Fist Report #31
Message from the Fist
Short report this month, but some pretty important things to cover. Two policy updates and a new game. Read on!
Here’s the TL;DR.
- RoC Update
- Game Test Policy Update
- New Platform!!!!
- Competition Links
RoC Update
Effective immediately, members are no longer required to announce that they are in queue for PvP matches. Members are required to be in DB Gaming on telegram to participate in any PvP Gaming.
Wait. What?
That’s right. I do not want to see any more announcing of PvP queuing. Here’s why:
The Fist bot is more than a glorified reporting tool. It is specifically designed to eliminate match dodging concerns. By continuing to require announcement of PvP queuing, we are completely ignoring this utility. So from now on, do not announce that you are in a queue in DB Gaming. Let the bot handle the matchmaking process. If you do not match with someone who is in queue for the same game you are (the queue is visible in the pinned message in the DB Gaming chat on telegram), that means one of two things: the other member is queued exclusively for a competition and you are not, or you have played the full number of matches in a single day against that person. There is a third option that the bot might be having issues, but that is a rare occurrence. Should that happen, reach out to myself or Junazee. We will make a determination on how to proceed.
You are still prohibited from gaming the system in any way. So do not set up matches in clan chats or in PM. It’s easy to tell when that happens, and I will address it when it does.
Gaming Test Policy Update
After the Apex: Legends test, I approached the GM about potentially reducing the required number of participants from 20 down to 15. The primary reason for this is due to active player dropoff for a new game after it is added. Games like Hearthstone and Destiny had huge followings and interest during testing, but saw significant player dropoff after about a year. That said, both maintained a steady stream of activity over their lifespan (Hearthstone is still active, and Destiny was simply replaced by Destiny 2). Long story short, expecting 20 people to keep playing for months after a test is a tall order. But looking at WHO takes part in a test and how active they were should be taken into account.
This, plus the disappointment that Apex: Legends was only four short of the requirement made me think that 20 was just too many, and that 15 people was the right number.
The GM agrees.
Effective immediately, gaming tests will require 15 participants before a game will be considered for final approval.
This policy is retroactive to the past two tests, which means that Apex: Legends meets the threshold for support. And that means…
New Platform: Apex: Legends!!!!
Apex is live. I struggled with the best way to support this one. Should I require damage dealt or kills logged? Is survival good enough? In the end, I developed the following modifier set to benefit both types of Apex players: the killers and the survivors. Cluster values will reward skilled play with placement modifiers.
- Survive a minimum of 2:30/Top 15-20: .5 CFs
- Top 10-14: 1 CF
- Top 6-9: 1.5 CFs
- Top 2-5: 3 CFs
- 1st Place: 4 CFs
The game is live now, so go have fun!
Gaming Activity Update / GMRG Elevations / Pendants of Blood
Top Platforms for month of April:
No. 1 - Heroes of the Storm with 23 Activities.
No. 2 - Overwatch with 16 Activities.
No. 3 - Battlefront with 6 Activities.
Weekly and Saturday Pendant of Blood Awardees
Weekly PoBs:
24 - 29 March 19: Matches forwarded to following week. Not enough participation.
24 Mar - 5 April 19: Matches forwarded to following week. Not enough participation.
24 Mar - 12 April 19: Bentre
14 - 19 April 19: Matches forwarded to following week. Not enough participation.
14 - 26 April 19: Matches forwarded to following week. Not enough participation.
Saturday PoBs:
30 March 19: No Matches Played.
6 April 19: No Matches Played.
13 April 19: No Matches Played.
20 April 19: No Matches Played.
27 April 19: No Matches Played.
Competitions
- GMRG Q2 Competitions – The second set of Q2 Comps are almost here! Go earn crescents and clusters to move up that leaderboard!
- Overwatch: Crashing the Archives Turel is running an ovewatch competition with four events to let you test your mettle! Only five days remaining since this is a special event, so go participate!
