Welcome Comrades to the 76th edition of the Dispatch
Sully is still MIA, so I, safariguy5 am publishing this issue in his stead.
I'd like to welcome vodean to the freestyle team. Vodean has a fun little article about CC addiction for you all to read this issue.
A serious discussion on the rifts in the CC Foundry can be found in the foundry section. I encourage everyone with an interest in map creation to take a look at it.
We have a long awaited update on the TPA2 proceeding in the Tournament section. I know many readers have participated in the TPA2 in one way or another, so the article should give some clarity on the standings.
In clans, we have an update on the New Comers Cup and the start of the ACC. Some very close and exciting wars going on there.
safariguy5
Chief Executive
If you would like to apply to join the news team, please visit the thread below for more details!
Click here for Recruitment Details...
We welcome a new Freestyle Reporter, vodean. A good article on curbing CC addiction, an interrogation of Leehar, and another Scum Insider are on tap this issue.
You Stay Classy, CC.
safariguy5
Freestyle Executive
CC is Not a Game by vodean
Spoiler
It’s a way of life. And it's unhealthy. CC is an addiction we all struggle with every day. (Or every few days for those of us with low turns-taken stats.) Some play 200 games at a time. Some are so into clan life that they have no life. Some lose touch with their spouses. Some only speak to their spouses by PM. I find myself trying to find ways to split 24 hours into 27. 12 for sleep, three for mafia, four for turns, five for chat, and the remaining browsing UserGroups and fora.
It’s a serious problem. I have no other time, so I eat in my sleep. Im sure im not the only one. For us CC'ers, especially those of you wasting time reading this boring s***, we wake up in the morning, and log into CC. We take turns as we wake up, and as we shower, we catch up on PMs, and the critical Forum sections. Then on the commute (into the city or just over to the couch) we prioritize the rest of our forum browsing.
At work, we devise complex schemes to do what we love and make money doing it. At school we devise schemes to make our teachers think we care. We give up sleep. We eat the non-essential laptop components as a time-saver. So don’t say CC is a game. Because this is serious, and we need help.
Perhaps as a community, we can learn to live with our condition, and to appear more normal so that we do not drive new members away. Perhaps we can all migrate to some other site that is so colorful it hurts the eyes. I bet that we would not spend more than 15 minutes a day on a site like LandGrab…
I propose, to save us from ourselves, these 5 easy steps:
More to come in the next article.
It’s a serious problem. I have no other time, so I eat in my sleep. Im sure im not the only one. For us CC'ers, especially those of you wasting time reading this boring s***, we wake up in the morning, and log into CC. We take turns as we wake up, and as we shower, we catch up on PMs, and the critical Forum sections. Then on the commute (into the city or just over to the couch) we prioritize the rest of our forum browsing.
At work, we devise complex schemes to do what we love and make money doing it. At school we devise schemes to make our teachers think we care. We give up sleep. We eat the non-essential laptop components as a time-saver. So don’t say CC is a game. Because this is serious, and we need help.
Perhaps as a community, we can learn to live with our condition, and to appear more normal so that we do not drive new members away. Perhaps we can all migrate to some other site that is so colorful it hurts the eyes. I bet that we would not spend more than 15 minutes a day on a site like LandGrab…
I propose, to save us from ourselves, these 5 easy steps:
- tell your employer, school, or ISP that CC is linked to a group of hackers, and that it is prudent that they block it ASAP.
- take a leaf out of nagerous' book, and party every Friday and Saturday. If we are partying, we 'aint CCing. Though in the good years, they were one and the same
- now these next steps are more complex, but if you can master them, you've done it. Focus on ONE part of the forum, and only go on chat for 30 minutes per day
- go freemium, or otherwise limit yourself to four games at a time
- STOP ORGANISING STUFF. We CCers (or many of us, who are highly dedicated) love to earn medals. Stop organising tournaments, or participating in contests, or running mafia games.
More to come in the next article.
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
Simpson's Mafia ended recently with Town winning in very convincing fashion. Possible explanations include a possibly overpowered town and the quick demise of the Cult.
Mafia Callouts
Calling all players interested! Some mafia games need some filling:
Sign-ups:
Consult the Replacement Thread to see what games are in need of reserves/replacements.
Now get out there and investigate Mafia for yourself: http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=213
Advanced Roles and Strategy by safariguy5
The possible implications behind requesting a deadline are explored this issue.
Requesting a Deadline
What is It?
Requesting a deadline is when a player asks the mod to institute a deadline. This can be done for a variety of reasons, but usually it is because the player believes the game has slowed. This is linked to requesting a prod or vote count, but the implications of a deadline request can be much more meaningful than requesting relatively innocuous things like vote counts.
Example
Alice requests a deadline from Bob, who is the mod. Bob can choose to honor Alice's request or not.
How to Use this Strategy
In general, Town players use this strategy when they cannot decide between multiple lynch candidates with relatively equal amount of votes. This can be a way to get everyone to discuss the plan and break a deadlock.
Mafia players tend to use this strategy if they sense that a day is stalling without any strong leads. It's a good way to appear townish and active, and may force a no lynch if nobody can bring a decent case when the mod introduces a guideline.
This strategy is pretty heavily tied to Meta, but timing is key in determining if the player is trying to be helpful or trying to avoid a lynch.
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
Simpson's Mafia ended recently with Town winning in very convincing fashion. Possible explanations include a possibly overpowered town and the quick demise of the Cult.
Mafia Callouts
Calling all players interested! Some mafia games need some filling:
Sign-ups:
- Clever's Star Wars Mafia by Some7hingCLEVER
- Alphabet Mafia 2 by LSU Tiger Josh
- JK9++ Mafia by DoomYoshi
Consult the Replacement Thread to see what games are in need of reserves/replacements.
Now get out there and investigate Mafia for yourself: http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=213
Advanced Roles and Strategy by safariguy5
The possible implications behind requesting a deadline are explored this issue.
Requesting a Deadline
What is It?
Requesting a deadline is when a player asks the mod to institute a deadline. This can be done for a variety of reasons, but usually it is because the player believes the game has slowed. This is linked to requesting a prod or vote count, but the implications of a deadline request can be much more meaningful than requesting relatively innocuous things like vote counts.
Example
Alice requests a deadline from Bob, who is the mod. Bob can choose to honor Alice's request or not.
How to Use this Strategy
In general, Town players use this strategy when they cannot decide between multiple lynch candidates with relatively equal amount of votes. This can be a way to get everyone to discuss the plan and break a deadlock.
Mafia players tend to use this strategy if they sense that a day is stalling without any strong leads. It's a good way to appear townish and active, and may force a no lynch if nobody can bring a decent case when the mod introduces a guideline.
This strategy is pretty heavily tied to Meta, but timing is key in determining if the player is trying to be helpful or trying to avoid a lynch.
Interrogation of Leehar
Hi Leehar!
Q. Aisle or Window seat?
Window. I've always been told to take Aisle because of greater leg-room, but it just doesn't compare to having a window. Plus, it's always fun when you're able to 1-up the siblings
Q. Are you in any way related to Gen.Lee? (By blood, arms or [insert word here])
He changed his name considerably after I had joined the site, (and perhaps even after I became a chat mod) so maybe he was trying to create a connection to me because of the Awe I left him in
Q. Why are you so inactive in the mafia forums lately?
After the exams in June, most of my mafia games ended up winding down, and I didn't want to spend time starting up a new game in the Holidays when I was hoping to actually get out and be active instead of lazing in front of the pc honing my argumentative skills
However, there was a vague plan to pick it up again after Battle of the Bulge - Day 3 - POSTPONED got back on track, but now with a new semester having started up, who knows
Q. Can you come clean my (vodean) wall for me?
vodean, you're too far away
Q. What's the most important thing separating good players from bad?
Recklessness, it's not an easy thing to detect, but more often than not it's mistakes that lose games, rather than a superior strategy that wins them, and the ability not to get frustrated (despite bad dice etc) and charge heedlessly into battle is an asset it takes a while to learn
Q. If you are so good with stats, what is our (pmchugh) head to head record?
1-1? Close to 100 games together with 70% WP, but only the 2 against?
Q. Do you think Empire have what it takes to win CC3?
Yes, CC's an ever-changing landscape, but Emp as a top challenger through the aeons has been a consistent theme. Plus, the odds are pretty good for us to at least face Kort in the final after losing to them in Quarters 2 years ago, and Semi's last year
All we have to do is avoid letting Josko.ri get a 16-3 record again!
Q. Kill one, marry one, f*ck one; me (pmchugh), maas and freak.
Kill maas, Assault Freak, Torture Pmc, What can I say, I'm bloodthirsty
Q. What's your favorite part of being in a clan?
The Fellowship. It's a place where I'm able to be competitive and try to improve both as a gamer and with general strategic goals (in that there is a general intent on working on excellence), but at the same time somewhere I can let my hair down, and know my teammates are accepting of my faults as well as my strengths. "Be Good at what you do, and have fun doing it" is a phrase oft-quoted, and I really believe thats somewhere I've been fortunate to have fallen into.
Q. If you could switch usernames with another active user, who would it be and why?
JackOfAllTrades, and then I could make a multi of MasterOfNone!
But seriously, I've always considered myself as being capable at myriad things, but never really above all in one. There's so much to do that it's preferable to be balanced in most, rather than excel at one thing to the detriment of all others. And then it was cool to know that the first JOAT was actually part of my clan
Q. In ten years, will CC most likely be A) an online dating site or B) a porn site?
CiA home base
Q. Do you prefer Star Wars or Lord of the Rings?
Lotr, mostly because I wasted 14 hours reading all the books. Plus I'm still bemused by why Lucas made prequels. A New Hope needed old despair?
Q. Do you prefer chicken or turkey?
Chicken, 'cause we all say Turkey tastes like Chicken anyway
Q. Do you prefer Rugby or Cricket?
Cricket, who on earth is gonna get a triple century in Rugby! (Plus there are too many obvious knock-offs of Rugby, League, AFL, American Football etc )
Q. Do you prefer to fly or ride a train?
Fly, tho 12 hr train journeys are somewhat easier to bear with actual beds in the Sleeper Decks, the ones I've been in still don't have tv's
Q. Do you prefer Orange juice or Apple Juice?
Apple, Orange somehow always gives you a shiver when it goes down
Q. Do you prefer turn based or real time strategy?
I'm still playing this turn-based, while I've dropped most rts games, so you tell me
Q. Do you prefer Purple or Pink?
Purple, mostly because Pink offends my masculinity
Q. Do you prefer smooth jazz or fast rock?
Fast rock, it's almost like comparing active vs passive
Q. Do you prefer Dragons or Centaurs?
Centaurs, Sagittarius
Q. Do you prefer boxing or UFC?
I had to google UFC
But still Boxing, MMA is interesting, but duking it out mano-a-mano is pretty cool
Q. Do you prefer orcs or uruk-hai?
Orcs, because uruk-hai seems to be another shoddy off-shoot that didn't catch on after lotr
Q. Do you prefer nightmare on elm street or Friday the 13th?
I live parallel to an elm street, so it has to be Friday!
Q. Do you prefer the Bolivian flag or the Ethiopian flag?
Ethiopian, They have SS apparently, and have you ever tried to pronounce Haile Gebrselassie?
& Bigger = Better!
Bolivia:
Ethiopia:
Q. Do you prefer pokemon or digimon?
Pocket Monsters, It's had a bazillion iterations, but at least I know Ash & pikachu!
Q. Do you prefer Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth?
R&J, French > English
Q. Do you prefer Avatar or Pocahontas?
Avatar, 3D ftw!
Q. Do you prefer Jelly (the wobbly kind) or Custard?
Jelly, I doubt I'd eat either option, but at least I can have fun poking the jelly
Q. Do you prefer chicken salad or tuna salad sandwiches?
Chicken & Tuna, without the salad bits
Q. Do you prefer lilies or tulips?
Lillies, how many people do you know called Tulip?
Q. Do you prefer rain or snow?
Snow, you ever tried making a Rainman? Oh wait...
Q. Do you prefer Bowling or Mini-Golf?
Bowling, I've crossed three digits in Bowling! The same for golf, but thats not something I like to share
Q. Do you prefer throwing a frisbee or a ball?
A Ball, Since hitting a frisbee with a bat doesn't always work out so well.
