Newsletter August Newsletter

[Quaffer]

So, its August. One minute, we’re in the midst of a hot summer we feel like we’ve never seen, escaping the heat to play our favorite video games, and celebrating eGO’s sixth birthday. However, Autumn is around the corner, and for a lot of students (and teachers), it’s time to get back to work. I would imagine after a raucous and crazy summer, the lot of us are settling down and getting ready to sit back down for lessons and carrying heavy text books we’ll barely use. Let’s reflect on July and see what August has in store for us.

LadyFace​

Meet The Leadership is proud to present, our Friendly European Technical Man...
Continued here.




Each month the newsletter strives to spotlight something of clan wide interest. Now the spotlight is on... Spotlight.
Continued here.




So you thought the Personnel Service Center was just there to help you out. You had best watch yourselves because they have got their game on, and they are bringing it to your favorite server.
Continued here.




Battlefield's having a party. Complete with prizes. So bring your favorite boom stick, step up to the pinata and take a Bash.
Continued here.




Attention all e's! Want a peek into the life of an Admin? Call of Duty has it waiting for you.
Continued here.





So, is it Counter-Strike or is it gym class. Of course in gym class your chance of surviving was a wee bit higher.
Continued here.




He's hot. He's spicey. He's leading the charge. Check out Day of Defeat's top recruiter.
Continued here.




What do canyons and asteroids have in common? You can find some thing in them and EVE won't survive without it.
Continued here.




Minecraft is now its own division!
Continued here.




Operation: X just got a whole new set of games, about a division's worth.
Continued here.




Our newest reporter hits home with an article on Team Fortress 2's fastest builder. Come read about "The Jag".
Continued here.


This months newsletter was edited by lins , Spartacus_Legolas, and wewo. The art this month comes from sscarr. Please thank them for their efforts.

If you have an interest in working on the newsletter please pm Quaffer. We prefer applicants who hold at least the rank of eG, have graduated from high school, and have a flair for the written word. We have openings for both reporters and editors.


We here at EdgeGamers Organization would like to thank the kind people at MaxFrag.net for providing us with our #1 ranked, 400 slot Ventrilo server. For everyone interested in finding out more about them, visit their site at this link: http://tinyurl.com/4yqoyq8

 

[Quaffer]

Meet The Leadership

by Wilson!!

spidEY will be featured in this edition of "Meet The Leadership".

The highest ranked european member in eGO, spidEY holds the Council position for the Technical Division, and plays a large role in the Team Fortress 2 Division as well.


Q) How long have you been a member of eGO?

A) I have been a member of eGO for four years.


Q) What has been your best memory of eGO since you joined?

A) My favorite memory is when I became an Event Coordinator in the Team Fortress 2 Division.


Q) What is your favorite video game to play?

A) Wait, Are you serious? ummmm, Team Fortress 2 of course!


Q) What are some of your favorite hobbies?

A) Hanging out with friends, Watching Anime, and Programming.


Q) How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

A) 42 gentle, kind licks.


Q) Are you a fan of, "Trolls?"

A) I wouldn't say that I am a fan of trolls, as I am essentially their leader.


Q) What is your favorite Movie?

A) Super 8, that crazy one with the aliens.


Q) What do you see as the best way to have fun in eGO?

A) The best way is to hang out in Ventrilo, and attend all of their numerous events throughout divisions.


Q) Any shoutouts to your favorite members?

A) I don't consider anyone to be my favorite members, I love everyone in eGO!


Q) And any last words from you?

A) Sure, ENTIRE TEAM IS BABIES!

Return to the front page.

 

[Quaffer]

Personnel Service Center

By: Wewo

The PSC Division had some new things in store for eGO and for PSC members.

First, the PSC has established a Recruiter Of The Month award which will be given to the top recruiter for each month.

Second, the PSC has become more active in the event scene. PSC leadership, spear-headed by Meades, is testing out different types of events, to see which produce good results, and creates a healthy balance between work and fun.

The PSC has begun hosting events in conjunction with other divisions. I know first hand that its DoD:S events are not to be missed. In the near future, you can expect PSC events with the Battlefield, and possibly the OP:X division.

PSC hosted events serve two purposes; fun, and also assisting with server rankings and recruiting. The PSC recently wrapped up a week-long event marathon, "The PSC Invasion Week", where PSC members “invaded” other division's least popular servers, stirring up interest. The PSC Invasion Week was a great success. There was a great turn out, everyone had fun, and some new members were recruited. Word is that PSC leadership is looking into a "PSC Invasion Night". So don’t be surprised if the partially filled server you are playing on fills to capacity with the likes of Meades, Uma Tora, The Shameinator, and a slew of PSC members.

PSC also holds PSC Retreats, an event reserved solely for PSC members. They are intended to give PSC members a break from the hard work they do every day, so they can just relax and have fun. If you and eGO admin you may be interested in joining the PSC. PM Meades or any other PSC advisor for more information.

