REST IN PEACE, SOLDAT.

[Mancer]

I f*cking loved this game. For years. years. I'd play it every day. With my friends. Friends I never even met. We made clans. We fought each-other and hated each-other. We spent late night hours on ventrillio talking nonsense and laughing our asses off. Some of the best moments from my teenage years were spent playing this game.

Thanks MM. Thanks to all the people that helped make this game as good as it could possibly get. Set aside all the b*tching about weapon balance and other nonsense, the years, yes, years I spent dedicated to this game won't be forgotten. I had some grand f*cken times, man. I won't forget any of them.

Any of you old heads will know and remember. Soldat made you competitive in a different, more intellectual way. It trained you to think ahead, to see what the enemy was seeing. I still remember early SCTFL tournaments. They were all about the strategy of your opponent and how you could counter-act their offense. The original "pro" clans knew this best. What does any of that sh*t mean now?

It doesn't mean jack. I hope both new and old players get to read this message and realize how old and sacred games like Soldat really are. Everyone is sitting in front of their Xbox's playing Call of Duty or Battlefield 3 or some other mainstream, first-person-shooter game that's sucked their lives up. Yeah, those games are fun, but can you honestly forget about simple games like Soldat? Maybe these people have moved on and finished college and found real jobs... whatever the f*ck that means.

I stake this thread a tribute to those good times we've all had, whether or not you're a n00b or a pr0. MM made this little game that changed our lives, even if only for a tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiny bit. Change was made. I will say, that I appreciate every moment I've spent playing Soldat. Raise thy glasses.

[jrgp]

Amen to that, brother!

[KYnetiK]

Ill drink to that!

[Leo]

You are taking things wayyyy too seriously.... It's just a game, a fun game yes, but that's it. A game can't "change" your live in any way. And you here this from someone that host servers, and pay for them, since 2006.

[KYnetiK]

Granted, the humble gostek may not have influenced my life as much as Pacman, Mario, Wonderboy, Sonic, or Alex Kidd - which is more of a factor of personal timing than potential influential power - but an influence it did make. To me, saying a game (or anything for that matter) cannot induce change in any way is like saying you have a jar of nothing.

[demoniac93]

Eh, I've only played Soldat for less than 2 years, bit I already feel like it's a drug addiction I constantly relapse into...

[jrgp]

You are taking things wayyyy too seriously.... It's just a game, a fun game yes, but that's it. A game can't "change" your live in any way. And you here this from someone that host servers, and pay for them, since 2006.

No offense, but you're a middle-aged man - you're past the point of being influenced.

It's not the game itself; it's the community that's surrounding it that influenced him and many others, including myself.

[DarkCrusade]

No offense, but you're a middle-aged man - you're past the point of being influenced.

HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Wait, just let me quote it again in case you delete the first one (and your post)

No offense, but you're a middle-aged man - you're past the point of being influenced.

[filip2322]

He got jrgpwned

Well he is maybe just describing the best part of his childhood (or highlight)

Im playing for a year and already can feel the game/forum addiction

[CheeSeMan.]

If you've never played sctfl and never pushed for the playoff spot, you just can't understand! 100+ cws in 4 weeks! Sleep is for the weak! Soldat is cocaine!!!!

[Leo]

You are taking things wayyyy too seriously.... It's just a game, a fun game yes, but that's it. A game can't "change" your live in any way. And you here this from someone that host servers, and pay for them, since 2006.

No offense, but you're a middle-aged man - you're past the point of being influenced.

It's not the game itself; it's the community that's surrounding it that influenced him and many others, including myself.

This game has and had a much bigger influence in my life than the community my dear jpg, in my pocket. For the last 5 years. But I do it coz I like the game.

[jrgp]

You are taking things wayyyy too seriously.... It's just a game, a fun game yes, but that's it. A game can't "change" your live in any way. And you here this from someone that host servers, and pay for them, since 2006.

No offense, but you're a middle-aged man - you're past the point of being influenced.

It's not the game itself; it's the community that's surrounding it that influenced him and many others, including myself.

