WTF is a rotato?

October 11, 2011 9:04 PM

A very happy 4rth Anniversary to Mefight Club!

It's been four years to the day since herrdoktor offered to set up a Team Fortress 2 server (which is still up and running!), and just slightly less than that since the first version of the website went online.

Since then, the single best gang of gamers on the internet has grown prodigiously -- we're about 2000-strong now -- we've branched out into every nook and cranny of gaming, online and off, we've spun off a whole little constellation of websites of our own, donated thousands of dollars to charity, shown more generosity to one another than I've ever seen on the web, had more damn fun than should be legal, and we still congregate at all hours of the day any given day of the week for funtimes and asplosions on our TF2 servers (and L4D2 servers (and Minecraft servers (and all our other game servers))) to this day.

I want to thank every single Mefight Club member for making this such a great four years, to thank Matt for this place, which started it all, and to thank cortex and jessamyn and everyone who keeps MeFi running for teaching this cranky old wonderchicken by their sterling examples how to build and run a successful community on the web. After four years, I'm almost starting to figure it out. Now if I could only make the web server stop pooping the bed.

Mefight Club is awesome, games are fun, and we'd all love to see more Mefites and their friends and family join us in our friendly, happy corner of the web. Gamers can be good people, too. Per astra ad rotato!

posted by stavrosthewonderchicken to MetaFilter-Related at 9:04 PM (78 comments total)

Mazel tov folks!
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:05 PM on October 11, 2011

I will see you all after Minecraftt stops updating every week.
posted by The Whelk at 9:10 PM on October 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

FREE HATS FOR EVERYONE!
posted by Diskeater at 9:22 PM on October 11, 2011

Oh crap, I need to get me a new computer so I can Portal 2 co-op with some MeFites!

(It's okay if I turn Portal 2 co-op into a verb, right?)
posted by infinitewindow at 9:34 PM on October 11, 2011

I have asked The Lawgivers, and the answer is: cabbage!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:41 PM on October 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Because it started out right here in Meta, MeFight Club felt like a community from the get-go, even when we just had a Steam group and a server where we met to play TF2 three times a week or so. Now the forums are busy enough where I can't even keep up, we have several servers for all kinds of games, we have thousands of hours and hundreds of different games played together, and have held all kinds of meetups, Secret Santa's, cookie exchanges, charity drives, etc.

MeFighters are the best group of people to shoot rockets at, eat brains with, build amazing blocky worlds with, and just hang out to shoot the breeze with over on the forums, and on G+, and on Facebook, and on Twitter... It's a wonderful thing this community. Can't believe it's been four years already, but here's to many more!!
posted by gemmy at 9:44 PM on October 11, 2011 [3 favorites]

Per Astra Ad Rotato indeed. I'm so happy to have found a group of folks to play games with. I don't think I'd be playing TF2 these days if not for the MFC people.
posted by lholladay at 9:47 PM on October 11, 2011

The Aporkalypse server looks so fantastic, signing up (if nothing more than to be a tourist) is on my to-do list of Things to Do That Are Minecraft-Related, except once I actually log into Minecraft I get distracted by mushrooms! abandoned mineshafts! fucking redstone, how does it work I SAW A WOLF and then the next thing you know it's morning and my cat's sitting on my laptop, holding it hostage until she gets fed.

oh god it's only been a bloody week? two weeks? everything is minecraft and NOTHING HURTS.
posted by zennish at 10:02 PM on October 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

Wow, I meant to say huzzah for mefi game servers, except Minecraft and its machinations completely co-opted that comment. Er - happy anniversary!
posted by zennish at 10:05 PM on October 11, 2011

except Minecraft and its machinations completely co-opted that comment.

Yeah Minecraft did that to my life at one point.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 10:08 PM on October 11, 2011

Dude I am eternally proud of the bar and the freaking department store built in Apork.

I also built the only luxury goods store and TWO apple stores.
posted by The Whelk at 10:28 PM on October 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

The Whelk: You people have like four threads already, you really trying to start another?

