CC Dispatch [Issue 66 03-03-12] The Bite of Master Fenrir

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Dukasaur
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CC Dispatch [Issue 66 03-03-12] The Bite of Master Fenrir

Post by Dukasaur »

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Welcome Comrades to the 66th edition of the Dispatch :)

Supposedly Sully is having internet problems, but I am of the firm belief that he's just fallen off his chair and is trapped under his desk with the modem cord wrapped firmly around a foot! I'm sure it was an accident and other than that I'm saying nothing!! 8-[

Well, there's lots to be proud of here - from the roasting of Master Fenrir to all your favourite divisions. The result is an issue too big to bring to you in one posting!, So we've split it into two parts! Furthermore, for the first time ever, the interrogation itself exceeded the maximum size allowed for enclosure in spoiler tags, so the interrogation itself has been split into three parts!

So, without further ado ... enjoy!! =D>

thehippo8
Foundry Executive


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If you would like to apply to join the news team, please visit the thread below for more details! :)

Click here for Recruitment Details...

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Welcome back readers, hope everyone had a good leap day. An interview with Master Fenrir awaits you all as he delves into the lycan side of him.

We're debuting the Dear Enrique column, so meet our mysterious new writer.

safariguy5
Freestyle Executive


Ask A Mod! by Victor Sullivan
Spoiler
Apologies for missing last issue! Allow me to make it up to you with an extra dose ;)
qwert wrote:what its going on with these program?
why its map rank topic locked?
chipv, the former "Head Tech", quit and decided he didn't want to work on his scripts anymore, so he locked the topics and that was the last of him. Dako and the Tech Team created a contest calling for optimization of the Map Rank script and compatibility with the Random Achievement, Training Achievement, and Clan Achievement medals, which has been recently won by ThrushAAX! You can find the link to the script download here.

qwert wrote:when will be some new sugestion implementation(dont count conquer cup,because its not some extra great sugestion),please give me some answer with dates?
Haha, well, I don't think either lack or I would be able to give you strict dates, but I will say lack won't be working alone for too much longer... ;)

redhedge47 wrote:Do you know the muffin man?
The muffin man? The muffin man? Who lives on Drury Lane? No, I can't say that I do.

MrBenn wrote:Why are CC members who have been found guilty of cheating allowed to become moderators?
Good question! There have been and are a few TeamCC members that were multis. Dig deep enough, and you may find dirt on just about anyone, I bet. My take on it is everyone screws up. I do, you do, TeamCC does, and I daresay the administrators do, too. It seems more than foolish to turn down a changed man because of his past. I think anyone can join TeamCC. Whether that be now or in another year or so, I can't tell you necessarily. Certainly your history can cause one pause, but if you prove yourself to be a positive, productive member of the community for a long enough period, I truly think anyone could be a member of TeamCC. It's once you're a TeamCC member that counts. Cheating, flaming, etc. is magnified when you're a moderator and can really hurt your standing in TeamCC and the community and could get you kicked off the team. It's happened before!

My philosophy can be boiled down to this: The past can hurt you, but forgiveness is attainable for those who prove themselves to be worth it.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Ask A Mod! I can always use some more questions in the Ask A Mod! thread, so stop on by to ask anything you like, from questions about Conquer Club to TeamCC to maps to tournaments to clans to suggestions to C&A cases...to whatever! :)
Dear Enrique by Enrique Alvaro Espionsa Padilla Peñaloza de la Vega
Spoiler
Q: Hey, will the Dear Enrique Article be ready by around Wednesday? We're supposed to publish then. (submitted by: safariguy5)
A: I'm doing it now, papi. Chill out.

Q: I suffer from embarrassing problems with my body hair. I am so hirsute that I have to comb my back twice a day. My girlfriend says that it is interfering with our love life. She says that trying to find my genitals is like hunting for a lost croquet ball in a shrubbery. Obviously I have tried using depilatory creams and shaving at least once per day, but even the most industrial of clippers quickly go blunt on me. Please help me as I am running of ideas to control this unwanted problem and would love to show the world how truly pretty I am. Yours in desperation, (submitted by: samantha)
A: Please see sentence number two in my official biography. Your attention to detail is appreciated.

Q: How do you feel about GLG being conqueror? He is blatantly farming people with next to no map experience, myself included. What should be done about it??????(submitted by: crazymilkshake5)
A: In the little town of Cataño, where I grew up, we had a farm. I spent many hours in the fields picking cassavas which we would ferment to make mojitos that our family would live off during the long winter months. When I reached that age at which young men have a full chest of hair and a yearning to see the world I left the family farm. I think I was about 7 or 8 years old at the time. Soon I found work with the boys section of the JC Penney spring circular, modeling Osh Kosh overalls and tube socks. It was hard work and often unglamorous. But I learned a lot and here I am today, with my own boxerbrief spread in the new A&F catalog. I hope this story has inspired you to dream the impossible dream, fight the impossible fight, beat the unbeatable foe and reach the unreachable star!

Q: Can you speak Spanish¿? No domino el ingles XD (submitted by: rey oscuro)
A: hablo español, inglés y el idioma del amor

Thank you for reading my column the first. My love and best wishes goes to you all - never stop believing in yourself!
- Enrique
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JD's Hot List by Jdsizzleslice
Spoiler
I will be talking about 2 C&A Reports in this issue, all having to deal with the Gen.LeeGettinhed cases.

First, the actual C&A Report against him = http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 5&t=165298

Second, the counter-attack by Gen.LeeGettinhed = http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... w#p3615235

Third, a general discussions post = http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 6&t=165484


http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 5&t=165298

If you do not know already, there has been a case brought up against the current Conqueror, Gen.LeeGettinhed, who is being accused of Multis. There has been some possible evidence that Gen.LeeGettinhed and bearcat7734 are either the same person or their accounts are being shared. Here is some of the evidence posted by IR1SH ACE:
IR1SH ACE wrote:Accused:
bearcat7734(Steve)........joined Sat Jun 14, 2008 11:57 pm
Gen.LeeGettinhed(David).....Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:32 am (10 days later)

The accused are suspected of:
Being Multis/Account Sharing

Comments:
bearcat7734 & Gen.LeeGettinhead are father and son and it seems like they are doing one of two things...
1)they are sharing the same account which is against the rules..
2)bearcat took over the Gen.Lee account at some stage from his Dad and would make the Gen.Lee account a Multi seen as bearcat joined the site 10 days before Gen.Lee, which is against the rules...
It would appear in the report that there is a link between these two accounts. However, it will be up to the Moderators to decide who is right and who is wrong.

http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... w#p3615235


However, some people think that the Moderators favor Gen.LeeGettinhed. Those rumors may be true, but in this case, it is not seen or shown. In Gen.LeeGettinhed's retaliation, the Moderators actually clear the case.

http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 6&t=165484

Master Bush seems to think that the Moderators favor Gen.LeeGettinhed
Master Bush wrote:I knew ES or one of the other dirty mods here was gonna lock that thread down. Just leave it the f*ck open, while people discuss it. It seems like they over enforce shit at this site, EXCEPT when it comes to GLG.
However, Evil Semp has something else to say.
Evil Semp wrote:
Master Bush wrote:I knew ES or one of the other dirty mods here was gonna lock that thread down. Just leave it the f*ck open, while people discuss it. It seems like they over enforce shit at this site, EXCEPT when it comes to GLG.
Dirty? I just took a shower and I smell purty. What post did you make that was on topic? If they had been discussing the accusation it would still be open. That's my two cents worth. You can keep the change.
Then Master Bush responds again.
Master Bush wrote:
Evil Semp wrote:
Master Bush wrote:I knew ES or one of the other dirty mods here was gonna lock that thread down. Just leave it the f*ck open, while people discuss it. It seems like they over enforce shit at this site, EXCEPT when it comes to GLG.
Dirty? I just took a shower and I smell purty. What post did you make that was on topic? If they had been discussing the accusation it would still be open. That's my two cents worth. You can keep the change.
my post was in reply to someone asking why he would have went this long without either getting caught as a multi/account sharing, or why it was never looked into. So it was on point. Nobody was flaming, trolling or baiting in that thread, and there was no reason to lock it.
Conclusion: Despite what people think about Gen.LeeGettinhed, only the Moderators have a say-so in what happens to him.
The Scum Insider by thehippo8
Spoiler
The Scum Insider

Newbie Help

Want to get into the Mafia scene, but don't know how to play or even what it is? Consult these threads: Mafia Information, Mafia and You, and Rules and Terms of Mafia.
Too much work? Too lazy to read through everything? No worries, you can always jump right into a game and ask for other players or the game runner to help guide you.

What is "Mafia"?
Mafia, for those of you that don't know, is a game that generally takes place in a town, where the townspeople have to determine who the mafia (or "scum") is and lynch them via a majority vote during the day and the mafia try to kill everyone at night and bluff their way out of getting killed by the town.

Mafia News
Well, it's all go in mafia right now!! Power Role Draft mafia, Harry Potter-The Fight for Freedom, Fire and Ice mafia, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life and Hectic Eclectic Mafia have just started while Rated M mafia has just finished. Kudos to Leehar for winning the game outright! Amazing stuff! Meanwhile there are five other games that are also chocking on. Check them all out by clicking here.

Mafia Callouts
Calling all players interested! Some mafia games need some filling:

Sign-ups: Seeking Replacements: Now get out there and investigate Mafia for yourself.
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interrogation of master fenrir part one
Q. Hey, MF, how much longer before I (chapcrap) come off your foe list? Just get that Random Gold already!!
Fenrir: Tell me about it. I think the counter is broken, because I should have it by now. Once I get it, I plan on sending out a PM to everybody letting to know that you're removed from the foe list as well as including several good deals from Groupon.

Q. What the hell, dude? Really?
Fenrir: Apparently, I'm kind of a big deal.

Q. Why have your Hard Balls been absent from the newsletter?
Fenrir: A couple of months ago I fell into a general CC malaise. It got to the point where everything that I read and every game that I played led to an irrational amount of irritation, so I decided it was best to pull back on everything before I lost my frosty. You know what it's like? You ever have a relationship that lasts for like 3 years and then for some reason you realize that you'd rather run blind-folded and naked through a razor blade factory than spend another moment with that person? I hit that point with CC.

Q. If a Twilight marathon was running on TV, and you had no DVR or recording device, which movie would you choose to miss in order to take your CC turns, and why?
Fenrir: The one with all of the angst.

Q. If you could gift premium to one member of KORT, who would it be, and why?
Fenrir: Just one? I'd buy it for...Bruce. But only if he understood that it was a symbol of my undying love and affection for him.

Q. Do you have a weakness to silver bullets? Or just attractive women?
Fenrir: I tend to steer clear of bullets made of anything more firm than Nerf foam.

Q. Would you describe yourself as too big, too strong, too fast, or too good?
Fenrir: Oh snap! A Stacey King-ism! I'd described myself as Chicago's finest brew.

Q. Can you recommend a good Sake for n00bs?
Fenrir: Imported sake can get a bit expensive. There's this one domestic sake that's pretty good...dude, I actually saved the bottle last weekend so that I had the name to answer this question and now the bottle has disappeared.

Edit: Found it! Sho Chiku Bai

Q. Who is the worst player you've ever played with?
Fenrir: Probably dazerazer, if she's taking her own turns.

Q. Does this game rank in your top 5 ever played on CC... Game 5452149? How about this one....Game 5380965?
Fenrir: Nope, but they're both close. That Feudal game was crazy. That was some of the most genius shit I've ever seen and we still lost.

Q. What are your 5 favorite games played?
Fenrir: In no particular order:
Game 5756476 This game looked doomed, but an extremely high-risk move got us the win.
Game 5106581 Insane escalating wipe that for a while was the CC record for most regions taken in a single move.
Game 9326897 First team to beat Josko on that or with those settings.
Game 7221307 That's what a game should be. An epic battle where one tiny mistake means a loss. Pity we made the tiny mistake, but that was a fantastic game.
Game 6971977 An epic battle with some heated words in chat. I miss General Mojo. He was always a great opponent.

Q. :lol:, for fun just go read the team chat in this one again dude...Game 5382195...my how things have changed since then.
Fenrir: They haven't changed that much. I'm still a noob at Feudal.

Q. Any major regrets in life?
Fenrir: One. A few years back I spent a summer in France. I started out in Nice (bring sandals, rocks on the beach are brutal) and on the second day there I met my first love. I was in a store called Galleries Lafayette and I went up to an employee and asked him "Ou est-ce qu'il y a une toilette, s'il vous plait?" (Where is there a bathroom, please?) He looked at me and asked, in English "You American?" I nodded my head. He continued "It's up the stairs to the right." My French is pretty good, so the fact that he did that pissed me off and I must have made some kind of face. She was nearby and caught the entire exchange and went into hysterics laughing. She was gorgeous, so I started talking to her, and it went from there. I did eventually find the bathroom.

We spent every day together after that for the entire summer and it was pretty incredible. You could probably make a shitty movie out of it. I'm not really a sentimental guy and I don't really keep many keepsakes from my past, but my oldest possession is this little wooden hand-carved and hand-painted turtle that she bought me from some little shop in Marseille because she thought it was cute. Every now and then I come across it when I'm cleaning out my "stuff" drawer and I consider tossing it, but for some reason I can never bring myself to do it.

Anyways, the summer eventually ended and I was headed back to college and her "life plan" was that she was going to eventually inherit and take over her father's cafe. I didn't really see her leaving that and killing her father and I had my own plans, so I tried to be a realist about the situation and I just considered it an excellent summer and came back. She asked me if I could stay longer, but I figured that would only make eventually leaving more difficult. If I could do it over, I'd have stayed longer. I doubt it would have all worked out, but so what, you know?


Q. What is your definition of "greener pastures"?
Fenrir: A place where teammates don't miss turns and cost me tourney wins. Know what I mean?

Q. What the f*ck is up with the dice in your opinion? Can CC be salvaged?
Fenrir: Sigh...you know, the problem with saying anything about the dice is that when dealing with "random" dice, anything you experience can be explained by, "Well, you randomly got those dice." Any outcome is completely feasible.

