Clan Creation

The Blue and Gray for Darkest Hour

This is my Realism Unit review of the 29th Infantry Division for Darkest Hour. I have been impressed with this community as a whole, and I would like to have everyone read my experiences with this realism unit.

The 29th Infantry Division Patch

Enlistment:

I’ve been playing Darkest Hour for little more then 4 months, and was interested in getting involved with a realism unit. I was searching and considered some German units on the official Darkest Hour forums, but none of them appealed to me. I have however been playing with members of the 29th Infantry Division and found myself a suitable unit.

I happen to catch the web address from one of the members of the 29th, and decided to check it out. I went to their website and found a well organized professional website. After doing some research their website, I decided to go ahead and enlist. The process itself took little less then ten minutes, and required registration onto their forums.

The response time for my enlistment request was taken a little less then day. I was accepted into the 288th Training Platoon by the Lighthouse Corps (Recruitment Department.) The recruiter provided information in regards to Basic Combat Training (BCT), link to the Training Platoon’s Steam Friends Group, Cadet Restrictions and Requirements. The only thing that I didn’t like about the restrictions is being limited to the Rifleman class. This isn’t an issue if you don’t play on the 29th Infantry Division Servers, but after a while, the Rifleman Class did grow on me. The recruiter also provided a Cadet Handbook to which has all the information you’ll ever need to pass BCT.

Basic Combat Training:

Your Drill Instructor becomes your overall guide and teacher during Basic Combat Training. He goes over CORDs or Close Order Rifle Drills, Ranks, Structure and other needed information you’ll need for your overall activities within the 29th Infantry Division. The training also goes over basic tactics, weapons, chain of command, military courtesy, tricks to Darkest Hour, and much more. It’s hard to explain everything in a review. The experience itself felt like I was really part of a Training Platoon going through basic.

You’re awarded the 29th ID Shoulder Patch and the American Defense Service Medal for graduating from Basic Combat Training. If you had attended every single day of BCT, you are also awarded the Army Commendation Medal for this achievement.

The 29th Infantry Division…

Upon graduating from BCT, you are assigned to a squad and your squad leader sends you a welcome message. This message provides you with information in regards to your squad, platoon, company and battalion drills. He also provides you information on how to get into Ventrilo and how to post an absence in the event you are unable to make your required drills.

At this point also, you gain access to all the 29th Infantry Division staff and operational boards. Shortly after BCT I joined the Lighthouse Corps as the Steam Community Secretary. The job is pretty much detailed to making the Training Platoon’s Steam Friends Groups to which recruits can join and began the process of becoming a 29th Infantry Division member. I gained access to the Lighthouse office in the S-3 Operations board due to this position.

Another thing that I found interesting is an user interactive management system using PHP. This Personal File gives staff members the ability to easily manage all aspects of the organization. It contains your AIT Progress, demerits, attendance, leave, recruitment, donations and notes for you.

The forum is highly active and does not need much moderation. It seems me that the Military Police (Moderators) got it easy for the most part, as most members post clean and appropriate threads for their respective boards. The boards are also used for announcements and other concerns relating to the departments and units in question. There is even the Medical Department focusing on the technical issues that members might have for their systems. There is always something for everyone.

The chain of command itself is highly effective. Whenever I sent any questions or concerns to my Squad Leader, he would usually response within 24 hours and even provide information to my questions or resolutions to my issues. If my Squad Leader was unable to resolve the issue at hand, he would take it up with his Platoon Sergeant and Platoon Leader to see if they can resolve the issue. If not at the Platoon level, it would keep going up the chain till it reaches Battalion, the highest level of command. This chain of command is highly effective and gets the job done if anyone is worried about slow and ineffective bureaucracy. Problems are also cut down by the pre-designed templates of official forums, ranging from everything to Dishonorable Discharging a man to awarding Medals, Badges and Promotions.

