Any interest in forming a 'new' 8v8 guild?

[Killswitch]

Right...I've been thinking about this for a while and I've decided to post, just to see what people think and what the interest level would be. This is gonna be quite a long post but stick with it!

Players from every realm seem to be regularly commenting that all the good groups/players left the game and that it's hard to find 8v8 fights and this realm or that realm doesn't have any competitive groups or whatever. I've noticed that most of the really good RvR groups and guilds are made up of the same people who retire and come back or change realms or move guilds or whatever. I want to get some fresh blood into the upper reaches of the DAOC endgame.

Now, I'll be honest, the one thing I've wanted to do since I started playing DAOC is to run in a proper set FG for RvR. I've been in a couple of good RvR guilds on Excal/Alb, but never felt settled, often because there was already a core of high-RR players in those guilds.

So here's the plan. It might sound like I'm some kind of lunatic, but I want this to work, so the rules are very strict. I'd rather not do this at all than start it and have it fold after 3 weeks.

• EIGHT players - no more, no less
• ONE toon per player who must join the new Guild
• THREE set groups each week - 4 hour sessions

Attendance will be based on a "three strikes and you're out" policy...I don't want to have to be looking for randoms for 2 hours each night. So, if you can't commit to three nights AND ACTUALLY ATTEND then don't even bother posting. Obviously RL > DAOC, but if you can at least give some warning.

Next thing, I would like all the players to be no higher than RR5. The last thing this kind of setup needs is one guy who was in some RR10 gank squad who won 99/100 fights without even logging on. The group will lose fights...lots of fights, until tactics and communication and stuff are sorted out.

All players must be able to communicate in GOOD English and be comfortable with using VT and/or Teamspeak. A server will be setup for the Guild if it goes ahead.

The eight player will join their toon to the guild for guild BPs for claiming.

People will need to have a good understanding of their class. I would also expect them to be templated and to be well on their way to ML10.

Phew! Sorry if I sound like some kind of dictator, but I've been in a few "serious" set groups that have fallen apart after a week or two. Running a set group for RvR is one of the few things I have left to do before DAOC dies and I'm sure there are other players who would like the chance to try it.

Anyway, if you're still reading this, post in this thread or PM me on here if you have any questions or to express interest. If anyone has any negative comments, whine, flame or anything else, please keep it to yourselves. I'm trying to do something positive for Mid and for some players who want serious RvR.

The setup I was thinking of was something like;

Healer
Healer
Shaman
Skald
Bonedancer
Valkyrie
Beserker
Savage

but I'd rather find 8 players who want to do RvR 'right' (ie have fun and win!) than worry about the perfect group setup.

 

[Killswitch]

Attendance will be based on a "three strikes and you're out" policy...I don't want to have to be looking for randoms for 2 hours each night. So, if you can't commit to three nights AND ACTUALLY ATTEND then don't even bother posting. Obviously RL > DAOC, but if you can at least give some warning.

Just read this again and it sounds harsher than it was meant to. Obviously the players need to get on with each other and have a laugh...it's not all about the game. Also, it IS just a game, but as long as people realise that just because it's a game, that doesn't make it alright to let others down.

This shouldn't be a job...but spending 45 minutes looking for a decent healer because ours has decided to go to the pub instead of log on for a set group isn't fun

 

[Overppowered]

Im interested with :

- Ttm [ Shaman 6L0 - Ml5 perfector - 42 aug / 31 cave rest mending - CL5 - Full Templated ]

The shammi is ML5 because i really dont need more ML for rvr.

We dont try thath:

- Healer [ pac ]
- Healer [ mend / pac or mend / aug ]
- Shaman [42 aug ]
- Zerker [ ml 10 banelord ]
- Sm [ Dark ]
- Rm [ Rc ]
- Sm / Savage / BonedanceR

i think thaht is better FG.

