Escapist "War" Stories

[Euryalus]

Having been on the escapist for awhile... Ish... Ok so I'm not a noob at least. I've noticed more and more I've been able to reminisce about things that have happened during my time here.

I sound like an old man shaking my cane at kids telling them I remember the great whirlpool threads. It's kind of awesome.

Conversely I remember being new and hearing stories of neat things that have happened in the past like that Max the Reaper guy.

What kind of events big or small do you remember hearing about or experiencing yourself? Were you there for the great whirlpool epidemic etc.? Did you hear about it?

Are there other just downright cool moments or threads you remember fondly, or not so fondly, of your time here you'd like to reminisce about? Tell me!

Tell me your Escapist War stories, personally experienced or otherwise!

 

[Elfgore]

I'm not sure if I missed Zeal or Zeel or was just young to understand what was happening. All I know is, I really wish I could have been there. His rants on Mass Effect are legendary in their level of insanity, or so I've heard. Really should have paid more attention

I got into one of the most civil debates about which Fallout was better between 3 and NV with TheLostKing. We each brought points and just finally agreed to disagree on which was better. Same happened with a BF3 argument on being able to purchase levels with money. I said bullshit he disagreed on the argument of skill playing a massive part on how effective they are even with high level gear. Same happened as the last argument in the end.

I did also post a very unpopular opinion on the kid who got arrested for threatening to shoot up a school after a bad game of LoL. My post was the first post to the news article. I woke up every day to like 3 or so quotes from it. I eventually stopped responded and vowed never to post on threads that involve sexism, peoples' rights, and other heavily debated topics every again.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

My earliest recollection of a massive site event was the great April Fools joke of 2010. That was amazing and if you weren't there, I feel sorry for you. A lot of people who were involved aren't here anymore anyway so you guys probably wouldn't care. =p

There was a lot of ninjaing in the Ban Thread in Forum Games that year, with people competing to see how fast they could out post each other. And of course there were the famous "celebrity deaths" that happened within the same span of time too.

The biggest war story I guess I have was when I was reading through the changes to the rules in 2010/2011... I think it was just prior to the healthbar system and everyone was raging. I was on the sidelines but a few people I liked self-destructed over it. Was really stupid. >.<

I've seen the website format change into its present form (I still miss the old forums layout :/) and the changes in how moderation is handled here. Honestly I think the mods are more lenient than they used to be compared to the early days of my life on the site. Getting your Neo was more of a feat than it is now because there were no warnings and you would get probations quite easily if you slipped out of line even once. Lots of people were disqualified from the badge that way.

I guess I'm kind of boring because I generally don't post my emotionally charged reactions and as such haven't gotten into a dramatic argument with users or otherwise. I try to be cheery around Off Topic and help new members but I'm usually hidden away in Forum Games.

I do miss trying to beat [user]Marter[/user] to each thread in Off Topic though.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

2012 join date?

Lolgetonmylevelnoob

I've seen more shitstorms than I care to remember.

It feels odd being one of the old guard, this place has gone through so much since then.

The new blood will never know what MM does to this place.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

The new blood will never know what MM does to this place.

Which is probably why it stopped. Shame, I kind of liked watching.

I've seen more shitstorms than I care to remember.

And how many times were you in the eye of the storm?

 

[Daystar Clarion]

The new blood will never know what MM does to this place.

Which is probably why it stopped. Shame, I kind of liked watching.

I've seen more shitstorms than I care to remember.

And how many times were you in the eye of the storm?

Hell if I know, I stopped caring about that shit a long time ago.

Now I just watch as the kids rip each other's throats out.

 

[JoJo]

I've got to agree with Redlin about the rule changes in mid-2011 being among the biggest shitstorms I've seen in my time on this site, there was even user-groups founded to protest the new rules and the healthbar. Several established members got banned (HG131, never forget) or left the site in protest. It wasn't all for nothing though, the reaction prompted the six-month amnesty to be added to the health-bar, which we can all agree is probably a good thing for us long-time members (imagine if infractions never went away?).

The other great shitstorm I recall was the Extra Credits debacle, now that thread was... interesting. Basically, Extra Credits held a Kickstarter to raise money for their artist's arm surgery and Escapists gave in droves, raising far more than was needed. Unfortunately our communities generosity back-fired when a dispute arose between EC and the Escapist staff on what to do with the spare cash, the Escapist itself was going through money woes at the time and in the end EC left the Escapist forever because of the bad blood generated. At the time though no-one was really sure what was going on, or who was in the wrong, and so there many a vicious argument and threats to leave the site.

 

[Tyran107]

2012 join date?

Lolgetonmylevelnoob

I've seen more shitstorms than I care to remember.

It feels odd being one of the old guard, this place has gone through so much since then.

