Well I guess its easy to claim you are the premiere group of computer game nerds when nobody else cares to challenge your claim to supremicy...
Ha, that reminds me of the phrase regarding the Special Olympics: "You may win a gold medal, but you are still a retard."
Sornin, that was a cruel and hateful thing to say. I just hope you never have a special needs child. I'm sure you would just throw it out with the trash.
You know I read this thread and said to myself; wow these guys sound egocentric. Then "Syndicate" posted and confirmed it.
All major MMO developers have our members on our team we are Gods, Smed and Garriot come to us for advice!!!! (Is that why there games have been sucking so hard of late) Million of copies of our book has been sold on the interweb and Oprah has chosen it for book of the month!!!!
Did I ever tell you guys about the time Jeri Ryan and I spent that week in Belize?
Well Syndicate your post was fine until you quoted Smedley. Of all dumb people to quote you chose one of the maligned and ridiculed people in the MMO industry. If I was going to support an argument for someone reading the book, you could at least pick someone reputable to quote. You have to consider Smedley's legacy as the man who cost SOE more customers than most MMO's ever have.
If Smedley thought the book was good, you can pretty must asure yourself that it is a piece of trash. He is that clueless when it comes to this industry.
You can tell the whole guild is egocentric considering the fact that they bloat themselves into a "legend" status. I haven't even heard of this guild. They say that they have played WoW extensively, yet I haven't heard any mention of it so far in my past WoW experience. Now servers (realms, etc.) would limit the guild's popularity and it would seem right to respect a long-lived guild. But to go so far as to act inflated with such a book title ruins any past recognition or reputation garnered thereof. I concur with an open-ended guide. However, that can be found at http://www.guildhelper.com/creation.html. It seems more reliable and effective than some fictional story about a guild. Also, it's not just any guild, but an arrogant one that pretends to contribute tremendously to the industry.
for the people interested in Dragons and The Syndicate. The reason people haven't heard of them is because they never managed a server first, let alone a world first, or even make it in the top ten guild on the Horde side. I remember a memo being leaked on the Zuljin forums where Dragons answered his guild growing discontent with their poor raiding performance by stating : "Any guild that is past us "raid-wise" are doing so by hacking and cheating and I'm not willing to do that".
I remember Syndicate members not being allowed to post of the official forums and doing so could get you severely reprimanded. Blowhards is the best definition for these guys.
Oh yeah, They also claimed the organized crime group called "The Syndicate" in the game was Blizzard's way of recognizing their importance in the gaming world.
Frankly, I don't even care for guilds. It's nice to read about history, since I'm an old school MUD'er myself. In the end, a guild is a guild, I don't see it as a significant social engagement, even when I was in one on AC1 back in '99, primarily because all too often these guilds have tried to invade my privacy and I've stated prior that my identity is my own concern and not theirs (unless we're talking about an open PVP game, then I can understand some nominal identification against spying by opposing guilds).
I remember The Syndicate from UO on Atlantic LLTS they were basically the first and biggest "zerg" guild going at the time they pretty much wrote the book you might say on "zerg recruitment and deployment" the thing is the average player kinda sucked at pvp when I played back in 97-98 outnumbered me and my friends still stomped them majority of the time. Don't see myself picking up that book maybe if a more interesting and better guild made one like The Mercs/The Cabal I might be interested.
So let me get this straight, you are the guys responsible for all the cookie cutter mmo's and lack of imagination and innovation? Thanks for you're input , but no thanks. I'm sure the industry is capable of mediocrity without your help.
And you think Smedley is someone that is going to validate you're worth? Hahaha...you guys weren't the focus group for the NGE were you? Just how many games have you guys messed up anyway?
NiambWorld of Warcraft CorrespondentMemberPosts: 14
Not everyone is into the social aspect of MMORPGs. For some it is all about the pixels, getting the phat loots, and parading around the bank in those awesome shoulders. For that kind of player Nilhem or Death and Taxes is the ideal: a guild that is first through content. If that is your definition of legendary when it comes to gaming guilds, no, The Syndicate is not on the leading edge of content.
