Yes, I know it's been an "Age" since I've seen you all last--and I can see that there are many of you here now whom I've never met! So much time has passed, but how many good memories I have of this place. Some things in life endure as we remember them, and it certainly looks like N3O is one of them.
It's hard to believe that it's been well over two years since I moved on from AOE3. I did so under difficult circumstances in my life, and only recently has some degree of calm returned for me. As soon as it did, my mind began to wander back to things I've always enjoyed: N3O swiftly sprang to mind. I knew that N3O largely switched over to SC2 a year or so ago, and I knew that wasn't my game. But time puts everything in perspective. It also makes old things seem sweeter. That's why I decided it's definitely time to come back and play AOE3 again!
Needless to say, AOE3 and N3O are united in my mind. Even during the game's "heyday," I only continued playing after I had found my brothers in N3O. It was the people who made the game, not the game itself. You should all be proud to be part of such a fantastic, steadfast group. I can see that the spirit survives; it's stood the test of time! How can I ever forget? Strokey, Lazy, Joe, Dan (both Deadhand and DJ), Etrips, Lisbon, Soccer, Blackadder, Coma, Aaryn, lordandcount, emperoral, Indy, 36drew... the list goes on and on and on! I'm sure most of you have moved on to SC2 (if not some other pursuit), but trust me, it's great knowing you're all still out there.
So this is my long way of saying that I'd love to play with you all again if you ever get the inkling to head back to AOE3. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll cave in and give SC2 a try, but as I've always said, I really prefer games with a historical twinge to them. And of course having Germans in a game is a major consideration for me. Truth be told, I'm really much more a FPS guy and I'm the first to admit that my RTS skills are not my best. But playing with N3O has always been its own reward. I hope that we can all manage to get some games in the coming weeks! I just need a couple weeks to remember how to spam uhlans... let's see, 50 food, 100 coin... 3 SW on coin... make control group key for stable... get food/coin market upgrades... IN DEN KAMPF!!! Yeah, I think I can handle this
As far as my own life goes, things are way better than they were when I put aside AOE back in late 2009. I still have significant obligations at home, but they are far less urgent than they used to be. I've also found a new career modeling in NYC (those who've seen my FB page can attest to that!), and that's keeping the cash flowing. I still have my law license but just don't have the time to dedicate to a full-time office job. Not that I even want that! I'm also starting to write a new book about the experiences I've been having for the last couple years, which have been pretty extraordinary. But I'll fill you in on all that as time goes on. I'm sure you all remember that I'm never hesitant to hit the "Post" button
I'm feeling great right now. I feel like I'm reconnecting with people who played a big role in my life, and I'm so happy to check in with you all again. And I certainly look forward to meeting all the new N3O'ers, as well as hearing about all that's changed since I've been gone.
All the best, guys, and happy gaming!!
K_v_N
