Table of Contents
NEWS and Treasury Sentinel Spotlight TAW@WAR VI Far Cry DCS
Vanguard Updates Upcoming Events Other Division Updates Miscellaneous News
A Message from NEWS This month has been exciting and busy for us here in NEWS, as we are working to the utmost of our potential to provide the membership with critical and compelling information. This month, we decided to focus the issue on Sentinel Command, a corps in TAW that specializes in leadership training and development. I would like to thank everyone for their patience in receiving this month’s issue, as we have been extremely busy receiving and processing the articles presented to us by the committed members throughout the community. DoctorKajita and I have been flat-out in editing and formatting the work we have received and are looking forward to hearing feedback from you all.
A Tribute to Mexicobob It is with heavy heart to report that one of the most respected and beloved members in TAW, Mexicobob, passed away of a heart attack on 26 January 2015. Bob, as most called him by, was part of the small, but extremely tight-knit Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GRAW) division. He was an integral cog to that unit and the greater GRAW community. He was known for his significant contributions via mods and maps, but more importantly as a friend to all.
Havoxa, Division Commander
Treasury Update TAW is pleased to announce some new exciting changes to Treasury and how they account for your money. In the next couple of weeks, the integration to Xero will be completed and the old style reports will be eliminated. Xero is a commercial-grade accounting software that can account and report on all money donated and spent in a clearer way, making it easier for leadership to manage the funds they have. So how will it affect members? In short, not at all! There will be a TAW University course scheduled soon to explain and train all staff members (Commanding Officer and above) on how to use the software. For more information, contact Domanator or Jedi. Domanator, Corps Commander
Bob had a passion for motorcycles and has completed over 200,000 miles of solo riding in Mexico across 13 of its states. Although he was challenged by various health issues over the years, it never stopped Bob from being a committed member and friend to everyone in TAW. Bob is survived by his wife and daughter. The entire TAW community gives its sincerest condolences Bob’s friends and family. You will be missed. Rest in peace, Bob.
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Sentinel Command Spotlight In 2014, after the election of Bravehardt as the
To achieve these goals, Sentinel needed to de-
new Commander in Chief of TAW, tazmanian
velop a training division and battalion within the
and Terror set the goal to build a training center
corps, as well as receive contributions from oth-
that could cumulatively serve the needs of the
er leaders in TAW. The members who joined /
entire TAW community.
participated were vast in their experience and
To achieve this goal, tazmanian and Terror took a phased approach by:
Developing and publishing standard TAW training guides
Establishing a TAW-wide positional and leadership training academy
Continuing TAW University
Designing a process to rehabilitate struggling units for re-launch
Providing space for our legacy divisions to decommission with honor and dignity
By the end of 2014, 100 percent of these goals were completed. Sentinel published five TAW training guides; established TAW Academy with a
knowledge, and both their sacrifice and work are truly inspirational. Thus, Sentinel would like to thank the following contributing members (in alphabetical order): Andrewki, Bochner, Bravehardt, Daja, DOC, DragonGames, Eifer, Gumby, Jaycun, JordonDummy, Juvix, killerkane, KingExotic, Metamorphyse, Minion, NoCents, Qvist, SeRoMcArthur, StokingByte, Subrat, TANK, TexasHillbilly, Tomamoko, Truedon and Zoloft. 2015 continues to build on last year. As of April, Sentinel has taught 1,800 classes, and in May, will plan to introduce Advanced Academy classes, the Expert Academy Test and more hot topics in TAW University, and will be conducting TAW@WAR VI.
full curriculum of
Sentinel’s mission is summarized by the motto
classes; hosted
of TAW University, “Building Leadership for the
several TAW Uni-
Future of TAW,” and every time a guide is read,
versity events that
a class is taught, a University speech is orated or
set record attend-
a division is rehabilitated, TAW gains community
ance levels; and
and the potential for new leadership.
both Minecraft and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfare divisions were re-launched. Sentinel also gained Digital Combat Simulator, which is
For more information, contact Sentinel leadership or visit the following Sentinel pages:
TAW University
TAW Guides
note, Sentinel decommissioned with honor Age
TAW Academy
of Conan and Combat Arms, two of TAW’s finest
Terror, Corps Lt. Commander
planned to be re-launched at the next Task Force Operations meeting. And on a somber
legacy divisions.
