sugarvalves [1963573] —
Original article
At the time of writing, there are eighty-five citizens with Level 100 status residing in Torn City. The controversial circumstances in which the first Torn citizens reached this milestone are well known. In short, several people made it to Torn's highest possible level 100 via means the authorities deemed proper naughty. HT-Supermikk was one of those people.
"I think I was number 2 to become level 100. Just beaten by Bodybagger with a couple of days."
The statistics showed that Sifonjerce was the first to hit Level 100, followed by Bodybagger and HT-Supermikk in second and third. However, according to the parties involved, the official records of this historic occasion are about as reliable as a sad quote from the failing New York Times. Bodybagger claimed it was he who had been the first centurion, and Sifonjerce later conceded that his opponent had indeed been the first to hit Level 100 legitimately. And you'll notice I used the word 'legitimately' there. This is important.
If the first Level 100 holders are determined solely by their being the first to have it displayed on their profile, it was actually Supermikk who achieved Level 100 in second-place after Bodybagger, as this comment from BB makes clear:
"We [BB and Supermikk] had both used the 'slutting' method to get our last few levels. However, Ched didn't like the method in which we gained our levels. Supermikk and I were taken away levels all the way to level 71, since that's where the third place person was, TheLegend. I was none too happy considering that I only started using sluts at level 91."
For those who are unaware, 'slutting' involves taking photos of yourself in ladies' hosiery and offering said images in return for easy victories in combat. Or it has something to do with paying people to lose a fight. I don't know. Nobody knows anything anymore. HT-Supermikk's memories of this incident have been eroded over the years by his copious consumption of Lutefisk, but he does recall some details; most notably his friendly rivalry with Bodybagger which endures to this day.
"Me and BB have always been good friends. We both wanted to become level 100 first. He beat me by a couple of days, as far as I remember." He [Chedburn] changed my level back when I got to level 100. I don't remember the details, but at the time I thought it was very unfair. But in the big picture it didn't matter much, as there is a cap on level 100, and getting to level 100 is not that hard."
Eventually, HT-Supermikk was awarded Level 100 legitimately - no take-backsies - in July 2011, making him the third person to do so officially. But whether he was the second, third or twenty-third, the achievement of hitting Torn's top level is nothing to be sniffed at. Nor is HT-Supermikk's collection of awards, which stands at a bloody ridiculous 424.
"My biggest achievement (in my view): 418 awards (honors/medals). I was nr.1 in tc here for many years, now I think a couple of guys have beaten me. Not sure really. Many people judge a player by his battle stats. Personally I think awards is a way better standard to judge people on, as it tells a lot more of what they have achieved in TC."
Pictured: HT-Supermikk wearing 1% of his medals.
HT-Supermikk stands third in the list of awards as of the 19th of December, with his old sparring partner Bodybagger looming menacingly just two awards behind. Despite Mikk's dismissal of battle stats, his own numbers certainly make him someone to avoid messing with. Proxima's Winter Battle Stats update revealed Mikk's 20.6billion was enough for 21st place. And if it wasn't for yet more controversial shenanigans, Mikk says he could have been much stronger.
"When it comes to stats, I would have been where BB are now, but staff fedjailed a friend of mine that was holding all my money, so that was the end of that."
HT-Supermikk seems to have avoided making such a mistake again, given his current status as Torn's 82nd richest person with a networth of $123billion at the time of writing. Mikk is also one of only 46 players to hold the rank of 26 Invincible, he has the seventh most critical hits, the sixth most defends won and he ranks tenth for stat enhancers used. Worryingly, Mikk has also shown a complete lack of respect for the environment during his time in Torn, as only six people have thrown away more stuff than him.
Now at this point, it may seem like we're clutching at straws when we're jabbering on about things Mikk has thrown in the trash. But if this Tornography had been written several years ago, Mikk says we'd have had several more impressive categories to add to this list.
"At one time I was top 5 in 10 different categories in HOF."
Mikk is not content to reminisce about past glories though. His current focus is the return of his beloved faction to the number one slot. HT-Supermikk was the leader of HT (Hat Trick) for over a decade, during most of which they were Torn's top dogs. The faction initially consisted of one main and seven to eight subfactions, each containing 300 or so players who came to Torn from a football game called Hattrick; hence the name.
