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##### Vol. 2, Issue 4
December 1, 1999

#####

Game, Set, Match!

Six Months in the Life of the OGL

by Stephanie "Bobbi" Bergman

n early May of this year, I was one of the many who eagerly downloaded the first release of the Quake III Test. I had played QuakeWorld competitively, and although I kind of hated Quake 2, I still participated in clan matches. Now Quake III was out...a game that looked to be exactly what I had been hoping for. I played a few matches on random servers, but soon found that being on a T-1 made for extremely unfair competition, and I was winning matches more often from ping than from skill. As any competitive gamer knows, it’s not half as much fun when you don’t fight for your win. The best games, the most exciting matches, are the hard ones...where you fight for every frag, and jump in fear when you see your opponent. I set out to find some good matches, some tough opponents.

I decided to try the Online Gaming League. I’d met a lot of the people behind the OGL at QuakeCon’99, I knew a lot of other people who played on their ladders and it seemed like a good place to get some decent games going. I entered the Quake III Open ladder at 250 and immediately challenged an opponent higher on the ladder. Call me silly, but I was really excited! I was going to work my way up the ladder, dammit, and be the best! (ok, I’m not delusional about how good I really am, but it sounds good) A few days went by, and I got an e-mail from the OGL...I’d gotten a forfeit. Oookie, so I get to jump up the ladder a few slots. Cool!

I immediately challenged someone else. This time they replied within a few hours, and we quickly scheduled a match. I was hoping for a really good game, honestly, I didn’t care who won, I just wanted a good, fair match. The time for the match came...and went, without the person I was to play coming online. Another forfeit.

I challenged someone else. Another forfeit.

I challenged someone else...and they showed up for the match! I have to say, this guy, my god. I learned a really good lesson...never play Q3test2 with a rail monkey. I’d spawn...I’d die. Spawn...die. I don’t think I ever made it fully across the map with one life, he was amazing. So, I lost pretty hideously. But I learned that I’d better get the hang of the rail gun.

And then it was my turn to be the putz...I challenged someone, and forgot about the match we scheduled. I went to the website and e-mailed the ladder admin, telling him I forfeit, and I didn’t want to hang up the person I was to play any longer (as you cannot schedule another match until your current one comes to some kind of end, be that win/loss/forfeit). The ladder admin replied, saying thanks, and that nobody had ever done that before. I was kind of amazed, it only seemed like common sense, I mean, at some point, you’re bound to realize you missed a match. But I guess not.

Challenged someone else, got a match, showed up this time, and won. Really nice guy too, but it wasn’t a fair match, I won by some gross margin. Which just isn’t fun.

I went on challenging a few more times, got a few more forfeits, until I got sick of that. I sat in the 70’s for a while on the ladder, and got my first challenge, that being from Hanif. Now, Hanif, dammit, knew full well he could beat me, as he did exactly that at QuakeCon, and he did beat me when we finally played a match.

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Credits: Illustration © 1999 Dan Zalkus. Game, Set, Match! is © 1999 Stephanie Bergman. All other content is © 1999 loonyboi productions. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited, you dolt.