Actually I skipped the actual content (I want to care... I really do....) to read the comments!
The comments are pretty entertaining! Good job MMORPG.com community! ^^
From this tiny corner of the community... Yer welcome!
Now turn the PC off and go out... it's Friday night!
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Gee I've been running my guild of RL friends + internet buddies since 1995. We started with Descent moved to UO and are still around today.
But what we do and think isnt newsworthy, well except to us and our friends.
Most likely someone on staff here at MMORPG.com is related to them in some way, either a member directly or friends with leadership. Either way its hilarious and a waste of time.
Second, in terms of noteworthy reasons to report on the guild... More of those are likely to be discussed, on this site, in the coming weeks and months. Debate and feedback are always welcome and encouraged so please join into those discussions. That said, probably the most encompassing statement of why we have something noteworthy to say on some topics is that because for a huge number of the games out there, we assisted in their development in some form or fashion, often long before they were even on the public radar. We consult on them and test them with dozens to several hundred members for months or years before they go live. We typically have completed the go live content; killed the raid bosses; burnt out on the pvp areas; maxed out all the classes; solved all the quests and generally finished the go-live version of the game well before it launches. We don't brag we were the world first to kill XXX boss since its really not a fair race given we are often the only ones on the server when the boss is killed. We also don't put much stock in who stayed up all night versus who had a job and a family and thus killed a boss the next day. We take a more community focused approach and so long as each guild is getting from the game what they need to build their friendships and have a good time, then the game is a success for them.
I was in one of the first TOR beta test groups. About a year ago, when people didn't even know that there was a beta. I was in the alpha testing of CO. I've also beta tested most AAA MMORPGs and a few other MMOs. I've assisted in their development, in some form or fashion, often long before these games were even on the public radar. I've consulted the developers, provided feedback and did pretty much the same thing you guys did.
I think that MMORPG.com should do a monthly article on me. Hell, I've been a member of this site since 2004... I'm not just a gamer, I'M A GOD DAMN FORCE OF NATURE!
Lastly, their public image, if claims are to be believed, is terrible. Demanding guilds not use the word "Syndicate" in their name? Really?
But the strawbreaker is they're not even notable on the servers they're on. They're elitist but not elite having no notable achievements. The types of guilds the community should be interested in are world first, region first, or even server first guilds for the more popular games.
Is it still only one guild in the world that has glory of the cata hero? Interview them. Interview the furthest progressed RIFT guild--ask them about the things the community is talking about like addon usage and do these addons help.
Interview old guilds that are still around accomplishing notable things.. In other words, they weren't "once-great" but still running "full steam" even after years.
I'm curious how many others share that same contention. How many others people in this 'we need more community, less gearscore' forum crowd feel that being the first to complete raids or the first to get a global quest broadcast is more noteworthy than the achievements of a guild that has over a decade of success at comaradarie, teamwork and a solid level of excellence as beta testing and QA.
One would think that when the topic of The Syndicate comes up, people here would be interested in how they keep players in the guild for years or want to talk to members of The Syndicate to find out how their focus on community can be applied to other gaming communities from guilds to factions to whole shards.
Guilds like Lost Order of Akalabeth, KGB and The Syndicate are guilds that both players and developers can learn a lot from. I'm not in The Syndicate but over the past decade or so I have interacted with them as a player, as a journalist and as a developer. I can say with complete confidence that the hatred displayed on these boards is both odd and appalling... let alone baseless.
Well said. Unfortunatly when people see things they can't hope to achieve they atack and demean them.
C'mon people! Who wouldn't be proud of having a guild this large thats been around as long and is used by gaming producers to test games????
FYI, they don't 'go after 'anyone' using thier name but if someone is acting like they are the real deal and are behaving poorly they will go after them to protect thier name. Read a little on the site and maybe that will help explain the purpose of copywriting.
Once again there are a group of people who claim 'lots' of guilds have been around longer but never a mention of who they might be. The who should be one with a web site and not a name that has been reused several times over the years.
Grats to Dragons and the Syndicate for being the oldest continuously operated guild and wow...it must be great to be involved in working with games in pre-pre beta and learning what goes into a game.
I could care less about some egotistical guild getting a spotlight. I have been playing mmo's since they were mud's and one thing that has always proved to be true over the years is that gigantic guilds are not better than a small guild just because they have more members, period.
The Synthesize guild needs to just fade away like all the other large guilds have in the past when their members want to be apart of something they can contribute to and not be just another number.