Last (but certainly not least) Wize received the PSC Advisor commendation for his commitment to recruiting in the TF2 Division. Congratulations.

Return to the front page.

 

[Quaffer]

Battlefield

By Quaffer

The Bash

Battlefield's Friday Night Bash was a big hit. The early part of the evening had some lag issues, which may or may not be related to PunkBuster. Keeping your PunkBuster updated can go a long way towards minimizing lag. The event was such a big success that the plan is to continue it weekly. Prizes will continue to be made available.


Servers

Battlefield is dropping the HC Conquest 64 slot server and is replacing Normal Close Quarters Domination with a Normal 1000 Ticket Metro/Bazaar/Seine/Demavand Fast vehicle/Infantry respawn. This server is temporarily 32-person but will be increased to a 64-person server shortly.


Currently our servers for BF3 are:
B2K Normal Conquest, votemap, 64 slot;
HC Rush, votemap, 32 slot;
HC CQ Conquest Domination, 32 slot; and
Normal 1000 Ticket Metro/Bazaar/Seine/Demavand Fast vehicle / Infantry respawn, 32 slot (to be changed to 64).


Everyone's help is needed in keeping these servers full.

Return to the front page.

 

[Quaffer]

Call of Duty

By Quaffer

Call of Duty has begun running Admin Scenarios in their General Discussion forum. All of you e's should take note. This is a great opportunity to get a look at the inner workings of the admin's function.


Also of interest, Call of Duty Leadership has decided to extend it's double points for recruitment at least through the month of August. Every recruit you bring in is worth two points. Points may be turned in for Zazzle swag and games. Five recruits is enough to land you a $5 steam game.

Return to the front page.

 

[Quaffer]

Counter-Strike

By Quaffer

The e's defeated the eGO's in the latest Dog Tag Scrim. There was much banter in Vent and even suggestions that the eGO's "let" the e's win, to which this reporter replies, "Piffle". We know wounded pride when we hear it.


Dodge Ball is the front runner in the poll, "Wheres the best place to be on Leoben". The Dodge Ball rules seem to be simple; if you are hit with the ball you die. There is something to be said for the elegance that simplicity brings to life (and virtual death).


The Judge is recently back from his brief sabbatical and is ready to take up the mantle of Counter Strike division leader. We wish him well.

Return to the front page.

 

[Quaffer]

Day of Defeat

By Wilson!!

The Day of Defeat: Source division is happy to announce that chili dude96 has led its charge in the recruiting race by bringing in more than 30 new recruits to the division during July.


Along with that, the division has kept its server rankings on the rise by having all five public servers ranked in the top 100 out of all servers worldwide, with Avalanche keeping the #1 rank overall.


On a side note, the division would like to thank all of the members who have been participating in recent events. They have been averaging near full participation numbers in the events throughout July and expect it to continue for the future.

Return to the front page.

 

[Quaffer]

Eve

By Quaffer

I managed to comm Ddogg as he sat at his console directing his mining lasers and catching a vid on Netflix. Mining is an activity often pursued by EVE players as they wait for the next big adventure. It works like this: Go out to the system's asteroid belt. Use your mining lasers to harvest them. Fill your cargo hold with ore. Ore can be refined for minerals. Minerals can be used to build ships and modules. Without mining the entire EVE economy falls into a decaying orbit. It gives a whole new take on "crash and burn", or in this case, "burn and crash".

As I left I found myself humming:

"Near a rock belt, in a spaceship,
Blasting asteroids, for to mine
T'was a miner, forty niner,
And his darling Clementine."


For those of you who would like to get a taste of EVE I highly recommend that you check out the EVE Screenshot Thread. Seven pages and counting of awe inspiring graphics taken by those intrepid spacers of eGO.

Return to the front page.

 

[Quaffer]

Minecraft

By: Wewo

The biggest news in eGO Minecraft is, of course, that Minecraft now has its own division. Ill Legend will represent Minecraft at the Council level, with Cyprias taking on the role of DL and idk_lobsters and DaddyO as Advisors. Also, no less than seven non-official leadership members have accepted the responsibility of handling specific Minecraft assignments. They are:


Timr - Minecraft Admin training
Russo -Minecraft Admin training
Vicki - Minecraft Event Coordinator
RoboChicken - Minecraft Event Coordinator
LA_Artic - Minecraft Event Coordinator
Logic Overflow - Minecraft Event Coordinator
Baneling - Minecraft Creative Team Leader


Further, the new Minecraft forum has been created. If you are in the Minecraft Division please read the stickies. There is a roll-call and instructions on changing over to your Minecraft Divisional Tag.


In game news, Minecraft received a worldwide reset on July 1, and continues to enjoy a large number of active members. New plug-ins have been added, including Mine-cart Mania and Repair Dispensers.

Return to the front page.

 

[Quaffer]

Operation: X

By: Wewo

Esteemed Council Member Kamikaze Tommy, the Strat Division Council member, decided to step down recently after six years of service to the eGO community. Being one of the original Council members, he will be sorely missed. Thank you Kamikaze Tommy for your contributions to eGO.