Additionally, you have the problem of the way your mind works. The brain is set up where it tries to recognize patterns, to the point of where you'll begin to see patterns that aren't even there. It's just your mind's way of trying to make sense of what it's processing so that you don't lose it. So, when you combine the nature of our "random" dice with the flawed way your mind works, what you have is a lot of untrustworthy observation.

With that said, every couple of days I'm seeing stuff happen that my brain has trouble processing.

Game 10506171
2012-02-08 17:20:05 - Game has been initialized
2012-02-08 17:51:51 - PUPPYFTW got bonus of 2 troops added to 100.1 FM Slaydio
2012-02-08 17:51:52 - PUPPYFTW received 2 troops for 1 regions
2012-02-08 17:51:56 - PUPPYFTW deployed 2 troops on 100.1 FM Slaydio
2012-02-08 17:52:26 - PUPPYFTW assaulted Wulff from 100.1 FM Slaydio and conquered it from neutral player
2012-02-08 17:52:29 - PUPPYFTW assaulted Fife from Wulff and conquered it from neutral player
2012-02-08 17:52:32 - PUPPYFTW assaulted Lapid (Pirate) from Fife and conquered it from Master Fenrir
2012-02-08 17:52:32 - PUPPYFTW eliminated Master Fenrir from the game
2012-02-08 17:52:40 - PUPPYFTW reinforced 100.1 FM Slaydio with 1 troops from Lapid (Pirate)
2012-02-08 17:52:40 - PUPPYFTW ended the turn

Game 10506221
Attempted esc wipe for the win...


2012-02-10 11:42:23 - Master Fenrir [team]: I can't believe it. 10 vs. 2,2 failed, AND 18 vs. 1,1,2,1 failed.
2012-02-10 11:42:33 - Master Fenrir [team]: Not 18, 13.
2012-02-10 11:43:07 - Master Fenrir [team]: 10 vs. 2,2 = 91% & 13 vs. 1,1,2,1 = 96%
2012-02-10 11:43:13 - Master Fenrir [team]: I failed both.

What I don't get is the dice change from a business owner's standpoint. When it happened, people were pissed. Granted, the majority of CC players probably don't look at the forums and are still unaware that anything was even changed. But of those aware, many were pissed. I know because I was modding at the time and the dice bitch threads were insane.

Some of those people said the dice were such bullshit that they would not renew their premium unless the dice were changed back. While most of them were all talk and have bought premium since, some of them stuck to their guns and didn't renew. That's what I don't understand. Why would you NOT make $25 if you could? Change the dice back, make some angry individuals feel like you care about their feelings, and make some money. But whatever, it's not my money.

What I know is that since the dice change, I have noticed that true "good games" are an extreme rarity. It's usually one team raping the other. Victories are hollow and meaningless, and losses are infuriating. As a clan player, this means that clan war wins are hollow and meaningless and clan war losses are infuriating. I honestly don't see a point to any of it anymore.

Q. Did you know you are referred to as the Dice Pimp behind your back?
Fenrir: If somebody calls me that, they must not have teamed with me to see my dice firsthand.

Q. Who is the baldest player you've ever played with?
Fenrir: danryan, but I'm glad he went bald. His hair was just holding him back from doing great things.

Q. Would you ever consider farming your way to Conqueror?
Fenrir: No. I don't have the patience for that.

Q. IA or FOED? Sake or Whiskey? Asian Bukake or Hentai?
Fenrir: Depends on my mood that day, sake, and hentai. I don't know how you guys manage to get aroused without robo-tentacles.

Q. Who's the biggest pain in the ass on CC?
Fenrir: Probably Eddie. I picture him at a kitchen table, wearing a helmet, and eating cereal as he types one-handed and laughs while everybody gets riled up.

Q. Do you use Greecian Formula?
Fenrir: My hair only gets darker and more lustrous with age.

Q. Are you a BAMF or just a MF?
Fenrir: Just an MF. Samuel L. Jackson is the only BAMF, everybody else is just a poseur.

Q. How can you roll 7's? my (Gen.LeeGettinhed) dice only go up to 6
Fenrir: It's all in the wrist. You gotta give it a little snap.

Q. "unable to see own troops" is that code for "big belly, haven't seen junk in years"?
Fenrir: My junk is "troops?" Plural? Are you insinuating that I have multiple penises? You wouldn't be the first.

Q. I agree that you are very interesting, but demonfork and caymanmew claim to be even MORE interesting. Please elaborate.
Fenrir: demonfork is good people. He understands that this is all nonsense, but isn't afraid to put 30 minutes of effort into a post to show you how ridiculous you're being. Dichotomy. There's your word of the day. So yes, he is a highly interesting person. caymanmew is not. You can tell by the fact that I went through the effort of player-linking demonfork's name in case you don't know who he is, but you're willing to take my word for it and go check him out, but I did not perform the same courtesy for caymanmew.

Q. Who does your shirts? some laundromat?
Fenrir: This lovely Korean lady at the local laundromat. When she gives me change, she always rounds up. And they have this basket filled with the Dum Dum suckers that she makes sure has a root beer or two when she sees me walking in because she knows it's the flavor I like. There's probably subtext there, but I don't bother reading it.
interrogation of master fenrir part two
Q. What's the most women you banged at once? three-some, four-some?
Fenrir: Zero. “Banging” is for noobs with no understand or appreciation for what they’re doing. My goal has always been to provide the women that I’ve slept with the single most pleasurable experience that they have had or will ever have. In order to do this, you need to take your time. The first step is scheduling a two hour appointment with me at least a week in advance. This gives me time for step two, which is to take some yoga and Pilate classes to prepare my body. The final step is to procure a dozen doves to be released upon climax. Additionally, this level of effort and exertion on my part requires that I focus my attention and energies. More than one woman would put such a strain on my body that I would risk death.

Q. Are you the best player in Immortal Assassins?
Fenrir: Nope, demon is. You can find the irrefutable proof here.

Q. Do any of your mistresses call you Fenny Wenny?
Fenrir: No, none of my mistresses are 6.

Q. Spoiler alert, who'd they motherfucking kill in the first book/season?
Fenrir: Sigh...I still can't believe they killed him. You know that the last time we talked I had 12 pages left in Clash of Kings and I still can't bring myself to keep reading because I know it's only going to get worse?

Q. Favorite teammates, poster, map, color cards?
Fenrir: I actually don't have any favorite teammates. I like the regular teammates that I play with, but I also have a lot of fun playing with new people who don't suck. Mixing it up is nice.

I'm not sure who my favorite poster would be...maybe Fruitcake, but only when he's being exceptionally condescending. That's when he does his best work.

My favorite map is Vancouver. It has a little bit of flavor with the autodeploy and the rail lines to give you some options, but they're not pointless gimmicks just thrown in for the hell of it. Additionally, there are several viable bonuses, so there is no single bonus zone that you'll have to grind for every game.

It is a map where you and your opponents can consistently have a workable Plan B, so I like it because you can actually see some strategy getting used. Also, I think that's when you see how good a player truly is. When their initial plan fails and they have to scramble to come up with a Plan B on the fly. Being able to do that is what separates the great players from the good players.

Q. Foxy or trap or foxy trap?
Fenrir: Foxy trap. I imagine that a combination of the two of you would produce just about the most awesomely sarcastic offspring ever.

Q. Do you prefer syrup, or jelly?
Fenrir: Jelly. With the different fruit flavors, it helps to mix it up.

Q. Where do you get your inspiration for your amazing Hard Balls articles? Must say, they're very well written
Fenrir: I get all of my ideas straight from my Awesome-O 5000 and then I just delete out all of the Adam Sandler references.

Q. How many levels of Fenrir are there? How long did it take you to become Master?
Fenrir: There are two levels of Fenrir. The first level is RedFenrir. When you say enough intelligent things, somebody will nickname you “Master Fenrir.” If your ego is capable of supporting that moniker and you have enough experience points, you bump up to that level. It took me about a year.

Q. Boxers or briefs?
Fenrir: Briefs. Boxers are for fools. When your junk goes down one leg while you turn in the other direction, there is much pain.

Q. 2 scoops or 1?
Fenrir: Two, please. One scoop mint chocolate chip, and one scoop cookie dough.

Q. Jack of all trades or "Master" of none?
Fenrir: I'm fairly certain that those both mean the same thing.

Q. Leather or lace?
Fenrir: Leather, always leather.

Q. Why did we (squishyg) stop playing quads? :(
Fenrir: Sorry. I stopped playing with a lot of people because of the aforementioned malaise.

Q. When are you gonna drop magnum on us buddy?
Fenrir: It's not ready yet. I'm still deciding between one raised eyebrow or both.

Q. Being the conqueror on CC or being offered $500?
Fenrir: I'll take the cash. I have my eye on a $200 pair of Diesel jeans that would make my ass look great.

Q. The godfather or the godfather II?
Fenrir: Godfather II. A Bronx Tale and Goodfellas are also good choices.

Q. Hottest Spice Girl?
Fenrir: Posh Spice.

Q. Describe your most embarrassing experience.
Fenrir: There was one time in college where I was headed to the gym to work out and on my way down the stairs from my dorm room on the 4th floor, I was hit with such a pain in my testicles that my legs buckled and I fell down half a flight.

I limped my way back to my dorm room and felt around and I could swear that it just didn’t feel right. Immediately, my brain jumped to the conclusion that I had testicular cancer. I picked up the phone and dialed my good friend Dave, a 4th year nursing major. Surely his 4 years of college experience made him an expert on testicular cancer, right? Of course.

I explained the situation to him and he said he’d come over. He arrived a few minutes later and I explained everything again as he listened intently. He thought for a few minutes and finally responded, “Honestly, I’d have to check it out myself to give you any kind of opinion. That is, if you’re comfortable with it.” Between my worry that I was going to end up with prosthetic testicles and his overwhelming tone of professionalism, I agreed.

I dropped my pants and he started his inspection. Thirty seconds later we hear keys in the door and in comes my roommate, back from dinner. It was one of those situations where everything had seemed so reasonable up to that point, but as my mind raced to put together proper sentences to explain the situation, I realized that there was nothing that I could say to make him respond, “Oh, ok, cool.”

As it turns out, there was nothing wrong. I must have just scissored myself going down the stairs and then completely lost my mind.


Q. Favourite beer?
Fenrir: If I had to drink a beer, I’d pick Guinness. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I think Dos Equis tastes horrible.

Q. Favourite rear?
Fenrir: Kate Beckinsale’s.

Q. If you could have a super power what would it be?
Fenrir: The amount of time that I’ve spent on my own considering the answer to this question is ridiculous. If immortality would be considered a super power, I’d pick that. If not, mind control would probably be the best super power to have in any given situation. Unless I’m in a bad mood…then fire or telekinesis would be great to just kind of destroy stuff until I felt better. Tough call, dude.

Q. Are you an ass or breast man?
Fenrir: Neither. I am a very rare leg man.

Q. Have you ever accidentally crossed swords? How about intentionally?
Fenrir: No, but I have had a few close calls trying to pull off a bro hug with leaning in too far.

Q. Favorite pizza joint?
Fenrir: Renzo's Pizza & Restaurant
314 East Main Street, East Islip, NY 11730
(631) 277-1593


Q. What celebrity do you think is hot that most people would go "really???"
Fenrir: Whitney Houston. Too soon?

Q. Do you, like me (Ace Rimmer), want to piss on nagerous's tits?
Fenrir: Sure, but you remember Ghostbusters, right? Don’t cross the streams.

Q. What poster or thread do you know will be funny to read?
Fenrir: This thread is pure gold.

Q. KoRT or TOFU?
Fenrir: TOFU.
interrogation of master fenrir part three
Q. Have you ever shaved your scrotum? What about your back?
Fenrir: No, but I had an hour of insanity in high school where I took a pair of tweezers and plucked the entire thing clean.

Q. Do you have any facial hair?
Fenrir: I have some sexy chin hair.

Q. What do you do with your free time besides play Conquer Club?
Fenrir: I work out every other day. I read a good amount…National Geographic, some literary journals, Eastern philosophy, mythology, physics, and this one science fiction series called Outlanders that I’ve read since high school that I can’t seem to quit because I’ve grown so attached to the characters. I’ll read almost anything that has no practical application to daily life.

I play some Xbox games as well. I have 4 younger brothers and we’re pretty close. When I moved out of my parents’ house a few years ago, the toughest part of it was not coming home and being able to chill with my brothers. They’re big into Xbox games, so I bought one and I’ll buy whatever game they’re currently playing so that we can play it together over Xbox live and “hang out” with them that way.


Q. Who would you say are the top 10 team players on CC? You can put them in order or not, you’re free to include yourself, and you can give your reasoning if you want.
Fenrir: No order and not including myself.

laddida - Seeing him on the other team makes me cringe.

josko.ri - It's his vision that makes him dangerous. He has the ability to see the troops and not be distracted by the board, if you follow me.

danryan - He can bring an A game to any map or settings. Probably the most versatile player I've played with.

ahunda - You would need to play a game with him to understand. We once spent 6 hours discussing one turn.

King_Herpes - A lot of the best team players have mastered the fundamentals to the point of being completely predictable. Herpes, on the other hand, is probably the best I've seen at intentionally misleading somebody with a move and throwing you off of your game. He does not play inside the box.

HardAttack - Very meticulous with his play.

sjnap - He's a complete toolbox, but his skills are undeniable.

Chariot of Fire - I don't think that we think the same way at all, but he's a hell of a player. I always to mental stretches when a game against him comes up.

Blitzaholic - Say what you want about him, but I don't think his play has any weaknesses. I've played him a fair amount over the years and I can't think of a single move that I ever thought was stupid.

General Mojo - I had many really good games against him and I can't say that for many people.

Q. Will you be my (Denise) Valentine?
Fenrir: I dunno. Maybe. Go check the little boxes on all the other dudes’ desks and make sure they all have at least one before I accept. If not, give your valentine to them and prevent a serial killer.

