Main - Chaotic Age Zero

Okay, so time for an honest announcement. I personally have not paid CAZ as much attention in the past two weeks as I had been doing recently. It was due to being selfish for the most part and let's leave it at that. I am going to now open the floor for any non-judges who wish to become mission moderators. Note that unless you enlist an actual judge for any combat, your mission is not allowed to contain any combat whatsoever.

<Your name/Character Name/Board name> applying for a position as a mission moderator.

Note that I reserve the right to ask you questions to about things if I do not believe you've shown signs of being competent enough with the English language or basic logic. Your first mission will make or break whether you stay as a mission mod, not the success or failure but the quality.

The Delphoi based mission is going to be taken care of today. It should have been last night but I had the most horrible night ever.

As for the Striking Bolt bit in Europa, you've got until the 30th to figure out the shit that's going down, and I think some of you know what I mean and ought to be communicating and trying to conquer it. Otherwise you'll probably be less than pleased with what occurs next.

Halen has approved a new thing, too. It will basically allow Jaxie, Tilly and I to vote on something. If majority approves it, it can be done. We then leave a log of the event in site records for Halen's perusal. Thank you to Xel for the suggestion. First on the list: Revised blox and Revised Attack Unit are going the fuck up, because we need them, bad. NOTE THOUGH, BLOX CANNOT FUSE OR MOUNT ON REGULAR ZOIDS YET, give it time, we're working on how that works, I promise.

The Birth competition has Kalmora in the lead for the noid. Halen says the noid system should be ready in time for the award ceremony. I'm in second place but I probably won't pull it off, so let's all get ready to risk an OE'd CSO'd Elephanders on our tails. Or a come from behind by third place.

A while back, Pika volunteered for a new position being created. I should have the specifics of it finished and have him upgraded to moderator by the end of the night.

Birth Of Organoids Challenge, CAZ's First Superevent (Posted by Halen, 6/4/11)

In celebration of CAZ's fourth birthday, I am proud to announce a brand new challenge, CAZ's first superevent (and event consisting of several smaller, unconnected events.) You see, this month wasn't just CAZ's Birthday. It also marked the birth of something very different... something Zi hasn't seen in centuries. I give you the Birth of Organoids Challenge.

The premise is simple. For the next month, I and the staff will be posting in the "Site Events" forum a number of events tagged with the title "Birthday Challenge" or simply "Birth Challenge." If you participate in these events, you'll win points for the CAZ Birth of Organoids Challenge based on how well you do. The person with the most points at the end of the month has proven themselves worthy to receive an Organoid.

There are also other ways to win points:
-For every opponent you defeat this month (that is to say, for every opponent who lost during a battle in which you were a winner that ended between June 4th and July 4th regardless of start date but excluding the Royal Cup and other event battles), you gain a contest point. You can't defeat the same opponent twice for more points.
-If you have more than 10 rank points, you gain +1 contest points.
-If any person conducts one of those very rare medal-worthy feats during battle this month, they will get extra points (+1 for Bronze, +3 for Silver, and +5 if you manage to become CAZ's first gold medal winner).

Tell your friends and prepare yourselves. The CAZ Birth of Organoids challenge will be unlike any other event in CAZ's history.

(And a note to Royal Cup participants... if you somehow manage to win both the Royal Cup Organoid and the Birth Challenge Organoid, you will get a VERY special prize.)

Happy 4th Birthday, CAZ! Four Years In The Making (Posted by Halen, 6/4/11)

Well, well, well. I can hardly believe it. In 2007, when CAZ was barely new, we doubted we could make it four months. Now, four years later, I find that we're still chugging along and have survived MMM itself by almost three year years.

It's been a rocky year for us, I'll be the first to admit, but there are signs for optimism in the rough. Our user base has grown from 173 to 220, and our pilot base from 92 to 110. Several new moderating positions have been created.

In celebration of CAZ's birthday, I've got events and content planned for the coming month -- keep an eye out. So Happy Birthday, CAZ!

Well hello there, CAZ. The staff is ready to add another member to our list. Today I'm going to be seeking out an affiliation moderator. The name is actually a pretty big undersale of the duties. While you will be responsible for approving and denying applications of other sites to affiliate with us, you're also going to be asked to seek out/apply with affiliates and other methods of advertising ChaoticAgeZero.com, both mundane and arcane, old and new, drab and fab. We will provide the new staffer with information on what we cannot and can affiliate with.

I'm willing to work one on one and alongside this staffer providing he can be active.

We have a Lidier now. And the mods for it are actually listed on the mods page, so if anyone buys one they can mod it once it's had a battle!

[A drawing I made in Tuxpaint a while back. It's a reaaaally happy Lidier sitting and saying YAY. I later added the stamp of a cock, as in rooster. What?]

More to come um...sometime soon. Fore has to add stuff too (or bug me to do it).

As a bonus, I fixed some link issues on the mod pages that I edited to add the Lidier bits to. EXCITING.

First: I've chosen Duo's replacement as most of you know, and Jaxie will be taking up mantle of a Co-deputy. He knows our powers and limitations as well as I do.

Seconds: the Zoids and mods from the Challenge of Creation will be put up as soon as I recode all of them because my hard drive crashed. WHOOH. That being said, I need Tilly to get me zir Lidier bio ASAP.

* Free and Instant Repairs.
* The ability of any zoid to be used on AIM while it's in the Coliseum. (A zoid used in a Royal Cup battle is an exception to this.)
*Double Prize Money.
*Non-cup battles having no change to Rank Points.

These things have been administered in WAY too high a dose and it has left CAZ rather unbalanced, as well as all of you newcomers ignorant to the regular rules. The 'No Change To Rank Points' bit is still in effect for battles involving the Royal Cup, but from now on everything else counts.

