Recently, @TGxLadicius (Lad) sat down with our CoD Division Officer, @TG-AMP (Amp) to get to know him a little better and understand some of the things he has done over the last few years in TG.
Lad: In the beginning, how did you come to be a member in Tactical Gaming?
Amp: I was recruited by a member named TG-Rambo on the PS3 for Call of Duty: World at War sometime in early April of 2009. My official join date being April 20th, 2009.
Lad: How have the Advanced Training Courses (ATCs) affected you in your time in Tactical Gaming?
Amp: ATCs are an amazing program the Training Office provides to our membership. Anything that provides an augmentation to our membership's gaming experience is a great value add for being in TG. It's been a while since I fully participated and prepared for one, and I'm hoping that changes when we bring back ATCs for Cold War.
Lad: For other members of squad, battalion, or division staff, and their counterparts in TA, what would you say is the best approach to tackling a daunting task?
Amp: Break it down into manageable sections, and make sure they are in the right order. If one section of a project is dependent on another, use common sense and get those sections done first. Create goals out of those sections, and check them off as you progress through the task.
Lad: I have always been a big believer in the Tactical Gaming Mediation Program. Have you ever felt the need to use it?
Amp: Yes, of course I've used it several times, both to resolve my own situations, and the situations that come my way from my staff. I'm glad you asked about this though, as now that I think about it, we haven't had a TGMP in CoD in several months. We must be doing something right!
Lad: In regards to member retention, what are some of the methods you, or your staff employ?
Amp: I could write a book on this. Retention should be the biggest focus for Tactical Gaming Staff across the board. Recruiting is great, but imagine if we didn't lose members in the first place. The big thing here as staff is to constantly remind yourself, "Why would a stranger want to join TG, and what are the regular benefits we should be providing those who do?".
I'd say first and foremost, make sure your calendar is filled with events spread across different categories. Make sure there are some competitive events, cash prizes, recruitment events, companion app "team-like" events, and special fun nights. Such that there is something for EVERYONE. Remember, tiny cash prizes for small competitions is probably your #1 membership draw. These small events, in this welcoming and sportsmanlike environment with free sign-up, is something that members CANNOT EASILY obtain outside of TG, and that's where we really shine in CoD. Creating content for the members to consume, and thereby stick around for more, is KEY.
Here are some of the events I created during my return to TG in mid-2019:
Amp, thank you so much for your time! Lad, thank you for taking the time to interview Amp!
As Amp mentioned, events are great for our members, and they are something we are trying to focus a lot more on for all of TG. What events would you like to see?
Below are the winners of the TG Wide Recruitment Contest,
$5 USD for every recruit each member brought into TG that completed the Boot Camp Test and was placed into a squad/section.
Thank you to all those who participated and brought new members into our community
One (1) Instance of the Outstanding Volunteer Award
To all who shall see these presents, greeting:
Know Ye, that reposing special trust and confidence in the fidelity and abilities of
@TG-Mitchell
Mitchell came to the PRO with this idea which has brought Tactical Gaming together to recruit and funded the contest with 500$. Thanks for your dedication to TG and work behind the scenes to make it all happen.
I hereby award
One (1) Instance of the Outstanding Contributor Award
One (1) Instance of the Tactical Warfare Chief of Staff Coin
One (1) Instance of the Tactical Adventures Chief of Staff Coin
Given under my hand on this 14th day of March, Two Thousand and Twenty One.
Signed By:
TG HaloHobo
Chief of Staff
Tactical Warfare
Senile Sarge
Chief of Staff
Tactical Adventures
TG SirMadness
Public Relations Head
Public Relations Office
TG HSquared
Public Relations Assistant
Public Relations Office
Blizzcon took place in mid-February, and gave us lots of new information about the status of Overwatch 2, although it's all still subject to change at the moment. They discussed things from hero changes, to skill trees, story mode, and new maps. Let's get into it!