Q. Do you prefer Squirrels or Rabbits?
Squirrels. Live in Trees or Underground!
Q. Do you prefer hunting or fishing?
Hunting, at least I can shoot stuff! (Interesting active/passive correlation with earlier!)
Q. Do you prefer Blackjack or Poker?
Poker, More options so more ability to assert your own influence to the game, rather than just trying to make 21 with a discrete number of probabilities (same reason I dislike that roulette thing)
Q. Do you prefer pancakes or waffles or french toast?
Waffles, Chocolate Pancakes or French Toast doesn't work
Q. Do you prefer Jeans or Chinos?
Jeans from China?
Q. Do you prefer blades of glory or talledega nights?
BoG
Q. Do you prefer Croatia or Serbia?
Josko vs Freak?
Lets go neutral and choose Albania!
Q. Do you prefer spicy or mild?
Lemon & Herb
Q. Do you prefer playstation or xbox?
PC
Q. Do you prefer hot or cold cereal?
I've never tried heating or freezing cereal
Cold milk tho
Q. Do you prefer my (pmchugh) questions or maasmans?
Whoevers Odd, not Even
Q. Do you prefer escalating or flat rate?
Esc, Just because Flat rate's mixed sets are harmful!
Q. Do you prefer Empire or Nemesis?
Nempiresis
Q. Do you prefer to be too hot or too cold?
I'm just thankful SA has decent weather. I've been to the Humid deserts in the Middle Easts, and the Freezing Climes of Ireland (:s), and they both hurt
Q. Do you prefer the tango or a waltz?
It takes two to tango, so I may as well waltz along
Q. Do you prefer to bike or to run?
Drive
Q. Do you prefer Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Toughie, can't decide between the accents! Think I'll go for the Italian!
Q. Do you prefer to read or play video games?
Unfortunately Reading often seems to tread near Studying, so preference is definitely Gaming!
Q. Do you prefer bold or underlined?
strike-through
Q. Do you prefer a quick victory or something long and drawn out?
Quick. Get 2 wins for the price of 1. Tho it must be said that sometimes a long and drawn out win is pretty fulfilling, it just doesn't really count much for points
Q.
No, it's the same attribute coming through as when I tell him to fort me some troops, but instead he attacks me with them
Q. What do you think about the back and forth between pmc and maas? Would have preferred to be water boarded?
I asked them to give me questions, I can't very well complain when they oblige
It's also given me the dubious honour of more questions than our recently forcibly retired conqueror, and indeed more Q's than anyone in the history of Interrogations, so I'll take the accolade to my death bed
Q. How do you feel about questions that work off previous questions? How do you feel about irony?
It provides a foundation for people to build on, so more often than not, anything is better than nothing, and who knows, maybe I'll be asked for something insightful further down this page
Irony is just sarcasm leaving the mind
see what I did there!
Q. Are you going to answer all questions?
All the questions in this article have answers in them, I'll just take the 5th on who actually did the answering And there's a question I took the 5th on that won't pop up here, subject yourself to the torture of discovering which it is
Q. Would you prefer me (chapcrap) change my username to Nitsua?
You caught it huh!
I was yet to find out anyone to discover my anagram, so glad you did without me saying so
Q. If the Empire is no more, as empire's are want to do, will you join the VDLL?
Also can you recite a poem in boers?
Ek kan nie!
As you'd discover from my rare appearances in Vereniging voor Nederlandstaligen (VN), my afrikaans is terrible, and by extension the slim connection it has to Dutch makes my sentences come out horribly mangled. So I can recite a poem for you, and in a tolerable accent as well, just don't expect me to tell you what went on in the poetry
Q. Do you think you would have stayed around on cc if someone didn't buy you that first premium?
It's really hard to know. I managed to stay around for perhaps 6 months to a year as a freemium when I first joined, and since Ignorance is bliss, I doubt I really knew completely what I was missing, except that it was something worth pining for
I can say tho that If I did lose my premium in the future, I doubt I'd be able to stay around with a 4 game limit. It's almost a case of all, or nothing; with just 4 games, it's very easy to let them slide and not log on often. Indeed, thats probably why my turns played is still @ 99% from those first 500 or so games.
Q. How do you feel about the fact that you've already gotten as many questions as me (Dukasaur) and safariguy combined, and it's only the second day of your interrogation thread?
I'm more disappointed I've probably gotten a lesser percentage of Q's since that second day then you and saf divided!
Q. If you were a pokemon, which pokemon would you be?
1 of the first 150, of whom I probably still only know less than 20%!
Perhaps that fox one that can evolve into 4? Eevee?
Again, always like to have options. See how one goes, and then respawn and try another evolution
Q. Is it likely you will ignore the first 3 pages of this thread?
It was probable the first 3 pages would have caused me to ignore the whole thread
But after I started, it was a sense of just needing to grind through the rest, so decided I may as well follow-through.
Q. What are your feelings on clans who actively poach members from other clans, particularly similarly ranked clans?
It's just disheartening to see, because essentially still only ~20% of the site, if not less are in clans, so why not take the time to identify and nurture untouched talent, rather than be a blood-thirsty recruiter looking for scalps from your peers?
And then also, It's definitely not nice to see players hopping from 1 clan to the next. I still somewhat believe that a clan is a strong enough relationship, that it really should be for 'life'. You've resolved to be part of this group of players, and to just drop them like a sack of hot coals seems distasteful
Q. What is the funniest thing you have come across on this site?
HardBalls
Q. What would it take for you to learn serbian and join otpisani?
Playing in some games where serb is spoken. I spent over a year in a clan with 6-10 serbs, and never had a single line of Team Chat in Serb
Q. If you were lack what one thing would you do first to stop the rot on ConquerClub?
Sitter Feature.
Q. If you could make one person in this thread vanish from existence who would it be? and why?
You, 'cause I don't know ya, so it's not much loss to me
Q. Is BOSTONGUITAH the greatest smack talker or is BOSTONGUITAH the greatest smacktalker???
He's the greatest Boston Guitar!
Q. Do you prefer barbie toys or bratz toys?
Ken dolls
Q. Elton John or Ricky Martin?
Ricky Martin, easy enough to understand for my clan mates
Q. Do you prefer cats or dogs?
I have been scratched a billion times when trying to pet cats, so it has to be dogs, though Simba does seem to come close to jumping up and biting me some days
Q. Favorite part of being a CC mod?
Free Premium, it keeps me on the site
Q. Why the entertainment team over the others?
They were the only one who'd take me after I was so grievously kicked from my previous mod position
Q. Thoughts on the alternating questions by pmc and maasman?
That it's even harder to know whether I've answered this Q already
Q. What did your girlfriend said when she caught you wearing her panties and stockings?
That it's about time you woke up from this nightmare since you don't even have a gf
Q. If you were a non-mod, who would you be?
An endangered species
Q. If you could have your own unique medal, what would it be?
Pokemon Diamond too many pokemon Q's!
Q. If you could add your own question to this interrogation thread, what would it be?
Why do you make time to answer Questions on the web, when you don't even do your Tutorial Questions for Class?
Q. Do you prefer pmc or maasman? (hint: neither is a viable answer. you can also just say that you least prefer pmc, because hes so scummy)
Pmc, because it always makes me think of applying to PWC!
Q. What is the question you most want asked? What is the answer?
Whats the Answer to the Universe?
42
Q. What is the answer you most want to give?
Dr Accounts Receivable
Cr Sales
Q. If you answered that you prefer Lord of the Rings over Star Wars, then what is the way you least want to die?
Falling into Mount Doom
Q. What is your favourite war of the past?
The Napoleonic Wars. Little Dynamite!
Q. What is your favourite nation (aside from the one in which you live)?
Italia!
Q. Why?
Since I'm an Italian Citizen, even if I've lived there barely beyond a year
Q. What drives you in life?
A roller-coaster!
Q. What is your life goal?
To be a flame that burns brightly, even if I'm to be extinguished eventually!
Q. What is your dream career?
I really wanted to be a neurosurgeon, now I'll settle for a CEO position courtesy of the CA route!
Q. Who is flying the coolest signature on CC?
Is that a trick question? Me of-course!
Though I do like jricart's! And I'm glad to have helped procure swimmerdude99's sig.
It's actually surprising to see so many anime related ones, It's the only way I knew jghost7 watched Bleach, and Deathwink actually even chose his name from the One Piece okama!
Q. Aside from your own clan, which is your favourite?
Nemesis. I also have a fondness for TSM courtesy of skillfull and my predecessor in the clan team, laughingcavalier. And then of-course Otpisani, and Foed possess former clanmates of mine so I feel like I have a vested interest with them!
Q. Which Mass Effect is your favorite?
2! It was more fulfilling than the first, and less disappointing than the last.
Q. How has your life changed since the end of apartheid?
It's been a gradual change, but it has certainly been self-evident. It's been great to see how the transition helped retain so much of the infrastructure and the like that still contributes to making SA one of the most developed countries in Africa, while letting the majority get a greater piece of the pie. It's also been intriguing to see how I started off in my Model C school with perhaps only as many as 5 black students in the class of 30, and to see that improve along the years, to the point where my university probably has as many as 250-300 of the current class of 400 in 3rd year. However, it's still a bit disheartening to see that there are still cliques that form mostly along racial lines outside of class. The Indians only 'chill' with the indians, the whites with whites etc.
And then, even the majority of the students are black, that transformation hasn't really extended to the Teaching staff as yet. Out of the Academic staff of perhaps 40-60, probably less than 10 are black, and of those 1 is Ghanaian, 2 are Nigerian, and there's even a few Zimbabweans!
Q. What's your favorite video game?
Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
Fifa 12 - I unfortunately still play with a keyboard
& Trackmania is a fun racing game to get back into every now and then. I think I was perhaps in the top 10 in SA, and top 5k overall at one stage with 252/3 medals out of 260. However, these things take a bit of time investment, and after checking it online (after a few years) just the other day, I was lagging near the end of the field for the most part!
Q. Favorite comic book?
Do Manga count?
Black Cat!
But I have a whole list of currently reading! http://www.mangaeden.com/mymanga/leehar/
A lot incomplete, and some that didn't transfer from OM, But at least I have a solid bunch I didn't drop completely!
Q. In the movie about your life, who's playing you as the lead? What's on the soundtrack?
Matt Damon, he carries a South African accent pretty well!
Something Melancholy!
Q. What would make catnipdreams even more terrifying as a team player?
If she never went to bed! Otherwise I'd be trying to keep up with chat messages 24/7!
Q. Sideburns or mullet?
Sideburns, my Beard actually used to look like that for a while because it wouldn't grow on my chin! :/
Q. Did you enjoy Wac-A-Mod?
I'll have to check my record to see if I won enough to have enjoyed the destruction
Q. Will you accept my apologies?
lol, As long as it comes with us achieving at least 1 win in the 10 games we played together!
Q. What's the point in trying to help people if they make stupid errors anyway?
If you fail once, try try again. I'm glad to know that you at least read my chat tho, even if you didn't really apply it that much
Q. I (thehippo8) assume that you are going to avoid partnering me like the plague but will you nevertheless accept my admiration at your skill?
Lol, I can't deny it was sometimes agony teaming with you, but I still somewhat believe I'm also at fault for not being much of a team leader that can coach along turn-by-turn a la the likes of Fruitcake et al. You obviously didn't really have that much experience with Team games, but I should've been able to help you along probably more than I did
Q. What is skill?
Smart Killing!
Q. How did you get to know so much about clans?
I had a project once upon a time to build a Clan Wiki...
It kinda never really gathered enough steam, perhaps also because I wasn't completely dedicated to compiling it, but it was still a valuable experience in learning about such a unique niche in the site.
Also, reading through every challenge thread in the Active Challenges subforum, was hugely informative, just to know the dynamics between players and clans, as well see at a glance what people were doing in their games with the useful Game Link add-on
Q. What succession plan do you have in place for your position in the newsletter?
Gathering deputies, who can hopefully keep the section going without me before stepping up the ladder if they're interested.
Q. Are you really leaving us?
I'm still mulling over it, I have to give it some thought before making the relatively major decision.
