Clan Creation

Do Nots when picking a Clan Name

The Clan Name after all sets the tone for the identity of the whole clan. A bad name leaves people wondering what you do, and doesn’t always appear professional. The goal is to come up with something that is:  easy to read, easily spelled, is short and sweet, and rolls off the tongue.

• Do not use made up words. No one is going to be able to remember your Clan if it has a made up word in it’s name. This will drive possible members away simply because they can’t spell it.
• Do not make up a acronym, then fill the letters with words. You want something that’s going to make sense when someone tries to say it.
• Do not make your Clan’s name too long… Simply, No One Will Remember It.
• Do not restrict your name to a game. You need to be able to switch to a different game in the event of a newer, or better game coming your way.

The best Clan names I’ve stumbled upon were simple, short and sweet and easy to remember. Lotus Clan, Red Militia and Aussie Attack Force are prime and ideal names.  Once you start your clan it’s pretty difficult to change it’s name, especially once you’ve  gained some 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!

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.