Q. Why did you leave FOED for IA?
Fenrir: I was planning on retiring and Loki asked if I’d lend my services to their war. I figured I’d do one last hoorah with IA before I retired. Then the Clan League hit and of course she roped me into that as well.

Q. What map(s) are you worst at?
Fenrir: British Isles and WWII Western Front. I can never seem to do anything on those maps.

Q. Since you are a lover of video games, when you used to play SuperMario Bros. games, did you used to die jumping off a cliff to gain a 1Up mushroom, or would you ignore the 1Up?
Fenrir: I’d ignore the 1up. I know I’d get those 100 coins eventually.

Q. Since you are a big lover of Asian women, when your friends tell you "patience", do you still stop and look around frantically, thinking they said, "Asians"??
Fenrir: That never happens. All my friends do is text, which is pretty annoying. And not to be that guy, but seriously, can we just go back to calling each other? I don't want to text you for 15 minutes while I'm driving, when I could just talk to you for 2 and I still have the use of both of my hands.

About 7 months ago, my best friend texted me that he proposed to his girlfriend. Isn't that a fairly big deal? Aren't I your best friend? Why are you texting me that information instead of calling me? Sigh...I hate my friends.


Q. Is Duke's mom as hot as he says she is?
Fenrir: Which one of his moms are you talking about?

Q. When you get out of the shower, how long do you check yourself out in the mirror for, before dressing? What things run through your mind while you are checking yourself out?
Fenrir: I don’t need to wait to get out because my shower walls are all mirrors. What can I say? I think I look good wet.

Q. How many times has your partner Wolfpack attacked you in a game thinking you were an opponent?
Fenrir: I’ve lost count. The funny thing is that it has never bothered me. I don’t know what you did to become that guy, but I’ll always let you know whenever I feel like not holding my bonus.

Q. Is the rest of your family as brilliant as you, or are you like Arnold Schwartzenegger (spelling??) in the movie Twins, where you are like a Supreme Being, and everyone else is just the left over "sh*t"?
Fenrir: I am the pinnacle of my family’s genetic code. When I was born, my father raised me to the sky like Simba.

Q. When you told me once that you can last 2 minutes in bed, did that mean you went twice?
Fenrir: Yeah, but I rounded up.

Q. What is your greatest accomplishment on CC?
Fenrir: I wouldn’t consider anything I’ve done on CC to be an accomplishment.

Q. If you could create the ULTIMATE CC clan of 12-15 people, who would those people be? Yes, you are allowed to count yourself 12-15 times if you want.
Fenrir: I have actually considered this, but it's all very hush hush.

Q. Do you have any rolling tricks you do to help achieve great dice? Like leaning from one side or the other? Clicking your mouse with your toes instead of your fingers?
Fenrir: I teabag the mouse.

Q. If you could create a soundtrack to your life of awesomeness, what 10 songs would be on it and why?
Fenrir: This is impossible to answer. Music generally annoys me because I hate getting pandered to with emotional generalities and cliches. You hear interviews with singers and they say stuff like, "I'm just trying to get my message out there." I'll be honest, I don't really care about your message and I care even less for the way you insult my intelligence while you try to get your message across. That's why I listen to techno. You can completely ignore the lyrics and just listen to the beat. Here's 5 songs that I can tolerate, though.

Go Out Tonight, by The Mansion Boys This is a great song to just kinda nod your head to and enjoy the beat.

Mondo Bongo by Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros Excellent song to dance or make love to.

I Just Had Sex by Lonely Island It's impossible to listen to this song and not end up in a better mood than you started.

Shinkirou by LOVEHOLIC This song isn't even in English, but I love her voice and it's a good song to listen to if you're feeling a bit melancholy.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYU-8IFcDPw&ob=av2e]Faint by Linkin Park[/url] This a great song to listen to while you work out or if you're going 30 over the speed limit.


Q. Do you confuse your R's and L's?
Fenrir: No, but in grade school I had to take a speech class to correct a speech impediment. My R's came out sounding like W's. There was this kid in my speech class named Roger Lin and I had to say his name over and over again: Wahgeh, Wahgeh, Wahgeh. Guess why Roger Lin was in speech class?

Q. When the end of the world comes due to nuclear war, when it is just the cockroaches, a big poisonous beetle, Keith Richards and you left alive, what will you do to pass the time?
Fenrir: I'd play a lot of Aerosmith very loudly.

Q. Top 3 most creative complainers you've come across on CC?
Fenrir: There can be only one Highlander beersurfer.

Q. Top 5 best posters on CC? Who writes as well as you do (or close to it??)
Fenrir: I like my posters amusing, and the five most amusing would have to be Fruitcake, Mr Changsha, King_Herpes, Foxglove, and trapyoung.

Q. If you could be one famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Fenrir: Sasaki Kojirō. He lost a famous duel to Miyamoto Musashi, the person who many claim to be the greatest swordsman of all time. I'd want the chance to duel him.

Q. Do you air guitar while you drive? Or are you an air drummer?
Fenrir: I'll air drum in the car. Air guitaring is only acceptable in the proper Bill & Ted format.

Q. Which players have you played the most games with as a teammate?
Fenrir: I think this is the top 3:
L M S: 1030 games
danryan: 846 games
wolfpack0530: 480 games


Q. Are there any games or series that stick out in you mind as personal favorites?
Fenrir: O&H beating LoW probably. I think that was the first clan war that I participated in.

Q. Is there any appeal for you, in the idea of retiring the persona of master fenrir, and starting over as a noob with no name or reputation?
Fenrir: Just a tiny bit. I can never bring myself to finish the medal hunting. Not because I couldn't handle the dip, but because playing terminator and assassin games means dealing with idiots. And at some point I'd probably dip down to lieu., and then I'd have the idiots talking shit to me just because I'd be a lieu., and then I'd flip out and it would just suck. If I could start over, I'd get those all out of the way first. Same with speed and freestyle.

Q. If you did, how long would it take you to get back to general?
Fenrir: If I played with the same fervor that I did when I first started playing...maybe like 8 months?

Q. What do you wish to become of your legacy once you retire?
Fenrir: I dunno. I try not to dominate my teammates too often and I do my best to keep it frosty in chat. Hopefully, the people that played with me will remember our games together as being fun.

Q. Miko Lee, Asa Akira, Lilly Thai or other?
Fenrir: After a brief moment on Google, I will cautiously answer Miko Lee. I say cautiously because Asian chicks who dye their hair blonde are usually trouble.

Q. How thankful are you towards me (wolfpack0530), for putting you on my shoulders and carrying you through so many games?
Fenrir: So thankful that if I had the harem that you wish for so much, I’d tell you about it.

Q. Which one of famous wolf's in-game techniques do you prefer the most?
Fenrir: The one where he starts his turn, completely spaces out for an hour, and runs out of time without even deploying his troops.

Q. Does this happen to you all the time?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKEUujz12S4

Fenrir: Nope, I never say unfunny things with an accent.

Q. When did your balls became that hard that you decided to share their hardness with the community?
Fenrir: When I had them bronzed.

Q. Kill, shag, marry: L M S, wolfpack or MNDuke? Explain. No, but seriously. I need to know.
Fenrir: Kill Duke, shag Wolf, marry LMS. I don’t think any explanations are really needed. That was the easiest question yet.

Q. What have been the biggest failures and frustrations in your career?
Fenrir: The fact that I haven't found a way to NOT need a career yet. I like my job and I'm good at it, but working sucks.

Q. How did it feel to join IA halfway thru the war with the pack as a glimpse of hope to destroy the pack, only for that hope to be stripped away as the pack toppled over IA and their midway recruit at the finish line?
Fenrir: I think I went 4-2 in my games, so I felt just fine. In fact, I’m really proud of you guys! Keep on trucking and you’ll eventually be able to shrug off that shroud of mediocrity. Others disagree, but I support The Pack with all of my heart and soul. You won’t be middling forever!

Q. If you had to choose a companion, why would it not be an Ethiopian?
Fenrir: Because they are untrustworthy people, always claiming to be Lithuanians.

Q. Beer Thirty or Top Secret Strategies?
Fenrir: Beer Thirty.

Q. MW3 or Battlefield 3?
Fenrir: MW3, though I honestly think MW3 pales in comparison to MW2. I also don't hate BF3 and I'm not going to rag on anybody who does. What I don't like about BF3 is the larger teams. I can carry a team of 6 people in MW3, but carrying 16 people in BF3? That's asking a bit much, even from me.

Q. Which of these things of these things do you say on your first date?

A) I've got some condoms and in preparation I've got one on already!
B) My last girlfriend if I could play 'Smoke on the Water', So I threw a toaster in her bathtub!
C) You've got good hips. Let me see your teeth... We'll take her!!!
D) I'm adopting a 'hump and dump' policy.
E) I haven't had that much fun since I did my dog.
F) Something else? (Please share)

Fenrir: Making any statements whatsoever on the first date is a noob move. What you do is throw as many questions to her as you can and see how much her responses annoy you. Does she squeeze the toothpaste from the bottom or the middle? Does she sleep with the windows open in the winter? Does she say “supposably?” Does she have a really small dog? You need to find stuff like that out immediately, because if it’ll bother you on Day 1, it’ll make you homicidal on Day 90. Keep in mind, she will be doing the same to you, so avoid falling into any traps. Good luck.

Q. If I'd (Commander9) start selling an Alcoholic Isotonic drink in public with some Asian ladies as my salesladies, would you finance it?
Fenrir: Only if it's on the sidewalk in front of my house and you're not there.

Q. Why do you always kill me (Crazyirishman) in the 1st or 2nd round of any games we play together? was is something I said?
Fenrir: According to the Law of Ethnic Stereotpyes, as a short-tempereditalianman, it is my duty.

Q. Have you ever considered being a different type of master *insert norse creature*?
Fenrir: Nope, when it comes to mythology dieties, I like 'em destructive.

Q. Fifa 12 or Pes12?
Fenrir: Anything but soccer.

Q. If you could bring back one perma-banned member, who would it be?
Fenrir: FredVIII Going back and reading through some game chats, this guy seemed like a highly entertaining individual, but he got banned shortly after I joined.

Thanks for your time MF!
Fenrir: No problem, dude.
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It's not easy writing about strategy or calculations but in this issue I think we have a couple of winners for you.

First we have Crazymilkshake5 with his calculations on beating the odds. "To Roll or Not To Roll" is a unique article supplying an interesting site where these calculations can be done.

Secondly we have, well, me. =) Viceroy63, with an article about always being aware of the situation in the game rounds and why. "Round 02" may be a bit lengthy but well worth the read. I guarantee it or your can cancel your subscription as of right now. :lol:

So lets just get right into this and enjoy this Strategy Section of issue 66 of the Conquer Club Newsletter.

To Roll or Not to Roll? by crazymilkshake5
Spoiler
So, you're at your desk, (or wherever you do your CCing) and you're thinking, "What are the odds of 5 troops Attacking 2 Troops and winning?" Well that's what were here to answer.

Lets just start with the basics; The odds of 3 troops Assaulting 2 troops and winning is 36.3%. Very low odds of success.

Next we have the 4 Troops attacking 2 Troops, the odds of winning are increased in your favor by 15%, so that makes the chance of you winning, 66%. Simple enough right? Do you see the difference that one troop made? Well lets get to some more complicated odds.

Now we get to the fun stuff. 5 troops attacking 2 troops. The odds of winning 5 on 2 is 89%, see the difference another troop makes? It increases your chances of winning by 23%. Now those are pretty good odds, don't you think?

Lets put this in a Scenario shall we? You are red. You have 2 troops in one territory, your dropping 3 for a total of 5 troops. Green has 2 territories left that both have 2 troops on them. So you think it will be easy to kill green right? WRONG! Well the first 5 troops attacking 2 troops you have a 89% chance to win. Great odds, I would take them any day.

Now you have to attack the second territory of 2 troops with however many troops you have left from the first attack, which gives you a 51% chance of winning. Not very high, but they could be worse. So taking in all of this information into account, you would have a 40% chance of defeating Green. A little better than the 3 on 2, Something that I would not try.

All this information was gathered by using this site:

http://gamesbyemail.com/Games/Gambit/BattleOdds

So now you can calculate your own odds of success!

Well, that's all I have for this Article, but one thing that you have to take into account is that if the reward is greater than the risk, within reason, go for it.
Round 02 by Viceroy63
Spoiler
Recently I read where a player wrote that he tries to be aware of the weaker, "low in troops strength players," from as early as Round 02. Another player wrote where he tries to be aware of the other players' troop strengths right from the start and before and after each round. I assume that he is a lot like me in that even when it is not my turn, I read the game logs and see what each player has been up to in between rounds. But I have to ask myself if that is really all that necessary, especially in Round 02.

It's good to know at all times who is the weakest player (troops strength wise) because it can change so much from round to round, but in round 02 and 03 you have to keep an open mind, I think. If you set yourself for Blue, because we say that he is the weakest in troops strength for example, and you stick next to blue in the early few rounds and move your stacks next to his because you want to be guaranteed a shot at taking blue out when the time is right, and then Green becomes the weakest, then you're like, "Aw man, I should have stayed close to Green instead."

There is a part in this game where you also have to rely on instincts and inter-wishing. It can't always be by the book. The book is the guide and we should strive to understand why the book guides us the way it does. It's for the purpose of teaching us to learn to think strategy wise and not just to follow a set of guides. Thinking about targets comes into play later on in round 04 or so. According to the SoC Handbook...

Move #4
"Now we should be able to see what the other players are up to. Before each turn you need to check and see who is the weakest player and whether or not you can take them out."

I just finished a game where the weakest player actually won the game by the way. The weakest player had like 25 troops and I had like 50 troops and the trade was for 25 troops. What the weakest player did was, by chance, he cashed in his spoils and hit the next weakest player that was actually stronger than` him by about 5 troops, but this weakest player was in a most excellent position to take out the second weakest with just the extra 25 troops.

