Rebel Squadrons Wiki - User contributions [en]

Talk:Structure changes

2004-10-23T00:04:25Z

Shikkie: /* /agree */

On Multiplayer within the RS.

First, as it currently stands, the RS as a club truly has little to no interest in MP. I speak from my experience in XvT over the past several years. One way to make the RS more interesting to new members, and perhaps to some older members as well, is to have a better way of dealing with multiplayer, rather than the system I have experienced of "MP Events every so often."

Two of the most successful groups I have seen at dealing with MP (for XvT), were Zone-based. These groups, TIE Fighter Alliance and The Rebel Alliance, made their mark by heavy recruiting - they constantly had new people and welcomed everybody. While this practice generally precluded them as a statistical beast in competitions, as interest in XvT has waned, TFA and TRA are the last two clubs standing.

They succeed because they provide an environment in which people who love their game are allowed to play it at any time they want - events are constantly happening, and these events actually have variety in them too. One week the competition may be to see who shoots the most mines, the next it is an uneven melee competition (2v1 etc). They allow for everybody to play, and the winner squadron-wise is determined by which squadron has the greatest number of points. In XvT, this works rather well because a couple active pilots can keep up with any "elite" pilot in terms of score, simply by flying more games.

You might think, the EH does a good job at combining SP and MP. My opinion is that they do not. Their emphasis is almost exclusively SP, with a squadron or two set aside for people who want to do MP. This has led to a culture of 1v1 matches, and thus left EH pilots at a serious disadvantage when it comes time to work together for any event. The EH has a small MP base, and they do not provide much for their pilots to do.

My personal opinion is that a club will either be SP, or MP, and cannot do both well. Loving MP tends to push SP to the back, while those who love SP look down on MP gamers as well. These two cultures, while not totally irreconcilable, would create a great deal of strain. That said....

My suggestions on what the RS would need to succeed in having an active MP base:
1. Some players who truly love MP
2. A variety of events, with something always happening.
3. A way to track the statistics of such events (ie Battlestats.com)
4. A good sense of community, to help people feel welcome and that they are a part, even during those times when everybody is a little too busy to participate much.

":) 
~ Col. Han Suul 
(aka BOSS_Nately, Fury_Nately, TRA_ShmellyK10, TFA_LarryBoy) 
Former multiplayer pilot

== /agree ==

I like the direction that this discussion is heading so far. It envisions sweeping changes. The question is, does the RS have the balls to implement these kind of changes? Do we have the time to implement them? I can see many of these changes falling on the shoulders of a couple leaders (for example, I'm sure that making the Simulator database can't be easy).

Many of these issues have been discussed before, but never actually implemented. A leadership guide? Leadership issues, leadership academies, etc, have been discussed ad nauseum, but nothing worthwhile has ever resulted from it. I think one of the biggest keys to leadership in the RS is simply not choosing tools for officer positions. Sounds like a no brainer, but don't pick a guy who has tons of time when you know he's a fool. I like the second part of this point - lowering the number of leadership positions will greatly help to fix this problem. If less leaders have to be selected, there's less chance of some random idiot getting an important position.

Last thing I want to comment on is the storyline. I know there's been attempts at instituting an RS-wide storyline in the past. It's always floundered for two reasons: 1) Nobody has actually got the work done to put such a storyline together, and 2) Some Fleet CO on HC always refuses to go along with it. First goal is getting the storyline done. Second goal is forcing HC to go along with it. Stop asking for opinions. Somebody will always disagree and that'll always kill the idea if you want to do it based on consensus only. Make it an order, force it through, and get it done with.

Those are my thoughts for now.

":) 
Dave

== Shikkie's Thoughts ==

The simulator database wouldn't be too hard.

A leadership guide is a good idea; what kind of topics should it cover? We could put together an outline.

To solve the problems with squad sizes, even after we do the condensed plan it will not be 100% even, give bonuses to squads who have more members report. Some sort of percentage bonus on the scores they earn in the mission. So if the squad gets 10,000 points total, from 2 of 12 members, and then another squad gets 8,000 from 5 of 6, is 83%, so add that percentage onto the 8,000 and get 14,666, while the 2 of 12 is worth 11,666. Might have to hash the numbers to be more balance but something like that would be cool.

As for the multiplayer part, I suggest we adopt a "Clan tag" for members to wear when playing in public servers. Most servers are fine with that, even ones run by other groups, as long as the folks don't spam "JOIN THE RS! WE ARE 1337!"

An RS-Wide storyline would be nice. I remember when VA Shikkie Karran and FC Rahj Tharen had meetings on the bridge of our ship to discuss how to pwn the Empire again. If we got someone who could write stuff up based on joint missions (commando, pilot, etc) as part of a big campaign featuring people who score well on missions in the storyline. Say, one month we could have a commando mission with an XW mission, say the XW pilots escort a troop transport to a planet and get sucked out of hyperspace, and they have to fight off the empire until the transport can get the hell out of dodge, then the commandos mission would be them getting off the transport and blowing some stuff up. They find a storage area of Imperial weapons that the R2F could use in the next mission to go blow stuff up. Heck, we could create joint XW/TF missions where the XWing folks fight one part of a battle with comrades using Ties are on another section, and then the Tie Fighter mission would be the same battle, but from the Tie squad's perspective. That would be the stuff!

