Post by Taffer on Jan 24, 2015 10:18:12 GMT
Guide by Belle Starr
I wrote a non-edited version of this today for the official Defiance Forums, and thought it was good enough to post here:
You know, you probably shouldn't just jump and join the first clan that sends you an invite, but shop around! A great clan experience can enhance and prolong your gaming experience, and a rotten one can end it quickly! At 5900 ego level and a year and a half playing Defiance, I have to say playing with a great group of people keeps me playing this game almost daily (hmm, I may need to see if the sun is still shining outside! LOL)!
Ask yourself some questions about what you want out of a clan (and these are not by any means all inclusive):
- Do you play only during certain hours? Find a clan whose members you see online when you are online, by looking at the clan affiliation under their names when you are attending ark falls, sieges, and incursions. Keep in mind that if you are in a different time-zone than others in the NA/Server, say Australia, you might want to find a predominantly Australian clan or a mixed nationality clan so that you have more clan mates to play with when you are in the game.
- Do you play at different times all the time, or at all times?(like me - this game is addictive, believe me!) You want to be able to find clan mates to play with when you want to play! Large clans (like mine) have an advantage here because with so many members, you can always find clan mates online to play with! If you are social butterfly like me (LOL!) you "really like" (l-o-v-e is a censored word -really!?!?) to group, especially for coops and arenas, so you really need to have at least four friendly clan mates on at a time to do these game things with clan mates! I like my clan because there is almost always at least fifteen other clan mates online no matter what time I log on! However, I've seen small clans get around this problem if they are really organized and all their members plan to be on at certain times!
- Do your prefer PVP or PVE or a mixture? Some clans stress one or the other in organized events, and some like a mixture, and some just let players do their own thing (my clan lets me wander through both without a leash, silly guys)!
- Do you like organized clan events? A few of the game pursuits require fifteen or more members to be in attendance to complete, and some people like to do structured events as a rule! I know some players who love PVP but go into a PVP event as a coordinated battle force (not my thing personally, but some of my clan mates do this - I go in as whimsical cannon fodder when I play PVP)! Some clans are extremely structured with clan calendars with set times for the events on their own websites while others just ask if their members want to do something together when a lot of members are online! For example, my clan often organizes large groups on the weekends, but during the week, if enough are around, and a leader or officer (like me!) will just ask if anyone wants to do such an event, and if enough do, we just do it! Easy-peasy!
- Do you want an age specific clan? Some just want to play with other "adults" (I use that term loosely, because my spouse says I often act like a fourteen year old even though I'm much, much, older *sigh*) other teenage players just want to play with a teenage crowd (and avoid old fogies like me *sigh*), and some don't care, like my clan, as they just want to have fun! Beware! Some clans have an adult only rule because their language can be quite... hmm, how do I put it... NOT at all PG! Or even G! Or even sometimes even R! In my opinion, my clan is kind of G as a whole! If some types of language offend you, you definitely need to check a clan out before you join it!
- Do you mind or even want clan rules? Some clans have a lot of rules while others have an anything goes type of approach! Hacking will often get you thrown out of a clan (I never understood hacking, because that undermines the fun of playing a game and beating it on its terms in my mind, but that's beside the point!), but some clans don't seem to care (mine does)! Some clans require that you reach a certain EGO level, like 1000 before you even apply (mine doesn't)! Some have a written formal list of "do and don't", most have unwritten informal rules passed down from old members to new!
- Do you need help playing the game? This is an especially important question for new players, but also important for longtime players as well (I still ask questions of my more technical oriented clan mates when new weapons or new synergies are introduced or the game updates)! If a clan has a lot of veteran players who are willing to educate new members or even help new members with super difficult missions or arenas (I know I do that a lot and I'm happy to help, but I'm an altruistic social butterfly!), that can be a huge benefit to a new player (I kind of just muddled through because I was reluctant to join a clan, stranger-danger mentality, silly me)! Some clans even will give weapons and script to help new clan mates, and having better vehicles, weapons, and shields are great for new players, although some (like me!) see earning that stuff on their own is part of the "long and rewarding chase"!
- Do you want to talk to clan mates through a headset or is game chat what you prefer? Some clans require you be on Teamspeak or some other type of headset program, some say clan chat only! There are pluses and minuses to both! My clan makes it optional, so about 20% are on TeamSpeak and the rest are not, so I as an officer tend to use both (unless I'm distracted by a shiny!), which is hard at times but not impossible!
The next step after you have answered these questions for yourself (and any others I haven't thought of, I'm sure!) is to do some research! These very forums have a section on PC Clans, and there is even a thread that lists all the clans. Some of the clan sites here are quite extensive, but even those that aren't can give you a "feel" for a clan!
Most important, ask rank-and-file clan members about their clan experience! Their clan affiliation is listed right below their character name under the "v" and above their heads on the game screen, so easy to find, and most will talk to you in general chat! Founders, leaders, and officers are true believers and have drank the kool-aid so to speak (I like cherry!), but members can tell you about their gaming experience with a clan with a clear eye most times!
Even more most important, remember that the goal in a game is to have fun! If you join a clan and it isn't fun, quit it and find one that suits you! You aren't eternally married to a clan (Oh... marriage isn't eternal either... um... never mind)!
I hope this advice helps! If not, remember, you get what you paid for, and this advice was free! LOL! Now go out there and HAVE FUN!
