howyadoin [2031433] —
Original article
In this edition of Faction Focus we hear from Natural Selection's Stretch on how the faction was formed, where it's heading and what it stands for.
This week’s Faction Focus brings the spotlight onto Natural Selection, a recently formed megafaction which was the result of a merger between Milk & Cookies and JFA earlier this year. Four months after their formation, Natural Selection sits at No. 8 in the Hall of Fame, but their ambition is and has always been to become number one.
Former JFA leader Stretch is one of the leaders of Natural Selection, and when the merger was announced back in April 2019, he posted the following statement explaining the decision.
Stretch told the Times that Natural Selection formed in response to the way Torn has changed of late. He said that both JFA and M&C needed to adapt to the new playing field and that their merger now allows them to compete at the top level while continuing to respect the traditions of the factions which formed them. Interestingly, M&C's sister faction Mentos and Cola did not join Natural Selection - we are unaware if they refused or weren't invited - but Stretch described them as friends of NS who were strong enough without a 'main' faction supporting them.
The Natural Selection family now consists of three NS factions, with NS main and NS 2 separated by roughly 700,000 respect points in 8th and 9th place - Natural Selection III are 31st. Yet despite all three outfits being strong enough to operate independently, Stretch assures us that NS is one unified entity, as while each of the three factions is run by individual leaders and councils, there is constant communication between each of them to ensure everyone is kept in the loop and on the same page.
"I look at NS as one big group, and while each faction is run by their individual leaders and council, there is always communication between branches so that we keep everyone in the loop."
"...Myself, Vic, einstein_ and ttyper all take the primary lead roles split into things we do best and have time to do at any given time. As well, we have a strong council group that aids in day to day tasks and decision making."
Communication and sociability are important values to Natural Selection, with Stretch admitting that he would never have continued to play Torn if it wasn't for his faction mates. He notes that while warring mechanics are absent from the game, Torn has become primarily a social place for many, and this is never truer than for those who are part of a larger cause than themselves.
"In a faction, you have the camaraderie of those around you, but at the same time, a faction is there to amplify your efforts. There is no reason to play your game singularly, you have 100 (or more) members who are there for you, able to assist you, and help develop your game. So many times we find people are stuck in a certain point of view that they don’t see all the facets the game provides (myself included early on)."
"Being involved in a faction, allows you to benefit from the experiences of all these other players. We encourage our members to learn from each other's mistakes, and also grow from their examples. I would not be the player I am today without all the knowledge provided by my early tutors in the game. That same information is then continued to be passed down to new generations of members.”
Natural Selection's warm welcome extends outside of the faction too, with its Discord channel open to both members and non-members. If you'd like to join the channel, you can do so by clicking here. Stretch says he enjoys it when random players come over to hang out, adding that sociability has been a trademark of all the factions he's been involved with.
"I feel like the more social your members are, the more of a bond they get beyond just, 'oh hey, we are in this faction.' They become friends, they become compatriots that will go beyond what a random stranger will do for another.”
Of course, the social dynamic changes markedly whenever two factions are merged. Stretch suggests there were challenges in bringing together the 300 or so people who comprised JFA and M&C, with personalities clashing and expectations of power control creating some disagreements. But all of these issues seem to have been handled amicably, allowing NS to focus on the more important tasks at hand.
"...it was really mostly about HOW we structured the 3 factions that were to be created. After that, it was all analytics, pouring through the data of previous chains and drug intake. In the end, it allowed for us to create a very strong base for our factions to grow from."
Strong indeed. Despite their status as relative newcomers, NS, NS 2 and NS 3 have managed to carve out a useful patch of territories on the east-central side of the city. Much of this territory was already owned by NS's predecessors JFA and M&C, but nevertheless, their control of roughly half the territories bordering the Jail will make them a force to be reckoned with should another conflict break out on our city's streets.
The NS family looks like a well-organised outfit already. And if you're thinking of applying to Natural Selection or its subfactions then be prepared to work hard. Stretch says that NS is no place for relaxed, slow players, with aggressive growth and activity expected of all of its members.
In Torn, you either are active and growing, or you are inactive and wilt away. We continue to work on engaging our membership via contests, promotions, discord nights and anything else we can conjure up. From karaoke on discord to taking over cities, to max damage contests with certain guns, and even meme contests; we try to find ways to have our membership active and involved in things as much as possible.”
Natural Selection's entry criteria mean that newcomers are unlikely to find a home within their family anytime soon. Stretch advises that greenleaf citizens should first find themselves a group of like-minded players with which they can grow. He suggests that the ideal situation is to join a faction which contains players of similar ability to you today, and of the level you wish to be in future, ensuring you can grow alongside some and learn from others.
