Hello and welcome to the third installment of my 'Community Picks' article series for the Bootleggers Buzz! The subject of this article is based on feedback in the topic which I place each week on the Game Forum. The reason that potential cheating is not the subject, which I feel is worth a mention, is because I have written a column to cover any issues that might surround this! So, in this weeks edition, we look into the recruitment process and mindset of crews that currently occupy the Statistics page, including, Enemy of The State, JAIL, Dirty House and Decadence.
With constant questions regarding the Crew feature as whole being a regular circulating topic in the Game Forum, largely due to the lack of benefit seen from running one in the current state they are in, it is a miss to some why people still apply to be apart of such groups. There is of course promised updates due for the feature, though most are not holding their breath as to the anticipated release time of these updates, with deadlines proving a touchy subject of late! However, for many, crews are a fun and worthwhile thing to be apart of. So, we commenced our interviews, speaking to Bosses and Council of several crews, as mentioned above.
Are you looking to become a part of a Crew currently on the Statistics? For the most part, mainly for security purposes, new applicants will require a vouch. This, for those who are not familiar with the term, is a player, usually a current member of the proposed crew, who is prepared to support your application. This however, is not always the case, but in most application processes, it will be! We asked several crews about their own application process, to which there was some difference in the response we received, but for the most part the answers were consistent in their underlying principals. Stow, Boss of Enemy of The State, told us, "Well, when we were first underground and the initial first few days of us hitting the stats, it was first by invite only or with a vouch. Now any person may apply by asking our recruiter for an application form (which must be filled out properly) where it is then placed on our UG forum to be looked at by council and above. Past accounts are investigated to identify this person and see if they are not of any threat. Those without a past (that can't be traced back to sometime this round) will ultimately find it hard to join unless we believe that are genuinely a new player." So, if you are looking to become a member of Enemy of The State, be prepared to have no stone un-turned in their investigation of your history. This of course, is to preserve the strength and security of their crew. This contrasted slightly with the response we received from WhatWhatInTheButters, Recruiter of Decadence, who told us, "We send out an application form where we ask about names, wealth, connections, reasons and also a screenshot of the FA page. We don't want it for the IP adress, we just want it for the names that are on there. If you recently died and apply. It will most likely still show your old usernames or maybe even one of our crew members due to the phone network which changes IP addresses all the time." Going on to say, "I look for the reason to join. People who are willing to join without any old traces of ex crews. I prefer my players fresh and of course who are willing to actually play the game to make a difference." So, the new user looks to have more chance of joining Decadence than Enemy of The State!
We moved on from this by asking all of our interviewees, what they most look for when sifting through their many applications. Again answers were contrasting, some even discounting the others reason. First up was NadzIsBack, Council of Dirty House, who told us, "I could say the potential and the ability into being a good active and most of all a loyal member." We then received a response from MrPatjuh, Council of JAIL, the busting addicts. He said, "Active players who bust a lot and enjoy busting! And we also like people who are active in our crew forums for the time we spent in jail." This what many would expect in an answer, based on the crews strong basis around the busting community and feature as a whole. Our final response came once again from Stow, who had this to say, "Genuine active members. I don't believe in looking for loyal members because one can not be loyal without having been a member of the crew first. If they are there to interact with the crew, make new friends, assist in making ETS a better crew and not just bank cash whilst using us as protection then we would be happy to accommodate them. By this I mean we expect members to train their guns should we need them to defend the crew like we defend them, then and only then, may they call ETS home." So where some crews look for potential, other look for a busting prowess. The search for loyalty is one which however appears to divide opinion, with Enemy of The State believing that this characteristic is found only through a time and trial basis, where other such as Dirty House believe it to be something you can identify through the application process itself.