What makes The Syndicate legendary is its longevity. What other guild has been around for 12 years and is still a significant presence in one game, needless to say two? I first became aware of The Syndicate when I was playing UO. They played on a different shard (they are on Atlantic, I played on Cats), but I had still heard of them. I guess I read a great deal of Stratics back in the day and they were always sponsoring an event: a fair, a crafting day, or other activity. Still, unless you're one to read outside of the narrow field that defines your guild , your server, or even your game, it is not surprising many have not heard of them.
As it happened, I starting playing World of Warcraft on the same server as The Syndicate. I became aware of their presence there from the server forums. Everything I read said this was a sympatico guild for me, but they were Horde and my toons were Alliance. So I just filed information about The Syndicate away.....till my long-standing guild fell on hard times.
I'm a mature, female player. Not every teeny bop guild is going to be a good fit for me. I wanted to raid end-game. I wanted a mature, stable community. Ultimately I decided to level up a horde toon and apply to The Syndicate. A friend from my old guild was now a TS member and he urged me to apply. I did. I was accepted (not many make it over that hump) and today I am proud to be a member of one of the premier guilds in online gaming.
The Syndicate is not premier because they are on the cutting edge of end-game content. They are premier because they comprise a mature, caring community, which enables people to form lasting friendships within the context of gaming. Our guild master, Dragons, pours time and effort into this guild and it shows in a hundred ways. He, along with our Squad Leaders and Raid Leaders, works hard to create a fun, fair and caring community in which to enjoy the virtual parts of our lives. A core guild creed is Real Life Comes First. How many hard-core raiding guilds have that as their keystone? Maybe that's why they won't be here in a year or two, but The Syndicate will still be around.
I've been the guild master of a couple of guilds: The Village of Edinburgh in UO and in many ways defacto GM of The Defenders of Justice in World of Warcraft. I am always amused when some young pup decides having their own guild will be fun. Running a guild, or at least running it well, is work. It is a lot of work and it is at its core often a thankless job. Sean's book will give any nascent guild master insights into what it takes to run a successful guild, one that will live past the changes in the next expansion. Besides that, as a long time gamer, it was a fun read: a real walk down memory lane.
I've been the guild master of a couple of guilds: The Village of Edinburgh in UO and in many ways defacto GM of The Defenders of Justice in World of Warcraft. I am always amused when some young pup decides having their own guild will be fun. Running a guild, or at least running it well, is work. It is a lot of work and it is at its core often a thankless job. Sean's book will give any nascent guild master insights into what it takes to run a successful guild, one that will live past the changes in the next expansion. Besides that, as a long time games, it was a fun read: a real walk down memory lane.
Young Pups? God talk about Nerd-egocentricity. Poor souls that think games should be a means of entertainment. I love the Hobby, but man some of its fans are such an embarrassment..
You know I read this thread and said to myself; wow these guys sound egocentric. Then "Syndicate" posted and confirmed it. All major MMO developers have our members on our team we are Gods, Smed and Garriot come to us for advice!!!! (Is that why there games have been sucking so hard of late) Million of copies of our book has been sold on the interweb and Oprah has chosen it for book of the month!!!! Did I ever tell you guys about the time Jeri Ryan and I spent that week in Belize?
What a looser ... These guys have published a method used to develop a long running guild. Trials and tribulations, for most who spend hours trolling on these forums I guess it would be a perfect read.
But then thats not what most of the negative loosers who post here are all about. Well done to the "Syndicate" contribution and effort are always welcome, in my book.