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TAW@WAR VI lasting 15 minutes in the following round-robin format:
On 2 May 2015, TAW@WAR VI will commence and will last until 16 May 2015. In the sixth installment of the legendary community-wide competition, TAW will be going back to a simpler time of whiskey, merriment and of course fights to the death with Fistful of Frags. Fistful of Frags is a first-person shooter set in the Wild, Wild West. Players will have an assortment of weapons at their disposal: peacemakers, shotguns, hatchets, dynamite and even the coveted sniper rifle. Like any good game there is always a side to choose! Join forces with the wild Vigilantes, loner Desperados, ruffian Banditos or the lawful Rangers. This exciting annual event is open to all TAW members. To participate, sign up here. You will be placed on a team made up of five players, unless you signed up as a full team of five.
Round 1A—Shootout Gallery: This is the first round of the competition. The two teams in each bracket with highest combined score (K/ D and notoriety) will advance to Round 2A—Shootout Gallery. The runnerup teams in each bracket will play in Round 1B—Second Chance Saloon.
Round 1B—Second Chance Saloon: This round is for the runner-up teams from Round 1A. The two teams in each bracket with the highest combined score will advance to Round 2B—Second Chance Saloon. The losing teams will be eliminated from the competition.
Round 2A—Shootout Gallery: This round is for the winning teams from Round 1A. The two teams in each bracket with highest combined score will advance to Round 3A— Shootout Gallery. The losing teams will either be eliminated from the competition or will play in Round 3B—Second Chance Saloon, depending on how many teams are remaining (i.e., if players stick around).
Round 2B—Second Chance Saloon: This round is for the winning, runner-up teams from Round 1B. An additional match may be played within this round, depending on the number of teams remaining (i.e., if players stick around), or the two teams with the highest combined score from each bracket will play the winners of Round 2A.
Competition Format: The Battle Royale Teams will choose one of the factions to play each round, which are represented on the scoreboard and in various parts of the HUD by the following colors: blue for Vigilantes; red for Desperados; green for Rangers; and yellow for Banditos. Though the four factions are distinct in look / color, there are no differences in gameplay. The tournament bracket will consist of several rounds where the top scoring teams in each bracket will advance and the lowest scoring teams will play in consolation brackets or will be eliminated from the competition, depending on what round is being played. All rounds will be team death match
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Round 3A—Shootout Gallery: This round is for the winning teams from Round 2A. The two In addition, all members will get tabs for participateams with the highest combined scores will tion, including team and individual notoriety tabs. play for the championship in Round 4— Shootout Gallery. Important Dates and Information
Round 3B—Second Chance Saloon: This round is for the losing / remaining teams from Round 2A and 2B. The team with the highest combined score from this round will win third place in the competition, while the team with the second highest score will win fourth place in the competition.
The matches will take place on the following dates:
Round 4—Shootout Gallery: This is the championship round of the competition and is for the winning teams from Round 3A. The team with the highest combined score will be crowned first place of the competition, while the team with the second highest score will be crowned second place.
Here is an example layout of the competition.
The Laws of the Land As with anything TAW-related, leadership expect participants to follow the Code of Ethics, in particular, Section 7: Conduct. Any unsportsmanlike conduct is strictly prohibited. Although this is a competition, it is a friendly one. For any disputes that arise during the competition, a video evidence will be required. All disputes will be handled at the end of a match by the organizing team and their decisions will be final. Any players that disconnect during the match will have five minutes to return without penalty. Finally, all spectators will be directed to watch the matches on TAWTV; no spectators will be allowed to watch in-game.
Official TAW servers for the competition:
TAW@WAR VI Match NA: 74.91.119.246:27015 TAW@WAR VI Match EU: 95.172.92.22:27015 TAW@WAR VI Match NA Practice: 74.91.119.169:27015
The semi-finals and the finals will be streamed on www.twitch.tv/tawtv. Download the game here.