Near-unanimous reaction by a community is an astounding thing from a group of people that can barely agree that yes, indeed, WoW's graphics are better than Tetris.
Now that was funny!
"Oh my, how horrible, someone is criticizing a MMO. Oh yeah, that is what a forum is about, looking at both sides. You rather have to be critical of anything in this genre as of late because the track record of these major studios has just been appalling." -Ozmodan
For me it isn't jealousy. It's more like surprise. I wonder how a particular guild gets so much exposure without any really newsworthy substance as it is the second article in a week on this guild.
Actually I understand if a good April Fool's joke gets coverage, (this one wasn't that good really,) but the previous article which was ment to inform, lacked interesting, notable substance as well. It was appropriately called an "update". An update with not much to talk about. I could very much understand mmorpg.com featuring guild interviews and information in news items but there should be a good reason.
So if specific, newsworthy information, which other mmorpg players can relate to wasn't the motive for giving them exposure, what was?
Secondly there have been a remarkable amount of people posting about receiving cease and desist letters because their guildname happens to be similar, which leads me to believe that these guys aren't seeing themselves so much as a guild but as a company, and project this view on other guilds rather than taking them for the non-profit social clubs which they really are. I think that is a very iffy practice, especially as "The Syndicate" is such an obvious and typical guild name.
Heh, been playing since the dawn of the genre and this is only the second time I have ever even heard of this guild. And imagine that, both times from here :P
First, while our name is protected by two Trademarks (and several legal agreements with various developers based on those marks) the tall tales of wild enforcement actions make for good troll posts but do not line up with reality.
LOL
This alone makes me laugh.
You do realise that "The Syndicate" is an untrademarkable phrase, right? Due to various concepts (namely the fact it's very generic and it has been used LOOONG before your guild) and you're dicks for trying to get it to be legally trademarked.
I couldn't care about anything else. I've never heard about this terribad guild and they really don't matter to me. This level of "BUT IT'S TRAAADEMAAAARKED" douchebaggery is absolutely fucking hilarious.
You shot yourself in the foot with this post, man.
So, can a MMORPG.com staff member answer why the Syndicate is getting coverage? I haven't been here for long, but I am considering to stop coming to this site if there is such blatant favorism.
Now, people are going to say "Jealousy" etc etc, but I really don't understand what the reason is why only one guild is getting coverage. Now, I understand they have done something to deserve that and I wouldn't have minded one article on them, but why not make sort of a weekly article featuring different guilds? There are other guilds who have a lot of members, who have comradeship, have beta tested various games and surely have interesting things to tell. I think a small guild would also be worth writing about, why have they decided to stay small, what are the disadvantages/advantages of a small guild, or a big guild, a raiding or social guild, etc....
All those things would have interested me as a gamer. Some April Joke of one guild does not. Sorry Syndicate, I haven't dealt with any of your members, so I can't exactly say you are jerks, but I really hate favorism the most. I am here to get news about MMOs in general, not about what just one guild is doing.
If the Syndicate is helping to develop all these awesome games, and is doing all these tests with developers during beta, why is it that on world of warcraft they are a second rate guild? Not once have I even seen Synidcate get close to a world first kill, so if you had so much time to beta and test bosses and the like, why is it that in the live no one has gotten any noteworth achievements in game from your guild? So you got exclusive rights of testing content and assumingly learned it inner workings in tha time, but even with all that extra time to learn content you still fail hardcore at it?
So you're an old guild that still plays UO, and refuses to have any significant presence in any new games besides wow and that even that presence in wow is lackluster at best? Oh boy.
Yeah its great to have a guild thats long lasting and has alot of members...so if the goons had 20+ years of being the goons, does that make them any less crap for being an annoying horde of players? Does longevity somehow negate being a terrible player, with a bad attitude?
tldr: guilds are not like wine they don't magically become better with age.
If the Syndicate is helping to develop all these awesome games, and is doing all these tests with developers during beta, why is it that on world of warcraft they are a second rate guild? Not once have I even seen Synidcate get close to a world first kill, so if you had so much time to beta and test bosses and the like, why is it that in the live no one has gotten any noteworth achievements in game from your guild?
It's entirely possible that it is rather boring completing a puzzle that you helped create. It's also very probable that part of their agreement is that they are prohibited in their contracts from geting world firsts lest the tinfoil hat crowd cries foul.
@Heartless - While there is a massive leap between what you do in an Alpha/Beta/FAF and The Syndicate's contracted producer-level interactions, you've been a member of the MMO community for quite a while, spending half that time blogging about it. I'm quite sure that if you submitted a particularly insightful, humorous or controversial article from your site to MMORPG.com they would post a news article about it. The same goes for Paragus, Teala Te'jir and quite a few others here with some really great insight into MMO and game development.