"What I liked the most about HT was that we were a real democracy. Every 2 months we had elections. 3-4 candidates made their speeches, and recruited people to vote for them. It worked really well. Often the main guys had met in RL, so we had very little drama and scamming and that kind of stuff other factions often have."
Sounds pretty idyllic, right? In my mind's eye, I can picture a friendly debate between blonde-haired, blue-eyed folk taking place by a fjord while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer dances in the background. Who wouldn't want to join such a faction? Unfortunately, back in the day, anyone who hoped to gain entrance to Hat Trick would be left severely disappointed, unless they were the holder of a Norwegian passport.
"Only Norwegians could join the faction. This made us strong and was a great success, but it also was our downfall later. As people dropped out, we had a very hard time recruiting new players. We had a lot of internal fighting as some of us wanted to change these requirements, and when we finally changed them it was too late. JFK, 39th and other factions had already passed us."
With Hattrick's no-foreigners rule proving detrimental, they were forced to change their ways, and this thankfully proved the last time anyone was ever discriminated against on the basis of their nationality ever in the world forever. Yet despite Hattrick opening their doors to Swedes, Croats, Belgians and yes, even the Congolese, the damage had already been done. For years HT languished behind the new kids on the block of JFK and Subversive Alliance, looking on in envy at the success of their progressive ways.
But all is not lost. An old Norwegian proverb says Det kjem inkte steikte fuglar flugjande i mun, which roughly translates as birds fly not into our mouth ready roasted. Another Norwegian proverb, Some dei gamle sungo, so kveda dei unge, tells us as the old cock crows, so crows the young. You can apply your own meaning to these ancient words of Scandinavian wisdom if you wish, but I prefer to form my own idioms through the use of Google Translate.
Når to grupper slås sammen, er de mindre skitt.
HT has recently merged with another faction, Desert Eagle, forming the new super-faction Desert HeaT. Alongside Desert Eagle's old leader Dr34dn0u9ht, Mikk intends to build DEHT into a top group of chaps once more, and from the HT side, it seems such a merger has been a long time in the making.
"Me and my co-leader LDP had been working on a merge for a long time but had problems finding a suitable faction to merge with. Most of the factions did not have any ambitions, or they only wanted our strongest players, and had nothing to offer in return."
"Finally we got talking with DH and their leader Dr34dn0u9ht...They had a great base of positive and active players that by far made up for their lack in stats. Dr34dn0u9ht is just the kind of leader I like. Serious, hardworking, ambitious and willing to make sacrifices when needed."
"If it was up to me I would have had them joining our old HT faction, but as DH had double our respect, it had to be us joining them."
Mikk was also forced to concede part of his authority to Dr34dn0u9ht for this partnership to succeed, with the two men enjoying a rotating leadership arrangement depending on who is online / can be arsed. Dr34dn0u9ht - whose name is a proper pain in the arse to type out - told me his faction had also been looking for a partner for some time, but before their merge, he had little idea of just how historic a faction HT was.
"Soon after I was educated, I weighed the pros and cons of such a merge and went along with it as I felt there was a desire from both sides to create something greater than what we were individually."
"My impression of SuperMikk? I am still getting to know him but so far I can say he is someone you want to have on your team. He plays along really nicely, is encouraging and very easy to talk to when you get a hold of him. He is also very mature and open-minded, these are things I find admirable."
Mature and open-minded folk are difficult to find in this city. If such people were offered for sale at the Auction House, they'd need their own category called SuperF**king Rare. Mikk's trustworthy personality is one of the reasons Dr34dn0u9ht agreed to the merge, with his reservoir of experience helping the two men, amongst others, to operate as the brain of the faction. Dr34dn0u9ht feels that this merge has stimulated Desert HeaT's activities like a taser to the genitals (my words, not his), and things certainly seem to be going well for this newly formed superfaction.
Pictured: If HT was Trini, Billy and Kimberly, the addition of Desert Eagle adds Jason and Zach to the mix, thus creating a faction Megazord.
DEHT currently stands 12th in the respect rankings, having long since surpassed Mikk's sworn rivals JFK. It hasn't all been plain sailing though, as the recent scamming of DEHT 2.0 by Jaiden so clearly proves. And furthermore, upon their foray into the territory wars DEHT suffered a baptism of fire due to their apparent association with Subversive Alliance, as Mikk explains:
"We got targeted from JFK, JFA and other big factions. We ended up at the island with SA, FTW and some other. Some factions missunderstood this and saw it as a sign we had an alliance with SA. We did not have that, but we had a common goal on defending the island. It was decided to give up the island, and JFK moved in."