Q. Why?
It's all hush hush, but mostly because I first have to look within myself to see if I'm capable of doing the responsibilities assigned, and secondly if I can even hand over the mantle easily
Q. Will you stay if we all chant your name loudly?
No, you gotta sing it, slowly! Making a poem could help as well
Q. Don't you hate smartarses who create unreasonable lies about people with no basis whatsoever but then other people believe the lies and than ask you deep and meaningless questions?
Nope, one mans lie, is another mans truth. And the best lies are the ones that approximate the truth
Q. How much do you love me (vodean)?
Perhaps slightly more than you love me :->
Q. If you were stranded on an island for the rest of your life would you rather have your sole companion be a mermaid or a reverse-mermaid (top half fish, bottom half mermaid) and why?
Mermaid, I'd imagine it's tougher to swim away from the island as a Reverse-mermaid with the same legs as me.
Q. On a scale of 1-100, how much do you like kittens?
-5
Q.
If you choose to answer this with a negative number, we'll (chapcrap) be better friends.
Surprisingly I decided on a negative before seeing this Q! Great minds and all that huh! ;>
Q.
Is that a question?
I answered it, so I guess it qualifies!
Q.
Are you (pmchugh) a question?
I am The Answer
Q. Odd or Even?
Even, just because I'm aged on an even number currently! The answer'll change in a year :>
Q. Flotsam or Jetsam?
Jet
What on earth is a Flot?!
Thanks for your time Leehar!
Q. Aisle or Window seat?
Window. I've always been told to take Aisle because of greater leg-room, but it just doesn't compare to having a window. Plus, it's always fun when you're able to 1-up the siblings
Q. Are you in any way related to Gen.Lee? (By blood, arms or [insert word here])
He changed his name considerably after I had joined the site, (and perhaps even after I became a chat mod) so maybe he was trying to create a connection to me because of the Awe I left him in
Q. Why are you so inactive in the mafia forums lately?
After the exams in June, most of my mafia games ended up winding down, and I didn't want to spend time starting up a new game in the Holidays when I was hoping to actually get out and be active instead of lazing in front of the pc honing my argumentative skills
However, there was a vague plan to pick it up again after Battle of the Bulge - Day 3 - POSTPONED got back on track, but now with a new semester having started up, who knows
Q. Can you come clean my (vodean) wall for me?
vodean, you're too far away
Q. What's the most important thing separating good players from bad?
Recklessness, it's not an easy thing to detect, but more often than not it's mistakes that lose games, rather than a superior strategy that wins them, and the ability not to get frustrated (despite bad dice etc) and charge heedlessly into battle is an asset it takes a while to learn
Q. If you are so good with stats, what is our (pmchugh) head to head record?
1-1? Close to 100 games together with 70% WP, but only the 2 against?
Q. Do you think Empire have what it takes to win CC3?
Yes, CC's an ever-changing landscape, but Emp as a top challenger through the aeons has been a consistent theme. Plus, the odds are pretty good for us to at least face Kort in the final after losing to them in Quarters 2 years ago, and Semi's last year
All we have to do is avoid letting Josko.ri get a 16-3 record again!
Q. Kill one, marry one, f*ck one; me (pmchugh), maas and freak.
Kill maas, Assault Freak, Torture Pmc, What can I say, I'm bloodthirsty
Q. What's your favorite part of being in a clan?
The Fellowship. It's a place where I'm able to be competitive and try to improve both as a gamer and with general strategic goals (in that there is a general intent on working on excellence), but at the same time somewhere I can let my hair down, and know my teammates are accepting of my faults as well as my strengths. "Be Good at what you do, and have fun doing it" is a phrase oft-quoted, and I really believe thats somewhere I've been fortunate to have fallen into.
Q. If you could switch usernames with another active user, who would it be and why?
JackOfAllTrades, and then I could make a multi of MasterOfNone!
But seriously, I've always considered myself as being capable at myriad things, but never really above all in one. There's so much to do that it's preferable to be balanced in most, rather than excel at one thing to the detriment of all others. And then it was cool to know that the first JOAT was actually part of my clan
Q. In ten years, will CC most likely be A) an online dating site or B) a porn site?
CiA home base
Q. Do you prefer Star Wars or Lord of the Rings?
Lotr, mostly because I wasted 14 hours reading all the books. Plus I'm still bemused by why Lucas made prequels. A New Hope needed old despair?
Q. Do you prefer chicken or turkey?
Chicken, 'cause we all say Turkey tastes like Chicken anyway
Q. Do you prefer Rugby or Cricket?
Cricket, who on earth is gonna get a triple century in Rugby! (Plus there are too many obvious knock-offs of Rugby, League, AFL, American Football etc )
Q. Do you prefer to fly or ride a train?
Fly, tho 12 hr train journeys are somewhat easier to bear with actual beds in the Sleeper Decks, the ones I've been in still don't have tv's
Q. Do you prefer Orange juice or Apple Juice?
Apple, Orange somehow always gives you a shiver when it goes down
Q. Do you prefer turn based or real time strategy?
I'm still playing this turn-based, while I've dropped most rts games, so you tell me
Q. Do you prefer Purple or Pink?
Purple, mostly because Pink offends my masculinity
Q. Do you prefer smooth jazz or fast rock?
Fast rock, it's almost like comparing active vs passive
Q. Do you prefer Dragons or Centaurs?
Centaurs, Sagittarius
Q. Do you prefer boxing or UFC?
I had to google UFC
But still Boxing, MMA is interesting, but duking it out mano-a-mano is pretty cool
Q. Do you prefer orcs or uruk-hai?
Orcs, because uruk-hai seems to be another shoddy off-shoot that didn't catch on after lotr
Q. Do you prefer nightmare on elm street or Friday the 13th?
I live parallel to an elm street, so it has to be Friday!
Q. Do you prefer the Bolivian flag or the Ethiopian flag?
Ethiopian, They have SS apparently, and have you ever tried to pronounce Haile Gebrselassie?
& Bigger = Better!
Bolivia:
Ethiopia:
Q. Do you prefer pokemon or digimon?
Pocket Monsters, It's had a bazillion iterations, but at least I know Ash & pikachu!
Q. Do you prefer Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth?
R&J, French > English
Q. Do you prefer Avatar or Pocahontas?
Avatar, 3D ftw!
Q. Do you prefer Jelly (the wobbly kind) or Custard?
Jelly, I doubt I'd eat either option, but at least I can have fun poking the jelly
Q. Do you prefer chicken salad or tuna salad sandwiches?
Chicken & Tuna, without the salad bits
Q. Do you prefer lilies or tulips?
Lillies, how many people do you know called Tulip?
Q. Do you prefer rain or snow?
Snow, you ever tried making a Rainman? Oh wait...
Q. Do you prefer Bowling or Mini-Golf?
Bowling, I've crossed three digits in Bowling! The same for golf, but thats not something I like to share
Q. Do you prefer throwing a frisbee or a ball?
A Ball, Since hitting a frisbee with a bat doesn't always work out so well.
Q. Do you prefer Squirrels or Rabbits?
Squirrels. Live in Trees or Underground!
Q. Do you prefer hunting or fishing?
Hunting, at least I can shoot stuff! (Interesting active/passive correlation with earlier!)
Q. Do you prefer Blackjack or Poker?
Poker, More options so more ability to assert your own influence to the game, rather than just trying to make 21 with a discrete number of probabilities (same reason I dislike that roulette thing)
Q. Do you prefer pancakes or waffles or french toast?
Waffles, Chocolate Pancakes or French Toast doesn't work
Q. Do you prefer Jeans or Chinos?
Jeans from China?
Q. Do you prefer blades of glory or talledega nights?
BoG
Q. Do you prefer Croatia or Serbia?
Josko vs Freak?
Lets go neutral and choose Albania!
Q. Do you prefer spicy or mild?
Lemon & Herb
Q. Do you prefer playstation or xbox?
PC
Q. Do you prefer hot or cold cereal?
I've never tried heating or freezing cereal
Cold milk tho
Q. Do you prefer my (pmchugh) questions or maasmans?
Whoevers Odd, not Even
Q. Do you prefer escalating or flat rate?
Esc, Just because Flat rate's mixed sets are harmful!
Q. Do you prefer Empire or Nemesis?
Nempiresis
Q. Do you prefer to be too hot or too cold?
I'm just thankful SA has decent weather. I've been to the Humid deserts in the Middle Easts, and the Freezing Climes of Ireland (:s), and they both hurt
Q. Do you prefer the tango or a waltz?
It takes two to tango, so I may as well waltz along
Q. Do you prefer to bike or to run?
Drive
Q. Do you prefer Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Toughie, can't decide between the accents! Think I'll go for the Italian!
Q. Do you prefer to read or play video games?
Unfortunately Reading often seems to tread near Studying, so preference is definitely Gaming!
Q. Do you prefer bold or underlined?
strike-through
Q. Do you prefer a quick victory or something long and drawn out?
Quick. Get 2 wins for the price of 1. Tho it must be said that sometimes a long and drawn out win is pretty fulfilling, it just doesn't really count much for points
Q.
Do you think it's weird that pmc said underlined, but italicized the word?pmchugh wrote:Do you prefer bold or underlined?
No, it's the same attribute coming through as when I tell him to fort me some troops, but instead he attacks me with them
Q. What do you think about the back and forth between pmc and maas? Would have preferred to be water boarded?
I asked them to give me questions, I can't very well complain when they oblige
It's also given me the dubious honour of more questions than our recently forcibly retired conqueror, and indeed more Q's than anyone in the history of Interrogations, so I'll take the accolade to my death bed
Q. How do you feel about questions that work off previous questions? How do you feel about irony?
It provides a foundation for people to build on, so more often than not, anything is better than nothing, and who knows, maybe I'll be asked for something insightful further down this page
Irony is just sarcasm leaving the mind
see what I did there!
Q. Are you going to answer all questions?
All the questions in this article have answers in them, I'll just take the 5th on who actually did the answering And there's a question I took the 5th on that won't pop up here, subject yourself to the torture of discovering which it is
Q. Would you prefer me (chapcrap) change my username to Nitsua?
You caught it huh!I was yet to find out anyone to discover my anagram, so glad you did without me saying so
Q. If the Empire is no more, as empire's are want to do, will you join the VDLL?
Also can you recite a poem in boers?
Ek kan nie!
As you'd discover from my rare appearances in Vereniging voor Nederlandstaligen (VN), my afrikaans is terrible, and by extension the slim connection it has to Dutch makes my sentences come out horribly mangled. So I can recite a poem for you, and in a tolerable accent as well, just don't expect me to tell you what went on in the poetry
Q. Do you think you would have stayed around on cc if someone didn't buy you that first premium?
It's really hard to know. I managed to stay around for perhaps 6 months to a year as a freemium when I first joined, and since Ignorance is bliss, I doubt I really knew completely what I was missing, except that it was something worth pining for
I can say tho that If I did lose my premium in the future, I doubt I'd be able to stay around with a 4 game limit. It's almost a case of all, or nothing; with just 4 games, it's very easy to let them slide and not log on often. Indeed, thats probably why my turns played is still @ 99% from those first 500 or so games.
Q. How do you feel about the fact that you've already gotten as many questions as me (Dukasaur) and safariguy combined, and it's only the second day of your interrogation thread?
I'm more disappointed I've probably gotten a lesser percentage of Q's since that second day then you and saf divided!
Q. If you were a pokemon, which pokemon would you be?
1 of the first 150, of whom I probably still only know less than 20%!
Perhaps that fox one that can evolve into 4? Eevee?
Again, always like to have options. See how one goes, and then respawn and try another evolution
Q. Is it likely you will ignore the first 3 pages of this thread?
It was probable the first 3 pages would have caused me to ignore the whole thread
But after I started, it was a sense of just needing to grind through the rest, so decided I may as well follow-through.
Q. What are your feelings on clans who actively poach members from other clans, particularly similarly ranked clans?
It's just disheartening to see, because essentially still only ~20% of the site, if not less are in clans, so why not take the time to identify and nurture untouched talent, rather than be a blood-thirsty recruiter looking for scalps from your peers?
And then also, It's definitely not nice to see players hopping from 1 clan to the next. I still somewhat believe that a clan is a strong enough relationship, that it really should be for 'life'. You've resolved to be part of this group of players, and to just drop them like a sack of hot coals seems distasteful
Q. What is the funniest thing you have come across on this site?
HardBalls
Q. What would it take for you to learn serbian and join otpisani?
Playing in some games where serb is spoken. I spent over a year in a clan with 6-10 serbs, and never had a single line of Team Chat in Serb
Q. If you were lack what one thing would you do first to stop the rot on ConquerClub?
Sitter Feature.