The problem is that when anyone starts to rise above this pack, this pack tears them down. The minute someone is getting their articles covered, the pack here pounces on them "MMORPG.com is a shill of game x so they are giving exposure to the shill who's shilling for game x!" "they must be a friend of the editor" "who they hell are they? I never heard of them so they must be nobody" However, on the flip side, the minute some unknown says he's making a revolutionary MMO and fires off the most ludicrous wishlist of a feature list he immediately has five dozen disciples worshipping at his feet... with complete disregard for history and logic.
It's insanity.
I'd really like to see more spotlight stuff on Heartless, Paragus, Teala, KeenandGraev and other knowledgeable players. I'd also like to see more people take advantage of these opportunities (ex: having the ear of Dragon of TS) to have the discussions on community and development that are obviously hot topics judging by the massive threadnaughts that appear around hrere regarding player interaction, innovation and 'immersion'.
Want to know how devs have worked toward building better community? TS can probably field that question for you.
Want to know what goes into making a raid dungeon difficult enough to prevent everyone from completing it on the first day? TS can probably answer that as well.
Want to know what kind of hurdles devs face when creating guild-focused content and features? Sounds like something TS could probably answer, also.
My one challenge to every poster here is this: If you are about to post something negative - STOP - think about what questions you have about guilds and game design that TS might be able to answer, and post that instead. It's probably a question that a lot of other people here would be interested in hearing the answer to so, if nothing else, you'd be doing something cool for your fellow MMORPG.com members.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
So, can a MMORPG.com staff member answer why the Syndicate is getting coverage? I haven't been here for long, but I am considering to stop coming to this site if there is such blatant favorism.
Now, people are going to say "Jealousy" etc etc, but I really don't understand what the reason is why only one guild is getting coverage. Now, I understand they have done something to deserve that and I wouldn't have minded one article on them, but why not make sort of a weekly article featuring different guilds? There are other guilds who have a lot of members, who have comradeship, have beta tested various games and surely have interesting things to tell. I think a small guild would also be worth writing about, why have they decided to stay small, what are the disadvantages/advantages of a small guild, or a big guild, a raiding or social guild, etc....
All those things would have interested me as a gamer. Some April Joke of one guild does not. Sorry Syndicate, I haven't dealt with any of your members, so I can't exactly say you are jerks, but I really hate favorism the most. I am here to get news about MMOs in general, not about what just one guild is doing.
Don't worry.... us veteran posters completely agree with you. It just shows how out of touch the MMORPG.com staff is with the people that actually visit their website.
The majority of us do not care about this guild and I for one am getting sick of seeing "news" articles about them.
The quality of the news coverage here has really tanked the last few years, it just keeps getting worse (this article is proof of that). I'm to the point that I only come here for maybe 5-10 minutes a day to see if there's any interesting forum posts (I used to spend hours reading articles and posting on the forums).
I haven't bothered reading a news article for months.
"There is as yet insufficient data for a meaningful answer."
Aref - To help educate everyone a little bit on Trademarks ... not only is "The Syndicate" able to be trademarked but it was done so over 5 years ago. That means that it is now unchallengeable as to its legitimacy or for anyone else to claim earlier first use. In terms of those other examples you sited, trademarks are done only for a specific area of commerce. You can be "Hooters the Car Dealership" and not violate the Hooters restaurant chain's trademark. You can only protect your name within your area of commerce. In our case that is within the gaming space and supporting guild websites. In fact a major gaming company just bumped into our mark working on a similarly titled game and we ended up putting some legal documents in place so as to confirm we agreed there was no conflict. Hopefully that helps clarify a bit more on how marks work.
In terms of why our opinion gets asked about for some articles... it is perhaps due in part to the fact that the major news sites all have views behind the scenes of game development that most readers do not. Time and again they bump into us behind that same curtain. So there is a knowledge that there is a unique perspective on some aspects of gaming that can be shared that there are no other major guild entities able to offer with the same level of breadth, depth and duration. There are certainly groups involved in game X or Y.. or people involved in things (such as the SWTOR example person above) but in terms of having a single group that has seen and influenced and helped with most things over the past 15 years, there is no other source. Thus an article every 4-6 months on things going on has relevance. While it is also fun for the trolls, the exposure given by all of the trolling posts also creates new opportunities so its actually a good thing.