Everyone had like 4 and 5 spoils except for me, I only had 3 spoils and the weakest player left me for last because I was only one of 2 players with 50 troops. The rest had only 30 and 35 troops but they had all those spoils in hand. I hate it when people play like that. They don't cash in right away and hold all their cards. I also had 30 troops but I cashed in mine right away to get a total of 50 troops on the board.

The point is that even the weakest of players can win under the ideal circumstances and situations. So while it is always a good idea to be aware of who is the weakest, it is also good to know the whole situation. After all, you may not be able to get to the weakest player because other players have you blocked so that you do not have access to the weakest player, but you may have access to the second or even the third weakest player. And that is the player who could be your road to victory.

I think that's what the SoC Handbook is trying to teach us with that rule of being aware of the weakest player, it's not just to aim for the weakest player but to be aware of the whole environment which begins with the weakest player. But then you calculate, "How much access to his troops do I really have?" Say you have a choice between two targets and one of them is weaker than the other, but you don't have full contact with that weaker player. Let's say he has 20 troops and you have 35, but 15 of your troops are somewhere else. You say, well I have at least 20 troops to 20 troops, but at the same time, there might be another player with 30 troops, but he has full contact with all of your 35 troops. Then, because you have 5 extra troops with the player who is second weakest, he would be a better target than the one where only 20 of your troops have contact.

So I believe that the idea of knowing who is the weakest is simply to make it a habit of analyzing the game and knowing what the full situation is all of the time. You'd be surprised how many people log on and do not really analyze the game and just play only to realize, "Damn, I should have done that instead when I had the chance!" They do not make it a part of their routine, their pattern of play, to check out the full situation, beginning with who is the weakest and then asking more questions from there.

Who is the weakest, who is the closest, who is the strongest and on and on and on until you have analyzed the entire situation. So when the rule book reads, "always know who is the weakest," I think what it is really telling us is to just make it a habit of being aware of the whole game all of the time. Don't just log on and play right away but make it a serious habit to do some serious calculations even if it takes you all day. You do have 24 hours in which to make your move after all.

But in the second round, and I may be wrong, but it is still too premature to try and stay close to the weakest player, because all of that can change by round 04 or 05. I believe that the best that you can do in round 02, is just maintain your stacks. All you really need is at least 3 good stacks. Of course 4 is better and 5 would be best. 6 stacks is just over kill and definitely unmanageable. I personally try for just 4 stacks.

The fewer the stacks (3) the more the concentration of fire power but 4 stacks gives the greater area that you can cover and the more options would you have. So the second round is more about placing or moving your stacks into more general locations, if you can, then about knowing who is the weakest and trying to stay close to that weak player. Although we should always analyze the game and know what the situation is.

Because in the end, when all is said and done; Today's weakest player could be tomorrow’s conqueror. Remember, that it was a weak, scrawny little kid of approximately 15 years of age who eventually took over his father’s plans and conquered the known world for Greece.
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Hello again my friends, and welcome to your favorite part of the Newsletter, "War Games", where you can find information about CC Tournaments! Our team has put together another absolutely stunning assortment of articles, including three big interviews: greenoaks, koontz1973, and MudPuppy. All our regular features are here too: Dave's Tips, TPA Wrap, and Join This? Or Not!

On the minus side, I have to report that tournament reporter plurple has gotten busy with real life and resigned from our team. Plurple, we wish you the best of luck, both on CC and in real life! (Maybe we'll get a chance to feature some of your tournaments soon!)

For the last two months the TO Usergroup has been busy working on the TO of the Year /TO Career Award /Prime Awards. Today Lindax, current leader of the Usergroup, released the final results. They are posted in the General Info section of the Tournaments forum, but for the benefit of our readers we have reproduced them below, along with a special message from Lindax himself. My personal congratulations go out to all the winners in the many categories! Well done!
=D>

Dukasaur
Tournament Executive

Primes/TO of the Year/TO Career Award Winners by Lindax
message from Lindax and complete list of winners
After I was chosen as the leader of the TO Usergroup in December, I asked the members what they would like to see happening in the group. One of the ideas was a TO (Tournament Organizer) of the Year contest for 2011. After 2 weeks of discussing the options we came up with a contest consisting of 3 different steps.

One step was something inspired by the "Oscars" in the film industry, but we decided to call them “Primes” in honor of Optimus Prime, the Godfather of the CC Tournament World. We came up with 17 tournament categories, for which everybody could nominate tournaments. After that the public and later the TO Usergroup voted to see which tournaments would win the Golden, Silver and Bronze Primes.

The second step was choosing a TO of the Year - 2011. The TOs of the tournaments that won a Golden Prime were automatically nominated, others could be nominated by members of the TO Usergroup. After that the group voted for The 3 winners, who also received a Golden, Silver and Bronze Prime. The winner of the Golden Prime received a General Achievement Medal.

The third step was to win the TO Career Award. Basically a kind of "life-time achievement" award for TOs who have had a positive influence on the tournament world on CC over the years. The nominating and voting process was all done within the TO Usergroup. The winner received a General Contribution Medal.

After two and a half months of nominating, voting, etc. we completed the contest with the results you see below.

I would like to thank everyone who participated in the process: the members of the TO usergroup who contributed ideas and ironed out the process, the tournament organizers themselves, the nominators who came forward, and all the members of the CC public who voted for the Primes.

And the winners are:

Below the results for the TO Career Award:

The winner is HighlanderAttack. He will receive a General Contribution Medal.

barterer2002 and Lindax ended in 2nd and 3rd place.


----

Below the results of the voting for the TO of the Year - 2011:
  1. Golden Prime > flexmaster33. He will receive a General Achievement Medal.
  2. Silver Prime > > > barterer2002
  3. Bronze Prime > > > HighlanderAttack
----

Below the results for the tournament Primes:
  • ----
___________________________________________________________________________________________
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Meet the Tournament Organisers: greenoaks by WorldCup4James
interview with greenoaks
In our interviews with the leading figures of the tournament community, we often select those organisers who stand out and put forth some creative ideas. Other times, we find a very unique and popular tournament from perhaps an aspiring organiser and give him the chance to make a name for himself. But I think it's clear that we cannot leave out the most prolific tournament organiser of recent times, greenoaks, who has put together a long chain of 80 tournaments just over the past five months.
greenoaks has been an active member on the site for over 4 years and is a member of the Kill on Arrival clan.

The interview delves into greenoaks' renown KISS series (evidence of which dots all across the Tournaments page) and philosophies on tournament organisation, his hobbies and goals, and, finally, his words of wisdom for all the rising tournament organisers out there!


Don't leaf, you're in for a treet :-s :D


Your recent, most successful series is the KISS, 32-player single-elimination 1v1 series, which has attracted hundreds of players to compete on many of their favorite maps. What does this hallmark term "KISS" you've introduced to Conquer Club embody in terms of your philosophy about tournament management and execution?

Considering that you are running at least 5 at once, do you think it's realistic that you will finally host a tournament on every map?
8-[

When I first started as a TO, I was rescuing tournaments. Many of them had cumbersome scoring systems, unusual methods of elimination and lots of dropouts that needed replacing. They were a nightmare. It was from those early experiences that I wanted to run a series of tournaments that would be simple for me to maintain, with a format & rules that were simple for players to understand and know how they were faring as well as being simple for another TO to take over if I dropped off the site. Many months passed before it dawned on me how to keep it so simple. :oops:

I do hope to run a KISS tournament on every map but that is up to Admin. I’ll know if it’s a possibility when I get to map 126 – St. Patricks Day.

All of your KISS tournaments are single-elimination (appropriately). What do you think of the argument that single-elimination play can be very misleading of players' actual skill, since, after all, it only takes one loss and one bad game until you're eliminated. Do you still think it's the best format, compared to round-robin or other formats?


I do think one 1v1 tournament can be misleading, but i have run over 80 KISS tournaments and the same players consistently make it to the semis and finals. Players such as HighlanderAttack, babagonosh, swimmerdude99 and of course shoop76 (who recently won my KISS Champion of Champions tournament covering the first 32 maps/tournaments) prove there is more than just luck involved.

Round-robins are great in that you play every player, but once you get halfway through it most people have no chance of winning and are just going through the motions, or worse, dropping out. Other formats often lack the broad community support of bracket or round robin tournaments which can make them hard to fill.

As merch313's DE series is also very popular with over 100 tournaments completed, I would say the Bracket format is best, with my KISS series being simpler to run.

So tell me a little bit about yourself (if you don't mind ;) ). What hobbies do you enjoy in the "land down under"?

I am a big sports fan and watch a lot of Cricket, Rugby League & Union. The last few years I've spent a lot of time on Discogs cataloging music and uploading photographs I've taken of the sleeves and discs.

I never understood cricket, but, to me, if you have fun running back and forth and chasing a ball, have at it :twisted:

Favorite rugby team? Now that's a sport I need to try!


The teams I follow are my local teams. For league, I follow the Penrith Panthers as I grew up in Penrith in the far west of Sydney. Union & Cricket I follow my state of NSW as well as the national side.

Are you a world traveler? If so, where all have you been?

I have never traveled outside of Australia. Don't really have any desire to. Maybe one day I'll go to New Zealand on a golfing holiday, but that is about it.

If only I were any good at that most frustrating sport. I struggle to get bogeys in mini-golf! :lol: :x

What CC goals do you have out there on the horizon?


My goals on CC are to:- And, to wrap things up, what piece of advice do you give to new organizers?
Obviously my advice to new organizers would be to keep it simple. However this is what I've posted in my clan's forum:
A medal I believe is easy to get is the Tournament Contribution medal. All you need to do is host a tournament. So here are a few pointers to get you started:-
  • Give your tournament a name such as Greenoaks First Tournament
  • Choose your favourite map & settings
  • Select a tournament style (1v1 single-elimination is very popular ;) )
  • Start a thread here seeking 16 players (15 if you enter your own tournament)
  • Create the games and send out the invites
A month or two later you will have a shiny new medal. \:D/ It is that easy.

Additional information on hosting a tournament can be found in the Tournament Handbook. Brackets showing who plays who can be created at http://www.challonge.com and added to your tournament thread in the same way pictures are added.

So what are you waiting for ?
Sound advice :D

I want to add a really big Thank You to Dako for the Watch This Game add-on! There is no way I would/could run so many tournaments without it. It wasn't too long ago i had 38 tournaments and over 900 active tournament games to follow. Dako's WTG made that possible.
=D>

Thanks for your time. Best wishes. :)
Meet the Tournament Organisers: koontz1973 by Fuzzy316
Interview with koontz1973
This issue we bring to you a player who has successfully organised, run and completed more than 90 tournaments.Last year we saw a dirge of tournaments run by this organizer honoring that age old tradition of getting drunk under the table. I give you koontz1973.

So to ask the first and foremost question of you... What draws you to being a tourney organiser?

The sheer love of watching players pulling there hair out when they come so close to the end, only to fall out of love with the dice. :lol:

When you first began running tournaments, what ideas did you have that you were or were not able to implement successfully?

None what so ever. Looked over the tournies in play and tried to do something slightly different. First one went badly, so I learned from my mistakes. :mrgreen:

Do you enter your own tournaments all the time, or only sometimes?

Most of the time. What fun is there to be had sitting on the sidelines. :roll:

You have your hand in some of the maps that we play or will soon play here on CC. Which maps are you responsible for, and do you have a favourite that you have come up with?

Only one at the moment (Rorke's Drift, soon to be back in live play). Next one should be in beta soon (Knights) followed closely by 1982. Knights is based on chess while 1982 is going to be a complicated map for large games about the Falklands War. Right now though I am on a mission to get all of the cities from the classic map into live play. Good thing another map maker, cairnswk, has joined me in this huge challenge.

When you are running a tournament, what do you think is most important to be able to successfully get it completed from conception to completion?

Just keep on top of things. Never put of to tomorrow what you can do today. No matter how many tournies you run, life happens so make sure you know what needs to be done and just do it.

Red Fish Blue Fish, or Heffalumps and Woozles?
Imagebut you have to love Heffridge Trumpler Brompet Heffalump, IV or Lumpy for short.
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What is your preferred game method, 1v1, dubs, clan, tourney, etc?

8 player escalating in fog on large uncomplicated maps.

Have you had too many tournaments running at once, and it overwhelmed you, making you need to take a break?

Not once has it ever felt that way. You mentioned the massive piss up last year. I had around 15 running at once then but it was summer time and school was out. Now that school is back in session, it has slowed way down. But I expect the round robins to start up again soon as well as another bout of 1v1s.

What is the most tourneys have you had active at the same time?
:shock:

Tips on creating a tourney for those that have not tried to do so?

Read absolutely everything you can about tournies.
Ask if unsure. That is why we have mods. ;)
Be patient. Sometimes the uptake is slow.
Just make sure you know what you are doing. If not, fake it till you make it.
O:) :-$

Any random thoughts or insane ideas you would like to part with today?

How do you handcuff a one-armed man?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
At what point in man's evolution did he start wiping his ass?
Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?
What is another word for "thesaurus"?
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
If sheep shagging is so immoral, why do I like sheep so much?


Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to grace us with your answers today.

Not a problem. Happy gaming everyone, whatever map takes your fancy.Image
Meet the Tournament Winners: MudPuppy by Fuzzy316
Interview with MudPuppy
Our tournament winner this issue has recently claimed his 30th tournament victory with his dominating performance in the tournament 313's Portland Double Elim put on by merch313. He has a strong standing in his clan and is very willing to help out his friends when in need. Let's give a hand to MudPuppy.

Hi there MudPuppy, and thank you for taking the time to answer some questions about yourself. So, no sense in beating around the bush here. How does it feel to have 30 tourney wins under your belt?

Do you remember how long it took you to get your first tourney trophy?

No, but was able to look it up... Looks like I won the 22nd tourney I started: Climb the Mountain II which was run by one of my all-time favorite TO's... amazzony.

What draws you most to tournament play?

Mostly that it just adds another level of competition compared to just playing pickup games. Being able to advance in tournament rounds is much more satisfying than winning a stand-alone game with no other implications. I also enjoy getting randomly paired against players I've never competed against before. I've met some really cool folks through these tourneys.

