It seems like I've just come back (which I have). And now I've realised: I no longer belong here.

This is the first proper forum I can still remember the password for. I can remember the glory days of the Allotment and the WA Toystore, where I tended to hang around and talk to the site owner a lot, before both closed down.

I can remember first hearing about it, at 297 posts, with Euan saying "Not much further..." I remember getting here without spamming once. Entering and thinking "This is nice!".

I remember when Euan posted his sitcoms, when the 100% Off-Topic Thread went up, when MFAH made the Waka Laka vid, when two of us rose up above everyone else.

And I remember a slight bit of unease involving the hiding.

This became slightly greater with each leak. And then I grew apart.

The reasoning for that is simple: I joined here when I didn't have any friends in real life. None. So I came here to talk with people who could understand me. Who knew what was going on. And I made friends. Forged alliegences, if you will.

And then, I started making friends in real life. And I started drifting away. I'd disappear for months (normally, months when stuff happened), then come back and say "hello!" and receive nods and occasional "hi"s in return.

Then I hit uni, and the amount of friends I had became larger. I suddenly met people who I could be myself around. Here, I tended to reign in parts of myself. With all of my new friends, however, I dropped all my shields and defences. And was stunned when, instead of shunning me or hating me, they stuck by me. And I made more friends.

Still, I remained posting here occassionally, mostly through first year.

Now, I've come back. And the forum has gone to this.

I think I've been away for three months, but it feels like, and probably was, longer. Then, I saw things with rose-coloured glasses. The visions of youth saw nothing but sunshine.

Now, I return with experience in the darkest corners of the net. I come back, and oh my, the shadows have lengthened. The darkness has encroached upon nearly everything now. Only a few users remain as I first saw them, as paragons of virtue, unyielding to the darkness. Standing firm against all.

But they're losing ground. It's all falling down. The wyrm has indeed turned, and it has fangs.

I have seen the forum with new eyes. And I believe it and I are better off going our seperate ways.

This has nothing to do with the leaks. If not for the leaks, I wouldn't come back. If I hadn't done that, I'd never finally decide to do this. To be frank, I've been thinking about this for nearly nine months. You could say that, at last, the conception has yielded a birth. And the result is me flying the coop.

To all those I befriended during my time here: sorry to do this right now, on top of everything else. You know where to find me. If you don't, talk to Euan or Paul. I'm on Gmail, Hotmail and dA.

In closing, I'll remember this place, and everyone in it. I'd say I cried while writing this, but I've learned to save my tears for those times when I need comfort. This, to tell the truth, is the relieving of a weight.

Good-bye, all. May your lives be truly wonderful things. And may you and those you love be safe.

Sala sentlê. Slán leat. Sayonara. Totsiens. Aú revoir.

I'll see you around.

What do you know. I really did need comforting.

Bye.
-Alex/KB.
2001-2007.

AGH. More people are leaving.

...
Sorry to see you go. Good to hear your life is well.
And that's one hell of a goodbye post. Hopefully mine will be even better. ;)
FARE THEE WELL.
DOS VIDANIA or whatever.

Bye !:-/

Hey I remember you being pretty cool I just don't remember why!

Also I'm glad you were able to leave on a happy note (in your life, anyway). It's great things are looking up!

Hey I remember you being pretty cool I just don't remember why!

Also I'm glad you were able to leave on a happy note (in your life, anyway). It's great things are looking up!
when did your posts become a cheese-a-thon? hmmm.

Quite inspiring for a farewell post indeed.

Nice talking to you in #worms a while ago, KB. I've always enjoyed your ideas and the manner in which you wrote them, so I'd very much like to see you visit every now and then still. But either way, good luck with it all.

I'm glad to see you have some real friends now, Alex. Of course, you could stay behind and help your internet friends improve the forum a bit. You'd be helping other people like yourself who were once in need. Y'know, giving something back.

I guess we'll have to remove your OD permissions if you don't plan on coming back, for security reasons. I know it sounds tough, but you understand it's for the best.

I won't say goodbye because I have you on at least one IM service.

Well, it's been good having you. Take care, and I'll probably catch up with you on MSN from time to time.

Wow ... it sort of feels like this place is falling apart at last.

I guess we'll have to remove your OD permissions if you don't plan on coming back, for security reasons. I know it sounds tough, but you understand it's for the best.


We are officially at O.D. Terror Level Red, standard procedure after all.

We are officially at O.D. Terror Level Red, standard procedure after all.
yeah that seemed a little silly to me too

Well, Alex said he's finished with OD, he doesn't need them anymore. If he wants to come back then it's no big deal, he can have them back. But given what's been going on recently, it's not an unwise precaution.

