Archives: February 1999
C Company, 1st Platoon News:
Sorry for posting so much but we had our first practice tonight and it was great.We had a SMS team versus any other people who showed up and we won.Everyone showed up and we even got a few more apps in.I think we will have a very powerful squad soon.
Posted 23:23 EST by 2LT Sniper
C Company, 1st Platoon News:
It's the third day and C Copmpany already has FIVE members.Today I am proud to welcome trainee's Mattand Omnipotent.I wish them all the best of luck.
Posted 18:03 EST by 2LT Sniper
Roster Changes:
Congrats to Aerodynamic for his promotion to PFC, now that he has logged over 3 months of membership in SMS.
Plenty more promotions to come as many of our Bravo Company folks and some other Alpha Company members start hitting the 3-month (and in some cases, longer) mark.
Posted 1:24 EST by CPT Rantage
C Company, 1st Platoon News:
So far the C Company turnout has been pretty good. Two days and three people. I'm glad to welcome trainee's Rahman and KingSwipe. Have fun!! Also C Company's practice will be on Sunday and Thursdays 9:00 est. I would also like to thank Ubik for setting us up a part-time server for us to practice on. All C Company members get ready to work on your team communication and jetpack skills.
Posted 0:40 EST by 2LT Sniper
B Company, 1st Platoon News:
Congrats to Phineas and Malachi, who passed their cadre tests last night. Phineas is now a full member of SMS, and Malachi will become one when he completes his probation period on 3/6. A belated welcome to CPL EvilNun, who transferred from Alpha Company. Also welcome aboard to new Trainees L.T., I STILL KNOW, Sweeper, Long and Hellfire. Finally, congrats to ex-Bravo member Sniper, who has left us to head up Charlie Company.
Posted 19:03 EST by 2LT Kreth
C Company, 1st Platoon News:
We are glad to welcome aboard Trainee Zedd to Charlie company. I
Posted 13:40 EST by 2LT Sniper
TRIBES News:
It is my pleasure to announce that SMS has formed a TRIBES unit: 1st Platoon, Charlie Company. 2LT Sniper, formerly of Bravo Company, is heading up the venture. If you're a TRIBES player and looking to join a clan (or know somebody who is), check out our Membership section for more information.
Posted 23:34 EST by CPT Rantage
The Fragboard Race:
I snuck a peek at the Fragboard today....congrats to the following individuals for placing in the top five:
- AlleyCat
- STRAND[SMS]
- Carnage INC.
- Ubik[SMS]
- [rs]angel
Well done, guys....
Posted 20:3 EST by CPT Rantage
B Company, 1st Platoon News:
Wow! Membership in Bravo Company now stands at an even 30, with almost all of those bodies present at practice this past weekend. Needless to say, adopted server p1mp Ubik received a visit from Dr. Watson when we attempted Onawire, a large outdoor map. Plans are already in the works to break practices down into more manageable groups for practice. In other news, handles are apparently becoming scarce in the Half-Life community. Case in point, new Trainee Sniper2. Just a word of warning to any of you sports fans planning to make use of the Kreth© handle: My lawyers will shut you down, pal... <g>
Posted 21:14 EST by 2LT Kreth
B Company, 1st Platoon News:
Wh00p! I just checked the listings at Clan World (check the Clan Battles link), and SMS is holding first place in the clan rankings due to our victory over Clan Kilmaine. Battle arrangements are in the works with current 2nd place holder Clan Paranoia, with a tentative date of March 4th. Also, welcome aboard to new Trainees AvataR and ThyMaster.
Posted 20:41 EST by 2LT Kreth
Half-Life-Related Software:
Trainee Omnipotent is doing some research on Roger Wilco and BattleCom, two programs designed to provide streaming audio communications capability to games like Quake II and Half-Life. Here's his progress report:
I am proud to report that I have tested both programs and found that Battle Com works and puts no additional lag on Half-Life. For Quake2 you have to fiddle with it but it's not that hard. I am also sad to tell you that some sound cards don't work. Meaning some can not talk back (but can listen) or some just don't work.