How often do you join tournaments, and are there specific tourneys you look for?

I really go in spurts. Last year I did a TON while participating in the inaugural year of the Tournament Player Association (TPA).... Thanks barterer2002 and everyone else who worked hard to put that on!!! And congrats to sonicsteve for a most excellently played season! =D>
Lately, however, I've been focusing on our clan wars and have limited the number of standard tourneys I've joined. I'm sure I'll bounce back into it at some point not too distant from now, though.
When I do join tourneys, I look for tourneys with a well-presented intro by the TO. It gives me confidence that the organizer takes their tourney seriously and will be diligent in running it smoothly which is a far more important factor than the maps/settings when it comes to my enjoyment of tourneys. Other than that, it's more of what strikes my interest at a given time. I usually like the sports-themed tourneys like flexmaster33's College Hoops tourneys. Or sometimes I just want something quick like HighlanderAttack's Don't Blink series. It's all about the TO's, though. Their hard work is what makes the tourneys so successful.

Which do you prefer, Clan War battles or Tourney play and why?

That's a tough call... I've been in the clan world for quite some time now and am currently co-leader of CC's longest running clan: the Imperial Dragoons. I absolutely love clan wars and will have to give those battles the nod due to the extra strategy involved in selecting home games. However, I am still a 1v1 player at heart and until that format becomes widely accepted in the clan community, I will always keep an eye out for a well-run standard tourney where I can go head-to-head.

From the looks of things, you only create and run/help run tourneys involving clan battles, is that correct?

Yes, I've run quite a few clan wars and am currently the primary lead for ID in the CL4.

Any desire to begin dabbling in the regular tourney world?

Most definitely. I've toyed with the idea for a while and it's most definitely something I'd like to have a go at. Doing so is currently fairly far down on my CC to-do list as I'm already involved with other cool things that are important to me (Clan Wars, SoC, TPA)... but I'm pretty confident you'll see me running a standard tourney at some point.

What do you like most about CC?

The game itself.... Despite all the complaints about the dice, the deteriorating map quality, the deficiency in coding support, the slowness of implementing new suggestions, and more.... Conquer Club is still the best site out there for this type of game, by far. I've tried a few others and they can't compare. The added benefit of a completely awesome community makes CC second to none. That said, many of these complaints (not the dice) are valid and there is definitely room for improvement.

How long have you been playing at games like this?

Forever... I've always loved games, especially strategy games and played them frequently as a child and through college. I didn't play much risk between college and when I discovered CC, but I occupied my time with other strategy-type games like chess and fantasy baseball.

Do you play games like this outside of CC?

Not so much. I've tried some other sites just to see how they compared and have always ended up sticking with CC. Most of my face-to-face gaming nights involve poker or Pictionary-type games rather than Risk-type games, these days.

Green Eggs & Ham or The Cat in the Hat?

Green Eggs & Ham by a mile. That's the story I read most to my wife's stomach when she was carrying my oldest daughter. Absolutely love Sam-I-Am.

What are your top 3 favorite maps?

I really don't have any set favorites. Battle of Actium and Bamboo Jack are usually at or near the top of my list. I'll go with New York City as my third favorite since I was born there (Washington Heights region) and I've been playing it recently. However, if you asked me a month from now, you may get three different answers. Random is always a favorite option as well.

Who would you say your toughest opponent on a regular basis is?

I've run into quite a few skilled opponents in tourney games throughout the years. I'd have to say the absolute toughest has been dowian2. We've had a bunch of hard-fought 1v1 battles along the way and map rank shows he's winning the series 40-33. Honorable mention to Iron Maid who I've played even more games against with the series being pretty much even.

Soapbox: any thoughts, ideas, shoutouts etc you would like to put in here?

To my fellow 'Goonies: I couldn't ask for a greater bunch of players to hang with and battle with. You all rock!
To the admins: please make the implementation of the 2-player "team" games a top priority. I've been drooling over this approved suggestion for far too long. It's time to get 'er done.
To the clan community: 1v1's are cool. Really, they are.

Alright, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions MudPuppy. Good luck in the future.
Tournament Tips by DaveH
Excel Macro to Summarise Points
This issue I'll set up an Excel macro to assign individual points to a "league" table. For simplicity, I'll start off as though the list of individual game winners are in a column on an Excel spreadsheet with the resulting points gained in the next column.
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I have assumed that the tournament has 16 games of which 10 have been completed. There is a "Sort By Points" button on the spreadsheet which accesses the macro to summarise the points into the table in columns E and F.
The first few lines in the macro are to specify a few variables:-

Code: Select all

Sub SortNumbers()
Dim i, j, itotal As Integer     ' itotal will be the total number of players in the table
Dim Aname, Bname As String     'Aname and Bname will contain the player's names
itotal = 0
The first thing to do is to copy all the players names and their totals into the final table:-

Code: Select all

For i = 3 To 18                'the row number range
    Aname = Cells(i, 2).Value    'Aname will have the value in cell(3,2)
    If Aname <> 0 Then           ' If a player name
        Cells(3 + itotal, 5).Value = Aname       'put the player name into the table
        Cells(3 + itotal, 6).Value = Cells(i, 3).Value  'and the score
        itotal = itotal + 1          'increase the number of players
    Else
        i = 18           'if the cell is blank we are at the end of the list and can end
    End If
Next i
The list is copied into the results table:-
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This can then be sorted by player name as there may be players with more than one entry/win:-

Code: Select all

Range(Cells(3, 5), Cells(4 + itotal, 6)).Select
Selection.Sort Key1:=Range("E3"), Order1:=xlAscending
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The last process is to scan down the table and, if a duplicate player's name exists, add on the second score to the first and delete the second entry. Then sort to get rid of the blanks and repeat this process until there are no duplicate names:-

Code: Select all

j = 1    'assume duplicates exist
While j > 0
    j = 0   'no duplicates yet
    For i = 1 To itotal - 1
        Aname = Cells(i + 2, 5)   '1st player's name
        Bname = Cells(i + 3, 5)   '2nd player's name
        If Aname = Bname Then      'if they are the same...
            j = j + 1              'increment duplicate counter
            Cells(i + 2, 6) = Cells(i + 2, 6) + Cells(i + 3, 6) 'add the scores
            Cells(i + 3, 5) = ""  'delete the second player's name
            Cells(i + 3, 6) = ""  'delete the second score
            itotal = itotal - 1    'reduce total in the table
        End If
          Next i
    Range(Cells(3, 5), Cells(3 + itotal + j, 6)).Select    'sort from the top left cell to the bottom right cell
    Selection.Sort Key1:=Range("E3"), Order1:=xlAscending   'sort by player's names
Wend
When this routine is completed you have just one entry per winning player with their total points score. All you need to do now is to sort by totals and finish the subroutine:-

Code: Select all

Range(Cells(3, 5), Cells(3 + itotal, 6)).Select   'specify the area for the sort
Selection.Sort Key1:=Range("F3"), Order1:=xlDescending  'specify a descending sort based on the score
End Sub
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And there you have it; a table that can be copied and pasted straight into your tournament thread to give the latest running order!

OK, so to put this macro into your spreadsheet you need to do the following in your spreadsheet:-
  • select Tools/Macro/Record New Macro
  • enter a name for your macro and press OK
  • press the "stop" on the small macro window
  • select Tools/Macro/Macros
  • select your macro and press edit
  • copy in all the above sets of code into the new window that appears (from Sub to End Sub) and save
  • select Tools/Customize
  • scroll down to forms and select "button" and close
  • click the button that now appears on your menu bar
  • draw a button shape on your spreadsheet
  • Click on your macro name to assign it to the button
Yes, it's a tedious process at first when you don't know your way around Excel and macros, but, once done, you can then customise your macro to suit different types of games and scoring systems. Obviously, if your spreadsheet has the lists and summary table in a different part of your spreadsheet, you will need to change the macro appropriately.

(These "tips" are ones that I have tried to make it a bit easier in managing my own tournaments. I am sure there are many different and better methods than these, so please let me know. Any queries on the above I'll be glad to respond to!)
Join This? Or Not! by NoSurvivors
Spoiler
And now for our regular look at a selection of the tournaments in sign-ups:

1. Freestyle 8
My number one pick this week is simply due to the fact that I don't see as many FREESTYLE tourneys around as I would like! I love freestyle as well as so many others who play CC (especially fast paced speed games!) And who wouldn't love a good 3 man 8 thoughts game (or many!). So if you're up for a change, and want to play some freestyle casual, join this!

2. Woopin's 11th - City Mogul Singles
Another thing you don't see every day! City mogul singles! (Er, sequential at least!) My number 2 pick this week is another odd one. (Geez, this week has a theme now doesn't it!) The city mogul map is always a treat no matter the settings, but fog is my favorite :P. So come out and join Whoopin's 7th, and test your luck in his 1v1 mogul tourney!

3. Masters of the Far East
This is definitely a tourney you don't want to miss out on. The organizer (a guy who I play a LOT of ass-doodles with) who is also the luckiest man on the planet ;) Is giving away free premium to not only the winner but the 2nd and third place players as well! Lots of 6 man games on 3 great maps, its sure to be a blast! Its had a slow(ish) start and has quite a few spots left, but don't take your time! Spots will fill fast!

4. EoGE's Randomest Randomly Random Randomness v2.0
My number 4 this week had a lot of effort put into it. It was pretty well thought out and fell into my sight when i was browsing, because hey... I'm pretty random.. so random catches MY attention! Lots of random games to be played (random map is used) and a little bit of dubs, triples, and singles to be played! So if you want to get a little bit random (just a touch) join this tourney!

5. Initech XXXVI: World Assassin League
My number 5 this week is an assassin tourney! There are a plethora of maps to play and a LOT of games (300!) so be prepared! The tourney is looking for lots more players so go out and join up the World Assassin league! :D

These are my picks, but if you don't like any of these go to the Create/Join a Tournament or Tournaments Tab and take a look at the many others waiting to be filled.

If you're craving tourney action now, check out the Requests for Immediate Players section of the tournament forum. You can be playing very quickly after signing up as a reserve.
TPA Wrap by Sensfan
Spoiler
Image Image
Not much activity in the TPA again, as it seems that many tournaments are in a lull...

Sorry for the short issue. While tournaments continue to come in strong every Monday, we do not know who is running them next... the list has gone missing. Thanks to my super secret sources however, shaneback will be hosting a Premier level quad event on March 6.

Benga's Escalating Fog: Killer Team is in sign-ups, and it's a Major! So sign up now, big, big, big points at stake!

3 TPA and 2 TPA2 tournaments won Primes, the awards for the Tournaments. As well, the entire TPA Series won the Gold Prime for Best Tournament Series. Congrats to Barterer2002 and to all TPA organizers!

That's all from me this week!
“‎Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.”
― Voltaire
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Dukasaur
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CC Dispatch [Issue 66 03-03-12] The Bite of Master Fenrir

Post by Dukasaur »

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And another fortnight swings around and hits us all in the back of the head - now exactly where did that come from?? :shock: Well while I practically slept and ate my way through 14 days of games, games, games, my main man Koontz1973 made like the proverbial worker and practically single-handedly brought you another week of news, views and :-$ controversy! I wish I had a bit more of his mojo! :oops: Actually we can all do with mojo, and if some of you have some then please sing out because the Foundry section is just Koontz1973 and moi at the present. So, if you want to brush off your creative streak and join the most rewarding division in CC then go to this link and follow the instructions! :D

This is another bumper issue! There's the Foundry News and the What's Where in the Foundry both brought to you by Koontz1973. His talent and experience in the Foundry process really shows in his insight, no change there! I found out that There's Something in the Water and I can only hope you never look at water the same way again! Koontz1973 brings us his second part in his Diary of a Map - crucial reading if you are struggling your way through the foundry (or want to!). But, saving the best till last, you have to check out Koontz1973's bombshell article Declining Standards. If this doesn't get you chattering, nothing will! =D>

Thanks and regards and in the immortal words of Benjamin Rush:
Controversy is only dreaded by the advocates of error.
thehippo8 -- Foundry Executive

Foundry News koontz1973
Spoiler
Time for news boys and girls.
All Your Base Are Belong To Us gets quenched. Great work DiM. =D> Superb map.
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And if any of you are still wondering about the title or if Dim is from another planet...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_your_b ... long_to_us
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DiM is the one in the middle. ;)

ViperOverLord popped in to ask which map will be going into beta next as he wants to set up the next Alpha Beta tournament. While his should be Island of Doom, only the foundry foreman knows for sure. But as usual within the foundry, an argument broke out. :roll:
Between Gillipig and thenobodies over when and how the maps go into beta. One side says to put them out with some time between them while the other side wants them spread out over the whole year. Since becoming foundry Foreman, thenobodies has given us...