:P
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 10:41 PM on October 11, 2011

Is there or has there ever been a more literal MeFI Fight Club? Cause...could be great.

(Don't say metatalk.)

Or we could graduate from pub quizzes and have a rumble with reddit.
posted by villanelles at dawn at 10:43 PM on October 11, 2011

In the Spirit of Rotato and giving and other happy shit like that, I have a spare minecraft gift code (dates back to Alpha, so it's one of the Good Ones) for the first person to MeMail me (Preferably to be used for you and not to re-gift, but I guess givers can't be choosers).
posted by toomuchpete at 10:46 PM on October 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

The Whelk: You people have like four threads already, you really trying to start another


I am vast . I contain multitudes.
posted by The Whelk at 10:48 PM on October 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

Vertical stripes, Whelk.
posted by villanelles at dawn at 10:57 PM on October 11, 2011 [6 favorites]

Wait, did someone say minecraft?

I'll be back in a week.
posted by mrzarquon at 12:30 AM on October 12, 2011

I tried the Android version of Minecraft (Minecraft Pocket) on my HTC Desire last night. Wow. It was one of those amazing moments where you're like "HOLY FUCK I'M LIVING IN THE FUTURE". Controls tool a bit of getting used to, but it was super smooth even on my relatively old smartphone.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 12:43 AM on October 12, 2011

Hurrah for all the nice people on the internet I shoot at with a pretend gun!
posted by liquidindian at 1:59 AM on October 12, 2011 [3 favorites]

MeFightClub is one of the Good Places of the Internet. Without it I'd probably not play computer games online at all. It's such a wonderful community full of enthusiastic, mature gamers. It's pretty much the gaming community of my wildest dreams. I've had a lot of fun playing Arma II, Men of War, Civ IV and especially Minecraft. The Aporkalypse is the single greatest computer game thing I've ever participated in.
posted by Kattullus at 3:18 AM on October 12, 2011 [3 favorites]

Isn't it soap for the 4th anniversary? Congratulations.
posted by arcticseal at 3:19 AM on October 12, 2011

Does this mean you're too old to play "gotcher nose" anymore? =(
posted by Eideteker at 5:18 AM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

Does this mean you're too old to play "gotcher nose" anymore? =(

I hear the next TF2 update includes a new medic melee weapon that does exactly this.
posted by FishBike at 5:22 AM on October 12, 2011

Is there much console love? I see a category, but not too many new posts. I'd love to have some non-broken, adult human beings to play co-op stuff with on X-Box Live.
posted by yerfatma at 6:07 AM on October 12, 2011

Not a lot of console talk in general, but no reason there can't be (other than a bit of the ol' free-floating resentment towards AAA developers giving short shrift to the PC these days) -- a fairly large number of MFC members have 'em.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:15 AM on October 12, 2011

Is the Aporkalypse up currently? The impression I got from skimming the forums last night was that it wasn't.
posted by empath at 6:18 AM on October 12, 2011

Is the Aporkalypse up currently? The impression I got from skimming the forums last night was that it wasn't.

It is as far as I know. It is running an old version of the game, though, but we're working on that. We currently have two servers: The Aporkalypse and Beans.
posted by toomuchpete at 6:57 AM on October 12, 2011

Aporkalypse is running but it's not updated to 1.8.x. I think that they're waiting for the actual GA release to update it and all its mods. In the meantime, Beans is the temp server running 1.8 with all its hunger, sprinting and abandoned mineshaft goodness.
posted by octothorpe at 6:58 AM on October 12, 2011

Or what pete said.
posted by octothorpe at 6:58 AM on October 12, 2011

I signed up for MeFightClub about a year and a half ago as a way of rejuvenating my TF2 playing. It didn't really work for whatever reason. Back then, TF2 had to be like and event for me. Clear my schedule, reboot my mac into windows, sit down, and play. Since then I've got a new computer, Steam works on my mac and runs very smoothly, and TF2 can be something I just pick up and do. I've only been playing with Mefighters for a little while, but it's been a blast. Some of you are disturbingly good!

