How did you learn about Infantry?
I was playing in SubSpace and kept hearing people ask one another if they were accepted to "Alpha", and I didn't bother asking because I already knew it was a clique thing, probably more so than SS was... But then I kept hearing about it, so one day I waited for the right time to pounce on someone I figured had some know about it, and he spat out the Infantry web site (www.infantryzone.com), where I downloaded the game from.

When did you first play Infantry?
I forget which version, but it was like August or September of '99.

Your first alias was?
BioPlague

Which zone did you play first?
My very first zone was I think the only zone running except Escape Pod: Beta Zone, which I couldn't play very well because of my inefficient computer. When they came out with that little trainer zone (I forget the name), I enjoyed that; less people, less lag. Then CTF came out, and I really got into the game from there.

What was your impression when you logged-in for the first time?
Well, coming from SS, I was already use to the format somewhat, and with my years in Gemstone 3 the chat interface was a snap because I was already used to digesting vast amounts of info quickly, in print. I just kind of played for awhile, and enjoyed immensely the freedom to colorfully express my feelings. I was very impressed initially, and saw immense potential in it from the very first time I got in the game.

What were your first words in the chats?
I honestly don't remember, but I would bet money it was something like fuck you or some such

What was your first class? How did you outfit him/her?
I played Commando for a long time, and ran around with a PA shooting people right next to me and whining about it, then I would lag flags out and argue that they didn't know what lag meant. Commando was fun, and I tried all the classes really, but the day I finally decided to see what the Mortar was all about. That was when I fell in love with Heavy Weapons. That was pretty early on, and also when I started making other names. BioPlague was Heavy Weapons, Helga was my Engineer, Pherouss my Infantry, and so on.

How long did it take you to learn how to shoot? To strafe?
Hehe, forever. Well, the shooting part was fine, the zoom out for sniping took a little bit longer. From there I cared not for strafing as I felt lucky to kill someone in a normal fashion; you have to understand that I was using a bad ISP at the time and my lag was really bad in weird ways. I learned to strafe like a month into it.

Who was your first friend, and how did you meet him/her?
Deek came over from Gemstone 3 and he had already been my friend for years, and Tazb invited me to V-Tech after some time, and they have always been my friends. I guess Tazb would be my first real infantry friend.

Who was your first enemy, and how did you meet him/her?
Oh I don't think I should talk about that because they still play, and I have forgiven them and I hope they can forgive me for the things that I said and did.

When did you realize that Infantry was worth playing?
Immediately. I saw the game and my mind raced with ideas. As the game progressed and I learned more about the mechanics I only became more sure that I was correct that Infantry as an engine could revolutionize the gaming industry.

What else do you remember best of your first days?
My fondest memories of any map would be a tie on the first Kliest's Ridge with static flags, and the last WZA we had, with the tanks. I made a lot of friends and we had a lot of time to talk, not only about the game but also about our lives in general. You don't get to see people all the time, but the act of communication is highly under-rated, and I have gotten a very big dose of intelligent, and provocative communication from the first time I got my first zone downloaded, up until now.
I also remember talking with ljc and Yankee for my first time. They were much more down-to-earth than the Gemstone 3 fuddy-duddies that were the GM's there. When I realized that they understood themselves to be humans like the rest of us, the game meant more to me, and also I got to shoot my ideas that had been welling up inside me for however long.