I wrote a non-edited version of this today for the official Defiance Forums, and thought it was good enough to post here:
You know, you probably shouldn't just jump and join the first clan that sends you an invite, but shop around! A great clan experience can enhance and prolong your gaming experience, and a rotten one can end it quickly! At 5900 ego level and a year and a half playing Defiance, I have to say playing with a great group of people keeps me playing this game almost daily (hmm, I may need to see if the sun is still shining outside! LOL)!
Ask yourself some questions about what you want out of a clan (and these are not by any means all inclusive):
- Do you play only during certain hours? Find a clan whose members you see online when you are online, by looking at the clan affiliation under their names when you are attending ark falls, sieges, and incursions. Keep in mind that if you are in a different time-zone than others in the NA/Server, say Australia, you might want to find a predominantly Australian clan or a mixed nationality clan so that you have more clan mates to play with when you are in the game.
- Do you play at different times all the time, or at all times?(like me - this game is addictive, believe me!) You want to be able to find clan mates to play with when you want to play! Large clans (like mine) have an advantage here because with so many members, you can always find clan mates online to play with! If you are social butterfly like me (LOL!) you "really like" (l-o-v-e is a censored word -really!?!?) to group, especially for coops and arenas, so you really need to have at least four friendly clan mates on at a time to do these game things with clan mates! I like my clan because there is almost always at least fifteen other clan mates online no matter what time I log on! However, I've seen small clans get around this problem if they are really organized and all their members plan to be on at certain times!
- Do your prefer PVP or PVE or a mixture? Some clans stress one or the other in organized events, and some like a mixture, and some just let players do their own thing (my clan lets me wander through both without a leash, silly guys)!
- Do you like organized clan events? A few of the game pursuits require fifteen or more members to be in attendance to complete, and some people like to do structured events as a rule! I know some players who love PVP but go into a PVP event as a coordinated battle force (not my thing personally, but some of my clan mates do this - I go in as whimsical cannon fodder when I play PVP)! Some clans are extremely structured with clan calendars with set times for the events on their own websites while others just ask if their members want to do something together when a lot of members are online! For example, my clan often organizes large groups on the weekends, but during the week, if enough are around, and a leader or officer (like me!) will just ask if anyone wants to do such an event, and if enough do, we just do it! Easy-peasy!
- Do you want an age specific clan? Some just want to play with other "adults" (I use that term loosely, because my spouse says I often act like a fourteen year old even though I'm much, much, older *sigh*) other teenage players just want to play with a teenage crowd (and avoid old fogies like me *sigh*), and some don't care, like my clan, as they just want to have fun! Beware! Some clans have an adult only rule because their language can be quite... hmm, how do I put it... NOT at all PG! Or even G! Or even sometimes even R! In my opinion, my clan is kind of G as a whole! If some types of language offend you, you definitely need to check a clan out before you join it!
- Do you mind or even want clan rules? Some clans have a lot of rules while others have an anything goes type of approach! Hacking will often get you thrown out of a clan (I never understood hacking, because that undermines the fun of playing a game and beating it on its terms in my mind, but that's beside the point!), but some clans don't seem to care (mine does)! Some clans require that you reach a certain EGO level, like 1000 before you even apply (mine doesn't)! Some have a written formal list of "do and don't", most have unwritten informal rules passed down from old members to new!
- Do you need help playing the game? This is an especially important question for new players, but also important for longtime players as well (I still ask questions of my more technical oriented clan mates when new weapons or new synergies are introduced or the game updates)! If a clan has a lot of veteran players who are willing to educate new members or even help new members with super difficult missions or arenas (I know I do that a lot and I'm happy to help, but I'm an altruistic social butterfly!), that can be a huge benefit to a new player (I kind of just muddled through because I was reluctant to join a clan, stranger-danger mentality, silly me)! Some clans even will give weapons and script to help new clan mates, and having better vehicles, weapons, and shields are great for new players, although some (like me!) see earning that stuff on their own is part of the "long and rewarding chase"!
- Do you want to talk to clan mates through a headset or is game chat what you prefer? Some clans require you be on Teamspeak or some other type of headset program, some say clan chat only! There are pluses and minuses to both! My clan makes it optional, so about 20% are on TeamSpeak and the rest are not, so I as an officer tend to use both (unless I'm distracted by a shiny!), which is hard at times but not impossible!
The next step after you have answered these questions for yourself (and any others I haven't thought of, I'm sure!) is to do some research! These very forums have a section on PC Clans, and there is even a thread that lists all the clans. Some of the clan sites here are quite extensive, but even those that aren't can give you a "feel" for a clan!
Most important, ask rank-and-file clan members about their clan experience! Their clan affiliation is listed right below their character name under the "v" and above their heads on the game screen, so easy to find, and most will talk to you in general chat! Founders, leaders, and officers are true believers and have drank the kool-aid so to speak (I like cherry!), but members can tell you about their gaming experience with a clan with a clear eye most times!
Even more most important, remember that the goal in a game is to have fun! If you join a clan and it isn't fun, quit it and find one that suits you! You aren't eternally married to a clan (Oh... marriage isn't eternal either... um... never mind)!
I hope this advice helps! If not, remember, you get what you paid for, and this advice was free! LOL! Now go out there and HAVE FUN!