ZAM FC - How is it going?Follow

I think that your assumption that many would leave is correct. If Alexander the Great, Napoleon, or Genghis Khan were dedicated to anything other than leading at any other period of time, would they have conquered as well as they did? Well, it depends on the aspirations. What were the goals (or the mission) of the FC. We never really knew... Were you out to be the biggest and best on the server? If so, then you would need to be on top of that project 100%. Remember the movie "Alexander" when he conquered the world then got to India and kinda got sidetracked for a bit? His soldiers got pissed and revolted. They had things they needed to do, like fight or go home. They couldn't rest on their laurels. Now if the goal of the organization was to be laid back with less of a real mission, then that role would be more suited for folks who aren't 100% dedicated. That is really a better suit for the pre-50 game where the content is more solo oriented, but once you hit endgame it is a totally different game almost. It becomes a stupid gear check rat race that everybody hates but loves at the same time. It is for these exact reasons that organizations have mission statements. I think a lot of the 250-300 people (at its max) were split on the mission of the FC and it caused tension that even you may not have been aware of.

Quick sidenote then I'll move on: The guy harassing the women in the FC (think you know who I'm talking about) stayed way past his welcome. Even thirty minutes would have been too long.

I dont envy your position. I have no aspirations to lead. Sure, I wish someone would trust me enough to give me the keys to the officers quarters, but I'm sure as hell not going to beg for it, or nominate myself. Whats funny is that my position in real life is higher than I've been in either FC. But I want to be an officer. I want that access, but to protect it, not to abuse it. But I'm not begging for it. Still, if others, for whatever reason, dont recognize and nominate me, I'll never get there. I can live with that, but I'll alwasy have the aspiration. You have to recognize that there are others out there in that same boat. I don't play MMOs to pass time. Thats not my goal. I devote my every available moment to trying to build myself to whip *** in the best way possible. I want recognition. And I want to help others to help them get recognition. I want to be the red mage that soloed the unsoloable mob. I want to be the first on Ultros to down Twintania (not going to happen).

It seems like there was a pace issue that was woven into all this as well. Some are in the position it seems to move faster than others. I hear people talk about Aurum Vale and story mode primals and its like I'm recalling the good old days of Aht Urghan. I went back on my paladin and ran Haukke Manor the other day and didnt have a clue where I was going. But ask me to dodge titans HM plumes or pass allagan rot and I'm all about it.

I am where I am, I'm doing endgame. Its fun, I like it a bunch. I'm too close to the top now and I have to keep in that rat race. I used to be there with Battlefield 2 on XBOX when I was #3 sniper on the game. Rat race. If I didnt log on every day and get some headshots I'd be #4, then #5. But in Battelfield 3 when I was sniper #189584 it made it a lot easier to say, "Ah well, tomorrow". But sometimes I wish I could take it easy like you guys. Sure would make my personal life less complicated.

Never mind. Not getting into it


Edited, Nov 5th 2013 11:18am by LebargeX

Damn Drox, you really know how to put it into perspective. I'm nowhere close to king. Maybe I'm just having a rough day.

Edited, Nov 5th 2013 2:18pm by Valkayree

The goal of our FC was never to be the biggest, baddest, most hardcore on the server. It was always meant as a casual place where people could talk, chat, and advance together, and that is exactly what we are doing. I'm pretty sure I made that point clear in the FC meetings, as well as with the FC code of conduct. I'm not going to apologize for living my life while gaming and don't expect anyone to either. As I said, I don't blame anyone for being impatient or wanting something more hardcore. I'm doing the best I can to make our FC successful and respectable and move us forward.

That's really all I have to say, if you'd like to discuss it further, send me a tell in-game.

Would you people stop having a civil discussion! These are video game boards, so start acting like a bunch of immature children right now!

No apologies needed. While the focus of the FC was well defined when you were around, when you were less involved the hardcore faction took over and unofficially redefined the mission. My pace was such that I fell in with those folks. Everyone is good people. Let's leave it at that.

Absolutely correct.