Joseph, it might look like that, but Alex says the reason he's leaving is because he doesn't need OD anymore. He has friends in the real world these days. I prefer to think that the place is going through a rough patch.

Well, Alex said he's finished with OD, he doesn't need them anymore. If he wants to come back then it's no big deal, he can have them back. But given what's been going on recently, it's not an unwise precaution.

what would that accomplish

It does seem a bit over-the-top to me, honestly.

The forum is falling apart around us.

You call yourselves Spartans!?

edit:
I've felt that same as you at time KB. I've neglected the forum for years at a time but the community is where my heart is so I find it easy to forgive. I hope you can see it in yourself to put your love into the community as once you did.

We may not have crossed paths very often but I've always thought of you fondly. If you do leave, then I hope you live a happy, fulfilling and honourable life.

Since you won't be able to respond to this post if you leave, I'll also say... asphinctersaysnothing.
(Maybe he'll come back just to keep from being a sphincter... let's hope!)

We have no reason to believe KB's access to OD is dangerous.

If thats the case, why not just remove everyones access to OD who haven't been active in the last 3 months? :p

Well, Alex said he's finished with OD, he doesn't need them anymore. If he wants to come back then it's no big deal, he can have them back. But given what's been going on recently, it's not an unwise precaution.


So you're suggesting that valuable administrator time is taken up by doing something that in the long run would probably be more of an inconvenience? Remember, we don't have a permanent forum administrator/webmaster at the moment. The current admin does many other jobs as well.

To be honest, I'd rather not have to put in a request to have someone's access from OD revoked just because they're leaving - that's going to happen too often for me to want to do it - and then put in another request when they return a month later for them to have their access reinstated. It's much less effort for everyone concerned to ban them when they leak OD.

It only takes a few seconds to modify someone's permissions.

I guess we'll have to remove your OD permissions if you don't plan on coming back, for security reasons. I know it sounds tough, but you understand it's for the best.

My initial suggestion was made to make Alex think twice about leaving. I'm not that much of a security loon, folks.

TBH I'm not quite sure what his reasons are, looking at his posts. He says the leaks aren't what's caused it but he's also going on about shadows and stuff, and things with fangs. I guess he's just one of these crazy people who prefer not to spend too much time on the computer.

At least I have his voice stored on my computer for ever and ever.

I, er, I don't think removing permissions from someone who's decided to leave is a particularly good idea. It certainly isn't an idea that smacks of "Community", which I believe is the very thing you're trying to preserve here.

People have said goodbye before for a variety of reasons and have come back, if only to say "Hello" briefly. Why don't we remove Nutter's OD access for good measure? Or Worm Mad's? He hardly posts here anymore.

If we're going to start removing people's OD access just because they've said goodbye then that itself is the beginning of the end. If that's what's going to happen then, honestly, I don't want to be part of this community anymore. Not if that's how we treat our own.

Ben, are you blind?

No. I just think it's a little stupid to revoke someone's access purely because they've decided to do something else with their time online.

No. I just think it's a little stupid to revoke someone's access purely because they've decided to do something else with their time online.
basically this

Now now... All of you...

I actually remember seeing a forum once, I'll be damned if I can remember where, where if you post a goodbye thread you get banned because obviously you don't need your account anymore.


edit: I don't think KB would want his thread to go this way. And I've been so distracted I forgot to say that KB is a cool guy and that I'll miss him and that I hope he pops in occasionally to say hello.

Now now... All of you...

I actually remember seeing a forum once, I'll be damned if I can remember where, where if you post a goodbye thread you get banned because obviously you don't need your account anymore.

probably sa, because those threads clutter up the forum index anyway

What I mean is, I posted saying I suggested removing Alex's permissions to make him reconsider what it was he was doing. I don't like the thought that he's never going to come back. I thought he was a bit quick off the mark to make such a big decision, even though he's been thinking about it for nine months but only visits the forum after he's prompted by a few of us in a chat on Xfire. I expected at least some people to tell what I was trying to achieve by the tone of my post but I mustn't have made it clear enough. The thread's not gone down the path I wanted it to, so I apologise. Let there be no doubt that I want Alex to stay, and am upset to have lost a long-time team member, especially one with such a cool accent.

I had a chat with Al tonight because I didn't quite understand his reasons for leaving. He says he doesn't need the forum anymore because he has everyone on IM, but I think we're better inspired using a forum. It's much easier to create, build and store, and look back on our past endeavours. IM seems impersonal (Ben will probably agree with this) and not as collaborative. Both mediums have benefits. Team17's forum is considered the centre of the community.

I've apologised to Ben privately because I felt my last post sounded a little blunt.