This is but one of the many challenges faced by any faction wishing to become the number one in Torn. DEHT is not the strongest faction in terms of stats, and nor is it the richest, but Mikk says it will be the faction's activity which will help them progress.
"We are in no rush, and we will take the time needed...We will do a lot of warring, and hopefully we will attract some heavy hitters that are tired of the old factions and alliances in TC...Right now we lack a lot on stats compared with the other HOF faction. But I do believe more and more of the old guys will fall off, and new factions will rise. Hopefully DEHT will be one of them."
Mikk says that DEHT offers old timers a fresh start, as well as the prospect of ambition and friendship for those who join up with this emerging faction. DEHT contains a fair few veterans already, with Supermikk joined by two fellow Level 100's and 19 members level 80 or above. If the faction can attract a few more, Mikk believes they may be able to break the hegemony JFK has held over Torn City for much of the past decade.
"Back in the old days HT, JFK, 39th controlled most of TC. Now I would say JFK has had the total dominance in TC for at least 6-7 years. That includes their allies and friends. The main reason for this is that they have had the strongest guys with the highest stats. But to be fair, they have also had exectional good leadership in guys like Z_Junior. I do believe it is time to challenge this monopoly, and I do believe it can be done, as more and more of the oldtimers in JFK are getting inacitve. Sadly it seems no other faction are willing to do this."
"Yet."
The battle to relive his former glories is what keeps HT-Supermikk interested these days. Unlike others, Mikk's loins are ignited not by drama or a desire to pontificate, but by a passion for further glory, despite the best efforts of his spouse to curtail his Torn activity.
"I am 38 years old. Have a wife, and 2 kids. Pretty much a normal guy. Told my wife many times I have stopped playing this stupid game. When I have played this long, it is hard for me to stop. I guess I am afraid being caught up by the other guys. Honors and awards are by far the best measurement on how good a TC player are. I will do what I can to regain the nr.1 spot there, but few last awards I miss are hard to get. Time will tell."
How has L4suicide got more awards than you? What have you been doing this whole time? You never touch me like you used to.'
Mikk isn't just concerned with his own achievements though, as he also expressed his worries regarding the ability of new players to follow in his footsteps. He feels it is imperative that fresh talent is handed a chance to compete with the old guard, with some newcomers jaded at their inability to give established players a whack in the chops. Mikk would, therefore, like to see more features implemented to help close the gap between old and new players.
And Mikk thinks this process should start by erasing some of the mistakes of the past.
"I believe he [Chedburn] should have erased the dex that a few players gained, and perhaps compensated them in another way. Most people have worked hard for their stats, so making current stats don't matter will not be fair to most players. But a bigger portion of luck should be implemented in fights."
"Many old players will be pissed to get beaten by lower stats players. But every change in TC will harm somebody and benefit others. Active new players should have a way to catch up with the older guys. Don't forget many of the old players gain there stats and money on ways the new players don't have access to."
The methods to which Mikk is referring are the old stockmarket and jailbreaking mechanics which allowed players to hoard dollars and dexterity like they were going out of fashion. But go out of fashion they soon did, with modern players denied the opportunity to transform easily into billionaire dex monsters like the men and women of yore. And while some did have these gains later taken away, the legacy of those who were allowed to keep their boosted stats and bank accounts contributes massively to the imbalances seen today.
Our glorious leader Chedburn has made significant efforts to bridge this gap over the past few years, but Supermikk has a few suggestions of his own to enable further social mobility, including a skill-based stockmarket system and a boost to cash payouts from crimes. Mikk also backed my suggestion for the creation of a group crime system which would allow factionless players to partake in a scheme - a scheme which could help the likes of Jaiden now that his reputation is synonymous with canine excrement.
This part of the Tornography was written before Jaiden was fedded, but we have kept it in for artistic reasons.
Oh, and speaking of shady individuals, Mikk seems to have some kind of beef with legendary JFK leader Z_Junior. In a forum post from a while back which I'm too lazy to find, Supermikk referred to Z_Junior as "Mr Moral", with the presence of quotation marks seeming to indicate a significant amount of sarcasm.