In terms of the kinds of things that are done that are different or special or simply not something you may have heard of or reaized was done, here are a few examples...
Imagine there is a FPS maker. They are early in their development. They have a title you haven't heard of yet but its playable and in need of some early testing. Perhaps that is server stress testing; perhaps that is early systems testing; perhaps some initial map run throughs. They do not want the game to leak to the public. They need several hundred people to achieve their results. They want those results over a very short window of time. They want a consolidated, professional report at the end rather than sifting through reams of bug and feedback reports. They don't have the time or desire to deal with all the NDAs, handing out keys, installation issues etc.. and need whomever they work with to provide a complete turn-key solution, with complete confidentiality, and that has a track record of success so they can count on getting the quality results they want in the timeframe they need it. And when all is said and done, they want the game as secret as they currently have it. - That kind of scenario is one The Syndicate gets involved in several times a year. We provide that turn key solution, with a track record of results and with 0 leaks.
Imagine there is a RPG creator. They are in pre-production. They have design documents and concepts. They have a vision for how the core systems of the game will work. The game remains shrouded in shadow. The information is business critical to them and they cannot afford for it to leak. By the same token, they need a cross-section of their target audience (age, location, socio-economic status, play styles, gaming habits etc..) to provide feedback on those core systems and directions to see if they are heading in a direction that offers them a chance at success. They turn to The Syndicate to provide that team, flown in from around the country (and sometimes around the world) to go on site and provide that review and comments. Multiple teams over multiple months with different charateristics are used to provide a full cross section. Those teams follow the game through development providing early feedback until the hand-off when a larger scale testing presence can be done. The Syndicate fills that gap.
Imagine you are a gaming hardware manufacturer. Perhaps you make complete computers. Perhaps you create accessories and peripherals and internal components. There is whole behind the scenes process that goes into the creation of that hardware that is not just about specs and speed. There are ergonomic studies of how users make use of the items within their gaming space. There are usability studies. There are asthetic studies. There are, of course, also real world game testing studies putting the hardware under load in real conditions and seeing how it holds up. In all cases the information is buisness critical and proprietary to the manufacturers who consider it a competitive advantage. They need to evaluate all of those things against the cross section of their target audience and they need to do so in secrecy without leaks and with a group that has a track record of results. The Syndicate fills those needs.
Those are three brief examples but the list could go on with MMO developers, software developers and so on. We've been doing this for many years and many of the games you enjoy have a component of our involvement. We do it discretely behind the scenes and we do our work well enough that we continually pick up new roles based on the success of the previous ones.
So, the humorous rantings of the trolls aside, there is definitely a unique perspective The Syndicate can bring to news articles that you will likely see more of, on this site, in the future.
I'm not personally "offended" that a guild is getting coverage on MMORPG.com. I am curious why it's TS in particular.
"Well, they've helped shape the games we play..."... And? I've been in at least a dozen different betas, even a few alphas, and have done my share of providing feedback, both in terms of bugs and suggestions. I guess my contribution - and that of many others - means squat, because we aren't members of TS? I've known plenty of people who had an entire guild in the betas for MMOs... and they did their share of providing useful feedback to the devs. But because their guild wasn't called "The Syndicate", their contributions don't matter?
"But TS members have written Prima guides!". Great, so they wrote guides about games that are out-dated rapidly once the game launches and more and more changes are made, not to mention as the game matures. I used to buy Prima Guides, and stopped once I realized that they all became useless. Aside from that, I know people who have written some excellent guides that have been posted and used and recommended by many other players. I guess because he wasn't part of The Syndicate when he wrote them, that his contribution to the community doesn't matter? I would say his contribution was more sincere and generous because he was doing it for pure love of the game and wanting to give back to it in some way. TS, it seems, does it more as a "business" practice.
Personally, reading about them, I would have no interest in joining them simply because it sounds like they run themselves more like some corporate organization than as a collection of people who share the same interests grouping up in-game. Being a "professional guild member in a video game" just seems a tad hollow to me and sorta misses the point of joining a guild in a MMO.
And before someone tries to spin it as "jealousy" on my part... Nope. Not at all. Wish 'em all the best, but I sincerely would have no interest in being a member of such a group.
{mod edit}
If they want to cover certain guilds in MMOs, then fine... but go all the way with it. Create a section to the site that features and highlights different guilds from different games. Call it "Guild Watch" or something... That would be fine.
I can definitely see, though, where people could think that having a site that doesn't routinely do so give special attention to a single guild is a tad dubious. And, though I was a member of an org in Anarchy Online called The Syndicate for a time (not sure if it's any relation), I can honestly say that if not for the articles on this site, I'd have no idea who they were anyway.
