The Halibuts - Elite NC Outfit
Thursday, 30th Oct. '03
Report on Infiltrator Night
Playing an Infiltrator, it would seem, is something that you either enjoy and get results with, or you don't. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground. Those that love it rave about the thrill of the sneaky kill, the knife in the back, the AMP taking out an unsuspecting trooper or a cunningly placed boomer annihilating several enemies at a terminal. Everyone else, and I include myself in this category, hates it, finding it difficult to make successful and constantly missing the heavier weapons. Suffice it to say that I will be dumping Infiltration in favour of the big guns.
Our campaign started at Sungrey on Amerish where we attacked a moderately sized TR force, although without success. Calling on air support, the TR beat off our attack (seven Halibuts in gimp suits) with relative ease, forcing us to retreat to Azeban where the main NC force was defending against the TR horde.
Azeban had the advantage of a defensive shield (generated by an obscure Ancient Technology) which prevented the TR from gaining entry to the base through the main entrances. A vicious battle ensued as the TR, holding the North Tower, streamed across the forest floor to Azeban supported by air power and the occasional tank.
The battle raged for more than two hours. At one point the NC forces had fought their way inside the tower but were defeated by a particularly stout TR defence who, having resecured the tower, pushed back until they once again threatened the base. Hundreds of TR troopers fell in the forest, at the shielded entrances and at the back door where, eventually, a squad was able to penetrate deep inside the base. Not realising the danger, we defended against the enemy outside the walls as the enemy within attacked and destroyed the generator, depriving the defenders of weapons and vehicles. Unable to repair the generator, we found ourselves pressed hard by the TR who, shortly after taking the generator offline, succeeded in hacking the base.
We now had no choice but to retreat to Xelas for a last stand. Ably commanded by Aled (who, incidentally, seems to be a decent guy), the NC gathered, determined to hold the base from the advancing Terrans. When I logged, the base was covered in deployables. The road was mined almost the entire way from Xelas to Azeban and there were so many Spitfire turrets and Motion Sensors that you could barely see the base.
Congratulations to everyone who took part in the defence of Azeban. It was a heroic effort. Thanks also to BlindHalibut, for whom I was able to gun while he drove his Vanguard with considerable skill, making multiple forays into the forest to slow the TR.
For those who missed the fun, Infiltrator Night will be repeated (by popular demand). How does next week sound?
Infiltrator Night
Our third themed Outfit Night will be an Infiltrator night. Suit up like the gimps, guys, we're gonna take the enemy by storm (a quiet storm, of course, and one that sneaks steathily up to its enemies and plants boomers under them).
Tuesday, 28th Oct. '03
Core Combat
CC is live! You may have noticed that the bases have acquired new bits (like the shield generators over the main entrances) so we need to get a grip on the recovery and fitting of ancient modules. Reading the summary of what you have to do in order to install an AM, it looks like it is going to be tricky. I'm thinking that The Halibuts could specialise in doing the impossible - obtaining AMs and stealing them from enemy bases. This will require a degree of coordination (similar to hacking LLU bases) and I think we are the guys to do it.
More information about Core Combat is available here.
Monday, 27th Oct. '03
Screenshots
Screenshots from last Thursdays Vanguard Night have been posted here.
Cloaker Night
This week we'll be going undercover with a Cloaker Night. According to the expert advice posted on the forums, certs useful for playing Infiltrators are:
- Infiltration Suit (obviously) - 2 points
- Eng and Combat Eng - 5 points
- Hack and Advanced Hack - 5 points
- MAX - 2/3 points
- ATV/Mosquito - 2/3 points
Exactly which certs you choose will depend on your personal preference and your current setup but, ideally, we want a variety of skills. I'll be going CE, Mosquito and Hack (but probably not advanced) so that I can zip around hacking towers and then mining them. Muahahahaha. Who wants to go Advanced Hack and AI MAX for that extra special spawn room surprise?
Thursday, 23rd Oct. '03
Oshur Raid
Last week it was Lightnings, this week the Fish rolled in Vanguards, mightiest of tanks. Starting slowly, we defended a tower on Forseral against the TR hordes but, when this fell, we recalled and picked up our vehicles. Gathering at Amun on Solsar, we decided to avenge our recent defeat on Forseral and head for Pwyll but, as with many TR conquests, Pwyll was unoccupied and our intrusion, althrough fruitful, was fairly boring.