But before I logged onto the pubbie and the privie, I logged onto the Apork. It was right after Beta dropped and my housemates couldn't figure out the magic to get a stable server running, so I suggested Aporkalypse. Actually, it was a temporkalypse. The three of us logged on and immediately pitched in on a project Schrananapuss was working on. I buggered off rather quickly to the wilds to mine and build a lair, but Knodding stayed and dug. And dug. And dug. Our third friend doesn't come on anymore really, but Knodding and I are still around, although taking a hiatus from minecraft for a little bit.

What I'm trying to say is this: Thanks. I've only been on a few months, and it's a joy to spend time around mature, excellent gamers. Happy Birthday. I hope there are many more to come.
posted by clockbound at 7:31 AM on October 12, 2011

I popped in briefly and hung out for about two weeks and then got distracted by something else shiny on the internet, but I loved the friendly atmosphere ad the enthusiastic and supportive community. If I had more time to play games (and a little more hand-eye coordination) I could see myself spending all my time there.

Also, to the person who gifted me a copy of TF2 - YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE - you rock. Immensely. I feel like an ungrateful wretch that I'm not spending more time locked in front of a computer.

In short: Hurray for MeFightClub, and hurray for everyone that makes it possible, and hurray for Stav.
posted by Phire at 7:54 AM on October 12, 2011

I haven't been able to get into Minecraft for weeks now and haven't had a chance to figure out the problem. Regardless, happy birthday MeFight Club!
posted by arcticwoman at 8:12 AM on October 12, 2011

Oh crap, I need to get me a new computer so I can Portal 2 co-op with some MeFites!

IIRC, the PS3 version has cross-platform coop with PC. So there's that. Also the PS3 version comes with a get-it-number for the PC version, or at least did.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:13 AM on October 12, 2011

I haven't been able to get into Minecraft for weeks now and haven't had a chance to figure out the problem.

Nor have I.

Aporkalypse Lost.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 9:28 AM on October 12, 2011

Delete the minecraft exe and the minecraft.jar file and download it again (but don't delete anything else in your minecraft folder, like your saves)
posted by empath at 9:33 AM on October 12, 2011

If you've been having trouble with the Aporkalypse, it might be because we had a server change and at least one of the domains you may have been using hasn't been updated to point the correct IP.

Please check the Aporkalypse Info Page for current details.
posted by toomuchpete at 10:06 AM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

They are wonderful people who were generous to me in my time of need. Even though I can be an asshole sometimes.
posted by ColdChef at 10:58 AM on October 12, 2011 [2 favorites]

Regarding mefightclub.com, I find it a little surprising that the friendly introductory text is on the Apply for membership page. Just looking at the front page, it's not obvious if there is any kind of "about us" text at all. It's possible someone who wants to know what the place is about might want to read such a thing before clicking on the link for applying to be a member. This is of course a very minor complaint, but that's what felt a little odd to me when looking at the page for the first time.

(I didn't join right away, not because of this, but because I'm kind of occupied with other things right now. I'll be sure to show up and have a look around in due time.)
posted by tykky at 11:06 AM on October 12, 2011

It's possible someone who wants to know what the place is about might want to read such a thing before clicking on the link for applying to be a member.

It's where mefites go to fight to the death. Much more cathartic than bringing it to MetaTalk.
posted by jmd82 at 11:54 AM on October 12, 2011

Mefightclub is great. It is on the great end of the "great/not-great" continuum.

Or we could graduate from pub quizzes and have a rumble with reddit.

When you're Grey you're a Grey
From your first driveby snark
To your last Brand New Day
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:10 PM on October 12, 2011

I remember someone doing a pretty nifty Gee Officer Krupke pastiche a month or two ago on the gray; can't remember exactly who or when though.
posted by villanelles at dawn at 12:14 PM on October 12, 2011

West Side Story riffs are like athlete's foot: you can never really be sure they won't crop up again.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:22 PM on October 12, 2011

Tinea!
I once had a case of tinea
I tried some fungicide
And now I can't abide
Wet feet!
posted by villanelles at dawn at 12:47 PM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

I tried TF2 for the first time a few weeks ago.