Omnipotent is looking for some volunteers to test these two programs and report their findings with their particular sound cards so that he may assemble a more comprehensive report. If you can help out, drop him a line.
Posted 17:46 EST by CPT Rantage
B Company, 1st Platoon News:
Welcome aboard to new Trainees Sygec and RocK. Not wasting any time, Trainee RocK successfully passed his cadre test at practice tonight. Well done!
Posted 0:51 EST by 2LT Kreth
SMS Llama Alert:
Well Spic tried to use the zbot on the sms servers .Nick has multiple log files that states connection refused for sms-spic zbot detected. Busted spic. Your ip is banned on the sms server. Llama
Posted 23:12 EST by XO Ace
SMS Llama Alert:
Effective immediately, Spic is no longer a member of Steel Maelstrom. SMS leadership has viewed a demo recorded by Clan M12 clearly demonstrating Spic's use of a zbot.
SMS will not tolerate this kind of behavior, and will not keep cheaters or any other kind of idiot scum on our roster.
Posted 12:25 EST by CPT Rantage
Ace's Ramblings:
Ok Guys we now have Ip and name banning on the SMS DM and CTF servers.Thanks to DR Nick. If you have any problems with Jerks on the SMS servers.Let me know I'll ban them.
Posted 9:29 EST by XO Ace
Surf's Up:
Clandatabase.com is a new site at which you can....yeah, you guessed it...register your clan. I've registered SMS, maybe you should register your clan too?
And when you're done, take a look at this.
Posted 18:16 EST by CPT Rantage
B Company, 1st Platoon News:
The fresh meat continues to roll in... Welcome aboard to Trainees Havoc, Constrictor, and Chaos_Inc. BTW, Chaos_Inc, if you're reading this, I'm getting DNS errors sending mail to you...
Posted 22:57 EST by 2LT Kreth
Miscellaneous Rumblings:
I have yet again updated the Rules and Regulations section; more specifically, the Promotions and Demotions section regarding "EVENTS/ACTS WHICH MAY CAUSE EJECTION".
Zbot use, or use of any similar cheat (defined as: covertly using an option, feature or mod not included with the baseline Quake2/Half-Life game) for purposes of having a clear playing advantage over other opponents will result, if proven, in immediate and permanent expulsion from Steel Maelstrom.
Posted 8:23 EST by CPT Rantage
Roster Changes:
I'd like to say that Darken is back in the 2nd platoon again, and we're glad to have you here in SMS. I've forgot to mention that RoCkY and Kill have become full members. Congratulations dood!
Posted 23:35 EST by 2LT Ballistix
B Company, 1st Platoon News:
Sheesh, I guess cell phones do cause brain damage. I could have sworn I posted this already, but welcome aboard to Trainee Wolvie, who has the distinction of being Bravo Company's first female member, edging out Miracle by a mere matter of hours. I promise, no more posts from me for a least a few hours, heh heh...
Posted 9:58 EST by 2LT Kreth
B Company, 1st Platoon News:
Ok, so I missed one... Our membership in Bravo Company stands at 22, as I neglected to add Trainee Malachi to the database until just now. Welcome aboard! Also, while double-checking the roster info, I noticed that overall membership for SMS now stands at an even 60, which I believe is a high for us. Party at Rant's house!
Posted 9:45 EST by 2LT Kreth
B Company, 1st Platoon News:
The apps continue to roll in. As of this writing, Bravo Company's member count stands at 21. Welcome aboard to Trainee Omnipotent(he wanted to use Omnipotent Lord and Master of the Universe, but I told him it wouldn't fit on the frag board, heh heh), who joins us from San Francisco. Also, welcome back to SGT Buck who is now also reporting in from sunny California.
Posted 9:27 EST by 2LT Kreth
Miscellaneous Rumblings:
While this certainly qualifies, I didn't want to post another "Llama Alert" today....
Folks, if you see somebody on an SMS server (or elsewhere) with an [SMS] or [SMS-T] in their name, don't automatically assume that they are in Steel Maelstrom. If there's any doubt, check the clan Roster...it is the "official" source of who is a member/trainee and who is not.
Anybody else is a wannabe. Treat them as such.
