CC Dispatch [127] Some big news and some little news

[Dukasaur]

Greetings, comrades, and welcome to the 127th running of the Conquer Club Dispatch!

In this issue we have the next installment (getting close to the finale, people!) in dakky's Guess This Map series, iAmCaffeine brings us the round-up of last month's tourney winners, a newly-launched clan announces itself, and bigWham brings us not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE announcements. Any more and it would be hrair! Check that webmonster for some very big new features!

In Great War news, today (two months after the event began) we are changing the token-dropping maps for the first time. The updated List of Token Criteria and the updated search link to find waiting token-eligible games



From the Deck of the Webmonster by bigWham[spoiler]Greetings from The Deck Of The Webmonster.

*A Taste of Future Club*

We are bringing My Games up to date with a responsive, modern design that works across browsers, platforms, devices and sizes of screen...



Also, anyone fancy a game of...



*Guide Update*

Soon we will be ramping up our promotion of Speed Guide Games, which are speed games with new recruits for 0 points. These games can be joined by Freemiums, so they are great way to get free speed games while feeling good about it. Watch Global Chat for invites or join the Society of Guides to get alerts.

*Random Feature Special*

On Global Chat you can autolink a game by surrounding the game number with [g][/g]. It's a great way to get people into your game quicker! No guarantees on who you will get though

*Demon Speed*


Big congrats to the winners of the Demon Speed event:

agentcom
NoSurvivors
general code
Gabriel13
-=- Tanarri -=-

And hurrah to everyone else that survived the thrill ride of CC's scariest maps.[/spoiler]



Late-breaking news in cartography: RedBaron0 has opened the door and invited in some new volunteers to take on that beautiful blue nametag and help run the Foundry.

Guess the Map -- Round 8 by dakky21
[spoiler].
This round comes with another surprise! Two maps are rotated (old news) and one has changed colours! In this eight installment, the difficulty is SUPER EXTRA^2 HARD!



In this contest, you will identify Conquer Club maps by small samples extracted from them. Look in the circles, see if you can spot what map that image is extracted from, and PM to dakky21. There will be 10 rounds with 9 images each, for a maximum score of 90. The images will gradually become more difficult as the issues move on.

• You must PM your answers to dakky21. Please do not answer by posting in the thread or PMing to anyone else. Only answers sent to dakky21 will be official.
• Answers to each issue's quiz must be sent within ten days after the actual publication date.
• Minor typos will be overlooked. If you mean "Jamaica" and you type "Jamiaca" that's fine. HOWEVER, we are not finishing your thought for you: there is both a Baltic States and a Baltic Crusades. If you just type "Baltic" that is a WRONG answer, because it would require us to finish the thought and decide between Crusades and States.
• Points will be cumulative over the 10 issues.
• Depending on interest, the 10th round may carry bonus images and/or bonus points.
• In case of a tie at the end of the contest, dakky21 will PM a supplementary tiebreaking list of extremely difficult images.
• Please format your answers as follows:Number dot space Name of Map
  (Example:
  1. Jamaica
  2. USA
  3. Austerlitz

Prizes:

• First place 2000 credits
• Second place 1000 credits
• Third place 625 credits
• Top five contestants get a GA medal.
• To qualify for any of the above prizes, you must score at least 35 points over the course of the contest.
• If and only if we get 25 or more contestants, we will have a random draw for a 6th GA medal.
• If and only if we get 75 or more contestants, the top player will get a Challenge Medal in addition to other prizes.
  Editor's note: we got the 75 in our first installment!
• Every issue the top contestant will get one or more Conquer Stars. Just like everything else about the stars, this is shrouded in mystery, so there's no telling what kind of star you will get! Drab? Auburn? Pink? A box of 50 Auburns? Wouldn't you like to know? This star prize can only be won once, so if you win it in week 1 and you are the top contestant in week 2 again, the prize in week 2 will go to the second place contestant, and so on down the list.

(NOTE #1: slices 7 & 8 are ROTATED in the way shown!!!!)
(NOTE #2: slice 9 IS COLOR SHIFTED/CHANGED - it's not rotated, but colors may be as shown above)

Round 7 answers:
1. Vancouver
2. Kingdom Of Denmark
3. CCU
4. Unification Germany
5. Brazil
6. California
7. Classic Cities: Moscow
8. Jamaica
9. Trafalgar