________________________________________________________ Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
Not everyone is into the social aspect of MMORPGs. For some, it is all about the pixels, getting the phat loots, and parading around the bank in those awesome shoulders. For that kind of player Nilhem or Death and Taxes are the ideal: a guild that is first through content. If that is your definition of legendary when it comes to gaming guilds, no, The Syndicate is not on the leading edge of content. What makes The Syndicate legendary is its longevity. What other guild has been around for 12 years and is still a significant presence in one game, needless to say two? I first became aware of The Syndicate when I was playing UO. They played on a different shard (they are on Atlantic, I played on Cats), but I had still heard of them. I guess I read a great deal of Stratics back in the day and they were always sponsoring an event: a fair, a crafting day, and event. Still, unless you're one to read outside of the narrow field that defines your guild , your server, or even your game, it is not surprising many have not heard of them. As it happened, I starting playing World of Warcraft on the same server as The Syndicate. I guess I became aware of them from the server forums. Everything I read said this was a sympatico guild for me, but they were Horde and my toons were Alliance. So I just filed information about The Syndicate away.....till my long-standing guild fell on hard times. I'm a mature, female player. Not every teeny bop guild is going to be a good fit for me. I wanted to raid end-game. I wanted a mature, stable community. Ultimately I decided to level up a horde toon and apply to The Syndicate. A friend from my old guild was now a TS member and he urged me to apply. I did. I was accepted (not many make it over that hump) and today I am proud to be a member of one of the premier guilds in online gaming. The Syndicate is not premier because they are on the cutting edge of end-game content. They are premier because they comprise a mature, caring community, which enables people to form lasting friendships within the context of gaming. Our guild master Dragons pours time and effort into this guild and it shows in a hundred ways. He, along with our Squad Leaders and Raid Leaders, works hard to create a fun, fair and caring community in which to enjoy the virtual parts of our lives. A core guild creed is Real Life Comes First. How many hard-core raiding guilds have that as their keystone? Maybe that's why they won't be here in a year or two, but The Syndicate will still be around. I've been the guild master of a couple of guilds: The Village of Edinburgh in UO and in many ways defacto GM of The Defenders of Justice in World of Warcraft. I am always amused when some young pup decides having their own guild will be fun. Running a guild, or at least running it well, is work. It is a lot of work and it is at its core often a thankless job. Sean's book will give any nascent guild master insights into what it takes to run a successful guild, one that will live past the changes in the next expansion. Besides that, as a long time games, it was a fun read: a real walk down memory lane.
I just wanted to say that this is a very nice post.
Right, well, regardless of what Dragons posts on these boards to bolster his ego and engage in self-affirmation, the fact remains that those of us that remember LLTS (Long Live The Syndicate) from the Atlantic Shard in UO, have a far less flattering opinion of him and his organization.
The members of LLTS were notoriously obnoxious and over-zealous, frequently disruptive, and by no means as productive or contributory as Dragons has claimed in his post here, or as likely misrepresented in his book. Yeah, they had a sizable presence on the server, with their little player-made town and numerous keeps and castles, they even had CS placed items; however, they were far from respected outside the scope of their proverbial circle-jerk. In essence, they were the nerd's nerd. They were the folks that those of that were self-recognized gaming geeks snickered about and laughed at.
In my mind, and in the mind of many, I'm sure, LLTS will be long remembered as a socially-inept group of folks with a highly exaggerated sense of self-importance.
As for the claim to the namesake 'The Syndicate', there was a long lived guild by the name of 'The Syndicate' on a MUD by the name of Chomestru, which shut down long before UO and well before Dragons' claim to fame. I'm sure there were many other organizations, guilds, etc... that had utilized the name in the past; Dragons was simply the first lacking enough in self-respect to trademark his lack of originality.
And as someone else pointed out, the fact he noted his one big endorsement as coming from Mr. Smedley, a quintessential minion and representation of SOE and its complete lack of integrity, entitles him to a great big ole':
What makes The Syndicate legendary is its longevity. What other guild has been around for 12 years and is still a significant presence in one game, needless to say two? I first became aware of The Syndicate when I was playing UO. They played on a different shard (they are on Atlantic, I played on Cats), but I had still heard of them. I guess I read a great deal of Stratics back in the day and they were always sponsoring an event: a fair, a crafting day, or other activity. Still, unless you're one to read outside of the narrow field that defines your guild , your server, or even your game, it is not surprising many have not heard of them.