Yeah sorry, forgot that you are just a bunch of kids that play in servers that a "middle-age" man paying for...

I really don't want to have this conversation but I feel compelled.
 - you aren't the only server provider
 - the influences OP is describing are toward his child hood; you can't relate to that since your child hood was 30+ years ago before video games/online communities existed
 - any effect soldat has on you now is unlikely significant to the rest of the things that has happened in your life, so you'd just see it as a hobby and not something emotionally serious. That isn't the case with us whipper snappers who have no prior read-only childhood

[Leo]

Yeah, I have edited my post and yes, it's a hobby for me, you are right.

[Majoman]

Agreed with Mancer. Soldat is just a bugged 2D game, but the concept is great in its simplicity. And like Cheese said, you've missed a lot of emotions if you've never played soldat competitively. 

[SyavX]

If you've never played sctfl and never pushed for the playoff spot, you just can't understand! 100+ cws in 4 weeks! Sleep is for the weak! Soldat is cocaine!!!!

This!

I never forget 15th season

[Snow]

You are taking things wayyyy too seriously.... It's just a game, a fun game yes, but that's it. A game can't "change" your live in any way. And you here this from someone that host servers, and pay for them, since 2006.

No offense, but you're a middle-aged man - you're past the point of being influenced.

It's not the game itself; it's the community that's surrounding it that influenced him and many others, including myself.

Yeah sorry, forgot that you are just a bunch of kids that play in servers that a "middle-age" man paying for...

I really don't want to have this conversation but I feel compelled.
 - you aren't the only server provider
 - the influences OP is describing are toward his child hood; you can't relate to that since your child hood was 30+ years ago before video games/online communities existed
 - any effect soldat has on you now is unlikely significant to the rest of the things that has happened in your life, so you'd just see it as a hobby and not something emotionally serious. That isn't the case with us whipper snappers who have no prior read-only childhood

Not me though. I'm 33, from the 8bit generation and I also grew up with PacMan, Mario and the like. Soldat was more significant to me than anything earlier. I am lucky that I grew up in the 8bit/16bit era, but back then, there wasn't much community or dedication around games other than close friends and those in school. Even then though, a game like Zelda or SMB3 would only last 1 to 4 months before many would move on to "wrap" other titles. When Soldat came around, it was the first game I could play smooth multiplayer on. It was awesome. The community just started growing. I enjoyed playing with others on Soldat more than on other titles such as the Team Fortress series. Even with TF2 out, I still prefer Soldat. I still regret missing a whole year around the beginning. 9 years in, I'm still loving and still addicted to this game. So for me at least, Soldat is more than a hobby.

[jettlarue]

Soldat has an mathematical strategy with bluffing, teamwork, and chase situations. There are few games where you unconscionably compute the trajectories of many bullets while you are moving at a fast pace, all while looking for the perfect route and adapting to different situations with perfect timing among other shit. It's completely different, and I think this kind of brain exercise is what makes it so addictive and fun.

[machina]

Really great story what looks a little like mine... But if you loved that game some much, you would never choose Mac...

Btw. I hope, Soldat will rise soon...

[jrgp]

But if you loved that game some much, you would never choose Mac...

.. what the hell is wrong with buying a mac, using osx for all your normal tasks, and dual booting windows just for gaming?

[Monsteri]

jrgp, did you just get bitch-slapped or something?

Soldat is indeed a great game, haven't still ever played a game which have keeped me hooked as long as Soldat does. I'm hoping that the devs do a release sometime soon, btw. It has been anyways something like 6 months already.

[12th_account]

I stopped enjoying Soldat after 1.1.0 was released. It's been a pile of shit ever since and just keeps on getting worse. The only thing that kept me around was the fun forum community in the early versions and the IRC community since about 1.1.5. In 1.4.2 my clan died and I'm just staying behind because I still haven't been kicked out of the beta team.

[Veritas]

quickly everyone, rationalize the amount of time you've spent playing this stupid game by pretending it was an outstanding intellectual, social, and cultural adventure

[Mancer]

bicker and argue as you will! my point remains the same! Just wanted to propose a toast to all those years I spent glued to my monitor.

