2011-01-07: WipEoutZone is 10

[infoxicated]

Ten years after uploading the finished version of the site and writing "WipeoutZone is Go!" as the first news article, it all seems a bit of a blur in the rear view monitor.

We've seen some barren times between WipEout game launches that caused community activity to dry up. Yet we've also enjoyed the heights of WipEout Pure coming to us on a new platform, and WipEout HD's arrival on the PS3 taking the forum traffic to over 2000 page views each day when it launched.

That increased traffic caused some friction in the community, due to an influx of new members who did not always share the same values as the old guard. For a while I mistakenly assumed that this was just the way communities evolved, and it took me some time to arrest that trend and get things back on the right path.

It has to be said that at several points I was considering closing the site down after it hit the ten year mark. However, I think the core values of the community have risen to the fore and I'm proud to say it's once again a fine example of what an online community should be - welcoming, friendly, respectful, passionate, and fun.

When WipEoutZone launched in January 2001 there were 123 names and around a thousand records in a system that covered just WipEout 3 and its 8 tracks. As of today, there are 2477 participants and 36949 records in the database, covering 14 games and 113 tracks.

That's a whole lot of fast laps in the space of a decade, no matter how you look at it!

I'd like to thank everyone who has taken part in this site, be it on the record tables or on the forums, these past ten years. It's been a fantastic journey.

I'd especially like to thank those who have been moderators on this forum over the years. I simply could not have done it without you. :clap

Now I think I'll stick WipEout 3 Special Edition in the PlayStation and raise a glass to toast the game that spurred me to create this place. If you can, do join in with whichever version of the game is your favourite.

And let's be friends for the next ten years as well.

[SaturnReturn]

Wooooooooooooooo! Clap clap clap. A whole decade is a big achievement, especially in a time when attention spans are so short, shiny new things come along daily, and the internet provides a portal to anything anyone could want. It's great to see such commitment from people.:clap

[stinkleroy]

Wow ten years old today, and still looking as youthful as ever!

Congratulations Rob ten years is such an achievement and I'm more than happy you decided to dedicate this past decade of your life, and hopefully more, to it. You've been through a rough year in 2010 and at times I really felt you were (understandably) done with this place. I'm so pleased that the community has managed to endear you once more :)

I hope you know how much you have given to us and how much we appreciate it. So instead of raising a glass to Wipeout, I'm going to raise mine to you instead :beer

Here's to the next ten :D

[xEik]

Congratulations! Both to Rob and the community.

I still remember contacting him as a newly registered user asking if he could delete a record I had mistakenly input in wip3out while confusing one track for another. This had granted me a totally undeserved first place ahead of Al Startwell. :D
One simply had to resubmit it as 9:59.99 :P

[TwitchySpitfire]

What a fantastic accomplishment. :clap

If it wasn't for this website, I may not have met some great people who are also daring pilots.

I must say, this is the best community to be with, since it the game and the community revolve around each other without friction.

[Frailavi]

Congratulations WZ! I feel like I've missed out on a lot of the fun, but at least I can say that I'm now officially a part of the greatest community ever.

[KGB]

Wow, ten years old, happy birthday :clap.

What was I doing 10 years ago, looking forward to my 30s and impending fatherhood for the first time. 10 years later - looking to my 40s and 3 of the bleeders.

Congratulations Rob and all the members that have been a part of Wipeoutzone from the beginning.

[Kappeskopp!]

Happy birthday and thank you for Wipeout Zone.:)

[stin]

Ten years!!!!, that`s an amazing feat and possibly rare too:clap

Without WipEoutZone, I would have never meet to these amazing guys and gals and I became close friends to Arnaud, Thomas, Stephen and Pavel.


I will toast to WipEoutZonE tonight and long may it continue to the future.

stevie:)

[Nutcase:259]

a decade of wipeoutzone, incredibly impressive and achievement to keep an active and strong comunity like this going for such a long time :clap :)

[mdhay]

Wel, aside from meaning the same thing, I'm hoping to be around for the next ten years as well as being here for almost four. :D

Congrats to you, Rob. You deserve it. :+ :beer

[Colonel]

Happy 10th birthday WipeoutZone! Huge thanks to Rob for creating and looking after such a great online community, it's a special place. And to the moderators and contributors as well. Cheers :beer

[Sausehuhn]

WipEout has surely paved the way for graphic design becoming a strong part of my life. I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t have happend if I didn’t stumbled upon your site, Rob, as this community really bound me to the game and it still does.
Maybe I’m not one of the most active members around here anymore, but nevertheless I regulary visit this place and enjoy reading and writing a comment from time to time.

