Whats the secret to building a good clan?

[T1DSecure 10]

I was wondering what the secret is to building a good clan and getting people to play. I see hundreds of servers available to play on but never more than a handful of people using them. Considering the popularity of ARMA I would have guessed that there would be more activity, am I looking in the wrong places or are there recruitment methods that work better than others. We have some solid people in our clan it just seems that on a good night we may have 7 or so players on, and about 3 on off nights on our public server.

Looking for some suggestions from you ARMA ol'timers.

[nodunit 397]

If by good in this case you mean "large" I would say involvement. Coming from a person who generally avoids clans, I find myself more interested in hanging out or possibly giving the clan thing a shot if the people who ask me are involved in some form of activity first, doing something in the game together, especially if its coordinated, talking and bantering a bit, just a general friendly air feels more welcoming and intriguing. If you want to recruit them I'd suggest offering them the opportunity to hang out with you for a bit, get an idea as to what they would be getting into and then making the offer.

[T1DSecure 10]

Thats some good advice and we leaned that way recently with having one of our servers public and making sure it runs good, we are a few older guys so thick skin is recommended. I will use some of your suggestions and take a closer look at what we can do to increase participation. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

[JdB 151]

Whats the secret to building a good clan?

Not calling it a "clan". ArmA groups are generally called "squads". Presumably because "clan" was said to refer to a group of loners rather than team players. And it's got nothing to do with the military unlike "squads". Whether or not it attracts the wrong type of person remains to be seen.

Stick to your own time zone (give or take an hour or two) so you can be sure that many are able to attend.

Screen the people that apply. Enter their nickname in Google. I did that while handling the application process for people applying to mods and in many cases it gave some insight into their history. If someone has a peculiar nick and was caught cheating, causing fights or otherwise being a negative influence it might be better to keep them out.

Clearly define what kind of squad you are. Are you full-on realism, after realism but with a good amount of fun thrown in the mix and not adhering to a strict rank and discipline system, are you fine with whatever happens as long as it's fun etc. Find people that agree with this so you don't get the squad taken away from you because most people disagree with the focus and try to lock you out, or find people you like and determine the kind of gameplay that you are after together.

Make a set of rules for interacting with each other, behaviour in public (especially towards other squads), consequences of cheating etc.

Determine the requirements to join. Things like age, time zone, requiring a headset (or not) etc.

[Maio 293]

1. I would say not limiting the clan/squad to a single faction and not limiting players to a single role.

Ex. xXShadowbladeXx joins the NATO 69'th Inf. Div as a rifleman and plays as a NATO rifleman for the rest of his "life" with the clan/squad because the clan only plays as NATO.

2. Create mission tailored to your clan/squad. Don't depend on user made missions.

3. When hosting public games, don't use server side mods.

4. When hosting public nights, enforce clan/squad ethos. New players will either like it and stay or bolt.

5. Don't be over serious, you are playing a game :cancan:

Edited November 22, 2013 by Maio

[T1DSecure 10]

This is some great advice, there are a lot of suggestions that I never even considered, just as simple as being in the same time zone. Looks like I have some discussion to have with the squad.. ;)

[BadHabitz 235]

Your leaders need to be the most active players in your group. If they're not, the others lose interest. Not always 100% accurate, but in my experience dating back 17 years I'd say this is true in 99% of cases.

Try to get people involved in your group, instead of just showing up to play. The more reason you give players to come back and be involved, the more that they actually will participate.

[FallujahMedic -FM- 867]

Clans/Squads/Factions/Etc

One thing I learned was "opinions are like A**holes, everyone has one and they all stink" "BM1 Joe Schmoe".

I've played with many "groups" and have found that some of the best guys don't even live on the same continent as me! One of the best ADMIN's I've ever run into was Your_Mum (an Aussie). He let me play on his "Droid" servers even though I lagged badly. He taught me the importance of playing with fairness and teamwork. When I played on TAW servers I met some great players, one that stood out the most was a pilot (sounded like he was 12), he called out which runway he was about to land on and the direction (given by the number on the end of the runway) and also informed other players when he was in the AO and then confirmed targets by type before attacking (very professional).

I've been a "leader" IRL in more ways than one. Arma (and OFp before it) have been my escape from that reality. I really dont want to sit around and practice mustering (formation) or saluting or seeing how fast I can unshoulder my weapon. Yup, a clan that shall remain un-named (cough-cough) made newbs do that! Any clan that does that will never entice me to join them!

If you ever want an example of a well oiled group, look to CiA (Comrades in Arms), SWEBAT, =RTY=, and others. They attract and retain good players by camaraderie, teamwork and a good attitude. It's like the X Factor, either you have it or you dont.

HT2/HM2 (its called cross-rating idiot ;) )

[hellfire257 3]

If I'm 100% honest...

