FAOrien wrote:
- Not necessarliy an ingame memory, but Pblade introducing me to various Photoshop techniques.
Glad I had an impact. 
As for me... how to catalogue such a whirlwind, topsy-turvy experience as MxO? I can still remember stepping out of that first Hardline back in the beginning of 2005, towards the end of the public BETA. I was in Eshean, and my Graphics Card stunk. It was nighttime, so the floor wasn't visible in about a 50 foot radius around me, and I had gray hair and white features.
Many months later, during live, when I was roughly level 35, I got my new Graphics Card, and found out I was a black guy with Sandy hair and some weird-as-hell facial tattoos. Naturally, it was a shock. But nevertheless; that was what PBlade was to the Matrix world, and that's how he stayed. The only change I've ever made was to give him Brown hair when the RSI pills came out.
PBlade was never the most ingenious name, nor did it have any backstory to it; you couldn't expect much from a 15 year old High School student approaching his GCSEs. But PBlade was his, and he's mine now, even if he's a little underused of late. He's my character, and although I've nearly abandoned the moniker in my online life, he will always be the first online name I had in the first MMO I ever played. I adore that funny looking b*stard.
I remember the End of BETA. I wasn't able to stay up until the very end--I had school, I think--but what I did experience was my second true taste of what MxO Events were capable of (the night before, the Assassin took a shot at Morpheus. It was a bit of a clusterf*ck, but the feeling of excitement made up for it). The EoB, though, was a rollercoaster of excitement and a coy promise at what could be when the game went Live. There was fighting, drama, system messages; people were fighting for their lives as they were called out by the system to be destroyed. I've had some good events in MxO during my time and, whilst I don't want to be flying the BETA flag, I don't think I've had a better time than that event.
More than the event itself, though, and the furore everybody experienced, I remember my faction. Sadly now, a shell of its former self, when I first joined The Children of Zion, I joined a fraternity of some of the most absolutely amazing people I'd ever had, and ever will, have the priviledge of meeting. There was the laid back Baku, Faction Leader and an exceptionally good man. LostProphet took up the spiritual seat of Second in Command, and found himself dealing with a lot of the Administrative tasks that a MxO faction accrued. He seemed to enjoy it, though. To this day, I'm glad I can call him a friend, too.
There were so many others... SoftKopy, Corbinator, PaPPy, TwiXX. All people who have more common sense in them than I still do in my little finger. A finer bunch of people I could never have asked for in faction mates. It was the death of CoZ, more than any development issue for me that signalled the end of MxO.
I could talk about events, and scenarios in MxO that shaped and formed the experience in detail, but I'd take up far, far too much time. I've already mentioned LESIG in the LESIG thread; they know strongly I respect and thank them. The Vector PET was a time of my Vector Experience I'll never forget. When somebody told me after an event they thought that LESIG had performed it, I couldn't have been happier. There were MxO Live Events, PET Events, LESIG Events, and Rarebit Events, all of which I can say I'm proud to have been a part of. Perhaps I'll elaborate on them another time.
Interesting to note is that, whilst I fell away from MxO a lot, I never unsubscribed. for 4 years now, I've maintained a subscription. For whatever reason, I found it impossible to part with the game. And now we all find ourselves with no longer having a choice--the fundamental facet on which the ethos of the Matrix was built has been taken away, and MxO faces oblivion. I have no choice but to quit now, with the rug gone from under my feet.
But I will remember what MxO was to me; more than just a game, I suppose it was a learning and growing experience for a young 15 year old chump who didn't know much about the internet or life. Now I'm a 20 year old chump in University who, thanks to the people I've met, things I've seen and been made to think about, and the friends I've made in this game, can say he's done more than 5 years worth of learning and growing up whilst he's been around.
Let's have some fun in the final 2 months, and remember what MxO was and should've always been.
Helpful Links: 
img>
.