Three Kingdoms of Korea (Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:01 am)
California (Thu Aug 25, 2011 10:49 am)
Fractured China (Sat Aug 27, 2011 2:12 pm)
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Thu Sep 08, 2011 9:42 pm)
Quad Cities (Thu Sep 08, 2011 9:44 pm)
BETA Trafalgar (Thu Sep 13, 2011 10:53 pm)
SteamWorks (Thu Sep 14, 2011 10:46 pm)
BETA Portland (Tue Sep 20, 2011 8:53 pm)
Conquer Rome (Tue Sep 20, 2011 8:55 pm)
BETA Rorke's Drift (Mon Oct 03, 2011 12:17 am)
BETA Tribal War - Florida (Tue Oct 18, 2011 9:53 am)
Colosseum - Limited Edition (Thu Oct 27, 2011 9:19 pm)
BETA All Your Base Are Belong To Us (Tue Nov 08, 2011 2:30 pm)
BETA Denmark (Tue Dec 27, 2011 4:25 pm )
BETA Istanbul (Tue Dec 27, 2011 4:34 pm)
BETA Cuban Missile Crisis (Tue Jan 24, 2012 5:15 am)
BETA Classic Cities: London (Tue Jan 24, 2012 5:17 am)
BETA Patch Wars (Tue Jan 24, 2012 5:17 am )

...into beta. That is not a huge list. But we do have a stack of maps waiting for the final go ahead. All I want to know is why should map makers wait for a set date when a map has been worked on for months. And how can the foreman put maps into beta when real life comes into play.

natty_dread picked up on posts that seem to becoming more and more popular in the foundry lately.
natty dread wrote:I will not post names, because I don't want this to be about pointing fingers. you know who you are. Others can probably also recognize where these quotes are from. But guys, this has got to stop!
Exhibit #1:
Suspect A wrote:This is my map, and once again, to the foundry, if this one little piece of a map can't be mine, then let it sit here forever until it is moved back to the bin, and that will be that.
Exhibit #2:
Suspect B wrote:I do not share your opinion, and it did look stupid and i dident like it, so its not goin to happend, i rater bin this than doin a "stupid looking" map
Exhibit #3:
Suspect C wrote:So please let's end this debate right now. If anyone wants to continue the debate then I will not continue working on this, as I have many other things I could be doing with some of my free time.
It seems that some map makers need to take some time out and just go outside to look at the sun. O:)
While we all get bothered by comments that criticise us or our work, taking time out can make a silly comment more helpful. And on the other hand, if a map maker gives a reason for not doing something, it should be accepted and not harped on about.
I can't do any better, if my work isn't suddenly good enough, then bin this, because I can't do it any better. I don't have the means to do so. Understand?
This one came from a natty thread. Oh the irony. :lol: Sorry natty, but to complain about something you do as well is funny and it is good thing with the forums to remember. Once you post it, I can quote it. ;)
Official ruling.
thenobodies80 wrote:Sorry I had to explain me better, I have the flu so probably today I'm not so good to explain things in the right way.
CAs don't have to tell to the mapmakers to quit. In fact they HAVE to say how to to do things, not just ask to mapmakers that they need to change things. But if the mapmakers tell to the foundry people and to CAs that they won't change the things because it's their map, then the CAs can leave the map die. Hope it's more clear in this way. ;)
Be afraid, be very afraid. :mrgreen:

Another natty thread set up this time around is just for fun. Asking anyone that wants to to have a go at just having fun with a random map image.
Original image.
Click image to enlarge.
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natty_dread images.
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DiM image.
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ManBungalow image
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thenobodies80 image
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Sully image.
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natty takes sullys image to this.
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We should have a new competition: Make Sully's piece of shit look halfways decent! :lol:
If that is your shit, I would go see a doctor right away. :lol: ;)
Happy gaming everyone, whatever map takes your fancy.Image
What's Where in the foundry koontz1973
Spoiler
What's where in the foundry koontz1973
Spoiler
Not much has happened over the last two weeks. :(
Drafting Room
Imagepitrules88 wants Israel.
ImageTheBisonKing is trying to get the American Heartland.
Oneyed is a new maker of maps and this is his version of the Czech Slovak break up. Looking good and should be in the main foundry next time.
Image
Main Foundry
Imagenatty_dread Eurasia mini got moved to the main foundry. Pick apart the gameplay time.
ImageWizards by natty_dread.
ImageClash of Kings by DiM is looking for game play nuances to be ironed out in what looks like to be the first true 1v1 map for the site.
ImageFlapcake is looking towards the graphics stamp for his world war one trench map.
ImageBaltic States is back from Brucewars.
ImageSlovakia by DiM is his smallest, easiest work to date.
ImageMega USA is causing arguments over which cities go in and which get left out. Seems no one wants to be left of this beauty.
cairnswk wants help with mountains so pop on over and help him choose between the 3 styles he has drawn.
Image

No Image yet The cow map is back. dana is working on a third image now. lackattack approves of this and nobodies has laid down the law. No more bitching allowed, only good honest feedback.
Final Forge
This section is getting a little busy with a lot of maps ready for play. With the 11 maps in beta play we have 8maps waiting to get going.
With xml stamps.
Knights by koontz1973.
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Salams Switch by cairnswk.
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1982 by koontz1973.
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Eurasia (large) by natty_dread.
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Waiting for the xml.
Baltics Crusade by thenobodies80.
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Knights and Warlocks by DiM.
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Kings Court by Kabanellas
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Happy gaming everyone, whatever map takes your fancy.Image
There’s something in the water! by thehippo8
Spoiler
As the song goes:
There’s something in the water, something that shouldn’t ought’a be in the water ... aaah-aaah-aaah-aaah ...
Well okay that isn’t the exact words but it is certainly true enough for a group of maps heading your way. Here are four of the best, from four of the best mapmakers, with themes involving similar concepts. Similar insofar as they involve fighting at land and sea. I believe that this division creates the need for a change in strategy for the player and these maps show an enriched experience beyond just land-based maps.

Cuban Missile Crisis
Click image to enlarge.
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Some 20 territories are in America, with two missile Silos. Conversely there are 15 territories in Cuba but a whopping six silos. There are 16 ships at sea, four boats that have beached and two aircraft. The aircraft are American (of course – after all there is a military embargo going on here). One of the aircraft has a direct attack on three of the Cuban silos, neutralising their effect, whilst the other aircraft has an attack on two strategically important Russian ships. The Russians were of course supporting the Cuban cause (either in a general sense or as part of their wider world diplomatic and self-protection interests – but lets not get too deep into that!). American ships are on the left around the Gulf of Mexico and in the Cuban bay itself. Russian ships are in the Atlantic and meet the American ships in the Gulf of Mexico. The situation is a tense one and you could say that something of a stalemate has developed. But like any stalemate it can be shoved over the edge by a wrong move or a foolhardy turn. Troops can be amassed on land and military equipment strengthened at sea, but the gameplay is unique and complex.

Trafalgar
Click image to enlarge.
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Okay every rule needs an exception and the rule here was that there was supposed to be some land, here there isn’t any land, so although this doesn’t fit with my opening comment I mention this map anyway because I believe it to be relevant to this discussion. Although the map is set entirely at sea, there are some 28 miscellaneous spots (fighters leaping off the ships towards each others’ vessels?) which I liken to land because there is a two way attack between the miscellaneous spots. The ships are in some cases simple vessels or in others large enough to be divided into bow and stern. Complexity is added by there being three fleets (British, French and Spanish) and bonuses for getting whole ships. All and all it is a mêlée in the extreme! In my opinion the placement of the miscellaneous spots will make game play similar to land and sea divisions but with the added complexity that the land is fractionated.

1982
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There are ten regions in Argentina and a whopping 43 regions in the Falkland Islands – or Malvinas: depending on who you ask. Add to this some 19 vessels (two of which are submarines) and twelve aircraft (two of which are helicopters) and you have the scene of a very interesting battle. The fact that this is based on historical fact where the outcome was intensely important to both countries gives this map a layer of significance. And if that’s not enough, old wounds run deep and this conflict saw a resurgence in the news earlier this year (possibly as a consequence of the Thatcher movie?) and may be the scene of a future confrontation (whether physical or diplomatic). The system of bonuses further add to the richness of this map. Finally, i like the feel of this map as it is like being at a control centre in charge of a battle that you are watching on radar. Very clever!

Kingdom of Denmark and Baltic Crusades
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There are many maps where land territory (countries) are connected by travelling ships. In these maps, as in any, the ships create balance between the sectors of the map to avoid them being unbalanced (read unfair). What is different about these two maps, though, is that troops can sit in the ships and that creates an additional dynamic (compared to, say, Tribes of Florida). Admittedly this is not as stark as the above maps, but it can distinctly change gameplay.

Cross-over in to the world of Mafia Wars and tournaments

Themes ebb and flow through the Conquer Club community. It must come, then, as no surprise that there is a Mafia War game with a Pirate theme! Check out Yo, Ho, A Pirate’s Life! With the pirate talk over, the swashbuckling will no doubt soon follow. You are all invited to watch the usual suspects slug it out in a text universe!

In the world of tournaments, there are a large number of tournaments which have found the three of these maps (as they are in Beta) popular – namely, Trafalgar and Kingdom of Denmark, Cuban Missile Crisis. For Trafalgarthere’s: Best At Beta: Trafalgar (ongoing), CD's Beta Boom (completed), CC [Beta 2011] 1v1 - Trafalgar (completed), Moge's choose-your-own-map Dubs Tourney (ongoing), Official 200 Maps Tournament (ongoing), Alpha Beta 17 (completed), I picked WHICH map? (ongoing), 313's Trafalgar Double Elim(finished), Beta Quads II (ongoing), HA's 200th Tourney(ongoing), SPANISH ARMADA! (completed), Chap's BETA Challenge (ongoing), I Walk Alone (ongoing), JD's Trafalgar Trips (ongoing), AMERICAN SPORTS FRANCHISES (ongoing), and "Sometimes when you win, you really lose" (ongoing). For Kingdom of Denmar there’s: 313's Denmark Double Elim (ongoing), Chap's BETA Challenge (ongoing), I Walk Alone (ongoing), Serbia's Euro 2012 (ongoing), Moge's Denmark Doubles (ongoing), A History of Europe (ongoing), koontz's 2011 was a good year for maps 1 (completed), Alpha Beta 25 (ongoing), King Olafr the Great (ongoing) and Society of the Cooks Team Games (ongoing). Finally, for Cuban Missile Crisis there’s: CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS (completed), CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS (DOUBLES) (ongoing), Many Lands VIII – Nuclear Cold War [FULL] accepting (ongoing) and Alpha Beta 29 (ongoing). So, here’s an idea ... check out the ongoing games and learn some lessons!
Diary of a map. Rorke's Drift. Part two. koontz1973
Spoiler
Drafting Room
Putting an image onto the web for everyone to see can be a nerving experience. Having people comment on it is worse. The success of a new map can come down to the first few comments. If these are positive, it can spur people onto new heights, if they are negative, people withdraw and human nature dictates that we fight. But the attitude of the map maker always helps. Someone who is positive will succeed while anyone who is negative will fail. Ask yourself which one are you? If you are the latter, then do not come to the foundry as negativity causes flame wars that help no one make maps.
natty dread wrote:The first thing that I would advise is to get rid of all the line connections and replace them with territories & borders. Seriously, it's like a mess of lines there, making for a very confusing look, and you need to simplify this a lot - when I say simplify I don't mean the gameplay, but the visual look of the map... you need to make the map easier to read, and eliminating that criss-cross of lines is a good first step towards that.
... you have the right idea with using textures on the map, but they will need some work. Especially the canvas effect on the right/upper right of the map - the left side looks like it's trying to imitate grassland terrain, so why would you have a paper/canvas type texture on the right? The cork texture on the legend is pretty nice though. But why is there a bare slab of grey in the middle? It looks bland compared to the rest of the map.
Anyway, keep on working, there's good potential here.
This from natty is a good way to say a map looks like shit but keep at it. :P All of these points were correct, he explained why it needed changing, but not how. :?

Version 4.
Image
When I say that this is version four, it is really version 20 odd. That is how many times this map changed on my computer before posting this. You can clearly see the final map on this image, Shaka has been moved, Kingul has been added to the map (removed when a better name came up).

This layout came about when the first image I posted looked confusing. As it was my map, I understood all of the finer points, what attacked where, what each symbol meant and more importantly, how to win. :mrgreen: But what it lacked was understandability. It needed a lot of clarity.
Industrial Helix wrote:Your map needs a legend indicating where the 150 yard line is and where the kings are, ect. These symbols and colors need to translate to something.
Bruceswar wrote:your legend font is hard to read if you ask me.
Bruceswar wrote:maybe you need white letters... I am struggling to read it.
Clarity is the ability to play a map without having to read a legend. We all understand the territory lines but what happens when they change from black to red? Like I had. What does it mean? This has to go into the legend in a clear way. What does brown grass do? Does it mean anything different from the green grass? Why do the rocks small and not large? Trees need brown earth beneath them? All of these things need sorting. All comments were correct when made - but for some it was an easy thing to say while others needed to be rude about it. When I say rude, it meant that their comment was thought about and rejected.

Flame Wars
Nothing annoys me more than when a stupid comment is made by anyone! The problem with making maps for this site is that anyone can comment. From a pre-pubescent, spotty, runny nosed kid with no experience to an experienced map maker with 20 maps under his belt. One thinks he knows best while the other normally does know best. What both have in common is the ability to not understand the word NO. :P No, for some reason has the ability to rile people to such an extent that we get flame wars. You have all seen and read them, but 2 or 3 pages in a map thread is not a good thing. Try sorting all the good stuff from the bad can be a hard thing. Before I started my map, I had read the rules of map making and one rule is that all changes have to be made unless it can be rebutted by the map maker or someone else from the community. Remember the old adage of too many cooks spoil the broth? I got lucky with only a very minor war between me and Dukasaur. He was right (to a point :P ) but it does make it harder. Just remember, to play nice kiddies.

Bring on the names.
If you look at the above image, only the British soldiers and Zulu chieftains have names. Kingul was a made up name but it was time to find names for all territs. That is 80 names for Zulu warriors. Good thing for the internet. But there is one problem which I had not figured on - all of the lists on the internet where identical and I could only find around 70 names. Some had to be made up for the missing territs. These include koontz (my on line name, fun for me to play), Anya, Tata, Hungarian for mum and grandfather and Jadzia; my daughters middle name taken from Star Trek. :roll: Kingul got the boot for Buthelezi. All of the chieftain names have meaning...
Cetshwayo - leader during the Zulu war.
Dabulamanzi - brother to Cetshwayo and led the Zulus at Rorke's Drift.
Mpande - Longest reign over Zulu nation 1798–1872.
Ndaba - chieftain of Zulu nation 1745-1763.
Phunga - Chieftain of modern day Zulu nation inside South Africa.
Shaka - United the northern tribes of the Zulu people and gained control over most of what became South Africa.
Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi - the Zulu chieftain that played Dabulamanzi in the film Zulu.

