June 20, 2013

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Guild Event: Have an Amazing Race

If having a game of Hide and Seek isn’t your cup of tea, you could have an Amazing Race instead.  Here are a few ideas:

  • Start off by giving your guild mates a clue as to the whereabouts of the next clue.  A second guild mate will then be in that location to give the next clue.  Keep following this pattern until the race ends.
  • You can incorporate items into the race.  For example, turning in x number of pieces of junk loot or trade a certain number of companion gifts before they are given the next clue.
  • Players must win a duel against the clue giver in order to progress.
  • As with the Hide and Seek game, give credits/desirable items as prizes.
Filed Under: Guild Tagged With: , ,

Guild Event Idea: Hide and Seek

Looking for an activity to liven up your next guild meeting?  Play a good old fashioned game of hide and seek.  This is a great event that characters of all level can enjoy.  We are all familiar with the rules of Hide and Seek, but here are some ideas to adapt the game for SWTOR:

  • A guild member hides on a planet.  They are available to send/answer clues as to their whereabouts.  This can be particularly frustrating fun for other players if the person hiding is in stealth mode.
  • Offer a prize to the winner.  What good is a contest if there is no prize?  Offer something good.  Some high level gear perhaps?  What about a vanity color crystal?  Credits wouldn’t hurt either as everyone could use some cold, hard, creds.
  • For an added element of fun, you could have multiple guild mates hiding on multiple planets.  You could even have them move around on the planet to different locations.  It all depends on how long you want to play Hide and Seek.

Hide and Seek is a great game to play in SWTOR or any other MMO for that matter.  I am particularly fond of it since I wasn’t so great as it in real life as a kid.  The asthma kept giving me a way.  (Wheeze….Wheeze….I think Tim’s hiding behind the oak tree over there…)

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How to Make a Guild Recruitment Video

Tim Vankan at TOR Syndicate has posted an excellent tutorial on How to Make a Guild Recruitment Video.

Along with the YouTube instructional video, Tim gives this advice:

A couple of things you should always try to do is:

- Take your time: The game is not out yet so you got all the time in the world, sometimes it might even take a week or so to get back on track just because you ran out of inspiration or you are to busy with real life.

- Ask for feedback: Without feedback you can make a nice video, but with it you can make an amazing video! ask around and see who is interested, if no one of the community wants to help you, ask your friends from school maybe?

- Be willing to change a lot, well nothing to add here really, sometimes things have to change a lot for something to work.

- Look at a lot of other recruitment videos: make sure you aren’t making the same thing someone else also has.

- Make sure youtube doesn’t hate your music, I once made a vid that got deleted from youtube instantly because of the music i used.. well that can be very depressing, upload the music under a random video and see if it gets banned.

 

This is good advice for making a YouTube video of any kind.  If you are into video blogging either for fun or profit, these five steps should be followed at all times.

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Guild Phase 2

Guild Phase 2 has begun.  The guild FAQ has been updated to reflect the new features:

  • Here are a few of the highlighted answered questions.
  • Guilds wanting to align, but have selected a different server type, (PVP, RP, PVE, etc.), and/or different time zone will be placed listed as, “Not a server match.” Basically, to give best possible chance to be on the same server, have the same type of server and time zone.
  • The Guild Leader or Officers, given permission by the leader can to create guild alignments.
  • A Guild Can NOT change faction, after the guild is created and faction has been selected.
  • A Guild can have a total of three alignments. This means a guild can have three allies, or two allies and one adversary, or any combination that equals no more than three alignments.
  • Allies have to be of the same faction and Adversaries have to be of the opposite faction. This means no opposite faction Allies or same faction Adversaries.
  • There is no guarantee that all Allies and/or Adversaries will be on the same server come release, but Bioware will do their best to accommodate in the best interest of server space and for the guilds.
  • Guild leaders and members now have the ability to invite new members through email.

 

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How to Sign Up for Guild Testing

This post was written as a request from one of the three people who frequent this blog.  Thanks for the suggestions and please, keep the feedback coming!  It is greatly appreciated.

To sign up for SWTOR guild beta just follow these simple steps:

  1. Create an account on the official forums.  (Yes, this is on the same level as CAUTION: CONTENTS MAY BE HOT on a cup of coffee).
  2. Join a guild (Warning: Do not Hold Wrong End of Chainsaw).
  3. If necessary recruit additional members to reach the required 10 minimum registered at the SWTOR Guild Headquarters to be considered.
  4. Find the mailing address of BioWare Inc. and send them daily gifts of cookies, Cheetos, and flowers until your guild is selected.

If your guild doesn’t haven 10 members yet, you are allowed to start a recruiting thread on the official forums in order to increase your membership.  However, please follow the Guild Headquarters Recruitment Guidelines and do not spam guild recruitment messages.  Doing so will disqualify your guild from participating in guild beta.

Filed Under: Beta, Guild Tagged With: , , ,

SWTOR Guild Beta Testing Begins

David Bass of BioWare confirmed on Twitter that invitations for Guild Beta Testing have gone out.  He went on to tweet that he will be posting more information on the official forums later tonight:

“I’ll be posting info about Guild Testing later tonight most likely. Can’t get to the forums from my plane. Though Twitter works!”

