August 19th, 1999

David Letterman is weak! You can't keep a good site down. Nemo, from the Top 10 Tournament, is fighting back against the petty jealousy of a certain latenight TV host. Here's what Nemo said about the status of the Top 10 Tourney website, "Well, I myself have had problems getting to the page and my clannexus.com email addy from my work machine. I have no idea why this is happening. I'm on the same university network at work (research lab) and at home (DSL) and so this is pretty wierd. Anyway, there is a work-around. Try: http://207.5.92.21/topten/topten.htm. This works for me at work." And it works for me here in the TFCNN studios too! Now I can finish posting the Top 10 results from earlier in the week.

By the way, there is good news on the Top 10 site for Domination lovers out there (darnit, I'm talking about the map you sickos!). Nemo asked Uncle Bruce to spruce the map up with a better respawn system (and boy did it need one), and Bruce agreed. So go spruce, Bruce...here's some juice.

Swirling confusion The OGL Leader Board is just buzzing with activity and movement. It can be a daunting task for our readers to keep track of it all, especially if they have fun back-to-school shopping on their mind. So, in an attempt to make it easier for them to spend even more time at the mall, we've provided a quick rundown on the latest OGL conditions:

• #1 CE is back to their inert state, sitting around waiting to be challenged. It's not looking like there are too many bold challengers waiting in the wings, either.

• #2 US was finally challenged after sitting around for awhile as well. They play #12 THD tonight; the first meeting between these two clans. Yesterday, TFCNN took a poll at the Del Mar Horse Racetrack in San Diego, CA, and most betting folks chose #2 to win, #12 to place.

• Probably the most interesting scheduled match is #3 ZB's showdown with #7 BlackSun. The two clans play tonight, and a lot is at stake for ZB. It's been over two weeks since ZB has played a match, and they've been through some turmoil in that time, losing some important players. Tonight's match may give a good indication of how well ZB has recovered from their problems.

• #4 DA has found a secret weapon in the map Fortsaken, using it to produce strong results against tough clans. Now they'll have to fend off #11 cM, a clan that has plenty of big match experience and wants on the Leader Board badly.

• #5 HATE proved that they still have plenty of loathing left in them after taking down #8 CdG earlier in the week. Next on their plate is #13 AoD. If Hate gets by AoD it will be interesting to see if they challenge up to try and regain some of that lost ground.

• #6 Dice is the only European clan on the Leader Board. Their one loss came at the hands of cM. They're scheduled to play the undefeated #15 ARM who has been tearing through the lesser competition on the ladder. [TFCNN Trivia: What's the favorite movie of Dice members? A: Casino]

• The ever-optimistic #7 BlackSun sensed some weakness in the ZB camp and decided to try and steal a win (tent pegs will go flying). That match is tonight and has a lot of fans really interested in the outcome.

• #8 CdG got stopped in their tracks by Hate Inc. earlier in the week. Right now, with only CE open to be challenged, CdG is biding their time. After the matches tonight there should be a few clans open to being challenged. The real question is, has CdG's confidence been shot, or can they laugh off their loss and just call it a flesh wound? We shall see.

• #9 100k.d.l got by TSUA with a forfeit recently. It will be interesting to see what their plan is, whether they decide to challenge up or wait to be challenged from below. Either way they must feel grand. (Ouch!)

• #10 TSUA has been sliding like a slug down the Leader Board. If any of cM, AoD, THD, or ARM wins their upcoming matches then TSUA will slip off the board. History has shown that it's not too easy to get back on once a clan falls off into the salt mines.

Missing in Action The Top 10 Tournament homepage has disappeared! We here at TFCNN suspect that David Letterman's lawyers are up to their old dirty tricks again. By the way, David Letterman's TFC playing name is TouchMyToes. Say hi to him if you see him, and tell him to lay off the Top 10 Tourney!

August 16th, 1999

War|ock is a two-timing moonlighter And he probably chews Doublemint gum, too. Not content with administrating just the IGL, War|ock wants to double your pleasure, double your fun with the TGL as well, the latest TFC league to hit the scene. At the moment he's drumming up clan support with impassioned emails like this one:

Well, the TGL TFC recently started its 2nd week of match play...
We started out with 16 clans... but over time, a few had to drop, a few disbanned, and about 5 clans never showed for 2 weeks worth of matches and were kicked from the division.

