OcR ROWEBLAST
06-16-2010, 03:42 AM
It is time to bring back a tradition lost in the dawning of the New Year. That’s right boys and girls. I’m talking about the OcR Monthly Clan Update. But, given the length of time since our last update I have no choice but to call this the Spring 2010: OcR Clan Update!
Without further ado, may I present the…
Spring 2010: OcR Clan Update
In case you haven’t noticed, quite a bit has been going on around here as of recent. We have been saddened to see friends go and have been pleased to welcome new members into our community. We have experienced the thrill of the new era of Halo, in the Halo: Reach public beta testing. We have enjoyed the opportunity to come together and meet some members of our community face-to-face. On top of all this, we have participated (and continue to participate) in a number of competitive and recreational matches and tournaments. Where, oh where do we begin?
Friends lost and friends found
As is true with any community there will be a loss of members and family due to time constraints, personal issues, and a whole host of other reasons. We have seen a number of staff members and competitive players step down from their roles this spring. Folks like OcR FoRk and OcR Thryx have stepped down from their positions within our competitive MLG team, Royale. However, they have not left us entirely as of yet. We have had members move into permanent retirement, such as OcR Viceraz and OcR Valorius. Both of these gentlemen are former staff and their presence will be missed. Other notable departures include : OcR Swick, Memoryyyy, OcR Dr Holliday (from competition), OcR Tommy Guns, and a few others not mentioned. Very recently another important person in our community has announced his semi-retirement (for lack of a better term) as he prepares for the birth of his daughter. Of course the man I am talking about, is none other than OcR Envy. To read more about his paternity leave follow the link.
Envy’s time away (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=22849).
There is a flip side to this coin. During this time we have been honored to welcome a myriad of new faces into the innermost part of our community, the clan membership. Some have been here for a bit, but nonetheless I would like to extend a welcome to them into our family. OcR SpeedDemon, Von Eagletron, OcR Ryder, ChimpAdict7, OcR Cake. Let us also welcome our two newest members OcR Master, and OcR GirlyK into our ranks!
Also this spring we have been able to implement a new system within the rank of member to distinguish and honor those who have shown continued support and dedication to OcR. The Honored Member status is given to those whom have been an active and dedicated member to our community for over one year. We have seen a good deal of persons meet the criteria since the turn of the New Year.
Of the friends found, most notably I must mention staff. Of course I am talking about none other that OcR Rhino! (and you thought I was going to toot my own horn) Rhino, a former Overlord, has returned to full active status again this spring, hurrah! For those who haven’t had the privilege to meet our former-now-current Overlord, I’m certain the opportunity will present itself shortly. It is always a treat to have former friends rejoin us. This spring has also given us a new staff member, OcR ROWEBLAST, filling in as the head of public relations (alas, I could not avoid a shameless plug for myself).
Halo: Reach, beta
This May anyone with a copy of Halo 3: ODST was treated to a few weeks of beta goodness. For those with a copy, the fun times stated May 3rd. There were also a privileged few… cough, chough OcR Envy, OcR ROCKETR, cough… who were treated to an early opportunity to play.
First reactions were pretty well split between positive and negative impressions. Something new and shiny? I guess that’s enough to scare some people. Armor abilities, reticule bloom, and new weaponry… Halo: Reach certainly marks a new era in Halo game play!
The good the bad and the ugly of reach.
The good: New graphics and an addition of dirtiness / grittiness to the overall look. This was, after all a game based on a gritty war. Armor abilities bring a new aspect to tactical game play. Yes, they need tweaking, but for the most part they are a great new way to modify how we play the game. Sprint makes travel across a map easy peasy, armor-lock makes for some good laughs, invisibility is always fun for the campers, and flying around the map is quite a treat. New weaponry such as the Battle Rifle’s replacement, the Designated Marksman Rifle, or DMR have given us something to drool over. I mean who doesn’t like a scoped weapon with a reticule the size and shape of the sniper rifle? Talk about accuracy. One last thing, game type voting replaced the one choice veto option of Halo 3. This mean you can now pick from one of three games, or choose to see three new options!
The bad: Reticule bloom. It’s there, it stinks, get used to it. One would think a group of super soldiers would not have accuracy issues regardless of the situation they are put in. Then again, these are only Spartan-III’s we’re talking about here, not the Master Chief. Hit boxes. The heads’ hit boxes weren’t where the head was, this made swat interesting. Sprint + Hammer. Simply put you became a brain-bashing monster with this combination. Let's not forget the failure that was Invasion matchmaking. Need I say more?
The ugly: Focus rifles. Goodbye kills, hello assists. Juggernaut. Fun if you’re the one on fire holding a hammer and a mega-overshield. Not so much fun otherwise. Blargs… elites are always going to be ugly.
There are still a number of other good and bad things I have not even bothered mentioning yet. But remember, that was just a beta. It was not nearly as complete nor polished as was the Halo 3 beta of the past. However, overall impressions at the conclusion of the beta were positive. Whether you like it or not Halo: Reach is our future and being so we will have to accept it. Given the changes that Bungie has announced they will be making, I have complete confidence that we will love the final product that is, Halo: Reach. I will admit it might take a bit of adaptation and adjustment on our part.