From now on, I suggest you all keep track of the status of your zoid. There has been a ruling in the past that an injured but usable zoid can go into battle, but it leaves you at one HELL Of a disadvantage, and no one has made use of that... ever. It's best to remember to repair your zoid. Make a note in your signature as to the status of each zoid and always update it. Common examples:
QUOTE

Status: In Repairs Until X/X/X
Status: Heavy Damage
Status: Rebuild Needed
Status: Coliseum Bound/ COLISEUM

Oh, and I almost forgot... If Halen has not done it by the time I get my own laptop back so I can download some necessary software, Cockpit Armor is going to be moved from the Wartime Only section of mods, especially with the advent of missions.

As a clarification. If your zoid is in a non-event related Coli battle, it cannot be used in AIM from this moment forward. HOWEVER, for all Coli Battles begun before this date... all Cup Special Rules still apply.

I'm sure you've all seen the recent dive In activity here on CAZ. EspeciAlly My own. I Assure you it is there for a reason. Myself and the staff, past and present, (includinG thE hidiNg Halen) have been in secreT working on SoMethIng for all of you. IT Has been free of hitches, arguments or anything of the sort. With the fading popularity of Zoids we determined that there was only one way to increase CAZ's member base exponentially, starting this very moment, Chaotic Age Zero is a hybrid Zoid and Pokemon website.

You will even be able to battle with the two at the same time. Imagine as your Shadow Fox attacks a Blade Liger, your teammate's Charizard using Fire Blast to weaken its armor, isn't it awesome? Expect Pokemon Bios to go up on the site this week.

Pokemon will be limited, don't worry. For instance, Jigglypuff will not be able to put the whole field to sleep. Its voice only reaches so far.

This was brought forth by Halen mostly in response to myself and Kestral back in the day. I'm reposting it in this post to remind you people of this rule. From now on, I'm enforcing it, because there's apparently a Fore and Kestral of this generation of CAZ and I am intent on cracking skulls before this goes anywhere near as bad as the last.

QUOTE (Halen)
"Yes, I've been gone from the site for a while due to work-related and personal issues. While I've been gone, things have gotten lax. I'm somewhat disturbed by what's been happening in my absence, as well. Some things, and I believe most know what I'm talking about, have gotten out of hand. As of now, I'm issuing a gag order/injunction/new rule, whatever you want to call it. You are not allowed to issue direct attacks against other players on the forums outside of the world of RP. Neither are you allowed to bicker or have personal feuds or flame wars over the CAZ board."

I had implied this at several points throughout the site rules but never explicitly stated this rule. Now, if you violate this rule, your posts will be closed/deleted. Repeat offenses become fines, other disciplinary action, banning isn't out of the question. I don't mean to be heavy-handed, but honestly, the CAZ board isn't the place for things like this.

My presence on CAZ will be sporadic for some weeks to come, probably until November. I hope this new rule is a step in the right direction. I will try to keep and eye on the situation, and I hope it will improve.

You've read his post. I will be enforcing Order Must Be Restored heavily. I am not here to mediate arguments, I am not here to hold anyone's hands. You all know how to bite your tongues and deal with grievances properly. PM me any issues and I will deal with them.

On the boards, the cbox, bickering doesn't exist in any form. Read what Halen has to say because it goes double for me.

After speaking with Duo, he and I agree that he is incapable of holding the position of Deputy Adminstrator due to time issues. He has agreed to step down and Halen has agreed to allow me to find a replacement for him. There are a couple of potential candidates but both of their lives have gotten as hectic as Duo's and probably will get more chaotic later. I'm unsure how to proceed, but I suppose that in the mean time, it'll be much like before for everyone.

Now we come to the part of this post that makes me very much glad this is being done via text instead of video as per recent times. I am not sure how many of you are actually aware of the specifics, or perhaps all of you are. I've suffered a rather nasty injury, a fall on the ice split a vertebrae of mine clean in half. While the pieces have stayed rather close together and so far seem to want to heal properly without surgery or replacement... I am in near constant pain, suffering some very deep, very bad depression and anxiety. Many of you know what truly bad anxiety can do to a person, especially during the night. I'm not here to whine or bitch at any of you about that, but to explain that I need CAZ to do something it's done once, maybe twice in all of its history: pull together.

Someone messing with you and it makes you angry? Leave the thread, address the situation with proper protocol, a calmly written message to me or Halen. No not-so-subtle shots at where their loyalties lie. I know what goes on around CAZ and what people are saying and doing. This does not promote a smoothly running site, nor does drama attract members.

The way I see it, of the staff members under me, I see two that are roughly active in staff manners. I need this fixed. Badly.

I need everyone to smile on their brothers, get together and try to love one another right now.

So you'll find today that a few things have changed. The Blox Bio Competition is complete and I know myself I have personally given them my first look over it and given my thoughts to Halen. More work is needed before any decisions can be made, but it's begun.

Once a few bios are approved and we have some blox we will begin deciding on the systems involved. Get ready to bond, fuse and other words that sound dirty but aren't.

First and foremost: Halen and I have created the Committee for Content Testing which is headed up by Zalerin Shayth to test content that is being considered for approval.

Second: The Committee on Bio Application has been dissolved and the contents of its forum put in the forum Application Advice. (Some of the pinned objects will need to be unpinned and let get buried.)

Third: The Committee on Bio Revision has long been defunct. I mean it exists, but it exists so far as text. The Zoids Revision forum in the Revision category that is open to all is more than sufficient. Until such time as Halen and I have reason to we won't bother that forum. I just see no reason for anyone to use it.

Well, there you have it ladies and gentlemen. I may not write as pretty a post as our beloved leader, but it's done.