Q. If you could make one person in this thread vanish from existence who would it be? and why?
You, 'cause I don't know ya, so it's not much loss to me
Q. Is BOSTONGUITAH the greatest smack talker or is BOSTONGUITAH the greatest smacktalker???
He's the greatest Boston Guitar!
Q. Do you prefer barbie toys or bratz toys?
Ken dolls
Q. Elton John or Ricky Martin?
Ricky Martin, easy enough to understand for my clan mates
Q. Do you prefer cats or dogs?
I have been scratched a billion times when trying to pet cats, so it has to be dogs, though Simba does seem to come close to jumping up and biting me some days
Q. Favorite part of being a CC mod?
Free Premium, it keeps me on the site
Q. Why the entertainment team over the others?
They were the only one who'd take me after I was so grievously kicked from my previous mod position
Q. Thoughts on the alternating questions by pmc and maasman?
That it's even harder to know whether I've answered this Q already
Q. What did your girlfriend said when she caught you wearing her panties and stockings?
That it's about time you woke up from this nightmare since you don't even have a gf
Q. If you were a non-mod, who would you be?
An endangered species
Q. If you could have your own unique medal, what would it be?
Pokemon Diamond too many pokemon Q's!
Q. If you could add your own question to this interrogation thread, what would it be?
Why do you make time to answer Questions on the web, when you don't even do your Tutorial Questions for Class?
Q. Do you prefer pmc or maasman? (hint: neither is a viable answer. you can also just say that you least prefer pmc, because hes so scummy)
Pmc, because it always makes me think of applying to PWC!
Q. What is the question you most want asked? What is the answer?
Whats the Answer to the Universe?
42
Q. What is the answer you most want to give?
Dr Accounts Receivable
Cr Sales
Q. If you answered that you prefer Lord of the Rings over Star Wars, then what is the way you least want to die?
Falling into Mount Doom
Q. What is your favourite war of the past?
The Napoleonic Wars. Little Dynamite!
Q. What is your favourite nation (aside from the one in which you live)?
Italia!
Q. Why?
Since I'm an Italian Citizen, even if I've lived there barely beyond a year
Q. What drives you in life?
A roller-coaster!
Q. What is your life goal?
To be a flame that burns brightly, even if I'm to be extinguished eventually!
Q. What is your dream career?
I really wanted to be a neurosurgeon, now I'll settle for a CEO position courtesy of the CA route!
Q. Who is flying the coolest signature on CC?
Is that a trick question? Me of-course!
Though I do like jricart's! And I'm glad to have helped procure swimmerdude99's sig.
It's actually surprising to see so many anime related ones, It's the only way I knew jghost7 watched Bleach, and Deathwink actually even chose his name from the One Piece okama!
Q. Aside from your own clan, which is your favourite?
Nemesis. I also have a fondness for TSM courtesy of skillfull and my predecessor in the clan team, laughingcavalier. And then of-course Otpisani, and Foed possess former clanmates of mine so I feel like I have a vested interest with them!
Q. Which Mass Effect is your favorite?
2! It was more fulfilling than the first, and less disappointing than the last.
Q. How has your life changed since the end of apartheid?
It's been a gradual change, but it has certainly been self-evident. It's been great to see how the transition helped retain so much of the infrastructure and the like that still contributes to making SA one of the most developed countries in Africa, while letting the majority get a greater piece of the pie. It's also been intriguing to see how I started off in my Model C school with perhaps only as many as 5 black students in the class of 30, and to see that improve along the years, to the point where my university probably has as many as 250-300 of the current class of 400 in 3rd year. However, it's still a bit disheartening to see that there are still cliques that form mostly along racial lines outside of class. The Indians only 'chill' with the indians, the whites with whites etc.
And then, even the majority of the students are black, that transformation hasn't really extended to the Teaching staff as yet. Out of the Academic staff of perhaps 40-60, probably less than 10 are black, and of those 1 is Ghanaian, 2 are Nigerian, and there's even a few Zimbabweans!
Q. What's your favorite video game?
Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
Fifa 12 - I unfortunately still play with a keyboard
& Trackmania is a fun racing game to get back into every now and then. I think I was perhaps in the top 10 in SA, and top 5k overall at one stage with 252/3 medals out of 260. However, these things take a bit of time investment, and after checking it online (after a few years) just the other day, I was lagging near the end of the field for the most part!
Q. Favorite comic book?
Do Manga count?
Black Cat!
But I have a whole list of currently reading! http://www.mangaeden.com/mymanga/leehar/
A lot incomplete, and some that didn't transfer from OM, But at least I have a solid bunch I didn't drop completely!
Q. In the movie about your life, who's playing you as the lead? What's on the soundtrack?
Matt Damon, he carries a South African accent pretty well!
Something Melancholy!
Q. What would make catnipdreams even more terrifying as a team player?
If she never went to bed! Otherwise I'd be trying to keep up with chat messages 24/7!
Q. Sideburns or mullet?
Sideburns, my Beard actually used to look like that for a while because it wouldn't grow on my chin! :/
Q. Did you enjoy Wac-A-Mod?
I'll have to check my record to see if I won enough to have enjoyed the destruction
Q. Will you accept my apologies?
lol, As long as it comes with us achieving at least 1 win in the 10 games we played together!
Q. What's the point in trying to help people if they make stupid errors anyway?
If you fail once, try try again. I'm glad to know that you at least read my chat tho, even if you didn't really apply it that much
Q. I (thehippo8) assume that you are going to avoid partnering me like the plague but will you nevertheless accept my admiration at your skill?
Lol, I can't deny it was sometimes agony teaming with you, but I still somewhat believe I'm also at fault for not being much of a team leader that can coach along turn-by-turn a la the likes of Fruitcake et al. You obviously didn't really have that much experience with Team games, but I should've been able to help you along probably more than I did
Q. What is skill?
Smart Killing!
Q. How did you get to know so much about clans?
I had a project once upon a time to build a Clan Wiki...
It kinda never really gathered enough steam, perhaps also because I wasn't completely dedicated to compiling it, but it was still a valuable experience in learning about such a unique niche in the site.
Also, reading through every challenge thread in the Active Challenges subforum, was hugely informative, just to know the dynamics between players and clans, as well see at a glance what people were doing in their games with the useful Game Link add-on
Q. What succession plan do you have in place for your position in the newsletter?
Gathering deputies, who can hopefully keep the section going without me before stepping up the ladder if they're interested.
Q. Are you really leaving us?
I'm still mulling over it, I have to give it some thought before making the relatively major decision.
Q. Why?
It's all hush hush, but mostly because I first have to look within myself to see if I'm capable of doing the responsibilities assigned, and secondly if I can even hand over the mantle easily
Q. Will you stay if we all chant your name loudly?
No, you gotta sing it, slowly! Making a poem could help as well
Q. Don't you hate smartarses who create unreasonable lies about people with no basis whatsoever but then other people believe the lies and than ask you deep and meaningless questions?
Nope, one mans lie, is another mans truth. And the best lies are the ones that approximate the truth
Q. How much do you love me (vodean)?
Perhaps slightly more than you love me :->
Q. If you were stranded on an island for the rest of your life would you rather have your sole companion be a mermaid or a reverse-mermaid (top half fish, bottom half mermaid) and why?
Mermaid, I'd imagine it's tougher to swim away from the island as a Reverse-mermaid with the same legs as me.
Q. On a scale of 1-100, how much do you like kittens?
-5
Q.
QoH wrote:On a scale of 1-100, how much do you like kittens?
If you choose to answer this with a negative number, we'll (chapcrap) be better friends.
Surprisingly I decided on a negative before seeing this Q! Great minds and all that huh! ;>
Q.
chapcrap wrote:QoH wrote:On a scale of 1-100, how much do you like kittens?
If you choose to answer this with a negative number, we'll be better friends.
Is that a question?
I answered it, so I guess it qualifies!
Q.
pmchugh wrote:chapcrap wrote:QoH wrote:On a scale of 1-100, how much do you like kittens?
If you choose to answer this with a negative number, we'll be better friends.
Is that a question?
Are you (pmchugh) a question?
I am The Answer
Q. Odd or Even?
Even, just because I'm aged on an even number currently! The answer'll change in a year :>
Q. Flotsam or Jetsam?
Jet
What on earth is a Flot?!
Thanks for your time Leehar!
Hello again my friends, and welcome to your favorite part of the Newsletter, "War Games", where you can find information about CC Tournaments! Here you will find the James' interviewing tournament stalwart dazza2008, the latest installment of Dave's Tournament Tips, and my summary of some of the tournaments currently available in signups, including new Official tournaments celebrating the Olympics.
The big, big, big news, however, is in TPA! After months of hoping for a volunteer to step forward and fill bart's shoes, it is a delight to report that our very own DaveH has stepped up to the plate! If you've been wondering if the TPA2 scoreboard will ever be updated or if TPA is dead, your answer is here. TPA will not die!
Dave has prepared two TPA articles for this issue! The first is a brief summary of the rescue. The second is a full-scale TPA Wrap. Congrats and many thanks, Dave.
Dukasaur
Tournament Executive
Meet the Tournament Winners: dazza2008 by WorldCup4James
Spoiler
In our newest edition of the regular "Meet the Tournament Winners" series, we talk with dazza2008, who has recently claimed victory in the strenuous Splash! tournament hosted by paulgamelb. The competition involved a creative 1v1 format that included a rising "water level", which rose at very specific increments as a result of players being eliminated.
dazza2008 has taken home his eleventh title as player, though his performance as organiser is just as commendable. He has hosted fifteen tournaments, most of which are doubles tournaments. In the clan community, he has established himself as a member of the CLA, Clan Leaders Association. Over two years, he has completed over 15,000 games on the site and garnered 19 medals for the New Crusade clan.
What do you think gave you the edge in the "Splash!" tournament?
I think I got lucky in a few games. There were some good players in it. A mix of good dice, good drops, and I was playing quite well. I quite like most of the maps too, so that helped.
You are both an established tournament player and organiser. What advice would you give to players looking to win tournaments? What advice would you give to new organizers?
Players looking to win them, I would say look for tourneys on maps you like and are good at. If you have a good team for dubs, trips or quads, look out for tourneys like that. But really, just have a go. You never know. I never thought I would win some of the tourneys I have won. Sometimes things just go your way.
Players looking to organise one, I would say just have a go. Try not to make it too complicated to start with. Do some simple ones to start with and go from there. Speak to guys who organise tournaments, most guys will help where they can. Also if you have any questions speak to the Tournament Directors. They all seem like good guys and are happy to help anyone.
Sometimes I guess you make your own luck! Now, onto some real-world, interesting stuff.
Your avatar alone makes it clear you're an avid football fan. What do you think of the Euro Cup 2012 final, and the tournament results altogether? Any surprises and upsets, in your opinion?
It mostly turned out as I expected. My money would have been on Spain, If I had any. I expected Germany to beat Italy though. I guess you should never write off the Italians. I was surprised by how poor the Netherlands were; I was supporting them since Scotland never get into anything these days!
I thought Spain would win the final but I didn't expect them to win like that. They played awesome. And of course I was glad to see England lose on penalties again too!
I loved it overall and can't wait for Brazil 2014. Hopefully Scotland will qualify. Not holding my breath though.
Is FIFA moving in the right direction with goal line technology? Or does UEFA have it right with the 5-referee crew, as we saw in the Euro Cup?
I don't know really. Extra officials never noticed that Ukraine goal did they? But we have managed without it for so long is it needed?
Overall though, I think if the technology is there, why not use it? But then again, not having it sometimes adds to the drama. Ah, **** I don't know. Ask me an easier one.
Not surprised by the indecisiveness. The debate has continued for decades, and the goal-line incidents have only piled up in the past few years. Maybe bad referee decisions are comparable to...horrific dice rolls?
So what are your plans on CC in the future? Any goals you want to reach, any tournament ideas on the horizon?
My goals are to get the rest of my gold medals. I don't have many tourney ideas right now, but I am sure I will come up with something.