Thanks for almost seven years of many memorable moments including that legendary first WipEout Convention in 2007 (still having that WipEout Pure T-Shirt you gave me!).

Seriously, guys, I’m enjoying this place.

[XpanDrome2097]

And let's be friends for the next ten years as well.

:+

Seriously, I don't like videogames, generally...but I love WipEout.
For me is more than a "simple" game, is an artistic concept of competition and friendship all over the World: the futuristic iconography of these games looks absolutely realistic and feels as a work inspired by a fantasy projected into a very credible future.
The first time I've played WipEout 2097 (1998, if I'm not wrong), I've completely lost my mind into this very realistic universe: the iconography, the atmosphere, the music.
...and when I've tried Wip3out I've dedicated a part of my mind to this game serie.
WipEout is more than a game, is an alternative way of imagination.

I'm honored to be a part of this community.
Thanks to you Rob!

[Mad-Ice]

Happy birthday to Wipeoutzone and a huge thank you to you Rob! This community brought so many good things! Meeting new people all over the world and friendships in real life!

I was afraid that Wipeoutzone was going to be shut down, but luckely things changed around here and it's again a superb place to be.

Now we only have to wait for a new Wipeout that has no Barrel rolls and goes back to the original way of the futuristic, super fast, floathy feel of the Holy Trinity!

The future will tell, greetz Mad-Ice

[F.E.I.S.A.R]

So it's been a decade since the creation of WoZ? I think I joined into the 7th year(2008).
And the rumors are dispelled. To the success of the next half-decade and decade!
Thanks Rob!

[Medusa]

Yay, happy anniversary to the zone :) and another big thank you to Mr. Infoxicated, without whom this site would neither exist, nor look and function as cooly as it does.
Really, this is the best place in the internet, hands down. Or should I say thumbs up?
It's been great to "meet" all of you in this virtual way, and even greater to able to race some of you. Yeah, I'll go pop in W3O. For surE. :p And dream of the next wipeout being the way Mad-Ice already said.
What's life without a dream or two?

[Tomahawk]

Now 10 years up and running with me joining somewhere right in the middle of it... I remember my first PM to Arnaud in 2005 asking him about some shortcut on Sagarmatha. It somehow seems like it's been just yesterday...

Congratulations to you Rob and all the moderators, content contributors and dedicated members of this site for making it such a cool and friendly place! Cheers to the next 100 years of WZ! :beer

[Rapier Racer]

Congrations and many thanks to Rob and Happy birthday to the Zone! :cowboy Admittedly I've reclined back into the shadows as far as posting here and playing Wipeout go these days, nevertheless I still lurk around...:)

Funny how you should mention first PMs to Arnaid I remember mine was about some music he used in one of his videos, the rest is history :)

And without this place, I never would have found and beaten on track so badly fellow Scotsman Stevie lol...

Played HD yesterday a trance song I heard brought thoughts of Wipeout flooding back, I think its time for some 3 and 2097 since it was Arnauds 2097 video the song reminded me of.

[Feisar31]

Rob, great post and thank you so much for creating and maintaining this site! For years I visited here from time to time, before I finally joined due to HD. Thanks to all the moderators and contributors here as well. This community does seem to be unusual, in the best way. :robot

[Flint Fandango]

Dear WipeoutZone,

my best wishes for the 10th anniversary! :cake
Many thanks to the initiators, moderators and content contributors of the forum, as well as the many friendly members who I met here!

In anticipation of another wonderful 10 years of discussions and exciting races...

sincerely

Flint

[DawnFireDragoon]

Happy Birthday.

[lunar]

We are all so lucky that our favourite game has such a first-class website dedicated to it, and that is all thanks to Rob.... so huge thanks indeed to you, Rob, Happy Birthday to the site and yet more thanks to all the members who have also made it happen. Thanks for the jokes, for sharing my enthusiasm for the game in so many ways, and above all for being behind me at the finish if you were ;)

[Rennfisch]

Happy Birthday! :cake

Congratulations and a great thank you to all initiators, moderators, contributors and all I have forgotten. I'm happy to be a part of that wonderful community.

