You may or may not have noticed that I added a new tab to the menu bar just below the header. It says “HFFL Gaming Group Roster.” This is to show who is officially a member of the gaming group. Anyone not on that list saying they are a part of the group are simply NOT telling the truth.
Check out the members and info if you want to join by clicking on the tab above or HERE.
I posted just a few short days ago about my intention to have a gaming group for HFFL. (I despise using the word “clan” for it’s negative racial connotations.)
I’ve had a several subscribers to the blog state they want to be a part of this. So with that said, today is the first OFFICIAL day of the HFFL gaming group.
Now what can the HFFL gaming group offer you and what can you offer HFFL?
The HFFL gaming group can offer you a group to game with in a casual/competitive manner. What I mean is that we play to win. However, if we lose, we won’t get too upset about it. This is a video game afterall. Losing while playing casually really doesn’t (of shouldn’t) affect your “real life.”
HFFL will hold a members only night every Friday. This will take place from 9-10pm EST. The hour previous to that will be the regular HFFL community night where anyone is welcome to join us. If there are any people interested in being a part of the gaming group, the community event is the best time/place to be. After you’ve gotten in some games with me and I feel you’ll be a good fit, I’ll let you know via e-mail. That e-mail will be the only official response to your being invited into the group.
I will be making a group roster page that will have a tab on the homepage to show who the actual members are of the group. This is being done to ensure that HFFL is not misrepresented in the community. Only those posted on the member page here at HaloFanForLife.com are official members of the HFFL gaming group.
Here are the rules as I tentatively laid them out the other day. Now they are solid:
• You must be a registered subscriber to the blog. (Twitter and Facebook followers wanting to be a part of this must register on the blog)
• You will NOT need to change your gamer tag. To be associated with HFFL’s gaming group you will need to include the blog’s homepage link “halofanforlife.com” in your XBOX Live Bio and maybe a sentence either before or after stating why people should visit the site. Something along the lines of “For news on all things Halo, go to halofanforlife.com.” The point being is that you are actively promoting the site by which you belong to the gaming group there of.
• You attend at least 2 HFFL community events per month. Barring that if you regularly show up to game with me but can’t make community nights, that’s fine. Just don’t sign up to be in the group, only to be inactive. I’ll set up some rules for inactivity later.
• Should you wish to change your gamertag to reflect HFFL, the cost is upon yourself. If you do change it, I would like it to have HFFL at the beginning of your tag.
• As a member of HFFL, you will conduct yourself accordingly. Keep online cussing to a minimum. No trash talking to the opposite team. Only in rare cases might I allow it.
• No T-bagging opponents. It’s tacky and isn’t appropriate. Again though, if the other team is being a real douche, well, I may overlook this.
• Age requirement: Okay, I know I have members here who are under 18. So, I’ll say this, Halo is a “R” rated game. Anyone under 18 MUST behave themselves, NO cussing at all. I will NOT be held responsible for corrupting a minor. That is on the parents for allowing them to play a game rated higher than the child’s age. NO EXCEPTIONS to that rule.
• You must not be in another gaming group currently. If you are, then you can be a community friend of HFFL, but not a full member of the HFFL gaming group. Noone under 14, no exceptions there. If you say you are 14 and are younger, I will NOT be held responsible.
• During members night, if you are participating, you must change your emblem to the HFFL gaming group emblem. You can change it back afterwards if you wish. This is to show solidarity while playing as a group.
The official emblem for the HFFL gaming group is the Valkyrie with the Cleft background. The sword is white, the wings are ice and the Cleft is steel. See below.
So what can you offer HFFL? What I hope is that you are a mature gamer. This doesn’t mean by age, but rather by behavior. Now that said, from time to time we may joke around a bit, so if you are easily offended, this might not be the group for you.
You will be a person who wants to contribute to the win, not your individual stats. In this respect, there are games where you’re going to have to throw K/D out the window. We’re in it to win it. This is most represented by objective based games. If you’re one of those who ONLY snipes from our base, well, you might want to look elsewhere. I want good slayers mind you, but not at the expense of the win.
You must be looking to have FUN. If you’re TOO serious or “try-hardy” then please seek out a competitive/pro group.
I expect you to follow the rules of the group as well as what I say during our members sessions. Of course if you have suggestions, I’ll be happy to hear you out. But arguing with me will not be accepted.
