Summary: One hell of a battle on the srf clan match server. Witchblade and DayLightStar subbed in for two KTs who had lousy connections. Massive carnage ensued. While 99vc|Slicker came out on top of the frag heap, at the end of the day it's the flag captures that really count and in that regard the Knights Templars pulled off a very close victory.
Notes: I don't remember much about this battle. It was fast, fun, and furious. I wasn't sure about my role in the clan yet and didn't have my binds down. I also didn't record a demo, which I wish I had so I can see how much I've improved over the months with KT. In any case it was a good first start as the newest member of Knights Templar.
[kt]
01/30/1999 - Knights Templar vs Clan NerdCore. Informal scrimmage. 99vc|Elektro filled in a spot for NerdCore. Friendly scrimmages/rivalries among KT, NC, and 99vc are common. The BFG was not a factor as the maps played were Q2CTF2: Stronghold Opposition and Q2CTF3: The Smelter.
Summary: NerdCore/99vc started the offensive and never looked back. It seemed like Elektro was more interested in mowing down KTs with a quad chaingun than actually scoring flags. In the end it was a complete shutout at 6 caps to 0 in NerdCore's favor.
Summary: Away from the open expanses of Stronghold Opposition and into the claustrophobic confines of The Smelter, Knights Templar faired much better against NerdCore. Toward the end of the match observers started jumping into the frackas and a 6 on 6 melee ensued. In the end, KT walked (or rather, limped) away with a victory, 4 caps to 3.
Notes: With solid quad control and strategic playing, the Q2CTF2 scrimmage was an ominous foreshadow to the match against 182nd Force Recon on the 9th of February. For a more complete writeup about Stronghold Opposition, read that match section. Other than that, KT regained dignity on The Smelter and actually won. It started as a smaller 4 on 4 match but at some point in the game people started joining up and all hell broke loose. This also explains the impossible disparity in the points spread on the KT side. All in all a scrimmage against these clans has never been a disappointment and is always an opportunity to learn something. Too bad I didn't learn it fast enough for the match against 182nd Force Recon.
[kt]
02/02/1999 - Knights Templar vs Strogg Clan 2. OGL open CTF ladder match. Strogg Clan 2 is a mid-east clan but the two server rule was not enforced. Two maps were played. Everyone agreed to disallow the BFG on the first map Q2CTF1: McKinley Revival. The BFG was not a factor on the second round as the map played was Q2CTF3: The Smelter.
Summary: Terribly lopsided is the only description I have of this match. KraZyME and Rommel were on offense, OMEGA and I were on defense. KraZy and Romm fed our base with cap after flag cap in an almost neverending cycle. Final score was 19 caps to 0.
Summary: Second round prove to be no better for SC2. Knights Templar were a scoring machine that could not be stopped. SC2 fell to KT, 22 caps to none.
Notes: First taste of official competition and first taste of a complete blowout. Frankly Strogg Clan 2 didn't stand a chance and were terribly overmatched both in the skill department and in the connection department. Honestly I don't know why they chose to play in the Open CTF ladder as only one of their members could be considered an LPB with a 100+ ping, but only some of the Time.
In any case, these guys were great sports and I would not hesitate to hang with them (As long as they aren't playing on my team, heh.) as they had super cool attitudes. Afterwards OMEGA and Rommel (those dogs) were hitting on the female members of SC2. I hope SC2 improve (skills and pings) so we can challenge this very positive clan again in the future and have a fun battle for a change.
I wish I had been able to get over 300 frags as well and keep up with the other KT. As it was I fell short. Most of the map I was stuck with the Time Accelerator. Nothing wrong with that, but I was playing such close defense that I seldom had ammo and no power shield for most of the match. Often I went up to the quad and found an SC2 trying to sneak in with rockets. One or two rockets and I'd either be dead or badly hurt. Live and learn.
