"What is Argonath?" - Passing my 5-year mark

[JDC]

This is intended to be a long post. If you came here to spam TL;DR comments, waste your time somewhere else.


Greetings.

For those who do not know me, I am JDC. That is my primary name, although I have gone by others that I end up using (and were given me) much less often: Jonathan Kolta, "JD", "JDCstoods",  the Conservative, Director, "f*cking abuser admin who banned me even if it was my grandma and 5 brothers who used hacks and not me", among many others.

And I today, I celebrate five years in Argonath RPG.

In that span of time, I have been many things for many people in this community; friend, enemy, supporter, critic, superior, subordinate, revered, loathed, helper, pest, just to name a few. And in four of those five years, I have served in this community's administration team, and still continue to do so proudly.

Five years is a long amount of time. But just like most spans of time, it seems much shorter when looked back upon, compared to when you have yet to look forward to its entirety. A person's life can change entirely through a drastic chain of events in a single day, and gradually through a year's worth of normal life. The same can be said even more so for five years.

Some people would think all that time is an awful waste of  life. But I am happy to say that I have also lived a full and fulfilling life in those five years, in addition to my Argonath experience. As much as I prioritized the former above all else, I always managed to end up finding time for the latter.

As I muse upon all these reflections, I remember one question.

"What is Argonath?"

Asking that question about a community that has attained this magnitude and been around for almost seven years and is like asking the question "What is Love?". You will get different answers. Some will tell you it is what binds and drives us, others will tell you it is a source of pain, others will speak of fulfillment, and others will sing "Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more" just to troll the hell out of you, among many others. (plus points for those who get the last reference)

For those who don't get it, the point is that there is no single, all-encompassing answer that can solve that question. Why is it that I give Argonath such a complex description? Let's ask the question again; What is Argonath? What answers would we get?

Argonath is... a world of its own.
...a successful, long-standing RP server.
...a second (or third) home where I have plenty of fun.
...a reslient DDoS magnet.
...where I meet new friends and groups.
...the place where I make many enemies.
...where I discuss international news and issues, including politics and religion.
...where I get banned from for rulebreaking, even if it was my fault.
...a place where admins try to help everybody, from new players to the veterans.
...blessed with a dedicated and loyal administration.
...a ruthless dictatorship that suppresses political opposition.
...a place with much more freedom compared to more repressive servers.

...and so much more.

Thousands have passed through the portals of this community, many of who are still here, although few of us remain from chapters in Argonath history that have long gone. The above list is merely some of the most common perceptions people possess of this community, with many holding more than one of the items listed. I doubt it would be unrealistic to state that thre are as many perceptions of Argonath as there are people who passed through its portals. How much of those perceptions actually stand strong in reality, and how much of those are merely subjective interpretation, is another story.

In a community of this magnitude, there exists a plethora of people with many diverse views, opinions, and perspectives. And in the years that have passed, I have proudly chosen the side of the administration. The side of the Owners who work hard to keep Argonath up, the Managers who handle unban requests and admin appointments, the Admins who spend long hours keeping the servers clear of rulebreakers, and the Moderators who work hard to become full and qualified admins.

The very same administration which has consistently been opposed for a plethora of reasons as well, some of the most common being its non-democratic manner of management, and its refusal to give in to the demands of its enemies and detractors.

One would ask, why is it that some individuals continue to support and uphold the administration, despite certain elements that have caused a minority of disgruntled players to leave the community, to go underground (becoming ban evaders, exposed or hidden), or to turn against it? I would say it is because of how it has endeavored to continue the Argonath experience for everyone, to protect this community that was founded to foster fun and friendship between players.

I will tell my story from another perspective. In my previous "autobiographies", I have spoken of the people I have met and the roles I have occupied. This time, I will talk about what has changed, and what has remained consistent.

Looking back...

