Mercs Say MOSCOW Must Be Signed For War

by Pixeleen Mistral on 02/05/07 at 8:16 am

Merczateers will not fight the Alliance Navy without a signed MOSCOW agreement
by Omega Groshomme, war correspondent

Schuman
Merczateers Comdiv Ethan Schuman

On April 29th, 8pm SLT I had a chance to sit down with Ethan Schuman, an officer in the Merczateers to discuss their position with Alliance Navy (AN) and clear up the purpose of MOSCOW (Military Organization Standard for Conventional Operations and Warfare). During the interview, I learned that the Merczateers will not fight the Alliance Navy without a signed treaty and how the Merczateers claim the AN bullies smaller military groups in SL. The prospects for serious combat look dim at the moment as political wrangling has upstaged violent conflct between SL’s two largest military factions.

Ethan Schuman: My name is Comdiv Ethan Schuman, of the Merczateers. In American military rankings, I would be a Colonel. I head up our Research and Development team.
Omega Groshomme: Who are the Merczateers and what do they do?
Ethan Schuman: The Merczateers are one of the oldest military groups in SL. Throughout our existence, our theme and purpose has changed, but the two elements that have remained constant are an allusion to Soviet/Russian technology and infrastructure, and the desire to just kick back and have fun.
Omega Groshomme: Your group has been heard a lot lately responding to the Alliance Navy proposed STABLE. What are your thoughts?
Ethan Schuman: Well, that depends on what you mean. One of the misconceptions that a lot of people seem to be under is the assumption that the Merczateers are the driving force behind MOSCOW. That’s not the case. They are one party of many, even if they happen to be the biggest, and the organizer is a member. As for STABLE, the Merczateers don’t view STABLE as any serious attempt by the Alliance Navy to right what’s wrong with SL combat. Rather, we see it as an attempt on their part to try to avoid signing MOSCOW. However, the STABLE talks have all but collapsed, as the only parties on board with it are the Alliance Navy themselves and Sparta
Ethan Schuman: If you’ll note, Nayaioh Commodore, the former leader of Corsair, who was actually one of the AN’s biggest assets in setting up STABLE, has joined the Merczateers.



MOSCOW is not communist – MOSCOW is a republic

Omega Groshomme: We have heard much of MOSCOW being communist, isolationist and sometimes forceful. Could you set the record straight now of MOSCOW’s goals and intentions?
Ethan Schuman: The thought of MOSCOW being communist is utterly ridiculous. MOSCOW is a republic, in which factions control and own their own land and technology, and voice through representatives in a Senate their feelings and concerns on issues that affect the group. As for being isolationist, it’s true that we have a policy to not engage members of non-MOSCOW factions in military activities. This is to help cut down on drama and conflict caused by differing rules of engagement. I should note, however, that that measure is controversial, and may be dropped before the final signing of MOSCOW.
Ethan Schuman: The goal of MOSCOW is simple: It’s not to bring in politics, it’s not to cut anybody out, and it’s not to focus control and power. MOSCOW is a way for the little guys to stand beside the big guys and talk face to face.


the right to engage in combat is not guaranteed by the SL Terms of Service

Omega Groshomme: Given that MOSCOW, at least in its original form, involved limiting weapons and weapon advancement, and given that all signing members are required by the rules to ban non signatories, aren’t you afraid this will be seen as an exclusionary method to make combat into a sort of club, only for those the members like?
Ethan Schuman: The thought has occurred, but what many people seem to forget is that when fighting, you are engaging in an act of priviledge. Nowhere in the LL Terms of Service is the right to engage in combat guaranteed. Moreover, individuals are promised the ability to enjoy themselves however they wish within reason, so long as it does not disturb others. The methods and tactics used in SL Warfare -ARE- disturbing the experience of more than a few people, and given that situation, if a change is not made, it forces those who enjoy combat to play by rules they’d rather not.
Ethan Schuman: MOSCOW attempts to let member groups enjoy warfare the way they want to, without disturbing outsiders, and while providing a fair and easy method of entry to any faction interested in joining.
Omega Groshomme: And what if a MOSCOW army attacks another group that hasn’t signed, and is therefore banned? Is there a penalty?
Ethan Schuman: While not finished, MOSCOW groups are strongly discouraged from engaging non-MOSCOW factions. We’ve had a few incidents of this so far due to miscommunications and misunderstandings. However, should a MOSCOW faction intentionally and knowingly attack a non-MOSCOW faction, sanctions would be put into place on said group. However…
Ethan Schuman: A proposal has been brought forward to allow MOSCOW groups to engage other non-MOSCOW groups so long as they adhere to the other group’s Rules of Engagement in the fight. So a MOSCOW group could fight a STABLE group under STABLE RoEs, and then turn around and fight another MOSCOW group under MOSCOW RoEs.
Ethan Schuman: From what I’ve been told, however, the Alliance Navy is strongly opposed to this, so I don’t think such a scenario is likely to occur anytime soon unless something changes.