As many of you know, we've had several people hard at work on tackling the Blox issue. Tilly, Kestral, Maverick, Lucas and Erock to my knowledge. Then you've had me mucking things up and being in the way. So I stepped aside. The topic got away from what I wanted it to be at first, since I was first talking about the system and then bios began appearing. However, as time progressed, the topic got back on track.

But no solid system, nor even two solid systems has resulted. What has happened is that too many different opinions exist, and among them, no one consensus can be reached on many different points. The original plan was to set up two tournaments and operate each off a set of rules/proposed system. Nothing of the sort is currently possible for multiple reasons. So the hot button issues will be individually tested... and then the beta tournament can become a reality.

However, from this moment on, I'd like to ask everyone to look toward bios. I know, I'm ridiculously contradictory, aren't I? Only once we have the bios can we even begin to plan for the Beta Tournament.

You may propose as many CANON Blox/Fuzors bios as you so wish. And as many as fit the standards can be accepted, however: the first 5 bios you get approved will net you 6 grand a piece. After that, unfortunately, you're doing it for the hell of it. I will start an official topic for bio proposals in the Events forum. Keep your eyes open.

Well folks, by now you’ve heard, and if you have not, I’ll let you know. As a result of several conversations and threads, Halen has granted me the title of Deputy Administrator. He has asked me to go forth and pick a partner for equal rank, and while I’ve gone down the list of most of the people I would ask, I am happy to announce that the player of your favorite giant and mine, Zechariah Robertson, will be returning to CAZ full swing as Deputy Administrator in addition to judging.

In an attempt at properly establishing a line of command, a working staff, CAZ will no longer be an Administrator-->Judges style website. Sandwiched nicely in between the two will be Super Moderators, and moderators that might be specified toward specific sections. All of this is still being developed, roles clearly defined. Possibly grouped into the Judge group, we will be setting up another new rank. Mission Moderators.

The concept of “missions” is not something that CAZ has never considered before. After all, it was a part of the original plan involving Unofficial and Unsanctioned Combat. With some tweaking, we will be developing a mission system here for CAZ. Kick back and enjoy the ride, we’ll be sure to get this rolling as soon as possible.

So! While none of the above are particularly set in exact stone, if you have any interest pursuing a staff position, please PM myself or Zechariah. When the time comes we will send the information to Halen for approval, assignment as necessary. And for all you potential judges, as a side note, I and hopefully others will be preparing to run another meeting in relation to judging, and I will begin running Judge Tests on a grander, more frequent scale starting at or after noon today.

Three years ago, Zoids Chaotic Zero was little more than a pipe dream; a figment of my imagination that I hardly dared to believe I could make real. After months of writing and planning, I had finally launched CAZ, which was off to a rocky. As I mention every year, I initially wasn't sure how well CAZ would do, but despite more than a few bumps in the road, our site continues to grow. Since last year, our member base has grown from 115 members to 173 (three new judges among them), our pilot numbers have swelled from 73 to 92. Roughly two years ago, as some of the old-timers may remember, MMM closed its doors for good. Since then, the stream of refugees initially accounted for much of CAZ's growth has dried up, but we've begun, slowly but surely, to recruit new members from entirely new quarters.

I realize I haven't been around as much as I should have. I've been busy, as many of us have been -- but I'm back now, and I don't intend to let the site stay quiet. I have more than a few tricks up my sleeve. Those tricks include a number of birthday events I've planned, and I hope the festivities will be enough to commemorate Chaotic Age Zero's birthday. Enjoy CAZ's third birthday -- and enjoy the Royal Cup.

I write a Cry Havoc post about once a year. Only our most veteran members will remember Cry Havoc, which I posted on December 15th, 2007. Many more will remember its twin, Cry Havoc II, which I posted this January 4th. Now, more than 11 months later, I find myself posting Cry Havoc III, in preparation for the coming December month. When I posted Cry Havoc II -- my second opening of factional combat on CAZ -- the site didn't yet have a hundred members. Now, we have that number and half again and I ready to give this another shot.

Along with Cry Havoc comes new factional content (as it always does), including a new factional scenario and rank point system, which I suggest you check out. In the coming days, new wartime modifications and Zoids will start to make their appearances, as well as our new base system (which I think pilots will find most intriguing). I'll post to inform you as more content goes up. Also watch the Zi Conflict Daily News for information on what's happened in the interim...

Please be it noted that the New Helic Republic is down a factional leader. Though I've mentioned this several times in the past, we need a new one if we're to wage war across Zi. Post in this thread or send me a PM to apply for the job. In case you didn't know (or hadn't heard) Fore Loren is the factional leader for the Neo Backdraft and Justin Kirimoto is the factional leader for the Zoid Battle Commission. These three are the major factions -- the ones that you can choose to join to fight for whatever ends you wish.

The month of December has historically been one of the site's most eventful. I hope to continue that trend into this year. Conscientious Objector achievement not withstanding, now is a very good time to enlist. War has returned (for the third time) to Zi.

I made my decision. CAZ will continue, and we will continue to fight for it. In that grain, I have created a new category and three new forums devoted entirely to revision of the Zoid and Mod Bios and the battling system. More on that as the situation develops.

In the mean time, caving to popular pressure, I hereby announce that all missile strengths have been relatively halved, as of this post. Good luck to judges wrapping their heads around that one -- but it was by unanimous vote of everyone in the conference this evening. I hope this resolves a major concern in the CAZ battling system.

I also wish to assure everyone that CAZ will continue to operate, and I have every intention to expand the site as much as possible in the coming weeks and months. New content is on the way. Stay active, and stay with us.