Now, we are at our minimum of 8 clans... and one clan informed me after the schedule was already made... that they disbanned... leaving us with only 7 clans.
We are in the danger zone! We need more clans!

The TGL TFC is one of the best and most smoothly ran leagues/ladders out there... we don't use scripts, we do everything ourselves.
Ran by yours truely... also admin of the IGL TFC.
Again, we only have 7 clans left... only 1 Top 10 TFC clan... and we need more. Here is your clans chance to maybe get a title or be in the top 10!

Please, if your clan can play Saturdays at 8pm EST... goto http://tgl.fortress2.com/tfc now and sign up!
Thx for your time

If playing Saturday works well for your clan then this is definitely a league worth looking into, and we here at TFCNN will certainly be covering TGL results.

Stating the obvious? There were no big surprises from last night's IGL results, but there were some not-so-muffled cheers as the league bid goodbye to Pipezone and welcomed in 2forts. The big title shot next week will be CE vs. KiN. KiN will be showing their 2forts skills tonight against GoH. Whether KiN wins or loses tonight, expect to see Clan Erinyes practicing on 2forts as if they'd never seen the map before.

Hate Ltd. Over on the OGL Ladder, CdG is scheduled to play Hate Inc. tonight. Despite Hate's better ranking, they're the underdog in many people's minds. With three straight OGL losses and a disappearing presence in the TFC community there are a lot of questions concerning Hate's current status. A win over the surging CdG would put Hate right back on the map, but a loss at this point could prove devastating.

August 15th, 1999

I think I saw an alligator! Everyone's favorite sewage treatment map, Pipezone, is making its final appearance in the IGL tonight. Clans that don't like to get down and dirty will have their hands full trying to pull off a win. This map rewards preparation and a solid gameplan, so those clans which have avoided Pipezone the last two weeks will almost certainly get buried in the sludge.

Plenty of folks have wanted to give Clan BitchSlap a toilet swirly lately, but cM gets the honor. The big question is whether or not BS gets their act together and works on restoring some honor to their clan, or if they decide to go down in a blaze of stupidity. Tonight will be a good indication. IGL results will be posted tonight at midnight eastern time (as always).

Harper Valley STA All the housewives are digging Monday's STA title match between KiN and GoH. Lots of pound cake and butter cookies will be baked up for the event. It's a bigtime battle between the little-middle-letter clans. Based on overall record alone, you'd have to give the edge to KiN, but GoH has some serious skill on 2forts (as [RAD]~Gunner~ expressed it during last week's match: "YOU ARE A BUNCH OF SPAMMING BASTARDS"). So maybe GoH will be able to knock KiN from their perch. Mmm....spam.

August 13th, 1999

And it's not even November The ballots are in for the first TFC News Top TFC Clans Reader Poll (I came up with that scary title on my own) and the results can be found right here. Twenty-six voters gave their opinions this week. If you want to add your views to the pot, go sign up over at TFC News to become one of the voters.

One for the "Not-So-Surprising Department" After quite a bit of community support for the remaining Epidemic Clan members, they've decided to stick around as a clan and see what the future brings. That's nice to hear, even though I think quite a few of us saw that coming. Oh, I almost forgot. Here's the gigantic Epi2 press email that was sent all over the place:

"Walking through the woods alone can make a man ponder. Ponder where he is...where he is going...and where he wants to be. But only is the man satisfied when he is on his way there...besides there is nothing to do at the end of a journey."

Epidemic Clan...change that...2 or 3 people want to get back in the saddle. We did not want to rebuild completely while we were near the top...so I figure where better to rebuild than the bottom. After the great wipeout us few remain to scrap together what we once fought so hard to protect. We put so much effort into it...and now look what it has become. To many we were a joke. They over-looked us and laughed at us in our hardest times when no one understood exactly what was going on. You fight...You die...and you start over ( dont apply this philosophy to life...trust me it doesnt work) that is how several of us feel. We will found this new...collection of players against what destroyed us last time...internal conflict. Last time we were too hasty to move up...On our way up we never learned how to lose and many were cocky. Some opinions differed but were over-looked because we always won. But an end to every streak is a certainty and when it came for us we saw the ghost in the mirror. The small conflicts became a civil war and the group exploded from within. But now we set out again, this time ready for what has happended and ready for what can happen. We need the strong...the skilled...and also really cool people who can live as a family. Last time we built to win and when we didnt conflicts were about as common as an annoying medic. Please if you want to join a clan that will have honor...take it slow..and will rejoice the day tf2 is released please contact me. I can not promise an amazing clan, but we will have fun and take life slow, building our teamwork skill awaiting tf2. So if you believe like I do, and believe winning isnt everything, and also believe that the Spice Girls werent a band but just a bunch of sl*ts dancing around in platform shoes then please reach me.
[Ep2]slip
[email protected]
37001154
ri.gamesnet.net #epidemic ( I would not go in there since we have very little members}
Thank you and good day

Translation: They're back.