Until the treaty situation is resolved, there will not be combat between our factions

Omega Groshomme: What is the Merczateers current situation with the AN,and could we expect a face to face on the battlefield in the future?
Ethan Schuman: Many Merczateers and Alliance Navy members are friends when the bullets aren’t flying. Just last night, Avil Creeggan of the Alliance Navy and Anthony Lehane of the Merczateers engaged in an epic 4 hour chess match using toy figurines representing members of each military. The win went to Avil, but I strongly doubt that’s the last Mercz vs. AN chess game that will be played. As for the battlefield, I can’t really say. Until the treaty situation is resolved, there will not be combat between our factions. People on both sides are itching for battle, though, so only time will tell what happens.
Ethan Schuman: Honestly, there are only two reasons we fight
Ethan Schuman: One, because a select few members of one group strongly dislike a select few members of the other, and two, because of boredom
Omega Groshomme: You say you CAN engage in combat with other groups,but when AN or another group attacks your base-they are banned. Why?
Ethan Schuman: AN has expressed no interest in the MOSCOW rules of engagement. Because of this, we will not fight them (and haven’t attacked them since). When AN attacks, they are given time to leave, and if they fail to, they are banned. As for other groups, if the Feds or any other MOSCOW group attacked us, or if a non-MOSCOW group had sat down with our command staff prior to the attack and discussed rules of engagement, we’d give them the fight of their lives.
Omega Groshomme: How could you have a war with meaning when you sit down to discuss ROE before a fight, there’s no surprise.
Ethan Schuman: There’s PLENTY of surprise if it’s executed properly. The war doesn’t even have to be declared at that moment, just have the rules set out. Then, a few days or weeks later… BAM!


Alliance Navy bullies smaller millitaries

Omega Groshomme: When AN assisted SLSN against CN a while back, you were heard to have shown up and told CN they should ban the Alliance Navy. How can there be acceptance in MOSCOW if all who don’t wish to sign get banned?
Ethan Schuman: There’s a strong difference in what happened in that event and what would happen if another non-member group showed up. The Alliance Navy’s “assistance” was three times the full membership of CN, on a plot of land about the size of a parking lot, in addition to the SLSN troops. The Alliance Navy is well aware that CN is a MOSCOW group, and is not interested in combat with them, yet they showed up anyways. What would you do if a mob of people showed up at your shop with guns and ships because they’re friends with someone you’re in a controlled conflict with?
Ethan Schuman: The Alliance Navy didn’t go to CN’s base to assist. They went there to bully a smaller military, without provocation, and hide behind an alliance. Their actions were nothing more than glorified griefing.
Ethan Schuman: Behavior like that is what MOSCOW aims to stop, and the true reason the Alliance Navy does not wish to be a part of MOSCOW is because they would be forced to no longer engage in such despicable behavior.
Ethan Schuman: Which, also gets back to why the Merczateers (and every other military group but Sparta) will not join STABLE.
Omega Groshomme: Alliances must help one another when asked,the Feds were heard to be having fun…would you not assist an ally to the best of your abilities?
Ethan Schuman: There’s a difference. I wouldn’t assist my allies if I knew the group they were attacking would not welcome my presence, and I would ESPECIALLY not do so to the point of bullying that other group into submission.
Omega Groshomme: Members of the Feds were to have said and this is a quote…”aye, this is bs to me, i enjoyed the ans help, a good chalange” also another had said “even if i was getting my ass kicked i wouldnt ban unless they were using orbiters”. Most groups dislike the AN but will still fight to the better man,and if MOSCOW is about acceptance as well. WHy are the AN still left out even after yourself said “The AN are more than welcome to join MOSCOW”?
Ethan Schuman: The day the AN joins MOSCOW, if it ever happens, will be a good day. And it will be a day FILLED with war. The reason we won’t engage AN in combat until they sign MOSCOW is simple: Member groups are tired of how they behave in combat. If AN changes the way they choose to conduct themselves, then they will be welcomed back into open combat by the community. Until then, we’ll just sit and stare at each other, with small outbursts of violence, but nothing more.