Well, the month of June has come and gone, as has CAZ's prolonged second birthday. Nonetheless, CAZ is still flying high and we a great deal of excitement going on about the site. I have recently bowed to popular demand and the armor sets concocted by Phelan, the White Fury Set and the Knightmare Array, have gone up today -- they are now available for purchase. Please also note that the Warshark, which will benefit greatly from these new modifications, has been "nerfed", so to speak, it can no longer reload torpedoes from internal stores and the power of each individual Warshark torpedo has been reduced. However, the Warshark is also receiving the boon of the powerful new White Fury Set, and it is doubtless better off overall.

In addition to new mods, we've had a lot of new ideas this past month, including the concept of encouraging 0999 battles through various new battle systems, which I am now seriously considering. Also on the site's To Do list is finalizing the Organoid System and introducing the Liger Zero and Berserk Fuhrer as pilot-usable Zoids. Also, we have at long last roughly equalized the number of mods and Zoids (the Great Equalizer) so I am considering opening up the ol' inbox to additional Zoid ideas.

Meanwhile, this past month has been a tumultuous time for our staff, as our seniormost judge, Ian Kestral, has retired and I have appointed two additional judges, Tilly and Duo. However, I have taken Ian Kestral's resignation as a staffer to be an implicit resignation as head of his faction -- which means that the presidency of the New Helic Republic is up for grabs. I'm sure many of you wish to fill this power void -- indeed, I've already received applications from several people. If you wish to become the leader of the New Helic Republic, please post in this thread or send me a PM indicating that you want the Presidency -- I will make the decision for the next leader soon.

...and speaking of the factions, keep your eyes peeled. There may be more factional content coming your way sooner rather than later.

CAZ has been undergoing some interesting changes in the past few weeks -- not the least of which is the massive increase in the number of battles fought. In the past 30 days, CAZ has seen some 72 battles -- nearly a fifth of the 379 battles total ever fought on CAZ. Before June, we averaged less than one battle every two days. We are now fighting more than two battles a day -- an increase of about a factor of five. Despite this massive upsurge in battling, our staff has worked admirably to pick up the slack. I would like to thank Fore Loren in particular, who has judged roughly half of all battles on the site in the last few weeks. Nonetheless, with battling going at the current pace, with complaints about judge availability mounting, and with a dropoff of current judge activity looming, I have decided to take more drastic action.

The regular judge testing process is no longer providing the throughput necessary to keep up with the expansion of the pilot base and the increase in battling. Therefore, as an emergency measure, I will appoint a number of new judges over the next several days (judge candidates know who they are). I hope that these appointments will serve to stabilize the site and alleviate strain on our current judges without sacrificing judge quality. Keep your eyes peeled -- I will make an announcement every time a new judge is appointed.

I would also like to take this opportunity to announce the creation of a suggestion box (minor though this is, compared to the above) -- but I thought that you all might like a better place than the Q/A forum to give feedback. Thanks for reading -- and again, I'll announce new judges as they are appointed.

You may have noticed and found it odd that although I celebrated CAZ's birthday, I didn't give it a birthday present. Well, happy belated birthday CAZ -- better late than never. For the site's birthday, I have finished putting up the Great Equalizer mods (a total of 16 mods went up today) and I have revised some 41 Zoid Bios and several additional mod bios. Most of these revisions were just armor clarifications, but please check the list below and the bios themselves for Zoids that have undergone more significant updates. My greatest thanks to Fore and Tilly for helping with the revision and everyone who sent me suggestions that helped me revise the bios. Below are the notes on the revision. There are 5 Zoid bios still pending revision; I will update this list as they are revised.

Mods Added:
Armas Tactical Replacement System
Assault Leap
Eisensturm
Exo-Dermis (Not Available For Purchase)
Fin Blade (Not Available For Purchase)
Knight's Hammer (Not Available For Purchase)
Knight's Charge (Not Available For Purchase)
Knight's Shield (Not Available For Purchase)
König Wolf Discharger Package
Lateral Muscle System (Not Available For Purchase)
Medium Bore Pulse Cannons
Myrimdon Assault Package
NomJaws
Razor's Edge
Satan's Venom
Vindicator Cannon Set

Mods Revised:
Omni-Directional Missile Unit
--Now mutually exclusive with Flexible Booster Unit, Active Shield Unit, and standard Missile Packs. Vice-Versa is true: FBU and ASU bios were updated to say that they are mutually exclusive with the ODMU.

Bomber Unit
--Now mutually exclusive with standard Missile Packs.

Assault Gatling Unit
--The Assault Gatling Unit is now mutually exclusive with standard Missile Packs and the Attack Booster Unit.

Wild Weasel Unit
--The Wild Weasel Unit is now mutually exclusive with standard Missile Packs. If you own standard missile packs for the WWU Godos or Gun Sniper, you lose your missile packs but are refunded their price.

Zoids (Armor Clarifications):
Barigator
Bigasaur
Dark Horn
Deadborder
Elephantus
Garagantula
Garius
Gator
Geruder
Glidoler
Godos
GravitySaurer
Hammerhead
Hammer Rock
Heldigunner
Helldiver
Malder
Mammoth
Molga
Pteras
Redler
SaberLion
Spinosapper
Storm Sworder
War Shark
Zabat

Zoids (Bio Revision):
Aro Saurer
--Added Twin 30mm Beam Cannons

Battle Cougar
--Added Basic Radar

Bear Fighter
--Reworked Mauler Claws

Blade Liger
--Made Hyper Blade Attack dependant on current shield strength. Changed charge time to 3 seconds and duration to three seconds.
--Blade Liger no longer has the ability to use its Laser Blades through its E-Shield.

Cannon Tortoise
--Changed rotation on Flak Cannons and gave them the ability to disable fuses.