I'd like to share my experiences in ZAM to shed more light on the truth, being the first to step down from ZAM.
As far as Bartel's absence, there was only 1 "meeting" to explain current FC priorities and structure before his leave. This was basically the time he promoted certain people to leadership roles. And all of this promoting was based on "who wants to be a leader or who do you want to be a leader" and was on a whim kinda deal. Nothing was discussed in specifics, just you, you, and you are leaders now. That was the first time to my knowledge the FC was talked about in an organized matter and was the last before Bartel left us for a while. It was long overdue and inefficient. But the people who were designated leaders did their best, and even those who weren't designated leadership stepped up and acted the part to help out as well, especially Duma Katosuki. Bartel did make it abundantly clear about his wedding, sadly that's the only thing he made abundantly clear before leaving.

With that little bit of backstory, I'd like to go over the overall atmosphere/playerbase the FC had. Overall, the FC had a get what you need and never look back" vibe. Everyone who ended up leaving when the "split" happened were the most active and helpful players in the FC. When they logged on, they didn't look at what they wanted to do, they asked FC what they needed help on, and 2 names really shine when I say this: Duma Katosuki and Don Fletcher. I often wonder how they ever geared themselves when they are constantly doing fights for other people. This was a good time at first because a lot of FC members were getting things they needed. Until a little time passes and those members who received so much help would not help anyone else needing it. Almost every member we helped disappeared in FC chat until that glorious day that they realized they want help for something else of theirs. Often we would help/teach a member a fight, or dungeon, and the next day or two later would be asking for people to join them in the same fight to farm and that no newbies were allowed to join. This wasn't something that happens one time, this was the state of most of the FC.

Leader or not, nobody wants to invest a lot of your playtime helping people who don't appreciate that help. Sure it will happen, but in ZAM it was almost a guarantee. That is not something I wish to be around, so after finally getting fed up with it, I decided to take my leave. Yes, I left without so much of a word in FC chat, but everyone who gave a crap about me already knew or was about to find out, and the only people who had a problem with us leaving were the people who were part of the problem to begin.

Puppet troll and lier. Be a man and come out behind the puppet

As an officer, and someone who gave tens of thousands of gil to the FC
I can tell you that I never, ever, ever got acknowled by Bartel.
I was never, ever, ever, sent a mere 6 letter word "Thanks" in reply to the gil I sent each week.
I helped members farm for their craft, sometimes for hours, Bartel included. I freely gave 800 wind
shards to our bsm who left for a new server w/o saying goodbye. I gave 10k to several crafters because
I support the crafting community. Some were grateful.

No one said goodbye that left for the new FC. I was hurt. The issue itself was being dismissed not addressed at all.
Truth was that there was no leadership from Bartel at the time when some of us took over and helped.

And as someone who went on many, many, many runs to help people with hydra, chemira, ifrit, and dungeons,
the same dungeons over and over (stone vigil comes to mind).
I can tell you that helping newly level 50 people was GREAT, and FUN. I felt the gratitude from those we helped.
Even going on Cutters Cry runs again and again with my BLM to help people with their new job was fun.

The person who left Kraken that I missed the most was Duma, because, she is wonderful and so helpful.
About to give birth, and we are going on runs. I can't express enough what an awesome WHM she is and what
and incredible person she is. (((HUGS))) Duma.

I was told by Bartel that the help I gave didnt count be cause it wasn't a scheduled event. WTF? I spent hours
helping. I guess the gil I gave didnt count either.

Some people went to other servers, like Egg - and our gsm.
Others, like Shake went to another FC. I miss you Shake, I really do.

I asked Bartel if he would like me to speak with the people that left to try and reconcile. He was barely
interested and never asked me if I had the conversation.

I thought that maybe we could get our very very helpful people back. Valk, Duma, Xin, Chewe, Don,
and others, sorry if I'm not naming them all. But we took people again and again and helped them up
the ladder to success. I was helped too again and again, and was happy to Pay it Forward.

I missed them so much. I felt like they were my friends, my FC friends.

