So who the heck is Hamma and why should I read his dumb blog? Well I am a long time gamer and I’ve been on the internet since.. well I guess since before it started to pick up steam. I am also an IT Systems Administrator who works at a local school district and that alone provides for some interesting blog entries.

I have been administrator of a few different websites most notably PlanetSide-Universe.com where I strive to have the #1 fansite for PlanetSide, a deed I have accomplished quite well over the years with help from an awesome staff. I have also been a member of an online gaming team called Clan Draconus Lupus for quite a few years now, I originally joined the team back at the beginning of Tribes 2, we meet up for yearly rallies at un-disclosed locations around the country. Right now I am between games, playing a bit of Call of Duty 4 and some EVE Online. Here is the long winded version of me..

PC Gaming

Shortly after I got a better computer I became addicted to the Command and Conquer series of games. The original as well as Command & Conquer : Red Alert were my favorites. When “Tiberian Sun” came on to the horizon I started up my very first adventure in Fan Sites. “Hamma’s Tiberian Sun Page” was born. I had a small following of people who kept up on my site but I never became a front runner. This was before Internet Forums started to take shape. I had news posted as well as screenshots and descriptions. Once the site went offline I formed “Electronics Arts Central” back before EA was as evil as they are now. The site didn’t last all that long and my hosted sites were more popular than I was. Things from here on.. would never be the same.

Adrenaline Addiction

Shortly after the failure of EA Central and a real life relationship.. I came upon a new game called Tribes 2. I stumbled upon Tribalwar.com and began reading about this new adventure I would soon find myself departing on. The day the game was released I picked it up and found myself in the heat of combat. I had no team but competition appealed to me. I stumbled upon the -CDL- Public Server. The first day I joined that server my life would be changed forever. I joined the CDL Dragon Wolves after about a month of harassing them on IRC and in game. I got into the heat of combat in one of my very first competition maps. I sucked, but I was part of a team. As the year went on I became more and more involved in Tribes and the team. We has many amazing matches where adrenaline pumped 10 fold with each flag grab and capture. To this day no game has ever compared to Tribes it is a game that I wished would come back and I hope will some day rise again in one form or another.

The Dragon Wolves

When I found the Dragon Wolves I had no idea what type of impact on my life it would have. I have been a member for near 6 years and am now the Vice Admin of the team. After Tribes we moved into a Multi Game setup where we have divisions in multiple games. We have rolled in Tribes, Tribes 2, Americas Army, World of Warcraft, PlanetSide and more. I met my wife through the team and we have yearly meetings in Orlando, FL. The Dragon Wolves have a strong code of conduct and we hold each and every member accountable. One might say it is “Just a game” but it has become much more than that for us.

After I discovered the Dragon Wolves and we worked our way up to the Top 10 on the Tribes II ladder we began to work back down. I had a short stint with another team but ended up back with the Wolves. That is when my second love came on the horizon: PlanetSide. One day I decided I wanted to get back into the Fan Site business. I had enjoyed myself with HTSP and never really got a taste of what it was like to have a popular site. It was on that day that PlanetSide Universe was born, about 6 months before the actual release of the game.

PlanetSide Universe

With the ending of Tribes we were all like people without a home. Many became interested in a new game on the horizon called PlanetSide. With my previous fan site experience I set out to create the biggest, most informative PlanetSide Fan Site on all of the internets. I found and hacked up (Badly mind you) a piece of junk content system and set out on my way. I grabbed some of my most trusted friends and brought them on as Staff. I installed vBulletin and started fishing around for members. The Official website had closed their PS forums earlier in development so many of the stragglers ended up at a site called “PlanetSide.info” and they were not happy about my arrival on the scene. I worked hard day in and day out to make PSU popular, we picked up some amazing community members and I began getting coders on board to help. Before you knew it we ended up with alot of great features. In the early days, I worked with a member of the other fansite to get in contact with Sony Online.

Surprisingly I was able to get an email out of him for Dave “SmokeJumper” Georgeson. I was ecstatic. Things from here on our only got better as I got hooked up with some SOE PR folks, before I knew it I was in San Diego previewing PlanetSide months before it came out. I worked with my close friend Marsman to create the “AGN” or Auraxis Global Network, a shoutcasting network where we did monthly developer interviews and live events. Sometimes peaking 500 listeners. Also around that time we picked up Gryphon who made the website more interactive than I could have ever dreamed, with POTD’s, Quotes and even a buddy key program for people who wanted to donate their own PlanetSide time to people.

PlanetSide is still around to this day albeit a bit smaller than it was. PSU Also remains online and still has active forums.

That’s about it for the long winded version

As to why you should read my blog well, that is really up to you. I rant about things going on day to day in my life, the latest news, and whatever else I feel needs a rant. I also post the occasional personal things going on in my life and of course some tech tips here and there. If you are interested subscribe to my feed and drop by often!