 threads, much cleaner looking than my clan’s where you have to sticky something for anyone to be able to see it. MM still has only 17 members, and it would appear that only about 5 or 6 members actually post regularly; in fact they have two members who have zero posts of any kind on Conquer Club.
There is a mix of ranks in the clan. Their highest ranked player appears to be billy07, and he is perhaps one of their best. He seems to be the go-to-guy when someone needs advice in a tough spot. After him the ranks seem to range from major down to stripe ranks.
The atmosphere in the forum seemed to be light and laid back. Posts are friendly and informal. Comments were all very cordial, and I felt welcome being there. Although there did seem to be something missing. It is hard to explain, but it’s kind of like when you move into a new house and you move in your sofa and your coffee table, but it still seems kind of empty.
It doesn’t seem like a home until there are too many pictures on the wall, and there are some things stuffed under the bed. It probably takes a new clan a while to fill up all the closets with junk.
There isn’t much chatter going on. Perhaps clan forums always seem dull when there aren’t games to join or things to report. In the monkey forum we could have dozens of posts in one day when there was some decision to be made about a clan war, other days it feels like nobody’s home.
On the other hand there does seem to be a core group who are very excited about where the clan is going and what will be the next step. There is a lot of talk about how to add knew players and what their standards should be for those who they consider, things that in most clans would be decided by saying “this is how we usually do it”. It’s very interesting to see these things come about from scratch.
Some members of the clan are involved in map making, and many seem to be into tournaments. grifftron has made 14 tourneys himself and has teamed up with Blitz and WM to work on a map (Clandemonium), that is well on its way to the final forge. http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 8&t=105692
In closing I would like to congratulate Memento Mori on their win over Snipers and their likely victory over PE. I also want to thank TheMissionary and all the members of MM for welcoming me into your home for a short while so that I could write this story, and finally congratulations to TheMissionary, on the birth of his son just a few days ago.
Memento Mori (MM) was formed in December 2009 by TheMissionary and a few friends. As with any new clan, they wanted to get their feet wet as soon as possible, so they started their first clan war against Snipers on December 11, 2009.
After some time this clan war started to drag due in part to the fact that most Snipers are freemium players. At that point MM decided on a second clan wars with newly formed Project Firestorm. At the time of this story both clan wars are ongoing with MM having a strong lead over the Snipers 27-13, http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 1&t=103636
and a smaller yet still significant lead over PE 27-22, http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 1&t=108050
It is at this point that I begin my story inside the walls of MM’s home forum.
The first thing I did when entering the new clan forum was go to the challenge threads for each of their two clan wars. I wanted to see how much different a new clan would be organizing its clan wars.
At first it was hard to see the differences. Things looked very organized and in order, with spoilers for the lists of games and so on. Then I started to see a few things. Usually with us Laddida will make up some of the lineup ahead of time, and then people will throw in requests if they want something specific or don’t like a game that they are in.
With MM there was a lot more requests, people asking for specific games and so on. This makes sense though if the war minister had never made the lineups before. Certainly it takes a few times for him to figure out who plays with who, before the lineups for home games become more standardized. Also the thread for the Project Firestorm clan challenges had not been updated for some time.
Something that I found very interesting was that the members themselves were much newer compared with those in my own clan. Only two members markaholden and billy07 had joined CC before the end of 2007. Only Mark is from 2,006. Looking at my own clan we have 8 members from 2,006 and all but 1 joined CC before 2,007 was over.
The forum itself has only 25 threads, much cleaner looking than my clan’s where you have to sticky something for anyone to be able to see it. MM still has only 17 members, and it would appear that only about 5 or 6 members actually post regularly; in fact they have two members who have zero posts of any kind on Conquer Club.
There is a mix of ranks in the clan. Their highest ranked player appears to be billy07, and he is perhaps one of their best. He seems to be the go-to-guy when someone needs advice in a tough spot. After him the ranks seem to range from major down to stripe ranks.
The atmosphere in the forum seemed to be light and laid back. Posts are friendly and informal. Comments were all very cordial, and I felt welcome being there. Although there did seem to be something missing. It is hard to explain, but it’s kind of like when you move into a new house and you move in your sofa and your coffee table, but it still seems kind of empty.
It doesn’t seem like a home until there are too many pictures on the wall, and there are some things stuffed under the bed. It probably takes a new clan a while to fill up all the closets with junk.
There isn’t much chatter going on. Perhaps clan forums always seem dull when there aren’t games to join or things to report. In the monkey forum we could have dozens of posts in one day when there was some decision to be made about a clan war, other days it feels like nobody’s home.