The Rank & Awards structure is pretty the same compared to any other clan or unit. The unit itself has adopted the standard US Army World War 2 structure. The added bonus that the 29th Infantry Division has overall value for the rank. Rank is simply not given out to anyone who holds a position of authority or has proven themselves in-game, but for the work and service provided to the community. It’s standard to see a Squad Leader being part of the 29th Infantry Division for a year, with Senior NCOs and Officers usually having two plus years under their belts. Any medals and badges that members might have earned are usually reserved for outstanding performances, and are rarely “given” for standard duties. I love this because it develops a formal respect for the rank and awards that someone had earned within the 29th Infantry Division.

It also seems everyone within 29th Infantry Division who can, does, donate to keep the servers and website afloat. The Finance Office even internally post where the funding goes whenever any funds are used to maintain the community. This is something that you do not find within an average community of players, and builds a deeper bond between members. Another thing I found outstanding about the 29th Infantry Division is the fact that donating is not a way to buy a promotion. Recognition is usually given in the form of weapons passes and awards.

Drills are still something that baffles me beyond recognition, the level of organization and the dedication of senior members who make them happen. These drills go on without any real direction by central leadership, and usually carried out by Squad Leaders and Platoon Leaders. These drills can range anywhere from Half-Track tips and tricks to full-blown internal scrimmages. Everyone in the Platoon, or Company, would fall into their respective units and prepare for the days activities. One scrimmage that I remember was on Hill 108, when Second Platoon was facing off against First Platoon, both Platoons within Baker Company. Hill 108 was defended by First Platoon when Second Platoon attempted a full-blown assault. The assault itself had claimed most of Second Platoon, but we were still able to take the hill. The thing that made my jaw drop was a decisive counter-attack onto the hill, pushing Second Platoon off of it. This level of tactics and strategy placed a large smile on my face, even thou I was killed in action during the counter-attack by First Platoon.

Wow

I am impressed with the overall dedication by the members and leaders of the 29th Infantry Division. Everyone from the basic Rifleman to the Battalion Commander seemed to be dedicated in building a better community for Darkest Hour. It’s been some years since I’ve been involved with a realism unit and I have to say, this unit, has made me dedicated and motivated to become involved with the active jobs throughout the Battalion. The organization gives you the motivation and the fire to help build a better community. This 29th Infantry Division is highly recommended to anyone who is interesting in a World War 2 Realism Unit for Darkest Hour.

Raising funds for your Clan

Any Clan Leader will tell you, raising funds for your clan is one of the most difficult and challenging tasks anyone can do.  The factors of the economy, trust and services is one of the largest challenges going against Clan Leaders today.  This article is all about establishing a system for Clan Leaders in raising funds for their respective clans.

Donations

One of the things a Clan Leader needs to do is document where the donations are going towards.  By publishing where and when these funds are being used would build trust between the donors and the clan itself.  Keeping donors aware of where these funds are going to will make them more willing to donate funds again.  Humans by nature are careful with their money, and they surely don’t want it wasted.  If you give the donors a reason not to trust the leaders of the Clan, then don’t be surprised if they don’t donate again.

Holding a fundraiser is also an another way to get donations for clan activities.  Setting a goal to get a new server, or to upgrading the existing server is sometimes enough to motivate members to donate.  It also reinforces the team environment, if everyone in the Clan is donating funds to the fundraiser, then this would motivate even the youngest members to find a way to donate.  It’s all about team effort.

Having a raffle for a new game will always gain the support of your members.  Dropping 5 dollars down for 5 tickets for a $49.99 dollar game has motivated many members in my past clans to donate.  It is highly recommended to do any drawings live on a webcam to prevent any possible rumors of fraud.  This also gets members involved into their clan, providing a sense of purpose and pride with their respective clan.  If someone wins anything, of course you make sure they get it!  Again, the trust factor.

Setting an example is ideal for any Clan looking to raise funds.  In saying that, it might be woo of any Clan Leader to make senior leaders pay membership dues to support the Clan.  This shows that the leaders are dedicated to keeping the clan afloat, and motivate members in donating to the cause.  Something like 5 dollars a month is not too steep.  It was said before and will be said again, “leading by example.”