How exciting!  Sounds like SWTOR is moving forward with a new phase of beta testing.  If you haven’t signed up for a guild yet, what more motivation do you need?

Haven’t formed a guild yet?  Check out this post that features some tips to consider before you do.

Good luck and may the Force be With You!

Filed Under: Beta, General, Guild Tagged With: , , ,

The Importance of Alignment in Guild Creation

There has been a lot of uproar lately about the fact that EA/BioWare will be the ones who will determine which and what type of server your guild is placed on at launch.  Granted, most people naturally resist when anyone makes a choice for them.  It appears EA/BioWare is taking this approach in order to ensure that the player load is balanced across their servers.

Many guilds are also concerned that since server choice is out of their control, they may not get placed on a server that is conducive to their preferred gameplay style (PvE, PvP, RP).  Reading through the FAQs, I found this note on alignment:

“We will make reasonable efforts to ensure that qualifying guilds are imported into a server that meets your specified preferences, but we cannot make any guarantees given the anticipated volume of guilds (among other factors). All server placements therefore remain in our sole discretion. “

It sounds like alignment may be one method to help ensure that your guild is placed on your groups’ preferred gameplay server.  If you really want a roleplay guild, then perhaps you can seek out a rival guild on the official forums.

EA wants launch day goes as smooth as possible, and apparently they see making the server assignments for guilds a necessary measure to ensure that happens.  Alignment may be the only small option that you have to help ensure that you get the gaming experience that you want.

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5 Tips for Forming a Guild

Now that SWTOR is available for pre-order and the reality of a launch date appears to be on the horizon, perhaps now you have the necessary motivation to create your guild.    Here are five tips to keep in mind when forming your guild in order to make it more successful and keep its members happy:

Define Your Identity

It should go without saying, but you have to know who you are and what you are about.  This may be quite easy when its just you and a bunch of your friends starting the guild.  But what happens when you let “outsiders” in?  If you don’t have a clear identity, the guild may take on one of its own.  This “melting pot” effect may or may not be the outcome the original members had in mind when the guild was founded.

Some questions to consider in shaping you identity:

  • What type of guild are you?  Roleplay? PvE? PvP? A bit of everything?
  • What faction do you side with?
  • Does your guild focus on a certain activity such as crafting or raiding?

 

Form Your Groundrules/Constitution

The more successful guilds that I’ve been a part of are well organized and have a specific set of rules that all members must adhere to, or risk being booted from the guild.  By having these set of rules, everyone knows exactly what is allowed and what isn’t.  That way, no one can make any excuses when they do something that is frowned upon by other members.

Some items to consider in the rules for your guild:

  • What are your requirements for membership?  Can anyone join your guild or only friends?
  • What is your maximum membership?
  • What is your structure?  Is there one main leader?  Larger guilds may have a main leader and several officers.  These officers may be in charge of certain duties like crafting or the treasury.  Some guilds have leaders for each class.  Some guilds are ruled by ruthless dictators.  Others are more democratic.
  • Is there a minimum/maximum age to join your guild?
  • Is there a minimum character level?
  • Is there a time zone requirement? Guild members operating 3 hours ahead or behind you can make things like guild meetings and raiding difficult.
  • Who can recruit in your guild?  How many people can each person recruit at the same time?
  • Will you have a schedule of events? (Role play on Monday, Dungeon 1 on Tuesday, PvP on Friday, etc.)
  • What are your requirements for how active your guild’s members are?  What is your policy about inactive members?
  • What is your policy for removing a member from the guild?

 

Choose Your Members Carefully

The identity of the guild is the sum of its members.  Ideally, you want to have quality members who will contribute positively in some way towards the advancement and general well-being of the guild.  However, people are people and they come with a dazzling assortment of personality options.

If you know someone who is a little quick tempered or has a tendency to “go down the dark side” once in a while, you may want to think twice before letting them into the guild.  Most guilds have drama.  You don’t want to add any more than necessary.  The guild mates you want to keep will thank you for it.

 

Offer Your Guild Mates Perks

No, not Lee Press On Nails (link included for the younger generation) but little extras that may give them a better sense of community and support.  Some items to consider:

  • A guild website
  • A private in game chat server like Ventrilo
  • Access to in game crafting resources, weapons, armor, etc.

 

Embrace Change

Like real life families, priorities and needs change as its members do.  Revisit your guild’s rules and identity once in a while.  If you are in a position of leadership, encourage feedback from your subjects other members.  Create a culture within your guild that makes you approachable and genuinely interested in what other have to say.

If you aren’t a leader in your guild, don’t be hesitant to offer suggestions.  Don’t bombard the leadership with every little thing you don’t like or think could be done differently.  If you have that many items, perhaps you should start a guild of your own.  Pick your top two items and work with the established leadership.

Guilds are a great way to meet new people and participate in cooperate gameplay in any MMO.  With the right structure, they can be a powerful force both in the SWTOR universe and the real one as well.

Filed Under: Featured, Guild, Tips Tagged With: , , ,