For starters, let’s talk about new maps and combat! Rome was one of two new maps announced and seemed to be a big favorite; it has a nice romantic feel to it and was stunning! They rebuilt some of the broken structures, such as The Colosseum, with the futuristic Overwatch feel to it! Alongside that, we got New York City, which is said to be authentic, with the Overwatch spin we all love, in an art deco style, inspired by the 1920’s and 1950’s!
The combat system has also been revamped, with role passives now! Tanks have a knockback passive. DPS have movement or speed boosts, and support get a healing passive. They changed the tank role to feel more aggressive and fighty, particularly Reinhardt. He can do two fire strikes now, along with the ability to cancel his charge, and it is more easily steered by players as well. Combat upgrades also come with more advanced and realistic recoil and feels to guns. The guns should have a more noticeable feel for when they are low on ammo, as well as having echo and different audios based on location, such as indoor, outdoor, tunnels, small rooms, etc. This comes with more active and accurate directional hit indicators on your screen for when you are being damaged. Also, much to everyone's excitement, the 2CP game mode may be replaced by a new one, that hasn’t been announced yet!
Hero missions are also a new Overwatch 2 exclusive. The missions should have a personality for each hero and have lots of story! They are currently trying to make as many as possible, with one developer saying in the hundreds. Another change to the heroes will be their ability to see better in certain situations. The maps are going to be dynamic, with weather that can affect your field of vision; how much of an effect this has will depend on your hero. Also, they are adding times of day, such as sunrise, daytime, and sunset, with suns exclusive to each location. Each map will also have new routes that payloads can take, and new areas. New objective types as well, such as gather/return, an example being gathering canisters to prevent then from exploding while fighting new enemies.
There is also a skill tree system now for leveling up heroes and customizing their abilities and ultimates. Some of those being: Soldier:76 can have his biotic healing follow him and also repulse enemies who enter, or attempt to enter, the field, Junkrat can dual wield grenade launchers, and Mercy can resurrect a whole area, every friendly in that area, while at a distance. You can pick and choose which abilities to put on the heroes and fully customize them!
There were also some smaller things mentioned, such as new hero makeovers, with more techy straps, more story development from where it left off with the last comics and animations, and new and exciting enemies to fight in PVE modes! Oh, and the release date is still to be announced, but I’d love to see it soon!
What are some of the things you are most excited about so far?
In February, we had the Blizconline Event where we learned more about OW 2. Unfortunately, we did not get OW 2 or an exact release date. For more information about OW 2 stay tuned tomorrow for a news article to be released on the TG site by @repairedyang!
Stay tuned for February's MAR! It should be released any day!
@LadyMercyMainreceived the DO Coin in February!
@me0wley_ received the BGC Coin in February!
The following milestones have been met in their positions:
6 months: @TG SixString
4.5 years (as BTN+ in the OW Division): @TG HSquared
Congratulations! Keep up the great work!
March 13th @ 3pm EST/ 8 pm GMT- Among Us Night hosted by @c_lakin on the main TG Discord
March 13th @ 8 pm EST/ 1 am GMT (on the 14th)- Scary Stream Night with @MissVendettaXO on the TG Twitch
March 19th @ 9 pm EST/ 1 am GMT (on the 20th)- PC Prominence Poker hosted by @TG HSquared on the main TG Discord
March 20th @ 4 pm EST/8 pm GMT- Community Game Night with @TG HSquared and @TG SirMadness
I am often asked "what can I do to help". Sometimes this is in regards to just helping their squad, but other times this is about helping TG as a whole. There are many ways to get involved outside of your squad that do not require you to leave your squad! The following are additional positions that you can apply for in addition to the position you currently hold:
News Team
Do you like to write? Do you have an opinion that you'd like to be able to share with others? We are always looking for more writers to join our News Team.
Social Media Team
Are you active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, or any other social media platform? Is this something you enjoy spending time doing? We are looking to grow an active Social Media Team. (There are multiple applications for this team, so please reach out to me if interested.)
Stream Team
Do you enjoy streaming while you play? Are you an active streamer? We are looking for more streamers to join our stream team and showcase their gameplay.
Web Team
Do you have experience with coding and other technical skills? We are always looking for people to join our Web Team to help with the technical side of things.