Doctor of Divination Buckeye, from the TF Times, is going wild with TFC predictions, covering just about every major TFC league he can get his hands on. Odds are your clan is talked about somewhere over there, so go take a gander.

Bad luck with SUVs BarkerJr is starting a Hunted-style-only league. I'll let him give the juicy details:

If your clan loves playing Hunted and has "wannabe snipers" or just loves killing snipers(like me) join the "Nothing But Hunted" league. This is an opportunity for your clan to get in some varied playing on Hunted style maps in a less competetive environment. And, if you've already played on public Hunted servers when the team size randomly happens to be about right, you know how much fun it is for both teams. Consequently, we limit the team sizes to 5 assassins and up to 10 bodyguards/prez, to make the gameplay like the map authors originally envisioned it. With two rounds, each clan gets an opportunity to play both sides in a match. We've also selected some of the best Hunted maps out there: award winners from PCGamer, the new Betrayed map, and of course the excellent original Hunted from Valve. Fill out the join form and let's get going. We hope to start playing by the early-mid September timeframe, defaulting night of Thursdays at 9:00est.

http://tgl.fortress2.com/nbh/
Thanks much - BarkerJr

If I were president I'd dump the SUV and get one of those nice black sedans. You never see those parked a mile away or crashed in a river.

A black cat in TFC's path It's Friday the 13th, and the latest TFC news could make even the most rational TFC player hang a rabbit's foot from his monitor. All sorts of disturbing news has appeared in the last couple days. Here's a quick rundown on what's happened:

• The Epidemic Clan has disbanded due to internal strife following their first match loss (to US on Monday). A small core of Epi players remains, including their leader Slip, but they are stating that for now they're not going to rebuild.

• BitchSlap has been accused by Total Harmonic Destruction of purposefully crashing the THD server mid-match because they were losing. THD seems to be on a very active campaign to have BS blackballed or ostracized, or both.

• The latest release of TFC has been delayed, and delayed again. When it's coming out no one knows. Valve only had this to say: "We were getting ready to release last Sunday, but we found a couple of bugs in testing that we needed to fix. This means that all the testing needs to start over to make sure we deliver a stable and bug-free update. Jenni is going to send out some mail tomorrow to clear everything up, but I apologize for being a little late on the release of the 1.0.1.3 update. Erik"

• I guess that's about it.

Ah, well, so it's not the end of the world, but it's Friday the 13th. Something spooky and overly dramatic just had to be said.

Look, Ma, I'm on the debate team TFC News is posting their first reader's Top 10 poll sometime today. Plenty of clans will be buzzing and complaining and posturing and murmuring once the thing gets posted, but it should be a lively fun time if you're into those sorts of angry discussions.

Press, Release, Press, Release, Wax on, Wax off Nemo, head honcho over for the Top 10 Tournament, sent out a press release to just about every news agency on the internet (check the "Entertainment" section at MSNBC), but I thought I should post it as well (since MSNBC has nothing on us!):

The first round of the Top10 tournament ended this week with a great match between Coup de Grace and Ride the Lightning on the map Fortsaken. Coup de Grace pulled out the win in a really close match. Congratulations to Coup de Grace, our Round 1 Champion in the Top10!

This tournament has been running smoothly now for 5 weeks. We have 10 great clans meeting every Tuesday night at 9 pm et to battle on the best user- made maps for TFC. If your clan is looking for something a little different, please have a look at our tournament (http://topten.clannexus.com). Our clans choose the maps we play by voting each week. Scheduling is done objectively based on overall standing and most recent results. Future maps in the tourney are Domination and Pipezone. I expect we will be also be playing real soon on Betrayed, TotalWar, the just-released map No Mans Land 2, and the much anticipated Bam. While the web site is not as slick as some of the sites for other TFC tourneys, it does work with any browser and is updated regularly.

