A Red-Letter Day

[Ded10c]

Posted 0:00 UTC 2014-02-28

Ladies and Gentlemen, today is an important day.

Exactly ten years ago today, Nathan Mates and Ken Miller did something that would change the Battlezone community forever. It would at first be controversial, even polarising, but ultimately it would prove to be the greatest act of charity and kindness that this community has ever seen. Ten years ago today, the first version of 1.3 was released.

The 1.3 project has since expanded massively. Nathan and Ken have given us a huge amount of bugfixes and optimizations and massive amounts of new features. Nathan has massively improved graphics and implemented an entirely new matchmaking system. He's provided huge amounts of assets for modders, tools to use them with and a high-quality texture pack. He's enabled the release of music created for the game that had never before seen the light of day. It has been a ten-year labor of love and the terrible thing about it is that we take their work completely for granted.

They have put up with our demands, arguments, insults, the vaguest of shrug reports and even more demands. Let's be honest; this community is not the nicest of its kind and no doubt it has crossed the minds of both at some point to simply leave us to it. But despite our brashness, ignorance and outright arrogance, they didn't; they kept at it and worked away at their keyboards.

I propose that we take the opportunity to use this day to thank them both, be it by personal messages, forum posts or some other means. These two men have done more for this community than any of its members, and not a single one of us thanks them enough.

So, on behalf of the entire community; thank you both. You've done things for us that we simply don't deserve.

[bigbadbogie]

Really? 10 years. That's also when I bought my 1st copy of BZ1 - Jan/Feb 2004. So I actually had BZ1 before 1.3 ever came out?

BTW: Thanks GSH and Ken! I pretty much owe the awesomeness of the last 10 years of my life to you.

[Red Spot]

Tonight I'll open a bottle in their honor
Thanks for the continuous effort guys, much kudos to you both!

[General BlackDragon]

Woohoo! Celebrate!

[Red Devil]

yes, agreed; thanks Nathan and Ken for all your efforts on keeping these gems alive.

now the rest of you go make some savegames.

[GSH]

Thanks. Last summer marked my 15 year anniversary with the BZ2 codebase -- I was hired at Pandemic in summer 1998 - August 3, 1998 according to my memory.

The history (with dates) of 1.3 releases is at the bottom of readme13.rtf, installed with every 1.3 full build.

-- GSH

[DarkCobra262]

Thanks. Last summer marked my 15 year anniversary with the BZ2 codebase -- I was hired at Pandemic in summer 1998 - August 3, 1998 according to my memory.

The history (with dates) of 1.3 releases is at the bottom of readme13.rtf, installed with every 1.3 full build.

-- GSH

I agree with OP, thanks GSH and Ken! (Whilist I may not be known in the community, I do certainly appreciate you taking the time to keep BZ2 alive and updated )

[Protrector]

A lot of dedication! Thanks, tho scavs still like to climb buildings!

[Jabbapop]

thanks gsh for sticking with it!

[Commando]

Our testers have a funny way of showing their gratitude.

[blue banana]

Sucks I didn't see this post earlier...

Thanks for all you do guys! We are all grateful for the work you do!

[vlad_C0M]

Great thanks! I always knew that this game maked with true loving care and fire in heart.

[k00kev2]

Maybe a bit late, but I'd also like to give my thanks.

I remember when I first got this game for my Windows 98 as a kid. First time really playing video games, actually.
I absolutely fell in love with BZ2 - I'm actually not at all familiar with BZ1; it's before my times.

Over the years it became another broken CD, and my memory of the game started to vanish.
Until one day I bought the game CD on ebay for $.01 (plus shipping, of course)
On my search for patches, I stumbled upon the 1.2 patch, and later, the 1.3 patch.
Come to find a plethora of mods, map packs, etc. And then when MP seemed dead, Raknet.

I joined this forum in the hopes of learning enough of the mechanics to make my own mod. I'm not very active,
and I typically only post to pester you guys with a question or two, but you've all been very helpful, and I'm grateful.
I'm still trying my hand at random modifications, and perhaps someday I'll devote enough time to make something out of it.

Thank you GSH, and Ken, for keeping a small memory of my childhood alive.

[FireBlade]

This was one the first games I ever played as a kid, and it's still my all-time favorite to this day.

I remember figuring how to edit the code (didn't know it was "code" back then, though; must've been in 6th grade or so) and configurations, and spending hours making my own maps, modifying ship attributes, etc.

It actually would later inspire me to pursue a degree in Computer Science - I remember my first semester of college being introduced to C++ for the first time, and thinking..."that's what Battlezone was written in!!!" Heh.

So, in a way, Battlezone has shaped my life, and for that I'm truly appreciative of Nathan, Ken, and everyone who has kept, and continues to keep, Battlezone alive.

-- XBFB