The new blood will never know what MM does to this place.

2009 join date? Why don't you get on my level

OT: the only shitstorm I can think of is the great extra credits debacle. Hoo boy there was such a thread on that.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Other than the other events that the aboves post had mention, I remember some people were questioning the Escapist game choice of the year 2011 to the point it was rigged or something like that (they must of really hated that game).

There was abit of a outcry with one of the past March Mayhem when the finals was really more about out thinking the votes then it was about really voting for the game you liked the most.

 

[Euryalus]

2012 join date?

Lolgetonmylevelnoob

I framed the sentence like I did for just such an occasion. Ish can give you a lot of wiggle room.

I'm not sure if I missed Zeal or Zeel or was just young to understand what was happening. All I know is, I really wish I could have been there. His rants on Mass Effect are legendary in their level of insanity, or so I've heard. Really should have paid more attention

All I heard in any mass effect thread throughout 2012 was mentioning of Zeel being crazy. No one would say why or explain what he said, just that he stirred things up like crazy and had been banned.

When he came back for a day, reading his post literally felt like a moment straight out of a movie.

It was in a banned users you remember thread and he was like I remember that zeel fellow XD

A Dun dun dun noise played in my head. It was amazing. There he was after all the build up... Then he immediately got banned again for being a dick about something. XD

 

[Spacewolf]

Since my quote buttons screwed i'm just going to have to do this the old way.

@Tyran= Nov 2008 join date, Get on my level noob. Although your lurking skills are apparently more honed.

 

[God'sFist]

Hello all I joined during the influx of bronies in 2012 and saw the flame wars over MLP:FM and whether it was good or not I watched and agreed and lurked. Do mostly lurking now I started out in R&P and loved my place there, still comment sometimes too. Man I never stopped to think much about what I've seen here, thanks for the thread T0ad 0f Truth

 

[tippy2k2]

While there have been many a shit storms, gather round here youngions for a tale of one man's innocent but terribly thought out gesture.

March Madness was once again rearing it's head. However, unbeknownst to the members of the site, a storm was brewing...a shit storm! That shit storms catalyst was the company of great disrespect. I of course am referring to...

Zynga

Zynga; a game company that many consider the very worst about the gaming industry was fighting and somehow gaining great strength. Zynga, like many cancers, was able to spread incredibly quickly by spamming it's very large user base to come to our fair land and vote the shit out of them. Like a tidal wave, they slowly but surely destroyed everything that was in it's path. Only one shining beacon of hope was left...

Valve

Tortured that his beloved Escapist was going to declare a company like Zynga as it's March Madness winner, a brave but kind of stupid soul decided to light the beacon to signal for help...

4Chan

While his heart was in the right place, asking 4Chan for help is like asking The Yakuza to help you with the Italian Mafia...no one's going to win when it's over. And they were right...

SO.....MUCH.........PORN!!!!!

The Escapist was flooded with porn! Boobies, dicks, dildos, S&M, violent, animals, innocent...porn of every variety flooded our great website. Eventually, we were able to ward off the 4Chan but at what cost....at what cost?

[small]Please note that this is all to the best of my knowledge as my memory has blacked much of it out in a move of self-defense. I could have a few things wrong, in which case, my bad[/small]

 

[TimeLord]

2012 join date?

Lolgetonmylevelnoob

I've seen more shitstorms than I care to remember.

It feels odd being one of the old guard, this place has gone through so much since then.

The new blood will never know what MM does to this place.

2009 join date? Why don't you get on my level

***** please

I kid, but seriously, get on MY level
Or [user]tippy2k2[/user]'s, cause he was before either of us!

 

[The Wykydtron]

I'm not sure if I missed Zeal or Zeel or was just young to understand what was happening. All I know is, I really wish I could have been there. His rants on Mass Effect are legendary in their level of insanity, or so I've heard. Really should have paid more attention

I got into one of the most civil debates about which Fallout was better between 3 and NV with TheLostKing. We each brought points and just finally agreed to disagree on which was better. Same happened with a BF3 argument on being able to purchase levels with money. I said bullshit he disagreed on the argument of skill playing a massive part on how effective they are even with high level gear. Same happened as the last argument in the end.

I did also post a very unpopular opinion on the kid who got arrested for threatening to shoot up a school after a bad game of LoL. My post was the first post to the news article. I woke up every day to like 3 or so quotes from it. I eventually stopped responded and vowed never to post on threads that involve sexism, peoples' rights, and other heavily debated topics every again.

Oh man, you missed Zeel?! He was so awesome! Every single Bioware thread he was there, arguing adamantly with about five different people never conceding defeat even when he was wrong, which was most of the time.

