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Boot Camp, The Next Generation: Sargon's Resignation and Boot Camp's Future
gradstudent1
Member Posts: 633 Arc User
Dear PvP Community,
It is with great sadness that I offer you my resignation as Boot Camp Project Leader. My decision to resign comes on the heels of a new job appointment. Many of you know that I work in academia. After completing my PhD in a month or so, I will begin a tenure-track appointment that will involve teaching, research, etc. This new job is a dream job for me, and I couldn?t be happier with the situation. Due to the demanding nature of this new position, however, I simply cannot give Boot Camp the time, love, and attention it deserves.
But my resignation is not the end of Boot Camp. In fact, Boot Camp is just getting on its feet. Our first cycle through the curriculum taught us some important lessons, and Boot Camp is already poised to provide students with a higher-quality, more seamless experience. We have just started advanced classes and May will see the restart of our ?regular? 4-step curriculum.
Naturally, the leadership structure at Boot Camp will undergo some changes. There will no longer be a ?Project Leader? (my former title) but rather a leadership council, comprised of three elected admirals (Drkfrontiers, Jedinikon, and Regulus) in addition to Kolln (founder of the Hungarian Boot Camp), who is a recently-appointed attach? to the admiralty. Coaches, of course, will continue to have a role in shaping Boot Camp as well. The leadership council will have complete authority to make decisions regarding the direction of Boot Camp. Apart from helping these leaders with the transition and making myself available as a consultant, I will have no formal decision-making authority.
I am very proud of Boot Camp. We as a community have accomplished a great deal together. Let me conclude by listing a few things about Boot Camp that make me proud.
1) Generosity: The heart and soul of Boot Camp is made up of coaches who generously give of their time to improve PvP. A story: I remember at the very beginning of Boot Camp, Deadpool and Kedric went out of their ways to make themselves available every time they were in-game to coach students on how to blow stuff up (what these two do best, after all). I even got a personal lesson! This little anecdote, however, is representative of the generosity shown by all coaches at Boot Camp. Many of them have spent dozens of hours investing in students, sharing their knowledge, and raising up the next generation of PvP stars. If you see one of Boot Camp?s coaches hanging around, take a minute to thank him/her.
2) Neutrality and Community: It was always my hope that Boot Camp would be a neutral organization whose goals transcended the aims and ambitions of any one fleet or person. I wanted Boot Camp to be a community project.
This is a passionate, competitive community. On our worst days, we use these energies against one another. On our best days, we direct those energies toward projects like Boot Camp, tournaments, RP-battles, PvP guides and resources, etc. that build the community rather than destroy it. Sometimes we fail?even epically fail. Sometimes we succeed. Because of the coaches? willingness to put the good of the many over the good of the few, Boot Camp has had great success. And I am proud of the fact that coaches who would normally never speak to one another actually collaborated on a common project.
On this whole matter of neutrality, Pheo (@nixtux) is also to be thanked for allowing Boot Camp to use his personal TS server. That server has become an important community hub?a common digital space?for tournaments, premades, meetings, etc. Nice work, Pheo. Boot Camp would never have worked without your investment in the project.
3) Player-Dev Collaboration: I am also proud that Boot Camp has been able to maintain a positive, 8-month relationship with Cryptic/PWE. Branflakes/Brandon is to be thanked for his endless support of this project. This level of collaboration has allowed for both parties?devs and players?to rub shoulders with one another.
With that said, PvP needs a lot of developer attention, and I think that Boot Camp, with its 650+ students, has at least demonstrated that PvP in STO has incredible potential. Boot Camp is not a ?fix? to PvP; it is an attempt to maximize what we have available to us and to help people enjoy the current state of PvP to its fullest.
4) The Delight of Battle: Boot Camp is about the joys of combat, not winning at all costs (see also Jorf?s Guide, which makes a similar point).