With the Merczateers taking it upon themselves to set standards in the Military world of Second Life, we should all be wondering what the Merczateers wish from MOSCOW. Despite being a good idea, MOSCOW might be leading the SL Military scene in the wrong direction. We have sat and watched as both sides attempt to put rules behind our actions as military and make well for fair fighting, but everyone should realize this is SL, fight with what you have and don’t over do it. Keep it simple and fight the good fight – but as real life, our Second Life war has left the battlefield and gone into political hands tugging at the power chord.

Omega Groshomme reporting from Merczateer Research Center

62 Responses to “Mercs Say MOSCOW Must Be Signed For War”

  1. Pauleh Kamachi

    May 2nd, 2007

    Nice Interview

  2. Bruno Ziskey

    May 2nd, 2007

    How interesting that Ethan forgot to mention that it is not just Sparta and the Alliance Navy in the STABLE talks, but the SLSN is in there too.

    “Ethan Schuman: The Alliance Navy didn’t go to CN’s base to assist. They went there to bully a smaller military, without provocation, and hide behind an alliance. Their actions were nothing more than glorified griefing.”

    Correction Ethan: The AN were doing what we in the military call a pre-emptive attack. This means that you attack the other guy before he can attack you, as you know that he will attack you if you don’t attack him. Adding to that is the fact that Inuyasha Deere, leader of the CN, has made threats in the past to the AN. It hardly seems that this attack was unprovocated. Also, fighting along with your allies is what an alliance is for, or are you forgetting that Ethan?

    “Ethan Schuman: AN has expressed no interest in the MOSCOW rules of engagement.” And yet Ethan, the Mercz have also refused to come to STABLE talks, despite that you are welcome to come to them? I can send you chat logs saying how the Mercz refused to come to the talks as they are beginning at eahc meeting. So how can you blame the AN for not joining MOSCOW talks when you won’t come to STABLE talks? If you really want to prove yourself the *cough* adult in this case, come to the STABLE talks, look the AN in the eye and show them that you aren’t afraid of them.

    It’s amazing the amount of lies in here about the AN, smearing them and making them look like the bad guy. Yet, if the AN were truly evil they would be constantly trying to attack the Mercz and the other players in the MOSCOW talks. However, as any group in MOSCOW can tell you, there have been no such long term attacks on them.

  3. Avil Creeggan

    May 2nd, 2007

    Due to recent events, sadly to say, this article is a bit outdated.

    Alas, it would have made for an entertaining read not even 12 hours previous.

  4. Pauleh Kamachi

    May 2nd, 2007

    Sounds like a neutral 3rd party needs to make a set of rules and bring them forward since no matter what, personal issues will get in the way of reason.

  5. Phantom

    May 2nd, 2007

    I’d like to see one article on a combat issue where is isn’t so much mud slinging, I swear there was less mud slinging in the 2004 Presidential race.

    and Avil for us not in direct contact with military groups what happen 12 hours ago.

  6. Jeremy Duport

    May 2nd, 2007

    “Ethan Schuman: If you’ll note, Nayaioh Commodore, the former leader of Corsair, who was actually one of the AN’s biggest assets in setting up STABLE, has joined the Merczateers.”

    Actually, Nayaioh’s main contribution to STABLE was to insult the AN’s diplomatic corps. She was never -outside- MOSCOW or the Merczateers, so … well … have fun with the war in your head. ACU Ethan has desynchronized.

    Incidentally, MOSCOW is currently a list of points that its respective members would like to add to a full treatise. STABLE, by comparison, is in its final stages of completion and the members aren’t bickering about the content. Go figure.

  7. Pauleh Kamachi

    May 2nd, 2007

    There a list of points for MOSCOW and STABLE?

  8. John Endwahl

    May 2nd, 2007

    What a bunch of elitist morons.