I thought I was doing pretty well. Getting blown up a lot, but hey, that's part of the fun. I got in a few shots, I thought.

Then I hear one guy on my team say to the other, "man, that jamesdiegojaime guy [my Steam handle] has been playing for a half hour and he has zero points. He must have no idea of what the fuck he's doing."

I look forward to inflicting myself on you all.
posted by oneironaut at 1:11 PM on October 12, 2011 [5 favorites]

I'd just like to offer thanks to all the MeFighters, for being a great bunch of players. And putting up with my irrepressible backstabbing habits.
posted by bitmage at 2:04 PM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

Happy Birthday, MeFightClub! I haven't been on for a while (turning monsters on turned my SKY BATTLESHIPS into SKY DEATHTRAPS FULL OF CREEPERS, which is why, alas, SKY USS LEXINGTON will never be completed), but it was a lot of fun.
posted by Comrade_robot at 2:07 PM on October 12, 2011

Yay! Some of the best people I've ever played with online - thanks everyone!

I've had literally no spare time for it in a few months, but hopefully someday I'll be able to jump back in.
posted by odinsdream at 2:18 PM on October 12, 2011

Wow, four years! Phew. Thanks for everything, you lovely chicken.
posted by lazaruslong at 3:11 PM on October 12, 2011 [2 favorites]

also, damn you bitmage.
posted by lazaruslong at 3:11 PM on October 12, 2011

sneaky spy.
posted by lazaruslong at 3:12 PM on October 12, 2011

Thanks to everybody still keeping it going! Always some good times.
posted by First Post at 3:16 PM on October 12, 2011

Then I hear one guy on my team say to the other, "man, that jamesdiegojaime guy [my Steam handle] has been playing for a half hour and he has zero points. He must have no idea of what the fuck he's doing."

Come play with us! Most nights sometime between 9 and midnight EST on the public server. That kind of anti-newbie behavior is really not tolerated by the admins, of which there are many. Instead, our newbies tend to be overwhelmed by the amount of advice heaped on them...
posted by gemmy at 3:23 PM on October 12, 2011

Thanks, Gemmy, I will, and I'm looking forward to it. I'll send you a memail.
posted by oneironaut at 3:27 PM on October 12, 2011

Then I hear one guy on my team say to the other, "man, that jamesdiegojaime guy [my Steam handle] has been playing for a half hour and he has zero points. He must have no idea of what the fuck he's doing."

Ha, zero points in 30 minutes sounds just like when I play TF2. And I know exactly what the fuck I'm doing. I'm just doing it badly. No one has ever complained or criticized me for that on the MeFight Club servers, which is further proof MeFighters are awesome.
posted by FishBike at 3:55 PM on October 12, 2011

Argh, cart is not moving!
posted by Mick at 4:22 PM on October 12, 2011 [2 favorites]

The Orange Box was the best money I ever spent.

And looking back, I didn't even know what the hell it was. I hadn't played the orginal Team Fortress. I hadn't *heard* of the original Team Fortress. I was just chatting one day in a server room with someone from our Linux team who I knew was into games and he said he was really looking forward to it. I was dealing with a sick, beloved pet at home at the time and it was taking a lot out of me so I decided to give it a whirl. Figured it would take my mind off things.

I simply cannot fathom what my life would be like now if I hadn't hopped onto the server that day (Day Oners represent!) Beyond all the laughs and the fun and, well, games. Mefightclub is where I learned any distiction between online friends and IRL friends is purely in your head.

