Since I consider myself a Veteran in the ranks of Rox by now, here is my story.
My first contact with ET was at a friend of mine who played it once in a while. I took a liking in it very soon. But I didn’t have internet yet myself and when I had internet my computer was too crappy to play ET (and that means a lot!). When the time came I finally managed to set up a more or less stable connection and got myself a new computer I downloaded ET and returned. The first server I played on was FOB server. That is indeed the clan of our friend Dedale.
FOB didn’t manage to hook me up but then I remembered the first server I ever played on at my friends. Indeed, House of Rox.
It was mid 2006 back then and I was a very young guy of 15 years old. I started playing as Firewrath because back then a name needed to sound cool to me.
Needless to say my play sucked back then but I took a liking in the server, it’s players and the friendly atmosphere that Rox is still known for today.
My connection didn’t turn out that stable though and I went connection interrupted on a very regular base which pissed me off to no end. Anyway I sticked to playing because ET was and still is an awesome game.
After a while I started talking to some rox members and also public players looking to be rox. Some of these rox members where Kwame, Bilstein, Merlin, Warmachine, Chris, Mincus, Rankin, Anubis, Choob, Niko, Joboo, Slime, Tahita, Joelapute… Some of the rox wannabees back then where Redman, Moving, Dark Jattoune (aka Dark), Delfoba (aka Shadow), Xixi,…
Those are the ones I recall at the moment but there were a lot more.
During the summer of 2006 I placed my apply on the rox site. I still didn’t have quite enough the skill that was needed to make it into rox. And was advised to grow more and learn to shoot the head more (Merlin’s advice). What I did not have in skill I appearently did have in attitude. My and other applicants where gladly seen on the server. We put a lot of effort in making our way into the Ranks of Rox. During August of 2006 Anubis put together a friendly tournament in which I wanted to participate. I was allowed but the date was placed during my summer holidays so I had to drop out. After a good summer holiday I returned to the servers well rested and continued doing my business.
During that period which was the second half of the year 2006 rox had a euro server under command of Slime. It was an awesome server. I requested Slime to put in some new maps I remembered playing once. My requests were heard and we indeed tried some new maps on the Euro server. Back then Rox sometimes played Mlb_Temple, Mlb_Daybreak, Karsiah_te,… I appreciated it a lot that Rox members listened to some requests/propositions of their applicants. Mlb_Daybreak crashed the server once if i’m not mistaken so it was thrown in the trash. Good thing people didn’t hold me responsible for that.
Meanwhile my apply kept running and more comments were flowing in. I remember the rox applicants supporting eachother and commenting eachother on what they do good and what could improve. Back then AOG Morgoth (aka Rox: Angrymoose) left also a very recommending post and Rox Choob asked why I wasn’t in yet. That ofcourse made me very happy. On the server Joboo, one of the best players back then, also told me I had high potential. My play was getting better bit by bit.
But then Rox went into their first crisis. Joboo, BMF and Predator left to form their own clan S!C. A strike of sadness covered Rox back then. Other applicants like Stune and Zevius followed them. The Sadness however did not last long. Rox regrouped itself and many applicants stayed. Redman and Tosikko who werepromoted to rox back then, Aurelianus, Piloupy to name a few.
Early 2007 an event was organised during the Christmas holidays if I’m not mistaken, a scrim practice for Rox. In that practice I was allowed to participate. That was one of the most fun matches I ever played in ET. There were a few landmines allowed. The map was goldrush. We had to play axis. I tore the rox allied team apart with some well placed mines. When they turned to get gold by coming through our spawn I ambushed them in the corridor by using the crates as some cover. 9 or 10 Headshots later the entire allied team lied dead on the floor. That felt very good. After the tourny I remembered Draza say “Hey Krux, you’d better recruit this guy, he killed all your men.”
One week later I recieved a PM from Krux that I was gonna be rox soon together with Piloupy and Aurelianus. 2 days later he PM’ed me again to go to the site and read rules as a last formality. I did and got back on the server back then. I PM’ed to Krux and he gave me level 40. I was officially rox! 6 months and over 100.000 bullets after I launched my apply I finally made it in.
Since then I’ve been doing the admin job in the way I deem it to be done correct. It had been a period of hights. Moving, Thibault (aka Spinoza), Xpt0, Xixi and others followed me into rox not long after. A serious down happened when I got into a very extensive fight with Xixi. He had some very childish binds which got on my nerves a lot. Funny thing is that some people now actually got kicked for those things. Anyway, we settled the problem like it’s fit for mature people. Another down was when I saw Kwame leave rox, same went when Slime left. Rox lived on however and many players came and went. One of them that is very noteworthy to me is Rox: Spiderpig. He showed me some tips and tricks once. I didn’t like to see him leave. There were also the Jake / Antichrist problems which got them both banned. But lets not focus on the negatives. Rox is home to positive atmospheres.
Steadily but sure I was granted more admin levels that came with new rights and higher duties. I participated in scrim tournaments. Every single one was fun. The team of Nny won them all. There was one very anoying finale though. Played between our team and Nny’s team that also had Hjsimpson and a dastardly ringer that we currently know as Rox: Elmo.
Last year Rox entered it’s second crisis when Krux and Melifik were thrown out of the clan and banned. It saddened me a bit to see them leave. The way they treated the clan and public players was wrong though. Still I’d like to see them come back one day. Not as leader but as a part of rox. Elmo took over leadership assisted by Draza, Moose, Slime, Dead|Alpha. Since then things have been like they are still today. Rox continues to flourish, I continue to admin and play. People come and people go but we remain standing.
I am nearing the 20 now so rox has been a part of my life for 5 years now. Strange how a mere game can have such an influence. But it’s not really the game, it’s the clan and it’s people. Without rox, I wouldn’t still be playing ET. So lets hope that rox sticks together and keeps attracting new people.
After all: Rox was the best, Rox is the best and Rox will always be the best!
(PS: For the people I forgot to mention, I apologise, couldn’t remember everyone.)