Thanks for taking part in the interview!
dazza2008 has taken home his eleventh title as player, though his performance as organiser is just as commendable. He has hosted fifteen tournaments, most of which are doubles tournaments. In the clan community, he has established himself as a member of the CLA, Clan Leaders Association. Over two years, he has completed over 15,000 games on the site and garnered 19 medals for the New Crusade clan.
What do you think gave you the edge in the "Splash!" tournament?
I think I got lucky in a few games. There were some good players in it. A mix of good dice, good drops, and I was playing quite well. I quite like most of the maps too, so that helped.
You are both an established tournament player and organiser. What advice would you give to players looking to win tournaments? What advice would you give to new organizers?
Players looking to win them, I would say look for tourneys on maps you like and are good at. If you have a good team for dubs, trips or quads, look out for tourneys like that. But really, just have a go. You never know. I never thought I would win some of the tourneys I have won. Sometimes things just go your way.
Players looking to organise one, I would say just have a go. Try not to make it too complicated to start with. Do some simple ones to start with and go from there. Speak to guys who organise tournaments, most guys will help where they can. Also if you have any questions speak to the Tournament Directors. They all seem like good guys and are happy to help anyone.
Sometimes I guess you make your own luck! Now, onto some real-world, interesting stuff.
Your avatar alone makes it clear you're an avid football fan. What do you think of the Euro Cup 2012 final, and the tournament results altogether? Any surprises and upsets, in your opinion?
It mostly turned out as I expected. My money would have been on Spain, If I had any
. I expected Germany to beat Italy though. I guess you should never write off the Italians. I was surprised by how poor the Netherlands were; I was supporting them since Scotland never get into anything these days! I thought Spain would win the final but I didn't expect them to win like that. They played awesome. And of course I was glad to see England lose on penalties again too!
I loved it overall and can't wait for Brazil 2014. Hopefully Scotland will qualify. Not holding my breath though.
Is FIFA moving in the right direction with goal line technology? Or does UEFA have it right with the 5-referee crew, as we saw in the Euro Cup?
I don't know really. Extra officials never noticed that Ukraine goal did they? But we have managed without it for so long is it needed?
Overall though, I think if the technology is there, why not use it? But then again, not having it sometimes adds to the drama. Ah, **** I don't know. Ask me an easier one.
Not surprised by the indecisiveness. The debate has continued for decades, and the goal-line incidents have only piled up in the past few years. Maybe bad referee decisions are comparable to...horrific dice rolls?
So what are your plans on CC in the future? Any goals you want to reach, any tournament ideas on the horizon?
My goals are to get the rest of my gold medals. I don't have many tourney ideas right now, but I am sure I will come up with something.
Thanks for taking part in the interview!
Excel coding to set up a tournament - Part 2
In the last newsletter I showed you the code for putting a new menu into an Excel sheet. The appearance is as follows:
_____________
In this article we will put in the coding that changes the settings according to which "Player Number" and "Type" you choose. We also need to write these settings to the Excel sheet.
The total code is later in this article; firstly I'll go through the additions to last week's code. We check if our spreadsheet has any information in it; if not we write the default settings of "16 Players" and "Singles".This writes the following to your spreadsheet:
There are then 4 routines to select either 8,16,32 or 64 players and 2 routines to select either "Singles" or "Doubles". Each of the sets of coding is similar i.e.
This makes the final set of routines as follows:
As before copy and paste this code to your Visual Basic code panel and run it. In case you have not seen the way of doing this, I shall repeat it as follows:
In the next article we will go though some of the coding needed for the "Create Template" main programme.
(These "tips" are ones that I have tried to make it a bit easier in managing my own tournaments. I am sure there are different and better methods than these, so please let me know. Any queries on the above I'll be glad to respond to! Please note that I use Excel 2003, so there may be variation in the menu instructions if you have Excel 2007)
_____________In this article we will put in the coding that changes the settings according to which "Player Number" and "Type" you choose. We also need to write these settings to the Excel sheet.
The total code is later in this article; firstly I'll go through the additions to last week's code. We check if our spreadsheet has any information in it; if not we write the default settings of "16 Players" and "Singles".
Code: Select all
' Check that there is game information on the spreadsheet
' If not, put some default information in
Cells.Select
Selection.Font.Bold = False
If Cells(3, 2).Value = "" Then
Cells(2, 2).Value = "Tournament Settings:"
Cells(3, 2).Value = "16"
Cells(3, 3).Value = "Players"
End If
If Cells(4, 2).Value = "" Then
Cells(4, 2).Value = "Singles"
End If
Cells(2, 2).Select
Selection.Font.Bold = True
There are then 4 routines to select either 8,16,32 or 64 players and 2 routines to select either "Singles" or "Doubles". Each of the sets of coding is similar i.e.
Code: Select all
Sub TypeSingles()
Cells(4, 2).Value = "Singles" 'Change the cell at (row 4, column 2) to "Singles
CreateMenu 'run the main menu subroutine to put the "tick" in the correct place!
End Sub
Code: Select all
Sub CreateMenu()
Dim cMenu1 As CommandBarControl
Dim cbcCutomMenu As CommandBarControl
Dim cbMainMenuBar As CommandBar
Dim iHelpMenu As Integer
Dim cbcSubMenu As CommandBarControl
Dim PlayerNumber As Integer '8, 16, 32 or 64 etc
Dim GameType As String 'Singles or doubles etc
Dim ColStart As Integer 'starting column number
Dim Rowstart As Integer 'starting row number
' Check that there is game information on the spreadsheet
' If not, put some default infrmation in
Cells.Select
Selection.Font.Bold = False
If Cells(3, 2).Value = "" Then
Cells(2, 2).Value = "Tournament Settings:"
Cells(3, 2).Value = "16"
Cells(3, 3).Value = "Players"
End If
If Cells(4, 2).Value = "" Then
Cells(4, 2).Value = "Singles"
End If
Cells(2, 2).Select
Selection.Font.Bold = True
On Error Resume Next
Application.CommandBars("Worksheet Menu Bar").Controls("Tournament").Delete
On Error GoTo 0
Set cbMainMenuBar = Application.CommandBars("Worksheet Menu Bar")
iHelpMenu = cbMainMenuBar.Controls("Help").Index
Set cbcCutomMenu = cbMainMenuBar.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlPopup, before:=iHelpMenu)
cbcCutomMenu.Caption = "Tourna&ment"
Set cbcSubMenu = cbcCutomMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlPopup)
cbcSubMenu.Caption = "Number of Players"
' Set the '8' player menu heading
With cbcSubMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlButton)
.Caption = "8"
.OnAction = "Players8"
If Cells(3, 2).Value = "8" Then
.State = msoButtonDown
Else
.State = msoButtonUp
End If
End With
' Repeat for the 16, 32 and 64 player menu headings
With cbcSubMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlButton)
.Caption = "16"
.OnAction = "Players16"
If Cells(3, 2).Value = "16" Then
.State = msoButtonDown
Else
.State = msoButtonUp
End If
End With
With cbcSubMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlButton)
.Caption = "32"
.OnAction = "Players32"
If Cells(3, 2).Value = "32" Then
.State = msoButtonDown
Else
.State = msoButtonUp
End If
End With
With cbcSubMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlButton)
.Caption = "64"
.OnAction = "Players64"
If Cells(3, 2).Value = "64" Then
.State = msoButtonDown
Else
.State = msoButtonUp
End If
End With
'Add the second menu item that will lead off to another menu
'Set a CommandBarControl variable to it
Set cbcSubMenu = cbcCutomMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlPopup)
' Give the control a caption
cbcSubMenu.Caption = "Game Type"
With cbcSubMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlButton)
.Caption = "Singles"
.OnAction = "TypeSingles"
If Cells(4, 2).Value = "Singles" Then
.State = msoButtonDown
Else
.State = msoButtonUp
End If
End With
With cbcSubMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlButton)
.Caption = "Doubles"
.OnAction = "TypeDoubles"
If Cells(4, 2).Value = "Doubles" Then
.State = msoButtonDown
Else
.State = msoButtonUp
End If
End With
Set cbcSubMenu = cbcCutomMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlButton)
' Give the control a caption
cbcSubMenu.Caption = "Create Template"
cbcSubMenu.OnAction = "FormatCode" 'Main programme
cbcSubMenu.FaceId = 625 'assigns an icon to the dropdown
End Sub
Sub DeleteMenu() ' Use this if you get more than one "Tournament" menu item!
On Error Resume Next
Application.CommandBars("Worksheet Menu Bar").Controls("Tournament").Delete
On Error GoTo 0
End Sub
Sub Players8()
Cells(3, 2).Value = "8"
CreateMenu
End Sub
Sub Players16()
Cells(3, 2).Value = "16"
CreateMenu
End Sub
Sub Players32()
Cells(3, 2).Value = "32"
CreateMenu
End Sub
Sub Players64()
Cells(3, 2).Value = "64"
CreateMenu
End Sub
Sub TypeSingles()
Cells(4, 2).Value = "Singles"
CreateMenu
End Sub
Sub TypeDoubles()
Cells(4, 2).Value = "Doubles"
CreateMenu
End Sub
Code: Select all
* Open Excel to create a new spreadsheet;
* Press Alt+F11 from Excel which opens the Visual Basic Editor window;
* In the top left pane you get "VBAProject (Book1)";
* Open the menu and sub-menu by clicking the [+] buttons;
* Click "ThisWorkbook" to open a new window on the right;
* Copy the above code and paste into the blank window;
* To run the code either select Run from the menu or press F5(These "tips" are ones that I have tried to make it a bit easier in managing my own tournaments. I am sure there are different and better methods than these, so please let me know. Any queries on the above I'll be glad to respond to! Please note that I use Excel 2003, so there may be variation in the menu instructions if you have Excel 2007)
Spoiler
The scores from the completed TPA2 tournaments are now up to date with the 13 completed tournament scores and the new thread can be found at:
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 8#p3821138
The second major tournament has finished and its scores have shuffled the pack although barterer2002 still leads, with dtellis, bones2484, timminz, wilkinc making up second to fifth place.
As tournaments finish I would like tournament organisers to let me know and, if possible, send me their leader board. I'll apply the points according to the scores information on the above thread. We have 13 of the 45 tournaments finished and there were still a few more tournaments to start in order to complete the 52 week schedule. However, given that the original finish date is in a couple of weeks, I don't intend to ask TO's to start any new tournaments. But, by all means prepare them for TPA3!
Although I have taken on the process of overseeing the TPA2 through to completion, I have not been involved with it at all previously, apart from playing in a couple of tournaments, so, if you have any observations, comments and ideas, please pm me.
Doing this has made me realise what a tremendous job Bart did over this and the last series. Also, to have done it manually must have taken up a huge amount of his time and I think we all owe him a huge debt of gratitude for creating such a fantastic concept.
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 8#p3821138
The second major tournament has finished and its scores have shuffled the pack although barterer2002 still leads, with dtellis, bones2484, timminz, wilkinc making up second to fifth place.
As tournaments finish I would like tournament organisers to let me know and, if possible, send me their leader board. I'll apply the points according to the scores information on the above thread. We have 13 of the 45 tournaments finished and there were still a few more tournaments to start in order to complete the 52 week schedule. However, given that the original finish date is in a couple of weeks, I don't intend to ask TO's to start any new tournaments. But, by all means prepare them for TPA3!
Although I have taken on the process of overseeing the TPA2 through to completion, I have not been involved with it at all previously, apart from playing in a couple of tournaments, so, if you have any observations, comments and ideas, please pm me.
Doing this has made me realise what a tremendous job Bart did over this and the last series. Also, to have done it manually must have taken up a huge amount of his time and I think we all owe him a huge debt of gratitude for creating such a fantastic concept.
Spoiler
Welcome to my first edition of the TPA Wrap. In this edition I will catch up with the state of play in the two ongoing competitions and start to look forward to the next series. Yes, TPA3 will be starting in September!
I'll start by thanking everyone who has rescued tournaments in both series 1 and 2 - especially Peanutman who seems to be have picked up most of them! I think it shows just how much interest there is in the TPA concept - and long may it continue!
TPA 1: State of Play
Where are we? Well, there is one abandoned tournament (The Wacky Races) and 3 others yet to finish - these are as follows:
"7 Up" This major tournament was rescued by Peanutman from barterer2002 and is in Week 16 of 17 before the final series of games for the top 4 teams.