I reserve the right to change the rules as I see fit. I also reserve the right to expel members without any forward notice. Hopefully this won’t be needed though. I’m just posting it, just in case.
-Sal
Registration for HFFL’s first ever LAN event ends Friday, Aug 23 at 11:59pm.
If you haven’t signed up, might be interested, want to know more, please check out this link for all the info!
A good friend of mine has been using the hashtag of #IBelieveIn343 So the question is, do YOU?
I sure do. In fact, I’m confident that Halo will be with us for many more years to come that I’m expanding HFFL’s presence and reach on the net by creating a gaming group, forum, Ricochet league, a new web series (“MaC” Rounds for which I’ve been developing for a few months) and one other thing I’m not yet ready to announce.
Unfortunately over the past several months until recently we’ve seen heavy drop offs in Halo’s play population, Halo pro-players cheating to get ahead, Halo pro-players essentially ditching Halo for the more lucrative COD, and long time Halo related sites become more all encompassing game sites instead of Halo centric. Just those things alone would have you thinking Halo is on it’s way out. NOT ME!
I seek to broaden HFFL’s potential by adding these new features so that Halo fans can have a place that they know will forever remain HALO centric. I of course will continue to speak my mind about what I believe needs correcting in Halo games, but I will NOT do it in a hurtful, bashing manner. Rather I look to promote healthy civil criticism, that will be forwarded to 343, in an effort to help the franchise and Halo’s community at large.
I feel now is the time for me/HFFL to step up to the challenge of becoming bigger and broader, offering more to the Halo community and providing a place for those who love Halo who may not as yet chosen a site to be associated with.
I know that just within the past week I’ve said I didn’t look to make the blog into a business and that isn’t the goal here with all of these expansions. However, if it does turn into that, I’m receptive to it and ready to move forward with it. That is going to depend greatly on you my dear readers, fans, friends, and friends yet to be.
I still believe in Halo!
-Sal
Yesterday I mentioned there would be two expansions to HaloFanForLife.com (HFFL). In just that short time, I’ve added another two more expansions that are being worked out.
Of these newer two, I’m looking to created a HFFL forum. I tried one through wordpress a few months ago, but didn’t like the interface. So now I’m going to look at other sources.
The big question though is, would YOU want HFFL to have a forum? If so, would you use it? How often do you think you’d post?
The second of the newer batch of two other expansions is… a Ricochet League. The name of this NEW Halo league is:
Halo Ricochet League (HRL) for short. Yes, “HuRL.” Not as in throwing up, but as in hurling the ball to a teammate or to the goal to score!
The logo for this new league is being finalized and I should have it ready to view by the time the Champions bundle comes out. Rules and other details for the league will follow soon after. I need to get knee deep into the settings for Ricochet and see what might need to change for this league play if anything. (Hoping to play on the developer’s settings)
On that note, I’ll need PLENTY of play testers to play Ricochet with me. So for next Friday, Halo Fan Friday League will be ALL Ricochet! If you’ll have the Champions Bundle pack by then and want to join me for some Ricochet fun, send me a message via XBOX Live @ HaloFanForLife1
Whew, some really great things are coming for HFFL.
• Gaming Group
• Forums
• Halo Ricochet League
• As yet unrevealed project (to be revealed after the blog’s Halo 4 LAN Party on Sept 14. For info on that go here!)
So if whether you’re looking to get into a gaming group, post in a Halo forum, of get into a Ricochet League, HFFL will be your “one-stop-shop” for that all!
-Sal
I’m not quite ready to talk about all the details, of what the title refers to. However, I will say there are two areas of expansion I’ve been mulling over for some time, for HFFL.
One of the two I will mention now. A HFFL gaming group. I’ve been involved with gaming groups before, one for more than 3 years. Now that I’ve been having consistently playing in groups of people who are friends and/or fans of HFFL, I’d like to put it out there for you folks. I have proposed this before, but there wasn’t much reception to it then. However, now that my nightly gaming is filled with fellow players, I want to try this again.
Would you be interested in being part of the HFFL community in a more official way?
I haven’t worked out all the details yet of what being a member in my gaming group would mean, though I do have a few guidelines I know I’d want to include. So here they are (and this is just a general set of guidelines for now. Should there be some real interest, we can revisit these laster to solidify them into the HFFL gaming group “rules.”