Round 2 starts next week, with Fortsaken as the map of choice once again. If your clan is interested in the tourney, please sign up asap.
-Nemo

While we're at it While we're at it, I may as well post the little tiny blurb that Tubaboy from TF Times sent my way. Here it is in all it's littleness: "TF Times is doing STA predictions W00t!" If that makes you as excited as it does Tubaboy then you should definitely rush on over to the TF Times and check it out.

Ending on a happy note The leagues seem to be stabilizing. The IGL slapped their schedule up in near record time, with no complaints about botched rankings. The STA is calm and collected. The OGL is as wild as ever. And the Top 10 Tourney is swinging on into their second round without a hitch. We'll focus on some of the key matchups for all these leagues soon.

August 9th, 1999

STA on the ropes? Not really, but the last few weeks have hit just about every TFC league pretty hard. Tonight will be an important indicator of how close we are to the end of all the clan regrouping that is causing so much havoc for the leagues. The title match tonight is between KiN and THD on 2forts. KiN had a rough time against CE last night, now they have to bounce back and overcome the rejuvenated THD. Buckeye, second in command for THD, exemplifies this new excitement in that clan. "I'm officially back from vacation! I'm refreshed and ready to take on the TFC world again." THD is another in the long list of clans that have dropped out of one or more leagues to try and get refocused. In their case, they dropped the IGL and TGL.

Also on the STA schedule is US vs. Epi. This will be the first match between these two strong clans. Epi will be missing one of its leaders, while US will be figuring out how to fit their two new former-ZB members into the lineup. Both teams are solid on this map. Epi recently played =AR= on 2forts and came away with a 10-2 win. US recently beat TSUA 13-0 on 2forts. All in all, this promises to be an excellent matchup.

Dream matchup ZB is currently #3 on the OGL Ladder, undefeated, with an impressive 12-0 record. But they've had some internal commotion recently, with the result being that two of their core members left the clan. US is currently #2 on the ladder and just happened to pick up two new members, both of the former ZB players. US and ZB are currently free to challenge and be challenged. Now wouldn't that just be a great matchup to see these two clans battle it out? Right now the ball is in ZB's court.

IGL woes The IGL was certainly hit hard in DownLoaD's absence, but now that he's scheduled to return any day now, things should get back on their feet. This week saw quite a few matches *not* played on the scheduled map, Pipezone. There were also three more clans that left the league or disbanded (one was TG deciding to go back to the OGL).

The final week of Pipezone is next week with CE facing off against ][nsurrection for the title shot. CE overpowered KiN in their one round of Pipezone last night, winning by a large margin. ][ played an extremely tight two rounds against cM, coming out ahead each time. Both ][ and CE will have solid strategies going into next week's match and it should be a good battle.

TFC News Top 10 TFC News is looking to start two new Top 10 lists, ranking TFC clans. One is a reader poll where anyone can fill out a form and submit their own top ten list. The votes will be tallied and up it will go. The other list is being called a "Calculated Top 10 List", apparently based upon a mathematical formula designed to compare important clan statistics. Time will tell how successful these polls become. One thing is for sure, though, they're bound to cause endless controversy.

August 7th, 1999

Let's see that on instant replay A new version of TFC is due out Sunday night (probably after all the league games are finished), and it has some interesting features which will affect clan match play:

• For starters, there will be a new server-side setting that can automatically cap the rate for everyone on the server (at an arbitrary #). This is a nice and easy feature that should make the enforcement of the 5000-rate rule a breeze.

• But wait, there's more....The log parsing has been fixed, and there is now an internal program (TF Stats) that will dump the log into an html file highlighting the statistics for each player and team. For those of you who aren't familiar with this type of program, all your statistics will be logged. That means no more lying about how many flag touches you got and how many scouts you mowed down. Drat!

• And for an added bonus! The most dubious claim is that demo playback has been fixed. But assuming it really is fixed, we should now be able to start posting match demos that are watchable. For all you underground types, you can expect a secret black market of demos to spring up, highlighting the strategies of top clans.