Shortly after Tommy's "retirement", the Council decided to merge the Strat Division into the OP:X Division. OP:X will continue to be lead by OP:X and Strat Division leadership, with Digital DJ representing it at the Council level. Perhaps the most popular game under Strat is Minecraft, which now is a separate division. Read more about that in the Minecraft article.

In order to streamline operations, eGO will be dropping some of the less popular games, including Red Orchestra 2, Runescape, Company of Heroes, Star Trek Online and Diablo 3.


World of Tanks doled out some nice prizes to the top recruiters. Like all other divisions, OP:X is always looking for new members to help fill the void left by members switching to other games.


Guild Wars 2 is expected to launch on August 28th, 2012. xfactor and Gizzmo are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to take this long anticipated sequel into the future and beyond.


SCII and LOL are moving ahead nicely. NoveaStar, the driving force behind SCII, will return shortly since being away on personal business to help SCII remain at the front of the pack.


Released nearly eight years ago, World of Warcraft continues to "wow" in eGO. Expect new raids and the return of PvP. The Horde side benefits from the leadership of WoW's newest Advisor, Yellerr. UmaTora continues to focus on Alliance, with Ray floating between both sides. Old raids are run a few nights a week to have some fun while new raid teams are organized.


A special thank you to Old Monkei and UmaTora for their valuable contributions to eGO, and especially to this article.

Return to the front page.

 

[Quaffer]

Team Fortress 2

By S4RGE77

So many wrenches, so little time.


As most of the TF2 die-hards know, the defensive-minded Engineer has a variety of weapons at his disposal to slow down his opponents’ attacks. But the one tool that the Engineer can’t live without is his mighty wrench, which comes in a variety of shapes and types. Which one is the best to use during certain situations? The Jag with its faster build- time? The Southern Hospitality with its ability to bleed out the enemy? Or the Gunslinger Glove, able to drop mini-sentries at a moment’s notice? We will take a quick look at The Jag, the fastest wrench in town, and see how fast it really is.


During certain situations, it is imperative that a level 3 sentry get built quickly.


The tool for this job is The Jag.

The Jag is a community-made m?l?e weapon for the Engineer. It is a combination monkey and pipe wrench or a combination pipe and nut wrench, with a brown taped grip.

*

This weapon, when struck by the Engineer, speeds up the construction of any building, whether on initial setup or redeployment. As a downside, the weapon also has a 25% damage reduction, making this wrench less suitable for Engineers who frequently attack with their melee weapon.
The Jag's construction speed bonus when hitting a building means that an Engineer can deploy a Sentry Gun 0.75 seconds faster, or a Dispenser 1.5 seconds faster, when compared to buildings being struck by the stock Wrench. The Jag's 30% increase in construction rate adds onto the 90% increase in construction rate that is applied when hitting a building with the stock Wrench, so hitting a building with the Jag increases the building's construction rate by 120%. As a result, the construction rate of any building being hit by the Jag is only increased by 15.79%, not 30%.

When you need to build fast, The Jag is the choice for quick deployments. Another downside of The Jag is its lack of "bleeding", which the Southern Hospitality allows, enabling the Engineer to quickly dispatch spies.


Remember though, switching from this weapon to a different melee weapon will destroy all existing buildings.


Here is some Jag trivia for you:
• Due to the hook, the Jag's upper half strongly resembles the Greek letter (and mathematical symbol) Pi.
• According to Robin Walker in an email to community author Jman, the Jag was originally intended to be a part of The Engineer Update, and was eventually cut when Valve couldn't figure out attributes for it. The Jag was later added to the game as part of the Australian Christmas update.
• The name "jag" may refer to a particular manufacturer of cars which many people affectionately call jags.
• The Jag now has it's own unique kill icon.


* This paragraph was provided by the Official Team Fortress 2 Wiki; an excellent source for TF2 information.


Return to the front page.

 

[Quaffer]

Spotlight

By Wewo

A recent addition to the Off-Topic and Entertainment section of the forums has been the Spotlight. It was introduced with the Ask Me Anything threads which proved to be informative, fun, and downright silly at times.


The current Spotlight topic is the Summer Olympics. At the time this article was written, the USA and China were in a tight race for the most medals, with China ahead by two medals. However, with Basketball and quite a few track and field events still to come, this reporter expects the USA to pull ahead and take the “title”. A few American stand-outs were the Women’s gymnastic team, the entire Men’s and Women’s Swim Team, especially Missy Franklin and Michael Phelps, who ended his Olympic career winning his unprecedented 18th gold medal.


With the closing ceremonies scheduled for August 12, 2012, we can expect a new Spotlight topic in the near future. Even if I knew the new topic, my lips would be sealed.

Return to the front page.

 

[Titanium]

WOoooooooooooooooooooooo

 

[Kaspitone]

Awesome newsletter! Thanks, New Team!