Other [Issue 32] Reporting - My Story

[Pathfinder 1,690]

 

Welcome, readers, to Reporting - My Story. You might know a bit about life as a reporter, and how we work, but this issue I thought I'd share some of my personal thoughts on being a reporter, and how much it has impacted how I see and have experienced the game. You may also know that reporter applications are currently open, so if you are debating whether to apply, this might be of interest!



I still remember first seeing the advertisement for applying to become a reporter, about half a year ago in Summer 2014. At that time I was still relatively new to the forum, but I was interested in getting a staff position somewhere, somehow. I was rejected from a few other roles for various reasons, including low-rank and age, but I had heard that there were some reporters younger than myself, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

The first step of the application was sending in all the basic stuff - name, location, contact details, reasons why I wanted to become a reporter... As well as a short extract on something that I'd written. Now, my English isn't all that terrible, but in all honesty, I wasn't really a keen writer before I joined. I'd written up some reports at school, did English to GCSE (and dropped it as quickly as I could for A level), but other than that, nothing. So, I didn't really have a reserve of my own work, and when I was asked for an extract, my choice was limited. In the end, I went for writing something from scratch. I wanted something that would stand out, but also something where I could "show off" as much as possible, so I wrote about the experience of going to the toilet and then realising there was no toilet paper.

Unfortunately I didn't keep a record of what I wrote, which is probably for the best since I would cringe reading it back now!

It was a long wait to hear back, but I heard back good news eventually, and I was through to the second stage of the application - I had to write a full length article, that would be published if I was successful. I spent a long time deliberating over what to write about. The newspaper had already been well established, with hundreds of articles already written and the obvious topics done already. But, inspired by a topic that @Vettefan22 had started recently, I sought to try and answer one of the most hotly-debated questions - which is better out of Firebird and Freeze.

Having no real writing experience before meant this was quite a challenge, and my article went through numerous drafts and even then I wasn't happy. In the end, I posted the best I could. It was published, and I received a lot of feedback - positive and critical, but it all helped. The final product is here, and that was it for my first month - I was now a full Reporter.

The next issue I continued on from comparing Firebird and Freeze, by comparing Smoky and Thunder, which would ultimately lead to the "Comparison" series. This was quite a lengthy article, but since Smoky and Thunder were two weapons that I was actually struggling to decide between at the time, and I enjoyed writing this very much. The other major project that was kicked off in Issue 26 was "Continue the Story", an ongoing competition where each month players would write the next chapter to the story, the best being chosen to be the "official" continuation and the basis for the following chapter. The first chapter was by far the most fiercely contested, with many entries, and I enjoyed reading them all. When it came to picking a winner however, the job wasn't as straightforward. I had narrowed it down to two entries, and although I was leaning towards one myself, there was not total agreement in the reporters team. In the end, I went with @DarthvaderjonGTR's entry which, looking back when the final product was completed 4 months later, wasn't a bad choice!

Issue 27 was a big issue for me, as I published 4 articles. The first was the 3rd comparison on Twins or Ricochet, which like the others was a pleasure to write. I was learning about the weapons myself as I wrote, and so I think this has actually helped me to become a better player. My second article was my Garage Analysis, inspired by similar works elsewhere in the forum and press archive, which was also quite fun and simple to write about, and I have kept it updated with my purchases since. However, soon the number of new items I've purchased will merit a Garage Analysis Part Two, so watch out for that! Maximising Your Tanki Experience was a bit of an odd one, and looking back I don't know why I felt compelled to write about it, but nothing similar had been done before, so I guess it was still something worth doing! The fourth and last article I published was on the recently introduced Smart Cooldowns, written shortly before the month's deadline. Putting something out quick on a major update that had just been released was a good idea, and thanks should go to @hogree who convinced me to do so with a 10,000 crystal bribe, though I don't think I've received them yet... *wink wink nudge nudge* ;) ;) ;)

The Comparison series came to a close in Issue 28, finishing off with Railgun or Shaft. But as this series ended another began, and the game mode series began. This hadn't actually been touched on much before, which I thought was surprising! The first one was of course Deathmatches, which I found quite challenging since I don't play much DM at all! The only other article I published that issue was something that was suggested by @blackopspaul, on how the ranks in Tanki compare to those in real life. This was definitely an interesting one for me, since I knew literally nothing about military ranks before. Don't forget to keep suggesting in the Newspaper Requests topic.

The final few months have been very busy for me and the newspaper as a whole, as we recruited some more reporters that added even more variety and content to the newspaper. The two articles I enjoyed very much were my two interviews on @AbsoluteZero and @SwiftSmoky. I talked with @AbsoluteZero about the very common problem of mults and saboteurs in the game, and about his new kick system proposed. @SwiftSmoky talked to me about his Parkour Fighting, something which I had heard about but hadn't fully appreciated. The quality of his answers was very high, and his explanations were detailed, making this one definitely an interesting read.

The other major thing for me that commenced last issue was my Dissected series, which allows me to get really deep into an analysis of a particular item. The first I decided to dissect was Thunder, as this is my favourite weapon. I really enjoy doing this, and I hope it gives you deep insight as well I definitely plan to continue this series.

