Deployment

[FANGS]

Good morning!

Just to give you an update on the deployment process - I've provided a membership application form to the Regiment Staff to submit their own gear so we can test out any potential issues that may arise in our process.

Once we have that smoothed out, we'll be having the Regiment Staff work with each of you in their Regiments to get your applications submitted. For the time being, we're going to start with our costumed tiers simply because the form is designed for that and I believe it won't submit without photos of your costume. We'll get a form for our Non-Costume tiers set up shortly so we can get all of you properly registered as well!

I suspect that we're going to come across some issues as we go along so we'll do our best to keep you all informed. I realize that at the moment the below descriptions taken from the Mantle are a little bit vague in terms of exactly what each tier looks like. However, as we go through this process we will be working hard to develop specific examples for each tier and keep our determinations consistant. I do expect there to be hiccups but we'll always do our best to fix them.

Thanks everyone!

Costuming Members

• Type D - Deployed Membership:is limited membership open to persons 18 years or older who own a completed Halo-based costume that meets the requirements of the organization.
• Tier 1 - Apprentice Costumer: is limited membership open to persons who own a costume that meets the first level with regard to the standards of accuracy, completeness, and quality of construction as required by the 405th.
• Tier 2 – Hero Costumer: is limited membership open to persons who own a costume that meets the second level with regard to the standards of accuracy, completeness, and quality of construction as required by the 405th.
• Tier 3 - Legend Costumer: is limited membership open to persons who own a costume that meets the third level with regard the standards of accuracy, completeness, and quality of construction as required by the 405th.

A Deployed Member is defined as a member in good standing who meets the following requirements:

• Meets all 405th Deployed Membership Requirements (i.e. ownership of an approved costume, is over 18 years of age, etc).
• Has submitted and had approved a Deployed Membership application.
• Maintains active contact with their Regiment/Battalion.
• Participates in at least one Regiment/Battalion or Division activity per year* while wearing an approved 405th costume owned by said member as recorded during their application. Examples of an activity include, but are not limited to conventions, charity events, or any activity designated as an event by a coordinating administrative unit of the 405th.

Upon becoming a Deployed Member, applicants agree to:

• Having their personal data stored with 405th records, e.g. the Deployed Member database.
• Disciplinary data being held against that personal data.
• Their personal name being used in the course of business in the 405th Infantry Division.
• The 405th being able to share personal data to any justified party within the course of the 405th's business, including convention organizers, 343i, social media and law enforcement.

*Members who serve in military branches or in professions that may keep them from attending events for a time greater than twelve (12) months are exempt from activity level requirements if their service or profession renders them unable to meet these requirements.
These Minimum Activity Level Requirements should be administered as justly and with as much common sense as possible.
A member may retain active status, even if they do not meet all of the requirements listed above at the discretion of their unit Commanding Officer.
A Deployed Member is eligible to:

• Vote in polls of the Deployed Membership.
• Vote in local elections.
• Run for and/or hold elected or appointed offices in the 405th.
• Coordinate/host official 405th events as designated or allowed by their unit leader.
• Create “Deployed Member-only” merchandise. (creation must be approved by the DIO)
• Buy 405th merchandise.
• Have their picture displayed on 405th produced promotional materials/websites/social media
• Participate in official 405th events (i.e. charity benefits, celebrity appearances, guest escorts, etc).
• Have access to the Deployed Member forums.

Upon admission, Deployed Members will choose a unique number in the 405th member catalog. The catalog number is unique to the individual member and is non-transferable.
Members agree to use and wear their costumes in accordance with the participation requirements as set forth by the 405th.
Members are expected to comply with their respective applicable local, regional, and national laws.
The right to grant, deny, revoke, or suspend membership is reserved by and under the sole authority of the Division Commanding Officer and may not be superseded by any rules of any 405th subdivision or unit.
We reserve the right to deny or revoke membership at any time, based on any past criminal history as outlined in Operational Procedures and in accordance with the laws of the applicable country or region within. Notice of such denial or revocation will be filed with the 405th Command Staff.

 

[Cadet]

fangs I understand that idea I'm on my third sniper rifle (reach type.) and I've learned a lot for my frist build till now, but for some one like me who has a large number of prop's and armor like DFT and other's what are you to do, I do know some try at the whole movie idea because they've reached that point; but then you have the ones that sell their hard work. at some point we reach an inpass and what are we to do then?

...what?

If I am reading this correctly, you are saying you agree with Fangs that you have developed your skills over the course of several builds, but are you then trying to ask what does someone do when they have a large number of different props and sets of armor? You give examples of people trying to make fan films with their costumes and props and others who just sell them. I am unsure what this has to do with the discussion of Deployment Tiers. What a person does with their deployed costume is up to them. You can attend conventions, game releases, MLG tournaments, other promotional or charity events. Whatever someone asks the 405th to do, or your regiment decides to do is what you can do with your completed costume or prop.

