Clan Spotlight: TTIME

We interviewed these players to learn more about the history and future of TTIME:

Holyheaven - Commander, controls and makes decisions
Reshiken - Deputy Commander, handles diplomacy and supports Holyheaven
Memoryleak - Personnel Officer, handles battle-calling
E63M6 - Combat Officer, helping other people with all things Clan Wars
SHADE11ce - Recruitment Officer, focuses on recruitment and general assistance
DMan360 - Recruitment Officer, focus on English-speaking recruitment

When and how did [TTIME] form?

Holyheaven - I remember exactly when [TTIME] started because it was on my birthday – March 2nd of this year [2014]. The basic core members of [TTIME] came from the Clan [BOX]. We used to be staff at the [BOX] Clan, and then an incident happened where old and new staff had some tension built up and the new staff left the Clan to create our own Clan so that we could do whatever we wanted.

How did you come up with your unique Clan emblem and motto?

Holyheaven - When we created this Clan, obviously we tried to come up with a good name that everyone would recognize. It was really hard until E63 came up with the name [TTIME]. Sometimes World of Tanks is a really frustrating game, so we thought "Why don't we just name our Clan "tea time" so that we can calm down a little bit and have "tea time" even in the middle of a war?" That's why we named ourselves [TTIME]. Everyone in pub games ask us, "Are you British?"

No, not really but... that is why we named ourselves [TTIME]!

It sounds like your name and motto has a positive psychological effect on your Clan. Could you describe the environment in your community and what sets you apart from other Clans?

Holyheaven - We're all grown-ups and have jobs. Some of us already have a family! Myself, I already have two children. After we finish a whole day of working, we come to Teamspeak to talk to our game buddies and get rid of stress that we've been accumulating over the course of the day. We're friends getting to know each other and some of us even met in real life. You could say that our Teamspeak and Clan function kind of like a "Man Cave". We've known each other for a long time and everybody keeps up on how each other are doing. We all have really great bonds!

What have you learned about Clan Wars and maintaining a Clan that you wish you knew when you started? Do you have any advice for newer Clans that want to get onto the Global Map?

Holyheaven - I think "diplo" is a big part of the game. My policy is: "What goes around comes around." We are very careful about what we say. If we cannot keep our word, then we will not promise anything. In general, when we say something then we do it.

E63M6 - As long as we continue to enjoy Clan Wars, keeping your word is the most important thing for our Clan. We used to have more than nine provinces. Although we only have four now, I think we are in good shape and we are doing what we can. We keep our word and have good relationships with other Clans. I think that is the most important thing.

SHADE11ce - That's one of the things that drew me to [TTIME]. When I decided to part ways with [-J-] (I was a Commander there for quite a while), my prior relationships with some of the members of [TTIME] drew me here. I found [TTIME] to be a group of professional, respectful, honorable, and just generally great people. When you're looking for a Clan, you can have a good Clan, a lot of good players, and it all means nothing unless you can be there with good people too. I find that that's what makes a good Clan and it's been a pleasure. Just like everyone has been saying about diplomacy: "What goes around comes around." [TTIME] keeps their word and they play the game the "right way", I think.

It really seems like your word is your bond. With that in mind, how much of TTIME's success would you attribute to diplomacy versus just pure skill?

Holyheaven - I would say about 70%. You still need good players to defend and attack, but I've seen a lot of Clans coming and going just because they're not really involved with diplo. They say one thing and do another thing with their other hand. I think diplomacy is about 70% of the success of the Clan.

DMan360 - I definitely agree with that. If you have good diplo and strong players, other Clans will see that and recognize that they can't just push you around. Some Clans will backstab and what not, and a lot of the top Clans will see that, they'll form alliances, and gang up on those Clans that go against their word. I think if you're honest, trustworthy, and you have the backing of good players and other good Clans, other Clans will see that and will respect you and say "Hey, let's leave these guys alone. They know what they're doing. We respect them and they respect us."

What was the most exciting battle [TTIME] has fought in?

Holyheaven - I think my most memorable war was [TTIME] against Walletwarrior. I think they're Fusion now. That battle was SO intense! It took us three weeks to win it and every night when we lost, we had such a huge feeling of disappointment. I'd say it was even worse than losing your job or something. It was a really long battle and now we're friends. I still remember a couple of days where we didn't win the last of their territories and every night we failed on the attack. It was such a big disappointment. Every time we didn't win, everyone had a huge sigh that could "blow the whole house down." We won the first then lost second war later.

