1) Can you give us a little bit of background on your team?
Nup! Squad Features (N!SF) was started by myself and two other schoolmates during Battlefield 2 and its Project Reality mod. Initially we were not a clan proper but the three of us wore tags to show to the rest of the server that we were in fact working and communicating together.
From there, the three of us moved to the Team Fortress 2 Beta and recieved a couple of requests to join our clan that didn’t actually exist at the time. At that point we made the decision to turn the clan into an actual recruiting entity to see how things go, and began to scour the public servers for people we enjoyed playing with and handed them invites. So, from the three original “founders” we slowly grew, findind recruit after recruit and gradually building a team of people who work well together and are cool to play with. I’ve never run a clan before so this was an interesting learning experience.
2) How are things different for you, running a clan out of Australia?
We have a much smaller player base in Australia when compared to America, and as a result the community is quite tightly knit. You can join a public server and a majority of the time find a couple of familiar faces already in there.
The servers also work differently. We have large numbers of servers hosted by a few major Australian ISP’s as opposed to the mix of private and gaming website sponsored servers found in America. These servers are affected by members of those ISPs’ forums, and so there is always a place for grievances to be aired and requests to be made. There are enough one-map and full-rotation servers to keep everyone happy. Our largest league is hosted by one of our major ISP’s with just under one hundred Australian clans competing, whilst Aussie enthusiast sites host smaller, more competitive ladders.
I also find that Aussie gamers have a different attitude to online gaming when compared to Americans – I’ve played in American servers and Aussie gamers are far more laid-back when it comes to playing the game and working as a team. Occasionally someone will fire up over voice-chat but its nothing compared to the torrents of abuse thrown around in your average US pub server. Australians play casually and to have a bit of fun, and we have based our clan on this underlying principle. After all – it’s just a game.
3) How to you go about making sure your members show up for practices and scrims? Alot of teams have alot of trouble with this.
When one of our captains organises a match we will make a new thread on our forum, detailing the opposition, time and date, as well as the maps that are going to be played. From there, members can post with their availability so we can gauge interest, and also so they can get a heads up on when matches are going to take place. Ideally we like the required match number of people to reply as well as a couple of reserves if some members have to withdraw at the last minute.
On the night of a scheduled match we usually hop into our server an hour before to run through our tactics for the maps and make last minute adjustments to our team. This is a great warmup and means everyone on the team is ready to go with their roles and strategies fresh in their memory. Everyone plays much more relaxed when they don’t need to ask what to do in the middle of a round.
Since we are not a hardcore competitive clan we don’t punish members who fail to turn up, as we feel that will stop people from posting at all and is just plain nasty. Instead we simply look on our list to find someone to fill in. Steam has been very useful in this regard and I can’t imagine managing a clan without its community features.
Whilst we prefer to have our scrims shceduled in advance we will occasionally organise a spontaneous match with another clan if both have sufficient numbers. N!SF has reached a capacity whereby we can usually round together enough people at any one time for a decent match.
4) What are some of your most effective ways to promote your clan?
Initially the three original members just played as we normally do in pub servers with the clan tags on. Coming straight out Project Reality – a game where you simply could not play without effective communication – meant that we were often the only ones talking and using teamwork to such a degree that it carried the team through to a win. People would hear us laughing and chatting and be interested in joining in on the fun, then ask if we were recruiting.
In the first few weeks after the formation of the clan I set up the website and forum. This was essential as I could direct those interested in joining to the website where they can read about what kind of clan we are and what kind of people we’re looking for. The forums are also essential for organisation, as an active and operational meeting place is often the requirement of many potential recruits.
I also love making videos, particularly of the clan’s exploits, and putting them up on YouTube. They showcase both the fun and enjoyable side of the clan as well as the high level of teamwork we employ in matches. Its very easy to share these videos and they spread quite quickly, and at the end of each is a link to our clan website. Lastly, we like to share our SourceTV demos from matches with various gaming enthusiast forums so they can have a taste of what its like playing alongside us.
5) How do you keep things interesting and exciting for your long term members?
We are gradually building in skill level as a clan and working our way up various ladders, competing against increasingly difficult opponents. Matches are becoming more and more challenging and so appeal to the regulars who like to push forward as a team. We are starting to have some fantastic and close matches as we identify opponents with the same skill level, and this is what keeps the regulars coming back for more.
Additionally we host a number of social events with unorthodox custom gamemodes. These are a great way to have a break from regular play and are a whole lot of fun for everyone involved.
Aside from that, I like to think its the atmosphere of the clan we have developed that keeps our regulars interested. We want nothing more than an enjoyable time regardless of whether we win or lose and I feel this is what online gaming should be about. We have seen a suprisingly large number of other competitive Australian clans disband because they either take the game too seriously or have an intense feud after losing a match. This is the last thing I want to happen to N!SF and so avoid pushing people to think about nothing but winning.