Eventually, this path may lead you to become the kind of player worthy of joining the Natural Selection faction family. And if your application is accepted, you will find yourself among a cohort of players committed to becoming the best they can possibly be.
“NS is a faction family that understands that all players play at different paces/levels and abilities. When you join NS, if you are part of the competitive group, you are joining a place that has expectations upon all members to be a part of that growth, a part of that community that relies on each other to keep up their end of the bargain. Through stat growth, financial gains and overall Torn game development, our members strive to be the best.”
By climbing the ranks of the Hall of Fame and establishing itself in the top 20, Natural Selection has put its devotion, dedication and commitment to excellence on display for all to see. But even in a faction as hardworking as this, there's always time for a little lightheartedness, as Stretch suggests.
"In NS it is about fun first, then you get into the serious stuff, like achieving at a high level, growing your game to be the best and so on. But Torn is a game 100% and if you are in NS, my goal is for you to enjoy your game more than you have done in previous places. Everyone's fun is different, but few can argue that success is almost always fun.”
Conversely, Torn is a city known for its salt, with copious quantities found in its salt mines, salt shakers, forums and multiple chat windows. Natural Selection takes that into account when considering which ice cream best represents its organization.
“Double sea salt caramel. Why you ask? Because it is the best flavor there is! lol, but also, I would suggest that anyone that says anything negative about NS, they likely say something about being salty, so it was a good double combination.”
Pictured: Natural Selection, keeping the NaCl (salt for the nonscientific) in Torn.
While their choice of ice cream seems relatively simple, it was apparently much harder choosing the right name for this recently formed megafaction - I've been led to believe it was a lengthy process indeed.
“Countless hours of spewing terrible names and we finally decided that this seemed to encompass what we were looking for, without sounding like some 13yr old making up a name like 'Killer Strike Force Delta', or whatever.”
Once their name was decided, then came the even more arduous task of satisfying all their members with their choice of upgrades. Stretch says that different options are provided across Natural Selection and Natural Selection 2 in order to allow members to switch between the two.
“We look to provide the most benefit to the most members as often as we can. During training, we rotate our steadfast every two months for the highest benefit. NS 2 maintains an opposite steadfast schedule to allow members flexibility with their training. We also understand as a faction that eventually there will be a need for CE beyond just our current crimes setup."
"We have a highly developed Criminality tree, which gives us 40 extra nerve. This allows our members to not only develop their battle stat, but to continue developing their CE too. When the Crimes 2.0 release happens, NS members will have been able to maximize their CE gains up to that point.”
Stats and Crime Experience gains are not the only priorities over at Natural Selection. NS also increases its respect with chains, chains, and more chains, with Stretch describing this mechanic rather succinctly as "make things dead, rinse, repeat." He admits his faction sometimes has to farm to build respect, which is frustrating, as they truly hanker after real targets.
One potential source of genuine conflict could be the forthcoming Territory Rackets mechanic. Stretch feels this feature, whereby factions will earn cash and items from certain territories, represents a positive change for factions in Torn, noting that an additional source of income will help with the cost of warring and maintenance.
"I heard a short flare up the other day between 2 factions cost over 5b between them in revives alone. So, any time you can find a way to add additional income to cover the costs of warring, it is positive, especially if it allows for factions of all sizes to take part in the bonuses.”
Outside of faction activity, the members of Natural Selection are currently gearing up for the beginning of Elimination next week, anticipating plenty of drama, involvement and salty tears.
“I think there will likely be large groups of members doing it. Much like most years, though, we will be split up around the teams, so I am unsure how that will go. Elimination is the one event that creates a stir almost the entire time of the event, creates tons of drama, and fuels the forums with juicy threads, from tears to conspiracy, to snake names and so on. Having won once, I go in each year questioning if I should get into it, and then always end up playing and being highly involved.”
Pictured: Elimination 2018's victor, Team Cupcake. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
But after Elimination has been and gone for another year, Natural Selection will continue together as one in their fight to reach the highest echelons of the Hall of Fame. Stretch longs for the day when the warring mechanics are in place which will finally allow them to war properly with other top-quality factions. As when this is possible, he feels that Natural Selection will finally be able to demonstrate exactly what they're capable of.
"There is a big difference from running around saying, "hey we are the best" and going out on the battlefield and showing others you are. We are tired of all this silly farming stuff. We want to go out there and show what all this training has gained us.”
