the original reason why i start this thread is lava's epic trolling on the 'clans' section. from there, the debate went to more peaceful waters where he stated that clansmen are all fucktards, because they think that they are more than 'non-clansmen'. from my side, i teased him (not for the first time) with his lack of balls to show off his skills at a scrim, as he is so upset on the existence of clans globally. instead of pulling his friends together and showing off, he asked me to explain why i think clans are an important part of this game.
from my limited experiences, i will now try to explain to him that clanlife is a thing what has some features what adds to Tremulous's community, and there is nothing wrong with being in a clan.
A:> tremulous is a team game. i find it quite obvious that certain people likes to gather a group of their friends to face off other groups, trying to train their skills to an optimal level, so they can find some extra challenge besides normal games, that they probably play and enjoy as much as anyone being in a clan or not.
B:> being in a clan requires some kind of restrictions what the clan leader decides. the aim of the clan can vary from "fortheLULz" trough training purposes to the total ownage of other teams. apart from very newborn clans, where dudes are simply trying to make a little empire of their own, being in a clan requires skills. this feature is providing a kind of standard when clans are fighting with each others.
C:> caused by the forementioned stuff, a clanwar is quite different from a "ffa"(free for all) game:
1.) while in a free for all game skills of the players are very mixed, in a decent clanwar there are no absolute n00bs. this means that they understand game mechanics, they don'T do silly things accidentally/on purpose (well.... maybe less frequently :-)) like deconning-on purpose teamkilling-fake alarms on attacking base-get lost on the map-doing selfish actions-glitch building-acting silly-spamming any text-stupid debates within the team-debate on sharing evos/credits-cheating(as there are spectators and recorders to check it even after the game)-misunderstandable building, et cetera....
2.) the dudes are playing the clan wars are more or less planned how to act in game. this is called strategy, and at ffa games you must be very lucky to have a team who is capable to follow reasonable orders (as lava said, 2 decent players are enough for that, and it's very-very true if they are playing a 2vs2 scrim). even if you are that lucky, there is a huge chance that you opinion is different than others so by a sudden act, the whole team can be confused (fun bases, selfish base killing actions, killwhoring, etc., not to mention the players who don'T even know what are the accurate meanings, like if you don't know what the overmind is, you just can'T imagine how to attack it...). in a decent team, there are separated roles for them (what can vary very much regarding the clan leader's imagination) like builder, base defender (who is aware of backstab attack as much as he is defending the base from sudden threats like psaw or reactor rape), first man on fire(the one who attacks first to lure out the enemy from camping points and dodging them while teammates are firing them), second attacker (who has the aim skill to shoot out the ones who are teased enough by the first dude to get into his line of fire), et cetera. this also requires the reasonable sharing of evos/credits//usage of the current ones, even when no sharing is enabled (for example at s1 you will never buy a chaingun as a first fire dude because you would do more damage to your own team than the aliens while turning back, but you rather choose a lasgun or md, or staying with rifle with an armor). at ffa, you can never be sure what kind of equipment your teammates will have before pushing TAB and checking it out. then you can go back to change your's or try to make the other change theirs, or try to stand in a proper formation what allows your random guns to be as effective as possible.
3.) communication: most clans have teamspeak installed to have the most effective ans rapid communication amongst each others. while in an ffa it requires a z-typed text to spread information, at a clanwar the dudes have the opportunity to share their thoughts instantly. this may look like an unfair business, as much i thought using binds are unfair business at my early days of playing the game. besides it's a priceless fun to hear how your teammates are pronouncing the name of classes and buildables :-D
4.) there is an aim for everyone in the team. they are supposed to win, not to lose. at an ffa, you can easily quit and telling the others some last words like they are boring or not worthy to waste your time on them. especially if you are an admin on that server. but on a clanwar you are playing with the reputation of your own friends, so you just can't leave them alone. at an ffa, anyone can quit, join, and change the chances of winning/losing significantly. but in a clanwar, the amount of players are being set, so you must concentrate even if you are in the most shitty situation, and also, you can't just join your team if you feel that you'd change the balance, because you just... can't.
C:> for all the reasons mentioned before, clanwars are definitely more objective than a ffa game. if you play in a simple game, you can have noob teammates, noob opponents, you can killwhore the weakest of the enemy, you can use their noobness if they build some nonsenses. you can win against tough opponents if they are having some noob teammates, and also, you can lose because even if you act cool, your mates are acting like jerks. in clanwars, the clan leader has the responsibility for these kids, and at a decent war there is no "cheap" victory. those who are acting stupid will be fired ASAP, and as those who are attracted by being in a clan, will respect their decisions.
D:> that's why, the clansmen are providing their knowledge to their new members. they just can't afford to have a n00b in the team so they teach him/her. at this point, i will rely on my personal experiences.. I've learned on your server(satgnu) the basics of the game, but noone could afford the time and energy to teach me how to fight. at ffa games i learned that the big green box is the armory, i learned that i supposed to kill the humans, but noone sacrificed the time to train me as much as i got while being in a clan. when i got invited to the clan i was grown on the ffa games. i was used to that for like... almost a year. checking my early stats can show you that i was the one who had the balls to struggle against your server's best players. that's why i dare to paint myself as an "objective" viewer, because i played on satgnu as much as on any other server.
while joining a clan, i got a 1 hour training a day about dodging, aiming, hiding, and so on. this is what i didn't get at ffa, and i doubt that anyone had. tricks, binds, huds, strategies are spreading under clanlife at least as much as on this forum... or as you call it, the "cesspool".
add1:> i don't say that everyone should be in a clans. i don't say that people outside of clans are "fucktards" as mod lava said it about clansmen. i only want to tell that those who are seeking extra challenge in tremulous should try it if they are in the mood, because iT's simply more objective to face standard teams than randoms.
but for those (who's poster kid is lava) who are blaming clans for their lack of fun, i'd suggest to find another target to outrage their hate.
@Lava: nahh, 'ere we go, 'ere we go.
P.S.: i don't want this thread to be infested with fun spam or any flame. the place for teasing lava has it's own threads, so let's keep this one clear from flame and arrogant messages.
[EDIT]: clansmen don'T lack ANYTHING what only-ffa gamers do, because they are usually playing ffa way more often than an average free player. on the other side, "only ffa"-gamers can't experience how to be in a clan as long as they doN't try to be in one. whether if they like it or not, there is nothing to blame about them.
but there is also NO reason to hate clansmen just because they are in a clan. you can treat individuals as a mod as you want, but just because someone is in a clan, even if in a clan what has/had a jerk in their lineup, there is no reason to troll them. not as a forum member, not as a regular forum member, and especially not as a moderator.
I noticed this message shortly after replying here, and since I think you made an error by posting it in General Discussion, I have kindly helped you out and merged it back into the original thread. -Lava