LAN 2010: MLG Columbus
Earlier this month a number of members from OcR as well as a few community allies packed their bags and headed to Ohio for a weekend filled with good times. From Thursday through Sunday we watched some professionals work opponents, played some customs ourselves, and otherwise enjoyed the city of Columbus. The attendees of the event traveled and accumulated total of over 3800 miles, going to and from the gathering!
If you want to get the down low on this awesome weekend, hit the link below. I will warn you though, a long read awaits you! There are plenty of photos after the jump.
LAN 2010 Write-Up (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=22792)
Matches and Tournaments
OcR was involved in a number of matches with other GGN communities this spring. Most of the matches fell on Retribution’s lap, however, both Ruin and Royale were able to stretch their legs.
Retribution was proud to bring home a perfect record in head-to-head matches this spring season. In their first match they played against Swat Krue’s competitive squad battle team. Retribution was able to secure a victory in a best of five series in only three games. For more details click here (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=21065). Next, the boys in green were matched up against the powerhouse that is Halo Charts. Prior to the match, Retribution suffered a bit of humiliation. A rag-tag bunch of OcRers managed to beat a full Retribution team in head to head combat. This must have lit a fire under Retribution, since our boys easily took the match in three games. You can see the write-up, courtesy of LouieBlack, here (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=21365). The last of the GGN challenges for the spring was with none other than our good friends at Master Theory. This was the most difficult match of the spring challenges. With the series at one win a piece and one game tied, Retribution was able to bring home the victory. You can read all the juicy details here (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=18221). More recently, Retribution competed in the Big Team Battle tournament put on by Halo Charts. Our team was able to advance reasonably far into the tournament, but were eventually beaten by the BTB Gunnarz.
Ruin, the competitive CoD team, played in two matches this spring. The first of the matches was against Will Clan 4 Food (WCF). They quickly brought the victory home by winning the first three games of the series. Here (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=20497) is the write-up courtesy of OcR Doom. Ruin also played against Ironworks Gaming this spring. Unfortunately they were not able to bring home a win and finished the season with one win and one loss.
Other notable events include some mixers and FFA events. OcR ROCKETR, represented us at the GGN BTB mixer! You can see all sorts of GGN goodness after making the jump here (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=22026). Also, our very own OcR Dragon was able to bring home a silver medal from ATF’s Spring Massacre FFA Tournament (seen here (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=21875))! Kudos to both ROCKETR and Dragon, for their fantastic performances!
Well that’s about going to do it. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading what’s been happening in our community this spring!
Rowe, out.
Without further ado, may I present the…
Spring 2010: OcR Clan Update
In case you haven’t noticed, quite a bit has been going on around here as of recent. We have been saddened to see friends go and have been pleased to welcome new members into our community. We have experienced the thrill of the new era of Halo, in the Halo: Reach public beta testing. We have enjoyed the opportunity to come together and meet some members of our community face-to-face. On top of all this, we have participated (and continue to participate) in a number of competitive and recreational matches and tournaments. Where, oh where do we begin?
Friends lost and friends found
As is true with any community there will be a loss of members and family due to time constraints, personal issues, and a whole host of other reasons. We have seen a number of staff members and competitive players step down from their roles this spring. Folks like OcR FoRk and OcR Thryx have stepped down from their positions within our competitive MLG team, Royale. However, they have not left us entirely as of yet. We have had members move into permanent retirement, such as OcR Viceraz and OcR Valorius. Both of these gentlemen are former staff and their presence will be missed. Other notable departures include : OcR Swick, Memoryyyy, OcR Dr Holliday (from competition), OcR Tommy Guns, and a few others not mentioned. Very recently another important person in our community has announced his semi-retirement (for lack of a better term) as he prepares for the birth of his daughter. Of course the man I am talking about, is none other than OcR Envy. To read more about his paternity leave follow the link.
Envy’s time away (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=22849).
There is a flip side to this coin. During this time we have been honored to welcome a myriad of new faces into the innermost part of our community, the clan membership. Some have been here for a bit, but nonetheless I would like to extend a welcome to them into our family. OcR SpeedDemon, Von Eagletron, OcR Ryder, ChimpAdict7, OcR Cake. Let us also welcome our two newest members OcR Master, and OcR GirlyK into our ranks!
Also this spring we have been able to implement a new system within the rank of member to distinguish and honor those who have shown continued support and dedication to OcR. The Honored Member status is given to those whom have been an active and dedicated member to our community for over one year. We have seen a good deal of persons meet the criteria since the turn of the New Year.
Of the friends found, most notably I must mention staff. Of course I am talking about none other that OcR Rhino! (and you thought I was going to toot my own horn) Rhino, a former Overlord, has returned to full active status again this spring, hurrah! For those who haven’t had the privilege to meet our former-now-current Overlord, I’m certain the opportunity will present itself shortly. It is always a treat to have former friends rejoin us. This spring has also given us a new staff member, OcR ROWEBLAST, filling in as the head of public relations (alas, I could not avoid a shameless plug for myself).