Closing Thoughts TAW@WAR VI will be one of the most exciting TAW tournaments to date, but can only be made possible by your participation. We need your help to take the hard work and preparation the planning committee has put into this tournament and make it a reality. Without your participation, all of the planning will be for naught. TAW@WAR VI Organizing Team
Prizes
Saturday, 2 May Saturday, 9 May Saturday, 16 May
1st Place: TAW-Wide Tournament Medal 2nd Place: Silver Star 3rd Place: Bronze Star 4th Place: Officers Battlefield Unit Citation MVP: Legion of Merit
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Vanguard Command Update It was a quiet month this month with only Battlefield: Hardline (BFH) entering Vanguard Command under the guidance of Metzger. However, this down time gave Vanguard leadership the opportunity to prepare for future spin up teams. TAW has been asked by the developers of Call of Combat to be involved in its alpha testing. If members are interested in taking part, the details can be found in the Call of Combat Test channel in
date, sizing up at around 7 gigabytes. It introduced
TeamSpeak (located towards the top of the Van-
the Tier 4 Hunters and the fourth monster, the infa-
guard channel tree). As part of this effort, a tourna- mous Behemoth. However, due to a few balancing ment is being organized for the 25 April. For more
issues, there are a couple of problems with the
information, refer to the Call of Combat Tourna-
monster being under-powered in combat, and
ment article in this edition of From The Battlefield.
hunters being overpowered in certain situations. The developers promised those issues will be fixed
Evolve
by next week hopefully.
The Evolve division is doing well, standing strong at Alas, Commanding Officer over 40 members. They are currently preparing to compete in the upcoming ESL tournament, under
Insurgency
the coaching of MaddCowQQ. Another The competitive lineup currently consists currently
great
of the following members:
month for the
InsomniaGamer
Insur-
iVertigo
gency
Meldity
division. They were finally able to get a server for
Sound
the European battalion with the hopes of gaining
ElKingKongBudy
more members in that region. The NA battalion is not only growing, but thriving! Janitor was promot-
The team is getting stronger every day, and they
ed to Staff Officer, and JesterOTG toExecutive Of-
hope to represent TAW to their best ability in ESL.
ficer. With the growing numbers, the NA broke the
MaddCowQQ is also in the process of forming a
battalion down into squads and fire teams to better
second team.
manage the unit.
Finally, Evolve just recently got its first major up-
As for the game itself, NWI released two new maps,
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“Station” and “Tell,” along with various bug fixes
Zenmire. MrMeteor will be heading up the Trading
and improvements. Lastly, Season 3 of the the Digi- Squad, which focuses on solidifying TAW's ecotal Gaming League starts up soon. After last sea-
nomic foothold, and Zenmire will be heading up
son’s stellar, TAW has been moved up to Division 2! the Transport Squad, making sure TAW’s cargo Watch out! They are headed to the top!
gets wherever it needs to go safely and efficiently.
Nem, Spin-up Leader
For staff openings, the Star Citizen division has one internal transfer spot available for an EU Drill In-
Battlefield: Hardline is on the Horizon
structor. No prior experience required—the staff will provide all training. Theyare looking for an organized, active and friendly person that likes talking to people and mentoring new members. If you are interested, contact Zoloft@taw.net. There are quite a few exciting updates coming to the game in the next few months. Pirate Swarm, a variation on the Co-Op PvE Vanduul Swarm, will have pilots facing familiar ships that up to this point were only flown by human pilots. In addition, players can look forward to the FPS module that is
The BFH Horizon Team has made its way into Vanguard last week. BFH is a team-based first person shooter (FPS) where cops and robbers fight it out Battlefield style. The division is still looking to fill Drill Instructor and Staff Officer positions for NA and OC battalions. If you are interested in helping out, please email Metzger@taw.net.
