Alvin: Prizes, very difficult. But then I've never really had enough time to sort them out. I don't see prizes being banded about a lot in Leagues (other than loaned server ports) and as we are independent obviously that isn't something we can actually give out!

Servers, difficult at times, sometimes very easy. Right now the whole servers issue is being lessened because of the increasing trend in clans paying for their own ports. But we always seem to pull something out of the hat as regards servers!!

LoneGun: I have learnt that it's bloody hard work and you get out what you put in. It feels good to me that most clans involved have been thankful for my input into the league.

• Season 1 = Knockout Tournament
  
• Season 2 = Ladder
  
• Season 3 = 21 Clan Premiership & Ladder Flexi Ladder
  
• Season 4 = Flexi-Rigid Ladder (still IMO the best system, especially as now I have the coding knowledge to make it work)
  
• Season 5 = Multiple-Fixed Division & Ladder underneath.
  
• Season 6 = Ditto

LoneGun: Last season I introduced 3 set divisions, a no dual-clanning rule and bonus points for getting a certain amount of caps per map. This helped get rid of a lot of the lockdowns that happened in the second half of he previous season.

• The massive hit count on the website.
  
• The mentions in 4 UK Gaming magazines in the space of 3 months in early 2000.
  
• Getting a job as a Web Developer with the UKTFCL website as the centrepiece in my CV
  
• Making lots and lots of friends online.

LoneGun: The highlight was seeing the league work well last season and I haven't really had any low points yet (fingers crossed).

[UESC]Si: Highpoint....hmmm, just when someone sends you an ICQ or e-mail saying thanks for the work, that's the best part. My low points are generally match disputes between big/biggish clans. I can't mention my worst clan dispute as I promised to one clan involved I wouldn't bring it up again.

LoneGun: I was only involved as a clan leader when the patch came out, and the main thing it did was bring bigger defences into play. I'm not sure how it affected the league apart from a few of the bigger clans leaving/splitting.

Alvin: It doesn't bother me. I actually think its just funny looking from a website/rules/league-layout perspective how all the other Leagues (to a greater or lesser extent) have at one time or another copied out of the UKTFCL 'cookbook'. As far as I'm concerned we've (the 1337 UKTFCL Admin crew) been doing it for so long now that now we have got it "right". Other leagues can now avoid many of the pitfalls which we have had to overcome. I know I'd do the same in their situation. In terms of rectifying it in future seasons, I personally have a few enhancements up my sleeve which will make the UKTFCL much much easier to participate in than it already is, apart from that it's purely the Admins and the teams that draw other players and other teams into the League.

[UESC]Si: It doesn't bother me that much, I'm eager to see how each league performs this season. It should be very interesting to see what happens in their new format. Rectify? This is the best the league has ever been from an admin's point of view and I hope a clan's point of view. Almost every clan in the league I think has a very good chance of seeing the season out, I expect a lot less droppages this season.

Alvin: To a League the size of the UKTFCL a database enabled website is essential to its success. The sheer amount of information that has to be co-coordinated together and then presented in a useful and easy to understand fashion is phenomenal. It takes say 4 weeks to build a kick-ass website, but then it takes another 4 weeks to build the behind-the-scenes stuff that makes it all work. Over the past 4 months the website has seen a re-design as well as a 100% recoded backend structure, that along with a (relatively seamless) migration to SQL Server means there are now no holds barred for more funkeh ASP stuff. Now the only problem is finding the time to do it!!

[UESC]Si: Sites are not important, it is the clans that make a league what it is. Good clans, good league, end of story. The only reason you need a good site is so that it is easier for the newer clans to find their way about. Alv has made a fooking brilliant site behind the scenes, almost everything you see on the main page can be edited by the admins, basically meaning that eventually Alv can just retire and let people alter the site as they need to for changes.

[UESC]Si: God knows. I still remember the original SLH and think the
new SLH is still a newbie clan, I also remember when UESC drew with DW ;).

[UESC]Si: Not one winner of UKTFCL has taken part in the next season. iD won S1 and were not in S2. SM. won S2 and were not in S3. So it's more of a tradition and we seem to have coped so far.

[UESC]Si: Yes, but only with help. We have advisors in UKTFCL that
basically look after a div 3 clan. Me and Storm hope these hard working people will help the new clans at least get the right maps for the right weeks and help them get tactics for them so that they will find them fun and stick with the maps.

Alvin: I no longer play TFC, but I loved Shutdown League, and even though F2C never won on Crossover 2 that is also an excellent map.

[UESC]Si: Rock2 (I know it's shit now) but I'm old skool and I remember it
being a fooking fun map.

[UESC]Si: Mercing is banned. There was an interesting discussion on BWTFCL forums recently on dual clanning but ultimatly mercs and dual clanners are banned. Nosebleed and Mink are making WON ID database which should deter some people from doing it and perhaps catch a few.

[UESC]Si: I ain't played a clan match in ages so I wouldn't know, although it's a sad fact that UESC has been using a sniper in defence on Well since TFC came out, and even now people call it lame. Shame it's only because fell is actually quite a good sniper and stops half their offence even getting to our main defence. Clans should police themselves, it's a reflection on the community as a whole if lots of clans use these lame tactics. The work involved to police "lame tactics" would be immense, 1 ref could not be everywhere at once, it would become a mess.

[UESC]Si: In CS it is a major issue because it means you can set
ambush's up easier, in TFC it just means you get to the enemy base faster which..hmmm.. it ain't a major issue but I wouldn't mind seeing it got rid of.

Alvin: It will last as long as there are still clans who want to play in it, as long as wuubley people such as MORAT (I wub j000 MORAT) want to host the website (and server!) for free. Oh and as long as LG or some other dedicated TFC'ers with their finger on the TFC pulse takes the reigns.

[UESC]Si: I'm retiring at the end of this season but I think UKTFCL
will be here for a few more seasons yet and it will continue to get better :)

The ECSL continues it development (in code as well as in my head). Barrysworld took away their 4 server ports but that's okay because we now have support from a major UK ISP. I'm keeping quiet about it right now. As for launch date I obviously want to get it all right when we launch, so no date yet. One thing I will say is that I don't see any real "competition" in terms of CS leagues here in the UK that will affect the ECSL, because the ECSL is aiming to be truly European!

Fort Far2Cool really encompasses all the gaming sites on far2cool.com, more on that nearer TF2's release, but in the meantime we'll be venturing out into the world of LAN parties early on in the new year.