{mod edit}
"If you just step away for a sec you will clearly see all the pot holes in the road, and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Another contentless article about a guild no one cares about except the egotistical trademarked guild members. What a bad joke. With that, Im out. See you fellas in GW2 - be sure to join my renowned guild the Syndicate. No offense Syndication.
I come here to read about games not guilds. Im sure you all have some self promoting forums where you go to pat each other on the back and reassure yourselves that you are the best thing ever. Thats fine. I wouldn't go there because I dont care. I dont know why this site has to bring you here.
Just because these Syndicate members are obnoxious as hell, I was actually taking this seriously for a bit. Now looking on it I don't see how this is even supposed to be funny.
I have to admit if they are the same guys from planetside way back in the day most of them where a good bunch. VS guys that played 2003 - 2005.
Then again popular name for guilds to use the currently there is a Guild playing planetside as NC now talk about who's and a bunch of idiots hope the VS guys where you and not the ones who currently play as NC.
Always hard to tell The Syndicate is not an original name ever since the Amiga days people used it to death for gaming guilds and names.
I'm pretty sure you can not trademark Syndicate due to how much the term is used. Yes no one likes copy cat guilds giving your guild a bad name. But let's face it there are small guilds out there that are not trying to copy you. I think it is silly and a little stupid you would make people rename the guild because the name is a little like yours.
Comments
They should keep posting.
Actually I skipped the actual content (I want to care... I really do....) to read the comments!
The comments are pretty entertaining! Good job MMORPG.com community! ^^
From this tiny corner of the community... Yer welcome!
Now turn the PC off and go out... it's Friday night!
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Never heard of them.
Move along nothing to see here!
My guild has more members and been around longer.....
Gee I've been running my guild of RL friends + internet buddies since 1995. We started with Descent moved to UO and are still around today.
But what we do and think isnt newsworthy, well except to us and our friends.
Most likely someone on staff here at MMORPG.com is related to them in some way, either a member directly or friends with leadership. Either way its hilarious and a waste of time.
I was in one of the first TOR beta test groups. About a year ago, when people didn't even know that there was a beta. I was in the alpha testing of CO. I've also beta tested most AAA MMORPGs and a few other MMOs. I've assisted in their development, in some form or fashion, often long before these games were even on the public radar. I've consulted the developers, provided feedback and did pretty much the same thing you guys did.
I think that MMORPG.com should do a monthly article on me. Hell, I've been a member of this site since 2004... I'm not just a gamer, I'M A GOD DAMN FORCE OF NATURE!
Well said. Unfortunatly when people see things they can't hope to achieve they atack and demean them.
C'mon people! Who wouldn't be proud of having a guild this large thats been around as long and is used by gaming producers to test games????
FYI, they don't 'go after 'anyone' using thier name but if someone is acting like they are the real deal and are behaving poorly they will go after them to protect thier name. Read a little on the site and maybe that will help explain the purpose of copywriting.
Once again there are a group of people who claim 'lots' of guilds have been around longer but never a mention of who they might be. The who should be one with a web site and not a name that has been reused several times over the years.
Grats to Dragons and the Syndicate for being the oldest continuously operated guild and wow...it must be great to be involved in working with games in pre-pre beta and learning what goes into a game.
Maybe it was on here just to see WHO would Actually look at and read it, even though professing to think and say they are rubbish.
I am an Abstract sort of Creature
Who Dislikes any sort of Restraint
If you try to pigeonhole me
I Will Break Free!
I could care less about some egotistical guild getting a spotlight. I have been playing mmo's since they were mud's and one thing that has always proved to be true over the years is that gigantic guilds are not better than a small guild just because they have more members, period.
The Synthesize guild needs to just fade away like all the other large guilds have in the past when their members want to be apart of something they can contribute to and not be just another number.
Jealousy is a Terrible thing!
I am an Abstract sort of Creature
Who Dislikes any sort of Restraint
If you try to pigeonhole me
I Will Break Free!
Now that was funny!
"Oh my, how horrible, someone is criticizing a MMO. Oh yeah, that is what a forum is about, looking at both sides. You rather have to be critical of anything in this genre as of late because the track record of these major studios has just been appalling." -Ozmodan
For me it isn't jealousy. It's more like surprise. I wonder how a particular guild gets so much exposure without any really newsworthy substance as it is the second article in a week on this guild.