• You must be a registered subscriber to the blog. (Twitter and Facebook followers wanting to be a part of this must register on the blog)
• You will NOT need to change your gamer tag. I do ask though that you include a line in your XBOX bio that has the link to my homepage: halofanforlife.com and maybe a sentence either before or after stating why people should visit the site. Something along the lines of “For news on all things Halo, go to halofanforlife.com.” The point being is that you are actively promoting the site by which you belong to the gaming group there of.
• You attend at least 2 HFFL community events per month. Barring that if you regularly show up to game with me but can’t make community nights, that’s fine. Just don’t sign up to be in the group, only to be inactive. I’ll set up some rules for inactivity later.
• Should you wish to change your gamertag to reflect HFFL, the cost is upon yourself. I would like that if you do change it, to have HFFL at the beginning of your tag.
• As a member of HFFL, you will conduct yourself accordingly. Keeping online cussing to a minimum. No trash talking to the opposite team. Only in rare cases might I allow it.
• No T-bagging opponents. It’s tacky and isn’t appropriate. Again though, if the other team is being a real douche, well, I may overlook this.
• Age requirement: Okay, I know I have members here who are under 18. So, I’ll say this, Halo is a “R” rated game. Anyone under 18 MUST behave themselves, NO cussing at all. I will NOT be held responsible for corrupting a minor. That is on the parents for allowing them to play a game rated higher than the child’s age. NO EXCEPTIONS to that rule.
• You must not be in another gaming group currently. If you are, then you can be a community friend of HFFL, but not a full member of the HFFL gaming group. Noone under 14, no exceptions there. If you say you are 14 and are younger, I will NOT be held responsible.
Okay, that’s enough guidelines for now. These are of course subject to change and in likelyhood will to some degree.
If you are interested in being part of a HFFL gaming group, either reply below or send me a message at sal@halofanforlife.com.
The other “expansion” will be discussed next month as I’m working out the details.
-Sal
While you’d think I’d be happy to have just found out that people other than pros have now been invited to the Halo 4 Global Championship, I’m not. Call me jealous. It’s fine. That is an accurate description.
In a previous article:
I mentioned my disdain that pro players were being invited to this tournament. Especially given that they hadn’t earned their way there by competing and WINNING a spot in the Halo 4 Global Championship.
Here’s the specific paragraph:
Also, NO frackin’ way I’d invite people in to play that didn’t participate in the competition. If you’re going to invite pro-players (which already scants the competition to a pro winning it all), AND inviting 4v4 teams instead of straight up FFA (some where some were not), then where do you stop inviting people? Community leaders may say they would like a shot too. Do you allow them in? What about those smaller groups/sites/etc (like me for instance) that while not as well known, put their life into Halo? See where I’m going with this? Regardless that those pros being invited have to pay to get Seattle, the point is they did NOT work for it in the ACTUAL competition. Or even if they had and not qualified, then maybe they should not be going…just sayin’.
Now I’ve come to find out that sites like Ready Up Live, GrifballHub and others have been invited. Again, you may think, “Hey, that’s cool community people are getting to go.” I know I should feel that way too, but as I mentioned above, where then do these invites stop? Will lesser known/smaller sites get invites? How about random invites to everyday Halo gamers? I don’t think that’s going to happen for the latter two. With respect to RUL, they’ve had PLENTY of recognition. Dan Hamill AKA Greenskull, last year was invited to go to the set of “Forward Unto Dawn.” There he got to interview various cast members. As well, he got recognition in Halo 4 by way of his hometown being the used as the name of a manufacturer of Halo armor (Look up the War Master armor. “Lethbridge Industrial” is the manufacturer. Dan is from Lethbridge.). He has some kind of relationshisp with Microsoft and has had recognition by them in the form of an award. Now he and some of his staff are getting to go to the Halo 4 GC. With respect, when is that going to end? RUL is NOT a Halo only site. They promote and play many other games. If they were Halo centric and/or ONLY Halo, I would be inclined to feel differently, but I’m not.
I’m not against GirfballHub from being invited. They ARE Halo centric. However, I’m not seeing any of the myriad of smaller lesser known sites being invited to this. My buddy Dust from Podtacular got an invite. I’m happy for him. But again, he’s been around a LONG time and is well known in the Halo community.