Highlander Attack's "HA's 4 Opportunities" is in its semi-final stages
"The Open Centum Invitational I " was rescued by Highlander Attack and in its 52nd set of 100 games - a truly monumental tournament! However I do wonder if, after a year and just under half way to go, whether it should be shortened somewhat.
TPA 1 Standings
Rather worryingly, at the time of writing this, Google seems to have lost the scoresheet
Let's hope they respond to my request to resurrect it as soon as possible though. TPA Season 2: State of Play
There are 13 completed tournaments. To summarise them here:
Week 4 - Speed Terminator V by DJ Teflon; winner Leehar; 23 players; Standard; 2,050 points;
Week 5 - WCF Doubles II by Lindax; winners barterer2002 & dtellis; 122 players; Major; 20,936 points;
Week 6 - Bruceswar's Escalating Terminator by Bruceswar; winner gameplayer; 72 players; Standard; 2,621 points;
Week 7 - phantomzero's popularity contest by phantomzero; winner MudPuppy; 72 players; Standard; 3,099 points;
Week 8 - So You Want to be a Pirate by Kinnison; winner Tripitaka; 90 players; Premier; 5,932 points;
Week 15 - Angola loves the Originals by angola; winner silversun6; 125 players; Premier; 6,912 points;
Week 16 - Put Me In Coach by safariguy5; winners TheMissionary & nolefan5311; 32 players; Standard; 6,080 points;
Week 17 - World Assassin by keiths31; winner wilkinc; 156 players; Major; 15,192 points;
Week 21 - King of the Map Classic by Serbia; winner Dowian2; 64 players; Premier; 5,320 points;
Week 22 - Davis Cup 2012 by dowian2; winners Jimboy & Swifte; 62 players; Standard; 4,450 points;
Week 25 - Doodle Crack by greenoaks; winner Freyme; 64 players; Standard; 2,568 points;
Week 29 - Sometimes when you win, you really lose by nolefan5311; winners Mad777 & Arno30; 64 players; Standard; 4,496 points;
Week 36 - Antique Shop Assassins Roadshow by perchorin; winner Perchorin; 36 players; Standard; 3,776 points
There is one final tournament recruiting. Darin44's "Eliminate Yourself" http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=175194. But hurry as there was only one place left when I drafted this, so it is possibly full already!
When all tournaments are concluded I plan to run a suitable tournament to find the "TPA2 Champion of Champions" from all the tournament winners.
TPA 2 Standings
TPA Season 3: Planning Issues
In this section I am linking to the discussion thread below for you to post your comments and ideas, and I will summarise the various conclusions that result.
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 9&t=175675
Therefore TO's need to start to think about preparing their tournaments for a September start. If you have a tournament drafted or an idea about one you want to run, then look for a suitable date and pm me the details. I plan to book up the first 11 to 22 tournaments and then specify what additional types of tournament we need to plan to include for the remaining tournaments so that we get a full spectrum of types.
That's all for this week; next I'll feedback any ideas for TPA3; report on any finished tournament and hopefully link to an active TPA1 scoreboard!
Dave
Spoiler
And now for our regular look at a selection of the tournaments in sign-ups:
As the Olympic flame roars into life, there are of course several Olympic-themed tournaments. There is a trio of offerings from the Entertainment team: a team tournament hosted by sempaispellcheck; a special tournament for freemies only hosted by Gilligan; and a Speed tournament scheduled for the week of July 30th to August 5th, hosted by rdsrds2120. You can find easy links to all three by going to the Olympics Summer Bash announcement.
Besides the official offerings, there is 313's Trench This London Olympics by merch313 and The 2012 Olympics hosted by lucabucci.
Trench continues to be a popular flavour as many people chase those elusive trench medals, and TOs have stepped up to meet the demand.
The In the Trenches series by Campin_Killer and the Rev's Random Singles Trench by therev1957 are both highly popular series featuring Trench in 1v1 single elimination brackets. The former features specific maps (currently 13 Colonies, 8 Thoughts, and Africa are being offered.) The rev's series, on the other hand, features Random maps. The rev's tournaments fill up at an amazing rate. The current offering is his 33rd, but no doubt by the time you read this he will be onto his 34th or 35th, so look for them!
If it's team action you crave, check out Kimgm's Treasures of Galapagos Quads or his Australia Trips.
And, what will probably be the last TPA event of the season (and definitely the last Premier event!), Eliminate Yourself by Darin44 was posted today! Come sign up quickly, as there are only 64 spots!
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.
As the Olympic flame roars into life, there are of course several Olympic-themed tournaments. There is a trio of offerings from the Entertainment team: a team tournament hosted by sempaispellcheck; a special tournament for freemies only hosted by Gilligan; and a Speed tournament scheduled for the week of July 30th to August 5th, hosted by rdsrds2120. You can find easy links to all three by going to the Olympics Summer Bash announcement.
Besides the official offerings, there is 313's Trench This London Olympics by merch313 and The 2012 Olympics hosted by lucabucci.
Trench continues to be a popular flavour as many people chase those elusive trench medals, and TOs have stepped up to meet the demand.
The In the Trenches series by Campin_Killer and the Rev's Random Singles Trench by therev1957 are both highly popular series featuring Trench in 1v1 single elimination brackets. The former features specific maps (currently 13 Colonies, 8 Thoughts, and Africa are being offered.) The rev's series, on the other hand, features Random maps. The rev's tournaments fill up at an amazing rate. The current offering is his 33rd, but no doubt by the time you read this he will be onto his 34th or 35th, so look for them!
If it's team action you crave, check out Kimgm's Treasures of Galapagos Quads or his Australia Trips.
And, what will probably be the last TPA event of the season (and definitely the last Premier event!), Eliminate Yourself by Darin44 was posted today! Come sign up quickly, as there are only 64 spots!
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.
The Foundry is the backbone to CC. From whence all maps are derived. The multitude of maps give depth and breath to CC. What sort of site would this be if all we had was Classic? Sure, Classic remains the most popular map by far by games played. But how many of us would get bored if that was it? All of us, that's who! So, our praise goes out to those clever, clever, people who conceptualise, elucidate and create all those juicy maps that provide more than just a diversion for the majority. Great stuff!
But out of every creative soul there comes a yearning for more. Not just a greedy, unsympathetic drive but a genuine desire to make things better, more interesting and above all to genuinely stretch the bounds of possibilities. But therein lies the rub. There are limitations! Aside from our own personal limitations of ideas and skill, there are practical limitations as to what can be done with a limited medium. So ideas develop and suggestions are made. This has always been the way in CC and it has gone from strength to strength. That is until the recent wall that the Foundry has hit. This is our story this issue.
If you've been in the foundry of late then you may see the protest that currently pervades throughout. New avatars can be seen worn throughout. So is it RIP for the Foundry or will the Foundry be like the Phoenix and come back prouder and stronger. I know what we all want and right now the Foundry needs you more than ever. You will also see the protest has extended so far as to the blacking out of maps in the Foundry. After all, how can the map developers expect their work to be seen, those who partake say, if they cannot in turn see what the behind-the-scenes efforts are? The coming days will surely answer some of these questions. But read koontz1973's article to get the full story. You will also see the effects of the protest in the News and Maps in Development articles from me.
For those inclined, do please pop into the thread and join the debate or at least have your say!
And on that note, a few words from Anton LaVey:
thehippo8 -- Foundry ExecutiveThere are many who would like my time. I shun them. There are some who share my time. I am entertained by them. There are precious few who contribute to my time. I cherish them.
Foundry News by thehippo8
Spoiler
Koontz has managed to keep his coal powered computer working despite being thrashed by storms, waves and getting tangled up in the cartographic lines of the world. A remarkable effort by anyone's imagination and just as well for the CC community.
PROTEST
Well, if the Arshyusk story was a scandal then this week's story is earth shattering! If you haven't already done so then you should read the thread.
I'm not going to precise it here - just go and read and partake if you will. Koontz1973 has taken time out of his holidays to be active in that thread and to write this issue's in depth article. I'll leave it to his words, so go read that!
And by way of background read this and you may also wish to read this too. Interestingly enough, this is where the first real picture of Lack in action was provided by thenobodies80
.
Bringing boards to RL
Fluffing about in the Foundry, I was lucky enough to stumble on this thread. Now that really is a cool idea. Let's see if CC boards will be coming to a place near you.Come on Lack and RedBaron0, I wanna buy some now!
Snippets
What's the point in supersize, it wasn't used much and now it's locked?
Cyberspace war genius or stupidity?
What's all this concern about a map about CERN?
Are we all really just a tuneless bunch of negativity, or is it time for three blind mice?
And you don't have to have bad taste, someone else can have have that for you - but is it funny?
PROTEST
Well, if the Arshyusk story was a scandal then this week's story is earth shattering! If you haven't already done so then you should read the thread.
I'm not going to precise it here - just go and read and partake if you will. Koontz1973 has taken time out of his holidays to be active in that thread and to write this issue's in depth article. I'll leave it to his words, so go read that!
And by way of background read this and you may also wish to read this too. Interestingly enough, this is where the first real picture of Lack in action was provided by thenobodies80
.Bringing boards to RL
Fluffing about in the Foundry, I was lucky enough to stumble on this thread. Now that really is a cool idea. Let's see if CC boards will be coming to a place near you.
- Click image to enlarge.
Snippets
What's the point in supersize, it wasn't used much and now it's locked?
Cyberspace war genius or stupidity?
What's all this concern about a map about CERN?
Are we all really just a tuneless bunch of negativity, or is it time for three blind mice?
And you don't have to have bad taste, someone else can have have that for you - but is it funny?
Spoiler
Drafting Room
Last week
Defend America by isaiah40.
Black Sea by tkr4lf.
Medievil Britain by The Bison King
This is Sparta by Campin_Killer 
Paris : Métropolitain by Qyu New this week
Ethiopia: The Home of Coffe by cairnswk 
Settlement by Mr_Adams
Hellenic Wars by oneyed (*Image withheld by protest)Main Foundry - some with new images and Mississipi is on vacation
France 2.0 by Lancelot du Lac Labarynth by koontz1973 (*Image withheld by protest)
Classic Cities-Moscow by cairnswk (*new image)
Spanish Amarda by cairnsw (*new image).
Mississippi by VicFontaineConquership by lostalimbo (*Image withheld by protest)Magyarország by koontz1973 (*Image withheld by protest)
Classic Cities Sydney by cairnswk (*new image)
Fragmentation of CSFR by Oneyed (*new image)
New Zealand by cairnswk.USA 2.1 by isaiah40 (*Image withheld by protest)
WWI: Gallipoli by Cairnswk (*Image not available)
Philadelphia by RedBaron0 (*New image)Final Forge
This section remains busy with the 12 maps in beta play (Trench (*Image withheld by protest), 1982 (*Image withheld by protest), King's Court 2, Portland (*Image withheld by protest), Knights (*Image withheld by protest), Eurasia (*Image withheld by protest), Tribal War, Dark Continent, Rail Asia, Africa II (*Image withheld by protest), Salem's Switch and Island of Doom) and 8 maps waiting to get going.
Slovakia, also by DiM(*Image withheld by protest)
North America revamp by natty dread (*Image withheld by protest)
Clash of Kings by DiM (*Image withheld by protest)
Jakarta by koontz1973 (*Image withheld by protest)
Knights and Warlocks by DiM (*Image withheld by protest)
Copenhagen, also by Flapcake (*Image withheld by protest)
Pirates and Merchants by DiM (*Image withheld by protest)
New Jersey by chaos32679 (*Image withheld by protest)
Classic Cities:Pot Mosbi by cairnswk (*New image)
Baltic Crusades by thenobodies80 (*Image withheld by protest)
The protest in the foundry is causing a blackout on what you can see they are doing ... this protest is mirroring the concern that the mapmakers have about those behind the scenes not showing what they are doing for the mapmakers and the site as a whole ... let's hope that this impasse is removed quickly as over time this article is going to look very bleak indeed! Read koontz1973's article for more information.
In the meantime ... happy gaming everyone, whatever map takes your fancy.