On the other hand there does seem to be a core group who are very excited about where the clan is going and what will be the next step. There is a lot of talk about how to add knew players and what their standards should be for those who they consider, things that in most clans would be decided by saying “this is how we usually do it”. It’s very interesting to see these things come about from scratch.
Some members of the clan are involved in map making, and many seem to be into tournaments. grifftron has made 14 tourneys himself and has teamed up with Blitz and WM to work on a map (Clandemonium), that is well on its way to the final forge. http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 8&t=105692
In closing I would like to congratulate Memento Mori on their win over Snipers and their likely victory over PE. I also want to thank TheMissionary and all the members of MM for welcoming me into your home for a short while so that I could write this story, and finally congratulations to TheMissionary, on the birth of his son just a few days ago.
Spoiler
The League enters its final week of regular games with the division leaders and play-off places still to be decided. Play-offs in April see the winners of division 1A take on the second placed team in 1B and the winners of 1B playing second-placed team in 1A. The winners of each semi-final proceed to a 17 game battle for the title of League champions. The pattern is repeated in Division B.
Division 1A: With a dramatic late surge, The Immortal Assassins have closed the gap on long-time leaders Knights of the Round Table to a single game: can they squeak past them at the last to take the division title?
Division 1B: Legends of War lead safely enough, but the Bullet Proof Bandits are making a late surge and may unseat The Spankng Monkeys ftom the second play-off spot. One or two games will decide this.
Division 2A: The Odd Fellows Union dominate with an 82% win percentage; Brethren of the Fat Mermaid fight it out with Divine Domination for the second spot.
Division 2B: Agents of Chaos lead; Legends of the Zone and Soldiers of War fight for second.
Big shout to each of the 27 clans who have participated in the League and to those few outstanding clans who have performed so well week-in week-out that they make it through to the play-offs. An even bigger shout to clan directors jpcloet and Marval whose hard work, planning, liaising with clan leaders, setting up games and compiling results has made all this possible.
The clan directors are already planning season 3 to start after a summer break. With a consensus view that there were not enough active organized clans to support the two division structure across a whole season, the directors are looking at a new format for Season 3. This may involve more standardization of game types to simplify the running of the league and possibly something closer to a knock-out format, maybe based on the Soccer World Cup where teams progress from qualifying groups to the final knock-out rounds.
Division 1A: With a dramatic late surge, The Immortal Assassins have closed the gap on long-time leaders Knights of the Round Table to a single game: can they squeak past them at the last to take the division title?
Division 1B: Legends of War lead safely enough, but the Bullet Proof Bandits are making a late surge and may unseat The Spankng Monkeys ftom the second play-off spot. One or two games will decide this.
Division 2A: The Odd Fellows Union dominate with an 82% win percentage; Brethren of the Fat Mermaid fight it out with Divine Domination for the second spot.
Division 2B: Agents of Chaos lead; Legends of the Zone and Soldiers of War fight for second.
Big shout to each of the 27 clans who have participated in the League and to those few outstanding clans who have performed so well week-in week-out that they make it through to the play-offs. An even bigger shout to clan directors jpcloet and Marval whose hard work, planning, liaising with clan leaders, setting up games and compiling results has made all this possible.
The clan directors are already planning season 3 to start after a summer break. With a consensus view that there were not enough active organized clans to support the two division structure across a whole season, the directors are looking at a new format for Season 3. This may involve more standardization of game types to simplify the running of the league and possibly something closer to a knock-out format, maybe based on the Soccer World Cup where teams progress from qualifying groups to the final knock-out rounds.
Spoiler
Hundreds of players are taking part in nearly 200 active games in the first round of the Conqueror’s Cup. 16 clans play a total of 8 challenges, each challenge being 40 games of mostly dubs, trips and quads.
The CC thread can be found here: Conqueror's Cup!!
Mythology , having made their way into the main draw through the qualifying round, are doing their utmost to produce the first cup upset against no 3 seeds and cup hosts Empire. Empire chose a challenging set of tough maps for their home games, but this has not phased Myth. The clans are even on finished games, but Myth have up to another 10 in the bag already, leaving Empire just a few open games to swing the challenge. Some pundits are already calling a surprise victory for Myth. Could they be right? C.C. EMPIRE vs Mythology (6-6) Ongoing
Elsewhere, congratulations to Brethren of the Fat Mermaid who go through the qualifiers with their tie-break win over Eternal Empire – good luck against TOFU, who are a tough clan to beat. We’re all looking forward to you guys getting past the trash talk and into some games.
