-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cover Page   Table of Contents   Player Interview

I know what you all are thinking right now. You took a look at the headline, added in the problems with the server, and then thought of a conspiracy that may be happening within the site that will put it down forever. Rest easy everybody because I do not have any inside information regarding a future closing date for the site or its reasons. I do have some “inside” information in the dialogue of a private message that will make you rest even easier. Some may know this, but for now, let us pretend that nobody knows anything. Balz has always vowed to me that as long as he is around, he will do his best to keep a free online Triple Triad website open to the public. Doesn’t that just make you feel warm inside?

When the site was down for some time due to the server switch or the daily lag that we all face, what issues did that really present to the public? Sure, the people that are always loyal to the game missed out for a little bit. This includes the ones that have been around online Triple Triad in its entirety. One specific example is the so-called “poster boy” of TTA which has been deemed upon Delial. You all should know better if you do not by now that this is not a new concept. I have known him since the late 1990s and have played with since then. The amount of “poster boys” or girls for that matter has really been decreasing. This is not new information. It has obviously been decreasing for quite some time due to the natural course of life. People come, have a good time, and move on with their life. There is nothing wrong with that. However, how much of that is really game related? If you paid attention, you’ll notice that it took quite a long time for the Triad Wars tournament to fill up. It took an entire week from its opening date until its close date. I remember missing a tournament signup because I was gone for a weekend and that was for a 128 person tournament, not a 64 person tournament. It is clear that the lust is not there; not now at least. The so-called veterans of the site have their downtimes and they get back the die hard attitude to play again, which eventually dies out for one reason or another. It does not matter. A simple fact of the matter is that times are changing and the importance of the game is not as important anymore. The amount of people in the community is not really as much of an issue as the drive within it. Chat is still very full and people are always around.

Now, after reading that paragraph, maybe I have raised a few more eyebrows. It probably was not as much as the title of the article, though. Let us look a little bit deeper into the argument here. As editor, I read and dissect the articles that my fellow writers present to me. I particularly liked Soujiro’s article. He talked about why he likes TTA, and he only mentions the actual game itself for one sentence. There is nothing wrong about that because he found something about the community that keeps him here rather than the game. I am certain that there are many that would agree with his assessment. After all, as coined by many players, Triple Triad is a played out game that has presented nothing really new since the creation of Final Fantasy 8. That does not matter. Soujiro’s assessment is very accurate and is reflected in some form or another. The community does not have as many newbies for us to look out for which can make it different from the times of past. I was a victim of looking down on people just because they were not around as often as I just because that is how the culture was at the time. The few newbies that we see now are embraced. The community that has been formed now is a very tightly knit group that is also much more mature than it used to be. Often times, it was talked about in chat if being immature was a banable offense. That in itself is an immature comment, but that is beside the point. With the average age of players continually rising, the maturity is rising as well. It is not rocket science how I came up with that fact. With few new players entering the community, the ones that are here are only getting older together. They are getting older and growing closer.

This long piece here does confirm something and that is the fact that we are more dependent on each other than we are on the game. This is not an outrageous opinion, but more of a realization for this player after taking some time to reflect on why I am here as Soujiro asked in his article. I am a competitive person and still am with my game and my clan, but that is not the sole reason I am here. Like many of you, if TTA were to die today, the community would still live on. You can rest assured it will not die anytime soon.