Ya'll know who you are, but: Thank you.
posted by Cyrano at 4:22 PM on October 12, 2011 [6 favorites]

OMFG I"M HUGGING YOU SO HARD RIGHT NOW WITH NEARLY NO UNREQUESTED PELVIC PRESSURE.
posted by eurasian at 4:50 PM on October 12, 2011

You're at a nine. I need you at about a five.
posted by Cyrano at 4:53 PM on October 12, 2011

TEN IT IS.
posted by eurasian at 4:55 PM on October 12, 2011

In all seriousness, MFC is exactly the sort of place you might want to join if you play a deathly obscure PC game and want to experience it with others. Like Solium Infernum, or Dwarf Fortress, or even say, Men of War.

If you can play it on a boring beige box, you'll likely find someone who's a fan of it on MFC.
posted by eurasian at 5:10 PM on October 12, 2011

YAY MEFIGHT CLUB!

Now if I could just get my act together and show up more often for rotatotastic fun. (my bad!)
posted by rmd1023 at 5:24 PM on October 12, 2011

Four years already? Cake!
posted by _dario at 4:41 AM on October 13, 2011

Hurrah for all the nice people on the internet I shoot at with a pretend gun!

Hurrah for all the nice people on the internet who keep me awake when liquid shouts "I have nerfed the witch!" at 3am. I DO NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT THIS IS INVOLVING.
posted by mippy at 6:52 AM on October 13, 2011 [4 favorites]

"Mefightclub is where I learned any distiction between online friends and IRL friends is purely in your head."

I have nothing to add that this statement does not encompass in its entirety.
posted by majick at 3:50 PM on October 13, 2011 [3 favorites]

This whole MeFite Club has gotten awesomely totally out of control. Witness the number of people who are involved from all over the world, the main forum and multiple side projects and the hard work that's gone into maintaining them (thanks, stav!), the crazy meetups around the country, and the supernice things its members have done for each other. Like mailing baked goods to each other. Or gifting games, or hardware. Or raising money for charity.

I've met and made a lot of friends through it, and though I haven't had as much time to be involved with the community, I've always found it a welcoming and comforting place to return to.

One of the best memories I have is when someone in MFC was recovering from surgery, and and idea came up to raise his spirits and encourage him to get back into fighting shape. Here's the story, cut-n-pasted, with some details removed for privacy. But first, the end product: an official TF2 Pyro shirt, signed by the programmers of the game.


So here's what happened.

I wanted to do summin nice for [MANFROMTHEFUTURE], not just cuz he's recovering from surgery, but also because he's an all-around nice guy and he's FROM THE FYOOOOOCHUH. So I shot off a note to the Steam store, introducing our Club and providing them with links to the appropriate posts of [MANFROMTHEFUTURE's] recovery. And I basically just asked 'em if there were any way we could get a shirt for him with the signatures of the people who worked on TF2.

The ticket remained open and unanswered possibly because they're inundated with this kinda stuff, and thought I was full of lies, and that this whole Club Rotato thing is a bit... odd, but also probably because it was the weekend.

Then this fellow named Derrick writes back. He says, first "Thank you contacting Steam support." And I'm all like "aw, man, form letter rejection," but the next line was "Does your friend have a favorite class? I will base the t-shirt off of this."

And I'm all like "WOW! STEAM AND VALVE ARE EVER ROTATOING. OF COURSE! These guys are AWESOME TO THE MAX!" And I thank Derrick, and give class/shirt size info, where to send payment, etc.

His reply: "There will be no payment involved so no need to worry about that. Simply provide me a mailing address and I will send it out hopefully today or tomorrow."

And then I gushed like a little boy who just got his first Backburner and torched a bunch of trees n stuff but got yelled at by Mom and the firefighters but then argued that fires are a great way to propagate certain species of trees and are necessary for the cycle of arboreal life in some locales.

Et voila. Package sent.

I'm not sure who Derrick is, but he's been amazing from the beginning to the end. The folks at Valve are amazingly nice and accomodating. And the love of the people of MeFight Club is what launched it all.

THAT is the spirit of Rotato there for you: flowing about us. In the words of Mark Strand:

Within the rotato
I am the absence
of rotato.
This is
always the case.
Wherever I am
I am what is missing.

When I walk
I part the rotato
and always
the rotato moves in
to fill the spaces
where my body’s been.