*For those wondering, I have a mac now because I am a graphic designer and adobe products work much better for me on it.

[Blacksheepboy]

Games usually = recreation. You need to take a load off according to a mood you're in. Games satisfy it, eh, yeh

Eh, I'm not saying the above to discount what Mancer's said.

Actually, I've had some b***hin' matches where like.. asdmasdkmaskm.

It's not the game itself; it's the community that's surrounding it that influenced him and many others, including myself.

This. Gah, ugh.. I've hated every other forums I've joined. Their "communities" just, feel foreign to me. I joined the Minecraft forum the other day to post in one of their topics, and I couldn't help but leaving with an annoyance.. well, mainly toward their forum design. Simply put, I f**kin' enjoy this forum design (not to disregard the community itself, hahaha). It's streamlined and simple. It just works.

And I also have come to learn what to expect from its community members, and for this, I can't stop lolling (in a f**kin.. good way, er something).

And to add to the "Soldat made me a man" comments: like I said once, and in regards to someone I know in particular, I think it would help to cure homosexuality (in a not f**kin' genetically-homosexual dude). The Soldat experience would have to be done right though.

not to mention, the way the maps are made is fucking amazing and versatile. !! Polygons with a texture, shading, scenery, objects, and waypoints.. GENIUS

[The Q]

Yes, don't we all remember the times.

I think all threads but this one should be deleted.

[Illuminatus]

Soldat made you competitive in a different, more intellectual way. It trained you to think ahead, to see what the enemy was seeing.

Soldat has an mathematical strategy with bluffing, teamwork, and chase situations. There are few games where you unconscionably compute the trajectories of many bullets while you are moving at a fast pace, all while looking for the perfect route and adapting to different situations with perfect timing among other s**t. It's completely different, and I think this kind of brain exercise is what makes it so addictive and fun.

Those two quotes say it in much better words than I could ever say with my bad English why I still play Soldat about 2-3 times a week.

[biohazard]

lil less no life please

[Eagles_Arrows]

RIP, motherfucker

I don't regret the 3 years I've spent on this game.  I've just grown out of it.

[The Bone Collector]

Yeah, I laugh at these idiots who are putting Mancer down for what he's saying... how long have they been around for? Leo... how long have you been running servers for? 6 years? Dude, who cares. The time you dedicate, the money you dedicate means nothing to anyone. You've simply provided another "server" for a bunch of guys and gals to play on. THATS IT. So quit yer whining and trolling and take it elsewhere... you're either a fan of Soldat or you're an enemy.

As for me, well... I remember Soldat 1.2.1. That's when I started playing, but didn't get into the online (yes, I played against bots) until 1.3. For about 12 months I devoted my life to running or being apart of the Soldat forums, clans and playing the absolute fuck out of this game. I remember coming onto these forums, downloading Soldat mods and then attempting my own (that was much much later though). This community was pretty much my only means of sanity for those 12 months. Back then, MM posted weekly, Chakra trolled daily and u13.net were the most popular servers out. This was BEFORE FliesLikeABrick started hosting the forums. I was there for at least 6 months before the new forums where rolled out. Yep...
I took a break after those 12 months when my net was cut off, and then after about 6-7 months I came back. This time I ran a few more clans, met forum members like "Ninjagimp", "Saint LouisX" and some other cool cats. The Specialists Mod 2.0 was brand new and fresh to download making Soldat all that much more fun. Someone had started porting Soldat into the source engine and making it "3D" as well.

You could say I've seen this game slowly die. The reason I even stopped playing is because these forums aren't what they used to be, all those people I remember are gone... and there's so many problems with the game it's impossible to play now. If and when all these bugs are ironed out, I might even come back...

Hell... I might just go download the latest version and check out the US servers...

[Demonic]

Yeah.

So there's a big guy, kind of odd, into black metal, but we're best friends forever and have been through some serious tough shit over the past seven years.

Met him through Soldat.

