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Horizon / HZN

  • Organization
  • Hardcore
  • Exploration
    Exploration
  • Bounty Hunting
    Bounty Hunting
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A place for intelligent, talented, and driven individuals who simply wish to play amidst like-minded gamers.

Our Discord

History Manifesto Charter

History

“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”1

Beginnings

TopDawg and MadDawg, two longtime gamers and friends, had a simple vision: to excel at games and have fun while doing it. As two naturally competitive individuals, it was easy for them to regularly push one another to be the best at whatever they were playing; often times trying to one-up the other (their first taste of this with online gaming was through MechCommander Gold and Command & Conquer Renegade). This ethos would quickly translate into a foundation for how they would run the newly founded group. The story of Horizon, though, starts with PlanetSide.

The first of its kind, an MMOFPS all in real time, PlanetSide was a unique game and experience. An arcade shooter at heart, it offered massive fights on a massive scale; up to 166vs166vs166 per continent, featuring 10 continents, including vehicles and objectives. These fights were between three empires, the New Conglomerate, the Terran Republic, and the Vanu Sovereignty, in a persistent sandbox setting, all struggling on a global stage for their faction’s dominance. After joining and trying some initial Outfits that didn’t work out, it was decided that full focus would be directed towards their own Outfit, Knights Of The Old Republic (TRx), on the Terran Republic faction, on the east coast Emerald server. Thus, the events for Horizon’s creation were set into motion.

With TopDawg and MadDawg finally at the helm of an Outfit, the two began building an Outfit that they themselves would want to be a part of. With an emphasis on quality players, teamwork, and objective based play through skill and tactics, the Outfit grew to around 40 members and garnered a reputation as a premier PlanetSide Outfit; housing tremendous talent and even some of the best the server had to offer (both in skill and in leadership). One such member, Smokin, would go on to also lead TRx’s World of Warcraft group and become one of the fastest progression raiding Guilds on the Frostmane server.

While great leaders are a necessary ingredient, no group is successful because of its leaders alone. The truth of the matter is that a group is only what its membership makes it; just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The importance and stress placed on individual ability, with an emphasis on teamwork, facilitated the recruitment of key members that would go on to form a core for the group and its ideals. This mentality would also serve to foster an environment in which every member is an integral part to the group’s success.

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”1

Interim

After the PS and WoW days of the beginning era, the group would go on to branch out in varying games; yet have trouble finding that special something that made PS and WoW such long-lasting, endearing experiences. Global Agenda would be one such short-lived game, but not before leaving their mark on it. At one point TRx and the OP Alliance would control a ridiculous amount of the AvA domination map, going on to be part of the winners of the first season of AvA.

Despite the group’s successes in Global Agenda, it was the calm before a storm; the torrent hidden beneath gentle waves lapping on a distant shore. There were disagreements about what aspects of gaming the group should focus on. With some unhappy with the group’s direction, feeling it had lost sight of what it originally set out to do, an event that could later be referred to as ‘their civil war’ ensued. Like any conflict among friends and brethren alike, it was complicated, messy, unfortunate, and most of all, decidedly not fun. But all was not lost, and the immediate result of this was a splitting of the different ideals and a refocusing, with everyone freshly on the same page.

The first endeavor under their newly christened Horizon banner was Star Wars: The Old Republic. Although it would end up being another short-lived adventure, due in no small part to the ill-fated nature of the game, they had once again left their mark; this time on the Saber of Exar Kun server, becoming known as a top Guild and one of the best the Republic had to offer.

Wanting to get more in touch with their FPS roots, a few members would go on to head up and assemble a team to compete in the ESL Natural Selection 2 League. Through their work and dedication they would go on to place first in their division.

The Future

Although the future is yet to be written, if the past is even a small indicator of the future, it is their hope that this game will be the one to reignite that old spark of yesteryear; a space in which they can leave their mark and get up to all kinds of crazy shenanigans and tomfoolery.

They may not have always assumed the guise of Horizon, but the heart and soul of who they are has remained unchanged for more than a decade now. From two member’s humble beginnings in MechCommander Gold as Wolf In Exile, to becoming a powerhouse presence and discovering themselves in PlanetSide as Knights Of The Old Republic (TRx), getting it done in WoW as TRx, leaving their mark in Global Agenda as TRx (with the Alliance OP), and being a top Republic Guild in SW:TOR as Horizon, in addition to competing in Natural Selection 2 leagues as Horizon, they have enjoyed success and recognition and only plan on continuing that tradition going into the future.