Admin and Policy Reminders
If you haven’t joined the ranks of the GMRG, head on over to the GMRG-History course and pass the exam within the Shadow Academy. Get an opportunity to gain exclusive items, compete on the leaderboard to choose a Dark Council member to protect! (Get their accessory!)
All current Gaming and Fist Policies can be found on the Gaming Information page. I suggest that all members read this page as it has some great info. I will make sure this page stays updated to reflect all current office policies. I do not want to confuse anyone, especially with what is and is not allowed in the DB Gaming Telegram room.
Other items of note:
The staff has 24 hours from the time you submit gaming activity to approve it. If your submission has been sitting for longer than that, there is a problem. If it hasn’t, there is no problem. The staff do their best to process gaming submissions as quickly as possible, but they are real people with real lives. I do not expect them to sit behind a computer processing gaming submissions all day, and neither should any of you.
Solo submissions are never acceptable for Clusters of Earth/Fire. My staff and I will reject any that come in. You must play with at least one other DB member, no exceptions. This is not changing any time in the near (or far) future.
Pendants of Blood are not acceptable for submission to cluster-counting competitions. If we see them, we will remand the request.
Reminder: Feel free to run Gaming competitions DB wide. Gaming is a slightly different community, and is one of the few that consistently brings club members together outside of the competitive environment. Most of the people I currently game are all in different clans. By opening up your event DB-wide, you increase the pool of possible participants, which could allow for a crescent upgrade!
Reminder: While I sincerely appreciate having proposals/great ideas sent to me via telegram, please email the staff list (email is at the bottom of this report). I ask that your House and Clan leadership take a look at your proposals before you send them up. This isn’t to add a layer of bureaucracy, it’s because I’m sure they’d like to know how you are trying to help the club improve...helps with award and promotion recommendations and all that. Feel free to cc them on your email to me and my staff.
Helpful Links
[DB Gaming on Telegram - Log in to view join link] on Telegram. Come be part of the discussion in the one and only official gaming channel of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood!
Send us an email at [Log in to view e-mail addresses]
That’s it for this month. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about gaming in the DB, reach out to me over email or via PM.
Thanks for reading, and keep on gaming.
-Dracpool, out.
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So much good stuff in this report. Thank you for the continued transparency and willingness to adjust for feedback. I hope to see lots of submissions for Apex!
Oh wow. I love this report atm and I hope the changes help the gaming community here in DB more. Definitely will pick up more Apex if people are interested. The PVP queue part I think helps because there are people who just don't queue when they see specific people announce PVP in the gaming chat.
SO GOOD REPORT THANK YOU FOR HARD WORK
This report excites me, and makes me sad at the same time... Seems like gaming activity isn't what it used to be.
Oh awesome! Apex is now a platform! I like that survivors were counted for point making as I'm much more that type than a killer xD.
Excellent report!
Yay, It's good to know that if a "favored" game fails to meet guidelines we will change the guidelines to approve it anyway!!!! YAY!!! Does this mean we can retest previously failed games or do they not get this treatment?
@edgar
The decision to adjust the participation threshold was in the works for a while (after the ESO test). 15 seemed more achievable and sustainable for the club. 20 is still the requirement for a test to be considered, but it's a simple truth that people forget to participate.
As for games that have failed, I have looked back as far as the failed test for Fortnite. Only six people participated in that. For the ESO test, again only 6 participated. Those games do not show a good indication of wide interest in the club. So no, ESO and Fortnite will not be tested again any time in the near future.
As for games that failed in the polling process, World of Warcraft had eight. That is not remotely close to 20, so i will not poll for it again.
I think that covers all the failed games (either in testing or polling). If you believe there is one I missed, fee free to send me a PM or email.
Thanks for your input!
I also (for some reason) think it's necessary to point out that of the games i have supported during my tenure (Apex, Warframe, Hearthstone, Destiny 2, HotS, Titanfall, Battlefront 2), i only actively play one of those games.
So hopefully that clears up what appeared to be a concern that I may have some bias to which games I recommend for full support. :)