6) How do you generate money to deal with the cost of servers and maintaining a website?
The website is hosted with the free space given to me by my ISP, and DaN, one of our captains has generously donated the game server to the clan out of his own pocket. As such, money does not currently appear to be an issue.
7) What are some of the accomplishments (placements, tournaments, etc) of your team?
Since we were still in the process of recruiting at the time the first season of leagues began, we only managed to focus on one ladder and finished in the top 30 – out of over 100 entrants. Had we been organised earlier I feel we could have placed higher before the season ended, but I am still very happy with the result given the nature of our clan and the fact that many of us have never been in one before. Season 2 of a number of new ladders is about to begin down here and N!SF will be entering our best players now that we are firmly established.
I also feel the gaming community has identified the type of atmosphere that N!SF promotes and both enjoys and encourages more of it. We hear nothing but good things from those who play on our server, and they’ll often thank us for the fun and enjoyable time. It is the creation of this friendly environment that I feel is our greatest achievement as it is the entire point of the clan itself. Games are about having fun and I feel we’ve achieved a great balance between competitive and casual play.
-N!SF ThePhotoshop
http://nup.squadfeatures.com
Their website can be found here: Clan wX
Brief History
Clan wX started out as a StarCraft: Brood War gaming clan on January 10th, 2003, and has since expanded to Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, World of Warcraft, Garry’s Mod, and Counter-Strike (both 1.6 and Source). Unlike most other clans, wX cares most about maturity and friendliness, not skill alone. Recently, Clan wX has revamped its entire clan structure in order to provide a unique experience for its members. The clan has abandoned its typical website built off aging “Battle.net clan scripts” for a more practical website that is built off vBulletin. Instead of using 26 ranks like most clans do, wX only uses 7. This allows each promotion to feel rewarding, since each rank includes various benefits, from free web hosting to server admin powers. The clan also has a unique “awards” system that replaces the tiresome “medals” system that most other Battle.net clans use.
1) In your opinion, what has been most important to the longevity of wX?
We would have no longevity without the loyalty of our members. Since most of our members have been with us for years, we’ve managed to endure countless hardships. When flooders and spammers attacked our Battle.net clan channel during our early days, we could keep going because our members weren’t willing to quit. Even if we lost our website, our game servers, and our clan channel, the members of wX would stick with us.
2) What do you feel is the most important quality a leader can possess?
To keep a clan alive for several years, determination is the most important quality a leader can possess. If a leader isn’t willing to stay determined when things get tough, his/her clan won’t last for more than a month. If you stay determined, you can keep your clan going even if all seems lost. Even if most of your members betray you and you only have a few people left, there’s still some hope. It is always possible keep going if you have the tenacity to do so. In wX’s early days, I came close to disbanding after several members left us for another clan, but I knew I had a responsibility to take care of the few people we still had.
That said, “keeping a clan alive” is not the same as making a clan successful. A leader should also learn to be selfless, as leading a clan tends to be a thankless job. As a leader, your members’ concerns should always come before your own. Make yourself accessible to your members and try to be objective when making decisions. A good leader can keep going for years; a great leader will sacrifice what he wants for the well being of his people.
3) Does leading a clan ever become tiresome? How do you stay fresh?
It can get tiresome every once in a while. A lot of games eventually get old, but there are still ways of keeping things fresh. We try to hold events at least once a week to make sure nobody gets bored. These can be tournaments, Garry’s Mod scene contests, or even karaoke nights (which are particularly painful on the ears). Events also help to bring our members together, since new recruits can get to know our Generals without feeling intimidated.
4) What type of leadership do you surround yourself with?
I try to surround myself with people I can trust and rely on. When selecting a high ranking member, I try not to look too much at how long they’ve been in the clan. To me, it’s more important what they’ve done in the time they’ve had. Of course, there are basic time requirements to get that high anyway, but beyond that I care more about dedication. I look for people who have shown maturity, who have proven themselves as leaders, who have helped other members in times of need, and who are online nearly all the time.
5) How is your clan original?
Being original is what we strive for. For the past several years, most Battle.net gaming clans have been stuck in the past. Most clans use the same website scripts, the same ranks, and the same medals. They also share the same philosophy: become as large as possible as quickly as possible. For years we were just like the rest of them, but about 6 months ago I grew tired of it.
I realized that most of the ranks had no meaning; what was the point of promoting someone from “Warrant Officer 2″ to “Warrant Officer 3?” It gave my members no satisfaction. I was also tired of the aging “medals” system. What did American army medals have to do with our clan?
I was unhappy with our old website, as well. Like most other clans, we used aging clan scripts to run our site. They were loaded with features, but most of them never worked. In addition, they were impossible to customize to fit our needs. Members were also tired of having to log into both a website account and a forum account.