So there was a kid, socially fucking inept with no friends what so ever, and one day he went out to a bar to get a few drinks, and then his life changed forever.

That was me, and those guys were playing soldat.

Sziget festival 2006, and the days before that, the days of great drinking with a few dutch fellows, one of them who spoke in such an incomprihensible way it took me a week to finally get what he was sayin'... that was soldat.nl, crammed into my living room for a few nights filled with booze.

And then we're headed off to Slovakia during the summer to Pohoda festival with this awesome guy I could rock the world with, and we're international globetrottin' women-mackin' motherfuckers, and yeah... I met him through Soldat.

Oh, and Germany, yeah, running shits and giggles at some animecon with odd girls and emo kids, drinking beer later and watching the Big Lebowski with this odd then-drug riddled german kid, that was through Soldat too.

I'm different now. Much, much different. But this community has made being a teenager more than just tolerable.

[Ymies]

demonic you god forsaken drunk

[jrgp]

So there's a big guy, kind of odd, into black metal, but we're best friends forever and have been through some serious tough s**t over the past seven years.

Are you referring to n00bface?

I sorta fucking wish I lived in europe so I could accompany you guys through your adventures, but living in the US has been pretty good to me. I've met/hung out with FLAB IRL twice and hope to eventually meet Wraithlike and a few others.

[rnaka]

I've been playin Soldat for 5 years, best multiplayer experience I ever had.

[{LAW} Gamer_2k4]

My opinion probably doesn't mean much anymore, since the last version I really played was 1.3.1 (though I messed around with 1.4 when it came out).  I don't know if Soldat is dying, I don't know what the weapon balance is like, and I don't know what the competition is like.

Still, I do remember Soldat being a lot of fun.  It was a fast-paced and more engaging version of Liero, and game types like CTF were a lot of fun to play.  I still remember some of the people in the clan I made: Smokey, DarkAzriel, Avenger, Killas, ur pet...Shoot, that would've been 3-4 years ago now.  I'm old.

But, life happened.  College started taking up more of my time.  My friends drifted away to their own lives: military, grad school, jobs, and so on.  I moved on to other things, and now I simply don't have time to play games.

Still, I feel "rest in peace" definitely applies.  Soldat was fun while it lasted, and now it's a good memory.  Who knows, maybe I'll install it this weekend and see if it's everything I remember.

[Proudest_Monkey]

You are taking things wayyyy too seriously.... It's just a game, a fun game yes, but that's it. A game can't "change" your live in any way. And you here this from someone that host servers, and pay for them, since 2006.

Agreed. Also, I never knew Leo was actually a person!  The more you know.

Anyways, yeah, Soldat is/was a great game.  It's too bad Valve wasn't interested because Steam is really the only way that this game could be kept alive.

I hope the devs continue their hard work but it just seems like the writing is on the wall. The player base and the game itself don't lend themselves that well to new players.

As for me...I play TF2 mostly, now. Every once in a while I boot up Soldat, though, and its still fun.  Buggy as hell, but fun.

[jettlarue]

My guess: Link-Dead will be a runaway hit and new players to that will install Soldat on the side or maybe download Soldat first after they hear that it is made by the same person and try it before buying Link-Dead. All that is happening right now is that Soldat is being made ready for the next influx of new players, and people are moving away from it as there hasn't been anything to get it into magazines or articles like it used to. Link-Dead surely will though, and that will be Soldat's rebound and will never really die.

[demoniac93]

My guess: Link-Dead will be a runaway hit and new players to that will install Soldat on the side or maybe download Soldat first after they hear that it is made by the same person and try it before buying Link-Dead. All that is happening right now is that Soldat is being made ready for the next influx of new players, and people are moving away from it as there hasn't been anything to get it into magazines or articles like it used to. Link-Dead surely will though, and that will be Soldat's rebound and will never really die.

If only.
My guess is: If there's not oldies around to teach the newbs, they'll quickly leave.
Today's gamers aren't the same, they don't learn themselves, they can't stand doing things the long, hard way.