tentatively set for 15 April and the social module that is planned for later in May or June 2015. TAW is also starting a brief Inaugural Racing tournament in the next week or so, with a more extended FPS tournament after the big update in late April. Zoloft, Spin-up Leader
Metzger, Spin-up Leader
Star Citizen In the past few weeks, the Star Citizen division had some new recruits join the TAW family, and they have been great additions! All the members appreciate the positivity that they bring to TAW and this small but growing spin-up project. In addition, the Star Citizen division is happy to announce their first Squad Leaders: MrMeteor and
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Sentinel Division Updates Far Cry 3 With only 12 members left how and why do we keep going? Historically, the Far Cry division has a long and proud history as being one of the first TAW divisions since TAW’s inception 11 years ago. The first Far Cry game had excellent multiplayer features and grew fast into a huge division for TAW. Unfortunately, the Far Cry franchise produced titles many years apart. For example, Far Cry 2 and Far Cry 3 were five years apart. Ubisoft, for reasons unknown, put a low priority on multiplayer / clan support. The focus was on an excellent single-player experience. The current iteration, Far Cry 4, is no exception in this regard. These circumstances have had significant a negative impact on TAW’s Far Cry division. It has affected their ability to recruit and maintain interest in
Digital Combat Simulator The Digital Combat Simulator (DCS) division has been working extremely hard to develop into a bona fide unit in TAW. Events
large-scale events. Five years ago, during Far Cry 2, the division had over 80 members across North America and Europe, but now the division stands at 12 members. The division, currently playing Far Cry 3, decided not to spin up Far Cry 4 because of its poor multiplayer system and after Ubisoft deleted the multiplayer map editor features. So all is lost you ask? Hell no! What the division still has going is a group that exemplifies one of TAW’s four pillars: Friendship. It’s invaluable and cannot be disregarded. So, the division keeps playing Far Cry 3 by keeping the game and events fresh. For instance, new maps are created with the map editor and played on during events. As Far Cry 5 is still two years away and no one knows if Ubisoft will improve multiplayer, the division will maintain to do its best to have fun amongst the comfort of friends. Sharky, Division Commander asts. The DSC team is hard at work to recruit, as well as conducting question and answer sessions with DCS developers. As mentioned, creating interesting events is a key to keep people interested, and
for DSC requires mission
every effort is being made to
building, which can take
make this a priority. With this in
up to two weeks to pre-
mind, the goal for DSC division is
pare and includes ironing
to put TAW on the map to be
out bugs, ensuring scripts
the biggest active community in
are working, adding the
the world.
right amount of aircraft
slots and create a mission briefing. Needless to say, The next few months, the DSC division will be it is very complex and involved. keeping tabs on DCS World 2.0, the next iteration of the game with an entirely new graphics engine. Recruiting for DCS is more challenging than any DSC World 2.0 will come with new theaters of opother game because of its inherent complexity and erations and aircraft. For more information, check depth, which can turn many people off; however, out this hands-on preview by Mudspike. once familiar with the game, the exact reasons why it turns some people off, attracts hardcore enthusi-
coxy, Division Commander
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Upcoming Events—CS: GO and Call of Combat The Clash of the Titans—NA vs. EU The smell of the cordite wafted down as the thunder of the auto sniper could be heard through the dense, swirling smoke, like a rhythmic pulse in perfect harmony. The thunder flash exploded near the burnt car, blinding the gunman for an instant. Through the smoke three shadows appeared, as their feet thundered on the ground below and, in an instant, the gunman was dead, blood oozing from the smashed, unrecognizing face. His partner retreating behind coils, quaking in his boots knowing death will be instant. On Sunday, 19 April 2015 at 1800 GMT / 2 p.m. Eastern time, the two tops teams from the NA and EU battalions in the CS: GO division will clash in a three-match, head-to-head tournament. Who will be the ultimate champion and who will scamper home, broken and rejected? Come watch the stream to find out! All TAW members are invited to watch steam. Contact CuteClaire for more information. CuteClaire, Commanding Officer
Call of Combat Tournament On Saturday, 25 April at 2200 GMT / 4 p.m. Eastern time, all TAW members are invited to a Call of Combat casual tournament hosted by Vanguard Command. Call of Combat Call is multiplayer real-time strategy game set in World War II. You can find the rules here and the sign up form here. In addition, Vanguard is trying to arrange veteran Call of Combat players to join TAW’s TeamSpeak over the next couple of weeks to provide tips and tricks to anyone interested about the game and its mechanics. The tournament format will be a 2 vs. 2 best of three single-elimination matches. Members can sign up as a team or individually. Individual sign-ups will be assigned to a team the day of the event. Winners of the tournament will receive the Bronze Star and all participants will receive a tab created for the occasion. Additional details about the event can be found under the Horizon unit event page on the TAW website. For more information, please contact Eifer or Ffaen.
