The Halo Council

[Timotheus]

At the outset I want to say that these are my opinions. I truly appreciate what TLN has and is doing for competitive Halo. I also recognize that THC and TLN are working together and developing a working relationship (at least from my understanding from THC shows). Please read the following with the understanding that it is just the opinion of another player and fan wanting the best for the competitive halo community. Also not I am not speaking on behalf of THC in any way shape or form. Feel free to agree or disagree.

As many if not all of you are aware of The Halo Council. It is a show that orginated out of necessity to generate a discussion and attempt to bring the community together once it was realized that Halo might not have been on the Pro Circuit for this coming season. I think it and many other grassroots community efforts and voices are a major part of why Halo was kept on the Pro Circuit. I am not naive enough to realize that the most influential factor were business decisions between MLG and 343i/MS that we were not made privy too but I also believe our voice was heard.

What this situation has revealled to the Halo community is that we need to put a little distance between us and MLG much like the COD and GOW communities have. The reason is that if Halo is not picked up for subsequent seasons, even if it is, we need to have a centralized place to establish the standard of how competitve Halo is played at the highest level and a place that promotes and runs our own events. Such a place/community needs to get to the place where MLG and even 343i looks to it for input in the league and game development much like how Epic worked with GOW and MLG will eventually if they pick it back up. Let's be clear: I want to see MLG succeed and be the premier league where competitve Halo is played at the highest level. The only change is that the standard of the maps and settings be established by us and then used by MLG

I am not looking for sites like HTR and other communities to close up shop and come to The Halo Council. Community and team sites are important and necessary. I personally would like to see places like TLN and NGL that are solely established to promote high level competitive Halo set up shop in The Halo Council since I don't see the necessity of the competitive community being spread out; again that is my personal opinion. What I am asking is that if you want to continue to see the highest level of competitive Halo promoted, taught, and evolved then let's make The Halo Council the place to do.

The core leadership team of Nexy, Gandhi, Dmaq, Bestman and I think Bravo are already going strong with show and site http://www.halocouncil.com. I am asking that we support them and the game. The website itself is a work in progress and we need to help it grow and evolve to where it is the place for all things competitive halo.

[MrChaosTheory]

In theory it sounds like a necessity to collectively merge together and form a stronger community.

However saying HaloCouncil.com is the place to do so is incredibly naive. TheLanNetwork has been established for 2+ years, Halocouncil.com has been around for a matter of weeks if that. In the list of Halo centric websites to merge into, HaloCouncil.com would be at the bottom. Not because of a particular aversion to site but because of it's infancy, there are so many questions as to it's stability and sustainment that it's borderline preposterous.

Not to mention private investees into the other sites as well as owner's, would you expect them to happily merge into another website without any incentive and at a loss, for the growth of the community? The growth of Halo and it's community is near and dear to all of our hearts, but even from the weakest of business backgrounds anyone will tell you that by doing so you are risking a lot for nothing in return.

Sure THC has seen rapid expansion and small margins of increase in production, but by their own admission they are extremely unprepared. This is not the time to invest so much expectation in people who have only recently under-gone this task, that fire could soon fizzle out. Are we so sure we want to merge under one name, we did it before [MLG] and look where that got us!

Also I would like to clarify that THC does not speak on TLN's behalf. On multiple occasions they have misinformed the community as to details of things happening within TLN, either through speculation or forgetfulness. Another incentive as to why they shouldn't take the reigns.

[heuer89]

I totally understand how someone could read the OP and take this the wrong way, but the post was made with the intent of fostering the relationship / discussion that exists between TLN and The Halo Council currently. Just a reminder for people to chill and not jump to grab their pitchforks.

[Antidote]

I never thought I'd say this about someone talking about what competitive Halo needs to do. I actually agree with this guy. Every game that calls itself an "eSport" should be able to sustain itself without a large company such as MLG. Personally I think if MLG wouldn't have picked up Halo then it would've slowly driveled off until it got it's act together, or it vanished completely. The Halo community does need a place to go as a central location that can be sustaining by the community itself. I'm not actually sure there is such a place for that right now. While THC and TLN are certaintly taking steps (or at least have plans) in that right direction. They're really the only thing on a large scale right now that has the potential to do so. That's not saying another group couldn't become that central Hub.

That central Hub needs to be only for Halo though and to show that the Halo community can sustain itself. The other games have them and if Halo wants to compete with them then it really needs the same thing. Currently it doesn't have that. Idc what people say about THC or TLN or any grassroot Halo community. They all have the potential, but none of them are there as of now. It needs to be something like some of the more well known SC2 communities are doing, joindota is for DotA 2, EvO does for the FGC. It needs to be something that can literally take the game and say "we don't need you MLG". And that's not saying MLG isn't good for them, it's just saying those games don't need MLG to sustain them.

Halo is still a relatively new game in comparison to the others and needs to pull itself out of that dependency stage. A large part of that sadly is the age range for the people who play the game. Most of which are not over the age of 20 even. Meaning that while these other games have a mature enough community to contribute monetary value towards, Halo doesn't really have that age range to do so, and so that just adds to the struggle but it still can be done.