Our interviews then turned to the top five things our chosen crews look for in their potential recruits and new members! These potential assets or traits of course differ according to the crews own aspirations, where one crew may look for a particular characteristic another may disregard this totally. This was reflected by the answers we received to our question, but with some recurring factors. The response from MrPatjuh and JAIL was as expected, as we were told, "1. Busting. 2. Fun/Activity 3. Money (Every member has to pay crewtax. More members is more tax) This is not as important as busting and fun, but we gotta pay our taxes aswell. 4. Defence (The bigger we are, the harder to wiped) 5. Power (As a busting crew we aren't really looking for this)" JAIL clearly look then, for new members to contribute to the preservation and maintenance of their crew spot, whilst also fitting with the typically crazy buster and forum active member you would associate with the crew. Next up was WhatWhatInTheButters of Decadence, who outlined the following points, "1. Loyalty 2. Respect 3. Guts to fight back 4. Knowledge on how to bank and rank 5. Big money maker like successfull gamblers and such. Ths is not really something I look for, but I kinda ran outta options here " So despite favoring newer applicants to the crew, WhatWhatInTheButters looks for a decent knowledge base as well, perhaps two things that are not always compatible, but also suggesting the broad range of applicants that Decadence look for in their own process. Our most detailed response to this question came from NadzIsBack of Dirty House. They are the smallest crew to be featured in this article, and this may perhaps reflect the strict recruitment process they have in place when it comes to accepting new people. He told us, in no short terms, "This is probably cliché, but loyalty is obviously the #1 asset a new member should bring to a crew. Loyalty to the crew, to its members is the basis for any successful relationship between a member and their crew. 2. Knowledge of course would be an asset that would be of benefit to bring to any crew. The more knowledge whether it be about game play or players or anything else that could be related to BL would be a good asset. 3. Wealth, though not necessarily needed or required to join a crew, wealth in cash or points is always an asset whether it be for crew defence or just to give away in games and build the crew’s public profile. 4. Good personality is a definite asset. The CF becomes a big part of being in any crew and if you have a good fun personality it add to everyone’s enjoyment of the CF and therefore the game. 5. In the case of the Dirty Busters, being a good buster or at least being an active buster would be an asset that any new member would need to bring to the table."
But just how important is strong recruitment drive and a sought after application form to the successful development of a crew? It has to be said, there is no easy way of applying to become a member of groups such as Asura or Most Wanted, to name but a couple of household shooter names this round. We put this to our interviewees. JAILs representative responded, saying, "It's pretty important. In fact, if you don't get your recruitment right, you can end up with some serious problems. If you get the wrong people in that can cause some serious harm at your crews reputation. Another example is that we got insided a while ago. After that we became much stricter about who we let in or not. That's also the reason why people need a vouch now to get in." A clear and concise answer from MrPatjuh, identifying both the need for a good recruitment process, alongside the key for this to be in part strict, having felt the results of having a rather lax one in place previously! NadzIsBack of Dirty House also responded clearly, telling us, "In order to have any chance at having a successful (hopefully) long-lasting crew the recruitment standards you set out and employ have to be a top priority. Whether you want to just have a small 15 person spot or a 100 person spot everything comes down to the quality of your members and the only way to try to ensure you get quality members is through your recruitment. A strong well written application along with vouches (in most crews cases) serve as a good starting point but they alone should not determine the recruiting process. Each crew has different needs & goals and as such would need to have clear recruitment goals established by its council and with input from the membership. Only by being clear about what a given crew is looking for can they actually have a successful recruiting process and consequently a successful crew." Little can be said in response to these answers. They clearly state the purpose and importance of clear and strong recruitment. With all crews currently on the Statistics, barring one or two, currently looking for new applicants, it largely falls into the hands of the users, knowing the ethics of the crew which they apply for and matching that to their own wants and needs!
We finished our time with the crews by asking for their final comments. These differed completely from one another. Stow of Enemy of The State provided possibly the most interesting, as he said, "To all those crew bosses that talk down their members, remember that they are the driving force behind your crew. Treat them like trash and they will end up leaving. No names." So, we will leave it to your own speculation fueled minds as to whom Stow refers to. MrPatjuh of JAIL wasted no time in using the interview spotlight in attracting members, as he said, "If you have the right requirements to join our great crew don't be afraid to BM me or one of the other recruiters!" This cleared the way for WhatWhatInTheButters of Decadence to have his final say, "I would like to say that if you think about being a recruiter. It's a lot of fun and you get to meet a lot of people, but it's also a lot of work because you might get 10 applications every day which you have find out of their genuine or just someone trying to sneak in. It's a lot of administration as far as gameplay administration actually goes." Something of a big-up for the recruiters of the game seeming to come from this comment. Perhaps an increased appreciation is needed for what work Recruiters do is needed? Take the comments as you will! NadzIsBack of Dirty House provided the most cryptic of all answers, telling us, "Yup just one thing, in dirty house we choose our members they don't." We at first questioned this, wondering what NadzIsBack meant by this, but having established that he referred to the fact that Dirty House chooses it's members, and that members do not choose them, he finished by saying, "Yup, we have always been a united crew, and we are planning to be like that, this is why not anyone can be a Dirty House member."
That concluded all our interviews. We would like to thank all interviewed parties for their time and effort put into the answering of our questions. If you are looking to join a crew, perhaps this article can provide some inspiration as to how to do so! Or maybe it will put you off? With contrasting processes and requirements, users are surely best to tailor their applications according to the crew most likely to suit their playing style and aims. If all else fails, as we have seen at points in the past and will surely occur again in the future, maybe players will start to form their own groups?!