Command Wolf
--Maneuverability clarified.

Dark Spiner
--Restricted Jamming Blade such that it can only be used once and can't used in the first round in a sanctioned Zoid Battle.

God Kaiser
--Pending

Gul Tiger
--Heavy Partice Cannon rate of fire increased, power decreased.

Ice Blazer
--Maneuverability clarified.

Shadow Fox
--Weight decreased to 52 tons.

Stealth Dragon
--Pending.

Storm Sworder Stealth Type
--Armor clarified.
--Stealth Paint less effective at speeds greater than Mach 1.

Zatton
--AMD weapon added.

Zeek Dober
--Maneuverability clarified.

Two years ago, Zoids: Chaotic Age Zero, Zoids: Chaotic Age Zero was little more than a hope and a dream. Two years ago today, Fade Korimeer and I dragged CAZ out of our imaginations and into reality. As I mentioned last year, I initially wasn't exactly sure how well CAZ would do, but our site has taken off -- and in the past year grown with extraordinary speed. Since last year, our member base has grown from 45 members to 115 (two new judges among them), our pilot numbers have swelled from two dozen to 73, and our mod collection is in a state of rapid expansion. Last year today, I wrote "I no longer feel like we're constantly living in the shadow of MMM." A scant two weeks after I wrote those words, MMM closed its doors permanently -- making the CAZ the largest active Zoids RPG website I know of. Though I can't say for sure that we're the largest Zoids RPG out there, we've a number of heavy burden to shoulder, and I have continued to try to improve CAZ as best I can.

Unfortunately, the merry month of May has ended, and referral rewards are back to their usual levels. We didn't pick up a single member last month, and I've noticed that activity has dropped off in recent weeks. Well, I can only hope that our list of birthday activities will stir up some new interest -- especially as I plan to release many aspects of CAZ that I have, to date, withheld. All this week, I plan to put up most of the rest of the mods from The Great Equalizer, update dozen of Zoid bios, and maybe even get started on the next chapter of the story of CAZ. I also have a number of birthday events planned, and I hope the festivites will be enough to commemorate Chaotic Age Zero's second birthday. Keep your eyes peeled -- there's certainly plenty to see.

Those who follow CAZ's past and history fanatically (as I know that you all do) know that CAZ's second birthday is coming up on June the 2nd, just under a month from today. We have quite a bit to look forward to over the coming month -- notably, me finally getting around to putting up the revised Zoid bios and mods from the mod contest (I'll put up an announcement when that's finished). June will be jam-packed full of various festivities, and I would like to have as many pilots as possible around to celebrate. To that end, I'm upping the referral incentive until the end of June. Each referral will be worth $20,000 instead of the regular $10,000, and new pilots joining our ranks will enjoy an extra $10,000 in starting cash. Also, if you happen to have an inactive friend, be sure to tap him on the shoulder and give a reminder of what's to come. I hope to see a few more faces than usual around CAZ in the coming months.

March is an interesting year, this year, for CAZ. Firstly, I have a giant pile of mods (more than 120, at final count) sitting in the contest thread waiting for me to review. I look forward to finally closing the gap between Zoid numbers and mod numbers that has plagued the site for so very long, and as the contest name implies, leveling the playing field for all Zoids. Many of the Zoid Bios are also coming up for review, in hopes of fixing numerous balancing issues. Obviously, this month will also be interesting for those who own said Zoids. Furthermore, with CAZ's next birthday looming ever closer in the background, I have to prepare so new ideas and surprises for all of you. And last, but most certainly not least, factional combat is now OPEN!

That may sound like opening a hunting season, but the effort to pull everything together has been monumental. I personally have been writing articles like a madman (check the Factions page), and the basic framework for factional combat is now in place. The factional leaders have been scampering all over the place, trying to balance budgets, divide up resources, and get their papers in order. Not to mention recruiting. Coincidentally, I understand if you haven't joined a faction yet, but I must warn you that you'll probably miss out.

It looks like March will be a busy month here on CAZ, and I sincerely hope that no one misses out. So, without further ado...

December 2008 (or year 2, on the CAZ timeline) was one of our most active months ever. CAZ's third birthday is coming up in a few months, just this June. It might seem like there's a lot of time in between and nothing to fill the gap. Well, I intend to cover that entirely. Some of our more veteran members may remember Cry Havoc (the original post), where I announced CAZ's faction system and began recruiting leaders. While we don't yet have 100 members, I believe that we have now reached the point of maturity where we can begin to support a working factional system.

One note: Fore Loren recently took a leave of absence from CAZ, and as such, I have appointed Zechariah Robertson (Duo) to replace him, raising him to the interim leader of the Backdraft Group. If Fore does not return to reclaim his post by CAZ's third birthday, then Zechariah will be the Backdraft's leader permanently. However, I am still seeking a leader for the Zoid Battle Commission (I requested leadership applications last month and didn't get all that many). Interestingly, the ZBC has remarkably low recruitment as well. Remember, kiddies, the Commission wants YOU!

The factions are starting to become functioning and active -- the NHR has even already started internal missions. Once we get a leader for the Zoid Battle Commission (or once I feel that an unreasonable amount of time has passed), the factional leaders will be free to start sending people on inter-factional missions and actually deploying the military that they've been building up for the past several years. War will really and truly return to planet Zi.

Be it noted that Meanwhile, if you do feel that you can be a faction leader, post under this thread (the "Cry Havoc II" thread in the "Site News" section) saying that you'd like to apply for the leadership of the Zoid Battle Commission OR contact me directly via IM or PM. You may be rejected if I don't think you're active/responsible enough. If I do not get many strong applications for leader of the Zoid Battle Commission, I'm not sure we'll able to get the factional system properly working.

