User:Lemonhead7t7/metagaming

The Wonders of Meta-gaming and the Benefits of Instant Messaging

Lemonhead7t7
July 28th-June 3rd, 2007

The second I started playing Urban Dead, I noticed how difficult it was to have a conversation with anyone in the game, and finding times when you are both on at the same time just doesn't work out. Because of this, I use AOL instant messenger, which allows me to communicate with anyone else (who has it of course) and coordinate things like supply runs and attacks. When I lived in Alner Mansion (located in the southern part of Roachtown) I added my friend Jurai to AIM, and communication improved 100%. Talking in UD wastes valuable AP, and conversations can take hours.

With an IM service, you can have the same conversation in just minutes, and you can say much more. After leaving the mansion, and returning to my home Pescodside, I carried this philosophy with me into the PDA and I can honestly say that AIM is the main reason the PDA has become so successful. Every day I talk with at least five of my members and they provide me with real-time updates of their buildings, and I can also give them orders immediately. This kind of thing just isn't possible in-game, and it strengthens any group that uses it. Every night at around 9pm eastern the PDA holds a meeting in an AIM chat room. I have a strict policy on promotions, which is: No promotions can happen outside of a PDA meeting. We do not require that our members attend these meetings every night, but we also remind them no meeting=no promotion. We know this policy works well because most of our members attend every night, and willingly contribute to the topics at hand. During each meeting we first do something called a "Status Report", where each CO (Commanding Officer) relays the condition of his building, and then we take care of the building (through cading, healing, fueling, etc.) After that we heal anyone wounded, and then take care of the PDA sponsored Mermagen Street Revive Point. This system allows us to recruit effectively, keep up with all of our members, and relay vital information through a safe and easy form of communication.

Keeping up with members is vital in any group, and ensures group numbers stay solid. The only way to actively maintain relations with all of your members is through an IM service. Every week (sometimes more) I talk to all of my members personally, see how they are doing, take in suggestions, and just make sure they are on top of things. A personal relationship with each member is vital, as members sometimes get bored, and if you can find out what is boring them, then you can change it and keep those members, thus creating a stable environment where work can get done.

There is much debate as to how this would be implemented in a large group, such as the DEM or RRF. They operate through forums, which works well enough in large groups, but only because they can get along with losing a few members in an attack through lack of communication. Although they are still powerful, they could have the support of 100% of their members if they had a proper organized form of communication. The way this is possible is through grouping each section of the group (division, team, squad, etc.) and having them all communicate with each other through the same medium. Let's create an example group to help show what I mean. We will call it the Defenders of Malton. Let's say the Defenders of Malton have 200 members. It would be impossible to keep up with all of these members for three main reasons:

• Members may be in different time zones
• Members may be unwilling or unable to obtain the same service (such as AIM or MSN)
• Members may have conflicting schedules

Most large groups operate by splitting up sections into leadership. Let's say the Defenders of Malton has divisions all around Malton (like the DEM). Now, the entire group would probably have one leader, and each quadrant would have a leader, and then each suburb in the quadrant would have a leader, and then each division in the suburb would have a leader. Now, each division would have their own way of communicating, whatever works best. Let's create two divisions, division X and division Y. Division X is mostly concentrated in the EST time zone, and most members can get on at around 5 PM. Their computers all allow them to download AIM, so each member would get AIM, and they would co-ordinate through that. Now lets look at division Y. They live in the CST zone and can all get on at 10 pm. They all have MSN, so they use that. After each meeting or every week (whatever works best) they would report to the suburb leader, who would in turn report to the quadrant leader, who report to the leader. The same thing would apply if a leader wanted to send out orders to the group, only in the opposite direction. Having leaders of quadrants, divisions and suburbs is where you can get away with not being so closely communicated, as the sort of information that would change hands would be easily administered through email or a forum. Basically, you need to be in contact with those in your group, squad, etc, and then have one member of that group be in contact with the other divisions, and the higher ranking people above you. As long as this chain of information is not broken, information will flow freely throughout the group, and your group will grow as quickly as you let it.

Social relations is vital for success in the game, and allows for a whole new style of game play. This is most evident when it comes to group to group relationships, whether they be friendly, or hostile. Having good relations with other groups guarantees no major surprises, which sometimes could be fatal and destroy your organization. This allows you to share intel with allied groups, set terms with enemy groups, and get the name of your group out there, and create an impression on the entire community. Now, there is danger in getting close with friends and enemies, as conflicts often occur in these types of situations. I recently contacted the leader of an enemy group, and he took that advantage to send a spy in my group (who was quickly exposed) and after I confronted him about he declared war, and the Farbrother War was started. This is all the end result of me talking to the enemy. If you are going to engage in this sort of activity, you need to make sure you are very careful as to what you say, as the wrong words can not only make enemies hate you more, but they can turn allies into enemies.

This brings up the problem of spying. Spying is very common in almost all groups, even groups who claim to not spy. The only way to avoid being spied upon, is to stay small, non-threatening, and stay out of the spotlight. Seeing as most groups would rather not do any of these things, they get spied upon. When accepting any members in a group, I advise you follow the guidelines that I follow:

• Check any Pk'er list you trust
• Look to see when he signs on and off, and take note if anyone else signs off or on with him as this may be a power outage that shows that two users are actually one.
• ask for all contact information you can think of, email, msn, aim, name.
• Google several things such as:

  "Urban Dead profile (insert name here)"
  Email address
  AIM address
  MSN address
  Name

• Using these, try to find popular sites such as Myspace, Facebook, Xanga, or any place where public information may be found.
• Check the history of his wiki pages
• Note any suspicous details found during these searches

Now, many people may find this very complex and the work of a stalker, but if you are committed to the game, you need to do it. If you find the persons AIM, you can then search that AIM user name, which will then lead you to an email, then to a yspace, then a name, then maybe a new email, then a new aim, which leads to an enemy group, the one that is spying on you. Also, search their wiki page, see who edits it, and look at past revisions.

I have gone on and on about how this method is applicable to groups, but you also need to stay in contact with other civilians around your area, and this is where you just have to settle with UD in game conversations. The goal of any group that wants to succeed is to keep the building in their hands. This means going in, and teaching its inhabitants how to maintain themselves. Go in, set up a structure, and leave. Check up on this every once and a while.

To help promote this "method" of playing the game, I have created something called the Contact Database to help keep Malton connected, and to provide a quick and easy way of finding people to talk to.

Recent Events have caused me to add a section about IRC. IRC is a wonderful way to talk to people, and it is very easy to use. i use mIRC, a client that runs IRC. Many players on UD use it, and it's great for checking up on other groups and learning about the hottest UD topics of the day

Whether it is between members of the same group, or leaders of allied groups, instant messaging services (Such as AIM) benefit groups in several ways. If you are reading this, and have taken what I have said into consideration, I welcome you to join me in a conversation on AIM. My AIM screen name is Lemonhead7t7. Hope to see you there!