"Nota and Z_junior are my oldest enemies from the time when HT and JFK was the top factions. I do admire Z_junior for holding the JFK family together all this time. That is a great achievement. When I called him "Mr.Moral" is was sarcastic. I was implying he has benefited on shady stuff himself in the past, so he should not be preaching to load to others."
"Not accusing Z_Junior personally of anything, but he and his faction has benefited more than any others on exploiting bugs and flaws in the system (stockmarket, selfbusting and other) and corrupt staff/admins in the old days. That is why I think they need to get off their high horse when they start pointing fingers at others."
How Z_Junior responds to these accusations is something we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, I wondered what Supermikk felt his own legacy would be. How do other players see him?
"Some think I am a good guy, and a good leader. Some think I am an *******. Personally I think I am getting old and grumpy."
I'd be grumpy too if I'd sold all my prized possessions. Supermikk admitted to me that his greatest regret was the firesale of his collectables, which at one point comprised the biggest display case in Torn City. Mikk's haul included fifty to seventy staff collectables that had been gifted to him by his network of friends on Torn staff, and he thinks at one point he may have owned every available item in Torn City.
Sadly, like an old war hero selling his medals to pay the bills, Supermikk was forced to flog his collection to fund his entrance into the stat race. Yet despite this loss, regardless of him missing out on being the first level 100 and notwithstanding his feeling that he's done everything it is possible to do, HT-Supermikk cannot bring himself to abandon Torn City and wander into the forest to blow his brains out.
"To be honest I find it hard to quit. I don't know why, but I find this game very addictive. It is also a way for me to have a 'mental break' from my real life. Log into Torn for 5 min, and let your mind of all real life issues. Or maybe I am just afraid of younger players coming after me if I quit. Catching up."
His family's loss is Torn's gain. Without dedicated early proponents like HT-Supermikk, Torn would not be the game it is today. His achievements inspired others to strive to do the same, and in turn, the success of the new generation provokes feelings of jealous rivalry amongst those who have played for a decade. Mikk is correct in his assertion that we need to give young players something to aim for, but we must also ensure we continue to inspire the likes of Supermikk too.
For the day Torn stops being fun to players of his experience, the day this world loses its vice-like grip upon him, that might be the day HT-Supermikk succumbs to his wife's desires and hangs up his primary weapon for good. To avoid such a fate, I encourage Mikk and other veterans to pay heed to one final Norwegian proverb, which I have once more made up using the talents of Google Translate.
Kona kan være pen, men krigen er vakker.
"I think I was number 2 to become level 100. Just beaten by Bodybagger with a couple of days."
The statistics showed that Sifonjerce was the first to hit Level 100, followed by Bodybagger and HT-Supermikk in second and third. However, according to the parties involved, the official records of this historic occasion are about as reliable as a sad quote from the failing New York Times. Bodybagger claimed it was he who had been the first centurion, and Sifonjerce later conceded that his opponent had indeed been the first to hit Level 100 legitimately. And you'll notice I used the word 'legitimately' there. This is important.
If the first Level 100 holders are determined solely by their being the first to have it displayed on their profile, it was actually Supermikk who achieved Level 100 in second-place after Bodybagger, as this comment from BB makes clear:
"We [BB and Supermikk] had both used the 'slutting' method to get our last few levels. However, Ched didn't like the method in which we gained our levels. Supermikk and I were taken away levels all the way to level 71, since that's where the third place person was, TheLegend. I was none too happy considering that I only started using sluts at level 91."
For those who are unaware, 'slutting' involves taking photos of yourself in ladies' hosiery and offering said images in return for easy victories in combat. Or it has something to do with paying people to lose a fight. I don't know. Nobody knows anything anymore. HT-Supermikk's memories of this incident have been eroded over the years by his copious consumption of Lutefisk, but he does recall some details; most notably his friendly rivalry with Bodybagger which endures to this day.
"Me and BB have always been good friends. We both wanted to become level 100 first. He beat me by a couple of days, as far as I remember." He [Chedburn] changed my level back when I got to level 100. I don't remember the details, but at the time I thought it was very unfair. But in the big picture it didn't matter much, as there is a cap on level 100, and getting to level 100 is not that hard."
Eventually, HT-Supermikk was awarded Level 100 legitimately - no take-backsies - in July 2011, making him the third person to do so officially. But whether he was the second, third or twenty-third, the achievement of hitting Torn's top level is nothing to be sniffed at. Nor is HT-Supermikk's collection of awards, which stands at a bloody ridiculous 424.