 

[gohan]

Im interested with :

- Ttm [ Shaman 6L0 - Ml5 perfector - 42 aug / 31 cave rest mending - CL5 - Full Templated ]

The shammi is ML5 because i really dont need more ML for rvr.

We dont try thath:

- Healer [ pac ]
- Healer [ mend / pac or mend / aug ]
- Shaman [42 aug ]
- Zerker [ ml 10 banelord ]
- Sm [ Dark ]
- Rm [ Rc ]
- Sm / Savage / BonedanceR

i think thaht is better FG.

thiers only 7 :< tbh best 8 man grp is 7 BD's an a pac healers :<

 

[Belomar]

Without criticizing your attempt, I find that most people at this stage are quite unwilling to leave their current guilds for the "next wave" that might die out at any time. Even if you do manage to fill your set group, you will eventually (often sooner rather than later) have to cope with someone in a key position dropping out.

In my opinion, what you should do is collect a group of able people that are willing to play. Don't focus too much on the exact group setup as long as you have the core sorted (healers and shaman). Make sure you have redundancy in every spot (unless you have someone extremely reliable in a certain one). Then schedule runs on given times where people can sign up, and make sure that everyone gets a fair assignment of spots in the group to stave off resentment.

Perhaps you will be successful with a set 8-man group like above, but I've been down that street many times and it's a tough one to walk. After two years of experience in building set groups, I'm convinced that the above approach is better.

Good luck, regardless what you do!

 

[HereComesThePain]

yeah i m up@@ either healer or savage..or zerker..

 

[Killswitch]

Without criticizing your attempt, I find that most people at this stage are quite unwilling to leave their current guilds for the "next wave" that might die out at any time. Even if you do manage to fill your set group, you will eventually (often sooner rather than later) have to cope with someone in a key position dropping out.

In my opinion, what you should do is collect a group of able people that are willing to play. Don't focus too much on the exact group setup as long as you have the core sorted (healers and shaman). Make sure you have redundancy in every spot (unless you have someone extremely reliable in a certain one). Then schedule runs on given times where people can sign up, and make sure that everyone gets a fair assignment of spots in the group to stave off resentment.

Perhaps you will be successful with a set 8-man group like above, but I've been down that street many times and it's a tough one to walk. After two years of experience in building set groups, I'm convinced that the above approach is better.

Good luck, regardless what you do!

All good points Mr Mole. There are several thoughts behind making this a guild as opposed to an RvR collective.

• Guild BPs will give another guild in Mid who can hold towers/keeps if needed
• To increase the 'togetherness' factor...harder to let down your guildmates than your FHsignupnoobmates.
• My plan was to not have alts in the guild. Hopefully most guilds would be happy to let their members remove a single alt for this project. No-one would need to 'leave' their current guild.

The problem I see with having the reserve pool as you suggest is that it almost gives a green light for players not to attend. It also means mixing and matching of group setup (both classes and players) which kind of spoils the fun of a set group.

I'll certainly think about it though. Obviously the 'best' solution for my craving for better RvR is to join an established RvR guild with players I already know are reliable. I've learned from experience though that getting decent RR and joining guild/alliance PUGs isn't enough, especially at this stage of the game, hence the fresh start.

Thanks for the advice and the kind words.

 

[HereComesThePain]

ah and btw..may have 2 more ppl that would like to join..maybe 3 skald zerk and rm..all mled templated.they rl friends.

 

[Belomar]

I don't see you running it as a signup on FH, but rather make your own forum and gather your people there. In essence, do everything except actually forming the guild, and remember to have some redundancy for all spots in the group.

For instance, my group has been running off and for the last two years. Members have come and gone, but we have always had a shared forum as the single constant as well as a backbone of 3-4 people. The collective feeling is quite good. We use the forum as the synchronization point, and we never have the problem of people not bothering to show up. By having a backbone in the group who know each other and play well together, it's usually quite easy to introduce new members and make them part of the collective in a short amount of time.

