Credits to:
Steven Vreeland ID# 355027, Richard Millich ID# 291875, Michael Telladira ID# 637975, and
German Pudilo ID# 685605
Hello everyone. Last week I did a piece on camping, as a sort of beginner’s introduction to the concept. Afterwards, I got thinking about how camping must have changed over the years to match changes within the game. Then I thought who would be the perfect group to talk with when it comes to talking about the origins of camping?
So, after much hunting and messaging, I’ve managed to get ahold of a few of the original Alpha Strikers of RND, Steven Vreeland, Michael Telladira, Richard Millich, and German Pudilo.
Welcome to The Galaxy Gathering Headquarters gentlemen.
I guess first and foremost is, how was the idea of camping developed?
Steven V: The idea was developed to acquire higher damage and more effective weapons without running out for your mechs.
Michael T: Since I wasn't around during the development of camping I can only assume. If I had to guess; it was put into place to maximize formations before running out of resources. I'm sure we're all aware that resources get eaten up fairly fast when excessive leveling takes place.
German P: During my short stage in RND, not everyone developed a pure camp, while there were some players who I believe did it, the general concept was more like a so slow and comprehensive leveling.
When I joined RND, I was looking for some successful clan where I could become to reach the needs I had in order to grow in strength. By joining RND, I had to agree about level up slowly or I could be hurting the clan where I got designated, the 82ns Omicron Guard [RND], by pushing the average level so high as to make the clan join upper divisions where our odds may be worse.
But I had another reason to opt for a temporary frozen leveling: I needed time to build a stronger squad as to be allowed to compete in higher divisions. I was getting good Niodes through ANN and GG works and watching videos, so all I needed was time to build a better and more competitive force.
Richard M: The idea of Mecha Galaxy styled camping was originally a response to level 24. Back then, the Oggun was one of the premier Mecha, as higher tonnage Mecha did not exist for general use. When I hit level 24, it immediately became apparent that leveling naturally could very easily put the inexperienced player at a disadvantage against several waves of Ogguns. This forced me as a player to pull up, take stock, and assess the battlefield. Back then, I was not spending any Niodes at all, and it became evident that Crystal just wasn't meant to compete in general. I needed a Niode income to pull even with other KOTM participants. Now keep in mind that, back then, KOTMs were both free of XP gain, and Big Berthas, T9 Tsunamis, and Galaxy Eyes were the standard prizes, along with the Fist of Fury. All of them outstanding weapons, even today.
So it sounds that back in the beginning, if you didn’t have a way to earn niodes, you would inevitably get ground underfoot as you leveled. So in your words, why was camping put into place as an established chapter in the RND Guidelines for members to follow?
Steven V: It was put into place to dominate clan wars.
German P: First, I would mention that the camping and its variant (slow leveling) are developed by many more players and clans than those non campers would expect. I know this since along many wars I have been tracking more than 100 clans across all the divisions and noticing their different tactics regarding leveling and allocation.
As the RND gang was made mostly with free players or low spenders, their chances to win against other hardcore players loading serious amounts of cash in game went through the camping strategy.
A "camper" (and I don't quite like this tag, sacrifices the top goal, to enjoy getting success in an intermediate division, where they can shine, as get stuff for higher levels.
Slow leveling, allows time to build your squad.
A balanced time between the experience you earn and the resources you acquire is the key of success that allow you to keep growing strong in your niche (strong is a quite relative word in this game, as a “strong” low level could or should get smashed by an enough high level player… Said this, I was allowed to defeat some squads with more than 100 levels above mine, and that was only possible because I cared to grew it instead keep a blind mad leveling with a hollow squad, unable to keep a correct upgrading and gear.
Richard M: The lack of XP meant that anybody who was anybody did the KOTMs. It was how you compared yourself to the field, because most of the players you'd face in Clan Wars were there every time.
The combination of KOTM competition and great prizes meant you could build a weapons advantage first, then earn the Mecha, which is the reverse of what it is today. Back then, the Chessmen required KOTM participation, as it enabled us to track both performance and keep our players engaged on an everyday basis. This way, we'd also be able to identify players who were drifting away from the game and release them before they became a Clan Wars no show.
All of this, combined with the clear weapon slot creep that occurred with leveling, turned our attention to weapon gathering first and foremost, with Clan Wars filling in the Mecha.
That, and the patience to avoid weapon slot creep allowed us to bring weapon loadouts across the board that no one had. Heck, I think Mel Bradley still has Galaxy Eyes for days, as I do. Ask her about it.
Anyway, with the weapon advantage, we started winning and winning big. That's what started our run, and camping became the RND strategy.
Okay, with that we’ll take our first break as we have several more questions for our panel coming up. Stay tuned for the second installment of this story.
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