To the next 10 years

Cheers :beer

[Asayyeah]

Happy Birthday / Joyeux anniversaire to WipeoutZone and his 10 years old.
Rob, I was honored to meet you twice and my best souvenir will be this meeting in Liverpool where we (few lucky basturds from WZ :g) had those pints of lager in a pub after visiting folks from Studio Liverpool.

You made all those things possible : the friendship between members even in real life, welcoming new passionnated pilots or artists who felt in love with the Wipeout Universe, maintening the site after your passion to the new wipeouts fade away it's just amazing ! Also when I realize all the good moments i spent visiting or inviting +75 members from WZ and french sistership site : wipeout Arena, and the one who let me happy as a Wipeout Globetrotter it's you Rob.

Let's go for another 10 years and more!

[AnErare]

Happy 10th Birthday WOZone!

A happy one it is once again :D

Many thanks Infoxicated for first getting the idea to create the site and forum and to take it online for so many people to enjoy and love!

The forum has given me a lot of great moments on the forum itself and on and around the racing tracks. Kanar came up with the idea of Avalon and I've had the pleasure of participating many wicked times in this legendary fest with so many people from around the globe :) In the real world I've been to two conventions, in 2009 and 2010, both epic little festivals of pilots from different countries and have met some of the most wonderfull people.

And of course especially, I've had the pleasure of meeting stinkleroy! For the first time during an Avalon weekend and afterwards on the forum. This happened almost 2 years ago now and a lot has happened and changed since :D We've fallen madly in love and are now happily living together! :hyper:nod:guitar:dizzy:D8) (ok a bit of an overload but appropriat ;) ) I've moved from the Netherlands to go and live with her in the UK, best decission I've ever made ;)

Without the forum and all the things it has inspired the members to do both on and outside of the forum this wouldn't have happened yet ;)

So again, many thanks to Infoxicated for giving fruit to the forum and keeping it alive for all this time and hopefully many years to come! Also to all the moderators and ofcourse the members for their input and effort of making and keeping and making it again a wonderfull place to be a part of.

On the the next 10 years of WipEout Zone :D

AnErare

[Spaceboy Gajo]

Wow, I cannot believe it's been ten years already! I knew the site's been around for a while, but Rob's post has put it into perspective! Like I said before (http://www.wipeoutzone.com/forum/showpost.php?p=174032&postcount=36), I do not look at the number.

With that said, I'd like to say a Happy Anniversary to one of my favourite site sites and communities on the Internet. Ten years on the internet is an institution!

A big thank you goes to Rob, for keeping the site alive.

Also a big thanks goes to my fellow pilots that call this place home. I've had a lot of great memories meeting up with Jay, Flashback Jack, Arnaud and Al. Not to mention chatting with Medusa, Olol, kanar and many others to name a few.

I was going through my Wipeout folder and I do not know why I saved this file, but you can say the timing was serendipitous. Now you kids can see what the site looked like when you were in the early years of elementary school :P

http://thumbnails16.imagebam.com/11472/7c1e8a114710659.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/7c1e8a114710659)

Still puzzled why I have it and why it was from Internet Explorer :P

Once again Happy 10th Anniversary to WipeoutZone! Here's to many more years of visiting the site, anticipating the next installment in the franchise, discussions and let's not forget races with my fellow pilots. I will definitely toast a beer tomorrow and maybe I'll finally pull the trigger on that Speed Kills shirt (http://www.cafepress.ca/wipeoutzone.461073733) that I've had my eye on.

[JABBERJAW]

funny Rob, I was playing wipeout 3 after not playing it since the last tourney, I don't think I have anything to toast with though, maybe some maple syrup :)

Thank you so much Rob for keeping this site up and running, and making those fantastic records tables. I remember when you added past wipeout 3, and that was when some great competition came out, and Arnaud obliterated all my times! I too have met many friends at the tourneys over the years, and while my electric bill went up quite a bit :) I don't regret any of it. Without this site, probably noone on here would be friends in the least, just names on the other side of the screen in wipeout hd.

thanks so much

zoolander


S Gajo, that was alot of fun up in Canada meeting you guys

[mdhay]

Wow, it's only my opinion, but the site looked awesome back then. Of coruse, it looks all sleek and sexy now, but the Wo3 bits.... :3

[AmigoJack]

Now that's a late turn I have here...