…Sorry I wasn’t able to get into Halo earlier on folks. I guess that makes me less of a Halo fan??? Or does it?
I’m coming up on two years now with HaloFanForLife. During that whole time I’ve unfortunately been unemployed. Yet, I still found a way to get the money to create the site, add content, much of which cost me money in the form of toys and other collectibles to review. The few conventions I’ve gone to were again through my own monies. I’ve never let this be known before now but I initially did not have lodging secured for New York Toy Fair. Yet, I was still going to go, even if it meant I would have had to stay in a hotel lobby all night or some all-night restaraunt. I was very willing to make that sacrifice to be at the convention so I could cover Halo. Crazy? Maybe, but it shows the amount of devotion and the lengths I am willing to go through to be a part of the community and to promote Halo. I have no sponsors for the blog, I have NO advertising. And only just a few weeks ago put up a donation button of which only two people have donated money. I make NO money from my site (like many larger site do) I’m not in this to make money from my fandom. You can call me “stupid” for not allowing myself to cash in on my fandom or using it to propel myself into a business. I”m NOT about that. In fact I had this very discussion last night with fellow fans and gamers. My wish is to be employed by 343. That would be the pinnacle for me and the best most direct way to represent the community.
I know these larger sites do a bit for the Halo community. They are more effective because they are bigger….and they are only going to get bigger when they keep getting all of this recognition. So I direct you towards the smaller sites. Many of us are one person operations. Using myself as an example, I put no less than 4-5 hours a day into my site be it through the blog itself, or social media in twitter and facebook. As well, I game daily typically 4-5 hours a day in Halo. I’d do even more, but much of the rest of the time awake is spent either looking for employment or spending it with my family. Some would say I have no life. I’d say it’s a HALOva life…
So I hope you folks will forgive me if I feel just a bit jealous here. I’m already quite upset with the whole Global Championship tourney. The cheating going on, the disconnect by 343 to recognize said cheating and deal with it head on, etc. Yeah, I know it seems counter to my thoughts on this to want to be invited to a tourney that I feel is fatally flawed. But one reason I’d have liked an invite is just to see that 343 does indeed care about or at least recognizes smaller sites. As well, I want a non-pro to win this. So in that regard, jealousy aside, I do want one of these invited community members to win. And I mean that sincerely.
Beyond all of this, I’m also today dealing with someone on a LEGO collecting site using MY name to promote my reviews of Halo MEGA BLOKS sets. So my identity is being stolen in a sense, by a competitor of a legally binding Halo licensee no less. I’ve contacted the admin of that site and they are NOT being helpful at all.
On top of all of this, I now find that I’m possibly two months from losing my home. Let that sink in and you can see why my day has been horrendous.
So again, forgive me folks if I can’t deal with all of this crap in the appropriate way today. It’s just a bit much to take in. I’m working hard on my blog’s two year anniversary with the LAN event being the biggest portion of that. I’m trying to make a name for myself as well as promote small sites, individual fans of Halo, etc. I’m for the little guy out there as I am one of them too.
Maybe I just need to step away from the computer today. But it’s all still going to be there regardless so what’s the point?
So yeah, I’m extremely frustrated today. So again apologies to you dear readers. I do not mean to upset any of you with my posts, tweets etc. I just need to get this all off my chest. Venting in this manner is much better than trying to keep it in. Well, that’s how I see it anyway.
I guess I should mention this in closing, I suffer from anxiety and depression and yes take meds for that. I do NOT shy away from this condition nor speaking about it publically. One of the unfortunate side effects is that it compels me to react to situation in what others see as over the top reactions. I can’t apologize for this folks. It’s part of who I am. To deny that would be to deny myself. That’s something I won’t ever do. I of course hate that I have these conditions, but it is what it is. Hopefully you can understand me better through this and why I sometimes post the way I do. The ONE thing I know that would virtually wipe that out is finally finding a job again. Can anyone help?
-Sal
Here is the schedule of events during the LAN. The LAN starts at 5pm. Times for the schedule below are fluid. Meaning, when one ends the next will begin.