He dodged bans, came back from bans, rising from the ashes like some sort of Terminator. He was there for I think months until he finally got permabanned. Then he came back for one final post on like gay rights or something, pissed off about everyone in the thread with one single post then was IMMEDIATELY permabanned again.

Thus ends the saga of Zeel.

OT: Personally I don't have many proper arguments, what with my witty charm winning everyone over and that. The last warning I got was because I expressed my emotions slightly too hard on a subject, I wasn't trying to be insulting I just couldn't stand the guy. Oops.

I never post on the flame bait threads either. Sexism, racism, *insert whatever here*-ism. I've learned that no matter how nice you try to be, there will be someone there to misinterpret your words and rage at you. Plus people in those threads can't take jokes, thereby making me considerably unhappy.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Heh. Most of the big events I wasn't there for some reason or another. The exodus of notable users (like Furburt, Hubilub, DementedTeddy, Zeeky_Sanatos, and Swollen Goat, to name some) happened pretty gradually and I was a little disconnected from the community at that point. The Extra Credits controversy I was on vacation with no Internet. (I remember coming back and going "Oh crap, one of my friends got permabanned. Why did he get permabanned? Oh, that's interesting.") Every March Madness I purposefully skipped posting here because there was way too much complaining and drama. The_root_of_all_evil sudden leaving the site because of a thread during St. Patrick's Day 2012 was unexpected, I didn't hear about it until a while afterward.

(Just a little aside: I remember [user]lacktheknack[/user] getting suspended for the entirety of March Madness... 2012? for doxxing a person who was badmouthing gaming or nerdy people. Shit was so cash, lacktheknack got so much respect from me.)

Some things I do remember is The Advice Forum popping up out of nowhere on one day, and the random schism between Forum Games and Roleplaying. Then there was [user]Aylaine[/user], a user whom everyone knew about and enjoyed even before she hit Gone Gonzo (a lot of us aren't noticed 'til after Laureate). Then Aylaine left, came back last year, and looking at her account... hasn't posted in a year now. How sad, I thought she was back for good. We talked about Killing Floor one time.

My earliest recollection of a massive site event was the great April Fools joke of 2010. That was amazing and if you weren't there, I feel sorry for you. A lot of people who were involved aren't here anymore anyway so you guys probably wouldn't care. =p

I miss Kuliani. This forum hasn't had any great user-staff collaboration events since he left.

2012 join date?

Lolgetonmylevelnoob

And then there's this moth'fuck who gradually became everyone's favorite user.

 

[BreakfastMan]

2012 join date?

Lolgetonmylevelnoob

I've seen more shitstorms than I care to remember.

It feels odd being one of the old guard, this place has gone through so much since then.

The new blood will never know what MM does to this place.

Ugh, MM. Can't really say I miss that. Some of the shit I seen in those threads, man... It ain't pretty. That year Zynga almost won and 4chan invaded was the worst of the lot. The shock images... I will never be able to scrub those from my mind. I feel sorry for the mods that were active that year D:

 

[Eric the Orange]

And then there's this moth'fuck who gradually became everyone's favorite user.

I am in the church of nuke. He may not post much but he's the only one of you I respect (I kid, I kid).

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/view/NewClassic

 

[deathbydeath]

Aw man, Zeel. I fucking love that guy. I agreed with him on so much* but I avoided typing up long-ass responses and took the lazy way out by linking smudboy's videos to random posts. I also remember Vault101's threads which were always a nice mix of unpenetrable grammar and baffling conclusions. Also the sensitive issue badgebait threads irritate me as well. There's a reason I don't visit Kotaku often and that reason will start to apply to here if this shit keeps up. For me, most of the fun shit happens in the RP meta, like how I've been banned from the same RP group Skype chat at least seven times. I'm still in the RP.

Anyways, this forum is kinda tame compared to some of the others I've seen. There's one I use a lot more than this that has less than twenty active users, but the Stanley Parable thread I set up there went from zero to 70+ posts in under five hours, and most of the arguing came from 4-5 people (including myself). Also once after a series of hilarious typos, the admin changed someone's username from "gilgamesh" to "giglamesh". That ended so well. Also also a poster got a WARNING from a mod by claiming she was in menopause. I don't even remember how that started. Oh, and one time there was a huge density of posts in the "religion" thread because of a debate and the next day I started getting ads for "Sexy Christian Singles" on that site.

*-Normally I threaten people with tiger maulings if they try to turn a side comment into a flaming match but I recently got WARNED for that so I have to ask: are leopard maulings off-limits?

 

[Lunar Templar]

off hand?

'The Extra Credits Indecent'

'Zeal' and by extension "The Mass Effect 3 Ending Whine-O-Thon'

There's probably a few more I've forgotten about, mostly due to how inconsequential 'an argument on the internet' is.