":)
ADM Shikkie Kaaran

Talk:Structure changes

2004-10-23T00:03:42Z

Shikkie:

On Multiplayer within the RS.

First, as it currently stands, the RS as a club truly has little to no interest in MP. I speak from my experience in XvT over the past several years. One way to make the RS more interesting to new members, and perhaps to some older members as well, is to have a better way of dealing with multiplayer, rather than the system I have experienced of "MP Events every so often."

Two of the most successful groups I have seen at dealing with MP (for XvT), were Zone-based. These groups, TIE Fighter Alliance and The Rebel Alliance, made their mark by heavy recruiting - they constantly had new people and welcomed everybody. While this practice generally precluded them as a statistical beast in competitions, as interest in XvT has waned, TFA and TRA are the last two clubs standing.

They succeed because they provide an environment in which people who love their game are allowed to play it at any time they want - events are constantly happening, and these events actually have variety in them too. One week the competition may be to see who shoots the most mines, the next it is an uneven melee competition (2v1 etc). They allow for everybody to play, and the winner squadron-wise is determined by which squadron has the greatest number of points. In XvT, this works rather well because a couple active pilots can keep up with any "elite" pilot in terms of score, simply by flying more games.

You might think, the EH does a good job at combining SP and MP. My opinion is that they do not. Their emphasis is almost exclusively SP, with a squadron or two set aside for people who want to do MP. This has led to a culture of 1v1 matches, and thus left EH pilots at a serious disadvantage when it comes time to work together for any event. The EH has a small MP base, and they do not provide much for their pilots to do.

My personal opinion is that a club will either be SP, or MP, and cannot do both well. Loving MP tends to push SP to the back, while those who love SP look down on MP gamers as well. These two cultures, while not totally irreconcilable, would create a great deal of strain. That said....

My suggestions on what the RS would need to succeed in having an active MP base:
1. Some players who truly love MP
2. A variety of events, with something always happening.
3. A way to track the statistics of such events (ie Battlestats.com)
4. A good sense of community, to help people feel welcome and that they are a part, even during those times when everybody is a little too busy to participate much.

":) 
~ Col. Han Suul 
(aka BOSS_Nately, Fury_Nately, TRA_ShmellyK10, TFA_LarryBoy) 
Former multiplayer pilot

== /agree ==

I like the direction that this discussion is heading so far. It envisions sweeping changes. The question is, does the RS have the balls to implement these kind of changes? Do we have the time to implement them? I can see many of these changes falling on the shoulders of a couple leaders (for example, I'm sure that making the Simulator database can't be easy).

Many of these issues have been discussed before, but never actually implemented. A leadership guide? Leadership issues, leadership academies, etc, have been discussed ad nauseum, but nothing worthwhile has ever resulted from it. I think one of the biggest keys to leadership in the RS is simply not choosing tools for officer positions. Sounds like a no brainer, but don't pick a guy who has tons of time when you know he's a fool. I like the second part of this point - lowering the number of leadership positions will greatly help to fix this problem. If less leaders have to be selected, there's less chance of some random idiot getting an important position.

Last thing I want to comment on is the storyline. I know there's been attempts at instituting an RS-wide storyline in the past. It's always floundered for two reasons: 1) Nobody has actually got the work done to put such a storyline together, and 2) Some Fleet CO on HC always refuses to go along with it. First goal is getting the storyline done. Second goal is forcing HC to go along with it. Stop asking for opinions. Somebody will always disagree and that'll always kill the idea if you want to do it based on consensus only. Make it an order, force it through, and get it done with.

Those are my thoughts for now.

":) 
Dave

The simulator database wouldn't be too hard.

A leadership guide is a good idea; what kind of topics should it cover? We could put together an outline.

To solve the problems with squad sizes, even after we do the condensed plan it will not be 100% even, give bonuses to squads who have more members report. Some sort of percentage bonus on the scores they earn in the mission. So if the squad gets 10,000 points total, from 2 of 12 members, and then another squad gets 8,000 from 5 of 6, is 83%, so add that percentage onto the 8,000 and get 14,666, while the 2 of 12 is worth 11,666. Might have to hash the numbers to be more balance but something like that would be cool.

As for the multiplayer part, I suggest we adopt a "Clan tag" for members to wear when playing in public servers. Most servers are fine with that, even ones run by other groups, as long as the folks don't spam "JOIN THE RS! WE ARE 1337!"

An RS-Wide storyline would be nice. I remember when VA Shikkie Karran and FC Rahj Tharen had meetings on the bridge of our ship to discuss how to pwn the Empire again. If we got someone who could write stuff up based on joint missions (commando, pilot, etc) as part of a big campaign featuring people who score well on missions in the storyline. Say, one month we could have a commando mission with an XW mission, say the XW pilots escort a troop transport to a planet and get sucked out of hyperspace, and they have to fight off the empire until the transport can get the hell out of dodge, then the commandos mission would be them getting off the transport and blowing some stuff up. They find a storage area of Imperial weapons that the R2F could use in the next mission to go blow stuff up. Heck, we could create joint XW/TF missions where the XWing folks fight one part of a battle with comrades using Ties are on another section, and then the Tie Fighter mission would be the same battle, but from the Tie squad's perspective. That would be the stuff!

