Early Days W9
I remember when I first joined the game, as a total newbie. I had no idea what I was doing or where to go. I picked Worker and quested aimlessly for a while until I got a telegram one day from the founder of a small town that was in need of workers. They welcomed me with open arms and I was happy to help them build their town.
As a worker, I spent long hours gathering money, building town structures, and helping with whatever was needed. It guess it was then that I realised the game is about being a part of something bigger than myself.
One day, while I was out collecting money, I was challenged to a duel by a player from a town called Craggy Island. I was skilled in building at that time, so I quickly found out that I didn't have the right equipment or skills for duels.
I was defeated in that first ever duel and knocked unconscious - lost all my money. It was a humbling experience, but it apparently lit a fire in me to become better. I knew I had to at least upgrade my gear if I wanted to be a competitive player.
I decided to visit the shops in the town I was helping to build and found some great duelling clothes. They were expensive, but I knew they would help me in the long run. I also re-skilled my character to be a better dueller.
The KO ended and I was ready to face my opponent again. This time, I was confident and ready. I travelled to the Craggy Island saloon, and set the duel. I remember the the duel being intense. But in the end, I emerged victorious. I had knocked out the player who had defeated me before, and I got my first ever "fan mail", became friends with the player.
I had gone from a clueless worker to knocking out a skilled dueller. I knew there were many exciting challenges ahead, like the town full of players from Greece that the entire sector united against to declare war on, forming an alliance with Craggy Island, eventually joining the MC and beating up the SSF. I was proud to be a part of my town and the game community.
First Fort Battles
I lead, and lost, one of the first ever fort battles, on W9. The walls and towers didn't even have any bonuses yet, so the meta strategy at the time was to bail inside immediately on defence - while the attackers tried to mount the full fort at the same time to simply have a shootout.
Prime Time
The best days of the game for me were undoubtedly during W15.
After W9 I pretty much stuck with the Craggy Island crew and when the time came, I was invited to join a new world called Colorado, to a town called Nuns on the Rum, where we were determined to build our new town the fastest, which we did, It was an amazing accomplishment and a testament to the power of teamwork and determination and drunken priests.
One of the highlights of my time in Colorado was seeing the greats leading fort battles and alliances. I became quite skilled at it myself and during the prime days of World Users, we won many battles in some of the most difficult and competitive conditions in the game.
Looking back on those days, I realize that it was the friendships are what made the game so special. We may have been from different parts of the world, with different backgrounds and cultures, but we were all united by our love of the game and our desire to build something great together.
Best Changes
Fort Battles and Crafting were game-changers, but my favourite change that has ever been made was actually accidental - when a bug was introduced that meant players couldn't sleep in a hotel. I was a dueller - this was a fun day.
"how have you experienced the past few years?"
Is that really a question that you'd want the answer to?
Regretfully