Standings after Round 7:
1. Flow520 63
2. ooge 63
3. Ffraid 63
4. cooldeals 63
5. jonofperu 63
6. Serbia 63
7. lokisgal 63
8. jackal31 63
9. grt 63
10. Winged Cat 63
11. Tripitaka 63
12. Swifte 63
13. Bruceswar 63
14. Mad777 62
15. rjhankey 58
16. BuJaber 54
17. csiguy79 54
18. plurple 54
19. sempaispellcheck 53
20. Cynther 51
21. GioDuce 43
22. Gabriel13 36
23. SiriusCowKing 36
24. MoB Deadly 36
25. TercioValencia 36
26. DaveH 36
27. osman76 36
28. Garbi 35
29. EdwinG 34
30. CatchersMitt14 31
31. TheFlashPoint 27
32. RedBaron0 27
33. umbrellaman 27
34. anamainiacks 27
35. Koganosi 27
36. Killer4 27
37. Gilligan 27
38. JamesKer1 25
39. Kinnison 18
40. skillfusniper33 18
41. chapcrap 18
42. DoomYoshi 18
43. ztodd 18
44. lilice 18
45. StorrZerg 18
46. benga 18
47. Phiba 18
48. stealth99 18
49. codierose 18
50. jak111 18
51. ISN2 17
52. redspyder 17
53. iAmCaffeine 17
54. IcePack 17
55. merch313 16
56. elonpuckhog 15
57. hopalong 14
58. regan the great 9
59. TeeGee 9
60. nietzsche 9
61. Serreski 9
62. Metricsystemlove 9
63. agentcom 9
64. ckyrias 9
65. dgz345 9
66. AslanTheKing 9
67. big-bad 9
68. Arya 9
69. trinicardinal 9
70. Nicholasflak 8
71. Ukey 8
72. goldenwarrior 8
73. t4mcr53s2 8
74. TheTrueNorth 8
75. suzieq51 8
76. sonicspeed 7[/spoiler]



A New Clan Rises by PaulatPeace
[spoiler]Stand up CC players, it appears a new clan is rising that may very well challenge the established order and rank among the top clans! "A future force to be reckoned with" says co-founder MagnusGreeol, "We will be distinguished among the rest." With a starting lineup comprised of a number of Brigadiers, former Generals and even a former Conqueror, THE OMEGA PANTHEON could certainly be destined for greatness!

Co-founders PaulatPeace, MagnusGreeol and narutoserigala

had a dream in mind of a new and unique type of clan when they began talking about forming TOP. "We felt there was a real need for a different ethic in the clan mentality." says PaulatPeace. "I like to win perhaps even more than the next guy, but not at the expense of Honor & Integrity!" And it is these principles which comprise the heart of the Code of Ethics that govern the actions of every Omega. "Honesty, respect for everyone, accountability, and consideration of others, these are a few of the virtues we will hold dear." Paulatpeace declares emphatically. "I had become disillusioned with many of the clans that I saw in CC. I like the idea of camaraderie with players of like mind, but some of the values and ingredients I would look for in association with others seemed to be missing." "Yes this is just a game here in cyberspace, but it is you behind your Avatar, and the values that are important to you come across loud and clear to others as you play your game."

Third co-founder narutoserigala will also tell you about the high level of skill each Omega aspires towards. "We pursue perfection as a unit in battle! Nothing beats a team in unison. The team feels good and our opponents feel plenty of pressure when we come together as a team like that. As Omegas, we are One!"

"One other important factor that distinguishes THE OMEGA PANTHEON from other clans" says PaulatPeace is that each member will be highly valued as individuals and players. Ours will be a clan in which everyone, at all times will have a voice that will be respected and heard! Trust and respect for each other, regardless of rank will be essential and egos will have to be checked at the door." "Our clan" explains Paul, "will also be less demanding than some clans in that we understand that real world commitments and responsibilities come first. Each Omega will determine their own level of participation. Some will be able to do a lot, some a little. The important thing is that we are a team and we will have each other's backs. The Omega Pantheon is One!"

THE OMEGA PANTHEON presents itself to CC with these words:
"Members gathered from all around the globe united dawning the rise of The Omega Pantheon. Each sharing and upholding Our belief in Honor and Integrity with pursuit of perfection as a unit in battle. Tremble in awe, yet fear not...we are a benevolent entity! Ultimate Skill forged in the fire of Honor & Integrity! We offer a unique and exceptional experience to those who seek excellence. All are equal in our ranks, for all are Omegas! Perfecting skill on the battlefield while aspiring to the highest set of values in gameplay...this defines us! We welcome inquiries from those who possess the potential for greatness. If you think you know clans...you do not know us! We are set apart! We are THE OMEGA PANTHEON!"