At about this time, Winikten started asking for help on Oshur against the VS so, having found no TR on Forseral, we recalled again and dropped on Jamshid to pick up more tanks. With our Platoon loaded into Vanguards, we headed to Mithra to resecure it from the VS but, upon arrival, we were greeted by the unfriendly fire of a large number of infantry and MAXes, a couple of Reavers and an unknown number of Magriders. Beating a hasty retreat, we fell back to Jamshid just as the VS horde captured the North Jamshid tower and descended in force upon the base.
With VS infantry and MAXes streaming into the base and enemy Reavers overhead, it looked like The Halibuts were going to be grilled and served as the evening's main course at a dinner party where all the guests were wearing purple. Fighting valiantly and with almost inhuman grit and determination against what seemed like an endless stream of MAXes from the nearby tower (they seemed to have taken up residence on the roof of the base), The Halibuts steadily took back first the roof, then the aircraft platforms, then the courtyard, the walls and the areas around the base, forcing the VS back to their stolen tower.
A vicious battle then ensued at the tower as the VS desperately tried to break out but, as Halibut armour rolled up to cover the doors and allied aircraft strafed the top doors, it was only a matter of time before the fish prevailed.
With Jamshid now secured and the Huge Enemy Force destroyed, we took a brief breather and considered our next move. The local CR5 was calling for all aid to be sent to Yazata where the VS were making a stand. Realising that this would leave our southern bases open to the TR, who were even now attacking the VS-held Mithra, The Halibuts gathered their strength and headed north to Mithra. The plan was simple: kill the VS, hack the base, then hold off both the TR, who were assaulting from the North, and the VS.
The plan was going well as we swept into the base from the south, eliminating towers, spitfire turrets and mines as we went. Quickly seizing the courtyard and the walls, we met resistence only when we attempted to enter the base itself and at this point the attack stalled as the VS mounted a spirited defence. As The Halibuts increased the pressure on the VS defenders, we suddenly became aware of TR infantry and MAXes attacking from the north and it was the TR who first managed to hack, and then capture, Mithra from the VS.
Never keen to give up a base to the TR (especially as members of C22 appeared to be present), The Halibuts continued to press the attack and, as the clock hit 22:00, the hack went through on Mithra. At this point, however, your correspondent had to log off as, like many of The Halibuts, he has to work tomorrow and so the story ends here (unless anyone can supply more details).
Update
Looks like our defence of Jamshid last night went down well with the local commanders: this broadcast was made towards the end of the evening:
[Oshur all]BigKosmo: Once again, a HUGE thanks to The Halibuts for their help at Jamshid! Way to go guys!
Nice one guys - we've built an enviable reputation in a short time. Halibuts are Go!
The Vanguard Night was a lot of fun and we did a lot of damage, but it wasn't as successful as we'd hoped, partly 'cos we need more practice. Anyone fancy hitting the bad guys again? The Vanguards of The Halibuts will roll once more - fear the fish, gentlemen, we are crossing the pond!
Vanguard Night
Tonight is the night when the fish tanks roll. Cert up the Vanguard guys - we're gonna make 'em pay for the way they dented our Lightnings last week. So they think they can shoot those weird disco balls at us do they? Payback time.
Site Updates
The first part of the updates is now complete. I've rationalised the CSS a little (click here if you want more information on CSS) and made a few minor changes to the page layout.
I've also added a box (top right of this page) listing three different style sheets that you can use. Have a play, and see if there is one you prefer. You should find your preference is then used on every page of the site (requires cookies and Javascript) and is also remembered next time you visit. This clever stuff isn't my work, unfortunately. If you want to know more, have a look at A List Apart or Eric Meyer. These changes should work in all modern browsers (and will definitely work in Mozilla 1.5, Opera 7.2 and Internet Explorer 6) but Opera is definitely the best and fastest I've tried.
The Plain style is probably best if you're viewing from work because it removes the images and colour from the page to make it look, well, plain.
If you want to produce an alternative style sheet, edit mine (from here) and email it to me. End of Techie talk.
Wednesday, 22nd Oct. '03
Implants
New info from SOE regarding Implants can be found here.
Vanguards Ho!
Tonight is your last chance to practice with the Vanguard before we go live tomorrow with our Vanguard raid. Fish tanks will roll...
Website Changes
A few changes will be appearing on the site in the next few days. Nothing dramatic, just little touches...
Tuesday, 21st Oct. '03
Another day, another enemy. Trimmers, who apparently aren't hedge clearance workers, appear to have taken against us, for some reason. Shout if you see 'em.