[kt]
02/09/1999 - Knights Templar vs 182nd Force Recon Clan. OGL open CTF league match. 182 is a Texas clan so a neutral server was found and two maps were played. The BFG was not a factor as the maps played were Q2CTF2: Stronghold Opposition and Q2CTF3: The Smelter.
Summary: The match was very lopsided, but in the wrong direction. 182nd Force Recon took control early in the game and never looked back. They played with strong teamwork and attacked skillfully despite their slightly inferior pings. In the end 182nd walked away with a total victory in this round, 18 caps to zero, their score inflated slightly by the fact that the match was longer than it should have been at a full 30 minutes.
Summary: Second round started better for KT. KraZyME with his quick actions managed to cap the first flag of the game. Shortly thereafter it became a matter of trading frags back and forth before 182 eventually gained the upper hand and started scoring. Somehow in the middle of the carnage KT managed to score once more, bring the final score to a respectable (but still humbling) 2 to 7 loss.
Notes: First taste of bitter defeat. It wasn't even close. A strong clan knows how to exploit the weaknesses of another clan effectively. 182nd Force Recon is a very strong clan and will do well wherever they compete. They did everything right; strong individual skills, strong teamplay, good communication. At this point my weaknesses became glaring deficiencies. When facing weaker opponents this wasn't apparent, but against powerful opposition the mistakes I made became exploitable issues.
One major fault was lack of communication when on defense. I was unprepared with my team binds and this aided the enemies who snuck into our base and attacked by surprise or at the last moment, when defense was least well prepared. Had I announced "ENEMY via SECONDARY" even a second before they attacked, KT's defenders would have been that much more ready.
Another fault was a lack of focus. Granted on Q2CTF3 I respawned right above the enemy flag a lot during the match, but I would have better served the team bulking up and killing opponents instead of becoming an obvious target as a naked flag carrier.
A third major fault was not quite understanding what a dramatic impact the quad damage made on Q2CTF2. This map is owned by the quad. The team with Quad control will win this map with almost no exceptions. Even on those rare occasions where we snatched the quad they would be right there to steal it back. This vicious cycle was played over and over again when they ran in with quad and wiped out the defense and took our flag. I've always known the importance of controlling the quad but 182nd Force Recon was able to really drill that point home.
I believe I have corrected the above faults and welcome the next opportunity to test myself. In any case it would appear that KT is weakest on Stronghold Opposition, so I hope that not too many competing clans read this page.
[kt]
02/11/1999 - Knights Templar vs Clan LoR. GoC open CTF ladder match. I think much of LoR is an east coast clan but the two server rule was not enforced. Game was played on a neutral server. The BFG was not a factor as the map played was Q2CTF5: Capture Showdown.
Summary: Match started fairly evenly but after a few minutes LoR secured the power amp and didn't let go. LoR eventually snuck around KT's belleaguered defenders and won the game 5 caps to 1, Beef[LoR] with power amp defense leading their points charge.
Notes: Second straight loss to another clan. Time to break the losing streak. Mike's ping is shown as 175 on the screenshot, but this wasn't the case. His ping fluctuated wildly anywhere from 50 to 999 and back, with major packet loss to boot. This prevented him from being a reliable source of KT skill and helped to contribute to the loss. To get an idea of how effective KT can be, Mike makes an excellent railgun kill on a grapple monkey in the first few moments of the match. Plagued by connect problems I didn't see him repeat this performance. LoR is definitely worthy of a good rematch.
[kt]
02/25/1999 - Knights Templar vs Team Finest Clan. OGL open CTF ladder match. I think much of TF is a midwest clan so the two server rule was not enforced. Game was played on a neutral server. The BFG was not a factor as the map played was Q2CTF2: Stronghold Opposition.
Summary: Another steamroller victory for Knights Templar. The quadded chainguns and flag captures kept coming in a nonstop barrage of death and carnage. The match ended 20 to zip in KT's favor despite KraZyME and 2one having to sub back and forth for each other due to their crappy connections that day.