Omega, the last letter of the Greek alphabet is often used to denote the last, the end, or the ultimate limit of a set. If you are seeking the "ultimate" experience in a clan here in CC, it could be The Omega Pantheon is the place for you![/spoiler]



Tournament Winners Update: October '14 by iAmCaffeine
[spoiler]

• Emperor of China won by alan rulez
• For Your Amusement bigWham won by bahrain
• Champions League 2013/14 won by dkmaster and MrPinky
• Bracketology - Canada won by Serreski
• June Challenge Companion I won by ckyrias
• June Challenge Companion II won by Tobikera
• First Warlord of Loki won by osok68
• Oil Baron won by Frito Bandito
• HA's 200th Tourney won by josko.ri
• 66(5+1) FEUDAL KING won by Gabriel13
• August Challenge Companion 3 won by jonofperu
• Kex's Beta Poly Swiss won by Kexor
• Premier League Darts won by sandman175
• FEUDAL EPIC POLYMORPHIC PARACHUTE won by general cod
• Avalanche Melding Pot w/Poly won by TX AG 90
• Welcome Promontory Point! won by redspyder
• FEUDAL VS ARMS RACE won by Triple 6
• Dean's 40th Tournament won by Robespierre__
• Bet's fast&simple classic10 won by iAmCaffeine
• Bracketology - Europe won by Tin Trumpet
• Bet's fast&simple doodle10 won by rmjw10
• Bet's fast&simple luxembourg10 won by Tobikera
• star wars theme won by ariskocrat
• The 12 Man Brawl - Take 2 won by Gabriel13
• Six Cities Tourney (TPA 5) won by Flang
• Random Squared: Quads won by GioDuce, uckuki, worldconquer and nicestash
• Apprentice 2014 won by Mad777
• It's A Knockout!!! Sydney Metro won by RaLLy77
• Arms Quads District of Alaska won by Kexor, Doc_Brown, Dualta and Armandolas

Players Who Performed Exceptionally (Wins)

• Tobikera (2)
• Gabriel13 (2)
• Kexor (2)

Congratulations to all that have won tournaments this month, thank you to all those who have organised tournaments, and good luck to all next month![/spoiler]

[iAmCaffeine]

Gabriel12 huh.

[Dukasaur]

Gabriel12 huh.

Fixed...

Thank you.

[stealth99]

Great new look BW, awesome; 'can't wait.

Congrats PaulatPeace and The Omega Pantheon Clan. It appears you guys all have very challenging goals ahead of you. All the best.

[firstholliday]

yeah keep on changing and speed up the proces of CC going dead...

you take risk out of risk...


people are quitting the game coz of the bs.
if they want a real game they play a x box


idiots

[Serbia]

So glad we're getting new sortable options for the game that we CURRENTLY have! New ways to sort and search for our 200+ maps and many settings, just amazing! Much better idea then to add an entirely new game to our RISK-esque site! Because, let's face it, when I want to play chess online, the very first thing I Google search is "RISK online"!

Bollocks.

[betiko]

The new my game page seems like a better display for mobile devices, why not.
So we are really going to be able to play chess here? I think it s a very fun and unexpected news.
Why not? I ve seen tons of cc players saying they are big chess players. Introducing this within the cc community does make some kind of sense and surely doesn t hurt.
I personally suck, but would sure give it a go! Serbia i challenge you!!!

[Donelladan]

Will we have the option for the new design of the "my games" page or will it be compulsory change ? I think I'll prefer the old one.

I am a supporter of most of the new changes made up to now and like the way CC is going. But I have to say I am surprised by this change, there is some features not working correctly - polymorphic deadbeat - map inspect for map with the conditional border for example that should be fixed. There is extremely good suggestion in the suggestion forum that could nicely improve the game. But I don't think anyone asked to change the my games page so why doing smthg which is not demanded while there is stuff to do?

[Dukasaur]

Will we have the option for the new design of the "my games" page or will it be compulsory change ? I think I'll prefer the old one.

I am a supporter of most of the new changes made up to now and like the way CC is going. But I have to say I am surprised by this change, there is some features not working correctly - polymorphic deadbeat - map inspect for map with the conditional border for example that should be fixed. There is extremely good suggestion in the suggestion forum that could nicely improve the game. But I don't think anyone asked to change the my games page so why doing smthg which is not demanded while there is stuff to do?

Some comments from the Beta Testers forum which may answer your question:

Central Command is the old "My Games" page reworked for the modern world.

Aside from looking better, Central Command uses responsive design which you will see if you resize your browser. The main stimulus for this redesign was to make this page work better on mobile devices, small screens, and in situations, such as a Facebook Tab, where there is limited space available.

(emphasis added -- DK)

I appreciate that it's a dramatic change and that initially many people will dislike it. However, CC's current My Games page was created in 2006 and basically hasn't changed since... except to add more game settings. It is outmoded, not well structured from an information-design point of view, unattractive, and does not work with small screens.

This change should be better for new players ... since it is more in line with what you get on today's internet. Actually though, the change was not so much for new players but for the need to make this page work more flexibly in a wide variety of scenarios... such as a cell phone or a Facebook Tab.