My plans for the future? Well, it's unclear - university is looming for me, and that means less and less time for Tanki and writing. We'll have to see as things pan out, but I love my job and I hope I will have time for it. Becoming a reporter has really been impactful and has brought so much to my experience in Tanki. It has allowed me to not only improve my own game knowledge, but also to get to know a lot of great people and the community as a whole a lot better. I might not be on the forum, or even playing the game right now if it wasn't for becoming a reporter.

Thank you for reading, and hopefully this gives you some inspiration to perhaps apply while the opportunity is there for the taking!

Apply here: http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=245513

All past reporter work can be found in the newspaper archive, but here are mine:

[issue 25] [Comparison] Firebird or Freeze?
[issue 26] [Comparison] Smoky or Thunder?
[issue 27] [Comparison] Twins or Ricochet?
[issue 28] [Comparison] Railgun or Shaft?

[issue 28] [Guide] Deathmatches
[issue 29] [Guide] Team Deathmatches
[issue 30] [Guide] Capture the Flag
[issue 31] [Guide] Capture Points

[issue 31] Dissected: Thunder

[issue 30] The Grand Offensive – Completed!
[issue 30] What to mount on: Titan
[issue 30] [interview] SwiftSmoky on ‘Parkour Fighting’
[issue 29] [Review] Predictable drops and the experiment
[issue 29] [interview] A New Kick System: AbsoluteZero
[issue 29] Five Ways to Win
[issue 29] [Guide] Micro-Upgrades
[issue 28] Ranks: Tanki and the Real World
[issue 27] [Guide] Smart Cooldowns
[issue 27] Maximising Your Tanki Experience
[issue 27] Kirby’s Garage Analysis

 

[Superlative 500]

 

 

 

 

Welcome, readers, to Reporting - My Story. You might know a bit about life as a reporter, and how we work, but this issue I thought I'd share some of my personal thoughts on being a reporter, and how much it has impacted how I see and have experienced the game. You may also know that reporter applications are currently open, so if you are debating whether to apply, this might be of interest!

 

 

I still remember first seeing the advertisement for applying to become a reporter, about half a year ago in Summer 2014. At that time I was still relatively new to the forum, but I was interested in getting a staff position somewhere, somehow. I was rejected from a few other roles for various reasons, including low-rank and age, but I had heard that there were some reporters younger than myself, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

 

The first step of the application was sending in all the basic stuff - name, location, contact details, reasons why I wanted to become a reporter... As well as a short extract on something that I'd written. Now, my English isn't all that terrible, but in all honesty, I wasn't really a keen writer before I joined. I'd written up some reports at school, did English to GCSE (and dropped it as quickly as I could for A level), but other than that, nothing. So, I didn't really have a reserve of my own work, and when I was asked for an extract, my choice was limited. In the end, I went for writing something from scratch. I wanted something that would stand out, but also something where I could "show off" as much as possible, so I wrote about the experience of going to the toilet and then realising there was no toilet paper.

 

Unfortunately I didn't keep a record of what I wrote, which is probably for the best since I would cringe reading it back now!

 

It was a long wait to hear back, but I heard back good news eventually, and I was through to the second stage of the application - I had to write a full length article, that would be published if I was successful. I spent a long time deliberating over what to write about. The newspaper had already been well established, with hundreds of articles already written and the obvious topics done already. But, inspired by a topic that @Vettefan22 had started recently, I sought to try and answer one of the most hotly-debated questions - which is better out of Firebird and Freeze.

 

Having no real writing experience before meant this was quite a challenge, and my article went through numerous drafts and even then I wasn't happy. In the end, I posted the best I could. It was published, and I received a lot of feedback - positive and critical, but it all helped. The final product is here, and that was it for my first month - I was now a full Reporter.

 

The next issue I continued on from comparing Firebird and Freeze, by comparing Smoky and Thunder, which would ultimately lead to the "Comparison" series. This was quite a lengthy article, but since Smoky and Thunder were two weapons that I was actually struggling to decide between at the time, and I enjoyed writing this very much. The other major project that was kicked off in Issue 26 was "Continue the Story", an ongoing competition where each month players would write the next chapter to the story, the best being chosen to be the "official" continuation and the basis for the following chapter. The first chapter was by far the most fiercely contested, with many entries, and I enjoyed reading them all. When it came to picking a winner however, the job wasn't as straightforward. I had narrowed it down to two entries, and although I was leaning towards one myself, there was not total agreement in the reporters team. In the end, I went with @DarthvaderjonGTR's entry which, looking back when the final product was completed 4 months later, wasn't a bad choice!