Graphics Design Team
Do you like making cool graphics? Are you creative? The graphics design team helps to create images for our website, Twitch, YouTube, social media platforms, and more! They are looking for more designers for their team!
If you have any questions about the above position, please feel free to reach out to me. If I am unable to answer your questions, I will find someone that can!
March 7- @Diva-Eva_
March 10- @KäptnKadaver
March 13- @me0wley_
March 14- @SushiISNTreal
March 22- @Nixyan138
March 24- @TG Gunnertop
March 28- @handsome_river9
March 31- @BerriMilk
***Any suggestions for the next edition of the newsletter, please feel free to let me know!***
Do you like to play LoL? Would you like to play in a Clash Style Tournament? Have we got just the thing for you! Our very own LoL Legion is holding that very tournament on Saturday, March 27th (time TBA)!
This tournament will be held on the EUW servers and is open to any member with an EUW account. It will be a bit different than others, by signing up with your rank and two preferred roles to add some randomization into it! Based on that you will get a value and be placed onto a team with all roles filled, but varying ranks.
After teams are made, there will be a clash style bracket, and then you will compete to earn prizes for first, second, and third place!
The prizes for the tournament total £50! If you want to join, go here!
We look forward to seeing all the wonderful players compete and watch this progress! Good luck everyone!
The PRO will be hosting our first Community Game Night on Saturday, March 20th at 4 pm eastern/ 8 pm GMT.
We will be playing Skribbl.io! A free game that can be found here! Skribbl.io is a drawing and guessing game.
(If you are horrible at drawing, don't let that deter you from coming! I'm absolutely horrible too!!)
If you are interested in joining, please reply to this post so we can have a rough headcount.
Any questions, feel free to ask too!
On January 12th, Bethesda dropped a very exciting teaser on Twitter.
Details of "a new Indiana Jones game with an original story" have been revealed.
As of yet, no dates for release or future teasers, but it's safe to say that this is going to be huge.
MachineGames, known for their work on the Wolfenstein Franchise, is the studio that is owned by Bethesda Softworks, and will be “produced by Todd Howard, in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games.”
There will definitely be more to follow once the community gets more information, but until then we will be anxiously waiting for the first game being branded under Lucasfilm Games.
Works used - https://www.polygon.com/2021/1/12/22226965/indiana-jones-video-game-bethesda-machinegames-release-date-teaser
https://twitter.com/bethesda/status/1349024654611120130?s=20
To all who shall see these presents, greeting:
Know Ye, that reposing special trust and confidence in the fidelity and abilities of.
We hereby award
@TG Killswitch
One (1) instance of the Tactical Gaming Training Office Achievement Medal.
Medal Description
Given under our hand at Tactical Gaming Executive Committee & the Training Office on this 5th day of February, Two Thousand and Twenty One.
Since @TG Killswitch joined the Training Office last June, he's been invaluable in helping the Training Office continue to run smoothly and he has always gone above and beyond. He's provided great suggestions and ideas over the course of his tenure to improve the Training Office when it comes to documentation, relations with divisions, etc. Lastly, TG Killswitch has consistently displayed great reliability, mentorship capabilities, and hard work by assisting other ATs and divisions.
A Long Time Ago, in a Swedish Development Companies Headquarters...
Now, I cannot say for all of our community here, but I have always had a love for Sci-Fi games, films, books, and the entire genre. I have been begging for a fully open-world Star Wars game ever since I’ve played 'Knights of the Old Republic' and the great gods of gaming up there must have been listening because it has been delivered to us at long last. Now, some of you may be aware that Lucasfilm has now rebranded their gaming division, which was LucasArts, into a new division called Lucasfilms Games, their job is to bring reality to these desires. For those who played EA's Battlefront 2 game, you will all be recalling the pain and suffering that comes with EA's payment wall for most of the content. Almost game-breaking in what was locked behind the wall at release.