There are other guilds that have survived for 12 years since UO came to existence, Lost Order of Akalabeth is one of them.
Wow this forum has some of the most negative people who loves to put down others accomplishments... doesnt matter if other ancient old guilds don't write a book about themselves, does not mean that other older guilds cant do the same!
Despite my doubts, I did end up buying the book since a friend of mine read it and liked it. While the author clearly has delusions of grandeur, I must admit that it was a great read.
I especially liked, as a computer programmer involved in game design, the trip down memory lane where the author gives a history of how online gaming has evolved - it's so interesting to read how games (and technology) have taken shape and changed over the years.
After reading all these posts here, it got me thinking....are there really any other guilds that could have written such a book? Let's pick apart their contention...
They obviously have no life, but they DO have a point - regardless of what you think of someone writing a book about their success (biographies sometimes offend me because they are always written by people who assume you care about their life and we often don't), I have been trying to think of a guild that matches what they have done.
They have been in existence for 12 years without interruption. They have beta tested dozens of games and developers of games consult them on a regular basis. They have co-written game manuals that are sold at BestBuy. They meet regularly at conventions all across the country. They have hundreds of members. They have an organizational structure (if what they write is true) that rivals most well-established companies. (If I were a guild leader, I would buy this book simply to learn how to manage a guild). They are, basically, one big family of people who are all committed to the same purpose. It's kinda hard to argue with their success even if the author is on a huge ego trip.
I guess, as someone else commented on, it depends on what you think of guilds. If you think they're important, then having a 12 year relationship with one where you build really close friendships and a dynamic community is a big deal. If you think guilds are silly, then basically you are left with the thought of how egotisical it is to write a book about yourself running a guild.
Frankly, I am somewhere in the middle. If you are looking for an academic analysis of game design, this book is not worth it. But, I think the book is an interesting read for those of us who enjoy gaming and seeing how a particular community evolved within such a changing environment.
OK, serious for a second: My suggestion to the Syndicate folks who might be listening would be: You need a better PR department. Folks who have interacted with you say you're "arrogant", folks who have read your book say the same thing, and, your posts here come off just as bad.
I've never interacted with any of you, don't run a guild, and don't even play most of the games your in, so I have no personal stake in this. Take this as an outsiders perspective: you're finding ways to rub people the wrong way. A PR change may be in order.
So let me get this straight, you are the guys responsible for all the cookie cutter mmo's and lack of imagination and innovation? ... And you think Smedley is someone that is going to validate you're worth? ...
Touche
And that is why...
Conservatives' pessimism is conducive to their happiness in three ways. First, they are rarely surprised -- they are right more often than not about the course of events. Second, when they are wrong they are happy to be so. Third, because pessimistic conservatives put not their faith in princes -- government -- they accept that happiness is a function of fending for oneself. They believe that happiness is an activity -- it is inseparable from the pursuit of happiness.
OK, serious for a second: My suggestion to the Syndicate folks who might be listening would be: You need a better PR department. Folks who have interacted with you say you're "arrogant", folks who have read your book say the same thing, and, your posts here come off just as bad.
I've never interacted with any of you, don't run a guild, and don't even play most of the games your in, so I have no personal stake in this. Take this as an outsiders perspective: you're finding ways to rub people the wrong way. A PR change may be in order.
Thanks all for the continued chuckles.
Bounty.. you sound as if the intelectual majority reside here they don't. You know what i have never heard of this guild but for all intents they are big contributors. MMORPG.com put the article up and I am not sure if they begged to be put on show here or not from what I have heard over the last few days... My view is that they fall under the not category.
I say good luck to them and feel sad that you need to belittle, I would be interested to understand your first hand experience of this group ? oh none you stated it above. I wouldn't know if they are good bad or indifferent. But I applaud them for producing the book.... What have you done lately to contribute to the genre i could guess but i won't, the book is a contribution which you can take or leave as you see fit.
These guys don't have the attitude of loosers and have a reputation with the Games developers and that says a lot, 12 years and never heard of think about it.!!!!
