Hello TG!

Many rumors and rumblings have been going around lately about a group of players you may have seen on your server, a group called TF21. Today, I would like to lay those rumors to rest by offering an inside look, a "behind the scenes" into one of the most mature, respectful, and teamwork-oriented groups I know, TF21. Task Force XXI.

What is TF21?
Similar to TG, TF21 isn't a clan.... we're a community. Like many of you, we're just a group of friends who met each other online and who enjoy playing games. We don't ask for donations or promote ourselves. We don't practice or participate in tournaments. All we want is to play the games we enjoy with people we enjoy. We're like family... except we all get along

How did TF21 begin?
It all started around 2001 with an old game called Battlefield 1942 and a group of players called the "201st". The 201st were a bunch of ex-military guys who ran their own website and game server. Some of you may remember the standard 90 second spawn time (to punish unrealistic, rambo-style play). Fond memories. As the years passed along, however, people began to move onto other games, other lives... and eventually the group kinda died.

Upon the release of BF2, a few of the remaining members decided to create a new group and thus TF21 was born.. or reborn.. and under new management. Unfortunately, BF2 was a spammy, arcade-like disaster... not a good fit for those of us who preferred a hint of realism. So we all played WoW. LOL. Then quit. Then restarted. Then quit. Then... Project Reality began to rise. Finally! A realistic, first-person shooter. Well, sorta. And so here we are.

What does TF21 mean?
TF21 stands for Task Force XXI. It's a reference to the U.S. military's prototype project, called Force XXI. It was the first project to use newly-emergent, computer-driven virtual simulation to link ground forces together. Considering the scope of BF2, the name TF21 is a perfect fit.

Why don't you have your own server?
Actually, we did, but unfortunately it sat empty most of the time because most players were on other servers. Attracting players to our new server is much harder than it sounds; populated servers attract more population. Empty servers attract nobody. We had the choice to either "seed" our server by sitting in it.. waiting for players... but that process takes weeks.. months.. before players begin to have faith and add it to their favorites. Most of us just wanted to play, not sit around, so we eventually dumped it.

Why do you lock your squads?
There are two very simple reasons for this.

First: Specialty squads / Voice comm chatter.
When running a tank or apc squad, communication between the driver, gunner, and engineer is vital. When other people are in the squad (additional infantry, for example), the squad comms become too cluttered. It's too much. To to keep things simple, clean, and effective, we commonly run our armor squads with a maximum of 3 people (or a 4th if they know how to maintain radio discipline).

Second: Unpredictable squadmates can disrupt squad cohesion.
Typically, when running an infantry squad, we only invite players that we know are mature, will stay with the squad, and not run off in their own direction. Any squad leader who has run an unlocked squad knows the frustration of the revolving door of public players who can be disruptive to the group for various reasons. Just recently, I invited someone to our squad, only to have him swear and yell at me. Nobody wants that kind of game experience. So, to ensure that our squad operates at maximum efficiency, we keep it locked. But this doesn't mean that people can't join.

How can I join a locked squad?
Best way? Join our teamspeak and ask. Very rarely do we read in-game text chat; it's too distracting. Usually we're busy formulating our plan in comms and ts, so don't be offended if you ask for an invite using the text chat but don't receive a response. We probably didn't see it or have no clue who you are or what you'll do.

Don't you think that locked squads hurts teamplay?
On the contrary, I think it enhances it. Here's why: When people see an effective squad, they want to do the same. It helps to raise the bar of what's expected from a squad and the team. Play becomes more intense, requiring a higher level of cooperation to succeed. In the end, everyone benefits from a server that gains the reputation for having some of the best, most competitive players around. That's why we play on TG.. because we know we'll find a challenge every time.

Are your members really ex-military?
Some of them are, yes. God bless them. /salute

Who the #&%@! is Patterson and what's up with the 20:1 kdr??
Pattyhack.exe of course! LOL That's the long-time running joke. In reality, he's one of the best strategists and twitch players you'll ever see. A truly demoralizing combination to play against.. he knows where you're going before you do. Just listen to him on TS and you'll see what I mean... predicting events 10-20 minutes in advance. And having a 15 ping doesn't hurt either. He's the master.

One night, around 3am, we had finished playing and were just sitting around and talking on TS. Somebody was doing one of those whack-a-mole hand-eye coordination tests over the internet and we started to see who could do it the fastest. Then we started playing it over TS so each of us could hear the other's "dings". Most of us performed the test at human speed... ding... ding.. ding ding... ding. Patty performed the test at super human speed... ding ding dingdingding dingdingdingding. Clearly, he's made a deal with the devil. It's insane

Final comments
People often fear what they don't understand and I hope this thread clears up some of the rumors and questions people have had. If I missed anything, or if you're just wondering why we do something the way we do, don't hesitate to ask and I'll respond the best I can. Until then, we'll see you on the battlefield!


Sincerely,

[TF21]Wolfe
Executive Officer, Founding Member
Task Force XXI