Remembering CyberNation: Gaming
We had a cult like relationship with Marathon, both Durandal and Infinity. We would play against one another and then play against the RPI guys. There was always trash talk going on between us including the infamous ChickenNation and “Don’t Make Us Kick Your Ass” posters. I remember always being in a strategically difficult position due to having the biggest sound system. Everyone who knew this would fire rockets around the map and when they could feel my subwoofer erupt, they knew where I was. Those speakers made all the difference in the experience though. I pine for days of the first person shooter where using a mouse was for suckers; Anyone who knew anything knew that to win at Marathon, you needed both hands on the keyboard at all times.
Dave Simon used to look suspiciously at me during the day when he would walk into the office and I’d be taking a break with a game of Dirt Bike. (Also common was his refrain of “Greg, can you turn that music down???”) What made Dirt Bike were its sounds: Go!, Keep it Up!, Whoa!, Hooray! It was fun setting up maps that would allow the bike to roll faster and faster until you couldn’t see it on the screen anymore. Looping over the map at perhaps ten times per second, Dirt Bike would often crash, taking the rest of the computer with it. Even better were the maps set up to keep the bike rolling … backwards. The game would crash at a specific number of negative laps.
Carmageddon was hell on the fingers. I remember walking down the alley towards the parking garage, hands throbbing, wishing we hadn’t just played Carmageddon for eight straight hours. Driving home without skidding into pedestrians after those nights was always a challenge. After one long session, Leo, Joe and I were the only ones left. Joe went out and came back with a bottle of peppermint schnaps. We played several rounds with Joe’s familiar “God Damnit!” echoing in the dark room. He staggered out and Leo and I played a few more rounds. We had no idea how drunk he was until the elevator door opened on the ground floor and he was sprawled in front of us, only semi-conscious. Abe and and his uncle came by and picked him up.