    As the Herald previously reported, there is now a open source roleplay combat system. Certainly there will more development in this area, and thus more opportunity to responsibly engage in roleplay combat without the insipid word-salad wars of these groups.

    Something makes me think that the average member of these groups has a female alt in the SL fashion industry.

  9. WHO FUCKING CARES?

    May 2nd, 2007

    I am sick of reading this fucking wank. Who gives a shit about a bunch of kids/immature adults who hunch over their PCs pretending to be part of an army whilst discussing pretend ROEs and pretend treaties and pretend guns and pretend ranks. In terms of cringeworthy wankness it ranks up there with e-whores/e-police/e-sex addicts. Fuckity Fuck Fuck Fuck, this shit irritates me.
    :)

  10. WHO FUCKING CARES?

    May 2nd, 2007

    “Ethan Schuman: My name is Comdiv Ethan Schuman, of the Merczateers. In American military rankings, I would be a Colonel. I head up our Research and Development team.”

    LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL. You would be a Colonel? I suspect that if you were to ever grow up and put your money where your mouth is, you wouldn’t make it past Private First Class. I don’t know why this particular shitty RP pisses me off so much but it just does.

  11. Kizzi Greggan

    May 2nd, 2007

    John Endwahl, if it irritates you that much, DONT read it, there ya go, simple solution crisis over, now get back to reading the stuff you like not the stuff you dont like

  12. Pauleh Kamachi

    May 2nd, 2007

    if every one hates this article why waste your time responding to it.

  13. Gaius Goodliffe

    May 2nd, 2007

    WFC: “I am sick of reading this … this shit irritates me.”

    So, why are you reading this stuff? Are you lying, or are you just too stupid to realize you don’t need to read the articles that don’t interest you?

  14. Hiro Pendragon

    May 2nd, 2007

    Is it just me, or did all these groups take the fun out of war? :)

    Perhaps the buildup and drama to war is more exciting than the day or two of “omg they dropped a sim nuke” ad nauseum.

  15. WHO FUCKING CARES?

    May 2nd, 2007

    Actually, I didn’t read this particular piece of shit. I quickly scanned it for nuggets of comedy like…

    “Just last night, Avil Creeggan of the Alliance Navy and Anthony Lehane of the Merczateers engaged in an epic 4 hour chess match using toy figurines representing members of each military.”

  16. Inuyasha Deere

    May 2nd, 2007

    I must state that I have pulled out of MOSCOW. The Mercz’s common ridicule of us despite our complete respect and support for them. It is now in our best interest to build an alternative of both MOSCOW and STABLE. We wish to have normalized relations with SLSN, AN, and Mercz, and to end this conflict. We have ended strained relations with SLSN and AN, and we hope for a good future of FR as do they. The Mercz- I am not so sure…

  17. Ethan Schuman

    May 2nd, 2007

    Oh Bruno, your posts have become almost comical to read. I wonder if there’s an Alliance Navy branding on your backside underneath your armor.

    “Correction Ethan: The AN were doing what we in the military call a pre-emptive attack. This means that you attack the other guy before he can attack you, as you know that he will attack you if you don’t attack him. Adding to that is the fact that Inuyasha Deere, leader of the CN, has made threats in the past to the AN. It hardly seems that this attack was unprovocated. Also, fighting along with your allies is what an alliance is for, or are you forgetting that Ethan?”

    -Yes, because we ALL know a newbie military with no uniforms, weapons they got from a freebie yard, and not even enough members to form two fire teams is SUCH a threat to the VASTLY superior (in technology, training, and numbers) Alliance Navy. If the AN wanted a fight, all they had to do was sit down and talk, which they were unwilling to do.

    “And yet Ethan, the Mercz have also refused to come to STABLE talks, despite that you are welcome to come to them? I can send you chat logs saying how the Mercz refused to come to the talks as they are beginning at eahc meeting. So how can you blame the AN for not joining MOSCOW talks when you won’t come to STABLE talks? If you really want to prove yourself the *cough* adult in this case, come to the STABLE talks, look the AN in the eye and show them that you aren’t afraid of them.”

    -Of course we are. Even SLSN has moved over to MOSCOW. STABLE, while it may have some good ideas, is nothing more than the AN dictating “Ok, so, this is what’s going to be. Sign here plzthxdrvthru.” STABLE fell apart, the only group yet to realize this is Sparta, and the only way it will be saved is if the Merczateers agree to sign it.