Spoiler
Over the last year, I have been a member of the foundry community. This is a group of players who make maps for this site (not without reward). Each map takes months of hard work and dedication to complete. But something has gone wrong with the process. Please forgive this article for being a bit messy. This is going on now and whilst it does not have an ending to it, this is the story so far. Please bear with me and look at all of the information, not just here in this article but all over the foundry forums to gleam a little of what is going on.
History Lesson.
The foundry was set up in the early days of Conquer Club when a need to oversee the process of map making came about. It was similar to what we have today (6 years later) but with different faces. Over the years, map makers came and went, and production of maps in the 2nd and 3rd year of conquer club was at a high (over 40 new maps a year).
- 2006 - 27 maps
2007 - 44 maps
2008 - 45 maps
2009 - 32 maps
2010 - 27 maps
2011 - 27 maps
2012 - 13 maps (so far)
Would you the community like to see the foundry closed? Even if you have never visited or even heard of usgreenoaks wrote:you guys have it wrong.
there was a time when the foundry was required but that time has passed. every map you create adds less and less to the site.
your success at churning out maps has made you less relevant.
Would you like to see no new maps come out? Could you be happy with the current existing ones? What happens after you have mastered them all and want to go onto the next challenge? Greenoaks makes a valid point for the map makers without really trying. His argument of making map after map with the same code is boring - and that is the point of all of this. Read on.Astro Gypsy wrote:what's the foundry?
Now for the crux of the issue.
For this, I am going to leave it to thenobodies80 who, under his guidance and wisdom, the foundry has risen to the challenges over the last couple of years.
You can read the whole thread here.thenobodies80 wrote:OK, here we go.
First of all, there's no tool or mod power that allow me to write this post switching my username color from a bolded blue to gray, so let me state clear that I'm not writing this as CC volunteer or as foundry foreman, but as a simple mapmaker, although in the same time I can't pretend that I don't have these roles on the site.
Anyway, what's happening?
If we want to explain what's going on in few words, yes, we're boycotting the process for a bit; but I think it's a reductive and not perfect explanation.
Since you were a foundry user before my time here, you probably know what are the real reasons that pushed us to do this thing, but considering I'm trying to explain the things it's better if I give an explanation for those who are new in the Foundry or frequent this forum sporadically or an not directly involved in this "action".
There are few things that needs to be made clear:
- The foundry process is not a right but a privilege, in fact nobody here pay to draw maps (you can do that also if freemium)
- The foundry process is a open community process in which the community has the final say on maps quality and playability
- The foundry process is moderated and facilitated by a group of volunteers, the CAs, who are the voice of the site. This group should push the production on the right way and should step in case a map is going in the wrong way (doing something that the site wouldn't like or approve), the group is led by the foreman, who is the Lackattack's voice and eyes when it comes to talk about maps on CC.
The above points were "defined" by lackattack and even if someone think there's a secret plan to get rid of the foundry, I can assure you all that these point are the only things that still stand.
Now, I think I've spent in the foundry most of my time on CC and probably I've seen most of the things that are happened here (unfortunately it seems I missed the best moments
So, the point is that even if the foundry is not a right but a privilege, when you set up a process that makes your users happy and that gives you an advantage for your site you should consider that you have to give support to that process.
But this is not a dogma, is not a fixed rules. Far from me to tell to lackattack what he has to do with his site.
But in the same time, if we go back through the years, we can see how this support for the foundry has become increasingly sporadic over the time.
A time there was a thread in which people was used to write suggestion for maps (commonly known as xml updates), in which Lack was used to give an answer and say, yes this will be done, maybe this could be done or not this can't be done. That thread has become a neverending thread that no one will look anymore, it has become a so useless thing and a so big bad signal of how things were going on in this forum that a day I decided to move it in a place where no one was able to see it anymore.
We are all aware that lackattack can't implement everything, just because we ask it...but this is not the point. The point is the lack of informations, the lack of defined plans or in the worst cases the decision to go backward on previous implementations and improvements.
The point is that most of the foundry community thinks that the current support for the foundry is not the right one, specially because it's too much time we "live" in a sort of limbo.
As said we're not asking to lackattack to give us a precise list of things, but to listen to us and give us definitive answers, to care about the true heart of Conquer Club!
People can say everything, but if you look at the CC site in depth, Conquer Club is just code and maps. Everything else can exist just because there's a coder (lackattack) and maps.
Every person with a bit of salt can understand that maps and code should be a priority because they are the basic playground on which , tournaments, clans and obviously the game itself is taken.
But in reality , over the years, things has gone in a different way, in the totally opposite way. Obviously I'm not saying that other parts of the site don't need attention, but I'm saying that if some other forums are become bigger through the year, instead the foundry has become smaller and smaller every day.
We have lost a big group of mapmakers a couple of years ago because they felt neglected. Now days I think we're going to lose the foundry because the assumptions upon which it is based are failing. If the Foundry is a public process, you should try to make possible for the community to look at this process. If Mapmakers are shouting to you that things are wrong, you should listen to them and you should try to find a bit of time to write a post and explain to them things.
Now you can say, you're the foreman, why you don't ask directly to Lack and you give us an answer? the answer is simple I can't, I don't know what is the plan, I don't know what is going on and in the end I have no power to change things alone.
I had some chat with lack, some PM exchange and in past were taken some decisions. I announced some of these decisions (with his approval) but those decisions in the end resulted just like broken promises. To make 2 examples, I announced 2 xml updates that never arrived more than 6 months ago, we did some test with supersize maps to hear after a while that things has to be done differently because the UI can't be changed so easily.
Yesterday I've sent a pm to lackattack to tell him what we are doing, i think that maybe I can copy paste here to tell you all what I've said to him (I've cutted some parts that are not relevant or private/sensitive info):
So, the point is....this thing is not boycotting the process, but show to Lack how this site would be without the foundry. Tell him to state things in a clear way, come here and give us a final answer, come here an start a discussion with the (nowdays) few people that give him at least an update for this site every month.it's a bit difficult for me to write this pm. But I find myself in an unconfortable situation.
I know that you have many things to do and probably these are not only related with CC.
We had a chat in past in which were made some promises to me. I think that I have been patient for a very long long time, trying to keep people calm and funny.
....
But, unfortunately (for you) I'm not only your foundry foreman but also a mapmaker.
I think that it's not easy to fit both this roles in the same time but I do my best to do my job here in the best way.
To my eyes, be the foundry foreman is not only try to push the map production and manage the foundry but also listen and make everything is possible to "protect" the foundry community.
In the last 2 years I've seen the foundry community become smaller and smaller every day. Right now we're just a bunch of people and there's no so much we can do to change things if you don't try to promote the foundry in the proper way on the site.
For a long time i tried to wait without complain everyday, trying to be foreman first and then mapmaker.
Today, I've decided to go in the opposite way and think as mapmaker and not be the foreman....help the mapmakers and then the site.
For this reason I'm saying to you that me and a "large" (considering how much people visit the foundry) group of mapmaker have decided to stop produce maps and updates untill you will show some love for us.
Let me state clear that I'm not a backstabber, I'm not betraying you or the site....on the opposite I would pay to have the foreman role as "full time job", but I've decided with some others to put you in a corner and " force" you to take care of us.
This is not like say: "I'm a crying baby, gimme some updates or I won't draw the maps anymore!"
It's more: "You're losing your mapmakers, this would be CC without us!"
I hope you understand what we're trying to do, I hope you don't take this as a personal act against you. I hope you understand that if we're going to do this, is because we have no more way to let you know that things are wrong, really wrong in the foundry.
People want to hear your thoughts, your plans, see things come.
Obviously, since I'm a democratic person I've not forced anyone to join this "protest action", the mapmakers who want to continue to produce maps are free to do that and we (as Cas) will check them and we will help them anyway.
On the opposite, let me say clear that I won't send to you any update or new maps till, at least, a serious discussion between you, me and the mapmaking community is taken.
As said, all this is done to have a better site and not to destroy it!
.......
I hope you understand, I'm here and want to help, but there're things that need to be done sometime.
If you want discuss I'm here
I think , I'm writing an endless post and probably i can write for hours without take a break considering the number of thoughts and feelings I have in my head right now.
But maybe I should stop and let the others speak a bit, wait that lackattack read this post and come here to say something.
In the past days I discussed a bit with cairnswk. He is a good and wise man, he has said a interesting thing: a discussion should take place.
Now, i think that this thread could be a place where teh discussion can take place, the important thing is that both side of the discussion come here and discuss or it will be another topic in which mapmakers talk to mapmakers and nothing happen.
Personally i think that you (lackattack) can have a CM (Andy), or a foreman (me)...but sometimes there're things you need to do alone. Lack we would like to hear your thoughts, understand if in your heart there's again some love for us and the issues are others or if this foundry decline is what we have to live with. We are all ears, just give us an answer.
Remember that we love this site, the foundry and that is precisely what led us to make this decision, even if reluctantly....broken promises are a big no no.
Friendly
Nobodies and (i think/hope) the other mapmakers
This is not a new issue that has come about recently. Oaktown(12 maps), Rj Beals (6 maps), Coleman (6 maps), qwert (8 maps) and WidowMakers(21 maps) who made the majority of the maps in the begining, stopped making them for the very reasons that thenobodies80 has raised.
But while not a new issue, it is an issue that has grown over the years through neglect. While maps have continued to be produced by the likes of natty dread (now at 10 maps completed) and DiM (10 completed), we now have a second lot of map makers who have left the site. Natty Dread and DiM spoke about the lack of updates and support for what they are doing and decicded that without anything new, they will have to follow the old guard.RjBeals wrote:Interesting. You all feel the same way me and some old timers did a few years back.
Last year, the new supersized maps where introduced, this was a way to increase the size of maps we now have to play with. Eurasia is the perfect example of this. A large map with lots of territs and great fun to play. But right now, even this has been stopped. No new supersized maps can be made. All maps must conform to the old sizes.DiM wrote:several months ago i reached a point where i simply snapped and asked myself WHY? why do i keep making maps? why do i post in the foundry? for the first time in many years i honestly could not find an answer. my motivation was gone. years upon years of broken promises tend to do that to people
give a little, take a lot back. Whilst this is not 100% accurate, the new policy is to have the small map at current sizes and the large one must have no wasted space. So in essence, it becomes true by default.Also, last year, 1v1 maps became available. Only 2 maps have been produced to fit this system of play even though 1v1 games are the most popular. Both are still in the foundry.
So what happens now?
The thread continues to grow every day as more and more people who visit the foundry and see it. The either give support to the map makers like ...
Sniper08 wrote:100% support you guys , i think the foundry has been ignored for far too long and we are seeing that in repetitive maps been produced as of late, some new features are desperately needed and i only hope lack listens.
... or even tell us to shut up and go away ...Robespierre__ wrote:What I don't understand is why this great bunch of volunteers does not feel supported by Lack. While it seems they have logic and reason behind their dissatisfaction, that actually does not matter. The very fact that they *FEEL* dissatisfied is all that should matter to Lack. That feeling needs to be addressed else you will get what you have here: volunteers not wanting to volunteer. Please, Lack. Care about what these guys feel. They are trying to help. Don't make them feel like they are running into a brick wall.
... and the answer to this was this and this shorter one from 2009 which was made with lackattackPedronicus wrote:For someone who has been here from the start, can you map boffins explain what you could or would like to do with maps that is unable to be done with the code at your disposal?
Just coming on here moaning about lack not backing you up, is pretty meaningless to us game players, unless you can explain what new ideas you've had.
greenoaks wrote:you guys have it wrong.
there was a time when the foundry was required but that time has passed. every map you create adds less and less to the site.
your success at churning out maps has made you less relevant.
DiM wrote:i think greenoaks is lack's multi.
What is going to happen next.thenobodies80 wrote:This because new maps are exactly variants of the existing ones and it is exactly what we're saying.
If new elements are given we can add more. (ex, conditional borders)
If this is not what the site admins want, then it's enough say it and we will find something else to do.
So your statement says exactly what we're saying, with no support the foundry is dead because it becomes not needed, although it is a primary part of the site.
ps. lol @DiM
That really is anyones guess! AndyDufresne popped into the thread and posted this ...