Thursday, 16th Oct. '03
Lightning Raid
Tonight, in a fantastic show of unity, the shoal recerted the newly buffed Lightning. Taking advantage of the new Platoon system, three squads of Halibuts formed up in Sanctuary with almost 30 Lightnings (someone brought an enforcer but we don't like to talk about it).
With the screenshots taken, the shoal headed for Solsar to reclaim it from the VS. Expecting to find at least some opposition, the Shoal rolled cautiously into Solsar but grew bolder as the raid progressed, hacking multiple bases at a time and encountering no resistance (except from the uprated base turrets which claimed a few casualties amongst our more gung-ho members) until, at the last base, a couple of brave VS showed their faces.
With Solsar conquered, we rolled onto Amerish on our way to Ishundar, pausing only to hack Verica to break the continent lock. So far, so good. Up to now, things had been fairly quiet and we'd been able to maneuvre with complete freedom. At Ishundar, however, things were to get a little more lively.
Heading out of the warpgate, we contacted the local CRG (ThundaHawk) and received instructions to head for Akkan which was under attack. As this would take us right past Hanish, which was rather lively at the time, we made a slight detour and attacked the VS at Hanish, albeit in a rather loose and disorganised fashion. Our complacency, built up on Solsar and Amerish, was our undoing. Hanish was swarming with VS troops, MAXes and tanks and, within a few short minutes, the Halibuts were cut to pieces and were forced to abandon their new, but now rather dented (not to say burnt, bashed, smacked and exploded) Lightnings and to retreat to Girru via the Spawn Tubes.
As we emerged blinking into the light of Girru, it became apparent that both the VS and the TR were intent on adding the base to their Empire and The Halibuts, feeling a duty to uphold the NC's honour, defended the base with vigour while Massive Enemy Forces attacked from two directions.
From here, the story must be taken up by another correspondent as I was unable to participate longer. All credit to The Halibuts though - we filled our platoon, having at one point 35-40 Halibuts online with most of them in Lightnings - a very cool sight.
Next time, our theme vehicle will be the Vanguard - half the number, 3 times the power, very scary. Over and out.
Screens 8
Screens from tonights outfit raid are available here.
Patch
The balance patch is now live. Is it worthwhile? Comment to follow.
Lightning Shoal
Tonight the shoal will set forth in a fleet of Lightnings (hopefully supported by SkyGuards). Bring it on, 'cos we're ready to rock and shoal.
Wednesday, 15th Oct. '03
Tactics Page
I've never really used Jammer Grenades, but after reading this article by SmokedHalibut I'll be re-working my favourites to include these versatile thingies.
The guide to Generator Blowing is now complete and can be viewed here.
Lightning Night
Picking up on an idea from DaSmokyHalibut (see here for details) I propose that we dedicate this Thursday's outfit night to our favourite light tank, the Lightning and that we all re-cert with the Lightning for a mass raid. The Devs, apparently, always intended the Lightning to be used as a pack tank (pack as in wolf pack) with swarms of them supporting each other and attacking together. If we could get a dozen or so people certed in Lightnings with a few Vanguards and AMS as backup, we could have a bit of a laugh. Comments?
Tuesday, 14th Oct. '03
Links
New links posted to the creative things that HalibutBerry has been doing in his *ahem* spare time.
Generator Blowing
SmokedHalibut returns with advice on when to blow a base generator, or not. Find it here. Note: this article is incomplete.
New Notify List Addition
Bowing to popular demand and outrage, I have added BuzzCutPsycho to the list.
Monday, 13th Oct. '03
Forseral Expedition
Tonight The Halibuts embarked upon a raid on Forseral. Launching lightening strikes against the northern bases, we succeeded in capturing Neit, Pwyll, Lugh, Dagda and Gwydion. During this time, we met and despatched a number of VS troopers but the VS didn't seem interested in making a stand on Forseral. Always there was the threat of a TR attack, eager to reclaim their continent, but it didn't seem to be materialising. True, the southern bases were being hacked from the VS as we hacked the northern ones, but it seemed to us that this could have been achieved by a single, well-organised, TR squad.
As we gathered at Gwydion, waiting for the hack to go through, the first TR of the evening made their appearance as several Reavers and Mosquitos flashed into view overhead. Quickly beating off this first probing attack, The Halibuts (only nine of us, supported by a small number of other NC troopers) dug in and prepared for the TR to return.