This pain can be set to rest thanks to the new Star Wars game being developed by Ubisoft in a new contract between Disney and the developers of an old favorite of mine "The Division". Now, although Disney has repeatedly preached the success of their partnership with EA and "promises" a continued partnership with them in the future regarding future titles, I am severely looking forwards to see what Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment Team will do with the Star Wars Universe. EA has had exclusive right with LucasArts for a long time but with the rebranding to Lucasfilm Games, those contracts have been freed up for the Disney owned franchise to branch out and explore what new developers and fresh blood can do for their property. How EA and Ubisoft will work in the future with Lucasfilm Games is unsure as co-founder and CEO of Ubisoft called the following announcement "the beginning of a long-term collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm Games.".
Now our actual information at this point is sorely limited and seems to be a case of reading between the lines of what we can expect. No information on consoles, backwards compatibility, expected release dates or anything like that is available so this is more of a naughty tease to the future. Much of the original statement is hinting at Ubisoft's Massive entertainments development team having an idea of where they want to take the game and how they want to create not just an open world game, but an experience that will stay with the players for long into the future. Now i really do not like doing this in articles, a direct copy and paste of quotes from members of the teams but with so many right and wrong directions they could take the game i think for you all to get your own unbiased opinions and thought of the game the full unabridged statements should be added in here to make your own deductions as well.
Case in point, the huge news that Lucasfilm Games and Ubisoft are collaborating on a new story-driven, open-world Star Wars game. It’s a genre long-requested by fans and will come to life via Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft’s critically-acclaimed studio based in Malmö, Sweden. “We’re really excited about an opportunity to work with the team at Massive, led by David Polfeldt and the creative director, Julian Gerighty. We’ve spent almost a year now, working to get to know them and what they want to bring to the table,” Reilly says. “I’m a huge fan of them, personally. I think we’re really excited about where that project is going because they have a unique vision for the story and the game they want to deliver.”
Of course, Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment are renowned for their expertise in developing immersive worlds, and in pushing the boundaries of technology with their proprietary engine, Snowdrop. “We know that fans of Star Wars value the feeling of immersion — of being transported into the Star Wars galaxy and moving through richly-detailed environments. It’s fun to imagine what the team at Massive can do within Star Wars by bringing their innovative spirit and their commitment to quality,” Reilly says.
As you can see it sounds like they will be trying to keep the story and world of Star Wars true and remain loyal to the fans, but as we know many games have promised this and not quite delivered before.
Personally, I am hoping for a console version of how the perfect world took STO (Star Trek Online), but with the obvious modern overhaul. Best case scenario for me is an open-world game with a blend of Star Trek Online campaign-style mixed with the world and customization that came in way back in "Knights of the Old Republic". For example, the choice of Jedi or Sith, Bounty Hunter or Smuggler, good vs evil, light vs dark with their own subclasses and beautiful abilities that "Knights Of The Old Republic" brought in, but with STO's campaign system where it runs more like an MMORPG. Where new story arcs can be done alone or with a group, adding an almost unending replayability factor, where alliances and factions can work together in some situations. For example, Jedi and Sith being led down a story arc where it unlocks missions where they must fight together against a common greater enemy, but that's just me spit-balling. To be honest, the idea of jumping in a ship with nothing, but a blaster and a ship full of illegal cargo and bouncing between the different factions controlled space while being tracked by bounty hunters just gets my blood pumping.
If not, then there is always the rumored "Knights Of the Old Republic 2" which is reportedly in development by another unnamed developer...
Mass Effect Legendary
...oh you beautiful thing you
We have a few tasty news nuggets to drop on everyone this week regarding an old favorite that is the Mass Effect series including the release date.....but instead I'm going to make you read through everything else first because I am a terrible person .
So jumping in here now, it has been confirmed that Mass Effect Legendary will be a remastered improved version of the first three games with over 40 DLC's being added to the vanilla game including all story packs, promotional weapons' and armor packs minus a training program which Bioware lost the source code for (as you do i guess) but the rest is all going to be there once more. So from the start screen you will be able to jump into any of the three games as you would wish to, with the choices you make and decisions regarding main story, side arcs and relationships carrying through to the next installment as before.