Actually I understand if a good April Fool's joke gets coverage, (this one wasn't that good really,) but the previous article which was ment to inform, lacked interesting, notable substance as well. It was appropriately called an "update". An update with not much to talk about. I could very much understand mmorpg.com featuring guild interviews and information in news items but there should be a good reason.
So if specific, newsworthy information, which other mmorpg players can relate to wasn't the motive for giving them exposure, what was?
Secondly there have been a remarkable amount of people posting about receiving cease and desist letters because their guildname happens to be similar, which leads me to believe that these guys aren't seeing themselves so much as a guild but as a company, and project this view on other guilds rather than taking them for the non-profit social clubs which they really are. I think that is a very iffy practice, especially as "The Syndicate" is such an obvious and typical guild name.
My brand new bloggity blog.
Heh, been playing since the dawn of the genre and this is only the second time I have ever even heard of this guild. And imagine that, both times from here :P
http://www.speedtest.net/result/7300033012
LOL
This alone makes me laugh.
You do realise that "The Syndicate" is an untrademarkable phrase, right? Due to various concepts (namely the fact it's very generic and it has been used LOOONG before your guild) and you're dicks for trying to get it to be legally trademarked.
I couldn't care about anything else. I've never heard about this terribad guild and they really don't matter to me. This level of "BUT IT'S TRAAADEMAAAARKED" douchebaggery is absolutely fucking hilarious.
You shot yourself in the foot with this post, man.
EDIT: Google "The Syndicate". For me, they're the 7th one down. Below a night club in Blackpool and a Wikipedia article on The Syndicate in the X-Files. Are you going to send cease and desist letters to these, too?!
Absolutely hilarious.
Add me on Steam!
Me and a Friend are Bad At Games
So, can a MMORPG.com staff member answer why the Syndicate is getting coverage? I haven't been here for long, but I am considering to stop coming to this site if there is such blatant favorism.
Now, people are going to say "Jealousy" etc etc, but I really don't understand what the reason is why only one guild is getting coverage. Now, I understand they have done something to deserve that and I wouldn't have minded one article on them, but why not make sort of a weekly article featuring different guilds? There are other guilds who have a lot of members, who have comradeship, have beta tested various games and surely have interesting things to tell. I think a small guild would also be worth writing about, why have they decided to stay small, what are the disadvantages/advantages of a small guild, or a big guild, a raiding or social guild, etc....
All those things would have interested me as a gamer. Some April Joke of one guild does not. Sorry Syndicate, I haven't dealt with any of your members, so I can't exactly say you are jerks, but I really hate favorism the most. I am here to get news about MMOs in general, not about what just one guild is doing.
So my question is this,
If the Syndicate is helping to develop all these awesome games, and is doing all these tests with developers during beta, why is it that on world of warcraft they are a second rate guild? Not once have I even seen Synidcate get close to a world first kill, so if you had so much time to beta and test bosses and the like, why is it that in the live no one has gotten any noteworth achievements in game from your guild? So you got exclusive rights of testing content and assumingly learned it inner workings in tha time, but even with all that extra time to learn content you still fail hardcore at it?
So you're an old guild that still plays UO, and refuses to have any significant presence in any new games besides wow and that even that presence in wow is lackluster at best? Oh boy.
Yeah its great to have a guild thats long lasting and has alot of members...so if the goons had 20+ years of being the goons, does that make them any less crap for being an annoying horde of players? Does longevity somehow negate being a terrible player, with a bad attitude?
tldr: guilds are not like wine they don't magically become better with age.
It's entirely possible that it is rather boring completing a puzzle that you helped create. It's also very probable that part of their agreement is that they are prohibited in their contracts from geting world firsts lest the tinfoil hat crowd cries foul.
@Heartless - While there is a massive leap between what you do in an Alpha/Beta/FAF and The Syndicate's contracted producer-level interactions, you've been a member of the MMO community for quite a while, spending half that time blogging about it. I'm quite sure that if you submitted a particularly insightful, humorous or controversial article from your site to MMORPG.com they would post a news article about it. The same goes for Paragus, Teala Te'jir and quite a few others here with some really great insight into MMO and game development.
The problem is that when anyone starts to rise above this pack, this pack tears them down. The minute someone is getting their articles covered, the pack here pounces on them "MMORPG.com is a shill of game x so they are giving exposure to the shill who's shilling for game x!" "they must be a friend of the editor" "who they hell are they? I never heard of them so they must be nobody" However, on the flip side, the minute some unknown says he's making a revolutionary MMO and fires off the most ludicrous wishlist of a feature list he immediately has five dozen disciples worshipping at his feet... with complete disregard for history and logic.