An another way to gain donations is providing reservations for members and public players alike.  This can only work for extremely large high traffic low ping servers, and is unreliable at best.  However, this can be offered as a benefit to members who are interested in gaining access to the servers on a 24/7 basis.

If your clan has some type of weapon restrictions like I did with my Operation Flashpoint clan, then it might be ideal to release some of the restrictions if and when a member donate funds.  Force the clan to use iron sights whenever an official game is ongoing, but if someone is a donor to the clan, then allow them to use scopes and aimpoints in official games.  This will otherwise get unwilling member to donate funds to the clan to gain access to restricted weapons.

Affiliate Marketing

An another route in earning funds for your clan is Affiliate Marketing.  Many game server providers have some form of affiliate marketing for communities, clans and other organizations looking to earn funds.  It’s a practice to which a business rewards one of it’s affiliates funds for each visitor or customer who purchases their services.    You can earn a commission for each purchase, however you also gain a commission each time someone renews the services, earning the Clan a consistent long-term income.  Most of the time the businesses will provide a banner and a text link code with an affiliate ID.

Advertisement

This is a highly unpopular route for many clans and I would recommend avoiding this tactic to earn funds for your Clan.  I wouldn’t recommend this if your traffic is not above 100 visitors per day.  These advertisements can be attached to your Clan’s main page and forums to generate funds like other websites.  A website I found very helpful is 2 Create a Website Blog.  I highly recommend this website for anyone interested in being successful with website advertisement.

Realism Units

There is many communities and groups that are here to bring a realistic feel and immersion into the games they love to play.  We’re social creatures by nature, and in this case we tend to form organizations for the purpose of enjoyment.  These organizations aren’t even a clans, they’re Units, and many of their members will correct you in the event that you called them anything else.  Many individuals outside the community would say, “it’s just a game.”  However the game is simply not an enough.  They wanted a deeper connection with structured gameplay that has evolved into Tactical Realism.

It’s a vision shared by many players alike within the realism community. Teamwork.  This common interest has motivated many players into a realism community… usually by accident.  Many players usually don’t seek out a realism unit on their own, but with teamwork in mind, they were bound to find them one way or an another.  They want is the sweet satisfaction  of completing a mission with predefined roles and responsibilities for each individual on the battlefield.

However, Realism is a double-edged sword. While many units will use a military-style ranking structure and require members to call their officers ’sir.’  There are also plenty of units that there that believe in “serious play, but not too serious.”  A lot of times calling each other by rank is simply a No-Go in these units.  If you want the immersion, or just team cooperation, there’s always an option out there.

Every realism unit does experience the same turnover rates like a regular clan would, however they usually benefit from higher numbers of recruits and a better core of members.  This alone will build a bond that can last for months, even years due to the enjoyable gaming experience.  Many players would join these units with their own motives for their own personal advancement, but what really kept them around is the people themselves.  The friendships and the sense of belonging is what draws the community closer together.  It may be complicated to explain it to someone else outside of the community, but for those who are part of this brotherhood, it makes complete sense.

Most game servers are populated by children who sling around obscene language without the consequences of real life.  Many of these kids choose to do this under the veil of the internet to burden other players from an enjoyable night of gaming.  Anyone can act a fool when playing a game, however a select few can play the game in a respectable way.

That’s what matters to these units.

Delegating Responsibilities

There is always a lot of focus put on the position and responsibilities of being a Clan Leader. Most unsuccessful clan leaders will retain all these responsibilities and disregard the potential growth they can have when they delegate.  It also prevents the Clan Leader from becoming too bruned out from all the responsibilities and simply skip ship.  This every well can be the number one reason why a clan would fail.

Another reason why Clan Leader’s should delegate they’re responsibilities is to allow members to get involved with their clan.  This keeps things interesting and gives them a sense of purpose that they wouldn’t usually have in most Clans.  I wouldn’t recommend “assigning” jobs to members, however give them an option to sign up for these positions.  Allowing them to sign up for jobs would prevent a high turnover in regards to the jobs you have (since they chose the job), and enabling you to keep more administrative members.