Now as we know from the Master Chief Collection not every remaster truly brings the games into todays levels of focus and resolution despite there best efforts and that can not be faulted, but BioWare seem to be giving it a good try here. Now they were spit-balling the idea of bringing the Mass Effect universe completely up-to-date and changing the entire game engine it runs on; however, it was decided that it would take away a lot of the feeling and nostalgia of the game as well as making them completely remake the game from scratch, no copy and paste options there. However, the work they have done promises that the 3 games have been visually remastered and brought up to 4K, HDR and DX11 with literally tens of thousands of up-ressed textures, lighting, shaders, VFK and enhanced models. There is also a "unleashed" framerate for the PC which I personally have no idea what it means, but it will support high refresh rates and the ultra-wide displays for our PC gamers in here.
Now I did manage to find this on YouTube which I thought would be one of the best ways to show the changes so far to look forward to:
So basically the game will be set in its roots with few noticeable changes apart from an overhaul of the game, camera angle issues when taking cover, a MASSSSSSSIVE loading time while on the citadel has been dropped royally from the original including the ability to skip the elevators. The main exception to this is Mass Effect 1, which for those fans out there will know how it was more RPG based with Mass Effect 2 and 3 learning from there mistakes and improving the combat system. Mass Effect 1 has taken a lot more work due to this reason with its UI and combat system overhauled to bring it more in line with the following sequels. The only other noteworthy difference in the story seems to be they have tweaked some of the morality choices of Mass Effect 2 to make it a little easier to make sure you are following your choices and not accidentally ruining the playthrough that you are wanting.
Now this time we wont be receiving any more content after launch which to be fairs guys, I'm pretty ok with that considering we are getting 3 fresh new games of a franchise we know and love with the DLC added in as well. We can't really complain here to be honest, but they have removed one major thing that Mass Effect 3 kind of did well... that is there is no longer a multiplayer mode. There are statements and paragraphs for their reasoning, but it boils down to a few things from what I have researched and the first is how would you do it? There are still people playing Mass Effect 3 multiplayer today, and how would they honor that commitment now? How would it work with/without cross-play? Could they do it justice? In the end, they decided that they wanted to recreate and remaster, reimagine how the world would look for that single player experience, and that is where they draw the line and personally I'm happy with that.
Now to the passion of BioWare, something a lot of people have lost faith in since Anthems great rise...and subsequent fall after the build up and Andromedas mixed reviews as well as the outcry of Mass Effect fans at the original endings to ME3. People have mentioned that too many of BioWare's key players and developers have since moved on yet there are those who remain from the original Mass Effect project team who described the process as a kind of constant progression. Anything they missed or couldn't put in one game, made it to the next, and then the next and the team have been working hard and passionately to reskin and improve on all the angst they were stuck with before when they first started on the mass effect games. With any luck and a little prayer they will now be able to show us the world of Mass Effect, they way it was meant to be shown to the world.
Oh yes, I nearly forgot, Mass Effect Legendary is set to release across PC, Xbox One, and PS4 on May 14th, and will be forwards compatible with the series X and PS5.
Know Ye, that reposing special trust and confidence in the fidelity and abilities of
Season 7 of the Call of Duty Division Squad League: League Champions are named RED DAWN (ST), and are awarded the following competitive awards for their accomplishment this season, placing 1st of 10 teams, and defeating mighty Rangers (ST) in their post-season match up.
League Champions: Red Dawn (ST)
Team MVP: @Subcentone instance of the Distinguished Operative Award Medal
Team SL: @Goatt_Mann and Team SA: @iAzraeI-- - one instance of the Instrumental Leaders Award Medal
All team members: @Goatt_Mann, @Ziggity12, @iAzraeI--, @Subcent, @Xcell_8, @Insayne_xX, @OohDreamWeaver - one instance of the Combat Operations Award Medal
These teams and their member's names will archived for all to see for many months to come. Congratulations to those who have won and will be promoted, and everyone should be proud of the work and commitment that was put in this season.
Awarded for Season 7 of the Call of Duty Division Squad League, December 2020
Signed by Tactical Warfare Command, CoD Division Staff, and the CoD Division Squad League Commission