It's insanity.
I'd really like to see more spotlight stuff on Heartless, Paragus, Teala, KeenandGraev and other knowledgeable players. I'd also like to see more people take advantage of these opportunities (ex: having the ear of Dragon of TS) to have the discussions on community and development that are obviously hot topics judging by the massive threadnaughts that appear around hrere regarding player interaction, innovation and 'immersion'.
Want to know how devs have worked toward building better community? TS can probably field that question for you.
Want to know what goes into making a raid dungeon difficult enough to prevent everyone from completing it on the first day? TS can probably answer that as well.
Want to know what kind of hurdles devs face when creating guild-focused content and features? Sounds like something TS could probably answer, also.
My one challenge to every poster here is this: If you are about to post something negative - STOP - think about what questions you have about guilds and game design that TS might be able to answer, and post that instead. It's probably a question that a lot of other people here would be interested in hearing the answer to so, if nothing else, you'd be doing something cool for your fellow MMORPG.com members.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Don't worry.... us veteran posters completely agree with you. It just shows how out of touch the MMORPG.com staff is with the people that actually visit their website.
The majority of us do not care about this guild and I for one am getting sick of seeing "news" articles about them.
The quality of the news coverage here has really tanked the last few years, it just keeps getting worse (this article is proof of that). I'm to the point that I only come here for maybe 5-10 minutes a day to see if there's any interesting forum posts (I used to spend hours reading articles and posting on the forums).
I haven't bothered reading a news article for months.
"There is as yet insufficient data for a meaningful answer."
Aref - To help educate everyone a little bit on Trademarks ... not only is "The Syndicate" able to be trademarked but it was done so over 5 years ago. That means that it is now unchallengeable as to its legitimacy or for anyone else to claim earlier first use. In terms of those other examples you sited, trademarks are done only for a specific area of commerce. You can be "Hooters the Car Dealership" and not violate the Hooters restaurant chain's trademark. You can only protect your name within your area of commerce. In our case that is within the gaming space and supporting guild websites. In fact a major gaming company just bumped into our mark working on a similarly titled game and we ended up putting some legal documents in place so as to confirm we agreed there was no conflict. Hopefully that helps clarify a bit more on how marks work.
In terms of why our opinion gets asked about for some articles... it is perhaps due in part to the fact that the major news sites all have views behind the scenes of game development that most readers do not. Time and again they bump into us behind that same curtain. So there is a knowledge that there is a unique perspective on some aspects of gaming that can be shared that there are no other major guild entities able to offer with the same level of breadth, depth and duration. There are certainly groups involved in game X or Y.. or people involved in things (such as the SWTOR example person above) but in terms of having a single group that has seen and influenced and helped with most things over the past 15 years, there is no other source. Thus an article every 4-6 months on things going on has relevance. While it is also fun for the trolls, the exposure given by all of the trolling posts also creates new opportunities so its actually a good thing.
In terms of the kinds of things that are done that are different or special or simply not something you may have heard of or reaized was done, here are a few examples...
Imagine there is a FPS maker. They are early in their development. They have a title you haven't heard of yet but its playable and in need of some early testing. Perhaps that is server stress testing; perhaps that is early systems testing; perhaps some initial map run throughs. They do not want the game to leak to the public. They need several hundred people to achieve their results. They want those results over a very short window of time. They want a consolidated, professional report at the end rather than sifting through reams of bug and feedback reports. They don't have the time or desire to deal with all the NDAs, handing out keys, installation issues etc.. and need whomever they work with to provide a complete turn-key solution, with complete confidentiality, and that has a track record of success so they can count on getting the quality results they want in the timeframe they need it. And when all is said and done, they want the game as secret as they currently have it. - That kind of scenario is one The Syndicate gets involved in several times a year. We provide that turn key solution, with a track record of results and with 0 leaks.
Imagine there is a RPG creator. They are in pre-production. They have design documents and concepts. They have a vision for how the core systems of the game will work. The game remains shrouded in shadow. The information is business critical to them and they cannot afford for it to leak. By the same token, they need a cross-section of their target audience (age, location, socio-economic status, play styles, gaming habits etc..) to provide feedback on those core systems and directions to see if they are heading in a direction that offers them a chance at success. They turn to The Syndicate to provide that team, flown in from around the country (and sometimes around the world) to go on site and provide that review and comments. Multiple teams over multiple months with different charateristics are used to provide a full cross section. Those teams follow the game through development providing early feedback until the hand-off when a larger scale testing presence can be done. The Syndicate fills that gap.