"My biggest achievement (in my view): 418 awards (honors/medals). I was nr.1 in tc here for many years, now I think a couple of guys have beaten me. Not sure really. Many people judge a player by his battle stats. Personally I think awards is a way better standard to judge people on, as it tells a lot more of what they have achieved in TC."
Pictured: HT-Supermikk wearing 1% of his medals.
HT-Supermikk stands third in the list of awards as of the 19th of December, with his old sparring partner Bodybagger looming menacingly just two awards behind. Despite Mikk's dismissal of battle stats, his own numbers certainly make him someone to avoid messing with. Proxima's Winter Battle Stats update revealed Mikk's 20.6billion was enough for 21st place. And if it wasn't for yet more controversial shenanigans, Mikk says he could have been much stronger.
"When it comes to stats, I would have been where BB are now, but staff fedjailed a friend of mine that was holding all my money, so that was the end of that."
HT-Supermikk seems to have avoided making such a mistake again, given his current status as Torn's 82nd richest person with a networth of $123billion at the time of writing. Mikk is also one of only 46 players to hold the rank of 26 Invincible, he has the seventh most critical hits, the sixth most defends won and he ranks tenth for stat enhancers used. Worryingly, Mikk has also shown a complete lack of respect for the environment during his time in Torn, as only six people have thrown away more stuff than him.
Now at this point, it may seem like we're clutching at straws when we're jabbering on about things Mikk has thrown in the trash. But if this Tornography had been written several years ago, Mikk says we'd have had several more impressive categories to add to this list.
"At one time I was top 5 in 10 different categories in HOF."
Mikk is not content to reminisce about past glories though. His current focus is the return of his beloved faction to the number one slot. HT-Supermikk was the leader of HT (Hat Trick) for over a decade, during most of which they were Torn's top dogs. The faction initially consisted of one main and seven to eight subfactions, each containing 300 or so players who came to Torn from a football game called Hattrick; hence the name.
"What I liked the most about HT was that we were a real democracy. Every 2 months we had elections. 3-4 candidates made their speeches, and recruited people to vote for them. It worked really well. Often the main guys had met in RL, so we had very little drama and scamming and that kind of stuff other factions often have."
Sounds pretty idyllic, right? In my mind's eye, I can picture a friendly debate between blonde-haired, blue-eyed folk taking place by a fjord while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer dances in the background. Who wouldn't want to join such a faction? Unfortunately, back in the day, anyone who hoped to gain entrance to Hat Trick would be left severely disappointed, unless they were the holder of a Norwegian passport.
"Only Norwegians could join the faction. This made us strong and was a great success, but it also was our downfall later. As people dropped out, we had a very hard time recruiting new players. We had a lot of internal fighting as some of us wanted to change these requirements, and when we finally changed them it was too late. JFK, 39th and other factions had already passed us."
With Hattrick's no-foreigners rule proving detrimental, they were forced to change their ways, and this thankfully proved the last time anyone was ever discriminated against on the basis of their nationality ever in the world forever. Yet despite Hattrick opening their doors to Swedes, Croats, Belgians and yes, even the Congolese, the damage had already been done. For years HT languished behind the new kids on the block of JFK and Subversive Alliance, looking on in envy at the success of their progressive ways.
But all is not lost. An old Norwegian proverb says Det kjem inkte steikte fuglar flugjande i mun, which roughly translates as birds fly not into our mouth ready roasted. Another Norwegian proverb, Some dei gamle sungo, so kveda dei unge, tells us as the old cock crows, so crows the young. You can apply your own meaning to these ancient words of Scandinavian wisdom if you wish, but I prefer to form my own idioms through the use of Google Translate.
Når to grupper slås sammen, er de mindre skitt.
HT has recently merged with another faction, Desert Eagle, forming the new super-faction Desert HeaT. Alongside Desert Eagle's old leader Dr34dn0u9ht, Mikk intends to build DEHT into a top group of chaps once more, and from the HT side, it seems such a merger has been a long time in the making.
"Me and my co-leader LDP had been working on a merge for a long time but had problems finding a suitable faction to merge with. Most of the factions did not have any ambitions, or they only wanted our strongest players, and had nothing to offer in return."
"Finally we got talking with DH and their leader Dr34dn0u9ht...They had a great base of positive and active players that by far made up for their lack in stats. Dr34dn0u9ht is just the kind of leader I like. Serious, hardworking, ambitious and willing to make sacrifices when needed."