Horror. Not even the most hardened Halibut could have been prepared for the awesome sight that greated us as the TR returned to Gwydion. Not a lone trooper, or even a lone squad. No. The TR had sent everything they had and within minutes we were assailed by Reavers, Mosquitos, Prowlers, Lightenings, MAXes and infantry. This wasn't a large enemy force, nor even a huge enemy force, this was a Massive Enemy Force and, despite putting up a valiant resistance, The Halibuts were forced to retreat to Dagda by a combination of air/land power and Pounder MAXes camping the spawn room.
The defence of Dagda, however, turned out to be brief. Expecting The Halibuts to have fielded two squads, the TR had sent not one zerg, but two to Forseral to deal with the threat and, with one Massive Enemy Force mopping up and milling around at Gwydion, The Halibuts were then faced with a second Massive Enemy Force at Dagda. This was too much, even for The Halibuts. In vain we fought, as the enemy closed in, and many did we kill. For nought it was, however, as with our AMS destroyed and TR squads landing on towers and bases all over our section of the continent, we rapidly ran out of spaces to spawn.
It was with a heavy heart that we had to retreat from Forseral. Tired we were, but happy in the knowledge that the TR had been forced to commit enormous resources to defeat us. We will return, gentlemen, and they WILL need a bigger boat!
The roll of honour is (and let me know if I've missed you off the list): FriedHalibut (SL), DaSmokyHalibut, FlyingReHalibuttal, HalibutBerry, MyFingersSmellOfHalibut, HalibutJester, UnrealHalibut.
Screenshots
More screens have been posted here.
Sunday, 12th Oct. '03
NCF Offensive
Winikten (Konried CR5) has been in touch to ask us to participate in an organised raid on Friday night. The details are here. Let me know what you think about this on the forums. As Winikten is the guy who arranged our Ventrilo server, I think we should try to help him out (although this will mean a fairly late-night as they won't get started till around midnight UK time).
Friday, 10th Oct, '03
Cyssor Raid
A modest number of Halibuts (about 25, I think) turned up to wrest Cyssor from the VS last night. In this, we were rather successful, completing several high-XP hacks (as if this were important!) and dominating the continent by about 23:00, after which it went downhill as the TR turned up to play.
Member List
This hasn't been updated for a while. If you want to be listed, send me an email here.
The Halibuts Domain
The Halibuts now have (or soon will have) their own domain name. Purchased this morning, the new domain should be active sometime over the weekend and you'll then be able to access your favourite site using this cunning address: www.thehalibuts.org.uk.
Promotions and Ranks
I meant to update the ranks last night along the fishy theme discussed on the forums but, er, I forgot. Sorry. Probably do this tomorrow morning.
Thursday, 9th Oct. '03
Halibuts Night
Tonight is the night when The Halibut gather and the TR/VS cower at home. Steadily we approach, wielding our Gauss guns, driving our Vanguards and shedding scales left, right and centre. Will the enemy retreat? Its that or die.
Last Night On Forseral
Best wishes to CaptainBigWig who, having insulted us on the forums, at least had the decency to show up on Forseral for a bit of a fish fight. He came off worse, of course, but he had little in the way of support and The Halibuts are, you will remember, an ELITE NC OUTFIT. Rock and shoal.
Wednesday, 8th Oct. '03
Amerish - last night
Well, the VS and TR were in fine fettle last night on Amerish as they pushed us back over the continent and capped our bases. I was hardly able to step from the spawn room before being greeted by either Lasher or Pounder fire and although this makes for a lively gaming experience, it can be a little wearing after a while. Tomorrow, however, it will be a different story as the shoal masses to bring the light of the NC's glory to the heathen unbelievers.
Those who stand in our way will feel the power of the Gauss. Muahahahaha.
Tuesday, 7th Oct. '03
Tactics - The Sparrow MAX
Continuing our exploration of elite tactics, we now present tips on the use of the Sparrow MAX, written by SmokedHalibut. Find them here.
Dallas Dickinson Interviews
A few brief comments here about Core Combat but nothing really interesting or new. This page is a short question and answer session about the massively multiplayer aspect of Planetside.
Halibut Squad Play
With Werner continuing to suffer from occasional (?) problems, we're now getting increasing numbers of Halibuts playing on Konried in the evening so that we can often run two squads on pretty much any night of the week and four or five squads on Thursday (regular outfit evening). Great stuff and also a bit of a laugh.