But is this really enough? And what is this mysterious update? Will lackattack fold and give the foundry everything it wishes? Or will he just replace thenobodies80 with somebody else? And whilst this may seem like good news, it really does nothing to sort out the problem of the foundry in the short term. Map makers have left, many will never return. Who will be around to teach the news map makers (will we be in for a few bad maps?)?AndyDufresne wrote:I definitely hear where everyone is coming from, I think I felt some of the same frustrations when I was Foundry Foreman back in the day as well. The Foundry has definitely always been a special place to me, since it always seems filled with so much potential---and if there is lack of enthusiasm, I think it really does effect the website as a whole.
Lack and King Achilles started discussing some items while I was out of the office last week, and I caught up with them this past Monday. We'll have a longer and more in-depth conversation mid-week. We're working on some actual tangible items, instead of just written promises, and I am sure we'll be in touch with the Cartos (and the rest of the Foundry here) as well.
I think a lot of good will come out of this, and hopefully there will be some new added interest in the Foundry's map and development as well.
--Andy
This is now the crux of the problem. Updates are now expected. But in the past, these have been promised and never been delivered. thenobodies80 when he became foundry foreman, announced not one, but two updates for maps but these have never been implemented (making himself look foolish?). How long has it been since the last update? So long, I cannot remember when.DiM wrote:could we know what these "tangible items" are and what's a realistic time frame for getting them?
Will the new updates be the two thenobodies80 announced nearly two years ago. A few months back, thenobodies80 performed a small miracle and produced this map gallery for all to use. It really is a marvel to behold but it comes of the back of Chipvs's similar link - which was never implemented into the site. So when he left, it left. Will the same happen here? It seems to not be the case
But why this, and why now? Who can say but this is really something that should of been put into the site much sooner and far more prominently.thenobodies80 wrote:The good news, Lack want it on the site and we are working together to have it implemented.
The map makers are not really impressed.
And this is what will happen if nothing comes out it. But how can the map makers escalate this further? That is really simple. All maps on this site belong to the map makers, and not the site. By removing them, you will remove a good portion of maps that we now play and love. Can you imagine the site without the Age of Realms maps if DiM lost all interest in continuing?DiM wrote:at this point i'm thinking the protest should actually escalate into something more serious.
isaiah40 wrote:Imagine this if you will. A couple of people from here decide to leave and take some mapmakers with them to start another Risk based game site, (no I'm not talking about Major Command), and those mapmakers decide to tell lack to remove their maps form CC. Just from 3 mapmakers, CC will be down by 50 maps. What if more mapmakers leave and have lack remove their maps, where will CC be then? it would be left with the maps it started out with, you know, the ones not a lot of people play on. Will it take this scenario to get lack's attention?
Just a few random thoughts of what COULD happen.
So now we not only have a site that has less maps to play on, we could end up with a site that is in direct compitition with Conquer Club. Now that really would be a shame! And could conquer club survive? Numbers of players are already falling and with less maps, would that decline increase?isaiah40 wrote:Well I for one can design a basic web site, but as far as coding everything to make the site work efficiently, you would need someone who does coding for a living to get it done. A dedicated server nowadays aren't that expensive, and you can always go larger as the site grows.
What you can do.
Well, there is only two things you can do. Show some support for the map makers or not. If you have read this and glanced at the thread, I can only say that supporting someone that only wants the maps and the games to get better is logical. Post in the thread and even change your avatar to the one we are now all supporting. It was at the begining of this but here it is again for you.
As a map maker, I have shown my support to thenobodies80 and am behind him 100%. To show my support, I l(ike many others) have done two things: changed my avatar and blacked out my map images.
Magyarország, Labryinth, Jakarta. If you click on the links for these thread, this is what you will see.
Does any one of the current map makers want to see the foundry closed down? The answer is no! But can it continue in the way it has for much longer? Maps are becoming harder to make as less people visit the foundry. It is also becoming less fun. think of it this way. If you get chocolate pudding for dinner every night, it starts out nice but it becomes a little boring after a while. Why should map makers spend months working on a map if no one wants to play it? And how can maps be made if no one visits the foundry?
All that is being asked for is this....
New ways to play.
Promote the foundry.
Is that so hard to do? Or is it like some map makers feel, that they do the hard work and the ones above do not care if the site lives or dies as long as it makes a little money. This site was great and can be great again! A place where no matter where you are or what you do, you can unwind at the end of the day with a few rounds of bloodlust.
I will leave you with this for now.
A lot. One more day brings the foundry to a standstill for longer. How many need to go and will the site carry on regardless.thenobodies80 wrote:Patience, my friend, patience
One day more, one day less...what change?
Happy gaming everyone, whatever map takes your fancy.
Afterthought: whilst the foundry shut down is still in effect at the time of writing this, it does appear that lackattack is producing some sort of update. A clue was left by thenobodies80 in the thread recently.
.
This issue we celebrate the new Unique Teammates, by encouraging more Inter-clan by-play as we all try to play games with new and exciting teammates. http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 8&t=174563 will hopefully do all that and more, and I'm certainly enjoying it in engineering victories with my first time teammates SaviorShot and John Deere!
The 2nd Annual 1 vs 1 Clan Challenge is also nearing close of sign-ups, with some high profile clans like KoRT, and Tofu joining this edition of the competition, alongside Defending Champions Empire!
The [ACC2] The All Comers Cup II also has just opened it's doors, with perhaps less High-profile additions so far, after huge scalps in the first installment as clans such as AoC fell by the wayside in this intriguing twist on conventional clan play
Leehar
Clan Executive
New Comers Cup 3 by Skillfusniper33
Spoiler
Alright the first round of NC3 is underway and results are finally coming in. Most wars are about half way through so we can get a good look at how everything is falling and possible outcomes.
IGNI vs RH
IGNI is taking on a new clan who hasn't had any real results come out and is their first war. The score is 16-4 IGNI leading. While RH is still very new to the scene with some very inexperienced players they have several that should allow them to train up and become a clan to fear in the future. I expect this war to finish up very soon with an IGNI win.
Fall vs M8
Fallen the brand new clan has taken control of their war vs Ulti-M8s. The score is 11-2 Fallen leading. Many more results will be coming in shortly and I expect Fallen to take this war with ease since most of the Ulti-M8s are fairly new to the clan scene and haven't had much experience in wars. While Fallen have broken off from another clan, and have been involved in many wars against solid opponents.
MB vs 1RFG 
A repeat of NC2 round 1 with a blowout of 1RFG winning the war. MB has improved quite a lot since that war, and have been able to put together a bit of a better showing in this tournament. The current score is 4-3 1RFG winning, but their war is with 3 rounds instead of 2. All the quad games are now underway and very close to finishing. I do expect this to be a lot closer than the previous war, but do expect the experience of 1RFG to pull off the war by several games (winning by around 5 games).
TNC vs TFFS 
Now the hardest war to predict in the first round, and both these clans have a strong chance of making it to the finals from the top half of the bracket. The score in this war with TNC vs TFFS is 14-13 TNC leading. I expect this war to be within 1 or 2 games once it is all done and over with. But both these clans in my opinion shouldn't have been in a first round game, and against each other. But things like this happens when everything is random.
By the looks of it the second round games will be IGNI vs RET, Fallen vs HH, AKA vs (TNC or TFFS), and ROTS vs (1RFG or MB). The last 2 wars listed are to close to call at who I think will be able to pull off the win.
Good luck to all the clans participating in the rest of the 1st round Wars. Very much looking forward to round 2 and hopefully some much closer battles ahead. The first round of NC2 provided some fun wars that were very close between all participating clans.
IGNI vs RHIGNI is taking on a new clan who hasn't had any real results come out and is their first war. The score is 16-4 IGNI leading. While RH is still very new to the scene with some very inexperienced players they have several that should allow them to train up and become a clan to fear in the future. I expect this war to finish up very soon with an IGNI win.
Fall vs M8
Fallen the brand new clan has taken control of their war vs Ulti-M8s. The score is 11-2 Fallen leading. Many more results will be coming in shortly and I expect Fallen to take this war with ease since most of the Ulti-M8s are fairly new to the clan scene and haven't had much experience in wars. While Fallen have broken off from another clan, and have been involved in many wars against solid opponents.
MB vs 1RFG A repeat of NC2 round 1 with a blowout of 1RFG winning the war. MB has improved quite a lot since that war, and have been able to put together a bit of a better showing in this tournament. The current score is 4-3 1RFG winning, but their war is with 3 rounds instead of 2. All the quad games are now underway and very close to finishing. I do expect this to be a lot closer than the previous war, but do expect the experience of 1RFG to pull off the war by several games (winning by around 5 games).
TNC vs TFFS Now the hardest war to predict in the first round, and both these clans have a strong chance of making it to the finals from the top half of the bracket. The score in this war with TNC vs TFFS is 14-13 TNC leading. I expect this war to be within 1 or 2 games once it is all done and over with. But both these clans in my opinion shouldn't have been in a first round game, and against each other. But things like this happens when everything is random.
By the looks of it the second round games will be IGNI vs RET, Fallen vs HH, AKA vs (TNC or TFFS), and ROTS vs (1RFG or MB). The last 2 wars listed are to close to call at who I think will be able to pull off the win.
Good luck to all the clans participating in the rest of the 1st round Wars. Very much looking forward to round 2 and hopefully some much closer battles ahead. The first round of NC2 provided some fun wars that were very close between all participating clans.
Spoiler
OFFICIAL SCORES
Round 1
PIG 4 v TFFS 7
Round 1
PIG 4 v TFFS 7
MD 2 v TNC 9TFFS HOME GAMES
- PIG HOME GAMES
- Game 11332767 TFFS
- Game 11332768 TFFS
- Game 11332769 TFFS
- Game 11332772 TFFS
- Game 11332773 TFFS
- Game 11333396 PIG
- Game 11333397 PIG
- Game 11333401 PIG
- Game 11333403 PIG
- Game 11333404 TFFS
- Game 11333405 TFFS
FOED 8 v HH 2MD HOME GAMESTNC HOME GAMES
- Game 11328628 TNC
- Game 11328629 TNC
- Game 11328631 TNC
- Game 11328632 TNC
- Game 11328635 MD
- Game 11329897 TNC
- Game 11329908 TNC
- Game 11329909 TNC
- Game 11329911 MD
- Game 11329913 TNC
- Game 11329915 TNC
OSA 6 v DYN 3FOED HOME GAMESHH HOME GAMES
- Game 11328468 FOED
- Game 11328472 FOED
- Game 11328475 FOED
- Game 11328481 HH
- Game 11328484 FOED
- Game 11333302 FOED
- Game 11333305 HH
- Game 11333308 FOED
- Game 11333311 FOED
- Game 11333316 FOED
OSA HOME GAMESDYN HOME GAMES
- Game 11332553 OSA
- Game 11332559 DYN
- Game 11332560 OSA
- Game 11340613 OSA
- Game 11330887 OSA
- Game 11330888 DYN
- Game 11330889 OSA
- Game 11330890 OSA
- Game 11330891 DYN
Stay Tuned for the next issue of the ConquerClub Dispatch for an interrogation of Pirlo. Post any questions you may have for them here --> Interrogation with Pirlo
Submitting Your Own Articles
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ConquerClub Dispatch Team
- Victor Sullivan - Chief Executive
- DoomYoshi - Strategy Executive
- crazymilkshake5 - Strategy Reporter
- Dhallmeyer - Strategy Reporter
- Viceroy63 - Strategy Reporter
- macbone - Strategy Assistant
- Dukasaur - Tournament Executive
- WorldCup4James - Tournament Reporter
- DaveH - Tournament Reporter
- Fuzzy316 - Tournament Reporter
- thehippo8 - Foundry Executive
- koontz1973 - Foundry Reporter
- Flapcake - Foundry Reporter
- Nolefan5311 - Foundry Reporter
- Leehar - Clan Executive
- Skillfusniper33 - Clan Reporter
- Swifte - Clan Reporter
- QuikSilver - Clan Reporter
- Alt1978 - Clan Reporter
- Gunn217 - Clan Reporter
- Master Fenrir - Clan Reporter
- DJ Teflon - Clan Freelance
- IcePack - Clan Freelance
- WPBRJ - Clan Freelance
- safariguy5 - Freestyle Executive
- shieldgenerator7 - Freestyle Writer
- Jdsizzleslice - Freestyle Writer
- vodean - Freestyle Writer
- Commander9 - Freestyle Writer