"If it was up to me I would have had them joining our old HT faction, but as DH had double our respect, it had to be us joining them."
Mikk was also forced to concede part of his authority to Dr34dn0u9ht for this partnership to succeed, with the two men enjoying a rotating leadership arrangement depending on who is online / can be arsed. Dr34dn0u9ht - whose name is a proper pain in the arse to type out - told me his faction had also been looking for a partner for some time, but before their merge, he had little idea of just how historic a faction HT was.
"Soon after I was educated, I weighed the pros and cons of such a merge and went along with it as I felt there was a desire from both sides to create something greater than what we were individually."
"My impression of SuperMikk? I am still getting to know him but so far I can say he is someone you want to have on your team. He plays along really nicely, is encouraging and very easy to talk to when you get a hold of him. He is also very mature and open-minded, these are things I find admirable."
Mature and open-minded folk are difficult to find in this city. If such people were offered for sale at the Auction House, they'd need their own category called SuperF**king Rare. Mikk's trustworthy personality is one of the reasons Dr34dn0u9ht agreed to the merge, with his reservoir of experience helping the two men, amongst others, to operate as the brain of the faction. Dr34dn0u9ht feels that this merge has stimulated Desert HeaT's activities like a taser to the genitals (my words, not his), and things certainly seem to be going well for this newly formed superfaction.
Pictured: If HT was Trini, Billy and Kimberly, the addition of Desert Eagle adds Jason and Zach to the mix, thus creating a faction Megazord.
DEHT currently stands 12th in the respect rankings, having long since surpassed Mikk's sworn rivals JFK. It hasn't all been plain sailing though, as the recent scamming of DEHT 2.0 by Jaiden so clearly proves. And furthermore, upon their foray into the territory wars DEHT suffered a baptism of fire due to their apparent association with Subversive Alliance, as Mikk explains:
"We got targeted from JFK, JFA and other big factions. We ended up at the island with SA, FTW and some other. Some factions missunderstood this and saw it as a sign we had an alliance with SA. We did not have that, but we had a common goal on defending the island. It was decided to give up the island, and JFK moved in."
This is but one of the many challenges faced by any faction wishing to become the number one in Torn. DEHT is not the strongest faction in terms of stats, and nor is it the richest, but Mikk says it will be the faction's activity which will help them progress.
"We are in no rush, and we will take the time needed...We will do a lot of warring, and hopefully we will attract some heavy hitters that are tired of the old factions and alliances in TC...Right now we lack a lot on stats compared with the other HOF faction. But I do believe more and more of the old guys will fall off, and new factions will rise. Hopefully DEHT will be one of them."
Mikk says that DEHT offers old timers a fresh start, as well as the prospect of ambition and friendship for those who join up with this emerging faction. DEHT contains a fair few veterans already, with Supermikk joined by two fellow Level 100's and 19 members level 80 or above. If the faction can attract a few more, Mikk believes they may be able to break the hegemony JFK has held over Torn City for much of the past decade.
"Back in the old days HT, JFK, 39th controlled most of TC. Now I would say JFK has had the total dominance in TC for at least 6-7 years. That includes their allies and friends. The main reason for this is that they have had the strongest guys with the highest stats. But to be fair, they have also had exectional good leadership in guys like Z_Junior. I do believe it is time to challenge this monopoly, and I do believe it can be done, as more and more of the oldtimers in JFK are getting inacitve. Sadly it seems no other faction are willing to do this."
"Yet."
The battle to relive his former glories is what keeps HT-Supermikk interested these days. Unlike others, Mikk's loins are ignited not by drama or a desire to pontificate, but by a passion for further glory, despite the best efforts of his spouse to curtail his Torn activity.
"I am 38 years old. Have a wife, and 2 kids. Pretty much a normal guy. Told my wife many times I have stopped playing this stupid game. When I have played this long, it is hard for me to stop. I guess I am afraid being caught up by the other guys. Honors and awards are by far the best measurement on how good a TC player are. I will do what I can to regain the nr.1 spot there, but few last awards I miss are hard to get. Time will tell."
How has L4suicide got more awards than you? What have you been doing this whole time? You never touch me like you used to.'