Congratulations to the site and many many thanks to Rob, of course! Without him and this site we'd never have met in Amsterdam in the very first place - and also not every year again. I was very happy to finally meet you in person - as with every other guy aswell.

Having this board was and is very essential to summon W'O'' fans from around the world. It might be an awesome series to us, but in the real world it's not that well-known - up until today.

Back then I was fascinated by the design and the music - the game itself (2097) took some time to enjoy playing it - maneuvering the crafts just needed a lot of practice. However (and despite to many others) HD finally is the masterpiece in my eyes - mostly because of the possibility for online eliminator races. 8)

Rob - I'm glad you haven't given up on this site. I can understand your feelings about it and it's rather a shame that there's obviously nobody who wants to herein all your work.

I'm visiting this board very rarely these years. But I would definitly miss it, once it's gone. Before that will happen I'd rather take any responsibility hosting the site, I guess!

[nakamura]

Amazing to think a more niche forum as gone ten years strong when many larger based ones fall by the wayside sooner.

A credit to the community here and the admin team.

[Dark_Phantom_89]

Happy birthday WZ and thank you to Rob for dreaming up this excellent forum all those years ago. The community here is fantastic and I'm very thankful to be a part of it.

[infoxicated]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. :+

It's really heartwarming to think back at the friendships that have been formed over the years. I feel lucky to have made friends from all over the world that I wouldn't have met if it hadn't been for this common interest in WipEout that we share.

Aside from the friendships, it's the romances that have blossomed too, with AnErare and Stinkleroy following that other classic WipEoutZone love story; Asayyeah and Stin! ;) :D

Good catch on the homepage launch capture, Spaceboy Gajo. I don't think I took one when the site was first launched, and although I could probably fire it up on my development server with a bit of hacking, capturing an image of it now just wouldn't be the same as one taken in January 2001. :clap

I should probably get some t-shirts created to mark the 10th anniversary, even if I'm the only one who buys one! :D

[Malone]

Hello everyone, a long time lurker here! I finally decided to create an account to celebrate this sites 10th anniversary. Thank you for your efforts and may the race go on at least another decade.:nod

[Lion]

Grats on the milestone!

wish I had been in an active phase when it rolled around

[MyNameIsBom]

I wished I have joined this forum earlier!! It is a great community! Without intoxicated, this forum would never have existed.
Thank you for your hard work on this forum intoxicated :)
Keep up the great work! ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ :rock

[blackwiggle]

So nice we are still nice to each other after 10 years.:clap
NO other forum can say that.

[leungbok]

Happy 10 years Wozone ! :)

[OBH]

Happy bday WZ!
Ive only been here for 2 of those no doubt quality 10 years.

I wonder how many people were here during the early days :P

[Lance]

Hi, Rob

You've built something remarkable here through your enthusiasm, dedication, persistence, and patience. The internet is usually a place of quickly evaporating interest and brief associations. I'm glad that you've decided to keep this community alive through all past troubles.

I joined on or about August 20 of 2001, when the place was still on EZ-Board and you had only months before taken over the captaincy. Early in the next year you gave Wipeout a place of its own.

In the last couple of years, especially in this last year, I've pulled back from the board for various reasons, including becoming absorbed in writing. So I've not performed mod duties for a long time now. But in those first several years I spent hours every day on here, and it's good to see that not only are you preserving the presence of the history of this place online, but are making it live on in the present and into the future. I'm glad to have been part of it and to have contributed something.

Carry on, sir. My respect to you.

Lance

[infoxicated]

Thanks so much, Lance - couldn't really have kept going without you in the mid naughties, so take a bow yourself. Most of the newer members won't recognise your contribution over the years, but it's safe to say your efforts helped make the community a better place. :+

[Lance]

Thanks, Rob. There were a couple of years there when you had so much on your plate that you couldn't really be here, so I helped out as I could since I was unemployed and could be here all the time. :D

edit: I'm still unemployed. YAY