As the still reigning champion of all traffic on Xbox Live, Halo 2 is the host to a constant war being waged through the Internet. This notion may bring to mind images of battles fought between Red and Blue or Clan vs. Clan. But nay, brothers [and the occasional sister]... The war that ‘Tied the Leader’ is most concerned with today is the war fought between Gamers and a breed of participants we will call Terrorists.

The Gamer is easy to identify. Hopefully you, Constant Reader, fit the profile of a Gamer. This person plays online multiplayer games like Halo2 because they enjoy the healthy competition afforded to them by a piece of interactive fiction. The Gamer is the audience that was in mind during the development of the game. They fight by the rules. The Gamer wins clean. In most cases, Gamers welcome and enjoy the company of other Gamers, since they have something key in common with those other Gamers.

If you have played more than a few matches of Halo2 on Xbox Live, unfortunately, you also know the Terrorists. They are the would-be Gamers who don’t appreciate the intended gaming experience enough to play it like it is. The Terrorists find their enjoyment along a path that leads to the Dark Side of Gaming, intentionally pulling apart the fabric of the game for their own amusement. Terrorists can only find happiness destroying the gaming experience for all who cross their path. Terrorists don’t fight to win as much as they seek to sow disorder and breed chaos. This is similar to the pastime of spraying one’s tag onto the side of a landmark loved by most.

The battles in this war come in many flavors:
The Deadeye Sniper vs. the Auto-Aiming Modder.
The Purist vs. The Bridger or Stand-byer.
The Medal Winner vs. The Glitcher.
The Sportsman vs. the Self-Styled-Rapist.
The Overlord vs. The Digital Anarchist.

‘Tied the Leader’ has always spoke up and stuck up for the good guys in this fight. Our mission is to unite Gamers in a world that is kept safe for honest participants on online multiplayer. Our goal is to provide a Gamer with their best game. Towards that end, we have created an analysis for how to avoid [or, at the very least, be made aware of the likelihood for encountering] Gaming Terrorists throughout your experience.

You may find the following graphic reminiscent of systems that protect you from Terrorists in Real Life. However, despite sanctions being levied by unnamed government agencies, ‘Tied the Leader’ maintains full credit for the creation of this system. Say thankya.

Clanmatch: What is worse than a cheater? A whole team of cheaters! Within the realm of clan-based action, cheaters organize into autonomous cells that share and exploit tactics of terror.

Ranked Match: More affectionately known as Team Slayer, Team Skirmish, Team Hardcore, et al. The notion of Rank draws cheaters like moths to an open flame. At the same time, even the straightest of shooters can be known to ruin your gaming experience through gross immaturity. When standard Matchmaking finds your opponent for you, there is no filter to block the trashmouths who think that the notions of racism, homophobia, or even rape are humorous and acceptable forms of in-game chatter.

Team Training: Now the gaming experience becomes a little safer. Team Training, however, is a parking lot for the Gamer who awaits a Party Invite. Therefore, the roster of Gamers that begin a match in Team Training is likely to include two or more quitters. Be Warned: At the wrong time of the day, Team Training is also the preferred sparring grounds of drunks and party-people who need to blow off some steam with no consequence to rank. While the absence of rank means less cheating, it does lead to far more wanton goofing off. All Gamers are guilty of this, including this blogger.

Custom Game: If shooting one’s friends in the back is enough to satisfy one’s appetite for combat, a custom game is the easiest and safest way to avoid Gaming Terrorists. One notable caution: Keep that room locked down, Party Leader! You never know when someone on a far-flung Friends List is going to board your bus strapped with enough trash-talk to blow your party straight to hell.

Clan Challenge: What is that? You looked at your Matchmaking menu and didn’t see this option? A Clan Challenge occurs when two clans seek each other out and plan an arranged match. It helps when that clan maintains a point of presence on the Internet. There are more than a few clans who do this. This is one of the many preferred methods of gaming among the ‘Tied the Leader’ Gunslingers. While a Custom Clan Challenge requires a little more effort than standard matchmaking, it does allow for complete control over the gaming experience. Choose your teammates. Choose your opponents. Choose your objectives. Choose your maps.

Of course, there will always be the need for Matchmaking – to form up a posse and head out in search of total strangers who have yet to taste your game. Just this week, one our Gunslingers [a Warthog Pilot in my very own Roadkill Squadron] vowed to permanently abstain from Ranked Matchmaking in favor of Custom Games, Private Tournaments, and Clan Challenges. As you can imagine, this was met with sadness and regret.

After all, when a solid Gamer abandons Ranked Matchmaking, we let the Terrorists win!

Posted by XerxdeeJ