The year was 2008. When I first joined Argonath, it was the last days of MTA:VC's golden age, before its fall that was a result of Yahoo! purchasing its server browser, the ASE. The administration was populated by a team of which around half remain, or are remembered today as prominent players and admins. The fierce opposition Argonath faced from Anke in the earliest days of its existence had mostly disappeared, although traces of it still remained, most notably in the form of a certain bitter individual known to nearly all MTA:VC-era players until today. Sauron would regularly speak to players personally, [R*]RON / Aragorn was nearly online (sometimes, AFK) 24/7 keeping an eye on the server, and personal chats with the Owners were seemingly much more commonplace. SA:MP had recently undergone major reorganizations in the form of the recent SAPD reform following the resignation of Chief Luca Scalise, and the release of RS3.

It was an interesting time. The three prominent groups in the administration were [R*], =AV=, TeaM, and Sforza. Their names remain in the community, and they have produced many prominent players who have occupied both positions of power and notoriety. It was a time when many of the top names in law enforcement were also prominent criminals, yet with the professional attitude of being able to differentiate their roles properly.

My story at first hardly differed from that of most new players. I learned how to roleplay, how to use hackers as target practice for fighting skills because all the respectable RPers knew how to fight well, how to entertain myself when I was the only non-AFK person in the server (mostly by picking mushrooms). I joined the VCPD and learned how to become a proper Argonath cop, I even received my first (and to date, only) ban. On seeing my first Argonath Anniversary, I found out that the community and I shared a birthday as well.

At first, I thought Argonath would just be a passing hobby. Yet, there was something in this community that stood out, something that made me stay. And as the years went by, I saw the Argonath Effect manifest itself even more, rather than diminishing, as many who have become our enemies have found the community too irresistable to leave. Negative publicity is still publicity, and all that they have done so far was strengthen the community rather than weaken it. With every blow the community has taken, it has only emerged stronger. Examples are the various ban evaders who attempted to terrorize the server, the ever-present DDoS attacks, the attempts by kid Colombus to take Argonath offline, among others.

Aside from the community's strength and resilience, I could also say it was a unique sense of camraderie. Argonath made it possible for me to have friends all over the globe, to learn about the habits and cultures of others in a way different than simply reading or watching media about them. I encountered people from many walks of life, from school dropouts all the way to members of the working class who continue to return to Argonath despite their work and obligations in real life; game developers, firemen, soldiers, scholars, just to name a few.

The GTA universe was built as a parody of the real world. Therefore, it was only natural that Argonath followed suit. But rather than becoming simply another oh-so-generic attempt at copying the real world (such as the many RL-RP servers out there), this community took it to the next level. Argonath was a place where the supernatural and extraterrestrial also mingled with the mundane. Alien disappearances, priests using the power of the holy Sauron to extort from the populace, the dead coming back to life, zombie invasions, just to name a few. This community has borne witness to a vast plethora of enjoyable scenarios, and I do not regret having enjoyed many of them.

Fast forward five years later.

In any community, there will always be change. The player landscape is much different now than it was then. Such is only natural with the increase of the playerbase to its current magnitude.

One of my biggest regret is that there were not enough of my generation of veterans to pass on the values of Argonath to enough of the newer players. Our numbers were not enough to keep up the transfer of that knowledge as it was back when the community was smaller. Fewer players than ever remain who possess the ability to roleplay with or without scripts, to rely on creativity and imagination, to use hackers and rulebreakers as target practice and morale boosters rather than complain.

Many people, organizations, and institutions have come and gone. Yet in spite of that and numerous changes, one thing that has remained consistent is the presence of players who continue to love and defend this community. It is them who help keep it strong in the face of all hardships that befall the Owners and administration. As an admin myself, it gives me a certain sense of pride and satisfaction whenever I see the players endeavor to help us protect this community, especially given that the normal majority cannot be trusted to keep order when the administration turns its back.

I have undergone my own changes as well. From a virtually unknown and penniless freecop who got admin-jailed for stealing a suspect (out of not having known any better), to a rich Manager and current / former leader and Director of several clans, organizations, and branches of law enforcement. Sounds great at first, doesn't it? But truth is, it would not have been worth all the effort had I not managed to learn how to gain a fulfilling experience from this community.