    Also, let me take this moment to state that MOSCOW and the Merczateers are two seperate entities. Even the Mercz withdraw from MOSCOW because they want to go play with the lobsters, the MOSCOW talks will still continue.

    “It’s amazing the amount of lies in here about the AN, smearing them and making them look like the bad guy. Yet, if the AN were truly evil they would be constantly trying to attack the Mercz and the other players in the MOSCOW talks. However, as any group in MOSCOW can tell you, there have been no such long term attacks on them.”

    -AN has attempted attacks on both CN and the Mercz, despite their knowledge that our general policy towards them is one of non-engagement. When they were given 30 seconds warning to leave, they ignored this on both occasions, and were subsequently banned. The most comical part of this, was that after AN was banned from our base, they went to our estate manager and whined in an attempt to get him to overrule it. Bruno, I don’t NEED to spin that to show the AN’s true colors.

    To WHO FUCKING CARES: Who fucking cares?

  18. Nacon

    May 2nd, 2007

    I still remembered AN came to a sandbox and made bunch of rocks and spaceships from StarWars…..

    Still living in a fantasy, I see?

  19. ummm... wtf?

    May 2nd, 2007

    Like anyone in SL can criticize another for living in a fantasy. Get a clue.

  20. csven

    May 2nd, 2007

    “Merczateers”? As in sung to the tune:

    M-E-R
    C-Z-A
    T-E-E-R-S

    ?

    (Visions of Manson wearing Mickey ears on stage dance in my head)

    Nice.

  21. mercz_observer

    May 2nd, 2007

    “Like anyone in SL can criticize another for living in a fantasy. Get a clue.”

    Just what I was thinking.

  22. Phantom

    May 2nd, 2007

    I really have to hand it to Nacon for being one of the most idiotic people I’ve seen post.

    but I have to say, every one here I’m guessing plays 2nd life and if not they really have no business here. I find it funny people still choose to judge others so easily before they even look at them selfs.

    Nacon You don’t like combat groups, you don’t like progress, you seem not to like anything, asides making your self an asshole on this SLH, that I’m sorry but I haven’t seen to many people supporting your view points because most of them are very very narrow minded and ignorant at best.

    get a life, a real life, and stop judging people before you get to know them.

    also the comments of getting sick of reading this stuff, fine don’t read it, but don’t post on it as well, it’s number of comments that they are looking for, why do you think there are 2 articles about open letter to LL? because the first one has 100 posts already. even if it’s just a hand full of people going at it for the most part.

    and as far as the AN hate comments I’m not even going to comment on that, because I’m sure they aren’t listening to what i have to say. because it’s rounded up as

    “yea I fucking hate the AN, Down with the AN, even tho I Attacked them or threated them, they don’t have the right to attack my group because my army isn’t ready to play for real with the big boys, even if I come attack you guys when ever I feel like it because I like gunz.”

    the CN has made it clear that they are enemies of the AN, insulting, threating, so why should they sit back and wait for them to attack them? I swear all the Mercz do is whine how the AN isn’t fair. what about the Mercz them selfs? they return fighters and ships in combat, they TP hub kill, and they use offset bullets (a little different from phantoms rounds, but in the same grouping because they can shoot through walls).

    I like how the Mercz claim that the Treaty isn’t coming from them when Ethan is a Mercz who also maned it after a Russian city, and as everyone should know that the Mercz is a Russian themed group.

    and as far as the AN goes, I can admire there being as stubborn as they are, but it’s a time when you have to let go, ok Ethan is openly anti AN, as well as many of the combat groups in MOSCOW, and I know they aren’t welcome even when Ethan claims they are. But why are you trying to fight the things you don’t like about the MOSCOW with a different treaty? would it make sense to try to get people to agree with you that are wanting to join the MOSCOW? and hell I still don’t know all the details on what the MOSCOW is and what the STABLE is for all I know is that they could be the same Treaty with different names.

  23. admin-nimda

    May 2nd, 2007

    Nice interview on clearing up te other side of the story, but u might wanna put a short explanation at the top as its prety long-worded, but nice :)

  24. Ethan Schuman

    May 2nd, 2007

    I’ll be brief. I’m on a sim building assignment, and have more work to do with Mercz, so I’ll just say this:

    I’ll be the first to admit, AN has some GREAT ideas. It’s how they want to implement them (here’s terms, sign plzthx) that’s the issue here, and the fact that they are unwilling to change their general attitude regarding others.