I want to give some ideas out to Clan Leaders interested in delegating some of their responsibilities:

Entry level Jobs: These types of positions provide a first step for many leaders in Clans.    These type of positions generally require very little skill and knowledge, perfect for low ranking members.   The idea is to provide apprenticeship into your system of operating your clan and should be the ground-level of recruiting leaders in the future.

• Journalist: Writes about official matches, recent promotions, community news, game and clan announcements. 
• Records Secretary: Keeps all member information up-to-date.  This person might also cover information displayed on the website and forums, and should inform leaders to keep info up to date.
• Recruiter: A new members link to the rest of the Clan.  Recruiters should be gaining the interest of the players looking to join a Clan and perform promotional events like Public Matches.  They usually answer any questions that the new members might have, and provides information in regards to joining the clan.
• Schedule Secretary: These members keep the calendar updated for each incoming month.
• Trainer: These members provide training and tips for the game the Clan play’s most.

Management Jobs: These members usually have the most seniority out of all the members of the Clan.  The Clan Leader usually provides some level of independent decision making to these jobs, allowing and enabling them to administer their respective groups as effective as possible.

• Team Leader: These members usually have seniority over most of the members of their respective Teams.  In a military-style structure, these titles can range from “Squad Leader,” “Platoon Sergeant,” etc.  These members provide a link between regular members to leadership members in regards to problems, and conflict resolution.  In the real world, these positions might be called “Supervisors,” or “Sergeants.“
• Financial Head: This position might come later after some growth, however Clan Leaders need to think about assigning someone to handle the funds.  They should keep track of where the funds are coming from, and provide recognition to members who have donated.  In the real world, this position would be related to being an “Accountant.”
• Moderators: They provide some type of skills involving Web Administration and Managing an online community.  These members should enforce the rules on the forums and servers to provide a quality playing environment.  In the real world, this position might be related to “Human Resources,” or “Quality Assurance.”
• Co-Leaders: These members are usually someone who has been trusted by the Clan Leader and has been chosen to be their replacement in the event the Clan Leader is no longer able to lead the Clan.  These members should be the Clan Leader’s top assistant in regards to running and operating the Clan as a whole.  In the real world, the most common use of this position is “Executive Officer” or “Deputy Commander.” “Administrative Assistant” is fitting in some cases.

I would highly recommend not giving out any administrative rights to anything that can effectively shut your Clan down.  Access to Web Administration, Server Accounts, Paypal Accounts, etc, should be left to the Clan Leader, and someone that they trust deeply.

These are some basic responsibilities and titles for members in the event the Clan Leader wants to delegate.  Just like a major business, no single person can build an empire without delegating in some fashion.  The idea is to give all your members the management side of running the clan and giving you a more strategic position within the clan.  Instead of managing individual members, start managing groups of members.

Test Server for Insurgency

Hello Everybody,

I am currently testing an older machine for use as a possible Game Server. I have an idea for what game it’s going to host, but it needs tested to see if it need upgraded.   That’s why I picked a Half-Life 2 Moderation called Insurgency, uses the Source Engine but with a little bit of a kick…  All I need is for players to join the server, run around and cap some objectives.  If anyone has any feedback about the performance or any problems, please comment here with your concerns & feedback.

Thanks!

Using Youtube to Recruit

If you’re thinking about making a YouTube promotional video for your clan… Great, do it! YouTube is one of the greatest assets you can use in regards to recruiting for your clan; videos can give an inside look into how your clan operates to visitors and players alike. It’s very important to deliver a professional and disciplined message when recruiting worthwhile members.

Look at me!!!:  This video is very disheartening to watch. There isn’t even a real message involved, and the music alone shows that the recruiter is not even interested in recruiting.  It seems to me that the recruiter is more interested in showing off his “skills” then recruiting. This gives the wrong idea to players about what type of clan this recruiter is from, and I wouldn’t recommended this type of video.

Genetic Video Ad: This type of video is pretty generic with lots of stock and overused footage.  There are some pretty decent still images in the video, however it doesn’t show how the clan operates and it’s overall performance.  The video has some shortcomings, but it does expose the clan to a full host of visitors and players interested in joining a clan.