With that decade of experience, playing numerous games together, gaining more talented players, forging lasting friendships, fond memories, and strong bonds—what some could possibly even refer to as a second family—they are eager to face new challenges, add more capable players to their roster, and create those new good-time feels that are so indispensable to the gaming experience, all the while continuing to expand upon their legacy.

“. . . we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit . . .”1

1 Quotes courtesy of Aristotle.

Manifesto

Who we are

Who we are is pretty simple: We play games, excel at them, and have fun doing it. Games are meant to be played for fun and in our experience winning tends to epitomize that. We achieve excellence through perpetual self-improvement. This, however, does not make us super-serious at all times. We often goof off, do silly things, and joke with each other. But at the end of the day, we are a competitive group first and foremost and expect a high level of competence from our members. In addition to the skill component, personality matters; being fun to play with is just as important.

Our hardcore tag is more of a mentality than an actual time commitment. We understand that people get busy and have lives outside of video games. As such there are no minimum required playtimes. We figure that if you’re having fun, your playtime will reflect as much. That being said, we still expect our members to be proficient and/or contribute in meaningful ways. We are selective with our recruitment, but if we think you have the potential and a good attitude, we may try to help cultivate that talent.

In-game endeavors

There’s a good deal of time between now and release and there’s many unknowns about how the game will actually function and how its multiple parts will all interact (despite any theorycrafting threads to the contrary). We want members to be able to enjoy all aspects of Star Citizen (just no pirating with a Horizon tagged character), but as an Org we will focus primarily in combat related functions and specifically PvP. However, until more information becomes known, we may potentially incorporate an economic side, zeroing in on whatever we may find to be fun/necessary.

While we currently allow friends of Horizon to join as affiliates through the Org page—it’s unclear at this time how the Org webpage translates to in-game, i.e. whether affiliates will be able to sport the tag or not—we are an exclusive Org by nature. We assume that if you’re wanting to be a member of Horizon, that means you intend to play the game primarily with us. We don’t expect every solitary gaming second to necessarily be spent with us, but we are a tight-knit group that relies on and values every member. If you’re playing regularly, but not with us, we simply assume you no longer desire to be a member.

Joining up

If this sounds like something you want to be a part of, contact TopDawg via PM through the RSI website, visit our Discord and send a message in the Star Citizen channel, or use the Orgs site here and fill out an application. This correspondence will initiate a dialogue which will likely lead to a kind of trial period where we will assess your proficiency, general competence, and overall attitude (this is mutually beneficial as you are also able to gauge how well a fit we are for you). You will not be invited to the Org, for trial or otherwise, without us having played with you first.

Some basics to keep in mind as to not squander anyone’s time:
  • Possess a high level of proficiency for the game we’re playing.
  • Be fun to play with.
  • Conduct yourself with an overall manner of maturity.
  • A microphone and headphones, the accompanying VOIP program we use, and fluency in the English language.
  • A computer and internet connection that does not inhibit your ability to play.
  • An attitude compatible with taking criticism and facilitating a desire to perpetually improve oneself.
In your application, please be sure to include:
  • How you heard about us.
  • Why you want to join and what you’re able to bring to the group.
  • Your preferred role and ship(s).
  • Your age, time zone, and estimated times of play and length of session(s).
  • Your computer specs and peripherals (whether you play with a mouse and keyboard, joystick, or controller).
  • If you were referred to fill out an app, by whom you were referred.
  • Your current and past Orgs, and reason(s) for leaving them.
  • Your gaming background and a little about yourself; a group is only what its players make it.

The bottom line is we’re just a group of gamers who enjoy playing games with like-minded people. After all, games are meant to be played for fun. Good luck and see you in the ‘verse!

Charter

The Rules

The ‘rules’ for Horizon are also pretty simple.

As a Member of Horizon:
  • One should never have to worry about another Member not being able to hold his or her own in the game.
  • One should never have to worry about being embarrassed by another Member’s conduct.
  • One should never be apprehensive about playing with another Member due to personality conflicts.

The bottom line is we’re just a group of gamers who enjoy playing games with like-minded people. After all, games are meant to be played for fun.