    And Phantom, you need to rely less on hearsay and more on your own personal experiences. Sure, we’ll return ships and fighters in combat… AFTER we’ve killed the crew. Our new guns don’t even include the offset bullets you refer to, and haven’t for over a month. And as for us TP hub killing, well, that’s strongly discouraged, but it happens. Just like AN has certain rules that their members break from time to time. As far as MOSCOW is concerned, no matter what it may LOOK like, it’s not Mercz controlled, and there have been many disagreements in command channel because of this.

  25. SqueezeOne Pow

    May 2nd, 2007

    “The prospects for serious combat look dim at the moment as political wrangling has upstaged violent conflct between SL’s two largest military factions.”

    This is a funny sentence. IRL this is called “diplomacy”!

    I would be annoyed by seeing such articles if I didn’t think the Herald was partaking in the low-level military/political roleplay these groups are enacting.

    SL is certainly different things to different people!

  26. Toby McAllister

    May 2nd, 2007

    BORING.

    How about getting back to reporting things that most people using SL are actually interested in? I am pissed off with this seemingly unending barrage of stories about military role playing.

    No wonder your readership is dropping.

  27. Phantom

    May 2nd, 2007

    Ethan, Phantom Noel is an alt, as I told people including you, because I wish to start over with out having my old “enemies” bug me with this account.

    I don’t rely on hear say as much you think I do, I’ve been TP hub killed over and over, I’ve had the offset weapons used on me before, as well as having my vehicles returned from under me. If I relied on hear say, I’d include over use of phantom rounds(most likely mistaken as the offset rounds) , sim crashing weapons (but I believe it’s just poorly scripted guns that impacting other bullets causing server lag), and even AV flying.

    but since I was only told this and have not witness this first hand I can’t say that it’s true. as well as some of my info is a little out dated by about a month or so. But I know people like using older weapons some times so I’m sure some of your older members are holding onto there older weapons and using them in combat, that’s just how it is some times, I remember in my first combat group using a German WW2 (don’t remember the name of the gun) gun that was only standard issue for a short time(just worked well for me even if it wasn’t the best weapon I had) and I kept using it until the second combat group I was in, so unless there is a order saying your not to use them under threat of punishment, some one I’m sure is using it still.

  28. Proteus Hand

    May 2nd, 2007

    Personally, I think that we HAVE taken all the fun out of this, and the masses obviously DON’T like us getting the attention we’ve been getting recently.

    (Told you last night’s meeting in the coffee was a good idea, eh? They’ll be scratching their heads for months unless someone leaks it.)

  29. Phantom

    May 2nd, 2007

    if I had the money I’d buy a sim, make a cyber punk city, get/make a free RP combat system and enforce RPing. I have the time, and the ability just not the money. any one have a sim they don’t know what to do with? lol,

    but since I don’t have the money and I don’t care for any RP (midian has gone down hill and there combat system always sucked as well as the lag there, and I don’t care for the build either).

    the wastelands has a good combat system, but it’s not enforced RP, nor does it have a stable build (since the parcels are rentals).

  30. Phantom

    May 2nd, 2007

    opps, didn’t make my point, I’d stay out of SL LL combat system groups, since I’d be busy with that.

  31. Alex

    May 3rd, 2007

    I\’m not entirely sure, but wasn\’t the whole \’Kremlin Returning\’ farce because one Merczateer tried to return the AN ships that were still being piloted? Glaring evidence. If they had only been trying to return the ones that were no longer in use, surely they wouldn\’t have attempted an entire sim-wipe of Alliance Navy property…

    I also see not reporting of what the Mercz did after the aformented chess match. Talk about sore losers…

  32. Francesca Aye

    May 3rd, 2007

    You know, I used to believe all of this Anti-AN propaganda. I was as convinced as most of the people here that they were imperious, self-obsessed assholes without any care for your fellow resident. Then something strange happened.