Recruitment Ad:The idea is mostly for realism units looking for professional and mature members. If you’re looking for something that looks like a real deal military recruitment ad, here is one example achieving this by the 29th Infantry Division (COD4).

Game Play Ad: This is not a recruitment video.  However it does give an inside look into how the organization operates within it’s chosen game.  The video shows a great deal of teamwork and organization, which appeals to the older and mature crowds of the gaming community.  This can be easily posted on the organization’s website to allow possible members to decide if this is the right group for them.  I would recommend a videos like this one here:

When posting these videos on YouTube, I would highly recommend moderating your comments on a daily basis. Any negative comments would simple drive people away, but negative responses would create unwanted judgements about your clan as well.

There is a full range of video editing programs out there including Windows Movie Maker.  I wouldn’t be able to recommend any editing software, but I will tell you that the Windows Movie Maker is fully capable in editing videos for your Youtube postings.  I will however recommend Fraps for any video capturing you’ll need to do to create any promotion ads. It does beat your system up a good bit, and you might need to lower some graphical settings to allow smooth captures.  But it’s a solid and easy to use application that is trusted by many customers around the world.

Hopefully this article helped you in generating ideas for your Youtube videos.  If you have any suggestions for this article, or for my next article, please comment away and I’ll be more then happy to respond.

Recruiting Tips

One of the most critical, and usually one of the hardest tasks for any clan is recruitment.  Bear in mind that these tips are based off of my experiences as a clan leader. The goal behind this article is to help Clan Leaders develop their own recruitment tactics and strategies within their respective games.

Before I really get into the basics, you need to ask yourself some simple questions:  Why do players want to join my clan, and what does my clan have that sets us apart from the other clans?  Think about it because when your out recruiting, these two questions are surely going to come up.

First and foremost, the most important aspect of a recruiter is their overall conduct and discipline over voice and text chats.  Their actions reflect upon not only themselves, but the clans that they represent. Think about a company that has given you poor customer service, you will think poorly not only about the representative, but the company as well.  The concept is the same for both.

“No one wants to join a clan that is full of smack-talking children”

Corporal Kevin C. MacManus, 29th Infantry Division for Darkest Hour

Games Servers are your top recruiter!

Time after time, no matter what clan I become part of, the game servers always bring in the bulk of your new recruits.  If your looking for any decent numbers for your clan, then a game server is pretty much a requirement.  You do want to make sure you get a decent game server with the maximum possible slots for your respective games.  Larger servers allow more players to be exposed to your clan’s name, and in theory the clan should gain more members.

Play The Game and Walk the Talk.

This should be a no brainer, but I’ll say it… play the game!  Exposing yourself to the community you recruit from is ideal, especially when your trying to get to know the players.  This is a good way to determine and single out possible recruits.  If your website promotes good teamwork and discipline, walk the talk.  I understand that it might be a little difficult to get public players to work together, but at least try.  Anyone interested in good teamwork will at least take a look at your website because of your efforts.  That’s a foot in the door, and possibly another recruit.

Community Forums.

There are plenty of gaming and community forums to which you can recruit from.  I would recommend joining some forums related to your clan’s game and respond to some board post before dropping a recruitment post. This gives you the benefit of not being a “No Name”, rather someone who is a respected by members of that community.  Creating a signature with your clan’s name and website address will also expose the clan for each quality post you have.

Search Engine Optimization 101

Now, this is something that is not really talked about in clan recruitment, but is still valid in gaining new members, developing the clan’s search engine optimization will get you noticed whenever someone searches on Google, Yahoo and MSN.  Always having  a lot of fresh content for your clan’s website is key.  The internet is faceless with billions of websites out there, so giving your website a face would be bumping your clan’s rank on the major search engines.  The video below shows the basics of SEOs:

Source: Vertical Measures

Picking a Game Server Provider

One of the most important aspects to clans are game servers.  It has nearly become a requirement for clans to have a game server to be successful.  The market itself is extremely saturated with small and massive companies looking to earn your business.  So what is best for your clan?

