Like Leaves Blowing in the Wind and TGU Wants YOU

[ABRA]

But before I get to the recruitment poster just let me take a moment to say this. BF2142 is coming together. PoE2 attendance is still dominant but in decline. There’s talk of Project Reality making an appearance at TG in a big way. And there’s a vocal although small segment clamoring for a grand reunion of the BF2 crowd of TG back on vanilla. So in the next few weeks we’ll all see which way the winds of change blow. But one thing is certain. TG will be there. It will have the same mission of realistic tactics achieved through coordinated teamwork. And it will continue to grow and gain new players. And those new players will need to be familiarized with the TG mission and gameplay expectations on our servers. And the TG veterans will again be called on to take the lead and set the example. Most of you will never set foot inside of a Tactical Gamer University (TGU) event and will do this job wonderfully live in game, whatever the mod. But some of you will come and help with TGU explaining the existing framework of SOPs, rules, and announcements to the new crop. We will continue to do this in whichever BF2 mods gain popularity (even the retail mod from Dice, BF2142).

But those two groups need to work together for maximum effectiveness. The TG vets who hate the idea of TGU could still help the community by helping with TGU’s promotion. When you work with new players in your squads, suggest over VOIP that they come to the forums and look for the TGU threads. Or better yet keep an eye out for the scheduled events so you can give them a time to show up. We also need TG vet feedback to tell us what topics they want us to cover and what they want their TG grunts to know when they join their squads. I know TGU will be lucky if even 5% of the traffic on the primary BF2 server makes it to a TGU event. But with TG vets already exemplifying the TG mission to their squads in game, we don’t need a large enrollment to have an impact. We just all need to put out the same simple, consistent TG message to these new players and that should be enough as we will be acting conjunction with each other. Whatever tactics the SLs are employing in game, TGU will tailor its curriculum to reinforce them in the new players unfamiliar with their subtleties. And TG vet SLs teaching new players are likewise encouraged to review the SOPs so that we can promote a common TG vision. And give us input on improving the SOPs to reflect the current state of the tactics in the mod du jour. TGU is not about grand pie-in-the-sky tactical wet dreams, just the basics for now: squad cohesion, communication, fire discipline, etc. We’ll just focus on the sort of thing that was commonplace when BF2 first hit TG, but have been in decline among our population recently. That’s the rub in a nutshell; here’s how the nut will be cracked.

Tactical Gamer University is seeking individuals who are dedicated instructors first and foremost and experienced TGers second. What is more important at this point is that you are willing to help build your community through instruction than that you consider yourself one of the veteran pillars of the TG community (although that’d be swell too). Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to participate in TGU instruction either during TGU practice events or live in game. The practice events are pretty straight forward practice format deals with TGU flavor. In game TGU will take a similar approach as the Learn TG squads did, although more focused on the TGU curriculum goals. The hope being that we avoid the Learn TG squad pitfall of devolving into a functional squad rather than a squad that focuses on educating players as to the underlying TG process itself that breeds that functionality. In this way we will educate players in the TG expectations for when they find themselves in a non-TG-style squad and need to depend on themselves to originate TG gameplay. In essence we will try to make TG leaders and TG gameplay-originators in game as successfully as Learn TG squads make TG followers. This is the basis of the TGU program. TGU will succeed by teaching the TG mission in TGU events, practicing it in game, and exemplifying it during participants’ individual non-TGU playtime. Individuals more interested in complaining about pubbie PoE2 player issues than in actually lifting a finger to resolve them need not apply.

I outlined the organization briefly here. Obviously it is ambitious in design but it will not be ambitious in execution. The opening of various schools and classes and such will be done incrementally as we are able to field competent instructors. But right now we are just going to offer a basic recruitment orientation session to players new to TG. This will be an opportunity for instructors to get their feet wet and to show what they are capable of. So don’t let this newbie day camp bore you l33t SLs out there and in-house squad vets. Log a little volunteer time helping the community by helping the novices as a TGU proof of concept. And then we can start rolling out all the sexy SEAL Team CQC 4-man room clearing sessions you ache to enroll in, teach, and eventually field.

Depending on who you ask, TG is already on fire with PoE2 pubbies or it is about to really ignite with BF2142. This is great in that it should expand our playerbase but also tumultuous in that it will dilute the veteran playerbase that provides the quality TG gameplay.

So ask yourself, if TG were on fire, would you bother to cross the street to put it out? PM me if you some the time to. No matter where your interest lies, live in game instruction, practice sessions, or veteran SL curriculum consulting, we’ll get on the same page and reinforce each others’ efforts with a minimum of hassle.

Also we are looking for anyone who could help with the design AND coding of the module completion and advancement system.