[scarface09]

I'm proud to say I've beaten this drug and quit this game

[Atticus]

I can't say that I've really learned any life lessons from Soldat, but it has been a great time waster. GG's.

[{LAW} Gamer_2k4]

Today's gamers aren't the same, they don't learn themselves, they can't stand doing things the long, hard way.

Soldat isn't exactly from the NES generation... The first beta was released after Halo, for crying out loud.

[demoniac93]

Today's gamers aren't the same, they don't learn themselves, they can't stand doing things the long, hard way.

Soldat isn't exactly from the NES generation... The first beta was released after Halo, for crying out loud.

Do you know how many people still play the first Halo?
Less than we get in a single week on gathers.
I looked up the server list and it was almost empty.

[{LAW} Gamer_2k4]

Do you know how many people still play the first Halo?
Less than we get in a single week on gathers.
I looked up the server list and it was almost empty.

They don't play Halo because there have been sequels upon sequels.  If you want a true comparison, let me know how many people (absolute or as a proportion) are playing Soldat 1.2.1 in gathers.

Of course, doing that compounds the "missing the point" problem in your response, but eh.

[Proudest_Monkey]

My guess: Link-Dead will be a runaway hit and new players to that will install Soldat on the side or maybe download Soldat first after they hear that it is made by the same person and try it before buying Link-Dead. All that is happening right now is that Soldat is being made ready for the next influx of new players, and people are moving away from it as there hasn't been anything to get it into magazines or articles like it used to. Link-Dead surely will though, and that will be Soldat's rebound and will never really die.

If only.
My guess is: If there's not oldies around to teach the newbs, they'll quickly leave.
Today's gamers aren't the same, they don't learn themselves, they can't stand doing things the long, hard way.

Quit the whole "BACK IN MY DAY" thing, dude, it's silly. 

Soldat just isn't in the best state for new players compared to other games/products out there

[demoniac93]

I've played previous version, and even with all the bugs and weapon balance issues, I still feel like I'm playing Soldat when I play Soldat.
The whole bugs and balance thing is an excuse if you're asking me, the game and community are still both very great to be hanging around with.

[Monsteri]

Except that Lounge is the only living board.

[Snow]

Today's gamers aren't the same, they don't learn themselves, they can't stand doing things the long, hard way.

Soldat isn't exactly from the NES generation... The first beta was released after Halo, for crying out loud.

Exactly. Gamers will always be the same. It's only hardware and games that change.

[jrgp]

Except that Lounge is the only living board.

Nah, people are constantly whining in the bug reporting/suggestion boards and those are probably the most important boards there are to new people so i'd say the forum is serving its real purpose wellenough.

[croat1gamer]

Not that 90% of game-oriented forums i go through have the most discussions based on stuff that isnt the game.

[jrgp]

Not that 90% of game-oriented forums i go through have the most discussions based on stuff that isnt the game.

Most forums in general are like that.

[demoniac93]

Except that Lounge is the only living board.

The community that actually plays the game.
The community in my book doesn't translate to the forums.

[Ymies]

for the 8,5 years i've played soldat (semi)actively i can say that i'm proud to still be around and have the drug in my veins. soldat is one of those games that can be played somewhat competitively, casually and not played at all at the same time and still be in perfect touch with the community. i've met so many different people of different origins and age and the entire experience has built up my english more than i could have ever hoped to have learned from the cultural and linguistic studies at school.

i wouldn't consider myself addicted to the game itself but just hanging around the people in quakenet makes a somewhat great deal of my weekly recreation. i sure do still play the game competitively after all these years but only because of the interaction capabilities. i could say that soldat is the most bugged and worst game i have ever played but that wouldn't be the whole truth, the game is what it is after you glue together all the little pieces that lie around. all the laggy situations, miraculous escapes and whining fuckdits make up for half the entertainment value of it, when you think of it. some people may not like this fact but it is there. if you don't, you might aswell go masturbate at the bear raids in wow or whatever

what the community, and all communities in general always have in common are the whining fucktards who don't like the game yet still hang about. you should go fuck the fly you so whole-heartedly claim you don't give a damn about. soldat isn't going anywhere, the playerbase may be reducing but the game stays. we're still getting new players on a daily basis but my only fear is the amount of the hypocrite retards that don't understand the meaning of opinions in life, the people who think that by advertising that a game is shit on its official forums they could make any kind of progress. the fact that i don't like wow doesn't make me run around in the wow community preaching about how unlikeable the game is.

