Let's Make this Right

[RaZ Vader]

i don't think that's much of an issue, at least, not with blue. I frequently play with people from every squad, and our after battles race games are the stuff of legends.

If that is true, then why are you so upset to be split from a certain group for a few hours in a week? Please.. work with me and tell me what is REALLY bugging you and everyone else.. Im really trying hard here..

I just fail to understand what is making people cry about this.

[VerbotenDonkey]

If that is true, then why are you so upset to be split from a certain group for a few hours in a week? Please.. work with me and tell me what is REALLY bugging you and everyone else.. Im really trying hard here..

I just fail to understand what is making people cry about this.

Because, although everyone in an army practices together (trust me, last Wae, everyone in REDD was practicing together), in the end you want to be on the Battlefield, what actually matters, with your closest friends.

[silversleek(GEN)]

personally, as i know most of the people here, i don't have a big problem with being put in another squad, i mean, i still mind (see donkey's post), but try looking at it from the point of view of new recruits.

someone joins, they bring a group of 15 or so friends/clan mates with them, only to be told they can't all play together? boom, you've just lost 15 people.

sure, you and the vets are invested in FC, but it's completely ridiculous to anyone that doesn't have ties to FC. You'll lose chances at recruiting large groups, or getting any clan affiliates, and those that do still join will be unhappy because they get seperated from their friends and put in with randoms.

[VerbotenDonkey]

Picture it like this. In school, you have a group assignment. Would you rather do it with your best friends, or a group of people you know and talk to? You'd probably want to do it with your best friends. That's kinda like this.

[RaZ Vader]

personally, as i know most of the people here, i don't have a big problem with being put in another squad, i mean, i still mind (see donkey's post), but try looking at it from the point of view of new recruits.

someone joins, they bring a group of 15 or so friends/clan mates with them, only to be told they can't all play together? boom, you've just lost 15 people.

sure, you and the vets are invested in FC, but it's completely ridiculous to anyone that doesn't have ties to FC. You'll lose chances at recruiting large groups, or getting any clan affiliates, and those that do still join will be unhappy because they get seperated from their friends and put in with randoms.

I understand that we hype over the battles. I mean everything centers around Sundays. I would want to play with my buddies too. That is why we are allowing the group of 12 or so to play in at least one battle together.

My goal was to never split up anyone, but to make the battles more fair and fun for everyone..but if playing with your "buddies" is all that matters to you, allow me to show you this, its a great site.

http://gamebattles.majorleaguegaming.com/

[silversleek(GEN)]

Picture it like this. In school, you have a group assignment. Would you rather do it with your best friends, or a group of people you know and talk to? You'd probably want to do it with your best friends. That's kinda like this.

wow, that's actually a pretty good example.
best friends or acquaintances, seems an obvious choice to me.

My goal was to never split up anyone

well, that's what's happening. i mean, the resistance company had to cut down from ~20+ people just to fit that requirement, now what about the other 8 or 10 untill recently that were cut out?

[PhoenixPrime(GEN)]

sure, you and the vets are invested in FC, but it's completely ridiculous to anyone that doesn't have ties to FC. You'll lose chances at recruiting large groups, or getting any clan affiliates, and those that do still join will be unhappy because they get seperated from their friends and put in with randoms.

They don't want affiliates anymore, because people who have joined with affiliates show more loyalty to them than there were people loyal to FC and the army as a whole.

best friends or acquaintances, seems an obvious choice to me.

And he's also wondering why you can't make the new guys your friends...


Raz, I think the big deal here is that they believe you want to split up existing friendships and force new ones on them. That's the core of the problem. They don't mind making new friends, but not at the expense of old friends.


Correct?



(That that I agree with anything. I'm just clarifying.)

[Anarchy]

Its aged like fine wine actually.




Ya'll gotta look at it this way:

Look how last war was. Thats an epic failure due to many reasons, more so uneven skill level. Do you realize what kinda morale a new player in this community with just a basic halo skill level is gonna have after being slaughtered every week by "god" squads? A not very good one. Hell i wouldn't even bother playing anymore.

Look i get you wanna play with ALL your friends. But tough shit. We're a military WAR SIMULATION. This is what they do in the militiry.