Unless, are you trying to ask what happens if a person applies for membership/deployment with a costume, and then sells it later? Well, in the 501st (Calm down and put your pitch forks away. The rampant, obsessive, anti-501st bashing is what almost drove me away from this group entirely in the past, and it still makes me a little upset to see it continuing to this day, even from a member of The Staff) there is a yearly census, where you are asked if you still have the costume you applied with. If you have had to sell it, or get it rid of it, you then become "Inactive." I assume things could/would be done the same around here. You stay in touch with your regimental leader, if at some point you come to a point where you no longer have the costume you applied for deployment with, well, then you lose your deployment status. Whether it is on the CO, the Member, or a combination of both to keep that information up to date will have to be hashed out.

What people do with their own costumes is their own prerogative. It is after all, your own property. Applying for deployment doesn't suddenly make the costume the property of the 405th. Applying for deployment doesn't mean you aren't allowed to use or loan your costume out for use in a Fan Film. Applying for deployment doesn't mean you aren't allowed to sell your costume at some point if you no longer want it, or need the money. You also don't have to apply for deployment with every costume or prop you make. You can make a bunch of costumes for a Fan Film if you want, but that doesn't mean you have to apply with all of them or every actor who uses them has to apply with the costume they used.

This entire thing is voluntary. Every aspect of it.

As for some of the other concerns, like Chernobyl, the different costume levels are simply a status, badge of honor thing. Nowhere, ever, have I seen it suggested that different costuming levels will get different rewards or opportunities. I have seen no mention anywhere of "Legendary Tier" only sub-Forums, merchandise, or events. Once again I feel compelled to point out something that the 501st does, and ask you to once again put down your pitch forks and just listen. The 501st does have costuming tiers or levels for several of the costumes, decided upon by that costumes Detachment. In most cases there are 3 tiers. The basic entry level tier, and then two other tiers each with increasing accuracy and detail. And these tiers grant nothing more than a title, a sense of pride, and something to strive for, if you want to. Plenty of people are perfectly happy just going basic and just continuing to troop. You can look at any of the completed CRLs to see the differences between costuming tiers:
http://www.501st.com/databank/Costuming:TK_anh_hero

Although, there may come a day when an event requester only asks for either certain costumes (SPARTANS only for example) or certain quality of Costumes, and at that point, if not before, the 405th will have to decide whether honoring the request the event host is worth making some people feel left out, or whether the Regiment will reject the event outright if not every member is welcome to attend. Because if the 405th gets big enough and well known enough, this might happen.

 

[foxleader]

to put it simply cadet would people like them be at the top or at an all together new level build in the past we had master builders and now we have this so where would those people go? that is what I was saying.

 

[Chernobyl]

to put it simply cadet would people like them be at the top or at an all together new level build in the past we had master builders and now we have this so where would those people go? that is what I was saying.

I think you might need to revise your statements a little before entering them - unfortunately, you're not making an awful lot of sense.

If I'm understanding you correctly, you're referring to the previous 'Elite Showcase' we had for featuring high-level builds. As far as I recall, the idea of showcasing builds in such a way fell by the wayside as the Elite Showcase section tended to be misused and featured incomplete, in-progress builds rather than complete, finished builds. It also suffered a little from favouritism, which is something we're trying to avoid here. I'm not entirely sure how tier grading would work for those who own multiple costumes, however I'd assume that each set would need to be graded on a case-by-case basis before being awarded a certain tier grading - for example, you could own one Legendary-tier costume and one Hero-tier costume. I'd also assume that tier grading operates for costuming only - I may be mistaken, and there may be a different grading system put in place for prop builds down the line, but these gradings operate upon the assumption that members are building costumes to wear on deployments.

Finally: I would assume that any costume that's been graded would retain that grading if sold on to another member in an identical or very similar state. As I mentioned earlier, while I personally find the idea of purchased costumes to be slightly beside the point of a costume-building community, the fact remains that we can't exclude members from participating based on how they acquired their costumes, and therefore we'd need to grade their sets as fairly and as objectively as if we were grading a scratch-built set.

So, to summarise:

- We don't have an 'Elite Builds' section any more, and while I may be mistaken in saying this, I don't believe there are any plans to bring it back. Having a graded set should be a reward in and of itself.
- Current grading rules reflect costume builds, not props.
- Gradings remain with costumes if they're sold on.

 

[FANGS]

If a costume is approved and then sold to someone else who will be using it in the 405th, the costume will have to be re-approved. IF the costume fits you well and is still in good condition etc. etc. there will be no issue to it being approved for a new owner. Again, everything boils down to fit.