I look back on the many positions of prominence and power that I have occupied. I realize that many players struggle to achieve such, under the perception of attaining a better community experience if they do so. But I will attest that obtaining those ranks and positions would have been an empty and meaningless experience if you do not know how to exercise them responsibly and to value the others who work around you.

I also look back on how I managed to pass the "Mansion, Bizz, 3 cars, and millions of dollars" mark long ago. After reaching that point, others will think, "now what?". The answer to that lies in the others around you, and I will attest that it was my friends and other players players who helped keep the experience interesting long after I have obtained everything material.

Argonath has helped me in real life as well. I currently study Computer Science in my country's National University, whereas I met Argonath before I first entered high school. Other than some leadership skills which came handy in University life, my constant arguing in SA:MP Ideas helped land me in a the debate varsity. Better conversing, analytic, and essay skills are also yet a few of the benefits I have earned from my stay in Argonath.

The community has exposed me to plenty kinds of people, kinds of people that are much harder to meet in real life because of the geographic restrictions. It has helped in teaching me how to interact better with others. To develop friendships and bonds with people that are much far removed in difference from the usual circles of friends in your area. To develop a better appreciation of other cultures by befriending people from ways of life much different from your own.

For making all of this possible, I wish to give my utmost thanks to the following:

To the Founders and current Owners of Argonath; Sauron, Ronnel / Gandalf, RON / Aragorn, and Agent / Legolas for making all of this possible. Above everyone else, there would be no Argonath community and experience without you. You may not have always been active in mingling among the players, but exerting all the needed effort and providing just about all the expense (because donations are smaller than we think) to keep this community running despite having important real-life obligations (such as family and work) is more than enough.

To my colleagues in the Argonath Administration and Management who have labored endlessly to provide a better community for the players, despite the strenous job and endless stream of setbacks and sources of stress. It has not been an easy challenge, and it is only understandable that many of us have tired and left.

To the many friends I have met, retained, and lost, for traveling with me in my Argonath experience.

To my enemies, detractors, and (friendly or not) opponents for teaching me how to cope and react better.

Last but not the least, to all players who continue to patronize this community, for keeping it standing strong. Whether you realize and like it or not, we all owe each other some sort of thanks for making this entire experience possible.

And In the end, all of this brings us back to the question.

"What is Argonath?"

If you haven't finished finding your answer yet, then the challenge remains with you.

[EliteTerm]

What is Argonath? The place where anything's possible, if you let it.

Times sure has changed since MTA:VC, hasn't it? It's been a real pleasure knowing you then, and going along for the ride with Argonath as she barrels down the highway to prosperity and stopping any carjackers from deviating Argonath's course.

Stay strong. 

[PulseEffect]

What is Argonath? A place of "uniqueness" and where the wild things are.

Keep rockin on.

[McGarrett]

Extraordinary well presented and congratulations.

[Hevar.]

What is Argonath? A place there is some tip how to lose weight by Frank_Hawk :/

[Sawyer]

Enjoyed reading it, I already have read some kind of the same sayings about you before. Stay strong!

[Gird3r]

It was a pleasure reading this JDC.

"One of my biggest regret is that there were not enough of my generation of veterans to pass on the values of Argonath to enough of the newer players. Our numbers were not enough to keep up the transfer of that knowledge as it was back when the community was smaller. Fewer players than ever remain who possess the ability to roleplay with or without scripts, to rely on creativity and imagination, to use hackers and rulebreakers as target practice and morale boosters rather than complain."

This is so true.

"because all the respectable RPers knew how to fight well"
*coughs*
I'm one of the major exceptions then.
I have never been good at shooters.

[~Legend~]

Congratulations on your 5th, JDC.

Enjoyed reading your message a lot.
Even if the old go, naturally, the new and the upcoming I hope will always remain as a testament to what has come before.

[~Legend~]

JDC's message to the community before he decided to step down for a while -

It is a real pity that the original was moved; there are some great notes of thanks to several people in Argonath and I'm sure they would like to view it too.