[itwuzmagik]

A relationship or partnership isn't such a bad idea but MrChaosTheory makes a good point on how a merger would go. You don't take the big dog and feed it to the little one. But on the other hand taking into effect what Heuer said if you are just saying we need to build stronger connections with each other then I agree 100%. I think the Halo community needs to begin to prepare for a new home. If not MLG then where you may ask? I think either the Lan Network or NGL are both equipped to take on the job.
TLN has also had one focus and for that reason most of the Halo community has flocked here. I for one am excited to see the possibilities that the future of TLN and all these other big halo related sites have to offer for the competitive scene. However to sum it all up there really does need to be some kind of complete unification in the Halo community so that we can begin to build something of our own and not have to rely on a company who's flagship game is no longer the game that fostered its upbringing.

[Smallz08]

I think that the place for us (the competitive community) to be heard we have to go to 343's site and post on there. Hopefully we could get a category in their forums and establish ourselves in that community. That is what makes the most sense to me. I see the competitive community and the casual community to be separate but I think if we can get the casual side a little bit more involved with the competitive side of things is the only way for this community to grow. I know that is a tall order but it can be done. The biggest problem that will more than likely occur is the sense of who is ultimately wrong and right. That is the nature of all shooters sadly but I think if we could get at least a good portion of the casual side of halo players more interested in the competitive side we could be a better community. I could be completely wrong in my opinion but I think that is something that we all need to consider.

[Timotheus]

My overaching point is that competitive Halo needs a central hub distinct from MLG.

I intially thought that TLN was the most logical place to spearhead such an initiative until I heard that it maybe branching into other games. If that is the case does halo end up in the same position again? Additionally, with the utmost respect, TLN itself is in a reviving stage. Will the new model work? NGL also was a consideration but again is focused on other games and I haven't seen anything posted for 2012 out of NGL. Halo Nation appears to be completely dead the last I checked. Halotracker has access to a lot of gamers but more of the casual type. So where else to turn? 343i is a good option but I think it would get overwhelmed too much too quickly and rendered useless. A new project seems the most reasonable.

Sure THC is new and there will be growing pains and learning curves to overcome but it is pretty obvious that they have the attention of the competitive halo community. If TLN stays soley dedicated to Halo then I think it is the most logical home for the competitive halo community. If it evolves into a platform to support multiple esports games then whomever becomes then central hub of competitive halo should foster a strong relationship with TLN.

Time will certainly tell if the community wants to be self driven and self-sustaining or will just fizzle out.

I hope that clarifies the overaching point I was trying to convey

[KRILLIN]

Adam is the man!

[forefront]

I personally don't believe that Halo needs a central "hub." In fact, I believe the exact opposite. Well, not the EXACT opposite. I DO believe that we should have central settings and maps, but these should be submitted by the people and established by the league.

What I feel would benefit the community most, is multiple sub-communities with the same goal and different paths to that goal. In this way, we are building a "structural" community. Multiple pillars in the community that can support and uplift each other. Positive, rival entities that can foster the creation of new and increasingly original ideas through intense, friendly competition will not only further the community as a whole, but create a renewed excitement in the game itself.

I am not saying that working together is a bad idea. On the contrary, it is nothing less than imperative. However, to simply "combine" two different groups, forcing them to shrink the proverbial "funnel" of new ideas is folly.

[MrChaosTheory]

My overaching point is that competitive Halo needs a central hub distinct from MLG.

I intially thought that TLN was the most logical place to spearhead such an initiative until I heard that it maybe branching into other games. If that is the case does halo end up in the same position again? Additionally, with the utmost respect, TLN itself is in a reviving stage. Will the new model work? NGL also was a consideration but again is focused on other games and I haven't seen anything posted for 2012 out of NGL. Halo Nation appears to be completely dead the last I checked. Halotracker has access to a lot of gamers but more of the casual type. So where else to turn? 343i is a good option but I think it would get overwhelmed too much too quickly and rendered useless. A new project seems the most reasonable.

Sure THC is new and there will be growing pains and learning curves to overcome but it is pretty obvious that they have the attention of the competitive halo community. If TLN stays soley dedicated to Halo then I think it is the most logical home for the competitive halo community. If it evolves into a platform to support multiple esports games then whomever becomes then central hub of competitive halo should foster a strong relationship with TLN.

Time will certainly tell if the community wants to be self driven and self-sustaining or will just fizzle out.

I hope that clarifies the overaching point I was trying to convey

I agree with you and Heuer I initially missed the point. I thought the post was explicitly about merging all Halo centric sites under HaloCouncil.com, obviously I misunderstood, I couldn't agree more that we need to move away from MLG and foster relationship between all Halo Centric websites and create a network, sorry.

[forefront]

Um, whatever happened to H2F? I guess H3F last I heard.

[MrChaosTheory]

Think it changed to HaloReachForum.com but apparently it's for sale. HaloReachForum.eu is still active though.

[InstinctMatt]

The Halo Council is amazing!!!

[Uncouth426]

Um, whatever happened to H2F? I guess H3F last I heard.

H2F is now TheHaloForum (http://www.thehaloforum.com).