Strategic mapping There has been a significant change in the OGL rules. Tied rounds are no longer being thrown-out. Instead they're being counted as a win for both teams (or more accurately, a 1-1 for each team). This means that a clan who wins one round and ties the next wins the match 2-1. This scenario recently occurred in the DA vs. Hate match. So what's the moral here? Choose your maps wisely! If you know you have an advantage on your server then be sure to pick a map that lends itself to lots of capping. Avoid conservative maps that could lead to a tie and then a trip to your opponent's server where you may have to play at a disadvantage.

August 5th, 1999

War of attrition It's become a growing trend among TFC clans to join too many leagues, start burning out, lose focus, then decide to drop out of a league or two in order to get back in shape. U Suck and Hate Inc. are two of the most recent additions to follow this pattern. Some may view this trend as a black eye against TFC in general. "TFC is falling apart!" But in truth, this pattern has existed since the earliest days of TF clan competition. Eventually, clans find an equilibrium between match play, scrimmages, and practice, that suits them fine so they are playing at a high level and aren't burning out. It's a delicate balance that requires regular evaluation. TFC clans are just recalibrating.

Rung time In OGL news, #2 US held off TSUA, handing them their third straight loss since moving to the new ladder. Epi took down AR in three rounds, and then were challenged by cM. Both of these clans are undefeated in the OGL. They'll battle it out next Wednesday.
--Current OGL clan count: 113

Map Mayhem The Top 10 Tournament will begin playing Fortsaken as this week's match map. The STA has switched to 2forts.

August 4th, 1999

Stuff that in your pipezone and smoke it, [or alternate heading] The happy life of a league admin Oh boy does Karsiss love his job right now! It's been a wild couple days for this substitute IGL admin. One serious decision after another has presented itself and Karsiss has received flak every which way he turns. He's not out of the woods yet, either. Just thank your lucky stars (or whatever it is that determines your non-admin status) that you're not the substitute IGL admin right now.

Top two? If we have our facts and figures straight, it would seem that CdG and RTL will be meeting on the battlefield next Tuesday night to determine the winner of round one in the Top 10 tournament. A look at the homepage shows there are some Top 10 rule changes in the works, so maybe rounds will be won differently in the future.

More room in the boat TFC News and TF Times are both looking for new staff to fill up their ranks. If you're dedicated to the TFC clan scene and think you have something original to add to the pot, go do some inquiring.

OGL giganticness There are 109 clans in the OGL TFC Ladder now. Wow. How? Holy cow!

King of the Hill Judging by the numbers, Clan Erinyes has earned a healthy respect from the other top OGL clans. In the last month CE has only been challenged one time. In the month before that they were only challenged twice. ZB is currently in a prime position to knock CE off their perch, but tentative plans were for ZB and CE to scrimmage each other sometime this week, which would most likely delay any official challenge being issued.

Queen of the Hill Doesn't the OGL ask you if you're male or female when you sign up? It would be interesting to know the percentage of male to female TFC clan players in the OGL. It's probably a depressing statistic.

August 2nd, 1999

IGL Recap It was a rough week in the IGL after Karsiss slapped up a last-minute schedule and clans tried to motivate themselves to play. There were four forfeits this week, one rescheduling (if IGL allows this...otherwise KiN forfeits), and one agreed map change. Pipezone received mixed reviews by the participants, but no worse than any of the other maps that have been tried. In the contender match, cM got by CdG and will face off against the winner of KiN and CE (rescheduled for Tuesday at 6:30pst) next Sunday. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the week was ]['s shutout of US on Well. Though this is certain to boost ]['s confidence going into the contender match next week, avoiding Pipezone this week may hurt them in the matches just ahead.

A tie in the OGL #3 ZB held off Black Sun and improved their record to 12-0, tying CE's current record. The big question now is whether or not ZB will challenge CE or if they're going to wait for a lower ranked clan to challenge them again. #6 CdG may have that idea in mind. In the meantime, good matchups are coming out of the woodwork in the OGL: US vs. TSUA, Hate vs. DA, AR vs. Epi, RTL vs. 100k.d.l. Sparks will be flying this week on the Leader Board.

It's Monday, it's STA For TFC lovers, tonight's STA matches are sure to make you swoon. The headliner match is KiN vs. Hate on Well. The vast majority of KiN's first stringers were out of town or out of commission Sunday night. Whether they can reassemble in time for tonight's match remains to be seen. Also of note tonight: GoH vs. TG, and 30+ vs. US.

August 1st, 1999