We all have reasons
for moving.
I move
to keep things rotato.

Keep on being sweat, doods. Much love.
And get back to 100% operational capacity soon, [MANFROMTHEFUTURE]!

There are many, many other instances of greatness from this group of gamers, but you'll have to register and read up about it. Most are probably too geeky for you commoners to understand (yeah, them's fightin' words, MeFites! But of course, we'd ally with you vs Reddit any day.), and probably cryptic, but hopefully would provide you with hints of how lucky I feel to be part of MeFite Club:

- the Great Whisky Tasting of 2010, the mysterious vanishing of a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue, and its subsequent and complete consumption in under 30 seconds
- Pies & Thighs and a massive cookout in Bed-Stuy
- stavrosthewonderchiken piloting his room in Korea
- Minor Theft Auto in San Francisco
- the lies of Frognuts and salsa grading
- rooftop sssssekrit stories, unlevel grades, and some wack Absolut Vodka hawked by Spike Lee
- explosions in NY. Loud, loud homemade explosives
- Massive hugs from some crazy guy from Vancouver.

Anyway, I love you all. I love MetaFilter, too, especially the Bay Area MeFites I met at the Scotch party. MFC wouldn't have ever happened with MeFi proper. So thanks, from the bottom of my heart.
posted by herrdoktor at 7:21 PM on October 13, 2011 [6 favorites]

Sorry to break up the love in, fellas, but this shit's all business.

Those of you curious as to what this whole mess is all about, Team Fortress 2 is (now) a free to play shooter. Now, you're lucky that our clubs anniversary just happens to be damn close to TF2's Manniversary, which means a bunch of new content dropped and so people are filling the servers which doesn't happen so frequently anymore. It's a really special group of folks to play with, and I highly recommend it. Look for the [MeFi] tag in the server browser, or just point your Command Console to 8.9.15.132:27015 and you can drop in on the pub. If you're interested in the private server, just click on the link of the mench above. Good Hunting.

the Great Whisky Tasting of 2010, the mysterious vanishing of a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue, and its subsequent and complete consumption in under 30 seconds

If there had not been about a dozen other amazing scotches, I would be a lot more sad about missing this. I mean, it's the Drink Dictators Prefer. That's fucking top shelf.
posted by absalom at 7:42 PM on October 13, 2011 [1 favorite]

MFC wouldn't have ever happened with MeFi proper.

Yeah. This is important. So if Matt & Co. don't think you're included in my "Thank You" you totally are.
posted by Cyrano at 7:43 PM on October 13, 2011

Indeed!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 3:59 AM on October 14, 2011

I would like to petition that MeFight Club be listable on our MetaFilter user pages under the 'also on / social apps' section.
posted by komara at 9:01 AM on October 14, 2011

It's a sticky thing, because MFC is by design not publicly-viewable, so that'd be a link to a registry wall for anybody who clicked through without already being a registered and logged-in member of MFC.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:06 AM on October 14, 2011

That started to occur to me on my way back to this thread. Oh well!
posted by komara at 9:15 AM on October 14, 2011

My goodness, this thread is full of shmoopy. Happy 4th Birthday to Mefightclub.

And welcome back to Metafilter, majick.
posted by misha at 11:29 PM on October 14, 2011

komara, I suggest putting your Google+ dealywhatzit handle on the social apps, and then I can add you to two circles at the same time and be all efficient.
posted by misha at 11:30 PM on October 14, 2011

Ah, but it already is.
posted by komara at 9:34 AM on October 15, 2011

I also hope one of those circles is "pompous arrogant fools who play Minecraft" because that would make me feel right at home.
posted by komara at 9:35 AM on October 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

I probably have you in my Gaming and Mefi circles, actually!
posted by misha at 9:57 PM on October 15, 2011

Do you have Prince Albert in a can?
posted by komara at 4:09 PM on October 17, 2011

Do you have Peter Pan by the bag?
posted by UrbanEye at 9:10 AM on October 21, 2011