Monday, 6th Oct. '03
Sunday's Play
Last night's play has already been widely acknowledged as some of the best Halibut play around as we heroically held Jamshid and Atar against the VS hordes who repeatedly hacked the bases and towers in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to push us around. Bizarrely, at one point they simply gave up on Jamshid after a sustained attack lasting over an hour. This round to The Halibuts, I think!
Hot Drop Update
After reading comments on the forums, I've added a short section in the Hot Drop advice about kicking people out of the galaxy. Find it here.
Friday, 26th Sept. '03
My thanks and congratulations to everyone who made it to last night's Halibut outing. We didn't make it to our own continent because at 20:00 we were engaged in a huge battle with the TR/VS on Amerish which was a bit of a laugh. Many of the usual enemies turned up, including Snipefrag, Erika and Pathogens (who I've now killed a couple of times in different engagements - last night he was repairing a Magrider outside the walls of a base swarming with NC. I leaned over the wall and peppered him with rocklets). Great times.
Thursday, 25th Sept. '03
Outfit Raid
Is it the day for outfit raids? I think it might be! Tonight we gather the shoal for an orgy of destruction across the face of Auraxis. Be there, or miss a mighty fish thing.
Wednesday, 24th Sept. '03
Outfit Raid
Tomorrow, being Thursday, is the day when all the fish gather to swarm (do fish swarm?) across the face of Auraxis sweeping all before us. Make a space in your diary - this one should be good...
Members
The Halibuts now have 116 members.
Monday, 22nd Sept. '03
Screens
New pictures, taken by ProlapsedHalibut, are posted here.
New Article - Hot-dropping for beginners
I've added a section to the website where I'll post tactical and strategic advice and ideas, some of them totally useless. I'd also like to invite contributions from anyone who feels they have something they'd like to share - all stuff gratefully received.
Members
The Halibuts now have 111 members.
Saturday, 20th Sept. '03
Screenshots
Screenshots from Thursday's outing are now up, courtesy of SingleMaltHalibut and DitheringHalibut.
Friday, 19th Sept. '03
Shoal Man
Auraxis rocked last night as the shoal made a bid for Amerish, taking most of the continent in one of the most impressive displays of inter-squad teamwork I've seen in Planetside. Group hacks, solo ninja hacks and fast mobile assaults allowed us to move quickly from the Solsar warpgate to secure much of the continent before the VS could react. By the time they started to come through from the VS Sanctuary (hat tip here to Zigman, Strada and Erika who lead the vanguard) The Halibuts had secured 7 bases and were working on more.
Great stuff. We gave ourselves a good defensive situation from which to withstand the zerg (did this turn up after I logged?) and enhanced our Outfit reputation at the same time. Congratulations to everyone invovled.
Unfortunately, I didn't get any screenshots so if you have anything you'd like me to post on this site, email it to me at james@myryama.co.uk and I'll get it sorted. Thanks.
Survey Results
The results of survey into the features that we want to see in the next patch are out. Unsurprisingly, Platoons are the most desired feature. Last night's attack would certainly have been easier with Platoons, especially after the Ventrilo server went down.
Members
The Halibuts now have 100 members.
Thursday, 18th Sept. '03
Outfit Night
8pm, UK time, at the NC Sanctuary. If you're already in the field, send back reports and we may join you. Otherwise, we'll depart from Sanctuary for a huge shoal attack. Muahahahaha.
Members
The Halibuts now have 95 members.
Weapons Page
The weapons page has been updated. I've added the Medium Assault weapons.
Wednesday, 17th Sept. '03
Members
The Halibuts now have 91 members. Woo hoo.
Core Combat Screenies
Gamespy have published some CC Screenies. Check them out - they do indeed look very cool. Most of the shots feature NC - this can only be a good thing, surely? One question though: what the hell does that TR guy think he'll accomplish with a Bolt Driver (while standing) and a beamer? I reckon the TR players will be nerfed in the expansion...
Halibuts at the Beeb
You may have already seen this column about Planetside by a guy called Daniel Etherington. If you haven't, check it out and have a look at this conversation. I've also chatted with Daniel on Messenger and exchanged emails with him - he may join The Halibuts at some point so keep an eye out for him. Daniel is a "dedicated gamer" but a bit of a newbie on PS so he may need a little support.
Monday, 15th Sept. '03
Voice Details
I'll add the details of the voice comms stuff to the Outfit details page so you should be able to find these in game from this evening.
