- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
So, in an earlier post, I alluded to posting the story of how I came upon the idea of a forum server. Since my server is running right now, and I'd actually have to think to play Alpha Centauri on the laptop, I think I'll tell anyone willing to listen the story. Hang on, it's gonna be long....
A little background before we start. I play primarily CTF - if the game on the sevrer switches, I won't leave, but I love CTF. I think it involves the most strategy of any gametype. With that said, since I started playing CE, I've noticed that most of the CTF games are stacked or empty. So, I usually bounce between a couple of the seven or eight servers running a CTF game. Another thing I'm picky about is communication. Halo PC's only major multiplayer flaw, in my book, is that there is no teamspeak built-in. I'm a Natural-Selection convert - communitcation is how games were won and lost for me.
Last saturday night, I was playing with a guy named RSA Imp - good guy. I was talking up a storm organizing strategies and telling ppl where to go. Well, it turns out Imp was looking for a team player for his clan and he notices this along with my modest amount of intelligence, skill, and sportsmanship.
Now, bear in mind I play with the same handle I use in the forums - aM Inspire. It looks like I am wearing a tag - and indeed I am. The tag aM is latin for Angels of Death - a clan I belonged to when I played Natural Selection. The clan is now bisdanded and I'm the only one who still wears the tag. (Notice my siggy). Anyway - this is primarily used as a deterrent for getting invited to newbish clans.
So he asks me if I'm in a clan and we go chat on AIM and I grill him about his clan and finally say that sounds cool - what do I have to do? Nothing - just chill for a day and let him clear it. See, he's the leader of the clan. (Awesome - the leader of the clan himself recruited me!).
So I wait and Sunday morning I have an e-mail that says I got in. I'm a private - whatever. Later that afternoon he e-mails me again and asks if I could set up a server. You see, both of the clans' servers were down, and so was the website. I didn't know anything about our clan, except what Imp told me. He sent me a list, but I had never played with any of these guys... Well, after church and some serious research (I didn't know jack about setting up a dedicated server), I set the server up. It topped out at 2 ppl the whole time it was up.
The next day, Imp e-mails me and tells me the server worked well, and that he is going on hiatus for a couple months....(crud). So here I am - I haven't met the clan and I can't find their website and the servers are down and dangit... I was all fired up about it and just as quick it all goes down.
So, basically if I don't hear from RSA in a week - the tag comes off. Then I saw a few threads about how much multiplayer on Halo sucks because people are jerks... and I thought, yeah, I usually spend a long time finding a server I can play on and even then we get our fair share of griefers that come through. Why not make a server for people who just want to have a good time? Why not make a server for people who have actually invested themselves into the game by being active forum members?
And so I said Brilliant!!! The rest, friends, is history in the making - and it's all thanks to you guys!! I hope this turns out awesome!