But I don't think anyone asked to change the my games page so why doing smthg which is not demanded while there is stuff to do?

Actually, demands to upgrade the basic UI are commonplace. Comments such as the following have been repeated by hundreds of people as far back as I can remember:Subject: Is CC Declining?

I still think the biggest problem is the UI. Site looks like it did in 2006. Looks older than saxi.

Still, cosmetic change is not what this is about. The basic need for the change is, as BW said above, to continue to make CC more scalable in on a multi-platform Internet. As fewer people get their internet from traditional desktop computers and more people get it from phones and tablets, the scalability is a stronger need.

The small tweaks that you mention -- stuff like polymorphic deadbeat not working properly -- do get some of BW's attention. For instance, just a couple of weeks ago he fixed the problem with Panel-mode autosnapshots, and they are now taken at the end of a turn as people wanted, not at the beginning of a turn, as they originally did. Those little tweaks are happening all the time, without any big hoopla or fanfare. But little tweaks won't bring the patient back. Only major surgery will do that.

[betiko]

yeah so I guess I figured out what it was about, more adaptability on mobile device!
I'd personally love to take my turns with the same ease on my tablet as I do on my laptop. Right now, I do play turns on tablet, eventually on my phone, but not really the important ones as the ergonomy is way inferior compared to the one on the laptop and we can't have all the information we want displayed on the screen, you need to ress the "i" button and the map disapears. Good luck with that though, as I doubt it will ever be possible to feel as comfortable with a tablet than with a PC to take a turn, but I really hope I'm wrong. What I really don't like on tablet is that you don't have the side bar, and it's a real pain in the ass to go back to "my games".

ps: AOG like a boss. CC's most influential cook!

[Agent 86]

"One other important factor that distinguishes THE OMEGA PANTHEON from other clans" says PaulatPeace is that each member will be highly valued as individuals and players. Ours will be a clan in which everyone, at all times will have a voice that will be respected and heard! Trust and respect for each other, regardless of rank will be essential and egos will have to be checked at the door." "Our clan" explains Paul, "will also be less demanding than some clans in that we understand that real world commitments and responsibilities come first. Each Omega will determine their own level of participation. Some will be able to do a lot, some a little. The important thing is that we are a team and we will have each other's backs. The Omega Pantheon is One!"

Sorry TOP, but the Immortals are but just this dating back further and probably several others lol. So get in line on your statements please

Kudos on your new clan and hope you do extremely well

[betiko]

"One other important factor that distinguishes THE OMEGA PANTHEON from other clans" says PaulatPeace is that each member will be highly valued as individuals and players. Ours will be a clan in which everyone, at all times will have a voice that will be respected and heard! Trust and respect for each other, regardless of rank will be essential and egos will have to be checked at the door." "Our clan" explains Paul, "will also be less demanding than some clans in that we understand that real world commitments and responsibilities come first. Each Omega will determine their own level of participation. Some will be able to do a lot, some a little. The important thing is that we are a team and we will have each other's backs. The Omega Pantheon is One!"

Sorry TOP, but the Immortals are but just this dating back further and probably several others lol. So get in line on your statements please

Kudos on your new clan and hope you do extremely well

Yeah made me giggle too as I don t know any clan that works the way he assumes for the most part. Nevertheless, I doubt that a player asking for high participation and showing low involvement & team skills will end up highly valued as a player.

[BoganGod]

Betsy, stop being such a cynic. I'm sure they will be at least as competitive as Water's Fury.

[betiko]

Betsy, stop being such a cynic. I'm sure they will be at least as competitive as Water's Fury.

Nothing to do with competitivity, but the article makes it look like clans are like feodal societies with peasants that have no right to give their opinion and who aren t listened to because of their rank. And i don t know any clan that works like that, all i m saying.

[NoSurvivors]

Feel free to challenge me to a game of chess. I love it! Great add.

[codierose]

Those little tweaks are happening all the time, without any big hoopla or fanfare. But little tweaks won't bring the patient back. Only major surgery will do that.

you sure about that when was the last time you visited the bug page
it was the little tweaks that made the patients sick

[MrBoom]

...let's face it, when I want to play chess online, the very first thing I Google search is "RISK online"!

people are quitting the game coz of the bs.
if they want a real game they play a x box

Poly, panel interface, map stats and auto-tournaments were all amazing updates to an already incredible site.

I've never understood the constant drive to advertise CC as if it's a 2nd rate, tower-defence game on miniclip.

[iAmCaffeine]

The panels are shit. The auto-tournaments are okay but need adjustments and more creativity. I still think most of what bW has brought is good, but there have also been very questionable decisions. That's always going to happen with trial & error though.