Clan concepts..

Soban Force www.sobanforce.com is a clan in Homeworld, Homeworld 2 and several other games. We are a group of gamers who have come together over the years as both a group of friends and competitive gamers looking for that edge.

Typically we meet up in the lobby of the game and then create a game from there, typically a game would be something along the lines of SF v 2 or SF v 4.

Clans seem to work best when they're created by the users for the users and don't require extensive input to the software itself...

BDU does still exist...   

I'm sure Guru clan will be well represented in sins. I look forward to kicking some BDU arse myself, hopefully PSA will be around too, they were always a fun sort to beat down

Alrite well since i am the first TFL i will explain what we like...
we are interested in some good old competition and being able to have clan matches and what not... also on the old threads there was a possible feature of hosting a game and then being able to invite people in where you could watch a replay of a game... that would be very usefull for training purposes and everything else...
if we could track clan matches that would be even better... i dunno how this would be done but if it could be possible i think that would inspire some really friendly competition between the clans....
ummm i will post again if i forget anything

Having a dedicated either publish or developer hosted Ladder would be really nice. If for example, Ironclad creates a system where you can track matches between clan members on an online site (having both parties report is easiest/safest to prevent fakings) it would be a boon to the entire group of clans and competitive players.

I would love to see an online leaderboard for both individuals and clans. For clans, it would be nice to be able to have both a ladder for a sum of the individual data, and one where the only results come from clan vs. clan matches. It would be great to be able to form a team in the lobby and be randomly matched against another team of similar skill, similar to Warcraft 3 or Guild Wars.

Having the ability for a clan to submit a logo for approval which will then adorn all clan ships would be nice.

Having occasional tournaments for clans with in-game rewards: have some type of special recognition for the top clan and individuals, such as having the names appear gold or silver.

Private subforums for large clans would be nice. For an example, see the forums at www.darkspace.net.

Hmmm... Overall, the most important thing for me would be to have a hosted method of communicating with all members of your clan. It would be WONDERFUL to be able to chat with all clan members actively engaged in online games and the online lobby.

some sort of clan status board that is access within the game lobby as a mini-browser and players can flip through the different clans that have registered

Have the Following..

Clan Emblem

Clan Leader
Clan Officials
Clan Members
about the clan
recruitment procedure
links to website
statistics on games

Also a in-lobby messageboard is important too. I know you can use forums but not every clan player visits forums.

I second everything Vinco said.

I know that the system Ironclad developed for matching players against foes of their own skill level will be cool and all but I'd really like to see it be able to do something similar for clan vs. clan matches. Perhaps even being able to set up a game and issue a challenge to another clan or an open challenge to any group that wanted to step foreward. In other words, I don't want to be limited strictly by the matchmaking system. I want to be able to set up my own game too.

the ingame chat is an absolute must, where else do we flame and start wars?

Also, BDU still lives, over at BDU

Right, it seems the edit is not working at the moment, so i'll add it this way

further i'd agree with all the above. with of course Clan boards being based on the win/loose ratio, so the overal skill of clans is represented, not simply their number of games won (which would place big Clan Generic on top)

I'd prefer a more Universal Conquest type of league to play in. We don't know the complete game cannon, but there should be a set universe of systems and territories, so why not run a server automation that tracks wins losses in comparison to the known universe, then adjust territories depending upon wins/losses. The winner I suppose being the clan/alliances that manage to take over the entire galaxy/universe.

That appeals to me far more than simple ladder matches.

yeah, but it wouldn't be clan-only of course. Also, it doens't really fit the game that well. It would be nice to have a "war of the ring" mode (as it is called now, used to be dune2 mode) for multiplayer.
so even if this is used, a Clan ladder would be nice. Of course, there would have to be requirements for a clan to be formed, or else anyone and their neighbor would start making clans.

Of course, there would have to be requirements for a clan to be formed, or else anyone and their neighbor would start making clans.

I don't think that's really a problem. Making a clan should be easy. I don't see a problem with "anyone and their neighbor" making clans. So what if there are a hundred little 2-man clans? They will be lost in obscurity at the bottom of the list while the real players take their places at the top.

Of course maybe it would be a good idea for a required minimum number of members to qualify for the ladder because it would be way too easy for 2 or 3 really good players to make their own tiny clan and dominate a ladder structure.

also, maybe it would be nice to require at least 20-30-XX games played to appear on the ladder. That would also limit the number of clans who that play a short time and disappear again, but stick on the ladder.

BDU does still exist...

I hear this strange rumor on occasion, but don't believe it

Anyways, I think the hoards of 2-man clans that disappear after 1 day must be prevented. An official clan support mechanism would be nice, in terms of sharing stats and tracking overall clan stats. Also, clanners could share team logos or ship badges via their clan console, IF these are even in the game. Ranks could be designated. If a clan leader was defeated it might hurt the clan stats more than if a normal clan member were defeated... or a special icon/tag is granted the other clan/person.