Now to go out buy that book i'm intrigued now
________________________________________________________ Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
I have waited until the frenzy died down before making my post. I don't feel like getting into a war of hate mails in my work account that loudly wonder how I could support The Syndicate but not your guild so I will post this under my pseudonym.
My company is one of those that works with The Syndicate and we do so for a variety of reasons. I am aware of some other companies that do as well and their reasons are similar to ours. From my days on the community side of the farm, I dealt with literally thousands of guilds on a recurring basis. While some of them are also well run groups that present themselves in a professional manner we have found that The Syndicate gave us several things we had a hard time finding in other groups. They have longevity and within that longevity they have stability. By the time I began working with them under my new developer hat, they already had a proven track record of quality work that they done without leaks on forums and with a consistent group of people. That was important to me when I managed projects with them because if I have to issue fifty accounts and the group I give them to can't keep the same people for months at a time, then I have a nightmare for me with the potential loss of control over information and access that is not yet ready for public consumption. I can avoid that issue by working with a guild that all but guarantees me a stable, hard working, professionally acting team. Also important to me was that if I gave out assignments and had deliverables I needed back, I needed to be assured of getting them back on time and complete. If an assignment stretched over several months in a game that is not yet completed it is hard to be sure the players will stay involved and complete their work and it is hard to ensure the guild itself will not close its doors due to some internal turmoil or a change in its focus.
There are other good players and other good groups out there. However, with The Syndicate having so many years of consistent existence and a resume of successful projects helps to build a trusting relationship with them. When you receive emails from hundreds or thousands of guilds all claiming to be the best out there, having years of a proven track record that I can validate by talking to my peers that they have worked with sets them apart.
From a purely work relationship standpoint, The Syndicate has delivered on its projects with us. They are a very professional, organized and mature group to work with. I have nothing but good things to say about them. I am sure there are other great groups out there but building that trusting relationship with them is a high risk proposition given the high failure rate of guilds when I already have a proven success story in my back pocket that has not let me down yet.
Comments
Reminds me of Scientology....
Well I guess its easy to claim you are the premiere group of computer game nerds when nobody else cares to challenge your claim to supremicy...
Ha, that reminds me of the phrase regarding the Special Olympics: "You may win a gold medal, but you are still a retard."
Sornin, that was a cruel and hateful thing to say. I just hope you never have a special needs child. I'm sure you would just throw it out with the trash.
You know I read this thread and said to myself; wow these guys sound egocentric. Then "Syndicate" posted and confirmed it.
All major MMO developers have our members on our team we are Gods, Smed and Garriot come to us for advice!!!! (Is that why there games have been sucking so hard of late) Million of copies of our book has been sold on the interweb and Oprah has chosen it for book of the month!!!!
Did I ever tell you guys about the time Jeri Ryan and I spent that week in Belize?
Well Syndicate your post was fine until you quoted Smedley. Of all dumb people to quote you chose one of the maligned and ridiculed people in the MMO industry. If I was going to support an argument for someone reading the book, you could at least pick someone reputable to quote. You have to consider Smedley's legacy as the man who cost SOE more customers than most MMO's ever have.
If Smedley thought the book was good, you can pretty must asure yourself that it is a piece of trash. He is that clueless when it comes to this industry.
You can tell the whole guild is egocentric considering the fact that they bloat themselves into a "legend" status. I haven't even heard of this guild. They say that they have played WoW extensively, yet I haven't heard any mention of it so far in my past WoW experience. Now servers (realms, etc.) would limit the guild's popularity and it would seem right to respect a long-lived guild. But to go so far as to act inflated with such a book title ruins any past recognition or reputation garnered thereof. I concur with an open-ended guide. However, that can be found at http://www.guildhelper.com/creation.html. It seems more reliable and effective than some fictional story about a guild. Also, it's not just any guild, but an arrogant one that pretends to contribute tremendously to the industry.
www.oblinq.com/SnowmonkeysTemple/
http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Zul%27jin&n=Dragons
for the people interested in Dragons and The Syndicate. The reason people haven't heard of them is because they never managed a server first, let alone a world first, or even make it in the top ten guild on the Horde side. I remember a memo being leaked on the Zuljin forums where Dragons answered his guild growing discontent with their poor raiding performance by stating : "Any guild that is past us "raid-wise" are doing so by hacking and cheating and I'm not willing to do that".