The Event schedule:
• Meet and Greet
• FFA Tourney
• Pizza
• Halo Showcase (“show and tell”)
• Casual Halo 4 gaming
For the FULL information about the LAN, please go here! (Or check the tab in the menu bar above)
Come on out for some Halo fun! There WILL be prizes!!!
-Sal
Since I’m getting a good response so far from this, I’m changing the name from LAN Party to LAN Event.
Before I get too far into the updates, here again are the specifics again for the event:
• DATE/TIME: Saturday, September 14. It will be a 3 hour event, from 5-8pm.
• COST: The cost is $15 per person. This will include pizza and a drink as well as use of the gaming equipment. I will also be holding a FFA tournament within this LAN for prizes. Prizes TBD. (More on that soon.)
• LOCATION: Game On Party Planners LLC
1105 Rochester Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
(Across from Sir Pizza, behind Fischer)
The event will be streamed on Twitch.. Live video/commentating as well. Oh yeah, I guess I should mention this….
I am happy to report that the HFFL LAN Event will have at least two special guests. Dustin “Dust Storm” Pettigrew, host of the longest and most popular Halo podcast on the net Podtacular.com, will be in attendance. It’s his Twitch channel we’ll be streaming the event through.
Also, Eric “GH057ayame” Hewitt, former National Halo Champion and current Halo commentator, will be there. Not sure if I can get him to commentate the FFA mini-tourney here, but we’ll see…
So here’s a chance to meet two important Halo community members in both Dustin and Eric.
If you plan on attending, I will need a few things:
• E-mail me at sal@halofanforlife.com with your intention to come to the event.
• You must be 18 years of age or older. ID will be checked. If you don’t have ID you will not be allowed in. [UPDATE] I’ve had a few requests from those 18-20 to attend the event. I am now opening this up to those ages as well. However you MUST sign a waiver, stating you will NOT drink alcoholic beverages at the event.
• Payment must be in cash at the event location.
Since this is an adult event, you are permitted to bring alcohol, however you MUST sign a waiver absolving both the gaming center and myself from any alcohol related actions. This is mandatory. If you don’t/won’t sign it, then please do not attend. Neither the business nor myself can afford a lawsuit, which I hope you all understand. Again, under 21 will NOT be permitted to drink alcohol, nor will you be admitted if it’s suspected you were drinking alcohol before the event.
[UPDATE 2] I have decided to bring some rare collectibles for viewing. Beyond the already discussed Mega Bloks Forward Unto Dawn set and custom Covenant Cruisers I’ve built, I will also have on display:
• 3 foot tall Halo 2 Master Chief
• McFarlane’s Master Chief Vs. Hunter statue from the “Forward Unto Dawn” series. This is one of only 500 produced and you’ll have a chance to see it in person.
[UPDATE 3] There will be some time set aside during the event to showcase Halo collectibles. So if YOU have something unique/rare/or just something directly Halo related you’d like to show-off, PLEASE bring it! Also, if you have some kind of Halo attire, be that shirts, hats, pins, please wear them to the event. Represent HALO!
This isn’t mandatory of course, just something neat for a Halo related event to show on the stream as well as have in pictures.
I do want to mention that by coming to the event, you agree to have your picture taken. This may or may not be posted on the blog/twitter/facebook. No reimbursement either. This is just a fun event folks.
As I get news on prizes or anything else new for the event, I’ll continue to post updates for the LAN.
Hope to see you there!!!
Okay, so I’ve been slacking mentioning this. Tonight and every Friday is Halo Fan Friday League.
Starting at 8pm til 10pm EST, I invite you to come game with me. We’ll be playing matchmaking. The size of the party will determine the playlist we’ll participate in.
So if you’re looking for fun, mature, team play, shoot me an invite tonight @ HaloFanForLife1.
See you then!
POST GAME REPORT! Thanks to all who showed up. At one point we had 11 people so we went into custom games for a solid hour. Lots of laughs ensued. Fun all around. Got to make two new friends tonight, Shout out to “BigCheese” and “Tetrahedrite”. As well got to game with a fellow PAer whom I’ve only game with once or twice before. Shout out to “Liquid”!
Big shout out to Addicted Cha0s and her crew from HaloDiehards.net for joining in on the fun.
Folks, I can’t say enough how this brightened my spirits tonight. This and the great response so far to the HFFL LAN coming up made today a very good day!
-Sal