Require players to have several games on their stats before being able to join a clan. Require a checkbox in the player profile to be ticked "yes" to allow clan invites. Require clan invites to a player, then the player accepts that invite to join up... this prevents players spamming a clan, and clans spamming players with invites both.

Allow leadership transferral, and clan name changes without making a whole new clan

Differentiate "Clan Battle Stats" from "Clan Total Stats" from "Clan Internal Stats" in that one is for tracking games where only clan members ally on one side. One is for a summation of all clan members' individual stats. One is for internal member vs. member games and is NOT counted in a players' total win/loss stats nor the clans total stats.

hear this strange rumor on occasion, but don't believe it -ghent who is bent

We are around , Rise of Legends was our latest conquest. Supreme Commander next, currently in Dark Crusade , feel free to get Owned. Still remember DP , AoK, FL, SLS, and a lot of other 'little' Clans that got pummled well with the exception of SLS ...maybe....

Being able to access this forum from within the game is a Must! It makes life easier and you dont have to alt tab out.

Fiirks|SFOctober 11, 2006 23:02:06Reply #5Having a dedicated either publish or developer hosted Ladder would be really nice. If for example, Ironclad creates a system where you can track matches between clan members on an online site (having both parties report is easiest/safest to prevent fakings) it would be a boon to the entire group of clans and competitive players. Fiirks|SFView Fiirks|SF's ProfileEmail Fiirks|SFFind Posts By Fiirks|SF

Most newer games have in game Ladders Dawn of War would be one where the game/developer itself tracks games. There is no way to not report. Most if not all have this now a days. So no worries K?

Wedge-HG wrote: I don't think that's really a problem. Making a clan should be easy. I don't see a problem with "anyone and their neighbor" making clans. So what if there are a hundred little 2-man clans? They will be lost in obscurity at the bottom of the list while the real players take their places at the top. Of course maybe it would be a good idea for a required minimum number of members to qualify for the ladder because it would be way too easy for 2 or 3 really good players to make their own tiny clan and dominate a ladder structure.

don't forget about solo players who never take interest in joining a clan allot of those players really dominate on ladders as well. As for matching players to players of same skill level thats kinda boring IMO I would rather fight someone who will hand me my arse on a silver platter. Thats the only way I will ever get as good if you play lower or same skill level players all the time you will stay at the same level I guess skill match could be good for ladder and tournament games tho.

I agree with most comments, but I feel that to build a Clan, one should be able to survive and understand the game to a point where they can lead a group of gamers, develop tacktics in a way to succeed. Hard Core Gamers will attack in numbers allowing a few to succeed in brute force, but the real winner is one who uses the tactics to not just defeat, but to capture and take what is theirs.
  
Learn all the ships capabilities and have the ability to fly one as well as the other. Once one masters the skills, then they should be allowed to create a Clan.
HG-will rise here as well.....  

Clan creation should be an earned right. One should have something like a 90% or higher personal victory score with the AI on normal given the default variables. Additionally there could always be tables adjusted for different settings. I'm sure you guys get the idea. Shoot SD and IG could create a "Clan Leader" mini campaign and anyone who beats it with certain predefined stats gets a special screen telling them they are worthy and asks if they are ready to take on the challenge of forming a clan.

I also belief that the clan's domain should to some degree be approved by SD and IG in so much as it may become associated with the franchise and all that goes with that and what not -etc... Moreover something like this also creates a qualified focus group that has lots of benefits for players and developers if properly cultivated that I'm sure I need not explain as well.

Support for clan wars. There could be different win conditions:
Predetermined number of matches, most wins takes the war.
Set number of "lives." This would be the same as the first one except that in a 4v4 the losing team would lose 4 "lives," one for each player killed.
Fixed amount of time. Best win/loss ratio wins.
Allow alliances between clans for wars.

I dont support anything that is time based as part of the criteria for selection. Playing "beat the clock" adds nothing to this type of game in my opinion and has many draw backs.

On a side note, the word "clan(s)" is old and I think played out in popular media. How about we use a different word to reflect the culture of Sins as well as the combative nature and to simply spice things up a bit? For example I was thinking "totemism". This is so given the nature of the factions as well as the lore I have read so far about the game.

When I said fixed amount of time what I meant was that the war would last for a given number of days. For example it could last one week. Whichever clan has more wins against the other at the end of the 7 days would be the winner - not that each match would be limited to an hour or something.

OK if you were arguing an attrition aspect then I wholeheartedly support it however I think your arguing a grinder model. So since the current system/build does not allow for a "timed war" and I inherently dont like grinders for obvious reasons my position has not changed for what it is worth, not that it is important to the developers.