For the British, I always wanted to use the ones that had won the Victoria cross, Britain's highest military medal. Not for any other reason. ;)
Lieutenant John Rouse Merriott Chard, 5th Field Coy, Royal Engineers
Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead; B Company, 2nd/24th Foot
Corporal William Wilson Allen; B Company, 2nd/24th Foot
Private Frederick Hitch; B Company, 2nd/24th Foot
Private Alfred Henry Hook; B Company, 2nd/24th Foot
Private Robert Jones; B Company, 2nd/24th Foot
Private William Jones; B Company, 2nd/24th Foot
Private John Williams; B Company, 2nd/24th Foot
Surgeon James Henry Reynolds; Army Medical Department
Acting Assistant Commissary James Langley Dalton; Commissariat and Transport Department
Corporal Christian Ferdinand Schiess; 2nd/3rd Natal Native Contingent

Because of the 11 British names, and the layout of the map, getting the map playable was going to be a problem. How to get an odd number to fit nicely into an even map.

Little men from Mars.
With the legend and map growing with each version, both wanting the limited space given to map makers (large map 840 pixels wide / 800 deep) something needed to give. Also something was needed for clarity. I came up with the little men from Mars. My legend text explaining what territ did what, why and how was unreadable! Always much easier to show it.
Meet the Zulu chieftains and the River Warriors.
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It became clear with this image, I was getting somewhere (with a lot of help form others). After a couple more updates (now version 5.4) I got this. :D
thenobodies80 wrote:Onward and Upward!

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Time to play with the big boys. 8-[
MrBenn wrote:At last :P
Long long way to go. :cry:
Next time - Impassables, fonts, layout, and Victor Sullivan jumps all over gameplay. :sick:

Happy gaming everyone, whatever map takes your fancy.Image
Declining Standards koontz1973
Spoiler
The Start
It has been said, and many agree with it, that the standards within the map making community for conquer club has declined over the past year or two. If, and this is a big if, is this true? And who is to blame for it and what can be done about it?

Let me first explain how the foundry works, for all who do not know. Anyone is able to make a map. Does not matter if you have gone through years of training in graphics design- or if you have no more experience than being able to work a mouse. As long as you can draw a rudimentary map using any of the approved programmes, you can have a go at making a map.

So has the foundry standards gone down, up or reached a plateau? The simple answer is all three.

Graphic by DiM, cleaned up by me. And he wants to talk about declining standards. :roll:
Image
This graph was posted by DiM in a thread that I set up in the foundry, asking the same question of the map makers.
DiM wrote:quality over time
red represents how the ideal foundry should be. constant increase where each new map is better than the last.
blue is how i see it. increase at first followed by a slight decline with a more recent slight increase.
green is how others seem to see it. increase at first followed by a plateau (consistency)
DiMs premise, of red being the ideal foundry, cannot be accomplished under the current system in the foundry. How can a new map maker be expected to produce a map with better graphics than a map maker who has produced 5 / 10 or even 20 maps.
Blue, with its up / down and finally up again is more like it. But with far more ups and downs.
Green, if the community see the foundry this way, is there a problem in the first place? Yes! The foundry should always be striving to do better.

3 levels of standards. Level one.
Graphic standards have gone up for some map makers. These are the map makers who after a while know there programme and how to manipulate the image in a way new map makers can only dream about. But can an experienced map maker constantly improve themselves (yes they should) or can they have an off day and produce a map that is below their standards. Of course they can, and they do (sometimes a bad day is just that, other times it seems as if an experienced map maker cannot be bothered to put more than 30 minutes into a map). But as long as the community is willing to play, it can get a pass.

3 levels of standards. Level two.
Other map makers have found a level of standards that work for them. While not striving to find anything new, they know what is acceptable and produce map after map that can pass. This sort of commitment is OK - as map making is not done overnight; but over many months. And again - as long as the map reaches the acceptable standards, and all problems are solved, it will get into play.

3 levels of standards. Level three.
We have a third group of map makers, these are the new guys that have a go. In beta now, 6 new map makers have got there first maps playing. Flapcake, ISN2, lostalimbo, Ace Rimmer, Seamus76 and myself. All of these maps have gone through the same foundry process as the others. Are these maps inferior to the others in play graphic wise? That is up to you to decide. All of these maps have been produced up to and beyond foundry guidelines. To get there, all 6 have gone through the foundry of today. That includes months of drafts with anyone able to comment, forcing changes if changes needed. Map makers may not like to change their maps, but they must if they cannot reasonably rebut valid comments.

Rules are for squares
Once a map has been awarded a stamp for gameplay, it is time to set about transforming it into a work of art that would sit comfortably alongside other CC maps in the Viewing Gallery. There are fairly few rules and restrictions about graphics development - graphical benchmarks are subjective and it is difficult to legislate for them: the Foundry Team members are the final arbiters of map quality, and will ultimately judge whether or not a map meets the Conquer Club standard.
This, apart from the few rules map makers have is the guideline for maps. The ones who have final say over this are the foundry CA's but more importantly, the foundry foreman. These are the guys that take your map and zoom in close, making sure there are no stray pixels, all the lines are nice. If they are not happy with the graphics, you cannot play your map. Useful hint for new map makers - don't piss any of them off. So the foundry standards can only be as good as the foundry staff. A group of people who give time freely to Conquer Club, guiding maps through the foundry. So if we look back at DiMs graphic, you can see that the newest foundry foreman (thenobodies) is doing a good job of getting the standards up.

Can it get better.
Can the standards of graphics get any better in the foundry? Maybe but not under the current system. When you look at the way maps are produced, there are many flaws but none that can be challenged. One of the requirements for new map makers to get a map into the main foundry, and beyond, is the ability to prove that they can produce the graphics to get into live play. But old map makers do not need to prove this as they have already done it. To keep standards going up (along the red line), make older map makers prove they can do it better than before. Force the DiMs, cairnswks and natty_dreads to not rely on the old, but come up with something new. Something we have never seen before.

Overload.
Overload of maps may also be a quality issue. How can a map maker really produce his best work consistently if they are trying to get 4 or more maps through the foundry at once. It may be a slow process in the foundry but now that we have over 200 maps to play, is this really an issue? 2011 produced 22 new maps. Right now, with the 3 names above ,we have 15 maps being readied to play and we are only in March! No matter how good you are, that sort of production will never produce the best maps. Limiting the amount of maps in the foundry by any maker (old or new) to one or two can only produce better maps.

Cutting out the fat.
Community support has been a concern in the foundry. Does the community want the maps being produced? Simply no! Most of the maps in the foundry today do not get the community's support and will get played a couple of thousand times and then forgotten by most. One of the rules is that the community must support a map before it gets moved into the main foundry. How many pages of comments and updates does a map maker need before it gets moved on? The foundry is a huge place with lots to see and read so can having 45 maps going through the foundry really garner the support needed by the limited number of people coming to the foundry? By limiting the amount of maps in the foundry for old and new map makers, we reduce the numbers. So if 30 people come to the foundry, all can get some support. The ones that do not, get binned (the maps not the people).

Do it my way.
Help, it is something we all need from time to time. New map makers need it more than the old. A mentoring programme, make the old train the new. Not only must they show community support for there maps, but make them show support for the community itself. There are maps in the recycling bin - like Murder One, Vietnam, Goblin Tribes - sitting there when we could of been playing them if an experienced map maker or even a CA had been assigned to oversee them from the start. All three maps had been started by new map makers but failed when the know how to carry on or community support fell away after time.

Who among us.
Lets bring DiMs graph back in here. I have added three lines to it (sorry for not getting copyright from you DiM).
Image
The bottom gold line now denotes the start of Conquer Club. The sort of graphics standard that produced the Middle East map. ImageThe middle line denotes current standardImage, and the one at the top denotes a higher standardImage. One that map makers should strive for but none have the knowledge to achieve. How can we reach the top line when none of the current map makers reach it. Simple enough, the site pays for professionals, or limits the makers to people who have proved themselves and close the foundry to everyone else. With all of the arguments against special edition maps, I cannot see this happening!

Bin it.
Lastly on graphics before game play comes into the argument, it has been shown that many map makers do not have the strength to produce a map. Maps that are in the foundry (drafting room and main foundry) that do not belong where they are. Things will always fall through the net when volunteers are used, but rules are rules and should be followed. If a map goes a month without an update, bin it, this will free up space and allow people to support the maps that are there. Lets go further and reduce this to two weeks. Real life as an argument against this cannot be used as an update brings it back in.

Game Play Time
Coleman a while ago, did a graph for the average games a day for each map. Here is the top ten.

Code: Select all

Classic              1309.14   		1	(2000000 BC)
Doodle Earth          215.29   		2	(2007)
Luxembourg            186.14  		3	(2008)
Feudal War            178.29   		4	(2007)
Arms Race!            148.71   		5	(2008)
World 2.1             116.57   		6	(2006)
Peloponnesian War     113.57   	7	(2009)
British Isles          99.29   		8	(2006)
New World              84.14   		9	(2008)
Age Of Realms 2: Magic 77.14  1	0	(2007)
And last year we had the 200 maps celebration. The chance for everyone to choose there favourite map. The top ten where...

Code: Select all

1. World 2.1 - 728 votes  		(2006)
2. Classic - 464 votes   		(2000000 BC)
3. British Isles - 426 votes   		(2006)
4. New World - 366 votes    		(2008)
5. Feudal War - 344 votes     		(2007)
6. First Nations Americas - 343 votes (2011)
7. Europe 1914 - 332 votes    		(2008)
8. Europe - 323 votes    		(2006)
9. American Civil War - 318 votes   	(2007)
10. Arms Race - 314 votes    		(2008)
If you look at both of these sets, only First Nations of Americas from 2011 hits and none from 2010. Wow. (Funny how improved graphics have not made a difference on these lists)

So is the problem with graphics or game play?

Game play is the essential side to any map. It comes before graphics, and has to be the start of everything. If game play is bad, it will never get to the graphics stage. But with no new ways of playing the game, nothing new can be done. How often can a game be copied and expect to have support? The range of maps that now have classic game play is too large. Maps like Classic, World 2.1, Doodle Earth are all the same (the Earth), just at different sizes. So does the community want DiMs World 3.0? Cairnswk has been producing the rail series, all the same game, just slightly different each time. How many of these maps really need to be made?

Luck
Game play now is often over analysed to the point that the starts are programmed in. Luck is removed as much as possible. And if all else fails, it changes in Beta play till it is perfect. But if the case for the removal of luck was such a strong one, why is there only one map from 2011 in either list? New ways of doing things can only come from the boss, the head honcho, the big cheese, the turtle in the sky. Please, anything new is welcomed by everybody!

New for Old
It has been suggested before, and I am bringing it up again as it is relevant for this, removing some maps that do not meet current standards for graphics and game play may not please the original map maker but it can be done quite easily. Recently, a graphics touch up was done on the Asia map (now Far East) and it really looks nice compared to the old. We currently have the North America revamp going ahead, another map that is often complained about. So this year then, two old tired maps that just do not cut it now will get a new look. We may get another done this year but by speeding this programme up, we can get the old looking like new faster. This can only be good for the site. By holding competitions, it allows the old map makers prove they can do it better than anyone else, and new ones to have a go.

Finally, well done for getting this far
A question for you...Which one are you?
How many of the old guard help the new guys in a proactive way?
How many just sit back and complain?
How many try something new?

In conclusion to this huge piece, game play beats graphics for popularity as long as the luck has not been completely removed. Graphics have not only not declined but have gotten better over the years, DiMs graph shows we have our ups and downs but the overall trend is up. Just look at the two lists and ask if any of those would get through the foundry today. Can graphics get better? Yes, but that comes with leadership and support. Leadership from the CA's and support from the old map makers. Without these, the foundry fails. The foundry may not be a perfect place, but it is a place we all love.

Happy gaming everyone, whatever map takes your fancy.Image

Next time, The death of the foundry.
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Welcome to the latest and greatest in terms of Clan news as we head off our section with an exciting update on the Semi-finals of the Newcomers Cup, and then graduate to the news on the League stage as it heads off down the final straight in Phase 1.
Next we welcome back our French correspondents as they report on their research into Clan Training Groups, this time with ++The Legion++.
And finally comes our creme de la creme, as our monthly exclusive on the latest changes to the F400 ranking by compiler Gunn217.

In other news we're also glad to congratulate our ACC and CC2 reporter alt1978 on his newly-minted appointment as the 4th Clan Director!

Leehar
Clan Executive


NC2 Semi-Finals Preview Skillfusniper33 (IF)
Spoiler
Well we have winners for each side of the wars, even though the war's haven't been completed yet. So here is a quick update on the scoreboard.

Quarter finals Score update
AKA Beats IF 24-19
LHDD Leads DYN 23-8. (Predicted final score of 26-17)

Semi Final's Preview

Image Vs Image
Both of these clans are very strong and are showcasing some great skill between them. With MD defeating HH by 1, then Number 1 Seed KOA, I see them being able to keep up with LHDD. But will that be enough for them to pull out the win? LHDD has put together a very nice set of wars in this tournament. First by beating TNC (also by 1 game), but then they come back and do some pretty decent damage to a tough group in DYN. Only time will be able to tell for who gets the spot in the finals. But I give the edge to our French Speaking friends in LHDD to come out on top of this war.

Image Vs Image
Now we have two clans who have had first round bye's, and are getting into their second war. We have the Number 2 vs the Number 3 seed in this war. Now looking back at both of the clan's first wars GR beat 1RFG by 9 games, and AKA beat IF by 5 games. Both of these clan's are very capable of taking each other down, but if AKA can't do any better than 1RFG did on GR's home set (GR won 16/21) I don't see AKA holding up. However, if AKA can pull out around a 50% win rate it will be a very fun war to watch as it finishes up. But don't count AKA out, (AKA won 13/21 vs IF). Even though they didn't have the same start GR did, they were able to hold onto their lead for the entire war. I am giving the edge in this war to GR, but it should be a very close battle to see who will continue onto the finals.

