Wormholes

TL;DR: So long and thanks for all the fish, but it's time to move on.


Back in March of 2011, I began what became an experiment in wormhole corp organization: the Talocan United alliance. Branching off from the ROTEM alliance/coalition, I wanted to see if it was indeed possible to make a successful large, multi-system wormhole alliance that still acted and functioned together as a single entity. It was no mean feat, to be sure, but I was eager to see if it would work and I felt up to the task.

Two plus years later, and the final results of the experiment: "Eh."

It is certainly possible to hook up corporations from disconnected areas of space via metagame tools like forums, teamspeak, Siggy. It is also certainly possible to get pilots from those corps in regular weekly fleets, whether it be a system assault, low/null sec roam, Black Ops drop, etc. But the ever-present issue, either lurking in the shadows or brought into the forefront through drama, are the different corporation mentalities. It's a fact that's noticeable enough when corporations live together in the same system and interact on a daily basis. You can imagine what it's like when corporations really see and interact with each other only via alliance operations (mandatory or otherwise).

I can best liken the experience of leading Talocan United through its two-year history with this image.

The format of Talocan United works best on the offensive, when pilots from many different homes converge together in a single system. Then, everyone can enjoy spending time working together towards a specific goal, with stories to take home afterwards. But it's the downtimes inbetween, when players have little uniting them other than a shared channel and a spiffy logo, that people always start drifting apart. Invariably, at least one group becomes slightly more serious about organization, standards, and PVP than others in the alliance; and resentment slowly breeds. Add in the occasional spark of drama or random act of stupidity, and someone always asks, "So why am I in the same alliance with these other people anyway?"

It's no secret that one of our corps was recently evicted twice within the same month. While this fact isn't enough to break apart a successful alliance, I finally realized that I had no longer had any good answer to that one question. System-wide alliances make sense on a logistical scale. Multi-system alliances...well, it can quickly feel like a ball and chain. This situation is common to most alliances, I know; and Talocan United was fortunate in that separations were generally made with a minimum of drama. But it's been two years, and I'm tired of fighting brushfires and trying to keep 650 pilots on the same page. It's time for something new.

Therefore, the Talocan United alliance will officially dissolve at the end of this month (May 31st). Since member corps are already sharing spaces in home systems, very little will change mechanically for them. Indeed, our alliance tools will remain active for some time after the dissolution date, to ensure all have had sufficient time to find replacements. You'll still see the same pilots flying around in the same ships they always did, just perhaps with new flags flying over their masts.

I've been living in C5 space with some of my close friends from my alliance, and this will continue. I look forward to actually using my trained capital pilots, instead of having them sit unused for future alliance operations. I will also continue to be updating my website (www.TalocanUnited.com) with pertinent information about wormholes, specifically with the upcoming Odyssey expansion in mind. The website URL might change, but the content will remain.

Thanks for all the fights, the friendships, and the support from the community. It's been real. It's been fun. And it's been real fun.

See you all in unknown space.

Sorry to see it end. Best of luck to everyone!

Can I have your stuff?

Goodluck with whatever you guys are going to be doing :)

Hey Nathen (I know it is with an a) I guess all things come to an end. Just to let you know you did do a good job keeping that alliance together. Even though there were quite a few things I disagreed with, you still deserve credit for a job well done.

A pat on the back and an attaboy for Nathan!
Hope your wife and boy are doing well. Take care




It was never you I had a problem with, it was Zed.

Thanks, Rover. Your corp left with a little more drama than most, but it's all water under the bridge now. Thanks for your well wishes.

o7 Talocan, may you all maintain the fighting spirit you displayed for us last weekend.

Sucks to see it end, but TU should remain.

TL went through the same process (although with much more drama). It's really difficult to manage multi-hole alliances, it is too disjointed and hard to keep things cohesive.

Had a great time while I was with you guys.
o7

Nathan, your site has been a favorite link of mine to share with many who have come seeking more information on wormholes and looking for knowledge and a place to start. It is great to hear that you will be maintaining it, and best wishes to you and yours as you guys transition.

o7m8

Tedious in RL as well

Godspeed you TALUN Emperor and all ex-W-UNI corps o7