 

Issue 27 was a big issue for me, as I published 4 articles. The first was the 3rd comparison on Twins or Ricochet, which like the others was a pleasure to write. I was learning about the weapons myself as I wrote, and so I think this has actually helped me to become a better player. My second article was my Garage Analysis, inspired by similar works elsewhere in the forum and press archive, which was also quite fun and simple to write about, and I have kept it updated with my purchases since. However, soon the number of new items I've purchased will merit a Garage Analysis Part Two, so watch out for that! Maximising Your Tanki Experience was a bit of an odd one, and looking back I don't know why I felt compelled to write about it, but nothing similar had been done before, so I guess it was still something worth doing! The fourth and last article I published was on the recently introduced Smart Cooldowns, written shortly before the month's deadline. Putting something out quick on a major update that had just been released was a good idea, and thanks should go to @hogree who convinced me to do so with a 10,000 crystal bribe, though I don't think I've received them yet... *wink wink nudge nudge* ;) ;) ;)

 

The Comparison series came to a close in Issue 28, finishing off with Railgun or Shaft. But as this series ended another began, and the game mode series began. This hadn't actually been touched on much before, which I thought was surprising! The first one was of course Deathmatches, which I found quite challenging since I don't play much DM at all! The only other article I published that issue was something that was suggested by @blackopspaul, on how the ranks in Tanki compare to those in real life. This was definitely an interesting one for me, since I knew literally nothing about military ranks before. Don't forget to keep suggesting in the Newspaper Requests topic.

 

The final few months have been very busy for me and the newspaper as a whole, as we recruited some more reporters that added even more variety and content to the newspaper. The two articles I enjoyed very much were my two interviews on @AbsoluteZero and @SwiftSmoky. I talked with @AbsoluteZero about the very common problem of mults and saboteurs in the game, and about his new kick system proposed. @SwiftSmoky talked to me about his Parkour Fighting, something which I had heard about but hadn't fully appreciated. The quality of his answers was very high, and his explanations were detailed, making this one definitely an interesting read.

 

The other major thing for me that commenced last issue was my Dissected series, which allows me to get really deep into an analysis of a particular item. The first I decided to dissect was Thunder, as this is my favourite weapon. I really enjoy doing this, and I hope it gives you deep insight as well I definitely plan to continue this series.

 

My plans for the future? Well, it's unclear - university is looming for me, and that means less and less time for Tanki and writing. We'll have to see as things pan out, but I love my job and I hope I will have time for it. Becoming a reporter has really been impactful and has brought so much to my experience in Tanki. It has allowed me to not only improve my own game knowledge, but also to get to know a lot of great people and the community as a whole a lot better. I might not be on the forum, or even playing the game right now if it wasn't for becoming a reporter.

 

Thank you for reading, and hopefully this gives you some inspiration to perhaps apply while the opportunity is there for the taking!

 

Apply here: http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=245513

 

All past reporter work can be found in the newspaper archive, but here are mine:

 

[issue 25] [Comparison] Firebird or Freeze?

[issue 26] [Comparison] Smoky or Thunder?

[issue 27] [Comparison] Twins or Ricochet?

[issue 28] [Comparison] Railgun or Shaft?

 

[issue 28] [Guide] Deathmatches

[issue 29] [Guide] Team Deathmatches

[issue 30] [Guide] Capture the Flag

[issue 31] [Guide] Capture Points

 

[issue 31] Dissected: Thunder

 

[issue 30] The Grand Offensive – Completed!

[issue 30] What to mount on: Titan

[issue 30] [interview] SwiftSmoky on ‘Parkour Fighting’

[issue 29] [Review] Predictable drops and the experiment

[issue 29] [interview] A New Kick System: AbsoluteZero

[issue 29] Five Ways to Win

[issue 29] [Guide] Micro-Upgrades

[issue 28] Ranks: Tanki and the Real World

[issue 27] [Guide] Smart Cooldowns

[issue 27] Maximising Your Tanki Experience

[issue 27] Kirby’s Garage Analysis

 

 

 

 

 

Read it all really fast. Great iiece! I have to SAY! !!  Cheers! 

 

But it was brief. I was looking for more information. I wished you made it described it even more, that's why I read it first. Anyways, good work. And may you write some good articles for the press in the future. 

Edited February 27, 2015 by Superlative

[jazz20 1,181]

Here's an idea on what to write in the coming months: What does a topic need to have/consist to be popular in the forum?

[liverpoolaum 811]

wow a nice one bro

[Darren4Turbo 4,913]

Great Kirby! this text is so long so I didn't read it all :P. Good article anyway  :)  

[DarthvaderjonGTR 615]

<3

[thunderousrailgunner 1,934]

I Love The New Dissection Series .
 

Edited March 1, 2015 by thunderousrailgunner

[emre-bmx 485]

Great, But i am sad that you didn't mention much about yourself before you came to the position you wanted. I would love to read that.

[Pathfinder 1,690]

Great, But i am sad that you didn't mention much about yourself before you came to the position you wanted. I would love to read that.

I'm not sure writing an autobiography in the newspaper is appropriate, but if you want to get to know me personally, you can add me on Skype :) drop me a PM xD

[Quarks 2,255]

Great article Kirby, Also, congrats on ranking to generalissimo.  :D  :D  :D  :D  :D

[Pathfinder 1,690]

Thanks and thanks guys!

[lukey0 27,543]

Nice, enjoyed the read.

[LP_Sk 0]

Nice you deserved the job!