Posted 7:45 EST by CPT Rantage
SMS Llama Alert:
I'd like to apologize for the actions of certain M12 clan members' while on our CTF server the evening of Sunday, February 15. During 3-Platoon's regularly scheduled practice, a verbal abuse contest erupted between one of 1-Platoon's members (yes, I said it was 3-Platoon's practice) and M12, despite the self-restraint and control that SMS is supposed to demonstrate and emulate. Needless to say, the practice did not go over as planned, and I became extremely embarrassed as it was the debut performance for two new members of my unit. The exercise ended with me forcefully removing both the offending M12 AND SMS members from the server. I will not tolerate this kind of behaviour in the future, and after meeting with CPT Rantage and 1LT Ace, it was decided that no members of clan M12 (Majestic 12) will be permitted to use our resources. It is unfortunate it had to come to this - we could tolerate M12's verbal abuse and regular annoyances in the past - but we will no longer allow wild accusations and practice disruptions to continue. Again, I apologize for having to do this. It is not entirely fair to those of M12 that have no interest in preventing others from having good clean fun, but maybe this type of necessary action will make those people re-evaluate their membership within their clan.
Posted 0:8 EST by 2LT Ping Ping
B Company, 1st Platoon News:
I want to give a couple shouts out to the Bravo Half-Life members
and other SMS Commandants like Kreth, Rantage, Ubik, Ace, Buck, Myself and last at not least the man who set it all up Sniper.
What happened was Sniper ICQ'd most of us and suggested we go DM on UBIK's Half-Life server Monday night @ 2130 EST...We played a few maps, had alot of great fun and practice. I hope to see more of this in the future. I hope our commandants notice the
above and beyond shown on Monday.
I really didn't take screenshots of the score's, but I did take this funny one :
Thanks again guys. Great example.
TBIRDX
Posted 23:00 EST by TBIRDX
B Company, 1st Platoon News:
Well, now that we're accepting Half-Life applications, it looks like the floodgates have opened again. Welcome aboard to new Trainees Miracle, Gore Angel, and Coolc69.
Posted 17:3 EST by 2LT Kreth
B Company, 1st Platoon News:
Hey folks....
I'm
starting to keep track of all our practices, battles and other meetings
that deal with Bravo Company.
This
Saturday, I recorded all the data ... 7 maps in all ... The Barney's won
with a score of 4 won maps and 3 lost maps.
Total
frags was Barney : 233 (lead by Dragon)
Hgrunt : 204 (underdog team led by Sniper)
To
see the teams and individual scores take a look at the screenshot's at
my site.
Posted 22:39 EST by TBIRDX
Roster Changes:
A few big items to post today:
- Alpha Company, 4th Platoon (RA2) has been deactivated. For the last few months, activity in both 1st and 4th platoons has been low due to poor attendence and slow recruiting. This has resulted in neither platoon being able to schedule effective practices nor battles with other clans; furthermore it is not fair to the individuals who joined SMS thinking that they would see plenty of action. Allowing 1st Platoon (which covers all Q2 mods anyway) to absorb the members from 4th should allow us to fix these problems.
- SSG PFunk and SPC Daft have been moved to the Reservist roster.
- After consulting with 2LT Ping Ping and 1LT (XO) Ace, I have promoted 3rd Platoon's Silencer to the rank of Sergeant. This is due both to Silencer's excellent attendence and motivation and the need for a Sergeant in 3rd Platoon to fill the Squad Leader role. A similar situation presented itself in 2nd Platoon earlier this year, so this is not unprecedented. I have updated the Rules and Regulations to reflect this method of promotion.
Posted 16:26 EST by CPT Rantage
A Company, 3rd Platoon News:
Due to Real Life (tm), today's practice will be postponed by approximately 30 minutes. Practice will start at 8:30 PM EST and will consist of an open server/public battle with our newest official member, Bullgod and our two new trainees, Loose Cannon and Shadows. Hope to see everyone out there.
Posted 3:28 EST by 2LT Ping Ping
Roster Changes:
I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome trainees Loose Cannon and Shadows to 3-Platoon, A-Coy. If you see either of these newcomers on or around IRC or the SMS servers, please give them a good welcome. I'll keep the clan updated on their performance and any cadre assignments that may come out of our first practice together.