Some fleet mates and I played a pre-made vs. pre-made match the other day against players for whom I have profound respect. After about 1-1.5 hours of combat, the match ended at 16/13 (if memory serves), with the other team taking the victory (there were some missed scores, 16/13 is the ACT score). To be perfectly honest, however, by match?s end, I could have cared less who won the match. There was pure joy in watching the opposing team come back after being down a few points and seizing the win with clever strategies and excellent skill. What I have learned through Boot Camp is that victory is ephemeral, never permanent. Today?s victors can easily become tomorrow?s vanquished. What is permanent is the delight of fighting against a worthy foe. If you lose the joy of the battle, you have lost the most important part of PvP.
To lose in a match like the one I describe above is no loss at all, at least not for me. Boot Camp has helped solidify these lessons in my mind, and I have seen this spirit alive in the coaches week in and week out.
________________________
Over the next few weeks, there will be a gradual shifting of my former responsibilities to the leadership council. I ask only that you, the PvP community, give these leaders the support and encouragement you have given me.
Thank you all for making my time as Project Leader such a joy.
Sincerely,
Sargon
It is with great sadness that I offer you my resignation as Boot Camp Project Leader. My decision to resign comes on the heels of a new job appointment. Many of you know that I work in academia. After completing my PhD in a month or so, I will begin a tenure-track appointment that will involve teaching, research, etc. This new job is a dream job for me, and I couldn?t be happier with the situation. Due to the demanding nature of this new position, however, I simply cannot give Boot Camp the time, love, and attention it deserves.
But my resignation is not the end of Boot Camp. In fact, Boot Camp is just getting on its feet. Our first cycle through the curriculum taught us some important lessons, and Boot Camp is already poised to provide students with a higher-quality, more seamless experience. We have just started advanced classes and May will see the restart of our ?regular? 4-step curriculum.
Naturally, the leadership structure at Boot Camp will undergo some changes. There will no longer be a ?Project Leader? (my former title) but rather a leadership council, comprised of three elected admirals (Drkfrontiers, Jedinikon, and Regulus) in addition to Kolln (founder of the Hungarian Boot Camp), who is a recently-appointed attach? to the admiralty. Coaches, of course, will continue to have a role in shaping Boot Camp as well. The leadership council will have complete authority to make decisions regarding the direction of Boot Camp. Apart from helping these leaders with the transition and making myself available as a consultant, I will have no formal decision-making authority.
I am very proud of Boot Camp. We as a community have accomplished a great deal together. Let me conclude by listing a few things about Boot Camp that make me proud.
1) Generosity: The heart and soul of Boot Camp is made up of coaches who generously give of their time to improve PvP. A story: I remember at the very beginning of Boot Camp, Deadpool and Kedric went out of their ways to make themselves available every time they were in-game to coach students on how to blow stuff up (what these two do best, after all). I even got a personal lesson! This little anecdote, however, is representative of the generosity shown by all coaches at Boot Camp. Many of them have spent dozens of hours investing in students, sharing their knowledge, and raising up the next generation of PvP stars. If you see one of Boot Camp?s coaches hanging around, take a minute to thank him/her.
2) Neutrality and Community: It was always my hope that Boot Camp would be a neutral organization whose goals transcended the aims and ambitions of any one fleet or person. I wanted Boot Camp to be a community project.
This is a passionate, competitive community. On our worst days, we use these energies against one another. On our best days, we direct those energies toward projects like Boot Camp, tournaments, RP-battles, PvP guides and resources, etc. that build the community rather than destroy it. Sometimes we fail?even epically fail. Sometimes we succeed. Because of the coaches? willingness to put the good of the many over the good of the few, Boot Camp has had great success. And I am proud of the fact that coaches who would normally never speak to one another actually collaborated on a common project.
On this whole matter of neutrality, Pheo (@nixtux) is also to be thanked for allowing Boot Camp to use his personal TS server. That server has become an important community hub?a common digital space?for tournaments, premades, meetings, etc. Nice work, Pheo. Boot Camp would never have worked without your investment in the project.
