Originally Posted by
Spartanbh
Greeting, Forerunner Conflict.
This month, June of 2016, marks the 10 year anniversary of Forerunner Conflict (originally Red vs. Blue: Retaliation, AKA RvBR). I take great pride in saying that we have sustained a community as fun, dedicated, and diverse as ours for ten freaking years! Most online communities never last more than a couple of months, let alone a year, let alone TEN YEARS. It is a great honor to be part of such a passionate group of people who care so deeply about what our foundation is about, and it is astounding the amount of time and effort we have put into this community just to make sure it stays functional and remains a beacon of hope for all of those lost in the online gaming world.
Not to sound cheesy, but it honestly does feel like just the other day I was still only 14 years old in a Halo 2 lobby for hours upon hours developing a new type of war simulation community that would have a foundation so solid it would stand to last the test of time (for online gaming that is). I was 14 freaking years old; I had never had romantic relationships, never had a job, never had anything else to worry about in life except for high school grades and what we were about to create on Halo 2. Ten years later, I am a college graduate, I'm working 55+ hours a week, I have a serious relationship, moved into my own town-home, have bills to worry about, and yet I am still part of the very same video game community that I and a few others created years ago with no idea of what else would be in store for life. Now granted I, unfortunately, do not have nowhere near as much time to put into Forerunner Conflict, I am extremely happy with what it has become, and am continually excited for where it is going.
Not only has Forerunner Conflict impacted my personal life, but even more so I am proud to also say that over the ten years this community has forged HUNDREDS of friendships over the years. I have met FOUR people in person because of this community. Forerunner Conflict has even created a freaking baby from a relationship started through here (and ironically that baby was born on Halo 4's release date)! If all of you who have been here for a decent amount of time look at your friend's lists, I'd be comfortable betting that most of your lists are comprised 75% of people you met through Forerunner Conflict. That is a testament to how influential this community has had on your online and personal lives.
Just think about all of the great experiences and challenging experiences we have overcome since the start. When RvBR originally started, it took us a year and a half to get one war finished. By the time Halo 3 rolled around and we changed our name to Forerunner Conflict, we were in full swing with hundreds of people on each side fighting some of the greatest battles in FC. By Reach's entrance, we were completely re-working our Accords to make sure we were the premiere war simulation community and to provide a much more strategic focus on battles through Forge and auxiliary bonuses. Then came Operation Firestorm and we blew up the community temporarily, and to all of those who have stuck around since Op Firestorm, you deserve a medal! We then went to Halo 4, where we experience some of our greatest growth, as well as some of our toughest issues. Just remember, FC still survived MCC; that speaks for itself. Now we are in Halo 5 and our community has literally spanned over 10 different Halo titles that were released (including Halo 2). We are continually striving each day to improve our foundation and make sure that the GREAT experiences that keep bringing us back become more frequent to each and ever new and old member.
I would like to personally thank each and every one of you in Forerunner Conflict today. You all are so passionate and dedicated to our core values, and I honestly can't even explain how appreciative I am for all the hard work. I hope you all continue to push Forerunner Conflict to greater heights, and continue to push our values out there and show to people that we are still the legendary community that dozens of others have tried to copy, yet failed because they did not carry the passion and dedication that we do. Without you, Forerunner Conflict is nothing!
Lastly, I would like to give a quick shout out specifically to Mythonian and Metkil. The amount of work that these two have done and continually do behind the scenes over the years is honestly mind-boggling. Be it for war-specific issues, community issues, website features and overall website maintenance and ownership, these two have dedicated thousands of their own personal hours (more than anyone else, without a doubt) in life to making sure FC runs as smoothly as possible. Both of them are incredibly intelligent, and never in my 10 years here have I seen such dedication and hard work in every single aspect that makes up Forerunner Conflict. Without them, we would be nowhere close to where we are today. Thank you Metkil and Mythonian for the hard work you two have put in!
Thank you all again, and I hope you all enjoy Forerunner Conflict's 10th Anniversary! I can't wait for our 20th Anniversary!
Sincerely,
SpartanBH, Founder & Foreunner