Posted 3:22 EST by 2LT Ping Ping
Alliance News:
This is sort of a follow-up to the previous item.Steel Maelstrom is allied with only one other clan, Clan of the Camper (COTC). And that's the way it's going to stay for a while.
Not to step on any COTC toes, but I question the value of clan "alliances". Besides a generally warm fuzzy feeling, what do they accomplish? COTC has their own servers, we have ours; we don't communicate much. Not exactly a strong bond, if you follow what I'm saying.
In the future, when game engines permit HUGE battles (upwards of 100 people on a server at once, in immense outdoor/indoor maps), having allies to join you on the battlefield will be a fine thing. But right now SMS can't fit all of its members on a server (at least not any of our servers, and not any others I've seen), so it seems worthless.
Let's talk about additional benefits of alliances between clans.
<CRICKETS VOLUME=LOUD></CRICKETS>
Kids, if you have some deep-seated need to ally yourselves with a big, established clan....be sure to actually have something to contribute. Like a reason for doing so, for starters. Then convince us why we can't do it by ourselves.
We'd like to play now, okay?
Posted 17:22 EST by CPT Rantage
SMS Llama Alert:
More fun and games with Clan Fandango. This little band of losers doesn't seem to want to play the clan game, they just want to use the title. Here's the latest from our virtual war of words, sparked after their "leader" threw a fit when I turned down their continual requests for an alliance. I wanted a battle. Bravo Company needs to make a name for itself in the battle arena right now, we can establish allies later on down the road...
[2LT Kreth's remarks are in green -- Rantage]
From: Self
To: Glottisdr@aol.com
Subject: Re: 'SMS Application'
Date sent: Sat, 13 Feb 1999 10:42:47 -0500
Glottisdr@aol.com wrote:
> five words SUCK IT!!!! and YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
Well, I've got to wonder why you even have a clan. Your little band
of pre-adolescents (look it up) doesn't seem to want to battle. Clan
Steel Maelstrom will still be here when you're ready to step up to
the big leagues, son... In the meantime, I'll let my members know
to call your lame asses out should you attempt to get your clan
involved with any of the clan sites... Maybe you should go back to
your PlayStation now and see if you can finish Banjo Kazooie...
So, if you see these lamers on any of the clan sites, be sure to let the webmaster know that they aren't in the game to battle...
Posted 10:46 EST by 2LT Kreth
B Company, 1st Platoon News:
Congrats to newly promoted SGT Dragon, who earned his stripes in a Bravo Company FFA tonight. Wasting no time, I immediately assigned him duties, namely the cadre-testing of new recruits Phineas and Morson. Later this weekend, I will be determining the squad members under A-Wal and Dragon.
Posted 23:17 EST by 2LT Kreth
Reading Material:
I've been giving some thought to the whole ban thing, and how there could be alternatives to the current "seek and ye eventually shall find" method of tracking down clan homepages.
Here is my proposal. I'd love to get some feedback from volunteers willing to help on this project.
Posted 19:13 EST by CPT Rantage
B Company, 1st Platoon News:
Ok, sports fans... We are once again accepting Half-Life applications. Now that I've weeded out the deadwood from the first round of apps, I feel we have some quality players, and we're ready to break in some new ragers. He Who Farts in the General Direction of the Mighty Site Pimps (also known as Rantage) will be enabling the link on the apps page later tonight. Come get some!
Posted 20:18 EST by 2LT Kreth
Half-Life News:
Blue is reporting that Valve, Sierra (publisher of Half-Life) and PC Gamer will release a playable demo of Half-Life tomorrow at noon (noon somewhere, at least).
Big news? Well it wouldn't be if you're like most of your friends and already purchased the game....and if the demo contained an all-new series of levels.
No word on how (or even if) registered users can play the new levels without downloading the whole demo....which will probably be quite a few Meg in size.