Retribution Fleet

2004-08-22T08:55:41Z

Shikkie:

Retribution [[Fleet]] is the [[Rebel Squadrons]] [[Tie-Fighter]] fleet.

R2F

2004-08-22T08:51:44Z

Shikkie:

#redirect [[Retribution Fleet]]

Bylaws

2004-08-22T08:39:00Z

Shikkie:

The [[Rebel Squadrons]] Bylaws consist of several sections:

[[Bylaws:Section 1]]

[[Bylaws:Section 2]]

[[Bylaws:Section 3]]

[[Bylaws:Section 4]]

[[Bylaws:Section 5]]

Rebel Squadrons

2004-08-22T08:34:51Z

Shikkie:

'''Mission Statement''' (Quoted from the RS [[Bylaws]]):

"The Rebel Squadrons (RS) is an online club centered on the [[Star Wars]] universe and dedicated first and foremost to providing a rewarding and fun experience for all of its members. The Rebel Squadrons also strives to cultivate creativity, excellence, and leadership amongst its members, in a manner consistent with the ideals of the Star Wars Republic that it is pledged to defend."

That being said, the RS is an online club centered around the Star Wars universe. We have members whose ages range from 8 to 40 years old, and higher. The RS membership comes from all over the globe, from Singapore to the United States. In spite of these cultural differences, or perhaps because of them, the Rebel Squadrons is an enjoyable and exciting atmosphere to not only experience Star Wars, but to take that experience one step further.

In essence, the RS plays Star Wars games - a complete listing of all the platforms we support can be found on the Fleets page - both online and offline. Offline gaming can be as exciting as online when you participate in an Interactive Tour of Duty (ITOD). In an ITOD, one flies custom missions made by other members, or even made by yourself if you want to learn. After finishing the mission, you can get into character and write a story of how the mission went from your point of view. This is an excellent opportunity to delve into the Star Wars universe, as you tell how your X-Wing dodged a TIE Fighter and then made an attack run on the enemy's Imperial Star Destroyer. As a result, your flight of the mission has a direct result on the next mission. Rightly so, you and eleven other members in your squadron will be the final determinant on how the story evolves from beginning to end. Playing online, we also go head-to-head to see who is the best pilot or soldier, as well as play multiplayer custom missions with teammates, designed by teammates.

The Rebel Squadrons also firmly believes in the [[H.I.E.R.]] principle. Pronounced "higher", the acronym stands for Honesty, Integrity, Equanimity, and Respect. The RS bases its foundation on the fact that each of its members must strive to meet this code, and know that every other pilot and soldier fighting for the New Republic strives to meet the same code. Every level of RS leadership takes the H.I.E.R. prinicple very seriously and expects every member to do the same. The RS has many members who are legally defined as minors and we take very seriously our responsibility to ensure their safe enjoyment.

Finally, the RS is about having a good time. This club is about Star Wars. It is about learning how to be a good leader and maybe even learning a little bit about life along the way. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we are all here to have fun inside an amazing universe created by George Lucas.

Fleet

2004-08-22T08:32:32Z

Shikkie:

''From the [[Rebel Squadrons]] [[bylaws]]''

3.1 Unit Design

The Rebel Squadrons is a federation of Fleets, each of which has its own policies, regulations, and administrative structures. No Fleet, however, shall act in a manner contradicting established Rebel Squadrons policy.

Each Fleet shall minimally consist of two [[Wing]]s, or the equivalent.

Each Wing shall minimally consist of two, but no more than three [[Squadron]]s, or the equivalent. It is intended that Wings be built evenly.

Each Squadron shall minimally consist of eight members, but no more than fifteen. It is intended that Squadrons be built evenly.

RS

2004-08-22T08:30:10Z

Shikkie:

#redirect [[Rebel Squadrons]]

Patriot Starfighter Group

2004-08-22T08:29:49Z

Shikkie:

The Patriot Battle [[Fleet]], or PBF, is the [[RS]] fleet which plays the old [[X-Wing]] game.

X-Wing

2004-08-22T08:29:22Z

Shikkie:

X-Wing has multiple meanings.

1. [[X-Wing:Starfighter]]

2. [[X-Wing:Game]]

X-Wing

2004-08-22T08:28:50Z

Shikkie:

X-Wing has multiple meanings.

1. [[X-Wing:Starfighter]]
2. [[X-Wing:Game]]

Patriot Starfighter Group

2004-08-22T08:27:49Z

Shikkie:

== Patriot Battle Fleet ==

The Patriot Battle [[Fleet]], or PBF, is the [[RS]] fleet which plays the old [[X-Wing]] game.

Rebel Squadrons Wiki:About

2004-08-22T07:59:01Z

Shikkie:

This is the Rebel Squadrons Wiki for info pertaining to the RS, Star Wars, and other geeky things.