Jun 06, 2012 16:00
Winbolo, Life, and Etc
This is going to be long rant style post, a warning to you the reader in advance. I will attempt to insert some humor here and there to make it a little more palatable, like the hops that is put in beer. Sure, people claim to enjoy drinking beer, but without hops, we all know it is basically just fermented monkey piss of the nastiest sort. That said, this glowingly glamorous glorification of my gladiatorial glitz in Bolo Land will hopefully be intoxicating enough for those who really, just drink to get drunk.
Since about early 2004, I have been taking large breaks from this game, but never found it necessary to make one of those cliche 'Good bye folks' posts so many others have put up. I don't intend to now either, this isn't a good bye post by any means. I mention this because I spent the better half of a fortnight reading old posts on these forums, and read over a handful of such posts. A real blast of nostalgia. No, I am in too deep now, I fell down the hole chasing the white rabbit long ago. I will undoubtedly be going on winbolo to search for games so long as the game still loads and a tracker exists in the future, even when there is nobody else around, albeit much less frequently than past or present.
I grew up on this game. I started in 1995. Yes, for those kiddies who do not know me, I am old and getting older. Son, I tellz ya', ya noobies got it easy, why back in my day we didn't have no community websites with strategy articles or these newfangled game logs to watch and learn from, no, you went in there and got your ass handed to ya', and ya' said "Thank you sir, may I have another!" And that's if ya' were lucky enough to find one ta' play, cuz back then unless you were on a university campus, you were using a dial-up connection from home like me, and you were shunned out of most games. And if that wasn't bad enough, figuring out how to use irc on Mac OS 7.1 with nobody to show you, in an age before Google, Wikipedia, broadband internet or free streaming internet porn was not an easy task either!
But enough about ancient history. Nobody who sees this posting is likely to remember me from then. Truthfully I don't remember many people from back then either. I do remember I was not known as underdog until later though. I used the name 'newbi' and 'newbie' a fair bit until I liked the name 'Grandoverlord' and stuck with that for a little while. Then I shortened it to 'gol' because I felt the long letters sticking off my in-game tank made it easier for opponents to see me before I saw them. Eventually I got tired of that name, like a piece of gum that has been chewed too long, and I changed it to, *gasp*, underdog. The reason I chose this name was because people would refer to me or my team as 'the underdog' so often, due to me always being the worst player in the game. I was virtually assured to lose, outside of a ridiculous unforeseeable upset.
I do remember a few names from back in the late 90s mac Bolo days though. Berserkir, DS, Cool_Fool, Athena, WildDuck, Foxchange, kevdog... there were many others, but those are the people that I most remember specific interactions with. I specifically remember playing an epic long 2 on 1 with foxchange allied together against CF on Mud Toy 3, that went on until about 3 AM or so. I forget the outcome, just remember playing in absolute awe. Not sure if Mud Toy 3 is available, but if it isn't let me describe it. It is simply Chew Toy 3, with all tarmac replaced with swamp! In the end I think we won but I am not even sure of that. It was easily over 3 hours and up until then my longest game was about 30 minutes long.
My first bolo teacher was 'berserkir' He actually took the time to show me some basic moves like taking a pillbox with blocks, how to line things up, and other tactical things. Others also showed me things, but Bers was the most memorable, as he was the first one to get me to learn that there is more to this game than pointing straight and shooting.
What is very difficult to convey or explain, but I will attempt regardless, is just how truly awesome Bolo was back then. Not to say it isn't awesome now, but in reference to what was available, there simply was nothing like it. To network over the internet (still a newish thing back then) and play a live action strategy game with people from all over the world was an experience nothing came close to. Not Doom, not Super Nintendo, not even Warcraft.
Being still a child and not having the means or ability to buy a new computer much less a new Mac, I got a friend's second hand PC, which was a Pentium II, a computer that ran in more than 256 colors without lagging! And then, a new chapter in my life began, the era of WinBolo! Oh and huge leaps in internet porn availability right around then too, but I won't digress.