How about you guys be a little less selfish and think about benefitting the community a tad, rather than you're win/loss ratio.

Edit: and to anarchy. You don't think us "higher ups" never were enlisted here, do you? We've all been part of squads, ran squads, and fought countless numbers of battles. How do u think we got to these ranks in the first place? We kinda know what we're talking about. Because we've BEEN there.

Politicians we're born regular U.S. citizens too

Maybe I just don't get it.

You don't. Just because the reasoning doesn't make sense to you doesn't mean it's worthless or unprofessional. Having a squad is a big part of FC to a lot of people, from the more skilled to the less skilled. Blue and red can both agree on this, and if you'd take a look at a thread that's (hopefully) in the red archives that was originally intended to be an army update by gargoyle, you'll find a 3-5 page thread on everyone voicing their disapproval of anything related to squad splits. Yes, from the reds who we're getting their asses kicked.

I'm really sorry. Things change, squads form, structure appears, and connections are made. It's all well and good that you think coming in and forcing us all to go backwards is for the better, but it's not what's going to make people happy. Squads are important to us. We practice with them, prepare with them, play with them, and represent our army and the community. From VbD and 21st degree, all the way down to fox legion and the 105th, NO ONE wants to be split. So PLEASE stop getting the assumption that you have such a large follow with this, because the simple fact of the matter is, you DON'T. I hate to be rude, but anything less is an illusion. Again, if you don't believe me, feel free to put that shiny poll up again.

My solution? This:
You want people to interact with others in the community, right? And you're all convinced that Sunday night is all that matters? Let's do this. Bring back squads. If things get unequal, use your hard on for supreme power and decision making to move a squad one way or the other. Every 3rd or 4th battle night, have a "mix night", where all the squads within an army mix to form BLUE/REDD mixes. You get what you want with a sacrifice to keep us happy. We get what we want with a sacrifice to keep you happy.



Also: When it comes to OP Firestorm before the forced splits, you probably would have plenty of support. It wasn't until these splits that it became a big problem with most people. I can't speak for everyone though.

[VerbotenDonkey]

..but if playing with your "buddies" is all that matters to you, allow me to show you this, its a great site.

http://gamebattles.majorleaguegaming.com/

I'd have to disagree. So you're saying that, if you have friends you want to play with, you automatically are just gamebattles material?

There's a difference between playing competitively and playing for fun with your friends. I know you guys are trying to even things out and make it so that people can expand their horizons within the community and meet other people, but we do that by inter-Army practices and skirmishes. And Community events. Doesn't have to be your Unit as well.

[Salvanous]

I understand wanting to be on the battlefield with your closest friends I really do, but now I am leading a squad of mine own and really on the issue of playing with my friends my thoughts are "I wish we had at least one other 251st ODST vet with us." I've bugged Orange a little about joining us since he hasn't chosen a side yet and would be nice to see a bit of a return of the old. Frankly I would love to see all of 251st back together again, but I also realize that we as an entire squad could serve better separated and teaching newer members.

Raz, if you remember part of my upcoming project you know that I tackle the issue of "squad exchanges" in which we transfer roughly a firesquad's worth of people with another squad for roughly a months time to continue to spread our connections. If that is the case then friends who may not be in the same company may be able to spend half a war in the same company, but not permanently.

I really do understand that we all want to spend ever waking moment here on the site with our friends and those we joined with, but isn't part of a community to also make new friends?

I would say the only thing I can think of that could be frustrating people are those whose connections are more than 10 people, and that is because they all try to cram into one company together rather than dividing out equally. If all of 251st ODST was in the same company but I was told I couldn't join I would be a little disheartened, but if I was told that half of 251st was in one platoon, but I was with the other half I would be happy. (Not saying I want that, but it is for the example).

In the end I think it comes down to we as a community need to accept that we are a community and not a friends list, but a place where I friends list can expand. I can say I really only know 3 people in Ascension Company right now, and even then I don't know nearly enough about them to really call them great friends. However, I have been PMing my new members, and the ones that respond I am working towards talking with them and getting to know them and I know that I will make new friends here too.

Just because I am not in the same company as Wooosh, Harry, Orange, or any of the rest of 251st doesn't mean we can play together, we simply need to find other ways to interact.