Halo: Reach, beta
This May anyone with a copy of Halo 3: ODST was treated to a few weeks of beta goodness. For those with a copy, the fun times stated May 3rd. There were also a privileged few… cough, chough OcR Envy, OcR ROCKETR, cough… who were treated to an early opportunity to play.
First reactions were pretty well split between positive and negative impressions. Something new and shiny? I guess that’s enough to scare some people. Armor abilities, reticule bloom, and new weaponry… Halo: Reach certainly marks a new era in Halo game play!
The good the bad and the ugly of reach.
The good: New graphics and an addition of dirtiness / grittiness to the overall look. This was, after all a game based on a gritty war. Armor abilities bring a new aspect to tactical game play. Yes, they need tweaking, but for the most part they are a great new way to modify how we play the game. Sprint makes travel across a map easy peasy, armor-lock makes for some good laughs, invisibility is always fun for the campers, and flying around the map is quite a treat. New weaponry such as the Battle Rifle’s replacement, the Designated Marksman Rifle, or DMR have given us something to drool over. I mean who doesn’t like a scoped weapon with a reticule the size and shape of the sniper rifle? Talk about accuracy. One last thing, game type voting replaced the one choice veto option of Halo 3. This mean you can now pick from one of three games, or choose to see three new options!
The bad: Reticule bloom. It’s there, it stinks, get used to it. One would think a group of super soldiers would not have accuracy issues regardless of the situation they are put in. Then again, these are only Spartan-III’s we’re talking about here, not the Master Chief. Hit boxes. The heads’ hit boxes weren’t where the head was, this made swat interesting. Sprint + Hammer. Simply put you became a brain-bashing monster with this combination. Let's not forget the failure that was Invasion matchmaking. Need I say more?
The ugly: Focus rifles. Goodbye kills, hello assists. Juggernaut. Fun if you’re the one on fire holding a hammer and a mega-overshield. Not so much fun otherwise. Blargs… elites are always going to be ugly.
There are still a number of other good and bad things I have not even bothered mentioning yet. But remember, that was just a beta. It was not nearly as complete nor polished as was the Halo 3 beta of the past. However, overall impressions at the conclusion of the beta were positive. Whether you like it or not Halo: Reach is our future and being so we will have to accept it. Given the changes that Bungie has announced they will be making, I have complete confidence that we will love the final product that is, Halo: Reach. I will admit it might take a bit of adaptation and adjustment on our part.
LAN 2010: MLG Columbus
Earlier this month a number of members from OcR as well as a few community allies packed their bags and headed to Ohio for a weekend filled with good times. From Thursday through Sunday we watched some professionals work opponents, played some customs ourselves, and otherwise enjoyed the city of Columbus. The attendees of the event traveled and accumulated total of over 3800 miles, going to and from the gathering!
If you want to get the down low on this awesome weekend, hit the link below. I will warn you though, a long read awaits you! There are plenty of photos after the jump.
LAN 2010 Write-Up (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=22792)
Matches and Tournaments
OcR was involved in a number of matches with other GGN communities this spring. Most of the matches fell on Retribution’s lap, however, both Ruin and Royale were able to stretch their legs.
Retribution was proud to bring home a perfect record in head-to-head matches this spring season. In their first match they played against Swat Krue’s competitive squad battle team. Retribution was able to secure a victory in a best of five series in only three games. For more details click here (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=21065). Next, the boys in green were matched up against the powerhouse that is Halo Charts. Prior to the match, Retribution suffered a bit of humiliation. A rag-tag bunch of OcRers managed to beat a full Retribution team in head to head combat. This must have lit a fire under Retribution, since our boys easily took the match in three games. You can see the write-up, courtesy of LouieBlack, here (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=21365). The last of the GGN challenges for the spring was with none other than our good friends at Master Theory. This was the most difficult match of the spring challenges. With the series at one win a piece and one game tied, Retribution was able to bring home the victory. You can read all the juicy details here (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=18221). More recently, Retribution competed in the Big Team Battle tournament put on by Halo Charts. Our team was able to advance reasonably far into the tournament, but were eventually beaten by the BTB Gunnarz.
Ruin, the competitive CoD team, played in two matches this spring. The first of the matches was against Will Clan 4 Food (WCF). They quickly brought the victory home by winning the first three games of the series. Here (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=20497) is the write-up courtesy of OcR Doom. Ruin also played against Ironworks Gaming this spring. Unfortunately they were not able to bring home a win and finished the season with one win and one loss.
Other notable events include some mixers and FFA events. OcR ROCKETR, represented us at the GGN BTB mixer! You can see all sorts of GGN goodness after making the jump here (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=22026). Also, our very own OcR Dragon was able to bring home a silver medal from ATF’s Spring Massacre FFA Tournament (seen here (http://www.outcastreborn.com/showthread.php?t=21875))! Kudos to both ROCKETR and Dragon, for their fantastic performances!
Well that’s about going to do it. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading what’s been happening in our community this spring!
Rowe, out.