1. Alex won't get banned, or have his OD access revoked.
2. Alex is probably just expressing how he feels, rather than taking any permanent action.
3. You're all lovely and we can all huggle up to each other.
4. I have Lemon Drizzle Cake.
5. We need to play more Worms. Matty, StarWorm, Bovine, my girlfriend and myself all played last night and it was great. Admittedly, Bovine and m'lady aren't part of the community but still, it felt good.

I have a ludicrous and potentially laughable idea which I may post as a thread if there's enough support... OD members should be given secure WormNET logins for WA where they can access a separate channel. #Veterans or something. We can all mingle in there and worm together safe in the knowledge that we're all experienced and like-minded people. LOL now, or forever hold you piece of Lemon Drizzle Cake.

Losing one forum member is not the same as losing one community member. Remember that. Always.

3. You're all lovely and we can all huggle up to each other.
YAAY! *huggles*

5. We need to play more Worms.

True. I don't end up playing much because I don't regularly initiate games, go on wormnet (which I find a depressing place), or play rope-based schemes or hysteria.

Now that support for #worms on GameSurge has increased, finding a game should be p.iss easy.

Bretheren, go there now.

Goodbye KB, sad to see you're leaving.

What they said.

I don't end up playing much because I don't regularly initiate games, go on wormnet (which I find a depressing place), or play rope-based schemes or hysteria.

I'm not sure what hysteria is, but I'm pretty sure I don't like rope-based schemes either. I'm very much a Sheep BnG man, though I have recently knocked the old scheme up a notch with my spice weasel. BAM!

You should stick me on your MSN and/or ICQ list if you have both/either. I'll give you a nod whenever I'm about to play if you like. I warn you now, though, I tend to play little other than Sheep BnG, so I may be a disappointing foe when playing other schemes. ;)

(that goes for everyone)

I'm not sure what hysteria is I've played it a few times. You get one second to execute your shot.

Yes.

And people complain when I straight-zook in it. I mean, what the heck else am I supposed to do?

I've played it a few times. You get one second to execute your shot.

Yes.

And people complain when I straight-zook in it. I mean, what the heck else am I supposed to do?ELITISM!!!

To be fair to it, it isn't that bad. Although it's only one second to execute your turn, there's still ten seconds' thinking time and five seconds' retreat time.

The awkward part it, the round timer is ticking too. It's set at ten seconds, so ten failed attempts to fire a weapon and it's sudden death.

Also, in Hysteria there's a special selection of weapons with only one (1) per F-key slot.
F6 weapons (strikes) are omitted.

Once the new scheme format gets implemented, I'll propose that a toned-down F6 weapon gets added.
And also that the turn time is slightly higher than 1 second, so you can perform a jump, immediately followed by an attack.

Two seconds, perhaps?

Two seconds, perhaps?
Nah, that would make jumping and moving prior to an attack too easy.
It just needs that extra milliseconds needed to perform a complete backflip, so you have to time it right if you want to do an attack after that.

When worms 3 came out and everyone was worrying about the rope Spadge said a quote, "The rope is dead, Long live the rope". How do we know this just isn't a case of "The OD is dead, Long live the OD"? Sure, the first generation of OD'ers are moving on and going their seperate ways slowly but surely. Now the second generation is beginning, and I feel the forum is just going through a confusing "transition state" between the two. I think many of the old members still lurk around, not having much motivation to post, but still poke their heads in occasionally for nostalgia's sake.

...Well...Thats my excuse, anyway.

When worms 3 came out and everyone was worrying about the rope Spadge said a quote, "The rope is dead, Long live the rope". How do we know this just isn't a case of "The OD is dead, Long live the OD"? Sure, the first generation of OD'ers are moving on and going their seperate ways slowly but surely. Now the second generation is beginning, and I feel the forum is just going through a confusing "transition state" between the two. I think many of the old members still lurk around, not having much motivation to post, but still poke their heads in occasionally for nostalgia's sake.

...Well...Thats my excuse, anyway.Good Glod, it's Striker.

*checks behind the nearest tree to see if Nutter's there*

Nutter? Well he isn't behind this rock.

Besides, he already popped in and said hi a while ago anyway. You see, us lurkers are actually taking turns popping in, I beleive wormmad's next in line. :P

Truth be told, Playing worms 2 open warfare(see my post in the appropriate section) was what made me go "Oh yeah, the team 17 forum!". No guarentees on how long this "non-lurking" status will last though, I'd post some more in the OD if over half of the recent conversation wasn't just a combination of "welcome new members!/The OD is dieing!".(An ironic combination is it not?)

*checks behind the nearest tree to see if Nutter's there*
Well, how about resurrecting Nutter then?
By posting in this thread (http://forum.team17.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28203) he's subscribed too.