Drop a Dime
Got a hot tip? Care to share? Know of a faction you’d like to see in Focus? Chat howyadoin when you see he’s online and talk about that story idea of yours. Or shoot an email his way. You should still continue to use the Tell Your Story link on the Torn City Times front page and contact sugarvalves or any reporter/s you are already comfortable speaking with. But feel free to drop howyadoin a line.
Former JFA leader Stretch is one of the leaders of Natural Selection, and when the merger was announced back in April 2019, he posted the following statement explaining the decision.
Stretch told the Times that Natural Selection formed in response to the way Torn has changed of late. He said that both JFA and M&C needed to adapt to the new playing field and that their merger now allows them to compete at the top level while continuing to respect the traditions of the factions which formed them. Interestingly, M&C's sister faction Mentos and Cola did not join Natural Selection - we are unaware if they refused or weren't invited - but Stretch described them as friends of NS who were strong enough without a 'main' faction supporting them.
The Natural Selection family now consists of three NS factions, with NS main and NS 2 separated by roughly 700,000 respect points in 8th and 9th place - Natural Selection III are 31st. Yet despite all three outfits being strong enough to operate independently, Stretch assures us that NS is one unified entity, as while each of the three factions is run by individual leaders and councils, there is constant communication between each of them to ensure everyone is kept in the loop and on the same page.
"I look at NS as one big group, and while each faction is run by their individual leaders and council, there is always communication between branches so that we keep everyone in the loop."
"...Myself, Vic, einstein_ and ttyper all take the primary lead roles split into things we do best and have time to do at any given time. As well, we have a strong council group that aids in day to day tasks and decision making."
Communication and sociability are important values to Natural Selection, with Stretch admitting that he would never have continued to play Torn if it wasn't for his faction mates. He notes that while warring mechanics are absent from the game, Torn has become primarily a social place for many, and this is never truer than for those who are part of a larger cause than themselves.
"In a faction, you have the camaraderie of those around you, but at the same time, a faction is there to amplify your efforts. There is no reason to play your game singularly, you have 100 (or more) members who are there for you, able to assist you, and help develop your game. So many times we find people are stuck in a certain point of view that they don’t see all the facets the game provides (myself included early on)."
"Being involved in a faction, allows you to benefit from the experiences of all these other players. We encourage our members to learn from each other's mistakes, and also grow from their examples. I would not be the player I am today without all the knowledge provided by my early tutors in the game. That same information is then continued to be passed down to new generations of members.”
Natural Selection's warm welcome extends outside of the faction too, with its Discord channel open to both members and non-members. If you'd like to join the channel, you can do so by clicking here. Stretch says he enjoys it when random players come over to hang out, adding that sociability has been a trademark of all the factions he's been involved with.
"I feel like the more social your members are, the more of a bond they get beyond just, 'oh hey, we are in this faction.' They become friends, they become compatriots that will go beyond what a random stranger will do for another.”
Of course, the social dynamic changes markedly whenever two factions are merged. Stretch suggests there were challenges in bringing together the 300 or so people who comprised JFA and M&C, with personalities clashing and expectations of power control creating some disagreements. But all of these issues seem to have been handled amicably, allowing NS to focus on the more important tasks at hand.
"...it was really mostly about HOW we structured the 3 factions that were to be created. After that, it was all analytics, pouring through the data of previous chains and drug intake. In the end, it allowed for us to create a very strong base for our factions to grow from."
Strong indeed. Despite their status as relative newcomers, NS, NS 2 and NS 3 have managed to carve out a useful patch of territories on the east-central side of the city. Much of this territory was already owned by NS's predecessors JFA and M&C, but nevertheless, their control of roughly half the territories bordering the Jail will make them a force to be reckoned with should another conflict break out on our city's streets.
The NS family looks like a well-organised outfit already. And if you're thinking of applying to Natural Selection or its subfactions then be prepared to work hard. Stretch says that NS is no place for relaxed, slow players, with aggressive growth and activity expected of all of its members.
In Torn, you either are active and growing, or you are inactive and wilt away. We continue to work on engaging our membership via contests, promotions, discord nights and anything else we can conjure up. From karaoke on discord to taking over cities, to max damage contests with certain guns, and even meme contests; we try to find ways to have our membership active and involved in things as much as possible.”
Natural Selection's entry criteria mean that newcomers are unlikely to find a home within their family anytime soon. Stretch advises that greenleaf citizens should first find themselves a group of like-minded players with which they can grow. He suggests that the ideal situation is to join a faction which contains players of similar ability to you today, and of the level you wish to be in future, ensuring you can grow alongside some and learn from others.
Eventually, this path may lead you to become the kind of player worthy of joining the Natural Selection faction family. And if your application is accepted, you will find yourself among a cohort of players committed to becoming the best they can possibly be.