Another constraint you might want to add to your requirements is for people to be able to use Ventrilo/TS, and they are willing to do so at all times, i.e. even when PvEing. That's the most surefire way of building a collective.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

 

[Killswitch]

Depending on interest, I'll probably setup some forums somewhere and move this off FH in the next few days. Watch this space.

 

[Kraben]

Agree with Belomar.. Dont go with the same 8 people - it just wont work. A number of reasons can occour why people suddenly drop off, also the ones you thought to be 100% reliable.You can learn the hard way or already now try and increase your playerbase. Just a friendly advice this.. As Belomar i've witnessed the same approach your trying to do (hell I was part of it with Belomar) and after months of frustrations we finally realized that it simply werent they way to go.

If set groups have contained the same 8 people its highly likely its a group emerged from very active players coming from seperate groups. Probably also rather high rr's so they dont have to go the frustrations of being low rr and getting killed alot gives. Going from start with a whole new group with people that dont know eachother, are low rr and insist it on being the same 8 people - that is, im sorry to say, doomed to fail. Seen it happen so many times before not just in my own groups but also in others.

Few tips: get a bit higher rooster, get a active board and make sure people are ready to take the beatings the first few months will grant. Then it could work out quite ok

Good luck with it and nice initiative

 

[Killswitch]

Agree with Belomar.. Dont go with the same 8 people - it just wont work. A number of reasons can occour why people suddenly drop off, also the ones you thought to be 100% reliable.You can learn the hard way or already now try and increase your playerbase. Just a friendly advice this.. As Belomar i've witnessed the same approach your trying to do (hell I was part of it with Belomar) and after months of frustrations we finally realized that it simply werent they way to go.

If set groups have contained the same 8 people its highly likely its a group emerged from very active players coming from seperate groups. Probably also rather high rr's so they dont have to go the frustrations of being low rr and getting killed alot gives. Going from start with a whole new group with people that dont know eachother, are low rr and insist it on being the same 8 people - that is, im sorry to say, doomed to fail. Seen it happen so many times before not just in my own groups but also in others.

Few tips: get a bit higher rooster, get a active board and make sure people are ready to take the beatings the first few months will grant. Then it could work out quite ok

Good luck with it and nice initiative

Thing is, I can't be the only player in DAOC who plays most nights and has a decent RR, but can't get a good RvR group because people just don't make groups or only invite their friends they made when they were levelling in beta or whatever. If those people exist, then this is the guild for them!

Although, it does seem like the general concensus is that some kind of super-PUG might be a better bet. I'll think about it

 

[Belomar]

People reading this, please don't be put off by me and Kraben's posts. This is a nice opportunity to run in a set group, so sign up if you are interested!

 

[vavires]

Im interested with :

- Ttm [ Shaman 6L0 - Ml5 perfector - 42 aug / 31 cave rest mending - CL5 - Full Templated ]

The shammi is ML5 because i really dont need more ML for rvr.

We dont try thath:

- Healer [ pac ]
- Healer [ mend / pac or mend / aug ]
- Shaman [42 aug ]
- Zerker [ ml 10 banelord ]
- Sm [ Dark ]
- Rm [ Rc ]
- Sm / Savage / BonedanceR

i think thaht is better FG.

U must be kidding?
think u dont know ure ml's to good if ya say that.

 

[HereComesThePain]

@wned

 

[Himse]

@wned

Your an idiot oO

 

[Belomar]

Less flaming in this thread, kids.

 

[HereComesThePain]

hi2uHimse

 

[Gondath]

go for it imo, this cluster needs more groups in both mid and alb

 

[Killswitch]

go for it imo, this cluster needs more groups in both mid and alb

TBH the interest has been much lower than I'd hoped. I guess I need to rethink my plans a little, so this is on hold for the time being.

Thanks to those who expressed an interest and those who offered constructive advice

I might look at this again in a different form in a bit...but gonna concentrate on finding a guild and getting some RRs first.