Congratulations to all 4 clans for making it to the Semi-finals, and Good luck.
Clan League 4 by DJ Teflon (Bofm)
Spoiler
Hey folks

Phase One of the Clan League is reaching an exciting stage as results start to come in. Whilst some divisions look to be fairly decided, others look very open. Clans continue to battle hard, whether it is to win their division or gain the highest possible position to determine the division they will play in for phase two.

It is anticipated that it will take a further 2-3 weeks for results in all divisions to be concluded, then clans will launch quickly into phase two.

The division tables in each division thread should all be up-to-date (and game list links and scores), and can be easily found by navigating from the main CL4 page:

Image
    • (Click here for the Main CL4 Thread - Rules, Tournament Format & Results)
Recruitment Method II by QuikSilver & DJoach (LHDD)
Spoiler
First of all, I'll start with a little recapitulation of my last article about MYTH and it's recruitment group, the Underworld. MYTH sees Underworld as a way to form potential recruits. MYTH members are not obligated to be part of Underworld, some new members go straight into MYTH while the majority go to the Underworld first to be tested and/or improve form. The formation aspect is really interesting, they refuse no one, everyone gets their chance to improve their skills. Some will be in the Underworld for weeks, others months before making it into MYTH. However they all get their chances! Landain finishes his interview with the sentence: ``Absolutely, a training ground for prospective clan members is a fantastic way of judging their skill level's, their communication skills and how they will fit in with your core members``.

Image

Now let's see what it's about in LEG and their recruitment group ++The Barracks++. We'll see that even if these groups were created for the same reasons, they have a huge difference in mentality.

Culs De Sac answered all my questions, let's see the answers!

How many clan members do you have?


28 At the moment

Do you have a limit on players allowed in the clan? (To keep it under control.)

We do not have a set number, however, we try to keep the number as low as possible to allow for more social setting. We don't want to a clan of numbers, but rather a group of friends who play competitively together.

Why at first did you create the Barracks, what was the interest? And when (the date) did you create it?

I can't give you the exact date, but The Barracks was created in order to have a forum in which we could converse with possible recruits without exposing them to our main thread. This allows us to see how they communicate, interest, and to facilitate a better CC experience even if they were not accepted into the Legion.

How is it organised?

It is a free standing forum. Anyone and everyone can start a thread about anything they would like to discuss, share, teach, etc. We do have 3 main threads which explain to recruits what the forum is about, a thread to keep them aprised of current events, and a ladder portion for game challenges.

Does every new member go to the Barracks or do some get a by-pass?

All legion members are part of it, as for recruits any and all recruits go into the Barracks first. If accepted they are added to the main forum.

How much time to they spend in the Barracks before getting refused/accepted on average?

This depends on the person. We pride ourselves in being professionals in the real world and CC being our hobby and leisure. So we look for personality more than we do for gameplay or stats. So some individuals don't stay very long and some stay. On average I would say 3 months before a new member is accepted. We like to play many games and vary the experience to get a sense of the person.

In average, how many new members you got each month? year?


We have slowed down in recruitment since we believe we have a solid core group. In the last year there were some changes and we had a push in recruitment. So we have accepted about 4-6 individuals.

Would you recommend the creation of a similar group for each competitive clan?

Each clan is different and has their own needs. The reason this setup works for The Legion is because our emphasis is on the person and not game play. Hence, we look for conversation and activity within a thread opposed to solely gameplay. So to answer the question, its yes and no based on the Clan.

We now see that those two groups are base on the same principles, but the way they see it is different. MYTH's mentality is more about forming players to team games and strategy. LEG is more about, looking for persons that they want to play with, regardless of stats and every member's a part of The Barracks. LEG know how to look for good players, but they look first for great people, for a solid core group. It's pretty hard to make LEG, but once in it they say it's for life.
French Version
Spoiler
Premièrement, nous allons faire un récapitulatif du dernier article avec MYTH et leur groupe de sélection, The Underworld. MYTH perçoit Underworld comme un moyen pour former des recrues potentielles. Ce groupe n'est pas obligatoire pour tous les futurs membres de MYTH. Certains nouveaux joueurs iront directement dans MYTH, tandis que la majorité sera d'abord testée, puis formée au besoin. L'aspect formateur est bien, car ils ne refusent personne, certains mettront quelques semaines avant de joindre le clan et d'autres quelques mois. Néanmoins, ils laissent la chance à tous les joueurs de s'améliorer. Landain finissait son topo par la recommandation suivante: ``Absolutely, a training ground for prospective clan members is a fantastic way of judging there skill level's, there communication skills and how they will fit in with your core members``. «Je le recommande, un terrain d'exercice afin de constater de leurs habiletés à communiquer, jouer et pour vérifier s'ils iront bien avec le groupe».

Voyons maintenant ce qu'il en est avec LEG et son groupe The Barracks. Nous verrons que même si le but du groupe de sélection est relativement le même, il y a une grosse différence dans la philosophie, la manière de le voir.

Regardons maintenant les réponses de Culs De Sac à mes questions.

Combien de membres avez-vous?

Pour le moment 28 membres.


Vous êtes-vous fixé une limite à ne pas dépasser?

Nous n'avons pas de nombre fixé, cependant, nous essayons de maintenir le nombre de membres le plus bas possible pour permettre un meilleur rapport social. Nous ne voulons pas un nombre de membres, mais un groupe d'amis jouant ensemble et voulant être compétitifs.

Pourquoi avez-vous créé The Barracks, quel était l'intérêt? Quand (la date) l'avez-vous créé?

Je ne pourrais pas dire la date exacte, mais The Barracks a été créé afin d'avoir un forum servant à communiquer facilement avec les recrues potentielles sans leur donner l'accès aux sujets principaux du forum de LEG. Cela nous permet de voir comment ils communiquent, leurs intérêts et agrémente l'expérience CC même s'ils ne feront jamais parties de LEG.

Comment est-ce organisé?

C'est un forum libre. N'importe qui peut créer un sujet à propos de ce qu'il veut! Que ce soit pour partager un truc, apprendre des tactiques, tec. Nous avons trois sujets qui expliquent ce qu'est le forum, se maintenir à jour sur les événements et une place pour les challenges à propos de CC.

Est-ce que toutes les recrues potentielles feront partie de The Barracks ou certains iront directement dans LEG?

Tous les membres de LEG sont aussi des membres de The Barracks, alors les recrues aussi iront sans exception dans The Barracks. Après quoi, ils iront peut être un jour dans LEG.

Combien de temps les recrues passent-elles dans The Barracks avant d'être acceptées/refuser en moyenne?

Cela dépend de la personne. Nous sommes fiers de nous afficher comme des professionnels dans le monde de CC, un monde de passe-temps. Alors, nous cherchons plutôt l'individu et non le joueur ou ses stats. Certains individus ne restent pas longtemps et d'autre oui. En moyenne je dirais trois mois avant qu'il soit accepté ou refusé. Nous aimons jouer beaucoup de parties et varier l'expérience de jeu pour tâter le pouls de la personne.

En moyenne, combien de nouveaux membres comptez-vous par mois? Année?

Nous avons ralenti le recrutement depuis que nous croyons en un noyau solide. Dans la dernière année, nous avons connus quelques changements et nous avons donné un petit coup dans le recrutement. Nous y avons alors accepté 4-6 individus.

Recommanderiez-vous la création d'un groupe similaire pour chaque compétitif clan?

Chaque clan est différent et possède ses propres besoins. La raison pour laquelle ce système fonctionne pour LEG est que l'on met beaucoup d'emphase sur la personne et moins sur la manière de jouer. Nous cherchons la conversation et être actif dans les discussions plutôt que les joueurs solos. Alors pour répondre à la question je dirais oui et non, dépendamment du clan.


Nous constatons donc que même si c'est deux groupe on le même principe, soit de repérer les bons joueurs et avec qui nous voulons jouer, la philosophie est différente. En effet MYTH perçoit Underworld comme un groupe pour former ses recrues et tous les joueurs de MYTH ne sont pas obligés d'en faire partie. Tandis que chez LEG, tous les joueurs sans exception feront parties de The Barracks et le but est d'abord et avant tout de voir si l'individu nous plait. LEG sait s'entourer de bon joueur, mais surtout jouer unit. Ils se vantent d'ailleurs que lorsque l'on rentre chez LEG, c'est souvent pour la vie, car il peut être dur d'y rentrer.

*Toutes les questions et réponses furent traduitent de l'anglais*
F400 Ranking by Gunn217 (PR)
Spoiler
The F400 welcomes a couple of new clans to the mix this month in Warriors at Risk (14) and Manifest Destiny (17). Yet mores examples of new entries showing up pretty high despite the young age of the clan. Can they withstand the test of time? Will they wither under the pressure and settle lower in the rankings? Both new clans are packed full of members that aren't new to the clan scene so they may very well deserve to be where they are.

With most clans getting just coming out of a holiday break and getting started with the CL4 not much has changed in the ranking this month. Expect that to change pretty soon with some heavy hitting challenges heating up between #3 EMPIRE vs #6 PACK and #4 TOFU and #12 PIG and the rare but titalizing #1 vs #2 in KORT vs TSM. Could this be the validating challenge The PACK has been waiting for or will EMPIRE put a halt to the PACK's meteoric rise? TOFU is looking to return to the top of the ranking after a brief hiatus while The Pig Renters are in search of that defining win in their relative short existence. What can be written about a #1 vs #2 matchup? Just watch and enjoy!

I'm not sure what impact the CL4 will have on the rankings. I lowered the minimum games played requirement to 12 so that we could include the matchups but after entering several of the completed matchups from phase 1 it doesn't appear that it made much difference. I'll keep plugging them in there and see what happens.
Click image to enlarge.
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DoomYoshi
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Re: CC Dispatch [Issue 66 03-03-12] The Bite of Master Fenri

Post by DoomYoshi »

Where is the cartography section?
░▒▒▓▓▓▒▒░
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thehippo8
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Re: CC Dispatch [Issue 66 03-03-12] The Bite of Master Fenri

Post by thehippo8 »

DoomYoshi wrote:Where is the cartography section?
Is that a trick question? :roll:
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Denise
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Re: CC Dispatch [Issue 66 03-03-12] The Bite of Master Fenri

Post by Denise »

aw, I was looking forward to part 3 of Fenrir's interview, but there's nothing there. Great job on the issue, though.
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Re: CC Dispatch [Issue 66 03-03-12] The Bite of Master Fenri

Post by Victor Sullivan »

Denise wrote:aw, I was looking forward to part 3 of Fenrir's interview, but there's nothing there. Great job on the issue, though.
Thanks, Denise. I have fixed the issue :)

-Sully
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grifftron
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Re: CC Dispatch [Issue 66 03-03-12] The Bite of Master Fenri

Post by grifftron »

Why wasn't my question asked
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Swifte
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Re: CC Dispatch [Issue 66 03-03-12] The Bite of Master Fenri

Post by Swifte »

It's in there.... look closelier...

Q. How did it feel to join IA halfway thru the war with the pack as a glimpse of hope to destroy the pack, only for that hope to be stripped away as the pack toppled over IA and their midway recruit at the finish line?
Fenrir: I think I went 4-2 in my games, so I felt just fine. In fact, I’m really proud of you guys! Keep on trucking and you’ll eventually be able to shrug off that shroud of mediocrity. Others disagree, but I support The Pack with all of my heart and soul. You won’t be middling forever!
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Re: CC Dispatch [Issue 66 03-03-12] The Bite of Master Fenri

Post by anonymus »

ENJOYED IT!
although next issue should have a guide on the difference of % and %-units especially in a segment about odds and probability it makes all the difference..

/ :?:
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BoganGod speaks the truth
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grifftron
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Re: CC Dispatch [Issue 66 03-03-12] The Bite of Master Fenri

Post by grifftron »

Swifte wrote:It's in there.... look closelier...

Q. How did it feel to join IA halfway thru the war with the pack as a glimpse of hope to destroy the pack, only for that hope to be stripped away as the pack toppled over IA and their midway recruit at the finish line?
Fenrir: I think I went 4-2 in my games, so I felt just fine. In fact, I’m really proud of you guys! Keep on trucking and you’ll eventually be able to shrug off that shroud of mediocrity. Others disagree, but I support The Pack with all of my heart and soul. You won’t be middling forever!
Ah it was in there, i missed it while skimming as everyone else who asked questions got the little (callout) lips but all I got was a word changed question, but good enough.. good answer MF.. although clans are for team players, so just like in bball, even tho you make the most shots in the game, doesn't matter if your team doesn't win bud :geek:
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Re: CC Dispatch [Issue 66 03-03-12] The Bite of Master Fenri

Post by thehippo8 »

anonymus wrote:ENJOYED IT!
although next issue should have a guide on the difference of % and %-units especially in a segment about odds and probability it makes all the difference..

/ :?:
You're on the team !!

... now write the aticle!!
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Re: CC Dispatch [Issue 66 03-03-12] The Bite of Master Fenri

Post by danryan »

grifftron wrote:
Swifte wrote:It's in there.... look closelier...

Q. How did it feel to join IA halfway thru the war with the pack as a glimpse of hope to destroy the pack, only for that hope to be stripped away as the pack toppled over IA and their midway recruit at the finish line?
Fenrir: I think I went 4-2 in my games, so I felt just fine. In fact, I’m really proud of you guys! Keep on trucking and you’ll eventually be able to shrug off that shroud of mediocrity. Others disagree, but I support The Pack with all of my heart and soul. You won’t be middling forever!
Ah it was in there, i missed it while skimming as everyone else who asked questions got the little (callout) lips but all I got was a word changed question, but good enough.. good answer MF.. although clans are for team players, so just like in bball, even tho you make the most shots in the game, doesn't matter if your team doesn't win bud :geek:
He owned you, that's all that matters. Don't be butthurt about it, you won the war. :lol:
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Re: CC Dispatch [Issue 66 03-03-12] The Bite of Master Fenri

Post by PepeAtila »

I don't understand very well whay should I do. So if it is to write a sentence :D
"TPA told me to organize a terminator game, then I thought what the hell! Exterminator"...

even my English didn't improve so much, I can read up to 5 lines
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