Koto, the Assistant Spin-Up Leader for Vanguard's TA division, has been diligently working to help build TA into a viable division for the players of Tribes: Assend. QuinoaAOC had a chance to catch up with Koto and discuss his plans for the future and his past experiences as a member of TAW.
The Leap Year Edition is out! Grab a copy of the TAW Newsletter.
The main purpose and goal of the TAWShop has always been to help promote the TAW brand and to provide a platform that helps TAW give something back to the members who contribute to it. We mainly focused on providing t-shirts for TAW & it’s divisions. Some of the challenges we faced were finding ways to promote the shop and getting legit designs to use on the shirts.Making & getting quality designs is a huge challenge for us. It is very difficult to promote a division based design due to copyright laws. We’ve been more successful with TAW Logo merchandise than anything else. The TAW Camo design shirts of the old logo made up for more than half of the shops overall sales.We chose Spreadshirt because it offered a modest selection at a very reasonable price for members. The shop & apparel customization it offered is also top-notch compared to other vendors.Spreadshirt, although great does not allow any room for expansion. 90% of the products they offer are wearable items like t-shirts & hats. Their speciality selection like cups, stickers, keychains and etc are very limited or non-existent.This is why I felt it was necessary to switch to a more robust vendor. I wanted to offer the community more than just t-shirts and hats. I was also looking for a place to consolidate both shops into one. As you can imagine, managing one shop is hard enough, but having to manage both an American version and European version can get very time consuming for one person.In addition to t-shirts and hats, through Cafepress we will be able to provide more unique products to members such as stickers, laptop cases, keychains, coffee mugs and more... We also be able to provide special promotions and discounts. I am confident in the direction we are taking the new TAWShop. The goals of TAWShop will remain the same and we will continue to provide a platform for promoting TAW and giving back to the community.LTC DeadXOnTAW Media Division Officer.
This week we set our scope on the newest CIC of TAW, General Icarus. Get to know our new Commander-In-Chief in the questions below.
Thinking back, what drew you to TAW?
I joined TAW back when we were playing Far Cry. I really liked the military theme and the teamwork that TAW brought. I started playing with Gemini squad and I was hooked!
Do you have any special hobbies or activities outside of online gaming/TAW?
I am an avid reader and movie watcher. Most of my free time outside of TAW is spent with my girlfriend or volunteering. I support an after school program at one of the local high schools.
What are the goals you are still working toward?
I am working closely with Central Command on some new projects and reaching my goals as CIC. TAW will be hearing more soon...
Tell me how you first got involved in with TAW . . .
I started in TAW in college when I got into online gaming. I just fell into it and found a TAW server. I checked out the website and was impressed.
What was your first impression of TAW?
Well organized and a little intimidating. We have gotten better on both accounts I think!
What has surprised you most about working with TAW?
Despite all the difficulties that we have had getting to this point as an organization, I continue to be impressed by how well things have gone. That is a testament to all the leaders of TAW!
What do you find most challenging about TAW?
I don't mean for this to sound cynical, but there are a lot of issues that go on behind the scenes that I get to deal with. They are usually ones that are a big deal. I use my team and we work together to fix the problems. I don't try to handle them myself.
What's the best/worst thing to happen since you started working with TAW?
Worst was making the tough call as a DC to start division drafts. I lost half my team over it, but I don't regret it. It needed to happen. Best was launching the new website. It was a culmination of 5 years of work!
When you last volunteered, made a donation, etc., how did that make you feel
I always enjoy the feeling. Both inside and outside of TAW, any time you help someone you always feel great.
If you could change one thing about TAW, what would it be?
HAHA, as CIC I can! But seriously, I think folks noticed that TAW didn't get turned upside down when the office changed. That is because TAW runs well and we have great leaders. My goal is to refine that process, not make big changes.
What do you wish other people knew about TAW?
How much fun it can be to join a structured group. That and the opportunity to be a leader. There are not many groups out there that so readily hand over the reigns
Tell us about some of the people you've met while working on TAW?
I have met friends for life. I went to one friends wedding, and I talk with many others on the phone all the time. There is no better way to meet people from all around the World!
What's your personal philosophy on what should be done about TAW?
I think that TAW needs to continue to improve to remain the best online gaming clan in the World. We have 1300 members with over 90% active at any time. What other gaming group can say that?
What might someone be surprised to know about you?
Most folks seemed surprised to learn that I am 28 years old. I will be 29 on Saturday the 18th.
The interest in TAW seems to be growing. Why do you think that is?
I think we are doing a lot of things right. We have a solid community and we are staying active in the new games that are coming out.
Thank You Icarus, For taking the time to answer our questions. Icarus will be awarded the In-The-Scope Member tab for his contribution.
Q1: For the readers, can you please state your name, rank and current function within TAW.Feanor, Major General, Vanguard CommanderQ2: We have all heard about Tribes: Ascend. Why did you choose this specific game for TAW.