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Other Division Updates World of Tanks
permanent team and ranking structure in the Team Battle mode.
The World of Tanks division started a recruiting
Leadership Changes and Awards
drive on 22 March 2015. This recruiting drive is effective through 22 May 2015. During this time, if
Recently in the NA battalion, tonyb has stepped up
a division member recruits three people that be-
as the Commanding Officer (CO),
come private first class, that
VulcanCannon as the Executive Of-
member will receive 1000 in-
ficer, Maclaren as the Staff Officer
game gold. The member that
(SO) and DaRealMcoy as the Train-
recruits the most people that
ing Specialist.
become PFC during this time will win six months of Premium
In the EU battalion, Pasi is the new
or prize equivalent.
CO and hiddinghost is the new SO. The following members have received awards: dar-
To date, the recruiting drive has brought in 23 new members and counting.
kangel (Leadership Medal); RagingRanga
Update 9.7 Launching Soon
tonyb (Medal of Resilience); and VulcanCannon
(Leadership medal); Anspesky (Conduct medal); (Medal of Resilience).
This update features a new physics engine; new line -up of low- and high-tier French light and medium tanks; a new Normandy-inspired map; two new Premium vehicles: the M56 Scorpion TD (US/VII)
The World of Tanks division salutes these members for their commitment and hard work!
and T54 mod; one medium tank (USSR/VIII); and a
Magister, Public Information Officer
Natural Selection
Server Enhancements
In the last month, the Natural Selection division competed in the Natural Selection League (NSL) Division 3 tournament and made it to the finals only to fall to Destiny’s Child 1-4. Nonetheless, it was a monumental feat to get to the highest level of the tournament. The players gained invaluable experience and had a blast. The name for the competitive team is now TAWtally New, which in cooperation with NSL, anticipates a lot of success in future NSL tournaments.
As server management improves, TAW’s Natural Selection servers are likely to become more stable. The Natural Selection division also creates and tests maps on their servers to ensure a variety of maps can be played successfully during events and to provide feedback to Natural Selection developers. Apart from the Community Developer Team, who currently focus on their own map projects, TAW is the only gaming community that can test maps in an organized way. hurleyalex, Public Information Officer
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Miscellaneous News and Information Community Journalism Online Courses
elements of traditional journalism with the new opportunities brought about by digital and social media, including:
Operation Support has found an interesting online course about community journalism. The course is already ongoing, but members can
Setting up a community website
Exploring different forms of community – local, professional or personal
still participate (for free). Content that includes videos, articles and discussions.
Identifying and building an audience
Creating content and establishing a workflow
OS feels this online course may some members in Social Operations and/or Public Information Offic-
to sustain the site
Using Wordpress, Twitter and Facebook
ers to produce arti-
Managing an
cles or blog posts for
online community
TAW.
Abiding by me-
dia law and ethics Upon completing this course, members will
Requirements
be awarded with a "Community Journal-
This course is open
ism Course Partici-
to anyone with an
pant" tab (screenshot
interest in journalism
required). Optionally,
or social and digital
members may re-
media, and in con-
ceive a Statement of Participation for a relatively small fee.
necting their communities online. No prior qualifications are required.
What exactly is community journalism? Arianni, Corps Commander Community journalism is an area that combines
How to Write for the TAW Newsletter The newsletter team has posted a “how to” on writing for the TAW newsletter. If any members are thinking about submitting content to the newsletter team, please check out the post. For more information or to subscribe to the newsletter, visit the From The Battlefield page on the TAW website. DoctorKajita, Division Officer
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