“NS is a faction family that understands that all players play at different paces/levels and abilities. When you join NS, if you are part of the competitive group, you are joining a place that has expectations upon all members to be a part of that growth, a part of that community that relies on each other to keep up their end of the bargain. Through stat growth, financial gains and overall Torn game development, our members strive to be the best.”
By climbing the ranks of the Hall of Fame and establishing itself in the top 20, Natural Selection has put its devotion, dedication and commitment to excellence on display for all to see. But even in a faction as hardworking as this, there's always time for a little lightheartedness, as Stretch suggests.
"In NS it is about fun first, then you get into the serious stuff, like achieving at a high level, growing your game to be the best and so on. But Torn is a game 100% and if you are in NS, my goal is for you to enjoy your game more than you have done in previous places. Everyone's fun is different, but few can argue that success is almost always fun.”
Conversely, Torn is a city known for its salt, with copious quantities found in its salt mines, salt shakers, forums and multiple chat windows. Natural Selection takes that into account when considering which ice cream best represents its organization.
“Double sea salt caramel. Why you ask? Because it is the best flavor there is! lol, but also, I would suggest that anyone that says anything negative about NS, they likely say something about being salty, so it was a good double combination.”
Pictured: Natural Selection, keeping the NaCl (salt for the nonscientific) in Torn.
While their choice of ice cream seems relatively simple, it was apparently much harder choosing the right name for this recently formed megafaction - I've been led to believe it was a lengthy process indeed.
“Countless hours of spewing terrible names and we finally decided that this seemed to encompass what we were looking for, without sounding like some 13yr old making up a name like 'Killer Strike Force Delta', or whatever.”
Once their name was decided, then came the even more arduous task of satisfying all their members with their choice of upgrades. Stretch says that different options are provided across Natural Selection and Natural Selection 2 in order to allow members to switch between the two.
“We look to provide the most benefit to the most members as often as we can. During training, we rotate our steadfast every two months for the highest benefit. NS 2 maintains an opposite steadfast schedule to allow members flexibility with their training. We also understand as a faction that eventually there will be a need for CE beyond just our current crimes setup."
"We have a highly developed Criminality tree, which gives us 40 extra nerve. This allows our members to not only develop their battle stat, but to continue developing their CE too. When the Crimes 2.0 release happens, NS members will have been able to maximize their CE gains up to that point.”
Stats and Crime Experience gains are not the only priorities over at Natural Selection. NS also increases its respect with chains, chains, and more chains, with Stretch describing this mechanic rather succinctly as "make things dead, rinse, repeat." He admits his faction sometimes has to farm to build respect, which is frustrating, as they truly hanker after real targets.
One potential source of genuine conflict could be the forthcoming Territory Rackets mechanic. Stretch feels this feature, whereby factions will earn cash and items from certain territories, represents a positive change for factions in Torn, noting that an additional source of income will help with the cost of warring and maintenance.
"I heard a short flare up the other day between 2 factions cost over 5b between them in revives alone. So, any time you can find a way to add additional income to cover the costs of warring, it is positive, especially if it allows for factions of all sizes to take part in the bonuses.”
Outside of faction activity, the members of Natural Selection are currently gearing up for the beginning of Elimination next week, anticipating plenty of drama, involvement and salty tears.
“I think there will likely be large groups of members doing it. Much like most years, though, we will be split up around the teams, so I am unsure how that will go. Elimination is the one event that creates a stir almost the entire time of the event, creates tons of drama, and fuels the forums with juicy threads, from tears to conspiracy, to snake names and so on. Having won once, I go in each year questioning if I should get into it, and then always end up playing and being highly involved.”
Pictured: Elimination 2018's victor, Team Cupcake. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.But after Elimination has been and gone for another year, Natural Selection will continue together as one in their fight to reach the highest echelons of the Hall of Fame. Stretch longs for the day when the warring mechanics are in place which will finally allow them to war properly with other top-quality factions. As when this is possible, he feels that Natural Selection will finally be able to demonstrate exactly what they're capable of.
"There is a big difference from running around saying, "hey we are the best" and going out on the battlefield and showing others you are. We are tired of all this silly farming stuff. We want to go out there and show what all this training has gained us.”
Drop a Dime
Got a hot tip? Care to share? Know of a faction you’d like to see in Focus? Chat howyadoin when you see he’s online and talk about that story idea of yours. Or shoot an email his way. You should still continue to use the Tell Your Story link on the Torn City Times front page and contact sugarvalves or any reporter/s you are already comfortable speaking with. But feel free to drop howyadoin a line.
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