I was immediately hooked and could not get enough of the game. So much so that my parents would restrict my computer access time as they felt it was unhealthy and interfered with my schooling. Well, being the obedient and good son that I was, I found tricky and ingenious ways to sneak onto the computer, and secretly play games on the school and public library computers without being caught by the teachers or librarians, who made it explicit that game playing was not allowed.
The public library was run off a T3 connection, and I remember a player named Ten ask if I could host a game server off it. Ten was a good guy, sorry I never took you up on your offer to come chill with you when you were in Vancouver.
Random memories like that are falling back into my mind now. Such inane, trivial things that pale in comparison to real world concerns, or so you would think. Except to me they don't. To me, these memories are a major part of my youth, and something I will look back on fondly, so long as my marbles stay in tact.
So much has happened within this community from its inception until now. I am not going to chronicle everything here, not in this post anyways. I have played with hundreds, probably thousands of people, some more than others. Many great discussions, many great arguments and many, many great games were had. And much drama was had as well. I know that I may have rubbed some people the wrong way at times, and I just want to say, thanks for putting up with me. Geez. I just read over this paragraph in my mind and I sound like such a hasbin, sort of like Tom Green nowadays, but I guess that's what happens. First goes the sex drive and metabolism, then goes the pointless ego (I maintain my pointful ego, of course.) Well, at least I don't foresee any stages to go through until I start feeling old-old and feel the onset of age caused physical deterioration, though who knows, science might save me from that.
I guess the point of this thread was to let others know that hey, there is someone out there that this game and community meant a lot to. And maybe as a warm reminder to myself of bygone times. I have literally been playing this game for more than half my living years alive, that is quite something. There are people who I have known through this game who I feel I know better and certainly longer than people I know in non-Bolo Land, or as some call The Real World.
I am going to be living in Australia for a bit, and will be unlikely to play much if at all. But if you are ever wondering, I have not forgotten this game, and sooner or later I'll come back around. Whether others are here when I come back or not, well, I guess we will see.
If you understand how I feel, or simply have a cool memory of this game, involving me or not, feel free to share.
Until next time...
Since about early 2004, I have been taking large breaks from this game, but never found it necessary to make one of those cliche 'Good bye folks' posts so many others have put up. I don't intend to now either, this isn't a good bye post by any means. I mention this because I spent the better half of a fortnight reading old posts on these forums, and read over a handful of such posts. A real blast of nostalgia. No, I am in too deep now, I fell down the hole chasing the white rabbit long ago. I will undoubtedly be going on winbolo to search for games so long as the game still loads and a tracker exists in the future, even when there is nobody else around, albeit much less frequently than past or present.
I grew up on this game. I started in 1995. Yes, for those kiddies who do not know me, I am old and getting older. Son, I tellz ya', ya noobies got it easy, why back in my day we didn't have no community websites with strategy articles or these newfangled game logs to watch and learn from, no, you went in there and got your ass handed to ya', and ya' said "Thank you sir, may I have another!" And that's if ya' were lucky enough to find one ta' play, cuz back then unless you were on a university campus, you were using a dial-up connection from home like me, and you were shunned out of most games. And if that wasn't bad enough, figuring out how to use irc on Mac OS 7.1 with nobody to show you, in an age before Google, Wikipedia, broadband internet or free streaming internet porn was not an easy task either!
But enough about ancient history. Nobody who sees this posting is likely to remember me from then. Truthfully I don't remember many people from back then either. I do remember I was not known as underdog until later though. I used the name 'newbi' and 'newbie' a fair bit until I liked the name 'Grandoverlord' and stuck with that for a little while. Then I shortened it to 'gol' because I felt the long letters sticking off my in-game tank made it easier for opponents to see me before I saw them. Eventually I got tired of that name, like a piece of gum that has been chewed too long, and I changed it to, *gasp*, underdog. The reason I chose this name was because people would refer to me or my team as 'the underdog' so often, due to me always being the worst player in the game. I was virtually assured to lose, outside of a ridiculous unforeseeable upset.
