Team Fortress MegaBirthday Extravaganza! - The Evolving Door
— The Hal
The Evolving Door.. 8-7-2001-
The Team Fortress scene and the whole gaming scene in general has changed just as quickly as the scenery changes while passing through a revolving door. The game developers are all trying to come out with the best game, the Quake killer, or at the very least, a game of the year nominee. Time goes by, players come and go. But the community survives. Is it the same community it was three years ago? Or even one year ago. Of course not. But nothing else is the same either…
Background Music Please…
I would like to make it very clear right off that I make no claims to being a gaming expert. I never did make that claim. I am about as gaming illiterate as they come. But you know what? I had a blast playing TF just the same. I borrowed on the knowledge and talents of those around me. While remaining illiterate of the technical aspects such as advanced scripts and such, I still managed to develop into a fairly good team mate.
My insight into TF is quite different than the average player. Why would I say that? Because I am not a kid. I am not even a young adult. I haven’t been young or a kid for almost thirty years. I did experience a second child hood however when A good friend of mine, Munch, introduced my son and I to Team Fortress. I resisted for a while, and just watched Dock and Munch wreak havoc. It was to hard to resist. I finally gave into their constant challenges and soon had a reason to spend some quality time (chuckle) with my son, killing strangers and friends alike in the increasingly popular game of TF.
My son Dock set my machine up. I used his binds until I finally was able to determine what keyboard assignments were best for me. That was about all the technology I ever learned about TF, keyboard binds. It’s all I needed. I was determined to become a TF great, a player to be reckoned with. However, I soon realized I hadn’t either the time nor the skill to become one of those, so instead, I became a newsie.
I was in Clan Doomsday with Spaceman Spif, and he had a small clan news site. Realizing the need for a good TF news site in the community, that site soon became the TF Newswire. I joined the staff and after a year or more of hard work, we became one of the top TF news sites. That was important to me. I wanted to help provide fresh news and content. I knew I would never be a top player, but that never subtracted from my determination to strive to be the best at something else the community needed.
Previous to all this, another giant was in the making. Planet Quake. I know little about the development of Planet Quake but it was the main source for Quake info and Quake mods, which just happened to include Team Fortress. The Planet Quake team realized the potential for gaming sites with the success of their Quake site, and the planets soon started to grow. Out of all that came Game Spy Industries and a vast conglomeration of gaming sites that may have no equal today.
So what happened to our wonderful little gaming community where we once knew all the major Clans names and most of the top players? We were about to be swallowed alive by a corporate giant. Not that it meant the end of the TF community. But it certainly was the end of an era for the TF Newswire.
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