December is upon us: that month of winter breaks, seasonal holidays -- and hopefully more CAZ! You may have noticed some big changes around the site, notably the new site (www.chaoticagezero.com is now our official website)! However, things on that front are just a little shaky right now -- notably because I'm too cheap to buy my own server, I'm piggybacking off a friend's server. I'm not so sure what he thinks of the whole "Zoids RPG Site" on his server at present, so we might unfortunately switch back soon. Here's to hoping that we keep our new arrangement!

Furthermore, the site also gets a new color scheme -- possibly just as damaging to the eyes as the previous one -- we'll see how that works out. Hopefully, the board will also get changed a bit over the coming month. Essentially, CAZ gets its makeover.

That leaves the question: Would it really be December without any festivities? For the entire month of December, referral rewards are doubled (which, as the more seasoned members will infer, is because I'd really like to have some more members at this point). Furthermore, ALL battles this month have free and instant repairs -- so get to battlin'. Even I'll try to be judging more. Lastly, the month will be full of interesting events and competitions -- more on that as they come along. Happy December!

PS: If you have ever made ANYTHING that has gone on the Zoids: Chaotic Age Zero website, I may be contacting you soon regarding intellectual properties on those works (it's complicated). Those people potentially include: Ian Kestral, Kyo Idako, "Bandit" Keith Richards, Mason Vauxxn, and Zechariah Robertson. I may have to track down the wayward Ark Morning and Matthew "Fade" Korimeer.

Yes, I've been gone from the site for a while due to work-related and personal issues. While I've been gone, things have gotten lax. I'm somewhat disturbed by what's been happening in my absence, as well. Some things, and I believe most know what I'm talking about, have gotten out of hand. As of now, I'm issuing a gag order/injunction/new rule, whatever you want to call it. You are not allowed to issue direct attacks against other players on the forums outside of the world of RP. Neither are you allowed to bicker or have personal feuds or flame wars over the CAZ board.

I can't believe that it was February when I published the prologue of the story of CAZ. Well, it's been a while, but I never forgot about the story -- and if anyone has been wondering why I've been unusually quiet as of late, it's because I've working on this next chapter. At 23 pages in length, I sincerely hope that it tides you all over for a while. The link to the next chapter can be found here.

Meanwhile, I'd like to take this opportunity to say that it's great to see the recent influx of new members, though that seems to have tapered off somewhat following in recent weeks. I am still working on the mod update that ought to have happened in July, but as I mentioned, I've been busy. I wish the best for all of you, and I hope you keep having fun here at CAZ, and enjoy reading Chapter 1: Under One Flag.

When I woke up this morning, the world was just a little bit different. After six years afloat, Metal Machine Music -- which many of you know and participated in -- has closed permanently. It's been roughly a year since I last logged into MMM, but I did again last night, and payed my final respects before Don disabled the board forever. I had a number of reasons for leaving the site -- I disliked the judge bias, the heavy hand and often indifference of the administration, the site-wide RP... the list goes on. So one year ago, I left MMM and found Zoids: Chaotic Age Zero together with Fade to make a different kind of a site, which I'm now typing this message on.

When I first founded CAZ, I never thought it would outlast MMM. Despite all the work we did, I wasn't even sure it would get off the ground. For all of the reasons I left and more, though, MMM started to decay. When I heard about certain suspensions, bannings, and Sh33p's leaving, I wondered aloud if MMM was a house of cards. I was still shocked when I found out a week ago that MMM was closing. I payed my dues, and on my own behalf and (I hope) on behalf of every other member of CAZ, I'd like to say farewell and good luck to the whole MMM crew.

CAZ has grown in the past week, finally topping 50 members just a few days ago. This milestone seemed to be darkened by the knowledge that MMM was going under, and that we were probably benefiting from the site's downfall. In my announcement on CAZ's first birthday, I said I thought we were no longer in the shadow of MMM. Now, there is no MMM -- only the memory of it -- to be in the shadow of. In his closing address, MMM administrator Don noted that "[T]he site isnt young anymore. People dont [sic] have the time to commit, we go to work, to college and we have bills to pay. Zoids is dead in the United States." I believe that Don was here wrong on most counts, and that it was the unfortunate mismanagement of MMM that led its demise. I hope that you will all help me to continue to make CAZ a success in the future, and stay with the site for six years or more of life.

Similarly, I'd like to personally invite and welcome any and all members of MMM who've been left hanging -- who are now looking for a new place to fight their Zoid battles and have fun. You're welcome to join the site and apply.

Zoids: Chaotic Age Zero had been a plan of Fade's and mine for months prior to the birth of the site itself. However, it wasn't until one year ago, today, that we finally brought the site out of our ideas and plans and into reality. The forums went up exactly one year ago, and primitive form of the website also went up not long there after. Originally, I wasn't exactly sure how well CAZ would do, but the site took off as we slowly spread the words to our friends and our friends' friends. After one year's time, we have accumulated 45 members (two judges among them), two dozen pilots, one affiliate, hundreds of Zoids, and dozens of modifications. I no longer feel like we're constantly living in the shadow of MMM, and I think we have long since passed the usual maximum size for most Zoids RPG websites.

Unfortunately, the merry month of May has ended, and referral rewards are back to their usual levels. We only got to 45 members, as opposed to the goal of 50. I know it was a tall order, and we did well given the circumstances -- but I guess I'll save that event for another time. Meanwhile, it should be noted that CAZ's birthday sits on the transition between the school year and the summer break, and I'm guessing that many of you have finals right around this time. ((I'm not exactly sure how many, if any of you do, but that's my guess)). Well, all this week, I plan to make updates to parts and other sections of the site, and maybe finally get the next chapter of the story up. Next week, I have a number of events planned to commemorate Chaotic Age Zero's first birthday. Keep checking in to see what I've got in mind!