I’m going to briefly outline several things that need to be thought of when choosing a Game Server Provider:

• Ping: The network infrastructure should be one of the most important factors in choosing a game server provider.  The old saying “you get what you pay for” is very relevant in the gaming server industry.  Networking happens to be one of the areas affected when hosts choose to save money.  This alone can bring inferior pings to your members and can be a deal-breaker in regards to recruitment.  The location of these hosts should be considered when attempting to maximize the best possible pings.  The most common rule of thumb, if the bulk of your clan is located in country A, then the game server should be located in country A.

• Per Slot Servers: This is the cheapest option for any clan on a budget.  This is where a clan pays for the maximum number of slots on a game server.  The server hardware itself is most likely shared among other clans, but this shouldn’t be a problem as long as the game does not require much processing power.  These servers also lack the ability control the system like a traditional computer. However control panels make game server management easy and pain free.

• Dedicated Servers: This is the most expense way for a clan to host their game servers. The benefit of a dedicated server is the ability to host multiple game servers without the limitations of a maximum number of slots.  Some companies also give you the ability to remote into these systems to perform complex configurations and to install moderations.  Picking the correct hardware also depends on what you plan on doing with the server.  If single game server requires a 2 GHz machine with 512 MB of RAM, and you want to host four game servers, then the math should add up to a 2 GHz Quad Core machine with 2 GB of RAM.

• Service: Something that is usually overlooked when shopping for a game server is the company’s customer service.  If they say they provide 24/7 support, then call them at 3AM to see if they’re really there and talk to them.  This interaction should indicate the level of service and assistances that you’re going to get when the time comes.

• Satisfaction: Finally, do your HOMEWORK!  Find reviews that been posted about them by other clans.  Do take into account that people will have bad experiences with these companies, and will be more willing to post about them.  Obviously all game server providers have issues, but how they handle them will determine their level of quality.  Keep an eye out for trends that happens over and over.  This shows that the company is not permanently resolving the issues, and are more then likely going to repeat them again.

This isn’t a full list of things you should consider when shopping, but hopefully this article was helpful in giving you an idea of what to look for when picking the right game server provider for your clan.

Why create a clan?

Creating a clan could be the most difficult and challenging task for anyone.  There is a lot things involved in making a clan and it would not be recommended to anyone who has never been part of a clan to start a clan.  Some of the most important questions you need to ask yourself first are:

• Why do I want to create a clan when I can join another?
• What is my goals for the clan I’m about to create?
• Where am I going to get my members?
• When is the best time to launch my clan?
• How am I going to effectively dedicate my time to the clan?

The benefit of joining an already created clan is simple, all the leg work is already done and hopefully they already have some dedicated servers.  However, if the type of clan you want does not exist, then it’s a perfect time to ahead and create it a clan.

Before launching, you do want to develop realistic goals to reach.  When I talk about goals, I’m not talking about “recruiting 20 members a week” type goals. I’m talking setting time frames to have a website up by, or when you’re going to get a dedicated server.  Things of that nature.

Where are the members going to be coming from?  Are you wanting just members from your home country, or you just want former military members to fill your ranks?  Well, this is pretty self explanatory and you should have this in mind.

The best time to launch your clan shouldn’t be immediately.  It takes time to develop a website, ranks, forums, and other important plans needed to run a clan.  Having things developed and planned out is the best course of action.  Not planning is a plan for failure.

This is the most important, dedication.  Just don’t be lazy.  Your members will need to build a sense of trust with you, and the best way to do this is being dedicated.  No one in the world would want to a join a clan where the leader did nothing, or was never around… would you?  Hopefully you’ll be planning on renting dedicated servers and will be asking for donations from these members.  To show that you are trustworthy, dedication to your clan will be biggest factor, make it your one and only.  Sometimes it’ll feel like a second job at first, but once you start providing jobs to your members, it’ll get easier.

If your dedicated enough to go through all the stress, then go ahead and discover if you have what it takes to create a clan.  It does take a lot time and effort, but the awards are countless and friendships are priceless.  Take it from someone who has created and ran clans before… Your first one will fail.  Keep that in Mind.