    I was with a friend at the Wengen welcome area (about 2 weeks ago now…) when a man in military uniform showed up. Some group called Commando SL, I think. He asked me if I liked shooting games, to which I answered yes. He then asked me if I wanted a place to shoot people, the AN no less. I was rather annoyed by reports of their activities, so I agreed and recieved a landmark to The Woofer. Upon arrival, myself and my friend set about wreaking havoc, with admittedly little success. All of a sudden, teleports failed. Now, I have since learned that should this happen in many other military sims, you would be simply black-screened until you were forced to log off.

    However, much to my suprise, the commanding officer at that time, who I remember was Rob Arten, ordered his men to hold fire. For the next half hour, we engaged in light conversation about all things SL. A thoroughly enjoyable chat, actually. My hosts were polite and much better mannered than I had been told. Anyway, when the teleports started working again, Rob invited me to carry on my attack, in which case he and his men would withdraw to one of their defensive bunkers before I started. Naturally, I declined.

    You see, most of the opinions generated by the MOSCOW groups appear to be centred around one person typifying an entire group. I say, take some time to research your common man more often. They are not all as bad as they seem.

  33. Bruno Ziskey

    May 3rd, 2007

    *nods as Francesca* This is exactly what I have been saying all along. The only reason anybody believes that the AN is actually evil is that they have never gotten the other side of the story. They immediately think that just because everybody says they’re evil that they must be right. However, as anyone practiced in politics and government knows, mob rule is a dangerous thing, subject to believing one view and ignoring the other. Even Sparta has been declared evil just because we prefer to be friends with the AN and not make petty attempts to destroy them (which is impossible anyways, seeing as how the AN, like any other group in SL, is virtual).

  34. Pauleh Kamachi

    May 3rd, 2007

    Curious why arnt combat huds not used, would save all the bs when it comes to shields, one hit killers, etc.

    100% goes to 0% you get TP’ed home, 1 hit kill and not knowing if the other person is cheating or not sucks.

  35. Kristian Kit

    May 3rd, 2007

    i don’t know if anyone already told this . ( i haven’t read everything) i guess i’m just to lazy but Ethan left the mercz. Just so you know

  36. SqueezeOne Pow

    May 3rd, 2007

    “Curious why arnt combat huds not used, would save all the bs when it comes to shields, one hit killers, etc”

    …because too many people like the loopholes they provide so they can cheat without cheating.

    If a good combat HUD was made by a disinterested 3rd party (and there are plenty!) for everyone wanting to have military combat then you guys could go back to “you’re a n00b” “no YOU’RE a n00b”!

  37. Bruno Ziskey

    May 3rd, 2007

    “Curious why arnt combat huds not used, would save all the bs when it comes to shields, one hit killers, etc”

    …because too many people like the loopholes they provide so they can cheat without cheating.

    If a good combat HUD was made by a disinterested 3rd party (and there are plenty!) for everyone wanting to have military combat then you guys could go back to “you’re a n00b” “no YOU’RE a n00b”!

    Ummm….no Squeeze, the problem is when you have a lot of people in a sim battling, the lag can cause a lot of problems, and SL has been bad enough in lag lately as it is.

  38. SqueezeOne Pow

    May 3rd, 2007

    “Ummm….no Squeeze, the problem is when you have a lot of people in a sim battling, the lag can cause a lot of problems, and SL has been bad enough in lag lately as it is.”

    Then take off all that corny red sim-crashing armor! Between the AN, the Clone Army (are they even around anymore?) and a lot of other groups they’re pretty much walking spam. I’m suprized there haven’t been abuse reports from Tethys about griefing through lag creation!

  39. Longtimelistener Firsttimecaller

    May 3rd, 2007

    Man, this place sux without Prok. Been almost a week since there was anything worth reading here.

  40. Pauleh Kamachi

    May 3rd, 2007

    Any fun armies that actually do something and dont ask for a month min ingame before you can apply?

  41. Longtimelistener Firsttimecaller

    May 3rd, 2007

    Oh, sorry – I didn’t mean to say this article wasn’t worth reading. It sounds like a lot of people having a great time! And it was just as much fun reading it the 3rd time as it was the 1st time. It’s just that the content here has dropped drastically without Prok. Help! Need more to read! Please come back my little pazoozah! Please come back!

    /(cries in the street) PA-ZOOO-ZAAAAAH! PA-ZOOOOO-ZAAAAAAH! O’ where’s my little Pazoozah!