3) Player-Dev Collaboration: I am also proud that Boot Camp has been able to maintain a positive, 8-month relationship with Cryptic/PWE. Branflakes/Brandon is to be thanked for his endless support of this project. This level of collaboration has allowed for both parties?devs and players?to rub shoulders with one another.
With that said, PvP needs a lot of developer attention, and I think that Boot Camp, with its 650+ students, has at least demonstrated that PvP in STO has incredible potential. Boot Camp is not a ?fix? to PvP; it is an attempt to maximize what we have available to us and to help people enjoy the current state of PvP to its fullest.
4) The Delight of Battle: Boot Camp is about the joys of combat, not winning at all costs (see also Jorf?s Guide, which makes a similar point).
Some fleet mates and I played a pre-made vs. pre-made match the other day against players for whom I have profound respect. After about 1-1.5 hours of combat, the match ended at 16/13 (if memory serves), with the other team taking the victory (there were some missed scores, 16/13 is the ACT score). To be perfectly honest, however, by match?s end, I could have cared less who won the match. There was pure joy in watching the opposing team come back after being down a few points and seizing the win with clever strategies and excellent skill. What I have learned through Boot Camp is that victory is ephemeral, never permanent. Today?s victors can easily become tomorrow?s vanquished. What is permanent is the delight of fighting against a worthy foe. If you lose the joy of the battle, you have lost the most important part of PvP.
To lose in a match like the one I describe above is no loss at all, at least not for me. Boot Camp has helped solidify these lessons in my mind, and I have seen this spirit alive in the coaches week in and week out.
________________________
Over the next few weeks, there will be a gradual shifting of my former responsibilities to the leadership council. I ask only that you, the PvP community, give these leaders the support and encouragement you have given me.
Thank you all for making my time as Project Leader such a joy.
Sincerely,
Sargon
Post edited by gradstudent1 on
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Comments
May I ask what your specializing is in (PhD) and what you will be teaching in? I teach anthropology and sociology myself. Anyways, best of luck with your thesis defense... I have no doubt that you will excel. Enjoy the tenure-track position too, their few and far between.
BSJ
We`ll miss you bud!
PaxOttomana: gawd mirror event is like fighting a tsi premade, they keep comin and comin!
Vice Admiral of Public Relations and Recruiting
Jedinikon
On behalf of the entire STO team, we'd like to congratulate you on your PhD and career opportunity, and thank you for all your hard work with PvP Boot Camp -- you played an integral role and Boot Camp would not be where it is today if it was not for your leadership. We're going to miss working with you and wish you all the best.
Cheers,
Brandon =/\=
If this is gonna be 'The Next Generation' that must mean...Regulus is Captain Picard, Jedi is Cmdr. Riker, and Drkfrontiers is Georgi La Forge.
So next round would be...Deep Space Pwn? Followed by us having to take Boot Camp to the delta quadrant in PvP Boot Camp: Voyager. Then there would be Pwn-erprise, in which Boot Camp coaches from the 31st century muck about with some of the first PvPers in the game.
Let's not forget all the movies!
PvP Boot Camp: The Motion Picture
Boot Camp 2: The Wrath of Bort(icus)
Boot Camp 3: The Search for Sargon
Boot Camp 4: The Pwnage Home
Boot Camp 5: The Final Pwning
Boot Camp 6: The Undiscovered AFKer
Boot Camp: Generations
Boot Camp: First Contact
Boot Camp: Insurrection
Boot Camp: Nemesis
All my joking aside though (except about Regulus :P), sad to see you step down like that Sargon. I hope you won't be wholy disappearing through from the STO scene.
-Spells
| Dues Ex Mechina |
Fleet Leader
No matter the outcome, any effort put into PvP in this game cannot be a bad one.
Although I've never really bothered myself with bootcamp I'll still say thanks for the efforts.
See you!
Regulus bought me out. JK=)
Do you even Science Bro?
