What is GC?

=What is Global Conflict (GC)?= GC is a community of gamers from all over the world who enjoy playing Battlefield 3 (BF3) but were disappointed by the lack of teamwork and Rambo style of play found on most public servers. GC is also an open tournament for individuals and clans to compete against each other. This tournament has been modeled after conquest style board games such as Risk and Axis & Allies. The difference being that instead of rolling dice to simulate combat we actually fight out the battles on our 64 player servers using BF3.

Sounds cool, how does it work?
We have designed our own campaign map consisting of almost all continents. The campaign is designed in the style of the board game "Risk" - each army has divisions that they can position and attack other territories with. There are currently 44 territories on the map. Each of these territories also have a capital city. The two armies take turns fighting for these territories on Saturdays and utilizing special missions on Tuesdays. If an army gains control of both the territory and capital city that territory is locked down under their control. To win the campaign an army must control 70% of the campaign map or both of the enemy's Military Bases.

When are the battles fought?
[SBT] = 10a Pacific, 12p Central, 1p Eastern, 18:00 UTC, 18:00 BST, 19:00 CET
 * Saturday: SBT to SBT+6
 * Tuesday: SBT+2 to SBT+5 and SBT+8 to SBT+11

Where are the battles fought?
GC operates 2 64 player servers. One located in New York, the other located in the UK. The IPs for each are located here. Passwords will be provided over TeamSpeak before the battles.

Why does GC use 2 servers?
GC is a true global community with players from all over the world (mostly North America and Europe). To help provide the best experience (lower pings) for our European members we use the British server during the times when our Euro member attendence is highest.

Do I have to be there for the entire battle?
No. The battles last so long and occur at different times to allow all of our members to join in. You can attend as much as you like.

What's the difference between the 6 hour and 2-3 hour battles?
On Saturday's we fight for territories using the 32 player versions of the maps. On Tuesdays we fight for capitol cities using the 16 player versions of the maps. All members are welcome to attend both battle days and despite the map size we can have 64 players in the server for the battles.

What is the so called “+4” rule?
To keep the two sides even we have imposed a limit on the number of players one side can have over the other. This limit used to be four players more regardless of the total players on the server (thus called the “+4” rule). We have now amended this limit as follows: +2 at 10-14 players per side, +3 at 15-19 players, and +4 when there are 20 or more players per side.

Why can't I use all chat during a match?
This rule was adopted to keep the message log from becoming flooded and to stop trash talking before it begins. Only the high command and executive senate members may use all chat during the match.

=How is GC organized?= GC can be broken down into two sections: The community and the tournament. Within those two sections are several sub groups. These sub groups are: The Executive Senate and the Supporting Members (which make decisions and develop GC as a Community); the High Command, Company Officers and the “troops” (which make the game side decisions and participate in the tournament). A full explanation of each of these groups follows.

Executive Senate?
This is the governing body of GC. It is made up of the founders and developers of the organization. These people moderate the forums, admin the game and teamspeak servers and website as well as take care of the business end of GC. This group is just a handful of members but takes care of at least ¾ of the work that keeps GC running. If you enjoy your time here please take a moment to thank these people for their effort.

Supporting Members?
This group is made up of members who have donated to GC for the upkeep of our servers and web space or contributed significantly in other ways. These members make suggestions to improve the tournament. Anyone can become a Supporting Member by simply making a donation to GC. Donations are not required to participate in GC but are encouraged.

High Command? (HC)
These members lead the armies, decide which territory to attack and the strategies to be used. They also provide in game leadership on battledays. This group is comprised entirely of officers and is considered the “brass” or upper ranks. In keeping with military tradition they hand out orders to the Company Officers who then relay the message to the troops under their command. They may also sometimes issue orders directly and their orders always supersede those given by the company officers. (Orders refer to in game instructions given over Teamspeak). Members are appointed to the position of General by the executive senate at the beginning of the campaign and the generals then appoint members to their HC.

Company Officers? (COs)
These members lead the different companies that make up the army and are the goto people for both the HC and the troops. Considered field grade officers, they are issued general orders by the HC and are left to take care of the specifics of a task themselves. For instance the HC will issue an order for a company to take a certain flag using certain vehicles and the COs then issue specific orders to their troops so each individual will know what they are to do. If a company proves unable to fulfill their orders it is up to the CO to relay this information and possibly a suggested course of action to the HC. COs are often caught in the middle of battlefield communications with orders coming down and comments from the troops coming up, it can be difficult to hear everything. If your request seems to have been ignored it was probably just lost in the chatter, wait a moment and ask again. COs are appointed by the HC at the beginning of the campaign.

Troops?
This is the heart and soul of the army. Everyone who is not an officer is considered to be one of the troops. These members will fight in the battles, drive the vehicles, advance through fire and die in the mud for their army as it attempts to gain control of the campaign map. The troops have but one responsibility, to listen to their COs and follow their orders. While these members technically do not make decisions on strategy and tactics input is always welcome. After all the HC and COs for the next campaign will come from the troops of this campaign.

So where do I fit in?
As a new member you will start out as being one of the troops. Once you have proven yourself on the battlefield you will be promoted with-in your battalion and may even be considered for an officer position in the next campaign (if that interests you). Bottom line is you can be involved in GC as much or as little as you want. If you want to get involved in the map choices and strategies, let people know and share your opinions. If you want to lead a company, work your way up to a non-com position and let your CO know that a CO position is of interest to you. If you want nothing more than to fight in the best on-line Battlefield tournament around then simply sign-up and show-up for the battledays.

What about the other vehicles?
All other vehicles will be assigned to specific individuals at the beginning of each round by their COs. Sometimes we will also have try outs for other vehicles to make sure the best drivers get assigned to them first. Information on these try outs will be posted in your army's forums should they be needed. Note: If you are assigned a vehicle it is considered yours for the rest of the round. If your vehicle explodes you are expected to die in it, spawn back where ever your vehicle spawns at and bring it back up to the front lines.

What is Special Operations?
This is a special battalion whose primary missions consist of stealing or sabotaging enemy equipment, disrupting the enemy's back lines and capturing rear flags to draw attention away from the main assault. This battalion's sign-ups are by invitation only so you'll need to prove yourself in battle before you can be selected for this squad. Note: Not all armies have Spec Ops squads. This is a decision made by the HC.

I am a member of a clan that wants to participate in GC. If we join will we be able to play together?
Absolutely. We have several clans that play together here at GC and welcome them. Just have everyone in your clan sign up for the same side and squad.

=What do I need to play at GC?= You'll need to own Battlefield 3 and download and set-up Teamspeak.

I'm having trouble getting everything to work. Can someone help me?
Absolutely. Logging onto teamspeak is usually the quickest way to get help. There is almost always someone hanging out on our server. Failing that feel free to PM a member and request help, or you can also post a question in our “New Recruits” forum.

I've got everything set-up, now what?
Now you need to sign-up with an army and a squad. Once you've chosen a side and squad you'll have access to their forums. On these forums you'll find more information regarding squad specific sign-up requirements.

Which side should I choose?
Sometimes one side or the other has a greater need for members so why not join that side?