After much thought, I created a system that reflected the interests of my members. Instead of 26 useless and unrewarding ranks, I set up 7. Each rank has a concrete reward. “Officers,” for example, gain full CS server admin and operator status on IRC. “Veterans” get free web hosting and an “@clanwx.org” email address. I also created the “Site User” rank, which allows people to hang out with our members without actually joining the clan. That way, members of other clans and casual players could get along with our people without making a commitment.
I replaced our old “medals” with “awards.” For example, instead of giving out “Defense Distinguished Service Medals,” we give out “Distinguished Activity” awards. We don’t want our members to have to look up each award to remember what it means. I like things to be self explanatory.
Instead of using clan scripts, we heavily modified vBulletin to fit our needs. I installed literally dozens of mods, including one for our awards system and one for our member roster. We added a huge arcade and casino for our members, and we have image hosting built into the site. Once we upgrade to vBulletin 3.7 next week, we’ll also have a really good profile system with social groups and plenty of great addons.
We may not be the largest clan out there, but its our goal to provide an enjoyable gaming experience for people who are looking for something different.
6) Do you think it is more beneficial to stick with a simplistic ranking system?
It usually is, if you can pull it off. Setting up your own ranking system can be quite a challenge, since you have to make sure there are no holes in the system. You have to be very specific when distributing responsibilities and powers. The system also has to be easy to understand. New members should be able to skim your “Ranks” page and get the gist of how the clan works. Most importantly, each rank has to have some significance. Members should gain a certain benefit or reward after each promotion, not just an ego boost. Instead of having five “Warrant Officer” ranks like many clans do, have one rank that includes extra bot access and free web hosting. That way, your members will have a concrete reward for working hard.
It also helps to tell your members exactly what they have to do to get a promotion. Telling them to simply “help out” won’t do anything. You could post a thread on your clan forums listing ways of getting promoted. Include a variety of things your members could do; people are usually good at different things. If someone isn’t great at recruiting, offer an alternative means of getting a promotion, such as hosting a clan tournament.
7) Do you plan to expand to Starcraft 2 when it is released?
Absolutely. Everyone in wX is anxious to start playing Starcraft 2. Many of our retired members plan to rejoin us when it’s released, so we’re really excited about it.
If so, how do you plan to prepare?
To prepare, we’ve been trying to improve the Battle.net division of our clan. If our channel’s in good shape when SC2 is released, it’ll be much easier for us to get SC2 recruits. We’ll also hold several SC2 tournaments once it’s finally released. In addition, we hope to assemble a map making team for SC2 before it comes out so we can gain some recognition early on.
9) How do you balance gaming time, and clan time?
For me, clan time has always been more important. I once had to give up World of Warcraft because it was taking time away from managing my clan. It’s possible, once a clan is self sustaining and stable, for a clan leader to slack off and care more about gaming. In that situation, though, it’s usually better for the leader to simply retire. Of course, gaming time shouldn’t be ignored entirely. A leader should always be willing to play a game with his/her lower ranking members.
10) Anything you’d like to add?
I’d like to add a few pieces of advice for clan leaders starting out:
Before you even think about starting a gaming clan, you should join a strong existing clan and get some experience. Climb the ranks, get to know the responsibilities, and most importantly, make connections with existing members. When the time is right and you feel ready, you’ll be able to start off on your own. Introduce yourself to some of the better players and leaders and keep in touch with them. You never know who will end up joining you in the future.
Never start a clan on your own. That is not a clan, that’s just self deception. It will be nearly impossible to get recruits to stay in your clan if you start up on your own. Always make some connections before starting out and assemble the best staff of officers you can find.
When recruiting, try to aim for your target audience. If you want your clan to be all about skill, recruit carefully and promote people based on their skill and activity. In such a clan, you should never mass recruit. You’d have to hold try outs and make sure members are always practicing.
Aside from that, a leader must be firm and consistent while making decisions. Firmness is necessary because if members see their leader acting unsure of himself, they will doubt his credibility. Staying consistent is also essential, especially when enforcing rules. Any clan rules should be specifically listed on a clan’s “Rules” page, and all members should be required to read the rules before joining. Being lenient with rules is often better than being strict, as long as you’re consistent.
All leaders should remember the phrase “actions speak louder than words.” Never promise something you won’t end up delivering. A leader should never say, for example, that “we’ll have ten recruits by the end of the week” if such an accomplishment is unrealistic. It may seem like a little thing, but members should always be able to trust their leader.
Never think to your clan as “my clan.” It is no more your clan than anyone else’s, and without your members, you wouldn’t have a clan: you’d have an illusion. Always base your decisions on what’s best for your people, not what’s best for your own ego.
Most importantly, remember that the best clans are the ones with the happiest people, not the biggest member rosters.