I remember Syndicate members not being allowed to post of the official forums and doing so could get you severely reprimanded. Blowhards is the best definition for these guys.
Oh yeah, They also claimed the organized crime group called "The Syndicate" in the game was Blizzard's way of recognizing their importance in the gaming world.
Frankly, I don't even care for guilds. It's nice to read about history, since I'm an old school MUD'er myself. In the end, a guild is a guild, I don't see it as a significant social engagement, even when I was in one on AC1 back in '99, primarily because all too often these guilds have tried to invade my privacy and I've stated prior that my identity is my own concern and not theirs (unless we're talking about an open PVP game, then I can understand some nominal identification against spying by opposing guilds).
-- Brede
I remember The Syndicate from UO on Atlantic LLTS they were basically the first and biggest "zerg" guild going at the time they pretty much wrote the book you might say on "zerg recruitment and deployment" the thing is the average player kinda sucked at pvp when I played back in 97-98 outnumbered me and my friends still stomped them majority of the time. Don't see myself picking up that book maybe if a more interesting and better guild made one like The Mercs/The Cabal I might be interested.
So let me get this straight, you are the guys responsible for all the cookie cutter mmo's and lack of imagination and innovation? Thanks for you're input , but no thanks. I'm sure the industry is capable of mediocrity without your help.
And you think Smedley is someone that is going to validate you're worth? Hahaha...you guys weren't the focus group for the NGE were you? Just how many games have you guys messed up anyway?
Not everyone is into the social aspect of MMORPGs. For some it is all about the pixels, getting the phat loots, and parading around the bank in those awesome shoulders. For that kind of player Nilhem or Death and Taxes is the ideal: a guild that is first through content. If that is your definition of legendary when it comes to gaming guilds, no, The Syndicate is not on the leading edge of content.
What makes The Syndicate legendary is its longevity. What other guild has been around for 12 years and is still a significant presence in one game, needless to say two? I first became aware of The Syndicate when I was playing UO. They played on a different shard (they are on Atlantic, I played on Cats), but I had still heard of them. I guess I read a great deal of Stratics back in the day and they were always sponsoring an event: a fair, a crafting day, or other activity. Still, unless you're one to read outside of the narrow field that defines your guild , your server, or even your game, it is not surprising many have not heard of them.
As it happened, I starting playing World of Warcraft on the same server as The Syndicate. I became aware of their presence there from the server forums. Everything I read said this was a sympatico guild for me, but they were Horde and my toons were Alliance. So I just filed information about The Syndicate away.....till my long-standing guild fell on hard times.
I'm a mature, female player. Not every teeny bop guild is going to be a good fit for me. I wanted to raid end-game. I wanted a mature, stable community. Ultimately I decided to level up a horde toon and apply to The Syndicate. A friend from my old guild was now a TS member and he urged me to apply. I did. I was accepted (not many make it over that hump) and today I am proud to be a member of one of the premier guilds in online gaming.
The Syndicate is not premier because they are on the cutting edge of end-game content. They are premier because they comprise a mature, caring community, which enables people to form lasting friendships within the context of gaming. Our guild master, Dragons, pours time and effort into this guild and it shows in a hundred ways. He, along with our Squad Leaders and Raid Leaders, works hard to create a fun, fair and caring community in which to enjoy the virtual parts of our lives. A core guild creed is Real Life Comes First. How many hard-core raiding guilds have that as their keystone? Maybe that's why they won't be here in a year or two, but The Syndicate will still be around.