Posted 20:18 EST by CPT Rantage
Shout Out:
B Company, 1st Platoon News:
Well, I'm not sure wtf happened, but the battle with Creep Clan was cancelled, mainly because they were unable to get their collective shit together. After agreeing to a 4v4 match, they originally showed up with 3 guys. After a short time on IRC discussing the rules for the battle, Creep Clan leader GabeK left IRC, commenting that hopefully he would be back in time for the match. Of course, he never showed. At the scheduled time, we were left with one, that's right, one Creep Clan member on IRC. Since the SMS guys were raring to go, we had a bit of an FFA on the server. The good news? We may get a new member out of the whole deal. Maybe he's looking for a clan that actually shows up for battles.
Posted 8:16 EST by 2LT Kreth
A Company, 3rd Platoon News:
I'd like to send a big thanks out to clan AD for the friendly scrim tonight. Once the server was closed and secured, 3-Platoon found themselves about 2 members short for an equally-sided battle. AD shared one of their own with us and we rocked and lost the first map. The second and third maps, however, we OWNED!, even after losing two more of our members (why? they probably couldn't reconnect as I set an unfamiliar password...doh!). Never have I witnessed such wicked communication before from our team. Having the AD crew respond in a like fashion was refreshing as well. And see them maneuver with those grappling hooks? Sheesh, too bad EvilNun couldn't have seen that. And finally, thanks to 3-Platoon for coming out so late and on such short notice. We'll do this again sometime soon with more time for everybody to prepare.
Posted 2:17 EST by 2LT Ping Ping
Reading Material:
I've added a page explaining the new graphic in the left frame, and why the SMS Homepage will no longer support GameSpy or GSI's affliates at the PlanetQuake Network (PQN).
I would encourage other clans visiting us to do the same, as you too have been banned by the GameSpyder site.
This page explains it all.
Posted 22:36 EST by CPT Rantage
A Company, 3rd Platoon News:
Well, what can I say. Tonight's practice was very envigorating, albeit very light on the attendance side. We had 3 extremely good games, the first and last of them we won, and on the second we had our asses whooped. We learned, I believe, a valuable lesson tonight, other than to ignore piss-ant nothings that whine about BFG use, and that is how important resource management is. Once you own a particular resource on a map (whether it's a location, a weapon, quad, or tech) your chances of preventing the opposition from accomplishing an objective and the chances of accomplishing your own begin to rise. We did this quite well on McKinley's Revival, to the point of pissing off the opposition. Good job, everyone!
Posted 21:34 EST by 2LT Ping Ping
Roster Changes:
Just to let everyone know, Bullgod has, as of today, become an official member of 3-Platoon, A-Coy, after an extremely successful demonstration of CTF ability and the mandatory 1 week trainee period. PFC Bullgod actually applied to SMS way back in January, and I hope you all extend him congratulations when you meet on the SMS servers. As everybody knows, the requirements for entrance into 3-Platoon are quite steep ;) and Bullgod met and surpassed every one of them.
Posted 21:24 EST by 2LT Ping Ping
Battle Time:
Bravo Company was successful in its first battle, a 3v3 vs. Clan Kilmaine. The SMS team consisted of SSGT A-Wal, Dragon, and g0dzer0. Scores by round(SMS-Kilmaine) were: 29-15, 35-29, and 17-35. Demos and screenshots will be available in the Members section. Thanks to Clan Kilmaine for a professionally played match.
Posted 23:20 EST by 2LT Kreth
Reading Material:
The Steel Maelstrom website has been removed from GameSpyder because they "don't host clans."
This bit o' news added some fuel to the current debate on PlanetCrap in their newest thread, "Spying on the Community".
I would encourage everyone concerned with the promotion of the smaller gaming-related websites (such as this one, and yours too probably) poke their nose in and maybe even add their two cents.
Posted 20:02 EST by CPT Rantage
A Piece Of My Mind:
A Company, 3rd Platoon News:
Due to the fact that practices have been extremely light these past few weeks, I've decided to hold an open practice this Sunday. No point in closing the server if it's only me, PFC Purge and Trainee Bullgod. For those of you that have been scarce as of late, I would appreciate a mail from you so that I know what's going on. Thanks, all.