JDC

With the passage of time comes change. For those who do not know me, I am JDC. Law enforcer, moderator, administrator, manager, debater, and Argonath player of five years. And I am here to formally say goodbye.

...for now. I guess that makes this topic more of an extended inactivity topic than a real goodbye topic.

In the past several months, I have clashed with my University studies, my schedule, my health, and the changes of life itself. After everything that has transpired, I conclude that I cannot stay in this community any longer, at least not for the time being.

Hence, I resign from all my positions in the Argonath community, effective immediately. I leave the management of MTA:VC FBI to the ARPD Commissioner, and desire Legend to choose the best of my agents to replace me as Director in the VC:MP FBI.

As one of the Owners once stated, it is good to be committed who the community, but it is even better to know how to prioritize correctly and put their academics / real life before anything Argonath-related. Real life is something that needs my energy more than any games, communities, sites, blogs, and et cetera. I leave this community as a University student and administrator, and intend to return as a developer once I finish my computer studies at the premier national university, to give back to a community which I have gained so much from.

However, you cannot plan properly for the future without looking back on the past. So before I take my leave, I would like to recount my experience in this community.

Early 2008, the last days of MTA:VC's golden age. I was a young teenager about to enter high school, my latest pastime being tinkering with GTA mods. Specifically, Vice City mods such as new cars, missions, storylines, cow bikes, maps, and islands in the sky. The turning point came when I came across Multi Theft Auto: Vice City. After trying out several deathmatch servers, I ended up in an RPG server where my first two roleplays were being a police officer in a bank robbery and an employee at a convenience store, both roles paid by =AV=Grzesiek.

More fun and games, random topics (such as our discussion with RON, who was the AFK person of the time, about if sex should be banned in China because of the overflowing population, and other things), fending off hackers and turning them into target practice (unlike running away scared from them as is common today), and plain old Vice City fun. Eventually, as per the trend at the time, I discovered SA:MP.

Five years, two clans, two police departments, three FBI divisions, three servers and six administrative positions, and countless harassed SA:MP Ideas later, I find myself as a student programmer in the national university, a member of the debate varsity, an officer in a regional political organization, a former graduate instructor of a program similar to the Reserve Officer Training Corps, and someone active in campus politics in a campus known to be a hotbed of activism and critical thinking.

While Argonath was not the key factor behind all the aforementioned real life accomplishments, it certainly provided me with a lot of lessons that helped me along the way, and opened a motivation for me to engage into some of them. The two most invaluable things that I gained from my journey were the reinforcement of my leadership abilities and social interaction. (contrary to what some people say, that those sitting in front of the computer for many hours have no life...)

To all those perceptions and opinions that Argonath is some kind of crashing plane or devolving shadow of its former self where injustice rules, I say bullshit. Argonath continues to remain a second home for players, stress relief from those who need to get away from the real world even if just for a while, and a fountain of knowledge for those who know how to find it. Those who see only more harm in this venture than benefit are the ones who do not know how to look properly, so it is best to explore this community with an open mind, and you shall not regret...

As I said in an earlier topic, the community can be a lot of things for a lot of people. For me, it was (is, rather) not just a community. It was also a family, a workplace, an avenue for learning about social interaction, a microcosm of sorts of the real world, and a place that enriched my social understanding by exposing me to different types of people from all over the world. No single paragraph or topic is enough to express my thanks for this community and to the people who were instrumental in making it last all these years, yet I try.

The Owners: Sauron for being the Eye in the Sky and the host whom no DoS or DDoS attacks can bring down, Gandalf for being a kind father to this community (and patient to a fault) as well as someone who knows how to solve a great variety of problems, and Aragorn for being my primary inspiration as an Administrator and the person who would take absolutely no shit from anyone who tries to shit this community. Without the three of you and Legolas, there is no Argonath.