Play with people you like, know, and can rely on in-game and out of the game. If you don't mesh with them or they don't mesh with your community ethos, don't waste your time with them. It sounds harsh, and it certainly is, but trust me here - you don't want to get stressed over having to deal with troublesome individuals.

I've always valued a small, close-knit group over a large one with baggage.

[DaveyBoy 0]

http://nakedsquid.com/

:)

[GReeves 10]

I've only played ARMA for about five or six months, but I have been in/started several communities for other games. My two cents:

The thing that will make or break a squad is almost always the person/the people in charge. If you're in a milsim-type outfit, remember that you are not a real drill instructor, you are not really a five-star general, and the medals on your profile for gallantry are fake. There is nothing that will piss off people faster than playing with squeaky-voiced "officers" who yell in your face, boss you around, and act as if they're superior to you in every way. We've done some joint ops with some of these types, and let me tell you something -- it is miserable!

On a less severe note, your appearance and attitude towards new members is really important. Act professional but friendly when meeting with new guys, and make sure you don't overwhelm people who are new to the game/mods being used/tactics utilized by your community. Introduce new concepts slowly or you'll scare potentially good members away. Finally, don't accept new members just because you need people to keep your unit going -- nothing will ruin your community faster than a troublemaker or someone who is too lazy to do their part in running things smoothly. When you start getting nice things like servers and websites, there will be a cost involved, and only the committed and unselfish people will help you with that cost. If you plan on having a server/website and don't want to support it entirely yourself, make it clear to new members that they will, after getting a feel for the group, need to help out with payments. Of course, you don't want to push this too early on or you'll seem like a jerk.

Also, when troubles start (arguments between members, loss of server because of no funds, etc.) you will want members who will stick with you. I have been in some groups with people who are only around for the fun ride and disappear the minute hard times begin. You want your members to be your friends.

[Game__On 10]

I was wondering what the secret is to building a good clan and getting people to play. I see hundreds of servers available to play on but never more than a handful of people using them. Considering the popularity of ARMA I would have guessed that there would be more activity, am I looking in the wrong places or are there recruitment methods that work better than others. We have some solid people in our clan it just seems that on a good night we may have 7 or so players on, and about 3 on off nights on our public server.

Looking for some suggestions from you ARMA ol'timers.

The secret to any good clan, is a core of players that have been playing together for a long time already. Players that have been put together by the universe (with that i mean by chance and LIKE playing with eachother so they kept doing it) , players that don't need a "clan" to play together.

It sounds fruity as hell i know lol, but the point is, you can't force anything . Like

tons of dumb rules, "you MUST be active at least 3 hours a week", and "You MUST socialize on TS"

Force it and it will go to crap REAL fast.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Game__On

[GReeves 10]

To add to my previous comments, I think the most important factor is patience. You just have to give your community enough time to grow and, before ya know it, you'll have a group full of active people who love playing with each other.

[jgaz-uk 132]

Your leaders need to be the most active players in your group. If they're not, the others lose interest. Not always 100% accurate, but in my experience dating back 17 years I'd say this is true in 99% of cases.

Try to get people involved in your group, instead of just showing up to play. The more reason you give players to come back and be involved, the more that they actually will participate.

Your not wrong there sir!

[TacoShank 10]

I think the key to building a good clan is to have an already solid group of friends from the start. It seems to me that nobody starts out a clan with just themselves, and recruits the rest. However, if you don't have a large friend group already established, simply playing games and making friends through playing them will set you on the right path.

[GReeves 10]

I think the key to building a good clan is to have an already solid group of friends from the start. It seems to me that nobody starts out a clan with just themselves, and recruits the rest.

Having friends helps a ton, but I've started all of my communities by myself and they have been pretty successful, if I do say so myself :)

[chrisb 196]

I think the key to building a good clan is to have an already solid group of friends from the start. It seems to me that nobody starts out a clan with just themselves, and recruits the rest. However, if you don't have a large friend group already established, simply playing games and making friends through playing them will set you on the right path.

+1

Its the easiest way, that's for sure, also you know your playing the game with like minded players, so the game mode is easier to set up and run.

OP good luck with your clan :)

[FallujahMedic -FM- 867]

FRIENDS, In my opinion, thats the most important component. There was recently an article in PC Gamer UK about OFP, It hit the nail right on the head! (PC Gamer Issue 253)

[player999 10]

dont give in to the other guys

just dont

[rangerpl 13]

Don't compromise on the quality of your members. A lot of groups reduce their criteria to "anyone with a pulse" in order to quickly fill their roster and end up introducing various poisonous characters to their community that end up ruining it for everyone.

[GReeves 10]

Don't compromise on the quality of your members. A lot of groups reduce their criteria to "anyone with a pulse" in order to quickly fill their roster and end up introducing various poisonous characters to their community that end up ruining it for everyone.

Listen to this guy.

The guys in my group always say that it's more fun to play with a fireteam of cooperative, friendly, and cool people than a whole platoon of run'n'gun, obnoxious, and stupid players.