This post is inspired by an email I received from Ragnarok Vanir from Persona Non Grata in DarkFall, who wanted me to comment on the term ‘zerg’, specifically how it is used on ForumFall whenever a battle breaks out. The TLDR summary of all of this is that whenever a fight breaks out, whichever side loses someone is always quick to jump and call ‘zerg’, even if we are talking about a 100v95 battle. Hell sometimes BOTH sides have been called a ‘zerg’, which really shows the ridiculousness of it all.
In a game like DarkFall, who is willing to help you is just as big a factor as who you are going to fight. That’s the political layer of the game, and it’s very important. Maintaining good relations with powerful sides should be rewarded. Knowing who is allied with whom (secretly or otherwise) is powerful information. Ignoring this entire aspect of the game is foolish, and when you find yourself heavily outnumbered, take a step back and think how that situation came about.
With that said, sometimes you DO get zerged. If you are a small alliance and make it know you plan to do your own fighting, the attackers bringing not only their bigger alliance but also two others leads to a zerging. It’s still part of the game, and if you really wanted to win perhaps you could have allied/hired some help, but that is a choice every clan/alliance makes on their own. Never expect the enemy to bring ‘just enough’ people to a fight, always expect them to bring enough to guarantee victory, and maybe then some.
The calling of ‘zerg’ is also similar to calling your opponent a ‘non-factor’, shitty, or whatever ‘in’ term ForumFall is using this week to call someone a poor player. It’s similar in that it too often makes no sense. Notice that right after a professional team wins a championship, the very first thing they do is comment on how great their opponent was. Why do you think they do that? Because it makes the WINNER look even better.
When you say ‘we beat a really great team’, what you are in effect saying is you are even greater. It makes you look good. If you are indeed being honest and did just beat some ‘shitties’, what does that really say about you, ESPECIALLY if the fight was not a cakewalk? That you are just one step above shitty? Way to make yourself look awesome!
The difficult part in all of this is if you are leading a clan/alliance, you can’t ignore all of ForumFall, as it DOES factor into the game. You also can’t get pulled into the trolling and flaming, because no matter what you will end up looking bad in the end. This is a fine line a leader has to walk; keeping active enough to remain visible without getting pulled down to the level of the average ForumFall poster. It’s also what makes games like DarkFall or EVE more than just a collection of in-game actions, and if it’s your thing, it adds a huge layer to the overall enjoyment of the game. Just be sure to put on your flame suit first.
(DarkFall-related post disclaimer/reminder. If you click the image link near the top-right of this page and buy a DarkFall account, I get paid 20% of the client cost. If you believe this taints my views and reporting on DarkFall, your opinion is wrong.)
Hardcore Casual 
Do you appreciate the irony of using a wholly Blizzard term (Zergling) to describe concepts in Darkfall (an anti-Blizzard game)?
I’m obviously not at that level in Darkfall yet. Heck, I was excited yesterday because I avoided getting ganked (more irony).
But that said, I can tell you that will always be frustrating to people when you get outnumbered. Or quite frankly, simply outplayed. A 100 v 100 match could quickly seem like a zerg when you lose 40 people quickly and they lose three.
Relative to Darkfall, a WoW Battleground is (in theory) a very balanced thing. And yet, one side gets steamrolled all the time.
Losings not fun for anyone. But someone has to lose.
In a game like Darkfall, where you make your own political alliances, your odds of finding yourself on a winning side are much more in your control in other games with forced groups or alliances. Part of the reason that a BG sucks when you lose is because you are grouped with a bunch of random people.
If you find yourself getting rolled all the time in a game like Darkfall, then perhaps you should start considering WHO you are grouping with and figure out a way to improve your side.
I appreciate fairness and balance, but that’s not really a defining characteristic of Darkfall.
Old Blizzard and new Blizzard might as well be two totally different companies (and they are really, given the Activision merger). And I don’t think DF is really anti-WoW so much as it’s just a very different game. I mean we don’t call EVE an anti-Blizzard game, do we?
But yea, complaining about fairness in DarkFall is silly. The beauty of it is you make your own rules, not the devs. Want a 100v20, make it happen. You don’t need the devs telling you this round of fighting is going to be a 5v5, or a 40v40.
Typo: It should read “your odds of finding yourself on a winning side are much more in your control than in other games with forced groups or alliances”
Don’t forget summery and losses.
You really should let someone proofread these things Syn, sloppy bastard.
Hey if you are volunteering your services, I’ll gladly take you up on that offer. I’ll even reward you with Syncaine achievement points!
(One of these days Word will perfect its spelling/grammar tool, and that will be a joyous day!)
Isn’t the fiance an English major?
She skims the blog as it is, you think she is going to proofread posts?
I’ll do it lol. God knows you need it.
Man it may be too much to expect any kind of sweeping social change in gamer culture on the whole, given the nature of the games and the emotional maturity of the players they attract, but kudos for trying.
Oh I’m not expecting any changes, just commenting on them. I have no doubt that the next time someone just barely wins a fight, they are going to make a thread and say how they ‘shit on’ the other side who are all non-factors.
Nobody dies they just get zerged ;)
Part of the zerg and shitties bit is just basic trolling/intimidation etc.
Sadly many players do buy into this because they are simply ignorant of the larger game of managing a guild and having basic diplomacy.
Like any human organization attracting and retaining talent to work with you is hard work.
Most players don’t want to know about that or even pay any attention to it.
Be good at attracting and cultivating mid-level to great players and soon you’ll have not only all around better players but also a guild that can field more than half a group.
Be good at diplomacy (the opposite of board trolling) and you’ll have friends and allies when the shit hits the fan.
Those things being said, there are such things as “zerg”s and “shitties”.
A zerg of shitties is a big guild that attracts lots of players, has high turnover and loses or never develops any core of good players. They definitely exist in Darkfall…and all of these things existed in Warhammer.
I find that the players that fail at the meta-game are the ones that scream the most about blobbing-zerging-whatever. You can outplay someone in more than just fastest fingers. There is always going to be logistics and diplomacy in a well designed sand box game.
Syn whats this Im hearing your a $5 whore?
If you need a pimp gimme a shout
I’d never go with you, you’d tourist off to the next block in a few weeks (that right there was me pimp slappin’ you, bitch).
It is nice that someone seems to have manned up a little, if only for a day. Would be a far more interesting place if that was the norm rather than the exception though.
haha touche
Yeah it wont last but nice to see some movement from his side :)