An Interview with Desert Combat Clanner =|NSF|= Stryfe [GEN] of Northern Special Forces
www.nsfdesertcombat.com
What's different about playing DC online with your clan as opposed to playing with a bunch of strangers?
We all start out playing with strangers. Some young, some old; but you would not know that being an inherit sparseness of communication and interaction between each other. The magic begins when the first syllable is uttered by a brave individual, in the midst of virtual combat. It rapidly permeates into a chain reaction of words, advancing to typed battle commands, moreso into "shit-talking" and finally, a conversation. This is the beginning of a virtual partnership amongst strangers. This partnership eventually evolves into a subcommunity of partnerships which inevitably leads to a friendship and finally, the formation of a "CLAN", or brotherhood of fellow gamers with similar goals of world domination. blah blah blah
What makes it different is the complete social interaction amongst the same people on a daily basis, like "flesh friends" going out to a nudie bar or participating in a softball game. But, through typed words. Better yet, a microphone and clan forums. No different than meeting at a singles club, or a telemarketing/gaming convention. Just because it's on the internet, over a stupid game no less, does not make it any less personal to us "clan-members". It beats going at it alone, and a hell of alot more fun.
What are the skills needed to join your clan? Do you have a test?
We do have requirements:
a. Must be 18 and over. We are lude, rude and crude..... no need for 15 year old Timmy's mom to look over his shoulder and see death, sex and destruction sprewn all over his monitor with our Clan Tag's marked all over it. No sirry, unless for the exception of some very talented youngsters with parents oblivious to his actions that we just can't pass up.
b. Must have some determination and motivation to participate in clan administration, clan website forum dissertation, practicing and so on and so forth. We don't take kindly to people that have little or no loyalty whom only wanted clan tags to appear cool to his/her friends. Submitted self photos are mandatory. There's nothing horrible about knowing what you look like.
c. Be damn good in any game we play. No exception.
d. Be respectful of our clan and those around us. Bad face calls for bad stares. We can only tolerate so much immaturity, a necessary evil.
e. Must love our clan. Plain and simple.
NSF Clanners are as deadly with Photoshop as they are behind the trigger.
How does NSF prepare for scheduled battles?
We ritually practice as a whole once a week to devise strategic implementations of battle plans. I call it 'brainwashing', or sometimes 'tough-love'. Studying the opponent is our most important tool. Counterbalancing their strategies to work in our favor. But mostly, each member has a certain time on a daily basis devoted to honing their skills and techniques against the most horrible, wicked and downright evil enemy we can possibly have.... A PUBBY (or public player or players).
Does NSF practice group tactics; if so what tactics have you found effective?
This question is difficult, being an ancient chinese secret and all. We have 5 Divisions, called squadrons, with specific tasks and duties. Each division captain is responsible of having a trained core group that has swallowed their specific detail, and regurgitates it in battle. Eliminates confusion amongst members of the dreaded "who does what" scenerio. All members have a division, with a detail assigned to them and very little leway to deviate from it.
How can individual soldiers improve their kill/death ratio?
Simple..... you don't. Kill/Death ratios are for unseasoned renegade rambo public players that believe in the addage of "Ownage". Not in a clan. We are a team, a family. We work together and stick together for one common goal, to complete an objective; no matter how many or how few kills we amass. I personally am notorious of having a negative ratio during matches, being that I sacrifice myself to "take one for the Team". So no, can't help you here.
Coalition hardware has significant advantages over the weaker Opposition vehicles. Have you noticed any vulnerabilities in the Coalition units that can be exploited by Opposition forces?
Quite the contrary. Over the last few updates in DC, Opposition clearly overpower Coalition almost two-fold. The ultra-powerful PKM brings down choppers in a hurry, the T-72 Tank is more resilient and quicker the M1A1 Abrams and don't get me started on the SCUD and SAM sites. Coalition needs to go back to the drawing board. The staple armor, Bradley AFV, has been significantly weakend and slowed to a crawl, the Apache is still no match to the Hind and Mirages/Migs overpower the skies. In conclusion, try not to be coalition unless you are exceptionally good and well versed in the opposition weaknesses. Or, the server admin graciously tells you to balance the teams or risk being kicked.
