Dude, Andreas, I couldn't resist man.
You've coaxed me out from the lurking shadows and the history, hehe.
It seems as though once every couple of years I get the urge to dig up old threads....to help me remember how amazingly great the entire Unreal gaming world treated me, and how much damned fun it was!
It's beyond cool to see all of you posting here. It really is.
Hell, you even brought up names I'd forgotten....Embodier. Ha! I haven't even thought of that word in a decade, let alone thought about the player. He was the guy who actually invited me to come play in the clan scene.
My God...it seems so long ago, hehe.
I remember playing you and Ulath on the original Deck16 and Ariza maps. At that time, I knew absolutely nothing about the online gaming culture. You guys just played the game for the fun of it, so with that being my first introduction, I just kinda went that way with everything.
Embodier and Trakusure had me playing these dudes in order to get into the clan......Hellraiser and his Canadian buddies. Doodah and .....Quake.....er.....SomethingQuake hahaha...can't remember the rest of his name! Spent a ton of time playing with TOG and DTA as things progressed.
Sheeet....this could turn into something that would make War and Peace look like a short story!
This silly little game....a game I never intended to do anything more than play for the sheer sake of the eye candy......gave me several years of great fun, stress release, and pleasure. I was given a free trip to North Carolina to film that TV show with Infinity and TheOtherGuy and Mass. Destrukt was supposed to go but couldn't get there. He SOOOOO badly wanted to prove just how good he was. That was a great trip.
Tooly you old war-horse, hehe. You were always around helping people as much as you were playing.
A couple of years ago I spent a few talking with Stryfe. That reminded me of Void, the only other clanner of mine that used a PantherXL. Why oh WHY did I have to learn on that stupid thing!?!?
I just figured a controller designed for the "new thing of FPS" was a smart move. Boy, did I miss the boat on that one!
Devl you old horndog! It was cool seeing your name on here, but you were always one to keep the boards alive. Hope you're well man.
Svennlito, I remember you man.
You Euro guys were always so friendly. It made Unreal a true pleasure to play and experience. Not just the game, but the online friendships and social interactions.
Sicko, what's up you HPB? (can't recall the last time I typed "HPB"
). Best high pinger I ever played. Talk about someone who got the most out of what he had to work with. You'd have made a good marine dude.
Null, it's been years man. If you see Flex, let him know I stopped in and said hi.
Was there ever a better place to play than the ever-reliable FYM Server? Sure, we had the GB server, but the FYM seemed to just be the "sweet spot" where most of the players could ping-in and have a steady match.
Iceman, I'm glad you named all those names. BPH and his girl Nina. I wonder what happened to them, and if they are still together. They had a little girl if I remember correctly.
So many names remembered, and not nearly enough time to mention them all. All the dudes in NBK, FYM, Goddamned FSU-Wally that bowling fugger! Pox's crazy antics with the rocket launcher. Magic8Ball was Hellraisers cousin. I wonder if Supababe kept her marriage together?
Who else....Dman was running an....ummm....."website"......for discriminating adults years ago. Wonder if that's still happening lol! SATAN and his good-natured chit-talking buds. I miss alot of that.
As I was fading out of the game, it was interesting watching the team aspect of the play begin to evolve. The C1 guys were better collectively than they were individually. I was never a great team player, haha. They truly had the team concept of it all down.
The worst part about this is I am ashamed that I cannot remember AT LEAST half the names I should. My first real bud's name was Brian, yet I can't remember his nickname. I suppose that's a compliment in some way.
It's too bad I didn't learn on a mouse. When I got to New York and couldn't compete, that was pretty much the end for me. I had a great time competing in Arizona though. Destrukt was probably the best player I'd been around. I felt a sense of pride in, maybe, helping him along his way.
I do wonder what's happened to many of these guys. You out there TheOtherGuy? Hehe.
There was a guy I used to play in uber-private 1-1 matches. He was on his way up, I was on my way down...fading out of the scene as if in a slow bleed, if you will. Can't remember his name to save my life!
All of you made playing the game pure pleasure. I felt as though there was a brief time when I was very good, and it was an amazing feeling when the hands, body, and mind all moved in unison. When those gaming moments happen, you don't think about movements and actions...they just happen. I was a big fish in a small, emerging pond. It didn't take long for me to get passed by, and I was ok with it. It was a younger man's game. I never played an FPS game until Unreal, and I didn't buy the game until I was 28, an age when hand/eye skilled people are passed their prime
I have wondered once in a while......I wonder how things would have played out if, when I was standing in the CompUSA store staring at the two games, I had reached for the copy of Quake instead...
Who knows.....maybe this thread will bring out the names of people I'm shamed to admit I've forgotten, but were part of the energy that made Unreal so much a great time in my life. I certainly owe some more kudos to people, so I hope they show up and say hello.
War and Peace? Maybe.
