When was the first time you played online?

[Landy]

Like thread title says: When was the first time you played online?
I started back in 98, when i first played Quake on a slow modem at school.

Wasn't before 2004 i got my own DSL connection. Since the, I've spent countless hours in various games online.

[Jason]

Probably about the same, to be honest. I know Quake was definitely the first game I played online.

It's funny, isn't it? Back then we were all playing on 56k modems where anything less than 300 ping was considered bloody awesome, whereas now we're throwing our arms in the air and blaming our terrible performance in that last round on our sky-high ping of 150. :p

[Landy]

Hehe, yeah it's crazy how fast time goes. Whoever had even heard about HD and flatscreens back then? I'm really looking forward to what gaming and technology will bring in another 10 years time. Think it was one of the lead developers at ID software, that said around 10-15 years from now, we would be close to photo realism in games. Imagine that. :naughty:

[Rogue]

I'm a bit behind with you guys, it was about two years ago with Unreal Tournament.

[Astonix]

I started gaming online back with the release of Counter Strike 1.6
Still play to this day sometimes n.n

[Knighto]

I'm a bit behind with you guys, it was about two years ago with Unreal Tournament.

You think you're late? think again my friend. I still haven't played online, not even once :(

Dial up is still the most common way to connect to internet in my country. Although I got DSL 4 months ago, but it's still only 256 KB speed and if I want to upgrade it would cost too much. Also, I can't get a gold Xbox Live subscription because they don't sell them here and in fact I'm already paying a fortune (in our standards) to buy or rent video games!

You can't even imagine how it feels to be reading about all those great experiences everyone has playing online while I'm stuck here with single player-games! Still, I go play network with my friends sometimes (but no one has time anymore.)

I don't want to go spend more money on an Xbox Live subscription if it won't work on a slow 256 kb DSL connection.

MGs, do you have an idea what kind of games I can play online via such a connection?

[Jason]

I may be wrong, but you might just be able to get away with a 256k. Sure, it's not going to be brilliant, but I know for a fact that 512kb is playable, and as long as you're not playing anything that requires split-second timing (racing games and some FPS games might be out for you), you may just be able to get a game.

I'd suggest trying an old but popular online PC game that might still have a few servers running before trying out XBL. Maybe something like the original Unreal Tournament on PC. Don't forget, many online games used to function with only a 128kb connection, so you might be surprised to find that it is playable.

EDIT: I've done a little research, and it appears that opinion is a little split regarding Xbox Live - quite a few say that 256k is ok, that you'll struggle with lag from time to time, but you'll be ok for the most part. Bearing in mind your location, it will obviously be dependent on how many others near you are playing, as you'll need hosts too - 256k almost certainly won't be enough to host games.

[Iggy]

Megawars on Compuserve, 1981.

With a 300 baud modem and a Commodore VIC20 no less!!!

[Knighto]

I may be wrong, but you might just be able to get away with a 256k. Sure, it's not going to be brilliant, but I know for a fact that 512kb is playable, and as long as you're not playing anything that requires split-second timing (racing games and some FPS games might be out for you), you may just be able to get a game.

I'd suggest trying an old but popular online PC game that might still have a few servers running before trying out XBL. Maybe something like the original Unreal Tournament on PC. Don't forget, many online games used to function with only a 128kb connection, so you might be surprised to find that it is playable.

EDIT: I've done a little research, and it appears that opinion is a little split regarding Xbox Live - quite a few say that 256k is ok, that you'll struggle with lag from time to time, but you'll be ok for the most part. Bearing in mind your location, it will obviously be dependent on how many others near you are playing, as you'll need hosts too - 256k almost certainly won't be enough to host games.

Jason, you rock, Thanks! However, I haven't played a game (besides point-and-cick and puzzle games) on my PC for years. My laptop is 4 years old and I'm really not interested in playing a very old kind of game on it.

I'll do my own research soon after I finish all the awesome games I have in hand now: AC2 and GTA IV Episodes from Liberty Cities.

[CemeteryGates]

I started playing Halo 2 a couple of days after it came out and I beat it.
I was on a 128kbps modem at the time (and I'm supposedly on 2mbps now, but it runs at the same speed... damn ISP), and I actually got pretty good at it. I was number 7 on the leaderboards for a period. Of course, I attribute it to the fact that some people didn't have the game yet. But I kept my place until the first reset. After that, I was like number 600-something. :p


After having Xbox Live on the old Xbox, I haven't been interested much in online playing, although I go to a LAN house occasionally and play Left 4 Dead 2, Starcraft, Company of Heroes, Modern Warfare and others with friends and online.

However, I'm still not able to cancel my old Xbox Live account and get charged every year. I tried looking for support online, but I only found a huge international number that never answers when I call...

[Konrad]

My first multiplayer experience was I think Counter Strike at an internet cafe. It wasn't quite internet, but LAN. Still, same rules apply. Mid to late nineties would be the time, I didn't even know what I was doing half the time.

[FlamingMetroidzd]

Oh my... I hardly even remember. I think it must be Command & Conquer: RA2. I didn't start that far back though, and I've never had a true gaming computer. That game was pretty fun, despite the fact that I sucked and never REALLY got into it. Lead to some good times with Renegade. This is all with cable, since before that I just consoled it up.

[dimples]

Hmm I think it might have been 2008. I'm a late bloomer. It was COD World at war if I remember right

[Kozahk]

Starsiege Tribes I believe, only stopped playing it about 4 years ago.

[Daggers]

About a year after Halo 2 came out, my brother and I opened up a shared live account and started playing online but only with free trial codes and the occasional £20 3 month membership!

[happysister]

i think i started playing online back like 6-7 years when i was introduced to Runescape. my brother, my sister, a couple others, and i would get together and cause trouble.

[Betty]

Team Fortress or everquest.
whichever came first...

[Shortie861]

It would have been in 2006 when I first got an Xbox 360, I stopped playing for a few years though and went back in early 2008 and have been playing online ever since :)

[socko25]

I think the first game I played online was Diablo 2.

[fantanoice]

Neopets, if that counts. :P Otherwise, Mario Kart Wii.

[rejaan]

i started with guild wars on release and there has been no looking back since

[happysister]

Neopets, if that counts. :P

I REMEMBER NEOPETS! i also remember when they turned into suck.

[iebo]

I used to play LAN games back in the late 90s, but technically that's not online. I didn't get into online gaming until 2009 when I tried out the trial version of WoW. I was amazed at how much I loved it, I was really into the community aspect of it. Even though I gave up WoW because of the cost, I now almost exclusively play MMOs.

[D1R7Y54NCH32]

Oh my! I can remember playing Starsiege Tribes on a ridiculously slow dial up. Sometimes it would take me a half an hour just to get past the busy signal to get the dial up running. My rig at that time was an AMDK6 299mhz. It was lag city either because of the slow processor or the high ping. I couldn't run counter strike on my computer so I had to wait until I got to college before I could play CS 1.5 on my roommates computer. Oh god, my grades crashed because of CS. Most expensive game I ever played what with room and board fees plus tuition:D!

[Misfit]

Diablo 2 or Guild Wars for me. SO ADDICTING. GW was my drug for 2 years straight!

[ECsquirrel]

mine would have to be halo at least. i cant think that far back. but good times. thats all that matters.

[Mula]

I started online gaming when Call of Duty 4 came out. That was also when I started to game a lot more then when I used to. I have so many good memories playing that game before hackers came in. Now every CoD 4 game I play has pink writing on the screen which is just really annoying and distracting.