I've been the guild master of a couple of guilds: The Village of Edinburgh in UO and in many ways defacto GM of The Defenders of Justice in World of Warcraft. I am always amused when some young pup decides having their own guild will be fun. Running a guild, or at least running it well, is work. It is a lot of work and it is at its core often a thankless job. Sean's book will give any nascent guild master insights into what it takes to run a successful guild, one that will live past the changes in the next expansion. Besides that, as a long time gamer, it was a fun read: a real walk down memory lane.
Young Pups? God talk about Nerd-egocentricity.
Their official game is WoW and the guy that recommends their book is Smed. Why not the boss of Blizzard?
Anyways thanks for making such a fuss about yourselves. Now I know to avoid joining a guild named The Syndicate(TM) on any game.
What a looser ... These guys have published a method used to develop a long running guild. Trials and tribulations, for most who spend hours trolling on these forums I guess it would be a perfect read.
But then thats not what most of the negative loosers who post here are all about. Well done to the "Syndicate" contribution and effort are always welcome, in my book.
________________________________________________________
Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
I just wanted to say that this is a very nice post.
lol, members of an uber guild are developers? no wonder we have the trend of zerg-based, item mongering, grind-to-the-endgame MMOs
Right, well, regardless of what Dragons posts on these boards to bolster his ego and engage in self-affirmation, the fact remains that those of us that remember LLTS (Long Live The Syndicate) from the Atlantic Shard in UO, have a far less flattering opinion of him and his organization.
The members of LLTS were notoriously obnoxious and over-zealous, frequently disruptive, and by no means as productive or contributory as Dragons has claimed in his post here, or as likely misrepresented in his book. Yeah, they had a sizable presence on the server, with their little player-made town and numerous keeps and castles, they even had CS placed items; however, they were far from respected outside the scope of their proverbial circle-jerk. In essence, they were the nerd's nerd. They were the folks that those of that were self-recognized gaming geeks snickered about and laughed at.
In my mind, and in the mind of many, I'm sure, LLTS will be long remembered as a socially-inept group of folks with a highly exaggerated sense of self-importance.
As for the claim to the namesake 'The Syndicate', there was a long lived guild by the name of 'The Syndicate' on a MUD by the name of Chomestru, which shut down long before UO and well before Dragons' claim to fame. I'm sure there were many other organizations, guilds, etc... that had utilized the name in the past; Dragons was simply the first lacking enough in self-respect to trademark his lack of originality.
And as someone else pointed out, the fact he noted his one big endorsement as coming from Mr. Smedley, a quintessential minion and representation of SOE and its complete lack of integrity, entitles him to a great big ole':
YOU FAIL.
Yea, you'd think someone who's been "in the game" since UO would know not to quote Mr. Smedley.. :P
------------------------------
Wow this forum has some of the most negative people who loves to put down others accomplishments... doesnt matter if other ancient old guilds don't write a book about themselves, does not mean that other older guilds cant do the same!
Despite my doubts, I did end up buying the book since a friend of mine read it and liked it. While the author clearly has delusions of grandeur, I must admit that it was a great read.
I especially liked, as a computer programmer involved in game design, the trip down memory lane where the author gives a history of how online gaming has evolved - it's so interesting to read how games (and technology) have taken shape and changed over the years.
After reading all these posts here, it got me thinking....are there really any other guilds that could have written such a book? Let's pick apart their contention...
They obviously have no life, but they DO have a point - regardless of what you think of someone writing a book about their success (biographies sometimes offend me because they are always written by people who assume you care about their life and we often don't), I have been trying to think of a guild that matches what they have done.
They have been in existence for 12 years without interruption. They have beta tested dozens of games and developers of games consult them on a regular basis. They have co-written game manuals that are sold at BestBuy. They meet regularly at conventions all across the country. They have hundreds of members. They have an organizational structure (if what they write is true) that rivals most well-established companies. (If I were a guild leader, I would buy this book simply to learn how to manage a guild). They are, basically, one big family of people who are all committed to the same purpose. It's kinda hard to argue with their success even if the author is on a huge ego trip.
