I would like to recommend an amendment to the rules, in regards to new player participation:
Situation
Earlier today (Saturday) we had an outstanding, large mission ready for play. A friend of mine, who is a a real-world active duty armor officer, was available to play. At the last moment I asked him if he would like to join. He joined TS but was told that he wouldn't be able to play. This was extremely frustrating because we are a good community that should encouraging people to play - thats the reason I'm here. At the same time this incident was my fault - I should've asked more questions about the rules for participation. I was also upset because we had just turned down a potentially good SB player from a game where we could've used the extra body.
Regarding this pont.The group agreed a while back that we would operate the way we do. This was done after many games were played on a Saturday that flagged issues which ruined the immersion. A valid point is that the guest did not have a current install of SB and this was 15 minutes after the mission was meant to have started. The guest was also treated with courtesy and respect at all times. The situation was explained to him and he was invited to attend on Sunday. The guest was not aware of any of our procedure.
Here are the agreed points for online play.
Linkshttp://dogsofwarvu.com/requirements/read-first/http://dogsofwarvu.com/forum/index.php/topic,73.0.htmlExcerpt from published post:
Requirements:
• Read and accept Parts 1 – 9 above
• You must register for the Dogs of War Forum: Here
• Complete the Join DOW VU application form: Here
• Proper microphone and headphones.
• Regular participation with the group.• Proper use of D.O.W. Comms procedure.
This is published at the foot of every mission:
"DOW members, by invite, or request in advance prior to mission.
Our goal is to have the DOW session more immersive and realistic. "
Observations
Numbers. In the last six months our numbers have gone stagnate, and at some points have reached points that are lower than average. This could be due to a number of possibilities: the move to a private TS server, and the fact that normal SB'ers cant wander in and join us. Collateral damage from the incident with eSim. A lack of new content from the game. Whatever the case is, we have seen relatively few new members join us for Steel Beasts sessions. We've reached a cap on mission complexity and size, which in turn limits out ability to learn and grow. Todays mission was a Battalion-sized mission where some players were managing multiple Platoon elements - it worked, but not recommended.
There are reasons for the stagnation. You have correctly identified the incident on the SB TeamSpeak as a contributing factor. Up until a week ago we did not publish our TS ip. Therefore we limited the possibility of "drop ins". This is being resolved by advertising the i.p. Also by playing the Sunday TANKS mission on the SimHQ TS server.
There is also another thing which can be done to increase numbers/visibility. If the group contributed to spreading the word or helping with the VU more.
Quality of Play. While our numbers have either remained the same or dipped, our play quality has exponentially increased. I have seen our group overcome complex tactical problems and secure victory even with the odds against us. Our communication has been oustanding, and we have seen a number of player step up as CO or Platoon leader roles. We have become smoother, smarter and more lethal on the virtual battlegrounds of Steel Beasts. With that being said, I see no difference between the formal gaming of Saturday missions versus the informal and friendly Sunday missions. It's the same players, playing the same way. Last year, when we use the eSim TS server we would see a number of new folks joining us for missions. At the time this rule was welcomed, but NEEDED in order to maintain the progression of our unit.
We are in a new situation and I think we should adjust as necessary.
The reason that the lines between play style on DOW and TANKS missions are blurred is because the same people are playing both missions. Quite simple really.
What is the group doing to promote our missions to potential players?Recommendation
Having achieved a baseline level of quality in our performance, I recommend we allow new players the ability to join Saturday missions. Doing so will potentially increase our numbers, and allow new players to observe the STANDARD for DoW missions - this could be the best form of advertising that we have. This also offers a larger challenge for new players - which is a great way to learn, in some cases.
Requisites for Saturday Missions
Players must be sponsored by a DoW member. They represent you.
New players will not hold leadership positions.
Unless given permission by the mission leader, new players will only crew a single vehicle
Players must still comply with rules for online play in accordance with: http://dogsofwarvu.com/forum/index.php/topic,675.0.html
I suggested Apocalypse make this post and I'm glad he has.
Many of you will remember a short while back when a core member wanted 2 friends to play. The group agreed that they would be welcome to join us on a Saturday if they followed what was agreed by the group. They did not want to follow this so they did not play. The decision was theirs. With this in mind. How could a different decision be made about the guest last night? That would have been wrong. Everyone gets treated the same.
The point about making the Saturday DOW the way it is for immersion and enjoyment over as long a period of time as possible.
We have tried the "mentor" solution in the past and it does have merit. However it requires discussion.
The point about mission size has been brought up again and again. Missions should be made with our group size taken into consideration. This Saturday mission could have been delayed until next week and possibly had 4 more players taking part but it was decided against.
The group is not growing as fast as it did in the past. There are many contributing factors to this.
Ask yourselves this..."What do YOU do to grow the VU?" We have steps in place to overcome our visibility issue. That requires a group effort. You can't just make exceptions and rule changes on the fly because we have lower numbers.
There should be no knee-jerk reaction.
Regards