Imagine you are a gaming hardware manufacturer. Perhaps you make complete computers. Perhaps you create accessories and peripherals and internal components. There is whole behind the scenes process that goes into the creation of that hardware that is not just about specs and speed. There are ergonomic studies of how users make use of the items within their gaming space. There are usability studies. There are asthetic studies. There are, of course, also real world game testing studies putting the hardware under load in real conditions and seeing how it holds up. In all cases the information is buisness critical and proprietary to the manufacturers who consider it a competitive advantage. They need to evaluate all of those things against the cross section of their target audience and they need to do so in secrecy without leaks and with a group that has a track record of results. The Syndicate fills those needs.
Those are three brief examples but the list could go on with MMO developers, software developers and so on. We've been doing this for many years and many of the games you enjoy have a component of our involvement. We do it discretely behind the scenes and we do our work well enough that we continually pick up new roles based on the success of the previous ones.
So, the humorous rantings of the trolls aside, there is definitely a unique perspective The Syndicate can bring to news articles that you will likely see more of, on this site, in the future.
The Syndicate
I'm not personally "offended" that a guild is getting coverage on MMORPG.com. I am curious why it's TS in particular.
"Well, they've helped shape the games we play..."... And? I've been in at least a dozen different betas, even a few alphas, and have done my share of providing feedback, both in terms of bugs and suggestions. I guess my contribution - and that of many others - means squat, because we aren't members of TS? I've known plenty of people who had an entire guild in the betas for MMOs... and they did their share of providing useful feedback to the devs. But because their guild wasn't called "The Syndicate", their contributions don't matter?
"But TS members have written Prima guides!". Great, so they wrote guides about games that are out-dated rapidly once the game launches and more and more changes are made, not to mention as the game matures. I used to buy Prima Guides, and stopped once I realized that they all became useless. Aside from that, I know people who have written some excellent guides that have been posted and used and recommended by many other players. I guess because he wasn't part of The Syndicate when he wrote them, that his contribution to the community doesn't matter? I would say his contribution was more sincere and generous because he was doing it for pure love of the game and wanting to give back to it in some way. TS, it seems, does it more as a "business" practice.
Personally, reading about them, I would have no interest in joining them simply because it sounds like they run themselves more like some corporate organization than as a collection of people who share the same interests grouping up in-game. Being a "professional guild member in a video game" just seems a tad hollow to me and sorta misses the point of joining a guild in a MMO.
And before someone tries to spin it as "jealousy" on my part... Nope. Not at all. Wish 'em all the best, but I sincerely would have no interest in being a member of such a group.
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If they want to cover certain guilds in MMOs, then fine... but go all the way with it. Create a section to the site that features and highlights different guilds from different games. Call it "Guild Watch" or something... That would be fine.
I can definitely see, though, where people could think that having a site that doesn't routinely do so give special attention to a single guild is a tad dubious. And, though I was a member of an org in Anarchy Online called The Syndicate for a time (not sure if it's any relation), I can honestly say that if not for the articles on this site, I'd have no idea who they were anyway.
{mod edit}
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
This surely must be some sort of wind-up for who on earth would want their Guild name to be assoicated with WOW.
Another contentless article about a guild no one cares about except the egotistical trademarked guild members. What a bad joke. With that, Im out. See you fellas in GW2 - be sure to join my renowned guild the Syndicate. No offense Syndication.
I come here to read about games not guilds. Im sure you all have some self promoting forums where you go to pat each other on the back and reassure yourselves that you are the best thing ever. Thats fine. I wouldn't go there because I dont care. I dont know why this site has to bring you here.
Just because these Syndicate members are obnoxious as hell, I was actually taking this seriously for a bit. Now looking on it I don't see how this is even supposed to be funny.
All jokes aside,
I have to admit if they are the same guys from planetside way back in the day most of them where a good bunch. VS guys that played 2003 - 2005.
Then again popular name for guilds to use the currently there is a Guild playing planetside as NC now talk about who's and a bunch of idiots hope the VS guys where you and not the ones who currently play as NC.
Always hard to tell The Syndicate is not an original name ever since the Amiga days people used it to death for gaming guilds and names.
I'm pretty sure you can not trademark Syndicate due to how much the term is used. Yes no one likes copy cat guilds giving your guild a bad name. But let's face it there are small guilds out there that are not trying to copy you. I think it is silly and a little stupid you would make people rename the guild because the name is a little like yours.
Sorry for typos using iPhone....