Thank you for your interest in our gaming community . . . the 5307th Rangers!! We realize that there are many different clans and gaming communities throughout the “gaming-verse”, and they all strive to be different or unique with regards to their gaming genre. We are no different in that regard, but we feel that we have a slight distinction to our singularity than most. It’s one of the reason that our clan has been in existence for over a decade of action. And it’s one of the reasons that our clan will continue on into the future.

The 5307th Rangers were founded back in 2002 during the release of the now classic game: Medal Of Honor – Allied Assault. The reason for our creation was fairly simple and straightforward: we simply couldn’t find a multiplayer server that played to the type of game style that we wanted. Nothing about that is so unusual. However, what WAS unusual was our game style itself. During the early 2000’s and the years of the release of Medal of Honor, the FPS genre itself was strictly a “Run n’ Gun” type of style. That style was to be expected with the way that FPS games were designed and implemented during that time period. Most, if not all, FPS games were quick, frantic and gloriously unrealistic in how one would “in reality” play out a scenario. However, as games matured with their graphic engines and sound design, developers began to have a more refined ability to immerse a player within realism that hadn’t been seen before. Game companies used that refinement to finalized a game’s first person story line. Today, that realism and thoughtful design has been refined (and to a degree hammered thin) to a point where a realistic first person game is no longer a ground breaking achievement. It’s so common, in fact, that it’s not even noticed. But in 2002, it was ground breaking. The one flaw in it though was that the single player realism was never truly translated into the multiplayer aspect of the game. As the gaming audience began to play in a game’s multiplayer environment more and more, players began to naturally congregate to familiar servers with familiar players. Server lists and population participation grew and grew until there was an explosion of clans, communities and gaming groups across all multiplayer platforms.

However, the one thing that DIDN’T change was the game style. A multiplayer match still consisted of this ‘Run and Gun” style that all players were used to. And maybe even wanted. The 5307th Rangers were different. We wanted some type of multiplayer experience that took advantage of the realistic and authentic environment that the game’s designers had so thoughtfully put into their single story campaign. Our solution? Slow the game movement down. Slowing one’s movement within a game drastically changes the ebb and flow of a game. So, we made a simple yet easy rule to follow on our server: you could not sprint unless under fire. This simple change had a profound impact on how a multiplayer game was played. Whereas before one could sprint across an open field in a matter of a few seconds, that same action would now take much longer; exposing you to enemy fire for a longer duration. And with that exposure, tension was created. And with the tension, one would then slow down and think about how to get across the field safely. Smoke? Covering Fire? Full mass assault with a large group? Tactics started to come into play and cooperation grew out of necessity. And that tactical thinking began to creep into other aspects of the game: how to breach entry points, how to take an enemy out of an entrenched cover or how to hold one, etc. etc.

Thus, the 5307th Rangers Tactical Realism server was born. Our game style was unlike anything that had been seen on other servers (as far as we could tell), and the 5307th Rangers began to grow as a gaming community. Yes, there were other

servers that sprang up over the years that had modified aspects of our gaming style (such as crouch only servers). But our server with its limited, upright “tactical”movement rules was, as far as we knew, unique within the gaming community.

Over the years, the 5307th Rangers have gone to multiple game platforms such as MOH: Spearhead, MOH: Rising Sun, MOH: World at War, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Battlefield 3. And as the games matured, our “no sprint” rule began to be incorporated into the actual game design themselves (the sprint bar in Battlefield 2 or the fatigue in the ARMA series for example). To date, our sprint rule isn’t used on our severs any longer simply because the game (and our clan’s game play) does not warrant it. The games have evolved, and so have we.

But the one constant that remains about our clan is our tactical and realistic game-play within the game’s design. We strive for the tactics and teamwork rather than for high kill scores and personal awards. That’s not to say that we don’t have fun in what we do. It’s what got us into gaming in the first place! Due to our communities approach to a game’s structure and play, it has also meant that we are a very selective clan; not a “mass” clan. We do not want a 100 member clan that has a high turnover rate. We want mature, dedicated players who are team oriented, and play the object of the game itself. We want players that are committed to our community and who regularly participate in our gaming sessions.

If you think that you can meet those requirements, then meet us on our public server and play with us! See if you like our gaming style. And if you do, feel free to apply for membership. Read about the history of the real 5307th Rangers. And join us in our community of gaming!!

Main Articles PublishedJun 30th, 20130 comments