Notes: We really needed this match to break the depressive funk we were in. My team binds had not been perfected at this point and there was a moment where somebody ran up to me and took a shot with the double barrel as I struggled to finish a bind (I didn't get to finish it). In any case bind problems have been largely eliminated so watch out for future matches. The reason 2one is showing such a low score in the screenshot is because he had to sub in for KraZy halfway through the match when KraZy got disconnected. 2one was not doing much better connection-wise either but he sucked it up and played the rest of the match. Fortunately the rest of us KTs were able to maintain the intensity well enough without much assistance. Another easy victory for KT.
[kt]
02/28/1999 - Knights Templar vs Clan Kitten's Litter. GoC open CTF ladder match. KL is an east coast clan and best two out of three servers was the format. The BFG was not a factor as the first map played was Q2CTF5: Capture Showdown.
Summary: Despite inferior pings KT played a strong game and walked away with the first round victory. With just 3 minutes left to go Keyser rocket jumped over an opponent and ran away with their flag. KT dominated the map and won 9 to 0.
Notes: Certainly KL did not appear like the first place ranked team that we were challenging. The screenshot speaks volumes about the matchup. I wish I could have played but 400+ ping against KL was not considered a wise move.
So how is it then that KT lost the next two rounds against Kitten's Litter? For the next two maches, west coast servers were selected. KL's players pinged about equally, despite them technically being on the wrong side of the continent. To make matters more suspicious, server logs showed that many (if not all) of KL's players that day were actually from Clan LoR.
Many other clans that have been on the GoC ladder suspected that at one point or another KL has used ringers in the past and the server logs confirmed this. There are many more details surrounding this dishonorable act and its coverup but I will refrain from airing them out. In any case, KT is no longer a part of the Gathering of Champions CTF ladder.
[kt]
03/01/1999 - Knights Templar vs Clan Fury. OGL open CTF ladder match. The two server rule was not enforced. Game was played on a neutral server. The BFG was not a factor as the map played was Q2CTF3: The Smelter.
Summary: Game started well balanced and neither team could gain good ground. About halfway through the match Mike began to cycle the enemy quad and went on an absolute rampage, capping flag after flag. The screenshot reflects Mike's latter half aggression. At some point during the match a member of Fury lost connection and another had to sub in. This may have had an impact on the score differential but likely not on the outcome of the match. Final score was 10 to 1 in favor of Knights Templar.
Notes: A few tense words were exchanged between me and a member of Fury. I don't recall exactly what started it but it didn't really escalate. It had something to do with teams not being fair for a while (when one of their clanmates was disconnected). I think he was upset that somehow we weren't courteous and if they had their full strength of players there the entire match they would have faired better.
Perhaps you would have, Fury, but somehow I doubt it would have changed the final outcome. Bottom line is I'm sure everyone would have preferred to play on a lan but the reality is that it's almost impossible. There are someTimes legitimate gripes when a match is close and it's obvious that a minor connection problem has had a major effect on the outcome of the match (Watch my demo vs. Clan X on the OGL ladder), but does it honestly look like a single Fury with a consistent connection would have changed the tide so dramatically? I don't think so. I'm sorry that you had to suffer through a bad connect but just suck it up and prepare for the rematch. We KT have suffered a similar setback against Clan X and look forward to facign them again as we have a legitmate chance to defeat them.
[kt]
03/02/1999 - Knights Templar vs Deez Nuts Clan. Informal scrimmage. DN was a newly formed clan of talented players who requested a friendly scrimmage series against KT. By OGL rules the BFG was a factor on Q2CTF1: McKinley Revival. The BFG was not a factor on the other maps, Q2CTF2: Stronghold Opposition, Q2CTF3: The Smelter, and Q2CTF5: Capture Showdown.