Notify List
I've updated the Notify list with details of Kiowa, the bloke who was rude to NacMacHalibut. We'll get him...
Movies
There seem to be a load of Halibut Fanta movies going around. I've listed the ones that I know about here but feel free to send me new ones. These are fantastic by the way - if you haven't seen them yet, you really should.
Last Nights Mini-Shoal
Logging on last night for a quick bit of shooting, I was moderately surprised (and more than a little impressed) to find that there were already 18 Halibuts online! Checking back through this page, I note that on 4th Sept. we were able to find 20 Halibuts to squad up for the regular Thursday night outing and now we're able to muster 19 for our alternative outfit night!
This bodes well for the Halibuts. Rumours abound that we're also attracting the attention of the enemy commanders who appear to be putting emphasis on kicking us when they find us. Screenshots/transcripts to follow, courtesy of TheHalibutKid (Parrlander).
Weebl and Bob
If you missed it on the forums, check out this site (hat-tip to NacMacHalibut) for Halibut-approved comic genius. You'll need to have Flash installed.
Friday, 12th Sept. '03
The Shoal Swims to Esamir
Last night, after being humbled a little by the TR on Ishundar, the shoal headed for Esamir where we proceeded to take a load of bases from the VS. Opposition was minimal, but Zigman kept popping up, even appearing in some of our outfit shots, see here.
We had, at one point, 31 Halibuts and three full squads. We also had about seven people using the Voice Comms system. I wasn't able to get back to everyone who asked for VC info last night - sorry. I'll answer today everyone who has emailed me about this. I think the overall feeling was that Ventrilo works very well - its the way forward. We even had a chat last night with the bloke who gave us the server space, Winikten. Sounds like a nice guy.
Next outfit raid will, of course, be Thursday but there may be mini-zergs on Sunday evening and there are likely to be Halibuts online every evening if you're looking to squad.
Ancient Modules
SOE have posted more information about the Ancient Modules section of the new Core Combat expansion. Looks like fun. They've also announced that they're signing up players for the CC Beta Testing.
Shortcuts and Hotkeys
Want to know something about the shortcuts and hotkeys? SOE have, finally, posted some helpful information.
Thursday, 11th Sept. '03
The outfit raid is drawing near. Voice comms are available and active, just email me for details. See you online.
Wednesday, 10th Sept. '03
Voice Comms
Well, we now have 2 offers of server space for the Ventrilo voice comms system. I've contacted Winikten about his NC Federation and voice server offer so, with any luck, we'll be able to use this fairly soon. More news to follow.
Last Night on Cyssor
Anyone remember SnipeFrag? We had a little run-in with him a few weeks ago. Well, I came across him last night during a brief fishy outing and, unfortunately, he killed me, dammit, but I came close to topping him and he even sent me a complimentary tell so no hard feelings. Next time we meet, however, I'll kick him into the next world...
Tuesday, 9th Sept. '03
Annoyance List
I've added StoneRook (TR) to the list of Konried Annoyances after he posted mildly inflamatory comments about us. It's a form of flattery, really.
Weapons - the Sniper Rifle
I've added a few lines about the Bolt Driver and how to use it effectively. All my own work, so some of it may well be complete rubbish, but feel free to comment. Find it here.
New Halibuts Logo
At the top of the page you might notice that we have a new logo. This is courtesy of the inestimable HalibutBerry, otherwise known as Destiny (may even have an RL name, but I don't know it, sorry). If you want to link to the logo, you can find it at http://www.clanvenom.co.uk/halibutsig.gif.
Full Squad on a Monday!
I logged on last night for half-an-hour of fishy fun, only to find nine other Halibuts already online! Am I impressed by your commitment to the cause of the Fish? Yup, I truly am. Rock and shoal.
Monday, 8th Sept. '03
The Halibuts have gone Critical!
I spotted at least four new Halibuts last night on Konried - welcome one and all to the greatest NC outfit of them all. Superb organisation and fighting last night as the shoal swept across Solsar and on to Amerish. Thursday night should be even better- we may even be able to run five squads, which would be very cool.
Squad Specialisation
Speaking of running multiple squads, I'd like to be able to have a dedicated air support squad (the Flying Fish) to back up the tanks and grunts. Would all elite pilots step forward to volunteer for this squad when the moment comes. We will bomb our enemies back to the Stone Age (or back to their Sanctuaries at any rate).