  42. harlequin salome

    May 3rd, 2007

    Actually I think at least a chunk of the tethys lag originates from one of the SL Land Preserve parcels. There has been some sort of constant particle spamming object there for as long as I can remember, as well as a large number of poorly scripted bullets and other things from other groups fired at us. COllisions and other such things hurt the sim performance. In addition, we’ve removed almost all the scripted objects from the sim. So unless some scripted doors and a bridge are killing the sim *shrugs*

    Also, the armour is primmy, but not scripted. And most of us have no issue even when there’s a large number of people around.
    And there’s no Z in surprise.

  43. harlequin salome

    May 3rd, 2007

    hey, Longtime. Don’t like the story, don’t click the link.
    Tough, I know, but I have faith in you.

  44. SqueezeOne Pow

    May 3rd, 2007

    “And there’s no Z in surprise.”

    Ooh you got me there! *rolls eyes* …and the world famous oneupsmanship and elitism once again shines through!

  45. Phantom

    May 4th, 2007

    And there’s the infamous idiotic noobism comment.

  46. Jeremy Duport

    May 4th, 2007

    At the risk of releasing omgwtfmiltaryintelligencelol, I have an example of Alliance Navy equipment relating to lag, as tested by an independent grid citizen of rather high standing.

    Alliance Fighter, “Talon” class
    -
    Resting Lag: 0.032ms
    Hovering Lag: 0.076ms
    Functioning Lag: 0.126ms

    Where resting is not started, hovering is started and not moving and functioning is being flown at high speed in a state of full combat readiness.
    -

    By comparison, the hovering lag of the Merczateer comparison, the “ABATS”, scales on average between 0.3 and 0.5ms. Second Life’s Slingo machines can run at up to 1ms of lag on simulator processes.

    The Alliance Navy doesn’t use laggy equipment. We make sure of it. If you’re lagging when you’re fighting us, get a better computer tbh ^.^

  47. Proteus Hand

    May 4th, 2007

    “I also see not reporting of what the Mercz did after the aformented chess match. Talk about sore losers…”

    -Dude, there were THIRTY people in my office. I can’t even begin to describe the lag my little shit computer was having, but hey, that’s what happens when you joyride with Avil on a golfcart through Badnarik.

  48. Proteus Hand

    May 4th, 2007

    “Also, the armour is primmy, but not scripted. And most of us have no issue even when there’s a large number of people around.”

    He’s right, but the AN equipment, like their wrist computer, whatever they have on their HUDs, their rifle, combined with the gravpack (which DOES cause unexplained lag despite their microscopic scripting), will not lag you if you already have them in your cache however, if you’ve spent most of your time away from the AN, and they suddenly attack you, you’re in for a jerky fiesta once you go into mouselook and try to shoot at any of them.

    The same goes for the Talon, if you don’t have it in your cache, it’ll seem like it’s lagging away from your bullet, when its pilot is simple bobbing up and down without really TRYING to do anything but wonder why you can’t hit him.

    I’ve been in the situation before, and it’s frustrating as hell.

  49. Rob Arten

    May 4th, 2007

    Ok, Proteus, the time tested by Mr Duport and his anonymous citizen was the lag time generated upon the server, not the client. That is the effective lag generated if you had seen it for the first time.

    A pilot bobbing his aircraft up and down is hardly going to dodge the constant stream of unlimited ammunition on full-auto. All said shooter would need to do is track his view upwards. The whole point of the Talon (and the Razor/Katar before it) as a physical fighter is that it is capable of far greater speeds and manouverability than your average non-phys ship. Why bob up and down when you can zip behind/above someone and attack them from there.

    Our rifles, at least our newer ones, are designed with high sim performance in mind (as is the case with the majority of our equipment). When faced with opponents who wear 7 AK-47s at once (poorly scripted ones, at that) we can have a smoother-running batallion than a squad of enemy troops. Seriously, this scenario pops up more than you\’d think.

    Oh, and thanks Francesca ^.^

  50. Phantom

    May 4th, 2007

    I’d like to ask how many prims are in the standard mercz armor, and how many prims are in the AN’s standard armor set (marines armor)?

    also on the note of cache, I know that the AN armor uses(at least up till they changed there armor around a little while ago) for the most part in there armor. so what textures do the mercz use in there armor?

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