As well, there is 100% nothing wrong with getting an armor kit from one of our great craftspeople. The amount of work that still goes in to building a kit like that is tremendous and should never be looked down upon simply because they didn't use a different method. Your costumes are based on the finished product and how it looks on YOU. Fit, fit, FIT! Whether you build it from the ground up, build it from a kit or buy one from someone else who built one doesn't matter. What matters is what the kit looks like and how it fits you.

Let's refrain from speculation and what ifs. Once we get going on the process, each of you will be working with your local command and with myself and Masterchief0624 to get this all sorted out and we can deal with specific concerns at that time with you.

 

[Jobe Devian]

Hi again. Just wondering where the deployment process is at. I haven't heard anything for a while.

 

[FANGS]

There will be an update in a week or so following a meeting with the RCO's.

 

[MNCProps]

thanks for the update I was beginning to think my deployment application got lost

 

[Mesh]

I would quite like to get an application put in, Is this still to be set up or is there a way I can actually do it? :b

 

[Chernobyl]

I would quite like to get an application put in, Is this still to be set up or is there a way I can actually do it? :b

We're still working out the details - we need to have a solid set of guidelines put together for costume quality before we can begin grading them. It likely won't be long before we have something in place to allow us to begin grading costumes and accepting members for deployed status.

 

[FANGS]

We in Division are hard at work on getting this ironed out to make it as smooth as possible a process for all of you. The biggest issue of course is the fact that there are a kajillion different versions that can happen in-game so it's super difficult to put together a guide of sorts to give as a reference. But we are working hard on it and expect to be getting this underway very soon. We know there will be changes in terms of process along the way but the one thing we want to be sure of is that we have an even hand when placing costumes in tiers so that it's always done fairly and always done consistently.

In the meantime, if you have gear that is ready to go, please start having that conversation with your local Membership Officer. Top two things we're looking for - can it happen in game and does it fit you well. Post photos of your gear within your Regiment and get feedback from your fellow members. I find this always helps as it's hard for you to see everything while it's on you. Plus, it will help those still building to see how it all looks once it's done. Once again, pictures will be requested from you after your application is received so please have your photos done - full front, full back and full side x 2 against a plain background so we can see all of the detail. Show off all of your hard work! I'm looking forward to seeing it all!

 

[peterthethinker]

Hello FANGS. Is there a preferred MP Pixel count and file type?

 

[Reclaimara]

OMG. I have no idea how I missed this thread.

I think it's a good idea, especially if 405th wants to be taken more seriously. I don't mean to say that 405th isn't taken seriously, but more like 501st is and you have pointed out - that some certain tiers may or may not be allowed on all parties, but 405th isn't excluding everyone and each and every member has a place here and is welcome.

I find this idea really nice but I was also initially bit scared when I started to read this thread. Luckily, most of my fears are gone.
I just also hope that the Legendary tier isn't something IMPOSSIBRU to achieve that will only be approved if it's 3D printed and and and...

I'm just curious if there is any application form or something like that. o.o
Not that I'm close to finish with my build... just for future information. o.o

 

[Chernobyl]

Hello FANGS. Is there a preferred MP Pixel count and file type?

I'd personally recommend no larger than 1920x1080 per view in either .PNG or .JPG - as long as the image itself is clear, high-quality and shows off the detail that's needed, size and file type shouldn't really be so much of an issue.

Remember: we don't expect our members to be professional photographers, but likewise, iPhone selfies in the bathroom mirror aren't going to cut it. Cellphone cameras nowadays can take images of an appreciable resolution (my Samsung Galaxy Note II takes images up to 3264x2448), and it shouldn't be too difficult to find a friend or family member to help you take some outdoor photographs with the flash off (assuming you can't find a place to set your camera and use the timer). That said, if you wanted to spend the extra money and have your photographs done professionally, we won't stop you. Pretty much we're only asking for people to use some common sense when they're putting together their deployment portfolio. The attached image should explain things a little better for you.

If users are having problems with re-scaling large images, or converting them into other formats, a great tool I've found absolutely indispensable is XnConvert. The program is absolutely free and allows batch conversion of image files into just about any size or format you'd fancy - I use it frequently when batch-converting texture files for the Archives.

 

[shwarzwald]

By any chance would we end up making a costume reference library of sorts too? Thats one thing I like on the 501st is that it allows me to get an idea of what they want to meet the different level of tiers. (Which I really hope my clone can at least meet tier 1...)

 

[FANGS]

@Marawuff - I'm glad your fears have been reduced! And no. Legendary isn't going to be unattainable. In fact, I'm sure we have several members who are already at that level. The ideas are basic, proper fit, proper pieces, clean lines and finish etc., a good inner strapping system so the pieces sit where they should. Nothing overly complicated. Now depending on where a person's gear falls within those basic ideas, will determine which category.