Friday, 5th Sept. '03
Halibut Enemies
I've added a new section where I'll list the Konried players that we find to be particularly annoying and disruptive. I'm proposing that when we find one of these guys, we let everyone know that they're around and we then concentrate (at least for a short while) on teaching them respect for the 'buts. Ok?
Outfit Raid
What can I say? 20 Halibuts all in one place (check here for shots) is a truly awesome sight. Solsar (and then Forseral) was rocked by our mighty presence as the new warcry "You're gonna need a bigger boat!" rang out and terrified our enemies. This is the way the game was meant to be played; coordinated squads of experienced players kicking the enemy to pieces.
Next formal outing is Thursday 11th Sept but if you can't wait till then for a little fishy fun, experience suggests that there is almost always a Halibut online during the evenings if you need someone to squad with. I (Unreal, in case you didn't know) will next be online on Sunday evening, hopefully for an extended period and I'll be looking to kick some serious bottom, especially now that I have reached the heady heights of CR1 (thanks to everyone in the squad and outfit who helped with the cap).
Site Hits
The Halibuts are reaching an international audience. While most of this site's readers are using .co.uk or .com domains, we're also getting hits from Switzerland, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Germany and Italy. Cool. Nothing from France though, which should mean something really, but I have no idea what...
Thursday, 4th Sept. '03
Late Afternoon Update
Inspired by discussion of the film Jaws and Destiny's comments on the Konried server (see here), I offer a new Warcry for The Halibuts: "You're gonna need a bigger boat!".
Member List
Our numbers continue to grow as the word spreads. The member list should now be up to date with the newest members at the bottom. We have three new since yesterday (DonHalibut, HalibutBerry and ViralHalibut - Welcome) but I don't have your Werner or forum names to include in the list - drop me a line here or post on the forum and I'll update the list.
Keep at it Halibuts - we're making waves on Konried (especially when certain people who shall remain nameless (Halibutosis) can't keep their Vanguard on the bridge and dump it and me in the drink).
Last Night's Cyssor Raids
The Halibut's armoured squad ripped round Cyssor last night smacking the TR wherever we came across them. Vanguards, a Sunderer and a Lightening (driven by recent addition HalibutLector in his first speaking role) capped several bases, killed loads of TR and pushed our Outfit points past the seven thousand mark. Our aim tonight (Major Outfit Raid Night) is to boost our outfit points past 10,000 (so we can choose a logo) and push my CR (now standing at 0.91 after last nights efforts - many thanks to all involved) up a little more so that I can set the now legendary waypoints (we might also try to cap a few bases, kill a few TR/VS and have a little fun, but these objective are, of course, secondary to my CR at the moment ;) ).
CR Benefits
Ever wondered why we slog our way up through the Command Ranks? Check this article for an explanation of the benefits of CR.
Wednesday, 3rd Sept. '03
Konried rocked last night to the sound of the Halibuts taking bases and making themselves known. Last night's squad (which peaked at six before I logged off) took Nzame and Mukuru before heading up north to help with Bomazi where the TR where busily hacking back our bases.
Things worked well, Halibuts performed brilliantly as a team and everything's good in the world when Smokey sings (anyone else hearing violins?). Bodes well for tomorrow's outfit raid. Can we field two squads? You'd better believe it!
Tuesday, 2nd Sept. '03
Afternoon update
I've just posted my thoughts on Special Assault and Heavy Assault weapons, to be found here. These notes are from personal experience and you'll probably find that you don't agree with most of it. Do I care? Not really, but feel free to email me or post on the forums if you feel particularly agrieved.
Morning update
The shoal engulfed Wele on Cyssor last night for a pretty neat (but low XP) capture. I logged off immediately afterwards so I'm not sure where the shoal swam next but the fight for Wele against a number of fairly determined TR, took a good hour and, once again, demonstrated that superior teamwork by a small force can triumph over a larger but disorganised enemy.
The Halibuts now have about 4,500 outfit points so we're almost halfway to being able to choose our Outfit Logo. Exciting stuff. We now have, I think, 19 members so things are looking up. Small we are, but highly skilled with more members expected to join this week. Rock and Shoal.
Added a few more shots to the screens section, to be found here.
Monday, 1st Sept. '03
Rock and shoal - Halibuts Kick Bottom
A mini-raid last night on, er, one of the continents and then Oshur yielded considerable Fishy success as we captured a couple of bases and then got caught up in a rather tricky attack on Oshur where the TR were running rampant, the bastards. Not only was Oshur swarming with Red Devils, the weather was a little unpleasant as we heaved up in the midst of a sand storm.