by saying this i don't mean that there were much of these people involved in this conversation (actually i'm not sure at all considered the fact that i rather quickly browsed through the topic while watching the simpsons). my sole point is that threads and discussions like this don't help the game live and grow. although the playerbase is indeed decreasing, there are still countless of new and coming activities and communities raising their heads, the community is far from dying imo

people should hop over to www.sctfl.net instead, this ad has been sponsored and brought to you by xurich. we thank all participants in advance, not implying that these forums sucked terrible horse balls

[Demonic]

but then again, the sctfl forums have always also sucked horseballs, unless you understand the irc related in-jokes that hop on in every other thread

quakenet is where the deep community is at, and that's also been sucking ever since the c'n's + BA/SAD servers went down

holy shit I feel old

[Ymies]

i'm older than you and i don't feel old. perhaps it's just that early twenties crisis of yours that no one else ever goes through :p

[Gabriel-Andrei]

I never forget 15th season

In what clan you played ?

[echo_trail]

Haha, great tribute. I can't say how and when soldat changed things for me, but I'm certain I wouldn't be the person I am today, had I not stumpled into soldat back in the day. I've met some awesome people, who gave me some awesome advice over the years..

Soldat, to me is the memory of many good hours spent, first and foremost. Especially in regards to Leo, since his were the servers I preferred. Those were good times, eh Leo ol'chap? I've been trying to get back in ever since, but it just isn't the same. It's not the game, I've just gotten too old.. Been playing for almost a decade now, after all.

Anyway, nicely done Mancer. Made me reminisce.

[{LAW} Gamer_2k4]

Been playing for almost a decade now, after all.

Shoot, I've only been ALIVE for two of those (and change).  That's dedication.

[Mancer]

I can't say that I've really learned any life lessons from Soldat, but it has been a great time waster. GG's.

Your signature is bringing me back so many memories. All those clans... /HS/ were goddamn ridiculous. One of the the best clans soldat ever had. I can't even remember all their names god damnit. When I was in Legacy it was one of the most challenging and ridiculous matches when we would play against /HS/. Marbire would scream at us. FabmanX would make us feel like we were nothing but poop. Cause that was true. Shady acted like a goofball while I did nothing but Ruger whore. I miss this game

[Black Kid]

You are taking things wayyyy too seriously.... It's just a game, a fun game yes, but that's it. A game can't "change" your live in any way. And you here this from someone that host servers, and pay for them, since 2006.

Someone's probably pointed this out, but I'm just too lazy to look through the posts. The game wasn't really what changed his life, it was the community, which was brought together by the game. It's sad that no other game can have a community like this because there are just far too many players. Everyone in gathers used to know each other personally, and now it's like a Latin American fiesta, and half the people don't even speak the same language as me. My favourite part, though, was that vent servers used to have like 10-15 people on at a time and we'd just chill, or when .:|EN|:. had a bunch of active members and we could have 6-man rambo matches on our Fracs server.(A lot of this was possible because of Chibi, too.)
 
I guess people just outgrew soldat, and it's not getting any new members because kids are always playing those mainstream console games.

[soulblade]

If you've never played sctfl and never pushed for the playoff spot, you just can't understand! 100+ cws in 4 weeks! Sleep is for the weak! Soldat is cocaine!!!!

This!

I never forget 15th season

I will never forget sctfl 15 either

[panda_bear_smoking]

You are taking things wayyyy too seriously.... It's just a game, a fun game yes, but that's it. A game can't "change" your live in any way. And you here this from someone that host servers, and pay for them, since 2006.

go -EDIT FOR Shoozza- youself...

it has

[Silverflame]

SUP guys!?

[poopdogg]

Mancer is getting Laid too? xD