Good luck too to Left for Dead. It’s a change of gear to take on THOTA, and with the Horsemens’ 10-5 lead, you’ll need all your wits about you in the second set.
Imperial Assassins are looking comfortable , 9-5 up over Agents of Chaos. Legends of War take a 5-2 lead over Outlaws and Highwaymen, their player reptile being in the thick of many of the quick wins.
Other match-ups are looking more even in the early stages. Imperial Dragoons lead ++The Legion++ 4-3.
Early days in the keenly-awaited re-match between Generation One and Knights of the Round Table. KORT pronounced themselves confident after their excellent form in the league, but it is G1 who have taken a small early lead at 4-3. This one could go either way.
With the seeding, clan leaders were expecting a close tie between Nemesis (8th seeds) and Black Sheep Squadron (9th seeds). Certainly Black Sheep play deep with a great roster of teams who have earned respect in many tourneys and challenges. But Nemesis have been on great form lately, not least in a war with BSS, and probably every player in the clan is keen to get a win so as not to get invited into Cup leader freakns’ study for one of his infamous one-on-on “chats”. Early days but Nemesis have got the better of the early games, taking an 8-2 lead.
The CC thread can be found here: Conqueror's Cup!!
Mythology , having made their way into the main draw through the qualifying round, are doing their utmost to produce the first cup upset against no 3 seeds and cup hosts Empire. Empire chose a challenging set of tough maps for their home games, but this has not phased Myth. The clans are even on finished games, but Myth have up to another 10 in the bag already, leaving Empire just a few open games to swing the challenge. Some pundits are already calling a surprise victory for Myth. Could they be right? C.C. EMPIRE vs Mythology (6-6) Ongoing
Elsewhere, congratulations to Brethren of the Fat Mermaid who go through the qualifiers with their tie-break win over Eternal Empire – good luck against TOFU, who are a tough clan to beat. We’re all looking forward to you guys getting past the trash talk and into some games.
Good luck too to Left for Dead. It’s a change of gear to take on THOTA, and with the Horsemens’ 10-5 lead, you’ll need all your wits about you in the second set.
Imperial Assassins are looking comfortable , 9-5 up over Agents of Chaos. Legends of War take a 5-2 lead over Outlaws and Highwaymen, their player reptile being in the thick of many of the quick wins.
Other match-ups are looking more even in the early stages. Imperial Dragoons lead ++The Legion++ 4-3.
Early days in the keenly-awaited re-match between Generation One and Knights of the Round Table. KORT pronounced themselves confident after their excellent form in the league, but it is G1 who have taken a small early lead at 4-3. This one could go either way.
With the seeding, clan leaders were expecting a close tie between Nemesis (8th seeds) and Black Sheep Squadron (9th seeds). Certainly Black Sheep play deep with a great roster of teams who have earned respect in many tourneys and challenges. But Nemesis have been on great form lately, not least in a war with BSS, and probably every player in the clan is keen to get a win so as not to get invited into Cup leader freakns’ study for one of his infamous one-on-on “chats”. Early days but Nemesis have got the better of the early games, taking an 8-2 lead.
Stay Tuned for the next issue of the ConquerClub Dispatch for a Special 10 question interview with the Admins, the 10 best questions will be selected to be answered by the admins. Post any questions you may have for them here --> 10 Questions You've Always Wanted To Ask About Conquer Club
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ConquerClub Dispatch Team
- samuelc812 - Editor in Chief
- WidowMakers - Graphics
- Night Strike - Tournament Team Leader
- amazzony - Tournament Reporter
- vodean - Tournament Reporter
- superkeener - Tournament Reporter
- thenobodies80 - Foundry Team Leader
- captainwalrus - Foundry Reporter
- natty_dread - Foundry Reporter
- dolomite13 - Foundry Reporter
- jpcloet - Clan Team Leader
- Georgerx7di - Clan Reporter
- murphy16 - Clan Reporter
- reptile - Clan Reporter
- laughingcavalier - Clan Reporter
- nagerous - Freestyle Team Leader
- elfish_lad - Freestyle Writer
- Minister Masket - Freestyle Writer
- Army of GOD - Freestyle Writer
- deathcomesrippin - Freestyle Writer
- FoxMists - Freestyle Writer
but i guess you'll never see that post. Miss ya around the MM forums and telling us about how you want to leave TSM so bad to join MM... lol just kidding man... we all know you need to play games with us before JOINING! you cant just JOIN MM!!! 