A few new screenies have been posted here, some of them courtesy of the NakedHalibut.
I've also updated the member list with links to everyone's Halibut characters and all the latest additions to the Shoal.
Saturday, 30th Aug '03
Sunday evening outing
I (UnrealHalibut) will be around on Sunday evening (assuming Konried is reasonably busy) to try to grind my way to CR1 (oh, how I need those Waypoints) so if anyone is around and wants to join me, I'd be glad of the company.
Friday, 29th Aug '03
Well, we kicked some moderately serious bottom last night, rolling around Cyssor in a ass-kicking Vanguards. Outfit night was fairly successful although interference from a TR called SnipeFrag and a few of his chums did prevent us from taking a base, the bastards.
Not to worry though, 'cos next week we'll be back, distracting the enemy with a multitude of humourous Halibut names. A particularly neat method for winding up the bad guys, as described by HalibutLector, is simply to deny all knowledge of the reasons behind the Halibuts and wander off in the other direction. Saves all that messy typing and stuff and lets you get back to the real business of embedding small pieces of lead in the bodies of those mis-guided souls who adhere to an alternative life-doctrine (or those TR and VS bastards, if you like).
Thursday, 28th Aug '03
Tonight is 'buts night when we all roll out with our new Halibut characters and kick Yank arse as we steam-roller our way across the face of Auraxis. Coordinated land and air squads will strike fear into the TR/VS hegemony. Skilled team-play will blitz the enemy from our path. Threats of JO's Nan will be used on particularly stubborn pockets of resistance and, if necessary, we will wheel out our secret weapon - the now legendary June Whitfield.
Kick-off is at eight. Meet at Sanc, squad up and head out. Rock and roll.
Wednesday, 27th Aug '03
Just checked the webstats for my site and The Halibuts has made a real difference. Check the usage graph here if you're interested, or if you're just really sad.
Tuesday, 26th Aug '03
Playing as UnrealHalibut on Sunday morning, I was contacted by a CR5 called Winikten who asked "are you the guys from Markov?". Rest assured that I put him straight about THAT. Anyway, Winikten invited us to join their NC Federation thingy (details at www.konreid.com) so I said yes, basically, 'cos I thought it might be a laugh.
Good to know that we've been noticed by the Yanks - all we have to do now is get the bad guys to notice us. Thursday evening, anyone?
Sunday, 24th Aug '03
About Lunchtime
Just a brief note to let you all know that our forums are now up and running at coml.runboard.com/bthehalibuts. No idea if this setup will be any good - let me know what you think.
Very early.
Morning all. I've added some screenshots (here) with more to follow shortly. Feel free to mail them to me if you have them.
Saturday, 23rd Aug '03
Success. We have now formed our outfit, taken photos, assigned ranks and we're ready to yank the Yanks.
At some point we'll be getting together to organise/agree a regular weekly outfit raid where we all just bask in our own brilliance as we destroy the Yankee enemy. Thanks to all those who were able to make it to Sanc last night for the Outfit forming. Photos to follow.
Looks like some people aren't showing up as Halibuts members yet, even though they were in the starting group. Weird. If you notice this in game, let someone know and we'll sort it out - they can't Nerf the Halibut before it's even got into the water!
Friday 22nd Aug '03 - Update
Woo hoo. Last night's raid was, I think, a success. At one point we had seven halibuts playing and although we weren't quite able to form an outfit, the team worked! Mention has been made of meeting up on Monday or over the weekend to form the outfit. More news to follow.
Memberlist has been updated with links to the Konried stats.
Things to do on Auraxis...
...when you're a member of an elite team of Celebrity Chefs-Relatives Fetishists.
Now forming on a Konried. Suggestions for outfit activities include:
- Anti-tank unit with drivers and gunners/engineers
Anybody else?
Startup
Morning all, welcome to the new site for a potential new PS Outfit, The Halibuts.
Want to join or contribute? Feel free to email me here.
Members who have indicated a wish to join so far are:
The members lists has moved to here.
Halibut Links
Weird Americans with a monster 'but: halibut.jpg
Halibut Fishing stuff, very boring: Halibut Fishing
Alaskan Halibut fishing excursions: Halibut Excursions
Halibut recipes: Halibut Eating
Halibut Farming: Farm the Halibut!
Life Cycle of the Halibut: Halibut Biography
More Alaskan Halibut Fishing: Weird Americans