There are aspects of training that are simply for the sake of building bonds.
This is not one of them.

Creating and providing a set of clan maps can provide an edge in a scrim or league play without a doubt. It can improve the methods of communication and help to ensure better recognition for ALL clan members on any pre-designed map the team plays on. This is not just a training tool, it also promotes your clan’s culture and identity.

What are Clan Maps?

Clan maps are a group of images that show the maps of the game your team plays with identifying labels on the sections or features of the map.

Example: We have an overview image of a map called” Railway Station”, this overhead shows all the maps areas, and we have added in names for the most prominent buildings, and even a street name for the main road. We can also show the spawn points, areas of cover or ambush, or say choke points.

Building the Maps

So you have a set of images for the maps your teams plays on, and now you must name the places and mark areas. This used to be done with a photo editing software at a bit of cost to time and effort. That has certainly changed! Now with the use of Tacticum, you can create these maps right in your browser and export the final product or leave it to display for your team members to view from the site.

I spoke with Aleho, and here is his explanation:

We use a Silverlight application on the client (your browser) to view an image, in our case a map and add “objects” on it. These objects can be a variety of shapes, other images or combined that have a logical behavior and trigger different event. When the user is happy with what he created, he can save all the “objects” as a tactic on the server. While the application runs on the client, there are moments communication is done with the server. For example to upload an image as a map or an icon and to save/load the tactic.We also use WPF on the server to create an image that represents the tactic you created and send it back to you.Adding a new map is a easy as uploading it to the server and when the user selects the map, the application uploads the image as background for the tactic.

http://www.tacticum.com/

Furthermore, you can create your own team at the site, and allow registered users to join the team thus making editing, viewing, and publishing new maps for the team a private and controllable easy task. With the amazing ease of use, this could also serve as a great area of responsibility to promote activity for your members.

Making the maps Your Own

These training tools can also build your teams culture, and by that I mean that certain areas of the map or certain items in the maps may be given names that only apply to your team. Consider this possibility…

Lets say we have our train station map again, and lets say there is a place where your team member named “Hedge” ALWAYS hides. It is a good spot, and worthy of mentioning on the map. So we will call this place on the map “Hedges Perch”. We may also have a road where everyone takes to advance on the enemy, and we can call that “the HighWay” So you see, by adding a little flavor and individuality to the maps you build team culture and promote the identity of the clan from within.

Voice and Maps

The impact of the maps is probably best noticed in voice because as you play and communicate positions and events in the game the names given to each area of the map will be used. You may hear from a teammate that the enemy is near Hedges Perch and moving East. Perhaps a teammate needs help because he is caught in the HighWay and pinned down.

Knowing the map is 80% of the win.

- Hedge

© 2009 tribehaven