The Administration Teams: For being my first true colleagues. I had a great experience working with all of you and becoming a better leader myself, and I hope you never stop passing on to players the essence of what it means to be in Argonath. Even if you give your time, energy, and patience for a thankless job with no compensation, you are responsible for the thousands of players in this community, and the impact that you leave on some of them is worth it, as I have seen for myself.

The Sforza Mafia: For being my first police (yes, back then the heads of the mafia were also exemplary police leaders) mentors and organized adversaries. In all my years in this community, never has there been for me a criminal group that could match you in terms of the quality of roleplay and the honor of reputation.

The Argonath Veterans (=AV=): For being the first (and only) clan I joined, outside [AK] (which I founded). Your name itself has become an institution within Argonath, and I hope you continue in future, as you have in the past, to bring the Argonath way to new generations of players.

[R*]Fernando: For being one of my mentors in the SA:MP FBI despite our dispute and heated arguments in the end. Even if you have yet failed to pull SA:MP FBI out of the continuous, ever-present cycle of activity and stagnation, I know you are a good leader once dedicated.

Jaaskaa: Even if I failed you in the end, you were one of the best mentors I had in this community. I wish you a life full of happiness and alcohol, and happiness for you and your wife.

Legend: For introducing me to VC:MP and the less-attended-to side of the community. You, Marcus, and our colleagues have taught me the importance of being the minority in a sector where most of the odds, even that of the administration, are against you.

Caion: For introducing me to the Argonath Stunt journey. Being one of those behind the resurgence in Stunt's activity was for me an experience like no other. Even if it is unlikely, I hope you can find someone with enough strength and vision as I gave for you, who can complement and complete you as a team and fill in the role I have left.

Kent, Phil, and Paul: For being my partners in the Management and concept formation, as well as friends with whom I have shared countless thoughts as well. Sadly, some of the best that we have shared, I cannot put here. I hope you'd still be around and doing better.

Gird3r: You, for me, have been an exemplary model of redemption and the school of thought that Argonath needs more than ever. I hope to see you again.

All other friends who I have not named above: One of the good(?) things that came to me over the years is that I have gained so many of you, to the point where I cannot name all of you. But you know who you are, and what experiences we have shared. Many of you are no longer here, but you more than anyone else are what makes a player's stay in this community unforgettable. After all, what's a home if you don't have friends...

My enemies: Because of your continued criticism, I learned how to be unaffected by destructive remarks, a skill much needed in my current profession. Likewise, for being a grindstone upon which my debating abilities were sharpened. Despite the shit that many of you (such as the shitters and traitors, the case of which I leave to history) brought upon this community, you have also made it (and me) stronger.

When I return, I expect to see this community standing strong, and stronger than even before. Just as Argonath now is far different from how I first entered it, the Argonath that I return to will be different from the one of today, and I hope that the things that kept me glued to this community all these years will still be there to motivate and inspire future generations of Argonathians. I shall continue to visit every now and then.

Long live Argonath RPG, a world of its own!

* JDC takes his final look at the community, for now.

* JDC smiles.

* JDC is gone.

[AlSforza]

I feel very honoured for the beautiful words you directed to us and to the community. You are and always will be a man of honour. I am not the kind of guy that doesn't hear and doesn't bond with people met over the internet. You had an importance in my life and were a part of my "growing up" process.

I wish you well my man!

Al (or as you first knew me - Done) Sforza

[JDC]

Thank you so much, Legend and guys.

Things have taken a different turn IRL so right now I am uncertain about the future. In the interim, I will be on the server from time to time. But should circumstances allow it, I may call off my hiatus sooner than expected.

Right now, I hope for the best for this community.

[Biggo2]

its too bad i wasnt on that list

that wouldve been cool

[ZeroSforza]

"The Sforza Mafia: For being my first police (yes, back then the heads of the mafia were also exemplary police leaders) mentors and organized adversaries. In all my years in this community, never has there been for me a criminal group that could match you in terms of the quality of roleplay and the honor of reputation."

Lets give this man a round of applause ladies and gentlemen 

-ZeroSforza