The Perfect Clan

The in-game creation of clans is still fresh and new for Xbox Live® gamers. It began with the release ofTom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® 3 Black Arrow™, and it has been perfected with the release of everyone's favorite 1000-pound gorilla, Halo® 2.

Halo 2 is a monster of a game, and it offers a beastly amount of options from every conceivable front. Not to be lost amongst the minutia, though, is the ability to create and customize a clan. Simply put, no other game will sport as many clans asHalo 2 in the foreseeable future, so it's important that the game gives you every option you could want.

It's equally important that you create or join a clan that runs smoothly and is fun to play with. We've got the following ground rules and tips with those goals in mind.

Yo! Give me my flag back.

Use the Site
Bungie.net offers a ridiculously rich set of stat-tracking features. For more information on that, check out our web integration article for all the details. Beyond the stat-tracking lies the ability to create your own clan Web site on Bungie.net. Simply create a profile on Bungie.net, and you can create or join a clan site. It's as simple as you could want to be, and it offers a host of options to help with inter-clan communication. You can:

• Post messages on your own private clan forums.
• Submit and read news items.
• Submit or read new announcements. (This is especially good for letting the clan know when they should all be online for an event.)
• Write up or read articles posted by your fellow clan members.
• Post or view useful links.
• Post or view questions. (This is really useful for rules on clan etiquette or even simple strategy.)
• Post or view contact information for your fellow clan members.
• Quick link to your clan's stat page, so you can check out post-game breakdowns for all the latest matches.

Being able to create, run, and use your own private clan site is a rare gift from a game developer. It offers heartwarming hope for those oft frustrated souls that can't seem to get together with their friends and clan members to get a game going. Your clan site should be your one-stop destination for all things related to your clan. With a properly run site, you won't need anything else.

Zanzibar? Again?

Basic Tips
All things communication-related can be readily handled by the in-game messaging system (voice or text) and your Bungie.net-hosted clan site. That said, there are a few other considerations to bear in mind. Here are a few tips for running a smooth clan.

• Make sure you assign the appropriate role to your individual clan members. If you're a clan Overlord, you can grant members of your clan one of the following titles.

1. Staff: Staff can invite new people into the clan, boot people out of the clan, and of course play in clan matches. With a big clan, you may want one or two of these to help moderate the membership.
2. Member: These folks can invite new players into the clan and play in clan matches. It's nice to have a few Members act as recruiters for your clan. Watch out, though. You don't want every Member throwing out clan invites to every dual-wielding, grenade-sticking, stealth-killing, frag-lovin' fool they run across. (Or, who knows, maybe you do … )
3. Peon: Peon's can play in clan matches, and that's it. Frankly, unless your clan is just beginning, you may want to make the bulk of your clan Peons. It sounds mean, but it just makes things easier to track and manage. Plus, if someone really wants their friend to be in the clan, they can just message a Member, Staff, or Overlord and have them do it.

Purple Master Chief rules!

• Set up some ground rules for etiquette. The purpose of a clan is to have fun while competing online. It allows you a loose group of friends to consistently play with, but the whole thing is a wash if a bad apple or two are ruining the experience. Let your clan members know what kind of behavior is and isn't acceptable.
• There are two basic types of clans. One is competitive, and the other is just out to have fun. Everyone will breathe a little easier if they knew which direction your clan is moving in. If you're a hardcore Halo 2 fanatic that wants to leapfrog up the score boards every time you play, you're not doing yourself or your clan members any favors if you join up with a "play it for the fun of it" clan.
• Don't be afraid to boot someone out of your clan. If you're the Overlord, that's your job. There's no need to be an ass about it, but it's important to keep the whole clan in mind. If one person is being flagrantly rude, they can go and find themselves another clan. (Griefers, beware!)

The perfect clan is a happy clan. It gives you the opportunity to share a common bond with fellow gamers, to have fun playing with a few friends (or just as often complete strangers you meet on Xbox Live), and to feel like you really have an identity online.

By Alex McLain