As I'm sure many of you have heard or seen, site co-founder Matthew "Fade" Korimeer has decided to resign his position as an administrator because of several personal complications and other problems he is facing. I don't know how many of you knew Fade or how well you knew him, but I for one and sorry to see him go. However, Fade's resignation also leaves me as the one and only site administrator, and I'll continue to do what I have for the past ten months, and make sure that the site swims, and doesn't sink.

Anyway, I also have an announcement to make. Some of you may also be aware that all three of the major factions now have leaders: Addelo Black of the Zoid Battle Commission, Fore Loren of the Neo Backdraft Group, and Ian Kestral of the New Helic Republic. I'm also sure that many of you know that one of my dearest ambitions is to get a functioning factional combat system and site-wide plot going. For that we need more members.

That ties into my other point: June the second is the first anniversary of Zoids: Chaotic Age Zero. From now until the beginning of June, all referral rewards are increased to $15,000. Also, I am setting a quota for that time period: Reach 50 members on the forum. If we can get 50 or more members of the forum (and hopefully a corresponding increase in pilots), I'll hold a special event with a special prize to commemorate the first birthday of CAZ.

Hello, everybody. So, I'm sure you all noticed some rather big goings-on around here in the past few weeks. Kestral has been organizing a tourney, we've had a surge in new membership, several candidates vying for the remaining factional leaderships... it's good to see the gears turning. Aside from the factions system, which I'd be really thrilled to see up and running, I've been working on a few other CAZ projects as well.

The one I got off the ground last night is the CAZ backstory it can be found at http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4068060/1/Chaotic_Age_Zero.
I hosted it on fanfiction.net so that others might read and enjoy, and so that I could get some kind of feedback for it. If you've got any comments, you can either review on ff.net or directly post in this thread and tell me how I'm doing.

So, we've had quite alot going on recently. There's been a battle or two, but, most notably, the our factions system has peeked out from the idea phase and has entered some degree of reality. In the last week or so, we've seen some new Zoids (most notably the all-new wartime Zoids), new mods, a signed treaty, a banner, and the appearance of the site's first pilot-owned Hover Cargo. On top of all that, it just happens to be the holiday season, so why not celebrate? In honor of the holidays, the new year, and the start of the CAZ faction system, the following are in effect for the entire month of January.

-Any pilot who signs on with us during the month of January will start with $30,000 instead of $20,000.
-For the remainder of the month, referral rewards are boosted from $10,000 per pilot to $15,000 per pilot.
-The repairs for all battles for the remainder of the month are free and instant.
-The repairs for all skirmishes (if we have any) for the remainder of the month are instant (as they were already free.)

Furthermore:
-I've taken the liberty of actually setting up the Zoid Battle Commission. All it needs is a leader, if anyone wants to apply for leadership of said faction, PM me, IM me, or post it in the "Cry Havoc" thread. Remember, we can't do any of the really cool things with the factions until the three major ones have a leader! The Neo Backdraft Group is being led by Fore Loren and the New Helic Republic is being led by Kestral. The ZBC is the odd man out.
-We also have an opening in the leadership position of the Zi International Coalition. If we can fill that in addition to the ZBC, we'll really be ready to go! Fade and I are leading the Blackdust Mercenary Group, and Arkalisythnine Morning is heading up the Eastern Continental Alliance. If you're interested in leading the ZIC, again, IM me, PM me, or post in the "Cry Havoc" thread.
-We have yet to have our first skirmish. Check out the "Skirmishing" sub-page of the "Factions" page in the Info section. Though there are planned Skirmishes, like sanctioned Zoid Battling, you're allowed to set up your own. I'm also planning an exhibition battle or two. After those are done with, the first people to skirmish may receive a special prize, depending on how interesting the battle is.

Now, many of you might have seen that I posted the "Site News" thread Cry Havoc just two days ago, which was the first big news we've had in a while. Since, we've had some major changes. As you probably know, two of the three major factions are open for business. That being said, we're still looking for a dedicated, reliable person to head the ZBC as a factional leader, which needs to be done before we can really get the faction system up and running. If you feel that you're up to it, I encourage you to take a look at the Cry Havocpost again, as it details the job description.

Next, interestingly enough, our promotional video is up! You can find it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r18s12ypwH0. It's probably pretty dull for most of you, since it's really just me giving a site tour, but I hope that it will attract more people to CAZ. The thing is, we need more people in order to get any of our real projects working. I know that many of you are rising to the challenge, trying to go out and finding us new active participants and members of the site. I just want you to know that I've been doing my part as well to try to expand the site.

Also, have you noticed the spiffy new banner? It's courtesy of Arkalisythnine, one of our new members. Thank her if you like it.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, ect. for any of those points, you know where to find me.

I'm sure you've all noticed that there's been plenty going on in the last few months. We've been putting up new mods and Zoids like crazy: the Stealth Dragon, Great Sabre, and Shield Liger DCS-J would be examples of a few of the newer ones. We've finally filled in all the of the "Coming Soon!" holes on the mods page, though we've still got plenty of ideas for more. We've had more battles than ever (if not AIM battles, but I know that everything is plenty hectic right now). So, here's the conclusion I've reached. We've put up the basic framework of the site, so now it's time to start looking into some of the longer term projects that I've been planning.

One such project, as I'm sure you're aware, is to put up the faction system. There exist six factions on Zi, three major (the Zoid Battle Commission, Neo Backdraft Group, and New Helic Republic) and three minor (the Eastern Continental Alliance, Zi International Coalition, and Blackdust Mercenary Group). In order to get this system jumpstarted, I am giving away factional leaderships. If you'd like to head a faction, there are a few requirements. You need to be active and be willing to put in a good deal of work. (In order to get your faction up, I'll be assigning you some things almost immediately.)