I very much want to stress that being in the lower tier absolutely does not mean your gear is bad and you're being punished. I have stayed in the base level/entry level my entire "career" in the 501st and I'm perfectly content with that. My costumes are good, they fit me well and they meet or exceed the base standard. Most costumes also have a secondary level and some have a third. I applaud anyone who strives to go for these levels but it's just not for me. No one looks down on me for it. No one thinks my gear is substandard etc. It is a personal choice as to whether or not you want to go further. And that is exactly what we have going on here. It is simply a recognition that is available should you want it. Not a punishment for those who do not want or meet the standard.

And what if you don't meet that base level? We will do our best to work with you on what needs to be tweaked. I have added in a new staff member, mothmonty, who is working hard with Masterchief0624 to get this going and they are going to do their best to provide useful feedback of the reasoning behind their decision. I can tell you as well that both mothmonty and I have had costumes that were originally denied in the 501st and the Rebel Legion so we know how hard it is to get that email. But I don't want people to be discouraged. We aren't going to ask for complete perfection at any level and between us and your home Regiments, we're going to work hard at helping you along.

There is currently a form in the Forms tab along the top of the forum, however, Asgardianhammer was kind enough to create a form that might actually make thing easier for everyone so we're going to be testing that out. We just want to make the process as simple as we can for all and as informative as possible so you don't walk away from it not understanding what was said or why.

PLEASE DON'T STRESS ABOUT THIS. Just do your best with your gear, take any constructive comments about what might need to be fixed as an attempt to assist you and not as a negative criticism of your work and make sure it fits you well. It doesn't matter what your height or weight is....whether you are male or female. Just do your best, be open to working with us and HAVE FUN!

 

[Benton188]

I for one am not worried. I know my armor isn't going to be the bees knees, or anywhere close to what I'm guessing. I'm just waiting to see what all the application is going to have on it and how much more effort I'm going to have to put in for next time if I want to up my level :cool

 

[FANGS]

I for one am not worried. I know my armor isn't going to be the bees knees, or anywhere close to what I'm guessing. I'm just waiting to see what all the application is going to have on it and how much more effort I'm going to have to put in for next time if I want to up my level :cool

You get extra points for the usage of "bees knees". ;-)

 

[transmut1]

Would fully functioning Halo3 MC bullet proof (to 9mm) armor be legendary status? hehe, I already have all my materials in for the Kevlar undersuit, metal work to begin soon.

I'm just joking on the legendary thing, that's entirely up to you guys to grade on. I do plan on making it metal and as accurate as I can in that realm with the materials and tools I have on hand.

Personally I love how great my super modified Rubies kit looks, and so does everyone I meet in it. But the plastic only lasts for so long with how I use it and I want to make a new one so much better. And I just figured going the extra 1 mile to do it all in metal and make it as close to functioning armor as I could afford to would be awesome.

 

[Chernobyl]

Would fully functioning Halo3 MC bullet proof (to 9mm) armor be legendary status? hehe, I already have all my materials in for the Kevlar undersuit, metal work to begin soon.

I'm just joking on the legendary thing, that's entirely up to you guys to grade on. I do plan on making it metal and as accurate as I can in that realm with the materials and tools I have on hand.

Personally I love how great my super modified Rubies kit looks, and so does everyone I meet in it. But the plastic only lasts for so long with how I use it and I want to make a new one so much better. And I just figured going the extra 1 mile to do it all in metal and make it as close to functioning armor as I could afford to would be awesome.

I'd strongly advise against trying to advertise your armour as 'bullet proof' - the very last thing we need is some kid thinking he can hammer some aluminium plates together and then go out on the range to get shot at. There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to go for a more authentic approach to creating your armour set ( Sandbagger is doing very well with his Iron Man set, for example), and it's always interesting to see new techniques and mediums being used, but... please. Reconsider grading your armour as 'bullet proof', we already have to deal with people thinking that fibreglass and bondo are suitable protection from paintballing and airsoft activities.

As for grading: if it looks the part, it'll be graded as such, no doubt.

 

[BuildsByBaz]

Oh man. Where do I start.

I am ex royal Australian army and ex gun freak and bullet collector so I know just a little about ballistics.

DO NOT EVER BUILD A SUIT AND EXPECT ANY BULLET NOT TO PENETRATE IT. EVEN A .22 CAL LEAD SLUG CAN FIND ITS WAY IN TO PUT A HOLE THROUGH YOU.

LEAVE THAT **** TO MILITARY WEAPONS DEVELOPERS AND POLICE/GOVERNMENT PROTECTIVE R&D SERVICES.

I know I have put that all in caps and may seem over the top, but even based on the quote above about bulletproof to 9mm could end up with some ignorant/naive idiot doing something stupid and winding up dead based on starry eyed notions of a fantasy costume.

Let's not even risk encouraging that.

My whole costume is steel and wouldn't stop ****. At .95mm thick it is already at 40kg. You can work the rest out for yourself.

SB