Memoryleak - I remember we were basically back and forth against Walletwarrior. It was so close in winning and losing over the course of two weeks or something. Everyone was exhausted after that and we learned a lot from it.

Holyheaven - One thing I don't really like when we are doing Clan Wars... some Clans do "dirty talks." They swear and make fun of us just because they lose. We just want a clean and good fight. Walletwarrior did that for us. That's why, even though we fought for a long time, we consider them our friend. Once in a while, we still talk!

How does a big war like that change a Clan? What's different about [TTIME] when you went into the war and when you came out?

Holyheaven - Before we started, we were just a bunch of skillful players, but throughout the battles we worked heavily on our teamwork. Without teamwork, Clan war is no different than pub. We were getting better and better. That's what the game is for. If you play in an intense level then you get better and better. We earned a lot of confidence after we won the war. "We are able to do it. We can do it!"

Reshiken - I think big wars make a lot of friends. As long as you keep your word and do what is right, everything will work out.

SHADE11ce - I think in big wars, you learn a lot about each other too. It tends to bring out some stress and some emotion in a Clan. You really create tighter bonds with all of that going on. I think it's a good test for a Clan and also it's a building block basically.

What are your join requirements and recruitment process like?

DMan360 - First off, you gotta have the stats and the skill. Right now, we're really trying to work on that and just recently we have opened things up to not just Korean speakers, but English speakers and generally other languages as well. We focus a lot on just getting to know the player, so platooning is a big thing. What it really comes down to is playing with that player in platoons and running Tier Xs.

Just recently some of the players that we recruited, we had them join us in Strongholds as a Legionary to see how they work with the team. It's a great way, to get, rather than just two [TTIME] players platooning in a random battle, we can have 13 or 14 players working with this one player that is interested. Then we can all get our opinions on them and get a really good sense of his ability. Yeah, it's pretty straight forward. Just contact any of the officers on the forums or in-game, what not. Hop on our Teamspeak, just ask any of the players if they want to platoon up, or just ask me. It's a pretty simple process.

You mentioned the use of legionnaires -- how does [TTIME] view Strongholds and how do you use it?

Memoryleak - We use Strongholds as a place for people to practice group work. Also we give out Gold based on what they're making in Strongholds.

Holyheaven - My policy of running a Clan... the Gold goes to whoever does something for the Clan. Gold is not just for good stat people. Even if you do not have really good stats, you can participate in Strongholds and earn a "cube" [industrial resource] for us. When you get a "cube" for us, it's basically good for everybody in [TTIME]. The whole Clan deserves it. That's why we are paying out Gold for participation. One "cube" equals one Gold, at the moment. Who knows? As long as we are holding land and getting Gold, we're going to keep paying out in this system.

Any shout-outs or last words?

Holyheaven - I really appreciate Wargaming making World of Tanks. I meet such great people just because of this game. It's really a great game. I never played an online game until World of Tanks and I kind of never met people the "cyber way". I do make friends in real life, but not really the "cyber way". People who met in Clan Wars actually became friends in real life. So, I really appreciate Wargaming making this game.

DMan360 - To go off of that, I think World of Tanks does a really good job at making connections between different players. Look at a lot of other games and people just play, but with CW / Strongholds / tournaments / Skirmishes... this game is so focused on teamwork. Even with random battles, there needs to be some teamwork there. Especially in Clan Wars activities, it's all about teamwork. I think that's what is really nice about this game.

Holyheaven - E63, Memory, and me... we actually all know each other in real-life now just because of this game. I heard great stories when E63 came from California after a couple of trips. I thought, "Wow, it must be really fun. You have a lot of fun there."

Besides just playing a game, it's more than that to me now!

Associated Clans

Stronghold Skirmish Details

What: Absolute Stronghold Skirmishes
Who: [TTIME] and WGA employees
When: Nov 12, 16:00 PST (19:00 EST) to approx. 18:00 PST (21:00 EST)
Where: NA East server

If you face off against our Spotlight Skirmish, you'll have a chance to win Gold prizes!

If you are streaming on your own Twitch.tv channel and you send a link to your stream with the time at which you face us, your entire team will double their winnings! This link must be sent in a PM on the forums to HBFT by 09:00 PDT (12:00 EDT) the following Friday morning.

If you have any questions you'd like us to ask [TTIME] while on the stream, please leave them in the comments thread for this article or you may also ask them in the Twitch chat!

Gold from this event will be distributed by Wednesday, Nov 19, 2014.