Summary: This was the first match ever with 7 people as starters for each side with 99vc|Elektro helping to fill out the empty KT spot. Match started quickly for DN who immediately scored the first point. After that it was all downhill for them as KT's defenses tightened up and went on the offensive. On a couple of occasions DN managed to sneak the flag off of the pedestal but once made the mistake of trying to run it through the water pipe. Waiting at the other end were either OMEGA or KraZyME with a BFG at the ready. When the round finally ended, it was 8 to 1 in favor of KT despite Rommel's highly unstable connection.
Summary: In an almost exact repeat of the previous scrimmage, DN again jumped out to an early lead with the first cap. Once again KT defenses tightened up and the grapple monkeys aggressively attacked DN's flag. Just like the last round the score was an 8 to 1 KT victory.
Summary: The battle did not go well for Deez Nuts on The Smelter. KT mounted a fast paced offensive with strong defense that resulted in 17 captures to DN's zero.
Summary: Several players called it a night and 99vc|Elektro subbed in for DN. As a testament to 99vc skill, Elektro by far outfragged the rest of DN. Just a few moments before the end of the match, one of the DN disconnected, leaving blue team a man short. The final score was 5 to 2 with another KT victory.
Notes: Don't let the overall scores fool you. Deez Nuts is composed of good individual players who lacked teamwork, very understandable for a new clan. It has been shown many Times that good communication can overcome a more skilled team. Once Deez Nuts gets its rhythm going they will be a well above average clan and a formidable opponent to the unwary, unprepared, and unorganized. Their ability to snatch away and cap the first flag on two maps just hints at what this clan will be able to do once they have settled into their game.
[kt]
03/11/1999 - Knights Templar vs Clan Vaevictis. OGL open CTF ladder match. Vaevictis is an east coast clan so a neutral server was found. The BFG was not a factor as the map played was Q2CTF5: Capture Showdown.
Summary: Poor pings for everyone was the order of the day. Vaevictis faired even worse than KT, with an average ping of 283 vs KT's 188. Another clan that would perhaps fair better in the HPB bracket of the OGL CTF ladder. Final score was 27 to 1.
Notes: With just a couple of minutes left to go in the match, KT started screwing around on the server. Vaevictis managed to slip in for a flag grab and scored. We will have to remember to start the celebration after the match is over. Just somehow we didn't expect them to make a come-from-behind victory with two minutes left on the clock and down 27 caps.
[kt]
03/21/1999 - Knights Templar vs Clan Desciples of Death. OGL open CTF ladder match. I think DoD is an east coast clan but the two server rule was not enforced. Game was played on a neutral server. The BFG was not a factor as the map played was Q2CTF3: The Smelter.
Summary: DoD was unable to come up with a fourth player. By the rules I believe we had a right to challenge them 4 on 3 or declare a forfeit win (I can't remember exactly) but we opted instead to play it out 3 on 3. By all accounts this match was also terribly lopsided.
Notes: Not much to say, really. DoD guys were good sports and didn't complain despite the severe "manbeating," to coin an old phrase from American McGee's pre-Quake days. Early in the match a DoD did manage to march into our base and wipe out two KTs and himself with a quad rocket. We recovered quickly from this little furball and maintained steady composure and easily went on to victory. Toward the end KraZy even told me to go offense (I was stricly defense for first 80% of ht ematch) because he wanted to get 25 caps. We fell just short of that mark. :(
Just wanted to bring up an issue. Improvement is an important part of playing. Compare the DoD Q2CTF3 demo and the 182nd Force Recon Q2CTF3 demo. I realize that the two clans are vastly different from a skill perspective, but you'll notice that my playing style has improved greatly. All the points that I intended to address have been addressed. Now I just need to keep refining that.
(c)2485AD [KT]Time Traveler
Time Traveler POV
Time Traveler POV
Time Traveler POV
Time Traveler POV
Time Traveler obs POV
Time Traveler POV
Time Traveler obs POV
Time Traveler POV
Time Traveler POV
Time Traveler POV
Time Traveler POV
Time Traveler POV
Time Traveler POV
Suck it down, biatch.