Mikk isn't just concerned with his own achievements though, as he also expressed his worries regarding the ability of new players to follow in his footsteps. He feels it is imperative that fresh talent is handed a chance to compete with the old guard, with some newcomers jaded at their inability to give established players a whack in the chops. Mikk would, therefore, like to see more features implemented to help close the gap between old and new players.
And Mikk thinks this process should start by erasing some of the mistakes of the past.
"I believe he [Chedburn] should have erased the dex that a few players gained, and perhaps compensated them in another way. Most people have worked hard for their stats, so making current stats don't matter will not be fair to most players. But a bigger portion of luck should be implemented in fights."
"Many old players will be pissed to get beaten by lower stats players. But every change in TC will harm somebody and benefit others. Active new players should have a way to catch up with the older guys. Don't forget many of the old players gain there stats and money on ways the new players don't have access to."
The methods to which Mikk is referring are the old stockmarket and jailbreaking mechanics which allowed players to hoard dollars and dexterity like they were going out of fashion. But go out of fashion they soon did, with modern players denied the opportunity to transform easily into billionaire dex monsters like the men and women of yore. And while some did have these gains later taken away, the legacy of those who were allowed to keep their boosted stats and bank accounts contributes massively to the imbalances seen today.
Our glorious leader Chedburn has made significant efforts to bridge this gap over the past few years, but Supermikk has a few suggestions of his own to enable further social mobility, including a skill-based stockmarket system and a boost to cash payouts from crimes. Mikk also backed my suggestion for the creation of a group crime system which would allow factionless players to partake in a scheme - a scheme which could help the likes of Jaiden now that his reputation is synonymous with canine excrement.
This part of the Tornography was written before Jaiden was fedded, but we have kept it in for artistic reasons.
Oh, and speaking of shady individuals, Mikk seems to have some kind of beef with legendary JFK leader Z_Junior. In a forum post from a while back which I'm too lazy to find, Supermikk referred to Z_Junior as "Mr Moral", with the presence of quotation marks seeming to indicate a significant amount of sarcasm.
"Nota and Z_junior are my oldest enemies from the time when HT and JFK was the top factions. I do admire Z_junior for holding the JFK family together all this time. That is a great achievement. When I called him "Mr.Moral" is was sarcastic. I was implying he has benefited on shady stuff himself in the past, so he should not be preaching to load to others."
"Not accusing Z_Junior personally of anything, but he and his faction has benefited more than any others on exploiting bugs and flaws in the system (stockmarket, selfbusting and other) and corrupt staff/admins in the old days. That is why I think they need to get off their high horse when they start pointing fingers at others."
How Z_Junior responds to these accusations is something we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, I wondered what Supermikk felt his own legacy would be. How do other players see him?
"Some think I am a good guy, and a good leader. Some think I am an *******. Personally I think I am getting old and grumpy."
I'd be grumpy too if I'd sold all my prized possessions. Supermikk admitted to me that his greatest regret was the firesale of his collectables, which at one point comprised the biggest display case in Torn City. Mikk's haul included fifty to seventy staff collectables that had been gifted to him by his network of friends on Torn staff, and he thinks at one point he may have owned every available item in Torn City.
Sadly, like an old war hero selling his medals to pay the bills, Supermikk was forced to flog his collection to fund his entrance into the stat race. Yet despite this loss, regardless of him missing out on being the first level 100 and notwithstanding his feeling that he's done everything it is possible to do, HT-Supermikk cannot bring himself to abandon Torn City and wander into the forest to blow his brains out.
"To be honest I find it hard to quit. I don't know why, but I find this game very addictive. It is also a way for me to have a 'mental break' from my real life. Log into Torn for 5 min, and let your mind of all real life issues. Or maybe I am just afraid of younger players coming after me if I quit. Catching up."
His family's loss is Torn's gain. Without dedicated early proponents like HT-Supermikk, Torn would not be the game it is today. His achievements inspired others to strive to do the same, and in turn, the success of the new generation provokes feelings of jealous rivalry amongst those who have played for a decade. Mikk is correct in his assertion that we need to give young players something to aim for, but we must also ensure we continue to inspire the likes of Supermikk too.
For the day Torn stops being fun to players of his experience, the day this world loses its vice-like grip upon him, that might be the day HT-Supermikk succumbs to his wife's desires and hangs up his primary weapon for good. To avoid such a fate, I encourage Mikk and other veterans to pay heed to one final Norwegian proverb, which I have once more made up using the talents of Google Translate.
Kona kan være pen, men krigen er vakker.
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