Sad to see you go, dude. But good luck out there doctorin' it up! Come back and buy us keys with your newfound wealth!
Fanfiction! ZOMG! Read it now!
kate-wintersbite.deviantart.com/art/0x01-Treachery-293641403
Ha! you would be surprised how little a person can get paid with 9 years of post-college ed. But if I ever write a book that makes the NYT bestseller list, I won't forget my STO friends=)
Please stay in touch with us in STO.
We PvPers were very lucky to have you assist in the revival of our gametype.
But I know I will, and hope to see you in game still. I have worked closely with you in the past year, and the confidence you have shown in your role has been appreciated.
I believe that the future of Boot Camp is strong, and that it is the personal responsibility of everyone to participate no matter what their level is, as it provides a foundation upon which PvP and the PvP Community as a whole can come together and celebrate something they enjoy.
For those wondering how they might make PvP better:
What does the future hold:
Cheers,
@drkfrontiers
Boot Camp.
I want to say thanks to all who made these PVP weeks better and boosted pvp Community.
-Spells
| Dues Ex Mechina |
Fleet Leader
I do rather know how you feel there, Sargon, just in a different manner.
Sargon was the person who had the idea, to do something that had never been done before. Involving what is universally acknowledged as the more passionate, knowledgeable, technically creative and hot-blooded community in StarTrek Online, and despite old rivalries between individuals and fleets. molded some of it's best and brightest into a tool to improve an aspect of the game that despite having had so little love from it's makers, has fantastic potential.
While yes, Sargon is leaving Bootcamp officially to go on into real life and do other things - he's still a PVPer, you will see him in the centre of a mass cloud of science spam accidentally sending TSS & Extends to a mine. He'll still be on TS every once in awhile to play and do that vacant Hugh Grant impression when i highjack the subject to crayons or elephants. He'll still be on hand when my fellow VA's and I need some advice and one day as another poster said, it's possible and i hope likely that he'll come back and take his seat which in my mind is still there - just vacant until his eventual return.
The Bootcamp continues.
We'll keep adding resources to help make PlayerVsPlayer more mainstream in STO.
We'll still pick out willing coaches and players to put up their free time to teach people new skills.
We'll continue to work with Bran, Bort and anyone else at Cryptic we can source embarrassing photos containing to help us.
We'll improve what we have now, learn lessons as things move forward and adapt to a game that never stops changing.
We'll be here when he gets back :P
Anyway, must dash - I feel like i'm about to go all Winston Churchhill on everyone.
@Aquitaine985
Lag Industries STO PvP Fleet - Executive
A Sad Panda of Industrial calibre.
2010: This is Cryptic PvP. Please hold the line, your call is very important to us...
AS for boot camp you achieved something truely great, and I m optimistic that it will continue to flourish.
Thank you for tall the effort you put into this. And good luck in your new job, may i ask roughly where it is going to be? East coast ..West Coast EU??
a history of sto pvp: 2010 - 2011
a history of sto pvp: 2012 - 2013
-SPells
| Dues Ex Mechina |
Fleet Leader
Thanks for the kind words, Havam, and for all your efforts at Boot Camp. My job will be in the Upper Midwest, Minnesota.
You will be missed.
May the Good Lord turn his face to smile upon you and bring you happiness all the days of your life.
Roach
R.I.P
Thanks, Roach. Your kindness has always meant a lot. I'll see you all around in game for sure, and I will keep up with the adventures of G'hargh, Sorie, and Ssklad!--always so funny.
Good luck on your future endeavors.
[Kluless][Kold][Steel Heels][Snagtooth]
[Louis Cipher][Outta Gum][Thysa Kymbo][Spanner][Frakk]
[D'Mented][D'Licious]
Joined October 2009. READ BEFORE POSTING
One thing bootcamp did as a side effect was allow old rivalries to be put aside to achieve a common goal. That's all on you man!
Good luck to you in your dream job buddy.
thx man (and to all the others behind this!) and much luck with your new job