I do remember a few names from back in the late 90s mac Bolo days though. Berserkir, DS, Cool_Fool, Athena, WildDuck, Foxchange, kevdog... there were many others, but those are the people that I most remember specific interactions with. I specifically remember playing an epic long 2 on 1 with foxchange allied together against CF on Mud Toy 3, that went on until about 3 AM or so. I forget the outcome, just remember playing in absolute awe. Not sure if Mud Toy 3 is available, but if it isn't let me describe it. It is simply Chew Toy 3, with all tarmac replaced with swamp! In the end I think we won but I am not even sure of that. It was easily over 3 hours and up until then my longest game was about 30 minutes long.
My first bolo teacher was 'berserkir' He actually took the time to show me some basic moves like taking a pillbox with blocks, how to line things up, and other tactical things. Others also showed me things, but Bers was the most memorable, as he was the first one to get me to learn that there is more to this game than pointing straight and shooting.
What is very difficult to convey or explain, but I will attempt regardless, is just how truly awesome Bolo was back then. Not to say it isn't awesome now, but in reference to what was available, there simply was nothing like it. To network over the internet (still a newish thing back then) and play a live action strategy game with people from all over the world was an experience nothing came close to. Not Doom, not Super Nintendo, not even Warcraft.
Being still a child and not having the means or ability to buy a new computer much less a new Mac, I got a friend's second hand PC, which was a Pentium II, a computer that ran in more than 256 colors without lagging! And then, a new chapter in my life began, the era of WinBolo! Oh and huge leaps in internet porn availability right around then too, but I won't digress.
I was immediately hooked and could not get enough of the game. So much so that my parents would restrict my computer access time as they felt it was unhealthy and interfered with my schooling. Well, being the obedient and good son that I was, I found tricky and ingenious ways to sneak onto the computer, and secretly play games on the school and public library computers without being caught by the teachers or librarians, who made it explicit that game playing was not allowed.
The public library was run off a T3 connection, and I remember a player named Ten ask if I could host a game server off it. Ten was a good guy, sorry I never took you up on your offer to come chill with you when you were in Vancouver.
Random memories like that are falling back into my mind now. Such inane, trivial things that pale in comparison to real world concerns, or so you would think. Except to me they don't. To me, these memories are a major part of my youth, and something I will look back on fondly, so long as my marbles stay in tact.
So much has happened within this community from its inception until now. I am not going to chronicle everything here, not in this post anyways. I have played with hundreds, probably thousands of people, some more than others. Many great discussions, many great arguments and many, many great games were had. And much drama was had as well. I know that I may have rubbed some people the wrong way at times, and I just want to say, thanks for putting up with me. Geez. I just read over this paragraph in my mind and I sound like such a hasbin, sort of like Tom Green nowadays, but I guess that's what happens. First goes the sex drive and metabolism, then goes the pointless ego (I maintain my pointful ego, of course.) Well, at least I don't foresee any stages to go through until I start feeling old-old and feel the onset of age caused physical deterioration, though who knows, science might save me from that.
I guess the point of this thread was to let others know that hey, there is someone out there that this game and community meant a lot to. And maybe as a warm reminder to myself of bygone times. I have literally been playing this game for more than half my living years alive, that is quite something. There are people who I have known through this game who I feel I know better and certainly longer than people I know in non-Bolo Land, or as some call The Real World.
I am going to be living in Australia for a bit, and will be unlikely to play much if at all. But if you are ever wondering, I have not forgotten this game, and sooner or later I'll come back around. Whether others are here when I come back or not, well, I guess we will see.
If you understand how I feel, or simply have a cool memory of this game, involving me or not, feel free to share.
Until next time...