Posted 15:15 EST by 2LT Ping Ping
Help Wanted:
In an effort to improve the quality of this news page (and the frequency with which it is updated) I'm asking for volunteers to help us out here.
Currently, the Platoon Leaders, Clan XO, SSG A-Wal and myself have posting privileges here. I'd like to open that up to a few more people:
- Steel Maelstrom members are welcome to participate. Just contact me and I'll hook you up after explaining some basic guidelines.
- Non-members are also encouraged to volunteer. Thre are a couple of ways you can contribute:
- Submit an editorial, essay or story. You will retain all rights to your work and I'll give you a full byline as well as a link to your website if you have one. No editorial changes will be made unless you request them, outside of spelling corrections. We reserve the right to refuse posting submissions which contain excessive profanity, libelous or blatantly incaccurate material. Editorials, essays and stories will be posted in our "Articles" section -- which is admittedly getting pretty dusty. New additions will be announced on this News page.
- Apply to be a regular "correspondant". Individuals wishing to make regular contributions may apply to me to be granted permission to post to this page. Applicants must send their full name, permanent e-mail address (no Hotmail, Geocities or other anonymous e-mail addresses accepted) and a write up of no less than 200 words describing why they wish to contribute and what qualifications they think they bring. Applicants will not only be judged on the content of this write-up, but on their grammar and spelling skills as well. Don't worry, we won't be too harsh....but we do reserve the right to reject any application.
If you're interested, I may always be reached at rantage@steelmaelstrom.org.
Posted 12:42 EST by CPT Rantage
Miscellaneous Rumblings:
Well GameSpyder has listed this site on their pages (thanks guys). While I'm no great fan of the rapid commercialization of the online gaming community, Steel Maelstrom won't be known outside of a small circle of clans and website/server visitors unless we get the word out.
So to achieve this, I've added a "rating" link at the top of this page...it essentially sends your rating for this website to the GameSpyder database. The higher the rating, the greater the chance that more people will visit us. And more visitors means more news items to post, more potential members for SMS, and more potential battles with other clans who have just heard about us.
I'm going to keep the p1mpage down to a dull roar, so this is the only time I'm going to mention the rating system.
Help the Steel Maelstrom homepage out, and we'll help you out. We don't do this for profit, we do it for the love of the game. If you want to support the kind of spirit and resources that helped build the Quake "community" in the first darn place, give us a hand. Thanks.
Posted 12:25 EST by CPT Rantage
Surf's Up:
From the people who brought you Planetwhatever and Gamewhatever is the new be-all, end-all cool-o-matic Yahoo!/Netcenter portal site for gaming, Gamespyder.
Posted 23:48 EST by CPT Rantage
Miscellaneous Rumblings:
R.I.P. Black Mesa II, you were a great help while you lasted. All BM2 clan data has now been moved over to Clanworld.
Posted 18:05 EST by CPT Rantage
A Piece Of My Mind:
I'm always amused when I hear stuff like that posted by 2LT Kreth (see story below).
Kind of like the street gangs talking shit and flipping signs to the Mafia as they drive by in their limos.....
Keep burning those candles at both ends, boys. If you're especially lucky, maybe somebody will actually remember you in six months.
Posted 18:02 EST by CPT Rantage
SMS Llama Alert:
Lllama-of-the-week award to ZekeSpace from AOL (surprise anyone?). This braintrust sends me the following challenge, "the fandango clan says 3:16 just whipped your ass!!"(sic) No contact info, clan web page address, nothing... My witty reply was of course blocked since our buddy Zeke is not accepting mail from my domain. If you're reading this Zeke, better look for another clan to piss off... Your mom won't recognize you once SMS gets done tearing you up, punk.
Posted 17:8 EST by 2LT Kreth
Quake III News:
Ok, a day late but netcombat.net has posted three screenshots of one of the untextured Quake III female models.
Yeah, a bit of a stretch. Wait until right before the Q3test is released. The mania will begin, just like it was before Quake II and Quake....
Oh yeah...a bit of hubris before I go: Steel Maelstrom will define what a Quake III clan is. Stock up on PampersTM, Flash-In-The-Pan Clans out there.
Posted 21:17 EST by CPT Rantage