I guess, as someone else commented on, it depends on what you think of guilds. If you think they're important, then having a 12 year relationship with one where you build really close friendships and a dynamic community is a big deal. If you think guilds are silly, then basically you are left with the thought of how egotisical it is to write a book about yourself running a guild.
Frankly, I am somewhere in the middle. If you are looking for an academic analysis of game design, this book is not worth it. But, I think the book is an interesting read for those of us who enjoy gaming and seeing how a particular community evolved within such a changing environment.
Namaste
This thread continues to make me chuckle
Man, I wonder where all these supportive, "first and second post members" are coming from?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..................................
OK, serious for a second: My suggestion to the Syndicate folks who might be listening would be: You need a better PR department. Folks who have interacted with you say you're "arrogant", folks who have read your book say the same thing, and, your posts here come off just as bad.
I've never interacted with any of you, don't run a guild, and don't even play most of the games your in, so I have no personal stake in this. Take this as an outsiders perspective: you're finding ways to rub people the wrong way. A PR change may be in order.
Thanks all for the continued chuckles.
Touche
And that is why...
Conservatives' pessimism is conducive to their happiness in three ways. First, they are rarely surprised -- they are right more often than not about the course of events. Second, when they are wrong they are happy to be so. Third, because pessimistic conservatives put not their faith in princes -- government -- they accept that happiness is a function of fending for oneself. They believe that happiness is an activity -- it is inseparable from the pursuit of happiness.
Bounty.. you sound as if the intelectual majority reside here they don't. You know what i have never heard of this guild but for all intents they are big contributors. MMORPG.com put the article up and I am not sure if they begged to be put on show here or not from what I have heard over the last few days... My view is that they fall under the not category.
I say good luck to them and feel sad that you need to belittle, I would be interested to understand your first hand experience of this group ? oh none you stated it above. I wouldn't know if they are good bad or indifferent. But I applaud them for producing the book.... What have you done lately to contribute to the genre i could guess but i won't, the book is a contribution which you can take or leave as you see fit.
These guys don't have the attitude of loosers and have a reputation with the Games developers and that says a lot, 12 years and never heard of think about it.!!!!
Now to go out buy that book i'm intrigued now
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Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
I have waited until the frenzy died down before making my post. I don't feel like getting into a war of hate mails in my work account that loudly wonder how I could support The Syndicate but not your guild so I will post this under my pseudonym.
My company is one of those that works with The Syndicate and we do so for a variety of reasons. I am aware of some other companies that do as well and their reasons are similar to ours. From my days on the community side of the farm, I dealt with literally thousands of guilds on a recurring basis. While some of them are also well run groups that present themselves in a professional manner we have found that The Syndicate gave us several things we had a hard time finding in other groups. They have longevity and within that longevity they have stability. By the time I began working with them under my new developer hat, they already had a proven track record of quality work that they done without leaks on forums and with a consistent group of people. That was important to me when I managed projects with them because if I have to issue fifty accounts and the group I give them to can't keep the same people for months at a time, then I have a nightmare for me with the potential loss of control over information and access that is not yet ready for public consumption. I can avoid that issue by working with a guild that all but guarantees me a stable, hard working, professionally acting team. Also important to me was that if I gave out assignments and had deliverables I needed back, I needed to be assured of getting them back on time and complete. If an assignment stretched over several months in a game that is not yet completed it is hard to be sure the players will stay involved and complete their work and it is hard to ensure the guild itself will not close its doors due to some internal turmoil or a change in its focus.
There are other good players and other good groups out there. However, with The Syndicate having so many years of consistent existence and a resume of successful projects helps to build a trusting relationship with them. When you receive emails from hundreds or thousands of guilds all claiming to be the best out there, having years of a proven track record that I can validate by talking to my peers that they have worked with sets them apart.
From a purely work relationship standpoint, The Syndicate has delivered on its projects with us. They are a very professional, organized and mature group to work with. I have nothing but good things to say about them. I am sure there are other great groups out there but building that trusting relationship with them is a high risk proposition given the high failure rate of guilds when I already have a proven success story in my back pocket that has not let me down yet.