Bartel, when he got on, I would say hello, like I would to anyone who I saw log on. And never, ever, once, got a response.
I congratulated him on his marriage, no response. Asked how his honeymoon went, no response. He was never friendly
to me, not once.

After many people left, he announced he was not going to lead anymore. He was looking for a leader. People joked
about me being the leader. That felt sad to me.

How great if I could get the people that could lead to come back! Then Bartel changed his mind, he decided to stay
and asked me several times if I was going to be the officer the way it should be and that is to go onto the forum
and schedule an event, otherwise it didnt count.

He invited me to his static shell. 48 hours he broke my pearl w/o an explanation. I had to ask him why after waiting 24 hours
hoping he would give me an explanation. It was nothing I did, he just didnt ask his friends first.
These friends are people who are in the Kraken FC. Wow. What is going on?

He then unfriended me by 'mistake'. Wow, what is going on? Before the Sunday meeting, he told asked
if I was into being an officer. ??? Was Bartel that clueless that he didnt see all I was doing? Apparently, yes.

At the meeting, it was more like him just typing things and not opening it up to suggestions or anyting else.
All week he had said there was much to discuss, but in the meeting, there was no discussion. He talked about
getting new officers because most of them left. As an officer, I nominated about 4 or 5 people, and asked if it was
seconded. People seconded it. Bartel then said, that I was to 'write to him a list of names'. ???
Um were you present at the meeting or in a Fate or something? I have to say this offended me. He felt
absent in the meeting, the way he felt absent all these weeks.
I was downhearted about it and told him in a message that I would not send him a message with the names.

Someone was recording the meeting and he could get the names from there. He said it didnt count.
Wow, somehow it felt like I didnt count. Would I do an event? Ghost, lets do a naked run threw town!
Um really, Bartel said there would be prizes. Um.

In a private conversation with Bartel right after the meeting. I all capped the word YOU. And as a result
he told some people, even someone in Rage, that I yelled at him and that's why he asked me to leave the FC
He didnt think I would be happy in his FC, because I was more advanced then everyone else there (what he said).

Well, gee, it seemed like this was planned (or maybe not) before the meeting took place. I was in a darkplace
all week because of all the people that left, and continued to leave, whether to a different server or another FC.
Could it be he saw me as someone who people wanted to lead the Kraken? If so, Bartel they were joking, I'm not a
threat to anybody's leadership.

I was NOT recruited by Rage FC, they never asked me. So, now Rage was approached and I was told I was welcomed.
That's why I left Kraken, because I was not welcomed. Bartel wanted his officers to lead events. I did say:
"YOU need to lead events and show leadership. It took you from Tuesday to Sunday to have the meeting we just
had. You could have scheduled events and showed us what a leader you can be."

I logged in the next day to find all my pearls were broken.

I didnt receive even one note from anyone in my old FC. There was a small shell that some of the people
in Kraken were in and I deceided to break it because it hurt too much to see them online and not say anything
to me.

I did tell people in the FC that I was leaving, and why. I did say goodbye. I did tell them Bartel asked me to leave.

On Monday, I got an angry tell from Andy asking why I broke the small linkshell he was in with Kazia. Wha?
Not a hello, not a gee sorry you left the Krakens. Just an angry tell. Fortunately, I commenced to duty and
didnt have to respond to him. This hurt me.

I'm in the Rage FC. It's small, its intimate. I have many warm and fuzzy moments with the members I feel
welcomed there, I feel like I belong. I havent done much endgame stuff (Coil), but I did level SMN, SCH, BRD, CUL and ALC.
My BRD and BLM have relics.

So, Kraken, you are in my past. Zam ls, it was great while it lasted. Now I'm in the new FC and I've moved on.
Only ONE person has kept in touch from Kraken. They are not interested in joining me, that's ok, but I do miss
being with them.

Carry on, enjoy the game. Make new friends, keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold.
Good luck in the future no matter what server your on, or what FC you are in.

MWAH!
Grandmomma

This post submitted after intended lockdown.

Edited, Nov 6th 2013 10:37pm by Thayos