If you don't feel that you'd like to shoulder this kind of responsibility, you can still help. We're going to need considerably more people, especially active members for this to work. I've listed us on the Invision Board Directory, and have some other plans regarding recruitment. You can help by helping recruit active members to CAZ. If we all put in effort, I guarantee you, we'll get the faction system working.

Meanwhile, if you do feel that you can be a faction leader, post under this thread (the "Cry Havoc" thread in the "Site News" section) along with which faction you'd like to lead. If you can't for some reason, contact me directly. You may be rejected if I don't think you're active/responsible enough, but I haven't had to turn anyone down yet and I don't anticipate having to.

Liger fans rejoice! I've just finished adding the brand spankin' new Hyper Blade Attack to the Blade Liger's Zoid bio! This is just one of many changes and updates we've been making to the site lately. Enjoy! (Coincidentally, if you were wondering, the Hyper E-Shield ability of the Blade Liger will be made available to the Zoid in mod form.)

Alrighty. I'm sure many of you have also seen our new mods, and our attempt to write our way through the CP parts series. Several new bios, including that of the Strike Bull and the Helldiver have also made their way into our ever-expanding Zoids section. If you would have purchased one of these beauties but didn't because they didn't exist at the time, come talk to me. I'll see if we can't arrange a swap.

Hopefully, once we get this mod line out of the way and introduce a few more Upgrade Zoids to the Zoid section, we'll be able to turn our attention to expanding our member base, so some of our other projects, like the factions concept, can get off the ground.

PS: To Ian Kestral and the powerful Hammerhead lobby, the CP-14 Viking Lance will be introduced as the first mod ever made available to the Hammerhead once we get there in the parts line.

Unless a bio specifically states the cockpit is in another location on the zoid, assume it is in the head.

So I decided to add something new to the Zoid Shop, so everyone please go read over the rules in the forum so we don't have issues with orders being approved and such.

Ok so I reviewed our zoid shop today and I felt the zoid prices were currently unfair so I went and adjusted it all.

Ok, so I noticed that I left a nasty loop hole in the modifications, and as such I am going to allow pilots to purchase modifications for their zoids without battling them first until Saturday when the next Weekly Challenge is posted.

Non-Corporate Headhunting (Posted by Halen, 7/2/07)

Our first week of sanctioned battling is almost over, and we've done pretty well for ourselves. We haven't encountered any major problems in our battling system yet, and our progression as a site is coming along nicely. We've broken ten members, and we've had plenty of battles to prove that they're all active. Fade and I have also gone a little overboard with stomps, events, and rewards, but that never hurt anyone. The website is coming along nicely, and we should have mods coming into service in a matter of days.

However, your admins have decided that we need to expand our pilot base even more. For example, we won't be able to bring skirmishes and organized faction-battling into the picture until we have enough people. Our little, internal economy, team system, and trading system could use more members as well.

That's why we're now offering incentive for bringing in new members. For every new person you bring to the site who lists you as a their sole referrer, you get $10,000. If a person lists more than one referrer and you're one of them, you $10,000/# of referrers. You get the cash as soon as the person is approved as a pilot and I post a notice of your reward in the Site Records. If you've referred a person up to this point, you'll get your reward. Watch the Site Records forum, and something with your name and an amount next to it may appear.

As a note, you don't even want to know what I'll do to you if you make multiple account and pilots and say that you referred them all.

So, on that dark note, GO FORTH! Expand my empire and become lesser lords of it through the riches you gain!

Ready? FIGHT! (Posted by Halen, 6/26/07)

Firstly, a minor announcement that I'm sure you're all aware of. Alexander Korimeer, Amarant Pri, Fore Loren, and Ian Kestral have all been accepted as registered Zoid Pilots. As of now, you four make up our entire pilot base. Congratulations on your acceptance, all of you. Pats on the back, mutual handshakes, diploma-giving, and throwing up of the funny hats isn't really in order (though you're free to RP it if you'd like.) Anyway, you're all accepted, kudos. Also, Kestral has already started buying and selling Zoids, which gave the site its first transactions in the trading section.

Anyway, so much for the minor announcement. The BIG one is this: Fade and I have decided to open up battling on CAZ. There might be some minor kinks in the bios to work out, but the system is stable and well thought-out, and most of the Zoid Database has been revised. In short, you folks can battle now (no skirmishing yet, though). Judges are Fade and myself, so get out there and fight. Starting now and for one week (ending next tuesday at midnight) all battle prize money is even doubled, in celebration of us getting on our feet. So, in short GIVE ME BLOOD, YOU SORRY %&^#@!$! HALEN DEMANDS BLOOD!

The System Works! (Posted by Halen, 6/5/07)

After three grueling days of hard work, we've managed to pull a functioning battling system together. The "Getting Starting" part of the Info Section is now complete, meaning that the character application process has been established. That means that we can start actually making characters, and Chaotic Age Zero can get out of the planning phase and into the action phase. This is good news for everyone, I'm sure. So, all those people who have already made board accounts (or others who wish to participate), read the guidelines in the "Getting Started" section, and let's get those apps coming, and get these battles started.

And... We're Up! (Posted by Halen, 6/2/07)

Chaotic Age Zero, our Zoids RPG site, is finally up after ages (well, it seemed like ages) of planning. Though we're new, we've already put many hours of planning and writing into Chaotic Age Zero. Many of our key forums are up, and I'm in the process of building our website. So, welcome one and all. This is Day One of Chaotic Age Zero!